[overview]
**Draft Order**: Rounds 6 and onward
**Price Range**: 4-2 points
**Overview**: Malamar is a cheap contrary option typically chosen later into a draft after the primary contrary Pokémon, Serperior and Enamorus, have been chosen or are too expensive. It has the main benefits all contrary Pokemon have like pressuring opponents and boosting simultaneous, the ability to snowball, and taking advantage of stat debuffs like webs and intimidate. However, Malamar has some major flaws. For one, its boosting move, superpower, is not stab, decreasing the amount of damage it does alone. Second, through a combination of middling bulk, lack of reliable recovery, and a mediocre defensive typing giving it a quadruple weakness to U-turn and only one resistance or immunity, Malamar has very little longevity. Finally, Malamar's low speed lets it be easily checked and revenge killed. That being said, Malamar does have good utility in addition to it being a usual contrary Pokemon, like stab Knock Off, a method to inflict sleep in Hypnosis, its signature move Topsy-Turvy, and next to no coverage problems, assuming it can run 3 attacks.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Restalk**: Rest is Malamar's only recovery option and since it does mot want to switch and lose its boosts, it is desperate for recovery. Plus all status effects severely cripple Malamar, so getting rid of them is great. Malamar can use Sleep Talk to not be completely passive after rest. Superpower is mandatory on this set, letting it accumulate boosts. Its fourth move is typically Knock Off because of its item removal utility and ability to hit Ghost- and Psychic-type Superpower switch ins. However, since Knock Off leaves it walled by many fairy types even after boosts, Psycho Cut is an option if the opponent has bulky Fairy-types.
**3 attacks plus utility**: Because Malamar's two stabs plus superpower are perfect coverage, it can rely on those three alone to use superpower boosts to muscle past most walls that cannot offensively threaten it. Its fourth move can be a variety of options. Rest can be used alone to have some longevity. Switcharoo is an option if Malamar is running a choose item. Hypnosis can be used to shut down an opponents Pokemon. Topsy-Turvy lets Malamar attempt reverse sweeps. Substitute is an option to predict switches and can help muscle past checks, especially because physical attackers can struggle to break its substitutes after Superpower. Its item should be offensive, like choice scarf, or situational to your opponent's draft, like Tanga berry.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Psycho cut, Knock Off
**Setup Moves**: Superpower
**Utility Moves**: Rest, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Hypnosis, Switcharoo
**Coverage**: Superpower
Niche Moves
========
**Trick Room**: because of its serviceable bulk and immunity to Taunt and Encore from Prankster Pokemon, Malamar is a decent Trick Room setter if a team has no other option or wants a supplementary setter. Additionally, Malamar is a good Trick Room abuser, as it does not have to waste precious turns exclusively setting up boosts as it does so while dealing damage. Plus, its speed is just low enough to be able to fully utilize Trick Room, as at full divestment, it under speeds base 50s like Kingambit, Iron Hands, Ursaluna, and Chansey if they lack any speed divestment.
**Topsy-Turvy**: Malamar's signature move not only neutralizes opposing sweepers, but makes them fodder. Malamar can take advantage of this by getting an easy superpower boost or setting a Substitute. This also can give its teammates free switch ins and even set up opportunities if the opponent does not switch out.
**Acupressure**: Malamar's primary niche outside contrary is as an Acupressure set up sweeper as it has the unique attribute of getting the move and having the ability suction cups, making it immune to opponent's attempts to force it out to get rid of its boosts. Acupressure can easily snowball if Malamar gets the right boosts at the right time, like a defense boost against a physical Choice Scarf attacker. However, with Acupressure’s inherent randomness, it requiring a lot of turns to get going, and Malamar's general lack of longevity, the move is very situational.
**Baton pass**: Malamar is one of the few Contrary Pokemon with access to Baton Pass. If your format’s Baton Pass restrictions allow, Malamar can be a stat passer that is able to condense its boosting move with its main attack, letting it run more utility options then most other stat passers. It is also a good stat receiver in such formats thanks to its ability suction cups. If your playing a format with dry pass, Malamar is one of the only pokemon that can actually pass boosts, as it can pass what it gets from sources like Intimidate, Sticky Webs, and moves with a stat drop secondary effect, like Earth Power, Play Rough, and Defog. Of course, it can’t run Superpower with baton pass in such formats, making it almost useless if it does not get a stat boost.
**All other physical attacks**: Malamar learn a decent variety of physical attacks outside of its STABs and Superpower like Lunge, Liquidation, and Rock Slide. Because of the perfect coverage Malamar has with its three usual attacking moves, there are not many reasons to use these. However, they can be used to hit specific targets on your opponents draft super effectively if your team struggles to deal with them with other methods.
**Stored power**: due to its easy ability to accumulate boosts, Superpower dealing with Dark-types, and STAB on the move, Malamar can potentially operate as a Stored Power sweeper. However, its pitiful and un-boostable special attack means that even after six Superpowers, it still struggles to break many bulkier Pokemon with it.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps Malamar with longevity, providing it some healing. It should be the primary option on more defensive sets, letting it get some recovery between Rests.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf boosts Malamar's mediocre speed to levels that it can snowball with by spamming Superpower as its speed is just at the level where Choice Scarf lets it out speed many offensive Pokémon. It can out speed many upboosted pokemon like Weavile and Tapu Koko. Switcharoo should typically be used if running scarf as it lets Malamar cripple defensive switch-ins. Unfortunately, Fighting-type is not the most clickable type as it has plenty of resistances. Plus Malamar is fairly predicable even without Choice Scarf, so once your opponent finds out Malamar has one, it is fairly easy for them to respond to it.
Niche Items
========
**Assult Vest**: Malamar is desperate for a way to boost its special defense to avoid being revenge killed by special attackers. Unfortunately, Assult Vest removing Rest from Malamar effectively removes all of it’s longevity.
**Chesto Berry**- Chesto Berry lets Malamar get an instant full heal from Rest, thus letting it drop Sleep Talk so it can run Psycho Cut to deal with Fairy and Fighting- types. However, not having Sleep Talk for all subsequent Rests hurts it’s ability to threaten.
**Leppa Berry**: Malamar primary spammed move, Superpower, only has 8 pp, severely limiting Malamar's opportunities to boost. Leppa Berry can be used against bulkier teams to replenish Superpower pp if it needs to click it a lot.
**Tanga Berry**: Malamar's quadruple weakness to U-turn is detrimental. Fortunately, because most U-turns are not STAB, Tanga Berry can help Malamar survive specific U-turns. For example, common pivots like Dragapult and Moltres cannot 2hko Malamar if it has Tanga Berry. However, Tanga Berry's one time use limits its utility.
Tera
========
Due to its low longevity and easy ability to be offensively checked, Malamar should generally not be made a Tera captain. However, as a contrary Pokemon, it can operate as a Stellar-type Tera Blast spammer. Also, fighting is a great Tera type for Malamar, giving it much needed stab on Superpower and turning its detrimental Bug-type weakness into a resistance. Special note should also be given to Tera Steel and Poison, as they resist both of Malamar's weaknesses and lets it stay in against Fairy-types.
Draft Strategy
========
First off, Malamar should only be drafted if the team already has plenty of U-turn Switch-ins. If not, the team will be demolished by any strong and fast pivots. Thankfully, because Bug-type is a horrible offensive type, switch-ins are very common. It should also generally not be drafted on a team with Serperoir or Enamorus, as they tend preform the Contrary sweeper role better. Malamar should be drafted like a boosting physical dark type.
**Boosting special attackers**- Very few teams can withstand both Malamar and a strong boosting special attacker as they will bring strong attacks on both defense stats. Malamar works well with traditional boosters because it lets one run two boosters while only needing good set up opportunities for one of them.
**Choice band and Choice Specs users**- The immediate power that comes from a Choice user can weaken teams to make Malamar's sweep easier, or clean up opposing teams after Malamar has done its role.
**Clerics**- Because Malamar has no reliable recovery and gets incombered by all status effects, a Wish passer and/or Heal Bell user can significantly help Malamar function, especially if is not running rest.
**Pivots**- Malamar likes pivots to bring it in safely as it struggles to switch-in to most attacks. It also likes teammates to switch-in and take hits for it if its sweeps has not started snowballing or it faces a faster special attacker.
Checks and Counters
========
**Unaware Pokemon**- As a Pokemon that relies on boosting for all its main sets, opposing Pokemon with Unaware completely shut down Malamar.
**Fairy-Types**- Fairy-Types resist Malamar’s best moves and they can hit it with Super Effective STAB. The best method to get around them is with boosted Psycho Cuts.
**U-turn**- like aforementioned, due to its quadruple weakness, Malamar struggles to take even weak U-turns from special attackers.
**Defensive Ghost-types**- Malamar cannot boost in front of ghost types. While STAB Knock Off helps deal with them, because of Malamar’s mediocre offensives before boosts and Knock Off being able to be answered by not running an item; more defensive Ghost-Types will not will not be deterred by Knock Off.
**Faster Offensive Opponents**- faster offensive Pokémon can come in before Malamar gets many boost and hit it hard before it’s gets overwhelming.
[credits]
**Draft Order**: Rounds 6 and onward
**Price Range**: 4-2 points
**Overview**: Malamar is a cheap contrary option typically chosen later into a draft after the primary contrary Pokémon, Serperior and Enamorus, have been chosen or are too expensive. It has the main benefits all contrary Pokemon have like pressuring opponents and boosting simultaneous, the ability to snowball, and taking advantage of stat debuffs like webs and intimidate. However, Malamar has some major flaws. For one, its boosting move, superpower, is not stab, decreasing the amount of damage it does alone. Second, through a combination of middling bulk, lack of reliable recovery, and a mediocre defensive typing giving it a quadruple weakness to U-turn and only one resistance or immunity, Malamar has very little longevity. Finally, Malamar's low speed lets it be easily checked and revenge killed. That being said, Malamar does have good utility in addition to it being a usual contrary Pokemon, like stab Knock Off, a method to inflict sleep in Hypnosis, its signature move Topsy-Turvy, and next to no coverage problems, assuming it can run 3 attacks.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Restalk**: Rest is Malamar's only recovery option and since it does mot want to switch and lose its boosts, it is desperate for recovery. Plus all status effects severely cripple Malamar, so getting rid of them is great. Malamar can use Sleep Talk to not be completely passive after rest. Superpower is mandatory on this set, letting it accumulate boosts. Its fourth move is typically Knock Off because of its item removal utility and ability to hit Ghost- and Psychic-type Superpower switch ins. However, since Knock Off leaves it walled by many fairy types even after boosts, Psycho Cut is an option if the opponent has bulky Fairy-types.
**3 attacks plus utility**: Because Malamar's two stabs plus superpower are perfect coverage, it can rely on those three alone to use superpower boosts to muscle past most walls that cannot offensively threaten it. Its fourth move can be a variety of options. Rest can be used alone to have some longevity. Switcharoo is an option if Malamar is running a choose item. Hypnosis can be used to shut down an opponents Pokemon. Topsy-Turvy lets Malamar attempt reverse sweeps. Substitute is an option to predict switches and can help muscle past checks, especially because physical attackers can struggle to break its substitutes after Superpower. Its item should be offensive, like choice scarf, or situational to your opponent's draft, like Tanga berry.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Psycho cut, Knock Off
**Setup Moves**: Superpower
**Utility Moves**: Rest, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Hypnosis, Switcharoo
**Coverage**: Superpower
Niche Moves
========
**Trick Room**: because of its serviceable bulk and immunity to Taunt and Encore from Prankster Pokemon, Malamar is a decent Trick Room setter if a team has no other option or wants a supplementary setter. Additionally, Malamar is a good Trick Room abuser, as it does not have to waste precious turns exclusively setting up boosts as it does so while dealing damage. Plus, its speed is just low enough to be able to fully utilize Trick Room, as at full divestment, it under speeds base 50s like Kingambit, Iron Hands, Ursaluna, and Chansey if they lack any speed divestment.
**Topsy-Turvy**: Malamar's signature move not only neutralizes opposing sweepers, but makes them fodder. Malamar can take advantage of this by getting an easy superpower boost or setting a Substitute. This also can give its teammates free switch ins and even set up opportunities if the opponent does not switch out.
**Acupressure**: Malamar's primary niche outside contrary is as an Acupressure set up sweeper as it has the unique attribute of getting the move and having the ability suction cups, making it immune to opponent's attempts to force it out to get rid of its boosts. Acupressure can easily snowball if Malamar gets the right boosts at the right time, like a defense boost against a physical Choice Scarf attacker. However, with Acupressure’s inherent randomness, it requiring a lot of turns to get going, and Malamar's general lack of longevity, the move is very situational.
**Baton pass**: Malamar is one of the few Contrary Pokemon with access to Baton Pass. If your format’s Baton Pass restrictions allow, Malamar can be a stat passer that is able to condense its boosting move with its main attack, letting it run more utility options then most other stat passers. It is also a good stat receiver in such formats thanks to its ability suction cups. If your playing a format with dry pass, Malamar is one of the only pokemon that can actually pass boosts, as it can pass what it gets from sources like Intimidate, Sticky Webs, and moves with a stat drop secondary effect, like Earth Power, Play Rough, and Defog. Of course, it can’t run Superpower with baton pass in such formats, making it almost useless if it does not get a stat boost.
**All other physical attacks**: Malamar learn a decent variety of physical attacks outside of its STABs and Superpower like Lunge, Liquidation, and Rock Slide. Because of the perfect coverage Malamar has with its three usual attacking moves, there are not many reasons to use these. However, they can be used to hit specific targets on your opponents draft super effectively if your team struggles to deal with them with other methods.
**Stored power**: due to its easy ability to accumulate boosts, Superpower dealing with Dark-types, and STAB on the move, Malamar can potentially operate as a Stored Power sweeper. However, its pitiful and un-boostable special attack means that even after six Superpowers, it still struggles to break many bulkier Pokemon with it.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers helps Malamar with longevity, providing it some healing. It should be the primary option on more defensive sets, letting it get some recovery between Rests.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf boosts Malamar's mediocre speed to levels that it can snowball with by spamming Superpower as its speed is just at the level where Choice Scarf lets it out speed many offensive Pokémon. It can out speed many upboosted pokemon like Weavile and Tapu Koko. Switcharoo should typically be used if running scarf as it lets Malamar cripple defensive switch-ins. Unfortunately, Fighting-type is not the most clickable type as it has plenty of resistances. Plus Malamar is fairly predicable even without Choice Scarf, so once your opponent finds out Malamar has one, it is fairly easy for them to respond to it.
Niche Items
========
**Assult Vest**: Malamar is desperate for a way to boost its special defense to avoid being revenge killed by special attackers. Unfortunately, Assult Vest removing Rest from Malamar effectively removes all of it’s longevity.
**Chesto Berry**- Chesto Berry lets Malamar get an instant full heal from Rest, thus letting it drop Sleep Talk so it can run Psycho Cut to deal with Fairy and Fighting- types. However, not having Sleep Talk for all subsequent Rests hurts it’s ability to threaten.
**Leppa Berry**: Malamar primary spammed move, Superpower, only has 8 pp, severely limiting Malamar's opportunities to boost. Leppa Berry can be used against bulkier teams to replenish Superpower pp if it needs to click it a lot.
**Tanga Berry**: Malamar's quadruple weakness to U-turn is detrimental. Fortunately, because most U-turns are not STAB, Tanga Berry can help Malamar survive specific U-turns. For example, common pivots like Dragapult and Moltres cannot 2hko Malamar if it has Tanga Berry. However, Tanga Berry's one time use limits its utility.
Tera
========
Due to its low longevity and easy ability to be offensively checked, Malamar should generally not be made a Tera captain. However, as a contrary Pokemon, it can operate as a Stellar-type Tera Blast spammer. Also, fighting is a great Tera type for Malamar, giving it much needed stab on Superpower and turning its detrimental Bug-type weakness into a resistance. Special note should also be given to Tera Steel and Poison, as they resist both of Malamar's weaknesses and lets it stay in against Fairy-types.
Draft Strategy
========
First off, Malamar should only be drafted if the team already has plenty of U-turn Switch-ins. If not, the team will be demolished by any strong and fast pivots. Thankfully, because Bug-type is a horrible offensive type, switch-ins are very common. It should also generally not be drafted on a team with Serperoir or Enamorus, as they tend preform the Contrary sweeper role better. Malamar should be drafted like a boosting physical dark type.
**Boosting special attackers**- Very few teams can withstand both Malamar and a strong boosting special attacker as they will bring strong attacks on both defense stats. Malamar works well with traditional boosters because it lets one run two boosters while only needing good set up opportunities for one of them.
**Choice band and Choice Specs users**- The immediate power that comes from a Choice user can weaken teams to make Malamar's sweep easier, or clean up opposing teams after Malamar has done its role.
**Clerics**- Because Malamar has no reliable recovery and gets incombered by all status effects, a Wish passer and/or Heal Bell user can significantly help Malamar function, especially if is not running rest.
**Pivots**- Malamar likes pivots to bring it in safely as it struggles to switch-in to most attacks. It also likes teammates to switch-in and take hits for it if its sweeps has not started snowballing or it faces a faster special attacker.
Checks and Counters
========
**Unaware Pokemon**- As a Pokemon that relies on boosting for all its main sets, opposing Pokemon with Unaware completely shut down Malamar.
**Fairy-Types**- Fairy-Types resist Malamar’s best moves and they can hit it with Super Effective STAB. The best method to get around them is with boosted Psycho Cuts.
**U-turn**- like aforementioned, due to its quadruple weakness, Malamar struggles to take even weak U-turns from special attackers.
**Defensive Ghost-types**- Malamar cannot boost in front of ghost types. While STAB Knock Off helps deal with them, because of Malamar’s mediocre offensives before boosts and Knock Off being able to be answered by not running an item; more defensive Ghost-Types will not will not be deterred by Knock Off.
**Faster Offensive Opponents**- faster offensive Pokémon can come in before Malamar gets many boost and hit it hard before it’s gets overwhelming.
[credits]
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