Marowak

[Overview]

<p>His name is Marowak, king of kings. Forget that middling Attack and horrendous Speed does not usually add up to a threatening sweeper. This is truly a menace to be feared when equipped with his trademark item, Thick Club. Thick Club doubles his Attack stat, turning this mediocre Pokemon into an absolute monster. His physical bulk is not too shabby, either, allowing him to take a hit before slamming back with avengence. When provided proper Trick Room support, his low Speed is a blessing, making him one of the fastest sweepers around. With Substitute and Swords Dance to keep him safe or beef him up, respectively, he has just the right tools to plow through almost any team. Look on his Thick Club, ye mighty, and despair.</p>

[SET]
name: Trick Room Sweeper
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / ThunderPunch
move 3: Double-Edge
move 4: Substitute / Swords Dance
item: Thick Club
ability: Rock Head
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Under Trick Room, Marowak is one of the scariest sprites you can see. His unique item, Thick Club, essentially acts as two Choice Bands with the ability to switch moves. Earthquake is his STAB move of choice and threatens to smash anything that doesn't resist or have an immunity to it. Stone Edge provides the infamous QuakeEdge coverage, though ThunderPunch is an option if you fear wasting a precious Trick Room turn with a miss. Double-Edge has an incredible 120 Base Power, and thanks to Rock Head, he won't take recoil from it. Substitute rounds out the set, keeping him safe from status and allowing him to be an intimidating force outside of Trick Room. If you feel reckless, however, Swords Dance can boost his Attack to terrifying levels.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Nature, IVs, and EVs maximize Attack while minimizing Speed to make Marowak as threatening as possible under Trick Roomm. With 252 HP EVs, he becomes surprisingly bulky, especially on the physical side;. The remainder of his EVs go into Defense to add to that bulk. That said, relying purely on his bulk outside of Trick Room will rarely suffice, and unless he has a Substitute up, chances are he should be switching out.</p>

<p>Recommended teammates for this set obviously include Trick Room users and other slow sweepers. Slowking Frillish gets the first nod, as it can easily set up Trick Room and lure in Electric-type attacks to give Marowak a free switch in. Beheeyem has access to Trick Room and Nasty Plot, allowing it to easily clear out physical walls that hault Marowak's sweep. Mesprit and Audino can also set up Trick Room and proceed to use Healing Wish, giving Marowak full health and a chance to sweep once again. Finally, sweepers such as Rampardos and Torterra offer similar coverage to Marowak, meaning one can weaken a counter and give the other a chance to break through to sweep a team.</p>

[SET]
name: Substititue
move 1: Substititue
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / ThunderPunch
move 4: Double-Edge / Swords Dance
item: Thick Club
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The sheer power Marowak offers is enough to force switches. With Substitute, Marowak can capitalize on a fleeing opponent to protect himself from status and faster foes. Earthquake boosted by Thick Club and STAB is a very dangerous assault that few without a resistance can survive. Stone Edge is the preferred coverage attack, though ThunderPunch offers better accuracy. Double-Edge rounds out the set, and causes no recoil thanks to Rock Head. Swords Dance is an alternative if you wish to risk setting up, however.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are standard for a physical sweeper: maximum Attack and Speed, with the remainder in HP. With an Adamant nature, Marowak packs an incredibly hard punch. A Jolly nature, however, lets him outspeed Adamant Torterra and Mesprit. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe is an option for added bulk, but it loses out on the ability to outpace most threats.</p>

<p>Fast sweepers or Choice Scarf users are recommended for beating out any threats that are quicker than Marowak. Tauros and Floatzel, for instance, have wonderful Speed and enough offensive prowess to stop other speedy sweepers. Something that can take out Torterra and Quagsire, such as HP Ice Sceptile, would make an excellent teammate as well. Paralysis support from the likes of Mesprit or Audino can help cover up Marowak's Speed issues. Both have access to Dual Screens, as well, which can make up for his somewhat lacking defenses. Finally, Ninjask can pass Speed boosts, as well as potentially passing a Substitute or Swords Dance, though this strategy is rather weak to Taunt and phazing.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Marowak has few other sets that he can reliably run. While Belly Drum on something as powerful as Marowak may seem appealing at first glance, his best form of recovery is ChestoRest, and he's just too slow to make it work. Bonemerang is an interesting trademark move that breaks through Substitutes and has the same Base Power as Earthquake, but its lower accuracy is a downfall. Support moves such as Stealth Rock and Knock Off, while very handy, are best left to his teammates. His special movepool is rather impressive, but alas, his Special Attack is not.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Torterra resists QuakeEdge, shrugs off Double-Edge, and threatens back with STAB Wood Hammer. Weezing and Quagsire easily wall anything Marowak throws at them, and threaten to burn him with Will-O-Wisp and Scald, respectively. Quagsire can even 2HKO with Scald if Marowak fails to invest in HP. Bronzor resists everything Marowak has to offer, outspeeds under Trick Room, and can use Hypnosis to shut him down. Finally, even under Trick Room, he can be offed by strong priority such as Absol's Sucker Punch, though Substitute helps with that to an extent.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Battle Armor prevents Marowak from being smacked with a critical hit, but then he loses out on Double-Edge without recoil, which is one of his best attacks.</p>

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