[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Muk's stellar defensive typing and above average special bulk let it be an excellent special tank and one of the best Pursuit trappers in the tier, capable of providing valuable support to teams by removing threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Gengar. Knock Off in combination with Alolan Muk's ability Poison Touch can make a deadly combination, as many of its common switch-ins like Swampert and Krookodile are easily worn down when deprived of their item and poisoned. However, Alolan Muk's low physical bulk makes it easily exploitable by physical attackers like Cobalion, Terrakion, and Krookodile, although it does have some methods of punishing them if they try to set up on it. Alolan Muk is also extremely conscious of its health; if it is worn down, it is no longer able to threaten Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias. Also, Alolan Muk's low Speed means that it will almost always need to take a hit before attacking, which makes keeping it healthy throughout the game a somewhat difficult task. The combination of these traits means that Alolan Muk has a decent amount of competition as a Pursuit trapper from more offensive Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Scizor, although its good bulk still makes it a staple as a Pursuit trapper.
[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Poison Touch
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit lets Alolan Muk trap and remove Psychic- and Ghost-types like Latias and Chandelure as well as reliably weaken other special attackers like Nihilego and variants of Serperior lacking Substitute + Leech Seed. Gunk Shot is Alolan Muk's strongest attack, and it lets Alolan Muk OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Pidgeot after Stealth Rock and 2HKO Pokemon such as Hydreigon. Gunk Shot is also capable of pressuring Blissey more easily. Alternatively, Poison Jab can be used as a more accurate and more reliable Poison-type STAB attack that takes full advantage of Poison Touch with a combined 51% chance to poison foes. Knock Off is a general utility move that is also Alolan Muk's strongest Dark-type STAB attack; it can remove items from common switch-ins like Swampert and Rhyperior to punish them. Fire Punch lets Alolan Muk threaten Steel-types like Scizor and Klefki on the switch. Shadow Sneak is an alternative option over Fire Punch that lets Alolan Muk reliably switch in and beat Calm Mind Dragonium Z Latias, and it also can be used to pick off severely weakened threats more easily. Fire Blast is an alternative over Fire Punch that can deal more damage to Cobalion, but it does less damage than Fire Punch to Scizor and specially defensive Klefki and is also less accurate.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature lets Alolan Muk deal as much damage as possible. Maximum Special Defense EVs with an Assault Vest give Alolan Muk a very respectable amount of special bulk to check threats such as Chandelure and Gengar more effectively. A Brave nature should be used if running Fire Blast so Alolan Muk's Special Attack is not decreased. Poison Touch gives all of Alolan Muk's contact attacks an additional chance to poison foes. Alolan Muk's spread is extremely customizable depending on the needs of the team; for example, it can run a bulkier spread of 252 HP / 112 Atk / 112 SpD / 32 Spe with an Adamant nature, which allows it to outspeed Swampert, take physical hits like Swampert's Earthquake and Cobalion's Close Combat better, and overall take less chip damage.
Usage Tips
========
Keep Alolan Muk healthy in matchups where it can Pursuit trap foes such as Latias and Chandelure, as they can break through it easily if it takes too much damage beforehand. On the other hand, if there are no Pokemon that Alolan Muk will be particularly useful against, it can either be used as a sacrifice or attempt to spread poison and remove the items of foes with Knock Off until it is taken out. Alolan Muk needs to predict carefully against foes such as Calm Mind Latias and Calm Mind Chandelure; for example, if the foe has a boost from Calm Mind, Alolan Muk may want to consider using Knock Off rather than Pursuit for the increased damage output. Be aware, though, that +1 Dragonium Z Latias is capable of breaking past Alolan Muk anyway if it is healthy enough to survive a Knock Off. Sometimes, if Muk is in against a foe that it checks that doesn't threaten the team much, it may be best to let them switch out so that Alolan Muk can hit a predicted switch-in such as Swampert or Scizor with Knock Off or Fire Punch in order to cripple or KO them.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Breloom and Infernape that struggle against threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Gengar heavily appreciate Alolan Muk's ability to Pursuit trap these threats. Breloom in particular is an excellent example, as Alolan Muk can weaken or outright remove a very large number of Breloom's offensive checks while Breloom takes care of Ground-types for Alolan Muk. Setup sweepers like Scizor and Cobalion heavily appreciate the removal of specially offensive revenge killers like Chandelure and Alolan Muk's ability to soften up foes by poisoning them and removing their items. Grass- and Water-types like Celebi, Serperior, Suicune, and Starmie make good partners for Alolan Muk because they can deal with Ground-types like Rhyperior, Swampert, and Gliscor. Checks to Fighting-types such as Chandelure and Doublade can beat foes such as Cobalion and Infernape that exploit Alolan Muk. Wish support from Pokemon such as Sylveon and Alomomola and entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Mega Altaria, Mantine, and Rotom-C are very valuable for Alolan Muk so that it can stay healthy throughout the match. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-C, Infernape, and Scizor can bring Alolan Muk in safely against several of the foes that it Pursuit traps.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Punch is another option over Fire Punch, and it lets Alolan Muk heavily dent Gliscor; however, lacking Fire Punch leaves Alolan Muk defenseless against bulky Steel-types. Explosion can also be used, as it lets Alolan Muk KO or heavily damage a foe and gain momentum for the team when its job of Pursuit trapping is complete, but Explosion also leaves Alolan Muk unable to hit Klefki and other bulky Steel-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Attackers**: Physical attackers such as Terrakion, Cobalion, and Mega Aerodactyl can use Alolan Muk as setup bait and force it out with the threat of heavy damage.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Swampert, Gliscor, and Hippowdon can easily take any of Alolan Muk's attacks and threaten it out with their super effective STAB attacks, although most of them are bothered by Knock Off.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Scizor, Cobalion, and Mega Aggron can take most of Alolan Muk's attacks and force it out, but Scizor is eliminated by Fire Punch. Cobalion and Mega Aggron are especially notable, as Cobalion gains an Attack boost from Knock Off thanks to Justified and is not 2HKOed by Fire Punch, while Mega Aggron takes essentially nothing from any of Alolan Muk's attacks.
**Residual Damage**: Alolan Muk needs to be as healthy as possible in order to effectively Pursuit trap foes such as Latias and Chandelure, so residual damage from entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and U-turn users such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Hydreigon can make Alolan Muk rather ineffective at its role.
**Lures**: Pokemon such as Groundium Z Celebi can lure in Alolan Muk and KO it with their strong Z-Moves. If Alolan Muk is somewhat worn down, foes such as Nasty Plot Firium Z Salazzle, Calm Mind Dragonium Z Latias, and Calm Mind Firium Z Chandelure can also take it out.
Alolan Muk's stellar defensive typing and above average special bulk let it be an excellent special tank and one of the best Pursuit trappers in the tier, capable of providing valuable support to teams by removing threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Gengar. Knock Off in combination with Alolan Muk's ability Poison Touch can make a deadly combination, as many of its common switch-ins like Swampert and Krookodile are easily worn down when deprived of their item and poisoned. However, Alolan Muk's low physical bulk makes it easily exploitable by physical attackers like Cobalion, Terrakion, and Krookodile, although it does have some methods of punishing them if they try to set up on it. Alolan Muk is also extremely conscious of its health; if it is worn down, it is no longer able to threaten Pokemon like Calm Mind Latias. Also, Alolan Muk's low Speed means that it will almost always need to take a hit before attacking, which makes keeping it healthy throughout the game a somewhat difficult task. The combination of these traits means that Alolan Muk has a decent amount of competition as a Pursuit trapper from more offensive Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Krookodile, and Scizor, although its good bulk still makes it a staple as a Pursuit trapper.
[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Fire Punch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Poison Touch
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit lets Alolan Muk trap and remove Psychic- and Ghost-types like Latias and Chandelure as well as reliably weaken other special attackers like Nihilego and variants of Serperior lacking Substitute + Leech Seed. Gunk Shot is Alolan Muk's strongest attack, and it lets Alolan Muk OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Pidgeot after Stealth Rock and 2HKO Pokemon such as Hydreigon. Gunk Shot is also capable of pressuring Blissey more easily. Alternatively, Poison Jab can be used as a more accurate and more reliable Poison-type STAB attack that takes full advantage of Poison Touch with a combined 51% chance to poison foes. Knock Off is a general utility move that is also Alolan Muk's strongest Dark-type STAB attack; it can remove items from common switch-ins like Swampert and Rhyperior to punish them. Fire Punch lets Alolan Muk threaten Steel-types like Scizor and Klefki on the switch. Shadow Sneak is an alternative option over Fire Punch that lets Alolan Muk reliably switch in and beat Calm Mind Dragonium Z Latias, and it also can be used to pick off severely weakened threats more easily. Fire Blast is an alternative over Fire Punch that can deal more damage to Cobalion, but it does less damage than Fire Punch to Scizor and specially defensive Klefki and is also less accurate.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature lets Alolan Muk deal as much damage as possible. Maximum Special Defense EVs with an Assault Vest give Alolan Muk a very respectable amount of special bulk to check threats such as Chandelure and Gengar more effectively. A Brave nature should be used if running Fire Blast so Alolan Muk's Special Attack is not decreased. Poison Touch gives all of Alolan Muk's contact attacks an additional chance to poison foes. Alolan Muk's spread is extremely customizable depending on the needs of the team; for example, it can run a bulkier spread of 252 HP / 112 Atk / 112 SpD / 32 Spe with an Adamant nature, which allows it to outspeed Swampert, take physical hits like Swampert's Earthquake and Cobalion's Close Combat better, and overall take less chip damage.
Usage Tips
========
Keep Alolan Muk healthy in matchups where it can Pursuit trap foes such as Latias and Chandelure, as they can break through it easily if it takes too much damage beforehand. On the other hand, if there are no Pokemon that Alolan Muk will be particularly useful against, it can either be used as a sacrifice or attempt to spread poison and remove the items of foes with Knock Off until it is taken out. Alolan Muk needs to predict carefully against foes such as Calm Mind Latias and Calm Mind Chandelure; for example, if the foe has a boost from Calm Mind, Alolan Muk may want to consider using Knock Off rather than Pursuit for the increased damage output. Be aware, though, that +1 Dragonium Z Latias is capable of breaking past Alolan Muk anyway if it is healthy enough to survive a Knock Off. Sometimes, if Muk is in against a foe that it checks that doesn't threaten the team much, it may be best to let them switch out so that Alolan Muk can hit a predicted switch-in such as Swampert or Scizor with Knock Off or Fire Punch in order to cripple or KO them.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Breloom and Infernape that struggle against threats such as Latias, Chandelure, and Gengar heavily appreciate Alolan Muk's ability to Pursuit trap these threats. Breloom in particular is an excellent example, as Alolan Muk can weaken or outright remove a very large number of Breloom's offensive checks while Breloom takes care of Ground-types for Alolan Muk. Setup sweepers like Scizor and Cobalion heavily appreciate the removal of specially offensive revenge killers like Chandelure and Alolan Muk's ability to soften up foes by poisoning them and removing their items. Grass- and Water-types like Celebi, Serperior, Suicune, and Starmie make good partners for Alolan Muk because they can deal with Ground-types like Rhyperior, Swampert, and Gliscor. Checks to Fighting-types such as Chandelure and Doublade can beat foes such as Cobalion and Infernape that exploit Alolan Muk. Wish support from Pokemon such as Sylveon and Alomomola and entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Mega Altaria, Mantine, and Rotom-C are very valuable for Alolan Muk so that it can stay healthy throughout the match. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-C, Infernape, and Scizor can bring Alolan Muk in safely against several of the foes that it Pursuit traps.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Punch is another option over Fire Punch, and it lets Alolan Muk heavily dent Gliscor; however, lacking Fire Punch leaves Alolan Muk defenseless against bulky Steel-types. Explosion can also be used, as it lets Alolan Muk KO or heavily damage a foe and gain momentum for the team when its job of Pursuit trapping is complete, but Explosion also leaves Alolan Muk unable to hit Klefki and other bulky Steel-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Attackers**: Physical attackers such as Terrakion, Cobalion, and Mega Aerodactyl can use Alolan Muk as setup bait and force it out with the threat of heavy damage.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Swampert, Gliscor, and Hippowdon can easily take any of Alolan Muk's attacks and threaten it out with their super effective STAB attacks, although most of them are bothered by Knock Off.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Scizor, Cobalion, and Mega Aggron can take most of Alolan Muk's attacks and force it out, but Scizor is eliminated by Fire Punch. Cobalion and Mega Aggron are especially notable, as Cobalion gains an Attack boost from Knock Off thanks to Justified and is not 2HKOed by Fire Punch, while Mega Aggron takes essentially nothing from any of Alolan Muk's attacks.
**Residual Damage**: Alolan Muk needs to be as healthy as possible in order to effectively Pursuit trap foes such as Latias and Chandelure, so residual damage from entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and U-turn users such as Celebi and Choice Scarf Hydreigon can make Alolan Muk rather ineffective at its role.
**Lures**: Pokemon such as Groundium Z Celebi can lure in Alolan Muk and KO it with their strong Z-Moves. If Alolan Muk is somewhat worn down, foes such as Nasty Plot Firium Z Salazzle, Calm Mind Dragonium Z Latias, and Calm Mind Firium Z Chandelure can also take it out.
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