Swinub Pokémon GO is an Ice and Ground-type Pokémon from the Johto region that evolves into Piloswine and Mamoswine. Swinub is especially valuable because Mamoswine remains a powerful Ice-type attacker for raids against Dragon, Flying, Grass and Ground-type Pokémon.
Swinub Pokémon GO will appear more frequently during the Arctic Embers event, giving players another opportunity to collect Swinub Candy, hunt Shiny Swinub and find a strong candidate to evolve into Mamoswine.
This Swinub Pokémon GO guide covers shiny availability, the best moveset, weaknesses, evolution requirements, how to get Mamoswine, the best Mamoswine attacks and which Swinub players should keep.
Swinub Pokémon GO Details
| Swinub details | Information |
|---|---|
| Pokédex number | #0220 |
| Name | Swinub |
| Category | Pig Pokémon |
| Generation | Generation Ii |
| Original region | Johto |
| Type | Ice and Ground |
| First evolution | Piloswine |
| Final evolution | Mamoswine |
| Shiny available | Yes |
| Maximum CP | 837 |
| Buddy distance | 3 km |
| Best Swinub moveset | Powder Snow and Rock Slide |
| Main value | Mamoswine evolution |
Swinub is known as the Pig Pokémon. It uses its sensitive nose to search beneath snow and frozen ground for food.
How to Get Swinub in Pokémon GO
Swinub Pokémon GO can appear as a normal wild encounter.
Its Ice and Ground typing means it can receive a weather boost during:
| Weather | Boosted Swinub type |
|---|---|
| Snowy | Ice |
| Sunny or clear | Ground |
Swinub may also appear through:
- Event wild encounters
- Field Research
- Timed Research
- Special Research
- Eggs
- Raids
- GO Battle League rewards
- Trades
- Team GO Rocket encounters when Shadow Swinub is available
Availability changes between seasons and events.
Arctic Embers features Swinub as one of its standard wild encounters from August 4 until August 10, 2026. Players should catch every Swinub they see during the event because evolving and powering up Mamoswine requires a substantial amount of Candy.
Swinub During Pokémon GO Arctic Embers
Swinub Pokémon GO appears more frequently in the wild throughout Arctic Embers.
| Arctic Embers Swinub details | Information |
|---|---|
| Event begins | August 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. |
| Event ends | August 10, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. |
| Availability | Increased wild encounters |
| Shiny available | Yes |
| Main reason to catch | Mamoswine Candy and strong IVs |
Unlike Ponyta, Slugma, Snover and Vanillite, Swinub is not part of the alternating daily spawn schedule. It is included among the standard event encounters, meaning it can appear throughout Arctic Embers.
An increased Shiny Swinub chance has not been announced for Arctic Embers.
Players can still encounter Shiny Swinub, but they should not assume it has the same boosted shiny rate as the four specifically named Pokémon.
Can Swinub Be Shiny in Pokémon GO?
Yes, Swinub can be shiny in Pokémon GO.
Normal Swinub has a brown body with darker stripes. Shiny Swinub changes to a pale green colour.
A Shiny Swinub remains shiny when evolved into Piloswine and Mamoswine.
Players can potentially encounter Shiny Swinub through any eligible method that provides a shiny-enabled Swinub, including:
- Wild encounters
- Research encounters
- Eggs
- Raids
- Event encounters
- Trades
A shiny encounter is not guaranteed.
Each Swinub encounter provides another independent shiny check.
Is Shiny Swinub Boosted During Arctic Embers?
An increased Shiny Swinub chance has not been confirmed for Arctic Embers.
The event specifically announces increased shiny chances for:
- Ponyta
- Slugma
- Snover
- Vanillite
Swinub appears more frequently in the wild, which gives players more opportunities to check it. Increased availability can make it easier to find a shiny in practice, but that is different from having an increased shiny rate.
Players should catch or check every Swinub without assuming its individual shiny odds have changed.
Swinub Pokémon GO Evolution
Swinub Pokémon GO has two evolutions.
Swinub first evolves into Piloswine. Piloswine then evolves into Mamoswine.
| Evolution | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Swinub to Piloswine | 25 Swinub Candy |
| Piloswine to Mamoswine | 100 Swinub Candy and one Sinnoh Stone |
| Total Candy required | 125 Swinub Candy |
| Evolution item required | One Sinnoh Stone |
Players need 125 Swinub Candy and one Sinnoh Stone to complete the full Swinub Pokémon GO evolution family.
No Buddy walking requirement is needed.
Swinub does not need to be evolved during a particular time of day.
How to Evolve Swinub Into Piloswine
To evolve Swinub into Piloswine:
- Open the Swinub you want to evolve.
- Check that at least 25 Swinub Candy is available.
- Select the Evolve button.
- Confirm the evolution.
Swinub will immediately evolve into Piloswine.
Players should check the Swinub’s IVs and shiny status before evolving it.
Because Mamoswine is primarily valued as a raid attacker, a Swinub with 15 Attack is often a strong candidate.
How to Evolve Piloswine Into Mamoswine
To evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine, players need:
- 100 Swinub Candy
- One Sinnoh Stone
Open the chosen Piloswine and select Evolve once both requirements are available.
| Mamoswine requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Swinub Candy | 100 |
| Sinnoh Stone | One |
| Buddy requirement | None |
| Time requirement | None |
| Result | Mamoswine |
Unlike the main-series Pokémon games, Piloswine does not need to know Ancient Power before it can evolve in Pokémon GO.
The Sinnoh Stone replaces that move-based evolution requirement.
How to Get a Sinnoh Stone
A Sinnoh Stone is required to complete the Swinub Pokémon GO evolution into Mamoswine.
Possible Sinnoh Stone sources include:
- Trainer Battles
- Team Leader training
- GO Battle League rewards
- Weekly Research Breakthroughs
- Special Research
- Timed Research
- Event rewards
Sinnoh Stones are not guaranteed from most of these methods.
Players planning to evolve several Mamoswine should save multiple Sinnoh Stones rather than using every stone immediately.
Other Pokémon also require Sinnoh Stones, so the item may be in high demand.
Swinub Pokémon GO Best Moveset
The best Swinub Pokémon GO moveset for general attacking is:
- Fast Attack: Powder Snow
- Charged Attack: Rock Slide
| Swinub use | Recommended moveset |
|---|---|
| General attacks | Powder Snow and Rock Slide |
| Ice damage | Powder Snow and Icy Wind |
| Trainer Battles | Powder Snow, Icy Wind and Rock Slide |
| Team GO Rocket | Powder Snow and Icy Wind |
Powder Snow receives the same-type attack bonus and generates energy efficiently.
Icy Wind provides Ice-type Charged Attack damage and can lower the opposing Pokémon’s Attack in Trainer Battles.
Rock Slide gives Swinub coverage against Bug, Fire, Flying and Ice-type Pokémon.
Swinub itself is not a major raid or PvP investment. Its moves are mainly relevant while collecting enough resources to evolve Mamoswine.
Swinub Pokémon GO Weaknesses
Swinub Pokémon GO is weak against:
- Fighting
- Fire
- Grass
- Steel
- Water
Its Ice and Ground typing creates several common weaknesses.
Fire and Water Pokémon are particularly widespread, while Fighting and Steel attacks are common in raids and Trainer Battles.
Strong Swinub counters include Pokémon using powerful attacks from any of these five types.
Swinub Resistances
Swinub resists:
- Electric
- Poison
Damage taken when Swinub is hit by each type:
Weak to
Resists
Immune to
Based on Ice / Ground typing. Abilities may modify these matchups.
Its Ground typing gives Swinub a particularly strong resistance to Electric attacks.
However, Swinub’s low Defence and maximum CP mean it may still struggle against powerful neutral attacks.
The same resistance profile also applies to Piloswine and Mamoswine because all three share the Ice and Ground typing.
Swinub Pokémon GO Stats
Swinub has relatively low stats because it is the first stage of a three-stage evolutionary family.
| Swinub stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 90 |
| Defence | 69 |
| Stamina | 137 |
| Maximum CP | 837 |
Swinub should not be powered up heavily for raids.
Players will receive far greater value by evolving it into Mamoswine before spending significant Stardust.
Swinub Perfect IV CP
A perfect Swinub has 15 Attack, 15 Defence and 15 Stamina IVs.
The exact CP depends on its level and encounter method.
Research, Egg and raid encounters normally use minimum IV floors, making high appraisals more likely than ordinary wild encounters.
Wild Swinub can appear across a much wider IV range.
Players should check:
- Three-star Swinub
- Perfect Swinub
- Swinub with 15 Attack
- Shiny Swinub
- Low-Attack PvP Swinub
- Shadow Swinub
A lower-star Swinub may still have useful PvP IVs or be worth keeping as a Shadow attacker.
Which Swinub Should You Evolve?
The best Swinub Pokémon GO evolution candidate depends on how Mamoswine will be used.
| Intended use | Swinub to prioritise |
|---|---|
| Ice-type raids | 15 Attack and strong overall IVs |
| Ground-type raids | 15 Attack and strong overall IVs |
| Master League | Perfect or near-perfect IVs |
| Limited PvP | Suitable low-Attack PvP spread |
| Collection | Shiny or perfect Swinub |
| Lower power-up cost | Lucky Swinub |
| Maximum raid damage | Strong Shadow Swinub |
Players with limited Candy should usually prioritise a high-Attack Swinub for raid use.
A perfect 15/15/15 Swinub is an excellent long-term Mamoswine candidate.
Shadow Swinub deserves special consideration because Shadow Mamoswine can deal extremely strong Ice damage.
Mamoswine Pokémon GO Best Ice Moveset
The best Mamoswine Ice-type moveset is:
- Fast Attack: Powder Snow
- Charged Attack: Avalanche
Powder Snow and Avalanche give Mamoswine a complete Ice-type moveset.
This combination is effective against:
- Dragon
- Flying
- Grass
- Ground
Mamoswine is especially valuable against Pokémon with double weaknesses to Ice.
Examples can include Dragon and Flying-type Pokémon or Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon.
Avalanche is generally preferred over Ancient Power for Ice raid damage because Ancient Power is a Rock-type attack and does not provide the same Ice performance.
Mamoswine Pokémon GO Best Ground Moveset
Mamoswine can also function as a Ground-type attacker.
Its Ground moveset is:
- Fast Attack: Mud-Slap
- Charged Attack: High Horsepower
Mud-Slap and High Horsepower receive the same-type attack bonus from Mamoswine’s Ground typing.
Ground attacks are effective against:
- Electric
- Fire
- Poison
- Rock
- Steel
Mamoswine is normally more valuable as an Ice attacker, but the Ground moveset can still be useful when stronger Ground Pokémon are unavailable.
Players can use Fast TMs and Charged TMs to change Mamoswine between its Ice and Ground roles.
Is Ancient Power Good on Mamoswine?
Ancient Power is Mamoswine’s former Community Day attack.
It is not required for Mamoswine’s strongest raid performance.
For Ice raids, use Avalanche.
For Ground raids, use High Horsepower.
Ancient Power can provide Rock-type coverage in Trainer Battles and has a chance to increase the user’s Attack and Defence. However, that potential boost does not make it the automatic best option.
Players do not need to delay evolving Piloswine simply because Ancient Power is unavailable.
Is Mamoswine Good in Pokémon GO?
Yes, Mamoswine is good in Pokémon GO.
Mamoswine has a current maximum CP of approximately 3,763 and a strong Attack stat, allowing it to perform well as an Ice attacker.
Its most important advantages include:
- Powerful Ice-type moveset
- Access to Avalanche
- Useful Ground-type moveset
- Strong raid performance
- Shadow form availability
- Valuable damage against Dragon bosses
- Master League potential
- Relatively accessible Candy
Mamoswine is one of the most useful evolutions available during Arctic Embers.
Players who do not already own several strong Ice attackers should prioritise Swinub Candy.
Is Mamoswine Good for Raids?
Mamoswine is a strong raid attacker when using Powder Snow and Avalanche.
It is particularly useful against raid bosses weak to Ice.
Ice-type attacks are valuable because many Legendary Pokémon are:
- Dragon type
- Flying type
- Ground type
- A combination with a double Ice weakness
Mamoswine’s main limitation is its defensive typing.
It is weak to Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel and Water attacks, so it may faint quickly against bosses carrying those moves.
Despite this, its damage output makes it a worthwhile raid investment.
Is Shadow Mamoswine Better?
Shadow Mamoswine deals more damage than regular Mamoswine because of the Shadow attack bonus.
This makes Shadow Mamoswine an especially powerful Ice-type raid attacker.
The trade-off is reduced Defence.
Shadow Mamoswine also costs more Candy and Stardust to power up.
Players should keep strong Shadow Swinub and avoid purifying them automatically.
Before evolving or powering one up, check:
- Attack IV
- Overall appraisal
- Available Candy
- Stardust cost
- Whether Frustration can currently be removed
- Whether another strong Shadow Mamoswine is already built
A Shadow Swinub with imperfect IVs can still outperform a perfect regular Mamoswine for raid damage.
Is Mamoswine Good in PvP?
Mamoswine can be used in the Master League and selected limited formats.
A common PvP moveset includes:
- Powder Snow
- Avalanche
- High Horsepower
Powder Snow generates energy quickly.
Avalanche pressures Dragon, Flying, Grass and Ground opponents.
High Horsepower provides Ground coverage against Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock and Steel Pokémon.
Mamoswine can threaten several powerful Master League opponents, but its numerous weaknesses and moderate bulk can make it difficult to use safely.
It is often most effective when shields or team alignment allow it to avoid unfavourable matchups.
Should You Power Up Swinub?
Players should generally evolve Swinub before powering it up heavily.
Regular Swinub has very little direct battle value.
Powering up may make sense when:
- A research task requires it
- The player uses Swinub in a limited cup
- It is being prepared for evolution
- It is a perfect or shiny collection project
For raids, the best approach is:
- Choose the strongest Swinub.
- Evolve it into Piloswine.
- Use 100 Candy and a Sinnoh Stone to get Mamoswine.
- Give Mamoswine Powder Snow and Avalanche.
- Power up Mamoswine according to available resources.
Should You Catch Swinub During Arctic Embers?
Yes, Swinub Pokémon GO is one of the most useful wild encounters during Arctic Embers.
Players should catch Swinub for:
- Swinub Candy
- Swinub Candy XL
- Shiny checks
- Strong IVs
- Perfect IVs
- Mamoswine raid teams
- Future Shadow investment
- Trades and Lucky Pokémon
Use Pinap Berries when Candy is the main priority.
Players with an active Ice or Ground-type Mega Evolution may also receive additional Candy and improved Candy XL opportunities when catching Swinub.
Best Mega Pokémon for Catching Swinub
Swinub is both Ice and Ground type.
An active Mega Evolution that boosts either type can provide catch benefits.
Possible options include Ice or Ground-type Mega Pokémon available to the player.
The best choice may depend on the rest of the event spawn pool.
For Arctic Embers, an Ice-type Mega can also support Candy gains from several featured Ice Pokémon, while a Fire-type Mega may suit the Fire side of the event.
Players primarily targeting Swinub should choose a Mega that boosts Ice or Ground catches.
Swinub Pokédex Description
It rubs its snout on the ground to find and dig up food. It sometimes discovers hot springs.
Swinub searches for food by rubbing its nose against the ground. It can locate mushrooms and other food buried beneath frozen soil and snow.
Is Swinub Pokémon GO Worth Catching?
Swinub Pokémon GO is absolutely worth catching.
Swinub itself has little direct battle value, but its final evolution is the reason the species matters.
Mamoswine provides:
- Strong Ice raid damage
- Useful Ground coverage
- Shadow raid potential
- Master League use
- High maximum CP
- Excellent damage against Dragon Pokémon
Players should aim to keep at least one high-Attack Swinub, any perfect Swinub, Shiny Swinub and strong Shadow Swinub.
During Arctic Embers, Swinub Pokémon GO should be one of the main wild priorities. Catching large numbers provides the Candy, Candy XL and strong evolution candidates needed to build Mamoswine for future raids.
