ehT
:dog:
Alolan Marowak
[QC:0/3] */ * / *
[GP:0/2] * / *
[OVERVIEW]
* Alolan Marowak is an extremely powerful offensive presence in the UU tier thanks to a number of unique qualities.
* Chief among these are its good offensive typing, helpful coverage and utility options such as Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and Swords Dance, and its signature item, Thick Club, boosting its measly base 80 Attack to the equivalent of a jaw-dropping base 210.
* It also has a useful defensive typing that is bolstered by an Electric immunity via Lightning Rod, which makes it a decent pivot into top threats like Mega Manectric, Cobalion, and Serperior.
* Alolan Marowak has some glaring flaws, however, in its defensive typing, which plagues it with 5 extremely common weaknesses in Water, Rock, Ground, Dark, and Ghost, a pitiful base 45 Speed, and weakness to all forms of entry hazards. These setbacks make Alolan Marowak extremely vulnerable to common offensive threats such as Hydreigon, Mega Aerodactyl, and Mamoswine, as well as require heavy Speed investment to outspeed the walls it is intended to target.
[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flare Blitz / Fire Punch
move 3: Shadow Bone
move 4: Swords Dance / Low Kick / Knock Off
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock is a necessity for any worthwhile competitive team, and Marowak is an effective user of the move, despite its fragility, thanks to the sheer number of switches it forces.
* Flare Blitz is Alolan Marowak's Fire-type STAB attack of choice most of the time, and is incredibly powerful thanks to Thick Club. This power is generally worth the move's recoil effect, as it allows Alolan Marowak to serve its primary purpose as a wallbreaker.
* Fire Punch is a valid alternative, however, as the recoil damage from Flare Blitz cuts drastically into Alolan Marowak's longevity. The difference in power is extremely noticeable, though, versus the walls Alolan Marowak is supposed to target, as it does not reliably 2HKO Blissey and Hippowdon, while Flare Blitz does.
* Shadow Bone is an extremely spammable, drawback-free physical Ghost-type move that allows Alolan Marowak to do heavy damage without worrying about recoil.
* The last move is very flexible and largely team-dependent. Swords Dance is usually the best choice, as it turns Alolan Marowak astronomically powerful stallbreaker that will OHKO or come close to OHKOing the entire tier. Low Kick is useful for preventing Hydreigon, Stakataka, and Snorlax from pivoting into Alolan Marowak's STAB attacks, as it cleanly OHKOes the former two, while OHKOing every variant of the latter after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Knock Off, on top of being a generally spammable move, allows Alolan Marowak to punish defensive threats, such as Alomomola, defensive Suicune, and Quagsire, for trying to pivot into its attacks by removing their items, making them easier to wear down over the course of the match.
Set Details
========
* 168 Speed allows Alolan Marowak to outspeed everything up to 0 Speed Scizor, as well as Pokemon invested to outspeed it by a single point. This puts opposing Scizor lacking Speed investment into a checkmate position versus Alolan Marowak as long as it has the HP to tank a Bullet Punch.
* 208 Speed is another viable benchmark that allows Alolan Marowak to outspeed Mantine, as well as Pokemon aiming for the same benchmark.
* Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible, maximizing its offensive potential.
* The final 88 EVs are dumped into HP, since they aren't needed anywhere else.
Usage Tips
========
* Make sure entry hazards are off your side of the field, as Alolan Marowak is vulnerable to every form of entry hazard and weak to Stealth Rock.
* Alolan Marowak is in its element versus bulkier teams that can't immediately threaten it, as it has far more opportunities to come in against passive walls. Take advantage of this by bringing it in on Pokemon like Sylveon, Blissey, and Amoonguss, provided something has been put to sleep in the latter case.
* Alolan Marowak generally has fewer opportunities to do work versus offensive teams, even ones carrying Pokemon it naturally checks like Mega Manectric, due to how easy it is to pressure. It is therefore in your best interest versus such teams to play Alolan Marowak aggressively and find a chance as early as possible to set up Stealth Rock. This can often be achieved by simply leading with Alolan Marowak and treating it as an early-game wallbreaker.
* Though Alolan Marowak has some valuable defensive qualities, its bulk is only above average and it lacks reliable recovery, meaning that it should generally only be brought in directly on predicted status moves and attacks that it resists, like Volt Switch, Close Combat, and U-turn.
Team Options
========
* Entry hazard removal is obligatory if you wish to get the most out of Alolan Marowak. Klefki, Mega Altaria, Serperior, and Hydreigon are all viable Defog users that have good offensive and defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak, as they both resist at least one of the common types it is weak to, and appreciate Alolan Marowak's ability to punish VoltTurn archetypes by blocking Volt Switch. Klefki is also valuable for its ability to set Spikes and put bulky foes into KO range for Marowak, making it a valuable partner to Alolan Marowak as a stall and balance breaker. Serperior poses a massive threat to bulky Water-types that can tank Alolan Marowak's attacks and force it out, giving it lots of opportunities to support it with Defog.
* Late-game cleaners that are annoyed by the likes of Mega Manectric, Cobalion, and Infernape, such as Swords Dance Scizor, Stakataka, and Mega Sharpedo greatly appreciate Alolan Marowak's ability to keep these threats at bay as well as wallbreak.
* Additional Scizor checks such as Mega Manectric, Fire Punch Mega Aggron, and Cobalion are highly recommended, as Alolan Marowak's low Speed, weakness to Knock Off, vulnerability to entry hazards, and lack of recovery means it is a very shaky check.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
* Will-O-Wisp allows Alolan Marowak to chip away at switch-ins and cripple physical attackers, but it generally can't justify using the moveslot over a coverage move. Furthermore, Alolan Marowak will usually do far more net damage by setting Stealth Rock and spamming attacks regardless of whether the opponent has defensive checks due to how powerful it is.
* Endeavor takes advantage of Alolan Marowak's vulnerability to chip damage by crippling a bulky opponent as it goes down, but again, rarely has as much of an effect as simply going for attacks, making Low Kick or Knock Off much more viable options to consistently beat its few defensive answers.
* Pain Split is Alolan Marowak's only remotely decent form of recovery, and capitalizes on the many switches it forces by chipping away at switch-ins and restoring its HP, but is extremely inconsistent, especially as foes are worn down over the course of the game, making it more optimal to simply maximize Alolan Marowak's damage otuput.
Checks and Counters
========
**Chip Damage and Offensive Pressure**: Alolan Marowak is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards and weak to Stealth Rock, making it extremely easy to wear down in a short amount of time. This is made worse by Alolan Marowak's multitude of weaknesses, Flare Blitz's recoil effect, and its low Speed forcing it to take an attack before it can do anything in most cases.
**Ground- and Rock-types**: Alolan Marowak has a nasty weakness to both Rock and Ground, meaning it is often forced out, giving opposing Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Gliscor a free turn. The former two can also trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit, meaning it must be very careful around these threats.
**Dark-types**: Alolan Marowak's Dark weakness is very exploitable, especially versus offensive powerhouses like Hydreigon, Mega Sharpedo, and Mega Houndoom, which can fire off an attack, gain a free Speed Boost, or set up a Nasty Plot, respectively, as it switches out.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Although Alolan Marowak is very difficult to handle defensively, select physical walls are bulky enough to eat its attacks and threaten it with Toxic or a super effective attack. These include Alomomola, Suicune, Hippowdon, and Swampert. It should be noted, though, that the latter two threats struggle to take on Alolan Marowak consistently, as Hippowdon is outsped and 2HKO'd by Flare Blitz, and Swampert lacks recovery.
Last edited: