Muk (Update)

Status: Complete / Need grammar check

Taking this over for franky. He gets credit for writing this. Throwing this through QC as I question the viability of the RestTalk and SubPunch sets.


His thread can be locked here.



http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/muk


__________________________________________________ _____________
[Overview]

<p>Muk has probably one of the worst cases of four moveslot syndrome in history. His Poison-typing and STAB are rather pitiful; Steel-, Rock-, and Ground-type Pokemon are three omnipresent types in UU and none of them mind it. This means Muk must rely on his big movepool to hurt switch-ins, but the limit of three leftover moveslots hinders him greatly. Explosion is also such a tempting move that sometimes leaves Muk with only two moves to make up for his bad STAB. His movepool problems aside, Muk is an excellent special tank who can take attacks from the likes of specially oriented Venusaur and Lanturn. Muk's awesome 105 base Attack should not be ignored either, as it allows him to tear massive holes in foes that don't resist his powerful Gunk Shots. Muk may seem lackluster, but he can effectively fill in a variety of roles for your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Shadow Sneak / Rest
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Muk makes a fantastic Curse user in UU due to his superb special bulk and naturally high Attack stat. Unlike other Curse users, Muk is not susceptible to Trick thanks to his ability, Sticky Hold. This allows Muk to set up Curses on common Trick users, such as Clefable and Rotom, with little fear. Poison Jab is Muk's obligatory STAB move, while the third slot gives him better coverage. Brick Break allows him to damage Steel- and Rock-types such as Steelix, Registeel, and Aggron, which usually carry Earthquake to wreck Muk's set-up. Ice Punch allows Muk to hit Ground-types which normally switch in on it, such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Claydol. For the last slot, Explosion is a powerful move that lets Muk takes out at least one last Pokemon, while Shadow Sneak allows him to hit faster Pokemon such as Espeon and Alakazam, which can threaten him with a STAB Psychic attack. Rest is another option if Muk has a couple of Curses under his belt since it allows him to replenish lost health and cure status. Gunk Shot is another option on this set for a stronger STAB attack, but it is not recommended because of its low PP and accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are designed to give Muk the best balanced bulk possible with a little more emphasis on Special Defense, as Muk can simply raise his Defense with Curse. 80 Defense EVs ensure that Muk is never KOed by Hitmonlee's or Aggron's Earthquake. However, these EVs can easily be moved to either Special Defense, which gives Muk the best special bulk possible, or Attack, which gives Muk a little more power.</p>

<p>While combining Rest with Sleep Talk may seem tempting, leaving Muk with only one type of attack is a horrible idea. Muk's Poison STAB has bad coverage in UU, and his biggest counters, Registeel and Steelix, are completely immune to it. Furthermore, leaving Muk with only Brick Break or Ice Punch would leave him utterly outclassed by a multitude of Pokemon in UU.</p>

<p>This set has a hard time dealing with Registeel and Steelix due to their titanic Defense stat that allows them to take repeated Brick Breaks from Muk. Steelix can use Roar to prevent Muk from even setting up Curse, and both Steelix and Registeel can deal plenty of damage to Muk with Earthquake. Hariyama makes an excellent teammate for Muk due to his incredible base HP, which allows him to take repeated Earthquakes from Steelix and Registeel and threaten them back with STAB Fighting-type attacks. Pairing Muk alongside Milotic or Quagsire can prove useful as well. They have exceptional bulk and can shrug off attacks from the various Ground-types of UU and then threaten them with Surf or Waterfall. Muk also appreciates dual screen support, which allows him to set up with less difficulty.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Choice Band
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With an impressive base 105 Attack and high defensive stats, Muk can effectively utilize a Choice Band set. STAB Gunk Shot can deal a considerable amount of damage to Pokemon that do not resist it; however, Poison Jab is the safer option due to its higher accuracy. The selection between Brick Break and Focus Punch solely relies on your prediction skills. Focus Punch deals much more damage overall; for example, it deals 62.15% - 73.45% to Relaxed 252/0 Steelix, Muk’s number one counter. Brick Break will fail to get a clean 2HKO on Steelix, but is a much more reliable option otherwise. Ice Punch deals with Grass- and Ground-types like Venusaur, Torterra, Nidoking, Donphan, and Claydol. In the last slot, Explosion is a powerful attack that literally OHKOes any UU Pokemon that does not resist it. Payback is another option in place of Ice Punch to hurt opposing Psychic-types, but Ice Punch is preferred, as it damages Ground-types who can hit Muk on his lower Defense stat with Earthquake.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An alternative EV spread of 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe can be utilized to outrun Pokemon such as RestTalk Milotic, Support Venusaur, and Blastoise. It also lets Muk Speed tie with opposing Aggron and Azumarill.</p>

<p>This set may hit hard, but it is still stopped by Steel-types. Steelix and Registeel have to be careful about switching in on Focus Punch, but can otherwise easily come in on any of the other three attacks and scare away Muk with Earthquake. Nidoking and Nidoqueen can also come in on a predicted Poison- or Fighting-type attack and damage Muk with STAB Earthquake. As mentioned in the set above, Milotic can stop Muk's counters and drown them with Surf. For additional support, Spikes and Stealth Rock can help weaken Steelix and Registeel switch-ins. Good teammates to set up the aforementioned entry hazards include Omastar, Qwilfish, and Cloyster. Finally, Muk is easily revenge killed by Psychic-types such as Alakazam, so pairing Muk with a Pursuit user such as Spiritomb can greatly aid in Muk's hole-punching.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Punch / Payback / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Substitute, Muk can utilize the jaw-breaking Focus Punch to more easily smash through opposing Steel- and Rock-types. This set is quite simple to use: set up a Substitute on a Pokemon whom Muk will scare out, and then use Focus Punch if it can hit super effectively. Poison Jab is the preferred STAB attack and is Muk's most consistent form of dealing damage; however, Gunk Shot offers more power and Muk has extra time to fire it off from behind a Substitute. Ice Punch covers Grass- and Ground-types like Venusaur, Nidoking, and Donphan who resist Fighting and/or Poison. Since Muk can only achieve a 3HKO at best on these Pokemon, you may prefer Payback to maim Ghost- and Psychic-types instead. As always, Explosion is an option in the last slot to allow Muk to go out with a bang.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The somewhat arbitrary-looking EVs allow Muk to create 101 HP Substitutes and give Muk as much Attack as possible. With 8 EVs placed in Speed, Muk can outpace opposing minimum base 50s and set up a Substitute before they can status him. The remaining EVs are placed in Muk's lower Defense stat to protect him from the multitude of physical attacks found in UU.</p>

<p>As with the aforementioned sets, Steelix is a menace to Muk even when he is behind a Substitute. Steelix is only 3HKOed by Focus Punch, and in the meantime, can easily use Roar to blow Muk away or damage him with Earthquake. Again, Milotic is a good partner, able to shrug off Earthquakes and soak Steelix and other Ground-types with Surf. Because Muk will be losing a significant amount of health from using Substitute, pairing him with a Wish user, such as Clefable or Leafeon, could prove useful. Pairing Muk with a Flying-type, such as Altaria or Moltres, allows him to easily avoid incoming Earthquakes and gives his Flying friends a free turn to do as they please. Grass-types such as Exeggutor and Tangrowth are good teammates as well since they resist Earthquake and can deal with the bulky Water-types Muk has trouble getting past with this set.</p>


[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Pain Split / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set plays a little more differently than the sets above. Its aim is to handle special attacks directed at Muk while dishing out attacks with his impressive base 105 Attack. Poison Jab is the preferred move for better accuracy, while Gunk Shot provides extra power but less accuracy. Unlike the previous sets, this one does not mind the PP drop from choosing Gunk Shot. Brick Break and Focus Punch are a must to damage opposing Rock- and Steel-types who would otherwise wall Muk completely. Ice Punch is useful against opposing Ground-types and Venusaur who attempt to come in on a Poison- or Fighting-type attack. Payback is another option for hitting opposing Psychic-types who could be problematic for Muk. Pain Split is the main option for decent recovery; it can also help do significant damage to Pokemon such as Registeel if Muk is at low health and they are at high health. Explosion is another option for this set as a last ditch effort to take out an opposing bulky Pokemon, such as Hariyama or Azumarill. Giga Drain can surprise and eliminate Rhyperior, Omastar, and Kabutops on the switch, but those are the only significant targets in UU. If you decide to use Giga Drain, then a Brave nature is recommended to maximize Giga Drain's power by not lowering Muk's Special Attack. Shadow Sneak is another option on this set to cover speedy Psychic-types, but it is far too weak without a Curse boost. Fire Blast can also be used to hit Steelix on its weaker Special Defense stat, but that is the extent of its use.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Muk will have a harder time dealing with Steel-types like Registeel and Steelix without any form of a boost. Both Registeel and Steelix can shrug off Brick Break, and Focus Punch will still fail to deal any significant damage. Defensive Hariyama can be a neat partner with Muk as it can take repeated Earthquakes while dishing out incredible damage with his STAB Fighting-type move. Moltres is another potential teammate for this set because it can come in on Earthquake and attempt to scare Steel-types away with a Fire-type move. Muk will also attract Psychic-types, and the perfect choice to take Psychic-type attacks is Spiritomb. Spiritomb can utilize Pursuit on fleeing Psychic-types or set up using Calm Mind to handle bulkier Psychic-types such as Uxie and Mesprit.</p>


[Team Options]

<p>Since Muk will usually attract Earthquake, Moltres can switch in and scare away the opposing Pokemon with its powerful special attacks. If you are nervous and unsure of Moltres, Milotic can make a perfect partner for Muk. With her tremendous bulk, she can manage to take Earthquake and scare away the user with Surf. Pairing Muk with Magneton or Dugtrio can prove useful by eliminating problematic Steel-types. On the Choice Band and SubPunch sets in particular, Muk appreciates layers of Spikes and dual screens. Good teammates to utilize these moves include: Omastar, Qwilfish, Cloyster, Uxie, and Claydol.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Besides Ice Punch, Muk also has access to ThunderPunch and Fire Punch. ThunderPunch can strike down Qwilfish, Moltres, and Scyther, while Fire Punch can roast Venusaur, Heracross, and Torterra. Memento is an extremely unorthodox move that Muk can employ in some very circumstantial cases to set up your next Pokemon, such as a Belly Drummer or some other late-game sweeper. Mean Look can force something to stay on the battlefield so Muk can Explode on them. Muk can also perform Haze, but Weezing usually does a better job at doing that thanks to his higher Defense stat and immunity to Earthquake. Taunt is decent since it stops Pokemon from setting up and forces Ghosts to attack so Muk can hit them with Payback while also preventing them from burning Muk. However, Muk is usually too slow to utilize Taunt effectively. Screech can force a switch, which sometimes allows Muk to fire off a free Focus Punch.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Muk has a plethora of counters in UU. As mentioned in every set, Muk has a difficult time dealing with most bulky Steel-, Rock-, and Ground-types, which are all very common defensive types in UU. Steelix and Registeel in particular can prevent Muk from doing anything because of their titanic Defense stats. Muk’s only way of damaging them is a boosted Focus Punch, but it is unreliable. Nidoking, Claydol, and Nidoqueen are also troublesome to Muk because they resist Muk's STAB and Fighting-type moves. Furthermore, all three have a considerable amount of bulk to take an Ice Punch, outpace Muk, and dispose of him with their STAB Earthquake. Drapion is also another forgotten threat who can set up Swords Dance and scare away Muk with Earthquake.</p>

i dont see wy gunk shot isnt the primary option in the resttalk set since muk can afford to miss and sleep talk helps alleviate pp problems

I think because the set is designed to survive over a large amount of time, and 8 PP gets used up really fast. I'll see what others have to say about it.

In the Curse set maybe an AC mention (or slash) of Chesto Berry so Muk can use its bulk to set up then Rest off the damage.

I was actually thinking of un-slashing Rest altogether... Muk doesn't make a good Resting-anything imo, which is why I question the RestTalk set.

Removing Rest from Curse set.

I don't have time to go through and do a full grammar check, but one thing stood out for now. I'll come by later and check.

Oglemi said:

Muk is an excellent special tank who can take attacks sent from the likes of special Venusaur,one of the metagame's finest sweepers.

Click to expand...

Yeah I remember reading that and I was going to remove it...

Rest should be an option on the Curse set, or else there's no point setting up on Milo/Venu when they can just keep recovering and wear you down.

Edit: Ahh nvm. I must've skipped through that part.

I've used Muk extensively anddddddd



assuming you rid of the Resttalk set. Rest should only be used on Curse Muk. SubPunch is actually pretty good. Choice Band should be moved above Tank imo. Keep Curse first. Actually set order should be imo:

Curse
CB
Tank
SubPunch

Alrighty, thanks Thund!

Poison jab should be the first option in all sets imo. also i'd invest some speed in the sub puncher since youll probably want to end up setting up on some stuff like registeel that are also base 50's where you can block the status with sub if youre faster.

anyway i actually think subpuncher>tank from personal experience in case you wanna use that order i guess. but yeah this is p. good so...

OK, thanks folgorio! Made your changes. I just put 8 EVs into Spe for the SubPunch set to always outpace min Spe Chansey, Donphan, and Registeel. However, I'm a little concerned that may constitute Speed Creep, so is there any other specific benchmark Muk should aim for?

P.S. before this gets any GP checks, I'm going to go through and add a little more info to some of the sets.

EDIT:This is definitely not franky's best writing, so there is still somewhat stuff left to be desired, but I tried my best.

This should be ready for GP checks then.

placeholder

edit: hmm giga drain... and no explosion mention on the tank is odd to me but i guess i'll leave it like that.

good catch Flora. Giga Drain is pretty odd in that set, especially when you're running an Adamant nature. given that noobgorio stamped this, I'm not too surprised. I brought this issue up on IRC, and the magnificent BlueWind noticed that Muk gets Pain Split. Pain Split definitely deserves to be the primary option in the last slot for the tank, as any form of recovery is appreciated. After that, I would put Explosion as a slash because blowing up things is fun. Then maybe mention Giga Drain with a Brave/Sassy nature, at least so it isn't powered down by Adamant -.-'

Okey-dokey, Pain Split will go as main slash, followed by Explosion, then mention Giga Drain and Shadow Sneak in comments.

Edit: Changes made, added a couple of sentences in set comments.

GP Check 1/2:
additions/changes in blue
removals in red
comments in purple



I see that Registeel, Steelix, and their buddies and opponents (Milotic/Hariyama duo...) are basically mentioned in every set repeatedly. I'm wondering if we can remove them so we can only read them in Counters/Team Options... but I'm going to leave them alone until someone else says otherwise. It is really annoying though because they're like repeated paragraphs and some lines are almost exactly the same... which makes the analysis kinda dull, boring, and tedious to work on.

Anyways, grammar's okay but prose really needed some ironing. Some stuff were wrong too, like saying maxing Muk's Speed to 199 only allows him to Speed-tie with Aggron and Azumarill when it did many other stuff too (like the examples I put in on that paragraph). But I guess that was noobfranky in the old days?

Yeah, sorry you had to suffer through this one Flora. I tried mixing it up in the sets, but when each one says the same thing it gets kind of discouraging. I'll add in the changes in a bit.

EDIT: Changes made. Woofta. I rewrote the last paragraph in the SubPunch set by adding a few things, but it still kind of sounds the same... -.-

Edit 2: I also found it funny that I forgot to add in the ability section under SET, when I pointed that out in SOMALIA's Dewgong update... >.>

Just something I think you might need to make a bigger mention of Sticky Hold. With it, the Curse set will not be susceptible to Trick that plague pretty much every other Curser. I reckon you should at least include one sentence either in the Overview or one sentence in the Curse set explaining why Sticky Hold sets Muk apart from other Cursers.

Done and done. Thanks shrang.

I might be wrong about this, but I think that "he" should be "it", because I believe that each Pokemon should be referred to without gender (as in "it" and "they"). Also, change "OVERVIEW" to "Overview". Finally, about this sentence:

Oglemi said:

Muk's awesome 105 base Attack should not be ignored either, as it can let him tear massive holes in even resistant foes with his powerful Gunk Shots.

Click to expand...

Change the second part to: "as it allows him to tear massive holes in foes that resist his powerful Gunk Shots," The way you word it is a bit confusing. I hope my comments helped!

Well, I think it's only "required" to refer to a Pokemon as "it" if it is a genderless Pokemon, which Muk is not. Plus, franky already had the whole thing written referring to Muk as "he", and I really don't see a problem with that as I view Muk as being masculine myself. And, unless you're willing to go through the whole thing and change every reference of "he" to "it", I don't feel like taking so much time to fix a minor detail like that.

Thanks for the other catches!

Referring to a gendered Pokemon with a gendered pronoun is absolutely fine as long as you keep the usage consistent throughout the whole analysis.

Putting the original in one spoiler tags, and using another spoiler tags to illustrate changes. I don't have time to constantly switch between colours, and will bold changes.

You have Black Sludge listed as the item for the Choice Band set by the way.

Oops, silly me, thanks for catching that.

EDIT: Thanks Eraddd made a lot of your changes. Some of them I just personally didn't agree with.

GP CHECK 2/2

pink is grammar edits
blue is prose edits

[Overview]

<p>Muk has probably one of the worst cases of four moveslot syndrome in history. His Poison-typing and STAB are rather pitiful; Steel-, Rock-, and Ground-type Pokemon are three omnipresent types in UU and none of them mind it. This means Muk must rely on his big movepool to hurt switch-ins, but the limit of three leftover moveslots hinders him greatly. Explosion is also such a tempting move that sometimes leaves Muk with only two moves to make up for his bad STAB. His movepool problems aside, Muk is an excellent special tank who can take attacks from the likes of specially oriented Venusaur and Lanturn. Muk's awesome 105 base Attack should not be ignored either, as it allows him to tear massive holes in foes that don't resist his powerful Gunk Shots. Muk may seem lackluster, but he can effectively fill in a variety of roles for your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Shadow Sneak / Rest
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Muk makes a fantastic Curse user in UU due to his superb special bulk and naturally high Attack stat. Unlike other Curse users, Muk is not susceptible to Trick thanks to his ability, Sticky Hold. This allows Muk to set up Curses on common Trick users, such as Clefable and Rotom, with little fear. Poison Jab is Muk's obligatory STAB move, while the third slot gives him better coverage. Brick Break allows him to damage Steel- and Rock-types such as Steelix, Registeel, and Aggron, which usually carry Earthquake to wreck Muk's set-up. Ice Punch allows Muk to hit Ground-types which commonly switch in on it, such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Claydol. For the last slot, Explosion is a powerful move that lets Muk takes out at least one last Pokemon, while Shadow Sneak allows him to hit faster Pokemon such as Espeon and Alakazam, which can threaten him with a STAB Psychic attack. Rest is another option if Muk has a couple of Curses under his belt since it allows him to replenish lost health and cure status. Gunk Shot is another option on this set for a stronger STAB attack, but it is not recommended because of its low PP and accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are designed to give Muk the best balanced bulk possible with a little more emphasis on Special Defense, as Muk can simply raise his Defense with Curse. 80 Defense EVs ensure that Muk is never KOed by Hitmonlee's or Aggron's Earthquake. However, these EVs can easily be moved to either Special Defense, which gives Muk the best special bulk possible, or Attack, which gives Muk a little more power.</p>

<p>While combining Rest with Sleep Talk may seem tempting, leaving Muk with only one type of attack is a horrible idea. Muk's Poison STAB has bad coverage in UU, and his biggest counters, Registeel and Steelix, are completely immune to it. Furthermore, leaving Muk with only Brick Break or Ice Punch would leave him utterly outclassed by a multitude of Pokemon in UU.</p>

<p>This set has a hard time dealing with Registeel and Steelix due to their titanic Defense stat that allows them to take repeated Brick Breaks from Muk. Steelix can use Roar to prevent Muk from even setting up Curse, and both Steelix and Registeel can deal plenty of damage to Muk with Earthquake. Hariyama makes an excellent teammate for Muk due to his incredible base HP, which allows him to take repeated Earthquakes from Steelix and Registeel and threaten them back with STAB Fighting-type attacks. Pairing Muk alongside Milotic or Quagsire can prove useful as well. They have exceptional bulk and can shrug off attacks from the various Ground-types of UU and then threaten them with Surf or Waterfall. Muk also appreciates dual screen support, which allows him to set up with less difficulty.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Choice Band
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With an impressive base 105 Attack and high defensive stats, Muk can effectively utilize a Choice Band set. STAB Gunk Shot can deal a considerable amount of damage to Pokemon that do not resist it; however, Poison Jab is the safer option due to its higher accuracy. The selection between Brick Break and Focus Punch solely relies on your prediction skills. Focus Punch deals much more damage overall; for example, it deals 62.15% - 73.45% to Relaxed 252/0 Steelix, Muk’s number one counter. Brick Break will fail to get a clean 2HKO on Steelix, but is a much more reliable option otherwise. Ice Punch deals with Grass- and Ground-types like Venusaur, Torterra, Nidoking, Donphan, and Claydol. In the last slot, Explosion is a powerful attack that literally OHKOes any UU Pokemon which does not resist it. Payback is another option in place of Ice Punch to hurt opposing Psychic-types, but Ice Punch is preferred, as it damages Ground-types who can hit Muk on his lower Defense stat with Earthquake.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An alternative EV spread of 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe can be utilized to outrun Pokemon such as RestTalk Milotic, Support Venusaur, and Blastoise. It also lets Muk Speed tie with opposing Aggron and Azumarill.</p>

<p>This set may hit hard, but it is still stopped by Steel-types. Steelix and Registeel have to be careful about switching in on Focus Punch, but can otherwise easily come in on any of the other three attacks and scare away Muk with Earthquake. Nidoking and Nidoqueen can also come in on a predicted Poison- or Fighting-type attack and damage Muk with STAB Earthquake. As mentioned in the set above, Milotic can stop Muk's counters and drown them with Surf. For additional support, Spikes and Stealth Rock can help weaken Steelix and Registeel switch-ins. Good teammates to set up the aforementioned entry hazards include Omastar, Qwilfish, and Cloyster. Finally, Muk is easily revenge killed by Psychic-types such as Alakazam, so pairing Muk with a Pursuit user such as Spiritomb can greatly aid in Muk's hole-punching.</p>

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Punch / Payback / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Def / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Substitute, Muk can utilize the jaw-breaking Focus Punch to more easily smash through opposing Steel- and Rock-types. This set is quite simple to use: set up a Substitute on a Pokemon whom Muk will scare out, and then use Focus Punch if it can hit super effectively. Poison Jab is the preferred STAB attack and is Muk's most consistent form of dealing damage; however, Gunk Shot offers more power and Muk has extra time to fire it off from behind a Substitute. Ice Punch covers Grass- and Ground-types like Venusaur, Nidoking, and Donphan who resist Fighting and/or Poison. Since Muk can only achieve a 3HKO at best on these Pokemon, you may prefer Payback to maim Ghost- and Psychic-types instead. As always, Explosion is an option in the last slot to allow Muk to go out with a bang.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The somewhat arbitrary-looking EVs allow Muk to create 101 HP Substitutes and give Muk as much Attack as possible. With 8 EVs placed in Speed, Muk can outpace opposing minimum base 50s and set up a Substitute before they can status him. The remaining EVs are placed in Muk's lower Defense stat to protect him from the multitude of physical attacks found in UU.</p>

<p>As with the aforementioned sets, Steelix is a menace to Muk even when he is behind a Substitute. Steelix is only 3HKOed by Focus Punch, and in the meantime, can easily use Roar to blow Muk away or damage him with Earthquake. Again, Milotic is a good partner, able to shrug off Earthquakes and soak Steelix and other Ground-types with Surf. Because Muk will be losing a significant amount of health from using Substitute, pairing him with a Wish user, such as Clefable or Leafeon, could prove useful. Pairing Muk with a Flying-type, such as Altaria or Moltres, allows him to easily avoid incoming Earthquakes and gives his Flying friends a free turn to do as they please. Grass-types such as Exeggutor and Tangrowth are good teammates as well since they resist Earthquake and can deal with the bulky Water-types Muk has trouble getting past with this set.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Pain Split / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set plays a little more differently than the sets above. Its aim is to handle special attacks directed at Muk while dishing out attacks with his impressive base 105 Attack. Poison Jab is the preferred move for better accuracy, while Gunk Shot provides extra power but less accuracy. Unlike the previous sets, this one does not mind the PP drop from choosing Gunk Shot. Brick Break and Focus Punch are a must to damage opposing Rock- and Steel-types who would otherwise wall Muk completely. Ice Punch is useful against opposing Ground-types and Venusaur who attempt to come in on a Poison- or Fighting-type attack. Payback is another option for hitting opposing Psychic-types who could be problematic for Muk. Pain Split is the main option for decent recovery; it can also help do significant damage to Pokemon such as Registeel if Muk is at low health and they are at high health. Explosion is another option for this set as a last ditch effort to take out an opposing bulky Pokemon, such as Hariyama or Azumarill. Giga Drain can surprise and eliminate Rhyperior, Omastar, and Kabutops on the switch, but those are the only significant targets in UU. If you decide to use Giga Drain, then a Brave nature is recommended to maximize Giga Drain's power by not lowering Muk's Special Attack. Shadow Sneak is another option on this set to cover speedy Psychic-types, but it is far too weak without a Curse boost. Fire Blast can also be used to hit Steelix on its weaker Special Defense stat, but that is the extent of its use.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Muk will have a harder time dealing with Steel-types like Registeel and Steelix without any form of a boost. Both Registeel and Steelix can shrug off Brick Break, and Focus Punch will still fail to deal any significant damage. Defensive Hariyama can be a neat partner with Muk as it can take repeated Earthquakes while dishing out incredible damage with his STAB Fighting-type move. Moltres is another potential teammate for this set because it can come in on Earthquake and attempt to scare Steel-types away with a Fire-type move. Muk will also attract Psychic-types, and the perfect choice to take Psychic-type attacks is Spiritomb. Spiritomb can utilize Pursuit on fleeing Psychic-types or set up using Calm Mind to handle bulkier Psychic-types such as Uxie and Mesprit.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Since Muk will usually attract Earthquake, Moltres can switch in and scare away the opposing Pokemon with its powerful special attacks. If you are nervous and unsure of Moltres, Milotic can make a perfect partner for Muk. With her tremendous bulk, she can manage to take Earthquake and scare away the user with Surf. Pairing Muk with Magneton or Dugtrio can prove useful by eliminating problematic Steel-types. On the Choice Band and SubPunch sets in particular, Muk appreciates layers of Spikes and dual screens. Good teammates to utilize these moves include: Omastar, Qwilfish, Cloyster, Uxie, and Claydol.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Besides Ice Punch, Muk also has access to ThunderPunch and Fire Punch. ThunderPunch can strike down Qwilfish, Moltres, and Scyther, while Fire Punch can roast Venusaur, Heracross, and Torterra. Memento is an extremely unorthodox move that Muk can employ in some very circumstantial cases to set up your next Pokemon, such as a Belly Drummer or some other late-game sweeper. Mean Look can force something to stay on the battlefield so Muk can Explode on them. Muk can also perform Haze, but Weezing usually does a better job at doing that thanks to his higher Defense stat and immunity to Earthquake. Taunt is decent since it stops Pokemon from setting up and forces Ghosts to attack so Muk can hit them with Payback while also preventing them from burning Muk. However, Muk is usually too slow to utilize Taunt effectively. Screech can force a switch, which sometimes allows Muk to fire off a free Focus Punch.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Muk has a plethora of counters in UU. As mentioned in every set, Muk has a difficult time dealing with most bulky Steel-, Rock-, and Ground-types, which are all very common defensive types in UU. Steelix and Registeel in particular can prevent Muk from doing anything because of their titanic Defense stats. Muk’s only way of damaging them is a boosted Focus Punch, but it is unreliable. Nidoking, Claydol, and Nidoqueen are also troublesome to Muk because they resist Muk's STAB and Fighting-type moves. Furthermore, all three have a considerable amount of bulk to take an Ice Punch, outpace Muk, and dispose of him with their STAB Earthquake. Drapion is also another forgotten threat who can set up Swords Dance and scare away Muk with Earthquake.</p>

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solid work as usual, oglemi

also, glee = best show on the planet ^_^