[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Muk's good defensive typing of Poison / Dark, solid special bulk, and access to STAB Pursuit allow it to be a good special wall with Assault Vest that is capable of Pursuit trapping Pokemon such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Lele, and Latios and checking Greninja, Volcarona, and Serperior. Apart from Pursuit trapping, Alolan Muk provides its team with the utility of Knock Off and Poison Jab by removing the items of foes and spreading poison status. However, due to the fact that Alolan Muk is forced to use Assault Vest to effectively take hits from foes it switches into, it lacks recovery and is prone to getting worn down over the match. It also has a lone yet exploitable weakness to Ground, and combined with low Speed stat, Alolan Muk is very prone to getting revenge killed by many of the physical attackers in the tier, most of which run Earthquake. Lastly, although it has various coverage options such as Fire Punch, Rock Tomb, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, and Brick Break, Alolan Muk only has room for one of them, meaning common foes such as Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, Mega Mawile, Ferrothorn, and Mega Tyranitar can easily take advantage of Alolan Muk depending on what coverage move it opts for.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Poison Jab
move 4: Fire Punch / Rock Tomb / Shadow Sneak
item: Assault Vest
ability: Poison Touch
nature: Adamant
evs: 140 HP / 116 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit is capable of hitting foes hard if they attempt to switch out, and it allows Alolan Muk to guarantee removal of threats like Mega Gengar and Latios while netting significant damage against Tapu Lele. Knock Off is a stronger Dark-type STAB move that has utility of removing items and scouting for potential Z-Crystals and Mega Stones from certain foes. The move also ensures that the likes of Heatran and Celesteela are punished should they switch directly into Alolan Muk. Poison Jab is a consistent Poison-type STAB move that is used to deal with Fairy-types and notably OHKOes Tapu Lele, leaving it with a risky situation if it attempts to stay in predicting Pursuit. Factoring in Poison Touch, Poison Jab has a very high chance to poison a foe which is hazardous to Alolan Muk's potential checks. The last moveslot depends on what foes Alolan Muk desires to hit. Fire Punch 2HKOes Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, has a chance to OHKO Kartana, and has general utility of hitting Steel-types super effectively. Rock Tomb lets Alolan Muk OHKO Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y and prevents Mega Salamence from freely setting up on Alolan Muk. Lastly, Shadow Sneak picks off weakened threats, especially Focus Sash users, and this move notably lets Alolan Muk finish off Tapu Koko, which has a chance to avoid the OHKO from Poison Jab.
Set Details
========
With 116 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature, Pursuit OHKOes Mega Gengar when it switches out, Poison Jab OHKOes Tapu Lele and 2HKOes Volcarona, and Knock Off almost always OHKOes maximum HP Aegislash in its Blade forme. Assault Vest in tandem with 140 HP EVs and 252 Special Defense EVs lets Alolan Muk avoid the 2HKO from Modest Choice Specs Tapu Lele, the 2HKO from +1 Volcarona after Stealth Rock, and the 3HKO from Life Orb Greninja. Minimizing Speed by using a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs is an option that lets Alolan Muk underspeed Quiet Aegislash and OHKO it with Knock Off after it attacks and transforms into its Blade forme.
Usage Tips
========
Since Alolan Muk is capable of taking special hits well, it is a promising idea to switch it in on special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Lele, and Greninja. It can also switch into predicted uses of Toxic from passive walls such as Chansey. Once it comes in, Alolan Muk can KO or weaken Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit as they are forced out, or it can proceed to hinder foes by removing their items with Knock Off or spreading poison with Poison Jab. Opponents are likely to switch in Steel-types, preferably the ones that can take advantage of or force out Alolan Muk, with an intention to prevent the spread of poison. Keep in mind that most common switch-ins to Alolan Muk can be punished with predictions and the coverage move Alolan Muk is carrying. Some Steel-types like Celesteela and Heatran are greatly hindered by a well-timed Knock Off on the switch, while Ferrothorn and Scizor will be harshly punished by Fire Punch. Lastly, be wary of foes that use Scald or Will-O-Wisp, as getting burned significantly hinders Alolan Muk's offensive capabilities, notably leaving it unable to effectively Pursuit trap a foe.
Team Options
========
Fighting-types make good partners for Alolan Muk; they can handle the Steel-types that annoy Alolan Muk, while Alolan Muk can dispose of Ghost- and Psychic-types, threaten Fairy-types, remove items from various physical walls like Celesteela, and spread poison. Mega Blaziken in particular appreciates Alolan Muk's ability to remove problematic Pokemon like Choice Scarf Latios and various Ghost-types, and Mega Blaziken can potentially stall out poisoned foes with Protect or Substitute to the point that it can KO them. Pokemon that can switch into Ground-type moves or handle physical attackers are good defensive partners for Alolan Muk. Landorus-T compresses both of these roles while threatening Steel-types with Earthquake. Rotom formes are good checks to Mega Salamence and Celesteela, and they can neuter physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp, giving Alolan Muk a better chance to take on them on. Serperior is a good offensive partner to Alolan Muk, as it appreciates Alolan Muk's ability to remove Mega Gengar and hinder Steel-types with Knock Off and Fire Punch, and in return it can take on Ground-types for Alolan Muk. Tapu Bulu summons Grassy Terrain, which weakens Earthquake and provides Alolan Muk with passive recovery. Defensive partners like Chansey, Skarmory, and Gliscor can pair well with Alolan Muk in defensive teams, as all of them appreciate removal of Mega Gengar. The latter two can also switch into Ground-type moves for Alolan Muk.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Payback can be used to deal more damage to Pokemon that hold Z-Crystals, but it is less reliable overall and lacks the utility Knock Off provides. Gunk Shot is a stronger Poison-type STAB move, but its poor accuracy and lower chance of poisoning foes leave this option inferior to Poison Jab. Alolan Muk can choose various coverage moves; Fire Blast lets Alolan Muk 2HKO Ferrothorn without taking damage from Iron Barbs and guarantees the OHKO on Kartana while retaining the ability to 2HKO Mega Scizor, but it does pitiful damage to Celesteela and has a chance to miss. Brick Break hits Heatran and Tyranitar and also breaks screens and Aurora Veil, but it doesn't have much use otherwise. Ice Punch surprises Mega Salamence and Garchomp, but the former can set up on Alolan Muk after Intimidate anyway. Lum Berry is a plausible option to more reliably Pursuit trap Mega Gengar by healing from sleep or burn once. Recycle in tandem with Figy Berry, Curse, and Minimize can function with heavy team support, but Curse sets are outclassed by Snorlax, while strategies employing Minimize are inconsistent.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Swampert, and Excadrill take little damage from Poison Jab and can force out Alolan Muk, and therefore are some of the best offensive checks to Alolan Muk. However, most Ground-types do not like losing their items to Knock Off or getting poisoned, and Excadrill must be wary of Fire Punch.
**Steel-types**: Although all of them dislike losing their items to Knock Off unless they have Z-Crystals, Steel-types can switch into Alolan Muk with ease thanks to their generally high bulk and immunity to Poison Jab. While Celesteela, Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Mega Scizor must be wary of Fire-type moves, they can otherwise easily take advantage of Alolan Muk. Heatran can beat variants of Alolan Muk that carry Fire-type moves, but it does not like losing its item to Knock Off and dislikes the occasional Brick Break.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Even when it is not hit super effectively, Alolan Muk is overwhelmed by a myriad of physical attackers in the tier, such as Mega Salamence, Mega Blaziken, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Kangaskhan, due to its mediocre Defense stat.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: In general, Alolan Muk struggles with foes that are marginally bulky and resist its moves. Tyranitar is a hard stop to any Alolan Muk variants without Brick Break and is only bothered by poison. Toxapex is impossible to surmount thanks to its phenomenal bulk, Regenerator, and immunity to poison, and it can threaten to burn Alolan Muk with Scald. Skarmory is not even 3HKOed by Fire Punch and only needs to worry about the rare Fire Blast and losing its item to Knock Off. Mega Venusaur doesn't mind Fire-type moves at all thanks to Thick Fat, and it can slowly wear down Alolan Muk with Leech Seed while shaking off any damage taken with Synthesis.
**Burn**: Not only does burn residually damage Alolan Muk, but it also neuters Alolan Muk's damage output, leaving it unable to Pursuit trap foes effectively. Therefore, Alolan Muk must play with caution against Scald users like Suicune and Toxapex and Will-O-Wisp users like Mega Gengar and Rotom forms.
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