Almost Any Ability
Overview
An excellent Dark / Poison typing gives Alolan Muk a resistance to Dark-type attacks such as Pursuit, key immunities to Psychic and Toxic, and a single weakness in Ground. Furthermore, its neutralities to Bug-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks prevent most Psychic-type Pokemon from taking it on with coverage and allow it to soft check most special attackers. Access to Pursuit allows Alolan Muk to punish switching out, particularly by frail foes such as Mega Alakazam and Hoopa-U. Good utility options such as Knock Off and Clear Smog lets it cripple opposing teams and deal with setup sweepers, and Alolan Muk's solid defenses—alongside Regenerator—allow it to serve as an excellent pivot and scout for attacks. However, Alolan Muk's comparatively low physical bulk leaves it prey to physical or mixed attackers such as Hoopa-U, and its dearth of coverage moves leaves it walled by the ever-present Steel-type Pokemon such as Magearna.
Utility Trapper
- Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
- Ability: Regenerator
- EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Sassy Nature
- IVs: 29 Spe
- - Pursuit
- - Knock Off
- - Clear Smog
- - Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
Set Comments
Moves
Pursuit deals double damage to foes that try and switch out, preventing the Pokemon Alolan Muk walls, such as Mega Alakazam, from simply pivoting out. Knock Off is a powerful STAB move that removes the foe's item, allowing Alolan Muk to cripple item-reliant Pokemon such as Magearna and Chansey for the remainder of the match. Clear Smog removes the boosts of foes, allowing Alolan Muk to serve as an emergency stop to sweepers such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. Poison Jab offers a reliable, high-PP STAB attack that can wear down foes and has a nice chance to poison. Gunk Shot is another, more powerful option, but it has less PP and can miss.
Set Details
Maximum investment in HP and Special Defense, alongside Assault Vest and a Sassy nature, makes Alolan Muk as specially bulky as possible. Regenerator heals Alolan Muk every time it switches out, allowing it to check threats multiple times per match. 29 Speed IVs and a Sassy nature ensure Alolan Muk moves after Magearna, allowing it to use Knock Off on whatever Pokemon is sent in after Magearna.
Usage Tips
Switch Alolan Muk readily into most special attackers to deal chip damage and scout the foe's set. If the opponent has a Hoopa-U, keep Alolan Muk healthy so it can reliably check it, as even with a resistance Hoopa-U deals heavy damage. When possible, avoid switching Alolan Muk into Water-type Pokemon, as burns cripple its already low damage output. If you don't know what the foe will do, clicking Knock Off is usually a good option, as few Pokemon don't mind their items. Be careful when Pursuit trapping foes, as if they stay in, the mediocre damage output may allow them to survive the attack and heavily damage Alolan Muk. Regenerator allows Alolan Muk to PP stall moves against foes such as Tapu Fini but requires that a second pokemon be readily able to switch in in most cases.
Team Options
Physical walls such as Hippowdon, Buzzwole, and Skarmory are handy to take those attacks for Alolan Muk; the last two are particularly helpful, as they also cover Alolan Muk's Ground weakness. An additional special wall such as Magearna or Chansey is also useful to give Alolan Muk something to pivot to and regain HP. Entry hazard clearing from Pokemon such as Zapdos and Skarmory is appreciated, as Alolan Muk's reliance on Regenerator for healing leaves it especially susceptible to chip damage. Unaware walls such as Chansey and Gligar are handy to take the pressure off Alolan Muk to check boosted attackers. Checks to physical Hoopa-U such as Mandibuzz and Hippowdon are also needed, as it can lure in and 2HKO Alolan Muk; in return, Muk can check special Hoopa-U for them. Magnet Pull Pokemon also pair well with it, as they can remove the Steel-type Pokemon that annoy Alolan Muk, and in return it can use Knock Off to take off Shed Shells and render Pokemon vulnerable to trapping.
Strategy Comments
Other Options
More Attack investment may be run to increase the damage of Alolan Muk's attacks, particularly Pursuit, but this allows special attackers such as Noivern to outdamage Regenerator more easily. A Choice Band Adaptability set with maximum Attack investment may also be used to lure in answers and trap things from higher health, but it cannot switch as readily and lacks the longevity of the Regenerator set.
Checks and Counters
- Poison Heal Pokemon: Poison Heal Pokemon do not mind having their item knocked off after it takes effect and can ignore Poison Jab's secondary effect. While Alolan Muk can handle users such as Tapu Fini by virtue of its typing, it has difficulty dealing lasting damage to, or even dealing with, common users such as Suicune, Zygarde, and Snorlax.
- Steel-type Pokemon: Steel-type Pokemon are immune to Poison-type attacks, allowing them to switch in on those freely. Most Steel-type Pokemon used in AAA are bulky, allowing them to shrug off a Knock Off, and can generally use Alolan Muk to awitch in, such as Doublade, can be threatened at all.
- Physical Attackers: Physical attackers hit Alolan Muk on its weaker Defense stat, allowing them to more easily take it on. To make matters worse, most Ground-type Pokemon are physical attackers, and Earthquake is a common coverage option. While even physical attackers dislike losing their item and thus cannot switch in freely, they tend to force out Alolan Muk once in.
- Clearing-resistant Setup: Substitute blocks Clear Smog, allowing users of this move to set up on Alolan Muk. If it cannot readily break the Substitute, Alolan Muk has to rely on its teammates to take on the setup sweeper. Similarly, fast setup sweepers such as Manaphy can boost a stat multiple stages at a time, limiting the effectiveness of Alolan Muk's reactive anti-setup measures.