Ask any experienced Nuzlocker for tips about playing through Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald, and I bet this is the first thing you’ll hear:
“Pick Mudkip.”
There’s no question that if you’re ranking the starters in Hoenn, Mudkip is the strongest and best suited to a Nuzlocke – but this is selling the Mudkip line short.
Swampert isn’t just the best starter Pokémon in Hoenn- it’s the best Pokémon for a Hoenn Nuzlocke, period.
Let’s talk about four reasons why.
1. Balanced Stats
Let’s start with the basics. Swampert has the perfect stat spread to do everything you need it to.
Swampert’s Ground-type moves utilize its base 110 physical Attack stat, and its Water-type moves use its base 85 Special Attack. While the physical Attack is obviously more impressive, the Special Attack stat is perfectly serviceable considering the high base power of its main Water-type attack, Surf. Not to mention that physical Attack is used for Earthquake, one of the strongest no-drawback moves in the game. These stats, along with access to powerful moves to take advantage of them, make Swampert a brilliant mixed Attacker.
Perhaps even more impressive, however, are Swampert’s defensive stats – base 100 HP paired with base 90 Defense and Special Defense make Swampert a versatile tank, capable of staying in multiple turns, taking hits, and outlasting some of the toughest foes in the game even without a type advantage.
The only drawback is its base 60 speed, but in practice, you’ll still find yourself outspeeding your opponent’s more often than you expect due to EVs and level advantage, and even when you don’t, Swampert’s bulk allows it to take a hit and secure the KO regardless.
If all Swampert had going for it was its stats, it would already be a high tier Pokémon – and we still have three sections to go!
2. Favorable Matchups
As good as Swampert is on its own, it’s the way it matches up with the Hoenn region’s trainers that makes it so incredible when Nuzlocking these games.
Swampert sweeps the Rock-type first Gym, and is the single best answer to the otherwise imposing Electric-type third Gym Leader Wattson. It similarly destroys the Fire-type fourth gym, and enjoys type advantage in Team Magma fights throughout the game.
Perhaps most importantly, Hoenn doesn’t have a Grass-type Gym to punish Swampert’s 4x weakness – in fact, aside from your rival’s Sceptile, there are virtually no threatening Grass-type trainers in Hoenn at all!
Put these together, and you have a Pokémon that trivializes the biggest challenges of the early-game, enjoys favorable type matchups throughout, and almost never comes up against its Grass-type weakness.
3. Great Typing
I alluded to Swampert’s typing in the previous section about how it matched up with Hoenn’s Gym Leaders, but even outside of its strong matchups, Swampert’s Water/Ground typing is exceptional.
For starters, it provides good offensive coverage, and gives Swampert STAB on two of Pokémon’s best, most reliable moves – Earthquake and Surf.
Defensively, Swampert has only one type-weakness (Grass) and gets a useful immunity to Electric-type attacks. This allows it to pair well with another of Hoenn’s best Nuzlocking Pokémon, Gyarados, as it can pivot in safely on the Electric-type attacks that Gyarados baits.
4. Powerful Moves, When You Need Them
In Pokémon Emerald, You obtain the Surf HM right after defeating the fifth Gym, meaning if you’re using level caps, Swampert learns Surf (the best Water-type move in the game) by Level 31.
Earthquake at Level 52 is somewhat later, but Mud Shot is serviceable in the meantime and Marshtomp gains this move immediately upon evolving at Level 16, which is early enough to sweep Wattson and Flannery.
Swampert can also learn Ice Beam by TM, and it makes good use of this move to counter Winona if you don’t have a better option.
While the movepool variety isn’t astounding, the timing is excellent. Swampert really only needs two moves to be successful – Surf, and Mud Shot/Earthquake, and it learns these moves early enough to make good use of them.
There you have it – four reasons why Swampert is the best Pokémon for a generation three Nuzlocke. If you’re planning to take on these games yourself, check out our 2025 Pokémon Emerald Nuzlocke Tier List and our Pokémon Emerald Nuzlocke Guide, and check out Nuzlocke University for more guides, tips, tier lists, and articles like this one.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, Happy Nuzlocking!
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