OU Alolan Marowak

[Martin]

[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak's typing in conjunction with Lightning Rod gives it a range of useful resistances that allow it to check incredibly dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. It is decently bulky, and its near-exclusive ability to use Thick Club combined with its excellent typing allows it to hit brutally hard, with few Pokemon capable of switching into it safely. Between all of this and its access to Swords Dance, Alolan Marowak is capable of tearing stall teams apart if they lack Quagsire or Pyukumuku. Both Lightning Rod and Rock Head are extremely useful abilities to Alolan Marowak, further exemplifying its effectiveness as a Pokemon, and it also has a large niche on full and partial Trick Room teams as both a cleaner and, if it carries Will-O-Wisp, a soft check to non-Knock Off Mega Mawile. That said, the fact that Alolan Marowak is both grounded and weak to Stealth Rock means that it gets worn down quickly if it repeatedly switches in and out to check things, making it dependent on hazard control to function to its full potential. This issue is further exemplified by its low Speed, which means that Alolan Marowak usually take a hit before dishing out damage, and its reliance on Thick Club means that it can't ease off these issues with Leftovers. Furthermore, its Speed compounds its weaknesses to extremely common and dangerous types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shadow Bone is the move Alolan Marowak will use the most, taking good advantage of the lack of bulky Pokemon that resist Ghost in the tier to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame. Fire Punch hits Pokemon that are weak to Fire-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, for heavy damage without dealing recoil damage, which is important to ensure that Alolan Marowak can check what it needs to throughout the entirety of the match. That said, if Lightning Rod is not a necessity on its team, Alolan Marowak can opt to run Flare Blitz alongside Rock Head; this is Alolan Marowak's strongest attack, 2HKOing literally everything which doesn't resist it if Stealth Rock is on the field (including physically defensive Landorus-T). This also improves Alolan Marowak's stall matchup in a few ways, allowing it to beat physically defensive Clefable without draining a large amount of Shadow Bone PP in the process, guaranteeing an OHKO versus Calm Mind Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance, and OHKOing Chansey at +2, preventing it from putting Alolan Marowak on a timer with Toxic. Swords Dance makes tearing through stall a piece of cake, allowing Alolan Marowak to beat Toxapex if Swords Dance is used as Toxapex switches into it and either OHKO or nearly OHKO the rest of stall, save for Unaware users. Stealth Rock support is mandatory for all teams, and it is a useful role compression tool when used on Alolan Marowak. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, allows Alolan Marowak to cripple Landorus-T when brought in to eat Shadow Bone and also soft check Mega Mawile that lack Knock Off by crippling it as it uses Sucker Punch. Bonemerang is a solid coverage option for Alolan Marowak, OHKOing Heatran and Tyranitar, and allowing it to beat Toxapex one-on-one, but outside of Tyranitar, the coverage is mostly redundant due to neither Heatran nor Toxapex appreciating Shadow Bone.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack along with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment allows it to outpace uninvested Mega Scizor in order to hit it with Fire Punch or Flare Blitz before it uses U-turn. Jolly can be used to outpace everything up to uninvested base 85 Speed Pokemon such as Suicune and Tapu Fini and to surprise Mega Scizor variants that Speed creep Adamant Alolan Marowak; however, the power drop is noticeable, and missing out on outspeeding uninvested Rotom-W by one point further detracts from the potential for such a variant's success. If you have paired Alolan Marowak with Trick Room Magearna, a variety of bulkier EV spreads can be used to hit benchmarks for various walls outside of Trick Room. 132 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace Calm Celesteela, whereas 68 do the same versus Sassy variants. With 44 Speed EVs, Alolan Marowak can hit neutral-natured Tangrowth before it can move, whereas 20 allow Alolan Marowak to hit uninvested Hippowdon with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone before it can use Earthquake. Alolan Marowak shouldn't run any less Speed investment than this, though. Thick Club doubles Alolan Marowak's Attack stat, which allows it to hit 568 Attack before a Swords Dance. Lightning Rod gives it an immunity to Electric-type attacks, which lets it consistently check Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and both Thundurus formes. On the flipside, Rock Head allows Alolan Marowak to use Flare Blitz without the nasty recoil that it entails.

Usage Tips
========

Ensure that Stealth Rock and Spikes are off of the field whenever possible to avoid wearing Alolan Marowak down, and use its resistances to offensively check Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Tapu Koko, and Magearna. Avoid switching in directly unless it is absolutely necessary or you know that Alolan Marowak is immune to what its foe is about to use, and if you expect a U-turn, don't use Alolan Marowak to absorb it because that is only conducive to wearing it down. If Alolan Marowak has Lightning Rod, it is usually best to catch your opponent's switch-in with Shadow Bone; however, if Rock Head is used, consider your opponent's team and click Flare Blitz if you expect anything which doesn't resist it to come in. Swords Dance is typically only worth clicking versus stall unless Alolan Marowak will be able to clean up with a boost under Trick Room. Make full use of Lightning Rod when facing Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Zapdos in order to buy opportunities to deal heavy damage; that said, if running Rock Head, it is also worth considering bluffing Lightning Rod to generate opportunities to score free hits. All in all, just take advantage of any free switch-ins Alolan Marowak is able to get because it will almost invariably result in an opposing Pokemon being severely dented or KOed.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard removal from Pokemon like Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Tapu Fini is important for ensuring that Stealth Rock and Spikes are cleared for Alolan Marowak so that it is healthy enough to continue checking what it checks. Spikes users such as Greninja and Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T make for solid partners to help wear Pokemon down on the many switches that Alolan Marowak forces while also benefiting heavily from its ability to pivot into Rapid Spin. If Alolan Marowak carries Lightning Rod, Pokemon that appreciate Tapu Koko and Zapdos being kept in check, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Pinsir, appreciate the support that it brings to the table; Celesteela gets a special mention due to its excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak. Similarly, Pokemon that appreciate BoltBeam Mega Medicham being checked, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Tapu Fini, make for excellent partners. Water- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile act as solid checks to Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which threaten Alolan Marowak. Similarly, answers to Assault Vest Tangrowth, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu, and Water-types such as Toxapex make for excellent partners. Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak while patching up Alolan Marowak disappointing Speed stat with Trick Room, allowing it to tear offense apart. Finally, secondary answers to a lot of the Pokemon that Alolan Marowak is able to keep in check are useful to prevent Alolan Marowak from getting overwhelmed, especially when Stealth Rock is on the field.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Low Kick is capable of OHKOing Tyranitar without a boost, is Alolan Marowak's best option to hit Hydreigon, and is also capable of OHKOing Heatran. That being said, it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to its ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2 (preventing potential unnecessary Scald damage) and both Tyranitar and Hydreigon being uncommon, especially when the former doesn't appreciate switching into Bonemerang anyway. Toxic allows Alolan Marowak to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer; however, these Pokemon are uncommon, and it is mostly useless beyond this due to Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz 2HKOing the entire metagame anyway. Knock Off is capable of removing items, which can prove helpful in the long run versus Pokemon like Tapu Fini that are heavily dependent on their items to function. However, the coverage the move provides is completely redundant alongside Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz, restricting it to a utility option.

Checks and Counters
========

**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone, resist Flare Blitz, and have Unaware, leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them with Swords Dance boosts. Quagsire threatens back with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp and can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly if even slightly weakened, whereas Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.

**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks, and it OHKOes Alolan Marowak in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace Alolan Marowak, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake and Thousand Arrows, respectively. Hippowdon escapes the 2HKO from Shadow Bone and KOes Alolan Marowak with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage; however, it must be wary of Flare Blitz, which almost always 2HKOes after Stealth Rock damage.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster than Alolan Marowak and OHKOes it with Hydro Pump; in a similar vein, Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Scald, or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens Alolan Marowak with Scald. Gyarados OHKOes with Waterfall, while Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo both outpace and OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly, but once it's on the field, it either OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Shadow Ball or heavily dents one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are in general.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STAB moves, is faster than it, and forces it out. It can either trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit while also threatening it with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOes in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and is grounded, meaning entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

Skeleton

[OVERVIEW]

• Typing provides extremely useful resistances which lets it check dangerous Pokemon like Pheromosa, Magearna, and Tapu Koko--among other things.
• Manhandles stall that lack Quag/Pyuku.
  
• It is decently bulky, and it hits brutally hard due to Thick Club.
• Two extremely useful abilities in Lightning Rod and Rock Head.
  
• SR weak+grounded makes it easy to wear down if not played carefully
• Weak to a large number of extremely dangerous+common types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock means it is often forced out
• It's slow as shit, meaning it usually takes a hit before moving if it doesn't attack on a switch, and it's lack of recovery combined with its reliance on Thick Club restricting it from running Leftovers means it is worn down easily.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Shadow Bone is primary STAB 'cause Ghost is busted; hits basically the entire meta neutrally and hits VERY hard. Also non-contact is :ok_hand:
  
• Fire Punch hits fire-weaks like Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn extremely hard without damaging Marowak.
  
• Flare Blitz is Marowak's strongest move and just nukes anything that doesn't resist it (to illustrate, it deals over 50% to PhysDef Landorus-T if SR is up); also makes the Clef 1v1 much less draining on Wak's PP. Only run alongside Rock Head.
  
• Swords Dance allows it to buttfuck stall even harder than usual; allows it OHKO Sableye at +2 and 1v1 Toxapex
  
• SR is useful utility (mandatory on all teams) that allows for solid role compression
• Wisp allows it to cripple Lando-T switch-ins
• Bonemerang OHKOs Toxapex at +2, OHKOs Tran at +0 and deals more damage to Tyranitar than either STAB. Better than EQ 'cause Grassy Terrain exists. That said, Tar is rare and Wak can get away w/ Shadow Bone vs. the other two.

Set Details
========

• Max Atk/Spe+adamant allows it to hit as hard and fast as possible, outpacing everything slower than uninvested Mega Scizor, preventing it from U-turning out on you
• If paired w/ OTR Magearna, bulkier spreads can also be used alongside benchmarks to hit various walls outside of Trick Room.
  • 124 HP / 252 Atk / 132 Spe outpaces neutral natured Celesteela
  • 184 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 68 Spe outpaces negative natured Celesteela
  • 208 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 44 Spe outpaces neutral natured Tangrowth
  • 232 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 20 Spe outpaces uninvested Hippo. Don't go any slower than this.
• Jolly can be used to outpace everything from uninvested 85s (i.e. Suicune) downward, which allows Wak to also beat out Zor which creep adamant Wak. Be aware that it misses out on Rotom-W by one point, however.
• Thick Club doubles its attack, allowing it to nuke.
  
• Lightning Rod gives it an Electric-type immunity, allowing it to fuck with Tapu Koko and Zapdos easily.
• Rock Head removes all recoil from Flare Blitz, allowing Wak to nuke to its hearts content.

Usage Tips
========

• Ensure SR is off of the field whenever possible
• Use resistances to offensively check things; avoid switching in directly unless necessary (or alternatively if you know you won't take any damage) and do not go to Alolan Marowak if you expect U-turn.
• If running Lightning Rod it is typically best to use Shadow Bone to hit whatever comes out hard.
• If in the same position with Rock Head, click Flare Blitz if all resistances are out of the picture or if you expect a neutral to come out vs. Wak.
• It's usually only worth clicking SD vs. stall; click it if Wak gets an opportunity to come out.
  
• Utilise Lightning Rod wisely when faced up against things like Tapu Koko and Zapdos, as Marowak can use them to get a free Shadow Bone on something.
• If running Rock Head, consider bluffing Lightning Rod to net free hits.
• Make sure to capitalise on any free switch-ins Marowak gets due to it being near impossible to switch into.

Team Options
========

• If carrying LRod, Pokemon which appreciate Tapu Koko being kept in check, such as Tapu Fini, Keldeo, and Greninja
• Spikers such as Greninja and Ferrothorn appreciate its ability to consistently block Phero's Spin
• Hazard removers such as Pheromosa, Zapdos, Lati@s, and Tapu Fini clear SR and Spikes
• Pokemon which appreciate Pheromosa being kept in check, such as Latios, Tangrowth, Ferrothorn
• Water- and Ice-types like Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile are useful to help break Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp which give Marowak a headache; the latter two also deal with Tornadus-T, who otherwise proves a major threat with Knock Off.
• Answers to Water-types such as Toxapex, Assault Vest Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu. Bulu also provides Grassy Terrain to weaken opposing EQs.
  
• Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy and can make Marowak blazing fast with Trick Room--allowing it to dominate offense mid-late game.
• Celesteela+LRod Wak cover some of each other's weaknesses nicely well
• Secondary checks to Pokemon that Wak checks are nice so that aren't over reliant on it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

• Low Kick OHKOs Tar without a boost and hits Hydreigon whilst still OHKOing Tran, but it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to its ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2 and due to Tar/Hydra not being that common. Also Tar still doesn't appreciate eating Bonemerang anyway.
  
• Toxic allows you to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer, but beyond this it doesn't achieve much.
• KOff removes items, which is nice vs. 'mons which are reliant on their item to function--such as Tapu Fini. However, its coverage is completely redundant--making it a pure utility option.

Checks and Counters
========

**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone and have Unaware--leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them. Quagsire threatens back with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp. Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.

**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks and OHKOs it in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake or Thousand Arrows, respectively.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster and OHKOs with Hydro Pump; Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOs with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOs with Hydro Pump, Scald or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOs with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens with Scald. Gyarados OHKOs with Waterfall; Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch in directly, but once it's out it gets a nuke on Alolan Marowak or one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STABs, outpaces and forces it out. It can either trap Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit whilst threatening with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although once again it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOs in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and grounded, meaning that entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

 

[Martin]

I might have missed smth--but that's what QC is for. Feel free to tear this to shreds now.

 

[Gary]

This looks really solid. You covered pretty much everything.

In usage tips, I'd emphasize on how Marowak capitalizes on free switch-ins because of how fucking stupidly hard to switch into it is, and how its best to bring it in as much as possible vs passive mons such as Skarm, Ferro, Clef, etc.

Only other thing I'd add is a Dark-type section to C&C. Obviously emphasize T-tar in it, but also add other Pokemon like Weavile (which can also Pursuit it), Bisharp (who outspeeds it naturally and on TR can still threaten with Sucker), Hoopa-U, and Hydreigon (albeit niche, but is decently fat and resists both STABs while dodging Bonemerang).

QC 1/3 nice work man.

 

[PK Gaming]

Just a couple of things

Overview

• Manhandles stall that lack Quag/Pyuku
• Typing provides extremely useful resistances which lets it check dangerous Pokemon like Pheromosa, Magearna, and Tapu Koko--among other things.

I'd reverse the order, since Overviews start with the most integral aspect of a Pokemon now.

• Decently bulky
• Hits brutally hard due to Thick Club

I think you can merge these two lines.

• Slow as shit
• Lack of recovery combined with its reliance on Thick Club means it is worn down easily.

I'd merge these two as well.

Otherwise this is obviously great

2/3

 

[Martin]

OK this is ready for QC check number three

 

[Subject 18]

Be more clear about it's niche on fully TR teams somewhere and that this can softcheck Mawile assuming it doesn't have knock Off.

Otherwise it looks great. 3/3

 

[Martin]

Excellent; this is GP ready

 

[Calm Pokemaster]

Deletions
Additions / Corrections
Comments

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak's typing in conjunction with Lightning Rod gives it a range of useful resistances which that allow it to check a range of incredibly dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. It is decently bulky, and its near-exclusive ability to use Thick Club combines with its excellent typing and allows it to hit brutally hard, with few Pokemon capable of switching into it safely —leaving it with an extremely limited number of switch-ins. (This makes it sound as if Alolan Marowak can only switch in a limited number of times because it hits hard; I understand Flare Blitz recoil on non-Rock Head sets wears it down, but here, since you're talking about its plus points, I am guessing you meant very few Pokemon can safely switch into Marowak) Between all of this this and its access to Swords Dance, it is capable of tearing stall apart if it the latter lacks Quagsire or Pyukumuku. Both Lightning Rod and Rock Head are extremely useful abilities to Alolan Marowak ("useful utility" sounds pretty awkward, given the two words mean more or less the same) provide extremely useful utility to Alolan Marowak, further exemplifying its effectiveness as a Pokemon, and it also has a large niche on full and partial Trick Room teams as both a cleaner and, if it carries Will-O-Wisp, as a soft check to non-Knock Off Mega Mawile. That said, the fact that Alolan Marowak is both grounded and weak to Stealth Rock means that it gets worn down quickly if it repeatedly switches in and out to check things, making it dependent on hazard control to function to its full potential. This issue is further exemplified by its low Speed, which means that unless it gets switched out of it will Alolan Marowak usually take a hit before dishing out damage, and its reliance on Thick Club means that it can't ease off these issues with Leftovers. Furthermore, the aforementioned low Speed compounds its large number of weaknesses to extremely common and dangerous types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shadow Bone is the move Alolan Marowak will use the most, taking good advantage of the lack of bulky Pokemon that resist Ghost-type resistances (being a tad nitpicky here, but "resistance" != "Pokemon that resists") in the tier to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame. Fire Punch hits Pokemon which that are weak to Fire-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, for heavy damage without dealing recoil damage, which is important to ensure that Alolan Marowak can check what it needs to throughout the entirety of the match. That said, if Lightning Rod is not a necessity on its team, Alolan Marowak can opt to run Flare Blitz alongside Rock Head; this is Alolan Marowak's strongest attack, 2HKOing literally everything which doesn't resist it if Stealth Rock is on the field (including physically defensive Landorus-T). This also improves Alolan Marowak's stall matchup even more than usual in a few ways, (add comma) it allows allowing it to beat physically defensive Clefable without it draining a large amount of Shadow Bone PP in the process; (add semi-colon) it a roll into a guaranteed guaranteeing an OHKO versus Calm Mind Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance; (add semi-colon) and it OHKOing Chansey at +2, (add comma) preventing it from putting Alolan Marowak on a timer with Toxic. Swords Dance makes tearing through stall a piece of cake, allowing Alolan Marowak to beat Toxapex if it uses Swords Dance as it switches into Marowak and to either OHKO nearly OHKO the rest of stall aside from its choice of save for the Unaware user. Stealth Rock is support that is mandatory for all teams, and it is a useful role compression tool when used on Alolan Marowak. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, allows Alolan Marowak to cripple Landorus-T that are brought in to eat Shadow Bone whilst and also allowing it to soft check Mega Mawile which that lack Knock Off by crippling it as it uses Sucker Punch. Bonemerang is a solid coverage option for Alolan Marowak, OHKOing Heatran at +0 as well as OHKOing Tyranitar and allowing it to beat Toxapex 1v1 if Alolan Marowak can't get out in front of anything else, but a outside of Tyranitar, (add comma) the coverage is mostly redundant due to neither of the other two appreciating Shadow Bone regardless.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack along with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment allows it to move as fast as possible, allowing it to outpace uninvested Mega Scizor in order to hit it the latter with Fire Punch or Flare Blitz before it uses U-turn. Jolly can be used to outpace everything up to uninvested base 85 Speed Pokemon such as Suicune and to surprise Mega Scizor variants which that Speed creep Adamant Alolan Marowak; however, the power drop is noticeable, and missing out on uninvested Rotom-W by one point further detracts from the potential for such a variant's success. If you have paired Alolan Marowak with Trick Room Magearna, a variety of bulkier EV spreads can be used which to hit benchmarks for various walls outside of Trick Room. 132 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace Calm Celesteela, whereas 68 do the same versus Sassy variants. With 44 Speed EVs, Alolan Marowak can hit neutral-natured Tangrowth before it can move, whereas 20 allows you Alolan Marowak to hit uninvested Hippowdon with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone before it can use Earthquake. Alolan Marowak shouldn't run any less Speed investment than this, though. Thick Club doubles Alolan Marowak's Attack stat, which allows it to hit 568 Attack before a Swords Dance. Lightning Rod gives it an immunity to Electric-type attacks, which in turn lets it consistently check Tapu Koko, Zapdos, (add comma) and both Thundurus formes. On the flipside, Rock Head allows Alolan Marowak to use Flare Blitz without the nasty recoil that it entails.

Usage Tips
========

Ensure that Stealth Rock and Spikes are off of the field whenever possible to avoid wearing Alolan Marowak down, and use its resistances to offensively check things. Avoid switching in directly unless it is absolutely necessary or you know that Alolan Marowak is immune to what its foe is about to use, and if you expect a U-turn, (add comma) don't use Alolan Marowak to absorb it because that is only conducive to wearing it down. If Alolan Marowak has Lightning Rod, it is usually best to catch your opponent's switch-in with Shadow Bone; however, if Rock Head is used, consider your opponents' team and click Flare Blitz if you expect anything which doesn't resist Flare Blitz to come in. Swords Dance is typically only worth clicking versus stall unless Alolan Marowak is will be able to clean up with a boost under Trick Room. Make full use of Lightning Rod when faced up against facing Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Zapdos in order to buy opportunities to deal heavy damage; that said, if running Rock Head, it is also worth considering bluffing Lightning Rod to generate opportunities to score free hits. All in all, just take advantage of any free switch-ins Alolan Marowak is able to get because it will almost invariably result in an opposing Pokemon being severely dented or KOed.

Team Options
========

Hazard removal from Pokemon like Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Latios, Latias, Starmie, or Tapu Fini is important for ensuring that Stealth Rock and Spikes are cleared for Alolan Marowak, ensuring that so that it is healthy enough to continue checking what it checks. Conversely, Spikes users such as Greninja and Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T make for solid partners to help wear things down on the many switches that Alolan Marowak forces whilst also benefiting heavily from its ability to pivot into Rapid Spin. If Alolan Marowak carries Lightning Rod, Pokemon which that appreciate Tapu Koko and Zapdos being kept in check, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Pinsir, appreciate the support that it brings to the table; Celesteela gets a special mention due to its excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak. Similarly, Pokemon which that appreciate BoltBeam Mega Medicham being checked, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Tapu Fini, make for excellent partners. Water- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile act as solid checks to Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which give Alolan Marowak a migraine. Similarly, answers to Water-types such as Toxapex, Assault Vest Tangrowth, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu, and Water-types such as Toxapex make for excellent partners. Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak whilst providing excellent support which patching up Marowak's extremely disappointing Speed stat with Trick Room, (add comma) allowing it to tear offense apart. Finally, secondary answers to a lot of the Pokemon that Alolan Marowak is able to keep in check are useful to prevent Alolan Marowak getting overwhelmed: especially when Stealth Rock is on the field.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Low Kick is capable of OHKOing Tyranitar without a boost, is its Alolan Marowak's best option to hit Hydreigon, and is also capable of OHKOing Heatran. That being said, it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to the latter's ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2 (preventing potential unnecessary Scald damage) and due to both Tyranitar and Hydreigon being uncommon, especially when the former doesn't appreciate switching into Bonemerang anyway. Toxic allows Alolan Marowak to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer; however, these Pokemon are uncommon, and it is mostly useless beyond this due to Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz 2HKOing the entire metagame anyway. Knock Off is capable of removing items, which can prove helpful in the long term versus Pokemon like Tapu Fini which that are heavily dependent on their items to function. However, the coverage the move provides is completely redundant alongside Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz, restricting its usefulness to being it to a utility option.

Checks and Counters
========

**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone, resist Flare Blitz, and have Unaware, (add comma) leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them with Swords Dance boosts. Quagsire threatens back with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp, whereas Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.

**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks and OHKOes it in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace Alolan Marowak, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake or Thousand Arrows, respectively. Hippwodon dodges the 2HKO from Shadow Bone and KOes Marowak with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage; however, it must be wary of Flare Blitz, (add comma) which almost always 2HKOes after Stealth Rock damage.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump; in a similar vein, Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Scald or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens Alolan Marowak with Scald. Gyarados OHKOes with Waterfall; Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo both outpace and OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly, but once it's on the field, (add comma) it either OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Shadow Ball or heavily dents one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are in general.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STABs, is faster than it, and forces it out. It can either trap Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit whilst also threatening with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although once again it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOes in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and grounded, meaning that entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

Sorry for the delay; got caught up with some work >_< Anyway, this was good in patches, but there were a number of awkward phrases and silly errors (like missed capitalizations and typos). In particular, look up the usage of em dashes and "which", and also take a peek at our grammar standards page when you can. Go through my check carefully and implement the changes; feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions!

GP 1 / 2

 

[Xayah]

GP amcheck, you don't have to implement this and it doesn't count as an official check.
ADD, (AC) = Add Comma, (AH) = Add Hyphen
REMOVE, (RC) = Remove Comma, (RH) = Remove Hyphen
(comments)

amcheck

[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak's Fire / Ghost typing in conjunction with Lightning Rod gives it a range number of useful resistances which and immunities that allows (number and range are both singular) it to check a range of incredibly dangerous Pokemon, (AC) such as Mega Medicham, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. It is decently bulky, and its near-exclusive ability to use Thick Club combinesd with its excellent typing and allows it to hit brutally hard&mdash;, (semicolon -> comma) leaving it with an extremely limited number of switch-ins. Between all of this this and its access Swords Dance, it is capable of tearing stall apart if it lacksing Quagsire orand Pyukumuku apart. Both Lightning Rod and Rock Head providare extremely useful utility (Rock Head especially isn’t really utility) to for Alolan Marowak, further exemplifying its effectiveness as a Pokemon, and it also has a large niche on full and partial Trick Room teams as both a cleaner and, if it carries Will-O-Wisp, as a soft check to non-Knock Off Mega Mawile lacking Knock Off. That said, the fact that Alolan Marowak is both grounded and weak to Stealth Rock means that it gets worn down quickly if it repeatedly switches in and out to check things foes, making it dependent on hazard control to function to its full potential. This issue is further exemplified by its low speed, which means that, (AC) unless it gets switched out of, (AC) it will usually take a hit before dishing out damage, and its reliance on Thick Club means that it can't ease off these issues with Leftovers. Furthermore, the aforementioned low speed compounds its large number of weaknesses to extremely common and dangerous types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shadow Bone is the move Alolan Marowak will use the most, as it taking goodes advantage of the lack of bulky Ghost-type resistancest Pokemon in the tier to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame. Fire Punch hits Pokemon which that are weak to Fire-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, for heavy damage without dealing recoil damage, which is important to ensure that Alolan Marowak can check what it needs to throughout the entirety of the match. That said, if Lightning Rod is not a necessity on its team, Alolan Marowak can opt to run Flare Blitz alongside Rock Head; this, (semicolon -> comma) which is Alolan Marowak's strongest attack, 2HKOing literally everything whichthat doesn't resist it if Stealth Rock is on the field, (including physically defensive Landorus-T). This also improves Alolan Marowak's stall matchup even more than usual in a few ways;, (semicolon -> comma) it allows it to beat physically defensive Clefable without it draining a large amount of Shadow Bone PP in the process, (RC) it a roll into a guaranteed and always OHKOes versus Calm Mind Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance it OHKOes (only the Calm Mind set? If not, remove 'Calm Mind') and Chansey at +2&mdash; after a Swords Dance, preventing it the latter from putting Alolan Marowak on a timer with Toxic. Swords Dance makes tearing through stall a piece of cake, as it allowings Alolan Marowak to beat Toxapex if it uses Swords Dance is used as itToxapex switches into Marowakit and to either OHKO or nearly OHKO the rest of a standard stall team, (AC) aside from its choice of Unaware user. Stealth Rock is support that is mandatory for all teams, and it is a useful role compression tool when used on Alolan Marowak. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, allows Alolan Marowak to cripple Landorus-T that are brought in to takeat Shadow Bone, (AC) whilste also allowing it to soft check Mega Mawile which lacking Knock Off by crippling it as it uses Sucker Punch. Bonemerang is a solid coverage option for Alolan Marowak, OHKOing Heatran at +0 as well as OHKOing and Tyranitar even without a boost and allowing it to beat Toxapex 1v1 if Alolan Marowak can't get out in front of anything else one-on-one, but a outside of Tyranitar the coverage is mostly redundant due to neither of, (AC) since the other two don’t appreciate taking a Shadow Bone regardless.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack along with an aAdamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible. Maximum sSpeed investment allows it to move as fast as possible, allowing it to outpaceing uninvested Mega Scizor in order to hit it with Fire Punch or Flare Blitz before it uses U-turn. Jolly can be used to outpace everything up to uninvested base 85s such as Suicune and to surprise Mega Scizor variants which creep Adamant Alolan Marowak; however, the power drop is noticeable, and missing out on uninvested Rotom-W by one point further detracts from the potential for such a variant's success. If you have paired Alolan Marowak with Trick Room Magearna, a variety of bulkier EV spreads can be used which hit benchmarks for various walls outside of Trick Room. 132 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace Calm Celesteela, whereas 68 do the same versus Sassy variants. With 44 Speed EVs, Alolan Marowak can hit neutral natured Tangrowth before it can mover, whereas 20 allows you to hit uninvested Hippowdon with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone before it can use Earthquake. Alolan Marowak shouldn't run any less speed investment than this. Thick Club doubles Alolan Marowak's attack stat, which allows it to hit 568 Attack before a Swords Dance. Lightninrg Rod gives it an immunity to Electric-type attacks, which in turn lets it consistently check Tapu Koko, Zapdos, (AC) and both Thundurus formes. On the flipside, Rock Head allows Alolan Marowak to use Flare Blitz without the nasty recoil that it entails.

Usage Tips
========

EAlolan Marowak should use its resistance to offensively check foes. However, you should ensure that Stealth Rock and Spikes are off of the field whenever possible to avoid wearing Alolan Marowak down [color=blue[B]too quickly[/B][/color], (RC) and use its resistances to offensively check things. Avoid switching in directly unless it is absolutely necessary or you know that Alolan Marowak is immune to what its foe is about to use, and i. (comma -> period) If you expect a U-turn, (AC) don't use Alolan Marowak to absorb it, (AC) because that is only conducive to wearing it down. If Alolan Marowak has Lightning Rod, it is usually best to catch your opponent's switch-in with Shadow Bone; however, if Rock Head is used, consider your opponents' team and click use Flare Blitz if you expect anything which that doesn't resist Flare Blitz to come in. Swords Dance is typically only worth clicking using versus against stall, (AC) unless Alolan Marowak is able to clean up with a boost under Trick Room. Make full used of Lightning Rod when faced up against Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Zapdos in order to buy get opportunities to deal heavy damage; that said, if running Rock Head, it is also worth considering bluffing Lightning Rod to generate opportunities to score free hits. All in all, just take advantage of any free switch- (RH)es (add space) ins Alolan Marowak is able to get, (AC) because it will almost invariably result in an opposing Pokemon being severely dented or KOed.

Team Options
========

Hazard removal from Pokemon like Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Latios, Latias, Starmie, or and Tapu Fini is important for ensuring that Stealth Rock and Spikes are cleared for Alolan Marowak, ensuring that it is healthy enough to continue checking what it checks. Conversely, Spikes users such as Greninja and Ferrothorn and as well as Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T make for solid partners to help wear things down on the many switches that Alolan Marowak forces whilst also benefiting heavily from its ability to pivot into Rapid Spin. If Alolan Marowak carries Lightning Rod, Pokemon which appreciate Tapu Koko and Zapdos being kept in check, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Pinsir, appreciate the support that it brings to the table; Celesteela gets a special mention due to its excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak. Similarly, Pokemon which appreciate BoltBeam Mega Medicham with Ice Punch and Thunder Punch (BoltBeam is specifically Thunderbolt + Ice Beam) being checked, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Tapu Fini, make for excellent partners. Water- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile act as solid checks to Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which give threaten Alolan Marowak a migraine. Similarly, answers to Water-types such as Toxapex, Assault Vest Tangrowth, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu make for excellent partners. Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak whilste providing excellent support which, (AC) as it patches up Marowak's extremely disappointing Speed stat with Trick Room--, (AC) allowing it to tear offense teams apart. Finally, secondary answers to a lot of the Pokemon that Alolan Marowak is able to keep in check are useful to prevent Alolan Marowak from getting overwhelmed:, (colon -> comma) especially when Stealth Rock is on the field.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Low Kick is capable of OHKOing Tyranitar and Heatran without a boost, (RC) and is itAlolan Marowak’s best option to hit Hydreigon, (RH) and is also capable of OHKOing Heatran. That being said, it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to the latter's ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2, (AC) thus (preventing potential unnecessary Scald damage), (AC) and due to both Tyranitar and Hydreigon being uncommon, especially when the former doesn't appreciate switching into Bonemerang anyway. Toxic allows Alolan Marowak to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer; however, these Pokemon are uncommon, and it is mostly useless beyond this due to Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz 2HKOing the entire metagame anyway. Knock Off is capable of removing items, which can prove helpful in the long term versus Pokemon like Tapu Fini which are heavily dependent on their items to function. However, the coverage the move provides is completely redundant alongside Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz, restricting its usefulness to being a utility option.

Checks and Counters
========

**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone, resist Flare Blitz, and have Unaware:, (colon -> comma) leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them with Swords Dance boosts. Quagsire threatens back Alolan Marowak with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp, whereas Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.

**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks and OHKOes it in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace Alolan Marowak, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake or Thousand Arrows, respectively. Hippwowdon dodges avoids the 2HKO from Shadow Bone and KOes Marowak with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage; however, it must be wary of Flare Blitz&mdash;, (semicolon -> comma) which almost always 2HKOes after Stealth Rock damage.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump; in a similar vein, Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Scald or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens Alolan Marowak with Scald. Gyarados OHKOs with Waterfall; Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo both outpace and OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall. Almost all Water-types, such as Greninja, Ash-Greninja, Keldeo, Primarina, Tapu Fini, Gyarados, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Sharpedo, outspeed Alolan Marowak and threaten to OHKO it with their super effective STAB moves.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly, but once it's on the field it either OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Shadow Ball or heavily dents one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STABs, is faster than it, and forces it out. It can either trap Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit, (AC) whilste also threatening with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes deals a lot of damage to Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although once again it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOes in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and grounded, meaning that entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

EDIT: Apprently a placeholder for a GP check was posted while I was posting. Implement whatever the GP member says

 

[Martin]

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak's typing in conjunction with Lightning Rod gives it a range of useful resistances which that allow it to check a range of incredibly dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. It is decently bulky, and its near-exclusive ability to use Thick Club combines with its excellent typing and allows it to hit brutally hard, with few Pokemon capable of switching into it safely &mdash;leaving it with an extremely limited number of switch-ins. (This makes it sound as if Alolan Marowak can only switch in a limited number of times because it hits hard; I understand Flare Blitz recoil on non-Rock Head sets wears it down, but here, since you're talking about its plus points, I am guessing you meant very few Pokemon can safely switch into Marowak) Between all of this this and its access to Swords Dance, it is capable of tearing stall apart if it the latter lacks Quagsire or Pyukumuku. Both Lightning Rod and Rock Head are extremely useful abilities to Alolan Marowak ("useful utility" sounds pretty awkward, given the two words mean more or less the same) provide extremely useful utility to Alolan Marowak, further exemplifying its effectiveness as a Pokemon, and it also has a large niche on full and partial Trick Room teams as both a cleaner and, if it carries Will-O-Wisp, as a soft check to non-Knock Off Mega Mawile. That said, the fact that Alolan Marowak is both grounded and weak to Stealth Rock means that it gets worn down quickly if it repeatedly switches in and out to check things, making it dependent on hazard control to function to its full potential. This issue is further exemplified by its low Speed, which means that unless it gets switched out of it will Alolan Marowak usually take a hit before dishing out damage, and its reliance on Thick Club means that it can't ease off these issues with Leftovers. Furthermore, the aforementioned low Speed compounds its large number of weaknesses to extremely common and dangerous types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shadow Bone is the move Alolan Marowak will use the most, taking good advantage of the lack of bulky Pokemon that resist Ghost-type resistances (being a tad nitpicky here, but "resistance" != "Pokemon that resists") in the tier to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame. Fire Punch hits Pokemon which that are weak to Fire-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, for heavy damage without dealing recoil damage, which is important to ensure that Alolan Marowak can check what it needs to throughout the entirety of the match. That said, if Lightning Rod is not a necessity on its team, Alolan Marowak can opt to run Flare Blitz alongside Rock Head; this is Alolan Marowak's strongest attack, 2HKOing literally everything which doesn't resist it if Stealth Rock is on the field (including physically defensive Landorus-T). This also improves Alolan Marowak's stall matchup even more than usual in a few ways, (add comma) it allows allowing it to beat physically defensive Clefable without it draining a large amount of Shadow Bone PP in the process; (add semi-colon) it a roll into a guaranteed guaranteeing an OHKO versus Calm Mind Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance; (add semi-colon) and it OHKOing Chansey at +2, (add comma) preventing it from putting Alolan Marowak on a timer with Toxic. Swords Dance makes tearing through stall a piece of cake, allowing Alolan Marowak to beat Toxapex if it uses Swords Dance as it switches into Marowak and to either OHKO nearly OHKO the rest of stall aside from its choice of save for the Unaware user. Stealth Rock is support that is mandatory for all teams, and it is a useful role compression tool when used on Alolan Marowak. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, allows Alolan Marowak to cripple Landorus-T that are brought in to eat Shadow Bone whilst and also allowing it to soft check Mega Mawile which that lack Knock Off by crippling it as it uses Sucker Punch. Bonemerang is a solid coverage option for Alolan Marowak, OHKOing Heatran at +0 as well as OHKOing Tyranitar and allowing it to beat Toxapex 1v1 if Alolan Marowak can't get out in front of anything else, but a outside of Tyranitar, (add comma) the coverage is mostly redundant due to neither of the other two appreciating Shadow Bone regardless.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack along with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment allows it to move as fast as possible, allowing it to outpace uninvested Mega Scizor in order to hit it the latter with Fire Punch or Flare Blitz before it uses U-turn. Jolly can be used to outpace everything up to uninvested base 85 Speed Pokemon such as Suicune and to surprise Mega Scizor variants which that Speed creep Adamant Alolan Marowak; however, the power drop is noticeable, and missing out on uninvested Rotom-W by one point further detracts from the potential for such a variant's success. If you have paired Alolan Marowak with Trick Room Magearna, a variety of bulkier EV spreads can be used which to hit benchmarks for various walls outside of Trick Room. 132 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace Calm Celesteela, whereas 68 do the same versus Sassy variants. With 44 Speed EVs, Alolan Marowak can hit neutral-natured Tangrowth before it can move, whereas 20 allows you Alolan Marowak to hit uninvested Hippowdon with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone before it can use Earthquake. Alolan Marowak shouldn't run any less Speed investment than this, though. Thick Club doubles Alolan Marowak's Attack stat, which allows it to hit 568 Attack before a Swords Dance. Lightning Rod gives it an immunity to Electric-type attacks, which in turn lets it consistently check Tapu Koko, Zapdos, (add comma) and both Thundurus formes. On the flipside, Rock Head allows Alolan Marowak to use Flare Blitz without the nasty recoil that it entails.

Usage Tips
========

Ensure that Stealth Rock and Spikes are off of the field whenever possible to avoid wearing Alolan Marowak down, and use its resistances to offensively check things. Avoid switching in directly unless it is absolutely necessary or you know that Alolan Marowak is immune to what its foe is about to use, and if you expect a U-turn, (add comma) don't use Alolan Marowak to absorb it because that is only conducive to wearing it down. If Alolan Marowak has Lightning Rod, it is usually best to catch your opponent's switch-in with Shadow Bone; however, if Rock Head is used, consider your opponents' team and click Flare Blitz if you expect anything which doesn't resist Flare Blitz to come in. Swords Dance is typically only worth clicking versus stall unless Alolan Marowak is will be able to clean up with a boost under Trick Room. Make full use of Lightning Rod when faced up against facing Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Zapdos in order to buy opportunities to deal heavy damage; that said, if running Rock Head, it is also worth considering bluffing Lightning Rod to generate opportunities to score free hits. All in all, just take advantage of any free switch-ins Alolan Marowak is able to get because it will almost invariably result in an opposing Pokemon being severely dented or KOed.

Team Options
========

Hazard removal from Pokemon like Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Latios, Latias, Starmie, or Tapu Fini is important for ensuring that Stealth Rock and Spikes are cleared for Alolan Marowak, ensuring that so that it is healthy enough to continue checking what it checks. Conversely, Spikes users such as Greninja and Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T make for solid partners to help wear things down on the many switches that Alolan Marowak forces whilst also benefiting heavily from its ability to pivot into Rapid Spin. If Alolan Marowak carries Lightning Rod, Pokemon which that appreciate Tapu Koko and Zapdos being kept in check, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Pinsir, appreciate the support that it brings to the table; Celesteela gets a special mention due to its excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak. Similarly, Pokemon which that appreciate BoltBeam Mega Medicham being checked, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Tapu Fini, make for excellent partners. Water- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile act as solid checks to Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which give Alolan Marowak a migraine. Similarly, answers to Water-types such as Toxapex, Assault Vest Tangrowth, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu, and Water-types such as Toxapex make for excellent partners. Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak whilst providing excellent support which patching up Marowak's extremely disappointing Speed stat with Trick Room, (add comma) allowing it to tear offense apart. Finally, secondary answers to a lot of the Pokemon that Alolan Marowak is able to keep in check are useful to prevent Alolan Marowak getting overwhelmed: especially when Stealth Rock is on the field.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Low Kick is capable of OHKOing Tyranitar without a boost, is its Alolan Marowak's best option to hit Hydreigon, and is also capable of OHKOing Heatran. That being said, it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to the latter's ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2 (preventing potential unnecessary Scald damage) and due to both Tyranitar and Hydreigon being uncommon, especially when the former doesn't appreciate switching into Bonemerang anyway. Toxic allows Alolan Marowak to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer; however, these Pokemon are uncommon, and it is mostly useless beyond this due to Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz 2HKOing the entire metagame anyway. Knock Off is capable of removing items, which can prove helpful in the long term versus Pokemon like Tapu Fini which that are heavily dependent on their items to function. However, the coverage the move provides is completely redundant alongside Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz, restricting its usefulness to being it to a utility option.

Checks and Counters
========

**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone, resist Flare Blitz, and have Unaware, (add comma) leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them with Swords Dance boosts. Quagsire threatens back with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp, whereas Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.

**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks and OHKOes it in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace Alolan Marowak, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake or Thousand Arrows, respectively. Hippwodon dodges the 2HKO from Shadow Bone and KOes Marowak with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage; however, it must be wary of Flare Blitz, (add comma) which almost always 2HKOes after Stealth Rock damage.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump; in a similar vein, Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Scald or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens Alolan Marowak with Scald. Gyarados OHKOes with Waterfall; Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo both outpace and OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly, but once it's on the field, (add comma) it either OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Shadow Ball or heavily dents one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are in general.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STABs, is faster than it, and forces it out. It can either trap Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit whilst also threatening with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although once again it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOes in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and grounded, meaning that entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

Sorry for the delay; got caught up with some work >_< Anyway, this was good in patches, but there were a number of awkward phrases and silly errors (like missed capitalizations and typos). In particular, look up the usage of em dashes and "which", and also take a peek at our grammar standards page when you can. Go through my check carefully and implement the changes; feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions!

GP 1 / 2

Implemented this; I agree w/ everything here and am going to attribute a lot of the issues to writing the analysis late at night hahaha (although yeah em dashes are smth I need to work on). I also noticed a case where you hadn't corrected "Marowak's" to "Alolan Marowak's", but I ultimately changed it to "the latter's" 'cause it made more sense in the context. Thanks for the check!

 

[Fireflame]

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak's typing in conjunction with Lightning Rod gives it a range of useful resistances that allow it to check incredibly dangerous Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. It is decently bulky, and its near-exclusive ability to use Thick Club combined with its excellent typing and allows it to hit brutally hard, with few Pokemon capable of switching into it safely. Between all of this and its access to Swords Dance, it Alolan Marowak is capable of tearing stall teams apart if the latter lacks they lack Quagsire or Pyukumuku (don't use "the latter" if there was no former). Both Lightning Rod and Rock Head are extremely useful abilities to Alolan Marowak, further exemplifying its effectiveness as a Pokemon, and it also has a large niche on full and partial Trick Room teams as both a cleaner and, if it carries Will-O-Wisp, as a soft check to non-Knock Off Mega Mawile. That said, the fact that Alolan Marowak is both grounded and weak to Stealth Rock means that it gets worn down quickly if it repeatedly switches in and out to check things, making it dependent on hazard control to function to its full potential. This issue is further exemplified by its low Speed, which means that Alolan Marowak usually take a hit before dishing out damage, and its reliance on Thick Club means that it can't ease off these issues with Leftovers. Furthermore, the aforementioned low its Speed compounds its weaknesses to extremely common and dangerous types in Water, Dark, Ghost, Ground, and Rock.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Will-O-Wisp
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Shadow Bone is the move Alolan Marowak will use the most, taking good advantage of the lack of bulky Pokemon that resist Ghost in the tier to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of the metagame. Fire Punch hits Pokemon that are weak to Fire-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn, for heavy damage without dealing recoil damage, which is important to ensure that Alolan Marowak can check what it needs to throughout the entirety of the match. That said, if Lightning Rod is not a necessity on its team, Alolan Marowak can opt to run Flare Blitz alongside Rock Head; this is Alolan Marowak's strongest attack, 2HKOing literally everything which doesn't resist it if Stealth Rock is on the field (including physically defensive Landorus-T). This also improves Alolan Marowak's stall matchup in a few ways, allowing it to beat physically defensive Clefable without draining a large amount of Shadow Bone PP in the process,(AC);(remove SC) guaranteeing an OHKO versus Calm Mind Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance,(AC);(remove SC) and OHKOing Chansey at +2, preventing it from putting Alolan Marowak on a timer with Toxic. Swords Dance makes tearing through stall a piece of cake, allowing Alolan Marowak to beat Toxapex if it uses Swords Dance is used as it Toxapex switches into Marowak it and to either OHKO or nearly OHKO the rest of stall,(AC) save for the Unaware users. Stealth Rock is support that is mandatory for all teams, and it is a useful role compression tool when used on Alolan Marowak. Will-O-Wisp, on the other hand, allows Alolan Marowak to cripple Landorus-T that are when brought in to eat Shadow Bone and also soft check Mega Mawile that lack Knock Off by crippling it as it uses Sucker Punch. Bonemerang is a solid coverage option for Alolan Marowak, OHKOing Heatran at +0 as well as OHKOing and Tyranitar and allowing it to beat Toxapex 1v1 one-on-one if Alolan Marowak can't get out in front of anything else (I don't even know what this means), but outside of Tyranitar, the coverage is mostly redundant due to neither of the other two Heatran nor Toxapex appreciating Shadow Bone regardless.

Set Details
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Maximum investment in Attack along with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment allows it to outpace uninvested Mega Scizor in order to hit the latter it with Fire Punch or Flare Blitz before it uses U-turn. Jolly can be used to outpace everything up to uninvested base 85 Speed Pokemon such as Suicune and Tapu Fini and to surprise Mega Scizor variants that Speed creep Adamant Alolan Marowak; however, the power drop is noticeable, and missing out on outspeeding uninvested Rotom-W by one point further detracts from the potential for such a variant's success. If you have paired Alolan Marowak with Trick Room Magearna, a variety of bulkier EV spreads can be used to hit benchmarks for various walls outside of Trick Room. 132 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace Calm Celesteela, whereas 68 do the same versus Sassy variants. With 44 Speed EVs, Alolan Marowak can hit neutral-natured Tangrowth before it can move, whereas 20 allows allow Alolan Marowak to hit uninvested Hippowdon with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone before it can use Earthquake. Alolan Marowak shouldn't run any less Speed investment than this, though. Thick Club doubles Alolan Marowak's Attack stat, which allows it to hit 568 Attack before a Swords Dance. Lightning Rod gives it an immunity to Electric-type attacks, which in turn lets it consistently check Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and both Thundurus formes. On the flipside, Rock Head allows Alolan Marowak to use Flare Blitz without the nasty recoil that it entails.

Usage Tips
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Ensure that Stealth Rock and Spikes are off of the field whenever possible to avoid wearing Alolan Marowak down, and use its resistances to offensively check things Pokemon such as (and give some examples; "things" is ambiguous and informal). Avoid switching in directly unless it is absolutely necessary or you know that Alolan Marowak is immune to what its foe is about to use, and if you expect a U-turn, don't use Alolan Marowak to absorb it because that is only conducive to wearing it down. If Alolan Marowak has Lightning Rod, it is usually best to catch your opponent's switch-in with Shadow Bone; however, if Rock Head is used, consider your opponents' opponent's team and click Flare Blitz if you expect anything which doesn't resist it to come in. Swords Dance is typically only worth clicking versus stall unless Alolan Marowak will be able to clean up with a boost under Trick Room. Make full use of Lightning Rod when facing Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Zapdos in order to buy opportunities to deal heavy damage; that said, if running Rock Head, it is also worth considering bluffing Lightning Rod to generate opportunities to score free hits. All in all, just take advantage of any free switch-ins Alolan Marowak is able to get because it will almost invariably result in an opposing Pokemon being severely dented or KOed.

Team Options
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Entry hazard removal from Pokemon like Zapdos, Mega Scizor, Latios, Latias, Starmie, or and Tapu Fini is important for ensuring that Stealth Rock and Spikes are cleared for Alolan Marowak,(RC) so that it is healthy enough to continue checking what it checks. Conversely,(RC) Spikes users such as Greninja and Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T make for solid partners to help wear things Pokemon down on the many switches that Alolan Marowak forces whilst while also benefiting heavily from its ability to pivot into Rapid Spin. If Alolan Marowak carries Lightning Rod, Pokemon that appreciate Tapu Koko and Zapdos being kept in check, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Pinsir, appreciate the support that it brings to the table; Celesteela gets a special mention due to its excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak. Similarly, Pokemon that appreciate BoltBeam Mega Medicham being checked, such as Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Tapu Fini, make for excellent partners. Water- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Keldeo, Ash-Greninja, Mamoswine, and Weavile act as solid checks to Ground-types like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which give threaten Alolan Marowak a migraine. Similarly, answers to Assault Vest Tangrowth, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu, and Water-types such as Toxapex make for excellent partners. Trick Room Magearna has excellent defensive synergy with Alolan Marowak whilst while patching up the latter's extremely Alolan Marowak disappointing Speed stat with Trick Room, allowing it to tear offense apart. Finally, secondary answers to a lot of the Pokemon that Alolan Marowak is able to keep in check are useful to prevent Alolan Marowak from getting overwhelmed:(remove colon),(AC) especially when Stealth Rock is on the field.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Low Kick is capable of OHKOing Tyranitar without a boost, is Alolan Marowak's best option to hit Hydreigon, and is also capable of OHKOing Heatran. That being said, it is mostly overshadowed by Bonemerang due to the latter's its ability to OHKO Toxapex at +2 (preventing potential unnecessary Scald damage) and both Tyranitar and Hydreigon being uncommon, especially when the former doesn't appreciate switching into Bonemerang anyway. Toxic allows Alolan Marowak to put Quagsire and Pyukumuku on a timer; however, these Pokemon are uncommon, and it is mostly useless beyond this due to Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz 2HKOing the entire metagame anyway. Knock Off is capable of removing items, which can prove helpful in the long term run versus Pokemon like Tapu Fini that are heavily dependent on their items to function. However, the coverage the move provides is completely redundant alongside Shadow Bone and Flare Blitz, restricting it to a utility option.

Checks and Counters
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**Quagsire and Pyukumuku**: These Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Shadow Bone, resist Flare Blitz, and have Unaware, leaving Alolan Marowak unable to break through them with Swords Dance boosts. Quagsire threatens back with Earthquake or Scald, although it does need to be wary of switching in on Will-O-Wisp and can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly if even slightly weakened, whereas Pyukumuku uses Marowak for Curse fodder.
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**Ground-types**: Landorus-T can fall back on Intimidate to soften up Alolan Marowak's attacks,(AC) and it OHKOes it Alolan Marowak in return with Earthquake. Garchomp and Zygarde resist Flare Blitz, outpace Alolan Marowak, and deal heavy damage with Earthquake or and Thousand Arrows, respectively. Hippwodon dodges Hippowdon escapes the 2HKO from Shadow Bone and KOes Alolan Marowak with Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage; however, it must be wary of Flare Blitz, which almost always 2HKOes after Stealth Rock damage.

**Water-types**: Greninja is faster than Alolan Marowak and OHKOes it with Hydro Pump; in a similar vein, Ash-Greninja outpaces and OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, or Water Shuriken. Keldeo is also faster, and it OHKOes with Hydro Pump, Scald,(AC) or Surf. Primarina is faster and OHKOes with Hydro Pump or Scald, and Calm Mind Tapu Fini is faster and threatens Alolan Marowak with Scald. Gyarados OHKOes with Waterfall,(AC) while;(remove SC) Mega Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo both outpace and OHKO with Crunch or Waterfall.

**Gengar**: Gengar can't switch into Alolan Marowak directly, but once it's on the field, it either OHKOes Alolan Marowak with Shadow Ball or heavily dents one of its teammates due to how threatening Ghost-type attacks are in general.

**Dark-types**: Tyranitar resists both of Alolan Marowak's STABs STAB moves, is faster than it, and forces it out. It can either trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit or OHKO it with Crunch or Stone Edge. Weavile also outpaces and can trap Alolan Marowak with Pursuit whilst while also threatening it with STAB Knock Off; that said, it can't switch in on Alolan Marowak. Hoopa-U outpaces and nukes Alolan Marowak or a teammate with Hyperspace Fury or Dark Pulse, although once again it can't switch in. While extremely niche, Hydreigon resists or is immune to everything Alolan Marowak can throw at it barring the extremely rare Low Kick and OHKOes in return with Dark Pulse.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Marowak is weak to Stealth Rock and is grounded, meaning entry hazards wear it down very quickly.

GP 2/2

 

[Martin]

OK cool this is done

 

[Colonel M]

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