[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 10-11 points
**Overview**: When you've selected a few top-tier Pokemon and need to fill out your draft's defensive core, it's hard to find a mid-tier special tank better than Alolan Muk. It offers a consistent answer to opposing special threats with its solid bulk and typing, providing many key resistances and in turn having only one weakness to Ground. Offensive support isn't outside its wheelhouse, either; it can take advantage of STAB Knock Off to force out Psychic- and Ghost-types and remove items from their replacements, and it also spreads status with Toxic and Poison Touch. However, despite Alolan Muk's effectiveness in checking special attackers, it can't do so forever; its longevity is limited by its lack of reliable recovery and poor Speed, as well as the choice between Assault Vest, letting it get worn down by entry hazards, or Heavy-Duty Boots, letting it get worn down by the special attacks it's tasked with switching into. Additionally, although it's stronger in a vacuum, it's often worse value than its Kantonian cousin, which costs significantly fewer points and offers much of the same utility; it should primarily be picked when its Dark typing is necessary to support its team.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Specially Bulky Attacker**: Alolan Muk's primary role is to soak up special attacks and punish foes for using them. It often uses Assault Vest to help it in this role, as it enjoys running some combination of its STAB moves, priority in Shadow Sneak, recovery in Drain Punch, and some other form of coverage. However, its utility moves can hold significant value as well, letting it shut down setup sweepers hoping to exploit it or recover some HP.
**Setup Sweeper**: Acid Armor and Curse sometimes let Alolan Muk ambush opponents that expect its standard set and rely on their team to wear it down with physical attacks, boosting its Defense to make it near-unbreakable and letting it wear down the opposing team.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Knock Off, Gunk Shot, Poison Jab
**Setup Moves**: Acid Armor, Curse
**Utility Moves**: Toxic, Clear Smog, Haze, Taunt, Pain Split, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Shadow Sneak, Drain Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Memento**: Memento sacrifices Alolan Muk in exchange for momentum, giving the teammate that replaces it a free chance to set up against a drastically weakened foe.
**Body Slam**: Body Slam gives Alolan Muk a chance to paralyze switch-ins or foes that try to sit on it, which it otherwise can't do. Combined with Poison Touch, the stacked effects make Body Slam likely to inflict at least some type of status.
**Focus Punch**: If it forces a switch or if an opposing Pokemon gets greedy, Focus Punch becomes Alolan Muk's strongest coverage move, hitting the Dark- and Steel-types that like to switch in on it to absorb Knock Off and Gunk Shot.
**Special Coverage**: On extremely rare occasions, special attacks can be useful to get surprise KOs on physical walls like Great Tusk.
Common Items
========
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest helps Alolan Muk lean into its role as a wall by boosting its special bulk to an absurd degree. Its downside is also often irrelevant, since Alolan Muk only occasionally wants to run status moves.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: When it wants to run utility moves or entry hazards are particularly threatening in a matchup, Heavy-Duty Boots is a better choice than Assault Vest to prevent Alolan Muk from being worn down.
**Black Sludge**: When it wants to run utility moves and entry hazards aren't a problem, Black Sludge is great as a way to give Alolan Muk some recovery.
Niche Items
========
**Shuca Berry**: Having only one weakness makes it easy to guess what kind of resistance Berry to use. Shuca Berry can help Alolan Muk survive Ground-type coverage moves and strike back with Knock Off or Gunk Shot to turn the tables.
**Choice Band**: With a Choice Band, Alolan Muk can use its solid Attack and strong STAB moves in Gunk Shot and Knock Off to become a surprisingly effective physical attacker.
**Pinch Recovery Berries**: Sitrus and Iapapa Berries let Alolan Muk restore a large portion of its HP if it gets worn down, especially when run alongside Gluttony.
**Custap Berry**: Custap Berry can be reliably used on Gluttony sets to let Alolan Muk get the jump on a foe that weakens it.
Tera
========
Alolan Muk should generally not be a Tera Captain, as a lot of its appeal lies in its base defensive typing, and it's too slow to effectively take advantage of Tera offensively. Its cost also leaves drafts in an odd position if they use it as a Tera Captain, forcing them to pick a weaker option for their primary Captain than they otherwise could have. If Alolan Muk ends up as a Tera Captain, solid Tera type choices include Tera Dark to take away its weakness to Ground and boost its Knock Off, Tera Fighting to hit Steel-types and squeeze more recovery out of Drain Punch, and Tera Water or Grass to punish Ground-types.
Draft Strategy
========
Most teams can benefit from the special walling and support Alolan Muk provides, and it doesn't have horrible weaknesses, so it can appear on many types of drafts. However, it's sometimes worse value than its much cheaper Kantonian cousin, so it should be picked when its team specifically needs its Dark typing and Toxic Spikes aren't as necessary. Generally, it performs best alongside the below teammates.
**Specially Frail Pokemon**: Alolan Muk's main function is tanking special attacks for its teammates and punishing the foes that use them. As such, it perfectly supports Pokemon threatened by said special attacks, especially ones weak to Psychic and Ghost. Such Pokemon include Sneasler, Urshifu-R, and Annihilape. It can also support Palafin well, as Palafin can pivot to Alolan Muk when facing down special attacks in its base forme and then clean up the Ground-types that threaten Alolan Muk once it becomes Palafin-H.
**Ground-immune Answers**: Since Ground is Alolan Muk's only weakness, it needs at least one teammate that can absorb Earthquakes for it and threaten Ground-types in return. Teammates like Landorus-T, Rotom-W, Tornadus-T, and Rillaboom can do this very well.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Alolan Muk's ability to run Assault Vest can be hampered by entry hazards wearing it down as it switches in to absorb special attacks. As such, hazard removers like Great Tusk and Corviknight are especially helpful.
**Entry Hazards**: On the other hand, Alolan Muk benefits from teammates that can set entry hazards, as it's extremely proficient at removing opposing Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off but lacks hazard-setting moves itself. Setters like Gliscor and Meowscarada thus pair well with it.
**Wish Support**: Pokemon that can pass Wish to Alolan Muk can solve its problem with reliable recovery, making it extremely durable. Alomomola, Vaporeon, Scream Tail, and Sylveon are all great at this, and many of them can additionally wall physical attackers while Alolan Muk walls special attackers, forming a sturdy defensive core.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Ground-types are Alolan Muk's natural predators, as they can hit it with its only weakness and resist Gunk Shot. Common top-tier Ground-types like Great Tusk, Garchomp, Iron Treads, and Ting-Lu easily threaten Alolan Muk out with their strong Earthquakes and can take advantage of that fact to set up entry hazards or boost. Its only recourse is to punish them switching in with Ice Punch, Knock Off, or Toxic.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Alolan Muk's Defense is much worse than its Special Defense when not running Acid Armor or Curse. As a result, it's worn down easily by strong physical and mixed attackers like Ogerpon-W, Urshifu formes, and Iron Valiant.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Although Alolan Muk has solid base Attack, it's not usually strong enough to break through truly bulky foes like Great Tusk, Corviknight, and Baxcalibur. It has to settle for removing their items with Knock Off or poisoning them with Toxic.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 10-11 points
**Overview**: When you've selected a few top-tier Pokemon and need to fill out your draft's defensive core, it's hard to find a mid-tier special tank better than Alolan Muk. It offers a consistent answer to opposing special threats with its solid bulk and typing, providing many key resistances and in turn having only one weakness to Ground. Offensive support isn't outside its wheelhouse, either; it can take advantage of STAB Knock Off to force out Psychic- and Ghost-types and remove items from their replacements, and it also spreads status with Toxic and Poison Touch. However, despite Alolan Muk's effectiveness in checking special attackers, it can't do so forever; its longevity is limited by its lack of reliable recovery and poor Speed, as well as the choice between Assault Vest, letting it get worn down by entry hazards, or Heavy-Duty Boots, letting it get worn down by the special attacks it's tasked with switching into. Additionally, although it's stronger in a vacuum, it's often worse value than its Kantonian cousin, which costs significantly fewer points and offers much of the same utility; it should primarily be picked when its Dark typing is necessary to support its team.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Specially Bulky Attacker**: Alolan Muk's primary role is to soak up special attacks and punish foes for using them. It often uses Assault Vest to help it in this role, as it enjoys running some combination of its STAB moves, priority in Shadow Sneak, recovery in Drain Punch, and some other form of coverage. However, its utility moves can hold significant value as well, letting it shut down setup sweepers hoping to exploit it or recover some HP.
**Setup Sweeper**: Acid Armor and Curse sometimes let Alolan Muk ambush opponents that expect its standard set and rely on their team to wear it down with physical attacks, boosting its Defense to make it near-unbreakable and letting it wear down the opposing team.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Knock Off, Gunk Shot, Poison Jab
**Setup Moves**: Acid Armor, Curse
**Utility Moves**: Toxic, Clear Smog, Haze, Taunt, Pain Split, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Shadow Sneak, Drain Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt
Niche Moves
========
**Memento**: Memento sacrifices Alolan Muk in exchange for momentum, giving the teammate that replaces it a free chance to set up against a drastically weakened foe.
**Body Slam**: Body Slam gives Alolan Muk a chance to paralyze switch-ins or foes that try to sit on it, which it otherwise can't do. Combined with Poison Touch, the stacked effects make Body Slam likely to inflict at least some type of status.
**Focus Punch**: If it forces a switch or if an opposing Pokemon gets greedy, Focus Punch becomes Alolan Muk's strongest coverage move, hitting the Dark- and Steel-types that like to switch in on it to absorb Knock Off and Gunk Shot.
**Special Coverage**: On extremely rare occasions, special attacks can be useful to get surprise KOs on physical walls like Great Tusk.
Common Items
========
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest helps Alolan Muk lean into its role as a wall by boosting its special bulk to an absurd degree. Its downside is also often irrelevant, since Alolan Muk only occasionally wants to run status moves.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: When it wants to run utility moves or entry hazards are particularly threatening in a matchup, Heavy-Duty Boots is a better choice than Assault Vest to prevent Alolan Muk from being worn down.
**Black Sludge**: When it wants to run utility moves and entry hazards aren't a problem, Black Sludge is great as a way to give Alolan Muk some recovery.
Niche Items
========
**Shuca Berry**: Having only one weakness makes it easy to guess what kind of resistance Berry to use. Shuca Berry can help Alolan Muk survive Ground-type coverage moves and strike back with Knock Off or Gunk Shot to turn the tables.
**Choice Band**: With a Choice Band, Alolan Muk can use its solid Attack and strong STAB moves in Gunk Shot and Knock Off to become a surprisingly effective physical attacker.
**Pinch Recovery Berries**: Sitrus and Iapapa Berries let Alolan Muk restore a large portion of its HP if it gets worn down, especially when run alongside Gluttony.
**Custap Berry**: Custap Berry can be reliably used on Gluttony sets to let Alolan Muk get the jump on a foe that weakens it.
Tera
========
Alolan Muk should generally not be a Tera Captain, as a lot of its appeal lies in its base defensive typing, and it's too slow to effectively take advantage of Tera offensively. Its cost also leaves drafts in an odd position if they use it as a Tera Captain, forcing them to pick a weaker option for their primary Captain than they otherwise could have. If Alolan Muk ends up as a Tera Captain, solid Tera type choices include Tera Dark to take away its weakness to Ground and boost its Knock Off, Tera Fighting to hit Steel-types and squeeze more recovery out of Drain Punch, and Tera Water or Grass to punish Ground-types.
Draft Strategy
========
Most teams can benefit from the special walling and support Alolan Muk provides, and it doesn't have horrible weaknesses, so it can appear on many types of drafts. However, it's sometimes worse value than its much cheaper Kantonian cousin, so it should be picked when its team specifically needs its Dark typing and Toxic Spikes aren't as necessary. Generally, it performs best alongside the below teammates.
**Specially Frail Pokemon**: Alolan Muk's main function is tanking special attacks for its teammates and punishing the foes that use them. As such, it perfectly supports Pokemon threatened by said special attacks, especially ones weak to Psychic and Ghost. Such Pokemon include Sneasler, Urshifu-R, and Annihilape. It can also support Palafin well, as Palafin can pivot to Alolan Muk when facing down special attacks in its base forme and then clean up the Ground-types that threaten Alolan Muk once it becomes Palafin-H.
**Ground-immune Answers**: Since Ground is Alolan Muk's only weakness, it needs at least one teammate that can absorb Earthquakes for it and threaten Ground-types in return. Teammates like Landorus-T, Rotom-W, Tornadus-T, and Rillaboom can do this very well.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Alolan Muk's ability to run Assault Vest can be hampered by entry hazards wearing it down as it switches in to absorb special attacks. As such, hazard removers like Great Tusk and Corviknight are especially helpful.
**Entry Hazards**: On the other hand, Alolan Muk benefits from teammates that can set entry hazards, as it's extremely proficient at removing opposing Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off but lacks hazard-setting moves itself. Setters like Gliscor and Meowscarada thus pair well with it.
**Wish Support**: Pokemon that can pass Wish to Alolan Muk can solve its problem with reliable recovery, making it extremely durable. Alomomola, Vaporeon, Scream Tail, and Sylveon are all great at this, and many of them can additionally wall physical attackers while Alolan Muk walls special attackers, forming a sturdy defensive core.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Ground-types are Alolan Muk's natural predators, as they can hit it with its only weakness and resist Gunk Shot. Common top-tier Ground-types like Great Tusk, Garchomp, Iron Treads, and Ting-Lu easily threaten Alolan Muk out with their strong Earthquakes and can take advantage of that fact to set up entry hazards or boost. Its only recourse is to punish them switching in with Ice Punch, Knock Off, or Toxic.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Alolan Muk's Defense is much worse than its Special Defense when not running Acid Armor or Curse. As a result, it's worn down easily by strong physical and mixed attackers like Ogerpon-W, Urshifu formes, and Iron Valiant.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Although Alolan Muk has solid base Attack, it's not usually strong enough to break through truly bulky foes like Great Tusk, Corviknight, and Baxcalibur. It has to settle for removing their items with Knock Off or poisoning them with Toxic.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
