Is Swinub Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Routes 216 and 217 at level 32, right before Snowpoint. Ice/Ground with AbilitySnow Cloak for evasion in hail. Level up with MoveAncient Power for Mamoswine, the Gen 4 evolution. Ice/Ground coverage handles Volkner, Bertha, and Cynthia's Garchomp. Outstanding late pickup.
Swinub has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Swinub trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Fantina's team hits Swinub's weaknesses hard.
Swinub trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's team hits Swinub's weaknesses hard.
Swinub has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Piloswine trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Mamoswine trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Mamoswine resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Mamoswine has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Mamoswine trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catchable
Catch Swinub on Route 217 (walking, Lv 32-34, common).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 32)
- LV 32GroundMud BombPower 98Accuracy 85%PP 10
- After Fantina
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- LV 37GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Crasher Wake
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Iron Island
- LV 44IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5
- Post-Game
- TUTORGroundEarth PowerPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Survival Area
- TUTORFightingSuperpowerPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 5Survival Area
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
- TUTORRockAncient PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Survival Area
Evolve Swinub to Piloswine
Swinub evolves into Piloswine at Level 33. Your Swinub should hit Level 33 before you reach Candice, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Fantina
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- LV 40GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 56IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5
- Post-Game
- TUTORGroundEarth PowerPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Survival Area
- TUTORFightingSuperpowerPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 5Survival Area
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Piloswine to Mamoswine
Usually ready to evolve before you reach Volkner, at typical party pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 44)
- LV 44GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Fantina
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- LV 56IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5
- Post-Game
- TUTORGroundEarth PowerPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Survival Area
- TUTORFightingSuperpowerPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 5Survival Area
- TUTORSteelIron HeadPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Survival Area
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Swinub in Platinum
Swinub roots around a frozen route, two common encounters at levels 32 to 34. It keeps to that one icy stretch, so head there if you want to dig one out of the snow.
2 locations to catch Swinub
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6
Badge 7Where To Catch Swinub in Pt
Swinub is the chain's first catch. You'll find walking and special encounters from Lv. 32-35 across 3 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into Piloswineor evolve from Swinub (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into MamoswineBREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Swinub egg.
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Platinum for Swinub.
How to Get Shiny Swinub in Platinum
Swinub roots through the snowy grass on Route 217, common enough to chain to 40 for a 1 in 200 shiny. Compare Shiny Swinub odds across every game
Platinum Shiny Swinub Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your Platinum shiny odds for Swinub.
Swinub Weakness
Swinub is weak to Fire, Water, Grass, Fighting, and Steel. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Water, Grass, Fighting, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Swinub Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Swinub
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x319-376%KO Leaf Blade 2x128-151%KO | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x332-392%KO Seed Bomb 2x178-211%KO Iron Tail 2x148-175%KO | ||
 Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Infernape builds →Focus Punch 2x276-324%KO Fire Blast 2x259-305%KO Solar Beam 2x173-204%KO Iron Tail 2x123-144%KO | ||
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x270-319%KO Focus Blast 2x180-213%KO | ||
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 2x199-235%KO Focus Punch 2x165-195%KO Iron Tail 2x110-130%KO Water Pulse 2x79-94% | ||
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Ludicolo builds →Solar Beam 2x230-270%KO Surf 2x181-214%KO Focus Punch 2x134-159%KO | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Torterra builds →Wood Hammer 2x230-270%KO Iron Tail 2x127-150%KO Rock Smash 2x51-61% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x266-314%KO Fire Blast 2x97-115%KO | ||
 Empoleon WaterSteel | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Piplup (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Empoleon builds →Surf 2x218-257%KO Flash Cannon 2x184-216%KO Brick Break 2x79-94% | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Swinub View Bronzong builds →Solar Beam 2x139-164%KO Flash Cannon 2x140-165%KO Rock Smash 2x44-52% | ||
Swinub Evolutions
Three stages ahead. Swinub grows into Piloswine, then pushes on to Mamoswine. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a massive partner pool via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 280 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Swinub easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Ancient Power, Bite, Body Slam and 7 more to offspring.
Pt Swinub Best Moveset
Ice/Ground provides devastating offensive coverage, but stats in the 30-50 range can't use it. The moveset previews Mamoswine's power two evolutions away. Piloswine, then Mamoswine.
Best Build
Swinub best EVs are Defense and Attack
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
- Stealth Rock
- Hail
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Swinub gets Ancient Power and Bite exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Rock coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Blizzard and Earthquake.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
29 of 31 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It has a very sensitive nose. It can locate mushrooms, berries, and even hot springs buried under ice.
Swinub Platinum Guide
For Platinum, you can run Swinub through the first few routes without issues. 250 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Piloswine as fast as you can.
Game Availability
Available in 18 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Swinub spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Swinub.
Keep playing · PlatinumPlatinum Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Platinum Tier List