RU Alolan Marowak

[memesketch]

[OVERVIEW]

Although stiff competition from Pangoro, Golurk, and Heracross makes it niche, Alolan Marowak is an effective wallbreaker for offensive teams due to its combination of extreme power and defensive utility. Alolan Marowak's strong attacks, Thick Club, and offensive typing let it easily force out common slow, bulky Pokemon such as Registeel and Reuniclus, giving it opportunities to fire off powerful attacks or set up Substitute. A useful set of resistances and a great ability in Lightning Rod allow Alolan Marowak to take advantage of Xurkitree to come into play, as well as soft checking other threats like Roserade and Lucario. However, Alolan Marowak's defensive utility ends there. Its abysmal Speed and weaknesses to common offensive types such as Water, Dark, Ground, and Ghost leave it unable to check certain Electric-types such as Raikou, and it's vulnerable to dangerous wallbreakers such as Pangoro, Nidoqueen, and Chandelure and faster defensive Pokemon like Milotic. Furthermore, Alolan Marowak's lack of reliable recovery and Stealth Rock weakness limit its opportunities to come in, especially against Xurkitree.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Shadow Bone / Substitute
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Low Kick OHKOes Stakataka, Guzzlord, and Snorlax after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes Incineroar and Rhyperior. Alolan Marowak uses Shadow Bone alongside Poltergeist because it is perfectly accurate and gives Alolan Marowak's teammates more freedom to carry Knock Off. Alternatively, Substitute eases prediction on forced switches and shields Alolan Marowak from faster Pokemon. Stealth Rock is a viable option in the last moveslot, if none of Alolan Marowak's teammates carry it, due to the amount of switches Alolan Marowak forces, but it makes Alolan Marowak less self-sufficient as a wallbreaker; additionally, Alolan Marowak can struggle to keep Stealth Rock up throughout a game due to its lack of longevity.

Alolan Marowak appreciates partners that can relieve pressure on it to check Electric-types; Flygon and Nidoqueen are both good candidates for this role. Furthermore, the former can bring Alolan Marowak in with U-turn, while the latter can wallbreak alongside it. Other Pokemon that can pivot Alolan Marowak into battle safely, such as Crobat and Heliolisk, are great partners too. Heliolisk in particular is one of Alolan Marowak's best partners, as it can switch into Water-types and pressure faster threats such as Togekiss and Nidoqueen, while Alolan Marowak can crush Heliolisk's slower checks, such as Steelix. Other Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Guzzlord, are important to cover Alolan Marowak's most common weakness; Guzzlord can also handle Ghost- and Dark-types such as Chandelure and mixed Sharpedo, which threaten Alolan Marowak. On the other hand, Alolan Marowak lures in bulky Water-types very effectively and forces damage on them, which helps faster attackers such as Aerodactyl, Flygon, and Sharpedo break through them more easily. Entry hazard control is necessary to allow Alolan Marowak to come into play more often; Crobat, Flygon, Tsareena, and Starmie are all excellent options that can account for some of its weaknesses and bring it into battle with U-turn or Teleport. Klefki, Heracross, and Golisopod all carry Spikes to augment Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking potential, letting it 2HKO Umbreon with Low Kick after only a single layer. The former two can additionally absorb Knock Off to preserve Alolan Marowak's Thick Club.

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

Flare Blitz can be situationally used alongside Rock Head to greatly increase Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking prowess; it notably allows Alolan Marowak to 2HKO Umbreon, almost always OHKO Steelix after Stealth Rock, and always OHKO Bewear after Stealth Rock. However, losing Lightning Rod forfeits what little defensive utility Alolan Marowak has. Alolan Marowak could use Swords Dance to reach nuclear levels of power, but it will rarely find worthwhile situations to set up due to its low Speed and bulk, and therefore Substitute and Stealth Rock are often more productive options. However, on Trick Room teams, Alolan Marowak employs Swords Dance with Rock Head and a moveset of Poltergeist, Flare Blitz, and Low Kick to become near impossible to switch into; regardless, it is worth noting that Trick Room teams are highly matchup reliant and inconsistent.

Checks and Counters
===================

*Stealth Rock**: Alolan Marowak cannot run Heavy-Duty Boots and has no recovery, so Stealth Rock severely cuts into its health and, over time, chips it into KO range of Pokemon it checks, such as Xurkitree and Lucario.

**Water-types**: Milotic outspeeds Alolan Marowak, can heal off from most of its attacks, and can respond with Scald. Suicune and Seismitoad also outspeed Alolan Marowak and can force it out to set up Calm Mind and Stealth Rock, respectively, but must be careful due to their lack of recovery. Vaporeon and Quagsire can take most of Alolan Marowak's attacks and attempt to stall out Poltergeist, though they cannot safely switch into a Ghost-type STAB move. Though they cannot switch in, offensive Water-types such as Sharpedo and Starmie force Alolan Marowak out easily with the threat of an OHKO.

**Dark-types**: Incineroar's great bulk and Intimidate let it switch into Alolan Marowak's STAB moves with ease and force it out with the threat of Knock Off; however, it must be wary of Low Kick. Umbreon, if fully healthy, can stall out any of Alolan Marowak's moves save for Flare Blitz and nearly OHKO back with Foul Play.

**Ground-types**: Flygon can OHKO Alolan Marowak with Earthquake and force it out to gain momentum with U-turn or set up with Dragon Dance. Nidoqueen and Golurk can easily OHKO Alolan Marowak and fire off powerful attacks on its forced switch, but they struggle to come in against it. Rhyperior and Steelix can each take a single hit from Alolan Marowak at full health and trade with it in a pinch, although Steelix's Earthquake fails to OHKO it.

**Special Attackers**: Powerful special attackers, such as Choice Specs Gardevoir, have no problem forcing Alolan Marowak out and threatening its team in the process. Among these threats, Raikou and Toxtricity stand out as Electric-types that Alolan Marowak cannot reliably check due to their coverage moves in Scald and Snarl, respectively, while Togekiss can both survive a hit from Alolan Marowak and flinch it down with Air Slash.

**Item Removal**: Alolan Marowak relies on its Thick Club for its damage output, and therefore any Pokemon that can remove it is a great annoyance. Pokemon that Alolan Marowak would otherwise solidly check, such as Rotom-C, Vileplume, and Salazzle, can put a damper on its effectiveness with Trick, Corrosive Gas, and Knock Off.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[memesketch, 537558]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yourwelcomethanku, 541847], [GoldCat, 359771]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Adeleine, 517429]]

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

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This is pretty good, but I just want a brief look after this is implemented to QC it

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak is an interesting(Interesting is pretty useless for describing something to competitive eyes) Stealth Rock setter for offensive teams due to its combination of extreme power and defensive utility. Alolan Marowak's strong Thick Club-boosted attacks and offensive typing let it easily force out common slow, bulky Pokemon such as Registeel and Reuniclus, giving it opportunities to set up Stealth Rock and wallbreak. Alolan Marowak's good matchups against common forms of removal such as Crobat and Dhelmise also help it to keep Stealth Rock up in many matchups. On the defensive end, a useful set of resistances and a great ability in Lightning Rod allow Alolan Marowak to block Xurkitree's and Rotom-C's Volt Switch and soft check other threats like Roserade and Lucario. However, Alolan Marowak's defensive utility ends there, as its abysmal Speed and weaknesses to Stealth Rock and common offensive types such as Water, Dark, Ground, and Ghost leave it vulnerable to dangerous breakers such as Pangoro, Nidoqueen, and Chandelure and faster defensive Pokemon(Read the comment after the other highlighted area) such as Milotic, Starmie, and Flygon; as a result, the latter two can force it out and remove its Stealth Rock with little issue.(Having Stealth Rock removed idt is that bad, when a big part of Marowak is smashing stuff in and utility Gon isn't that common.) These same weaknesses compounded with its below-average bulk leave Alolan Marowak vulnerable to common coverage from Pokemon that it would otherwise like to check, such as Raikou, Toxtricity, and Bewear. (The whole highlighted area is a bit messy. "abysmal" weaknesses and speed do leave Marowak vulnerable to dangerous Pokemon like Nidoqueen, but not the Stealth Rock weakness. And even not factoring in the Stealth Rock weakness, it's still not a great check to CM Raikou or Bewear, not like you KO bear unless flare blitz and +1 scald KOs Marowak-A. Stealth Rock makes Marowak-A poor at checking even the few Pokemon it can switch into like Xurkitree and Roserade.) Finally, Alolan Marowak's extreme reliance on Thick Club makes it unable to reliably check Knock Off users like Salazzle and leaves it struggling to answer Trick Rotom-C long-term. (Salazzle isn't very common, then there's Vileplume and it struggles to answer Rotom-C even outside Trick. And I just don't feel this is that important to mention)

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Poltergeist / Shadow Bone
move 2: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz
move 3: Earthquake / Low Kick (Guzzlord has been on the rise for a bit now, so swap these)
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod / Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Poltergeist and Shadow Bone are equally viable options as Alolan Marowak's main STAB move; the former is powerful enough to 2HKO very bulky Pokemon like Rhyperior, Quagsire, and Galarian Weezing, while the latter is more reliable(Maybe just say doesn't miss or completely accurate?) and gives Alolan Marowak's teammates more freedom to run Knock Off. Earthquake hits Incineroar and Rock-types such as Stakataka, Diancie, and Rhyperior for solid damage. Low Kick is weaker against Incineroar and Diancie, but it can OHKO Snorlax and Guzzlord after Stealth Rock.(Rework in accordance to the new move order) Lightning Rod is Alolan Marowak's best ability, allowing it to switch into Electric-types such as Rotom-C and Xurkitree. However, Flare Blitz can be situationally used alongside Rock Head to greatly increase Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking prowess at the cost of its defensive utility; it notably allows Alolan Marowak to 2HKO Umbreon and Porygon2 and almost always OHKO Steelix after Stealth Rock.(P2 is pretty bad and not worth justifying Flare Blitz)

If Alolan Marowak uses Rock Head instead of Lightning Rod, it should be used alongside a Pokemon that can block Volt Switch in its place; Flygon and Nidoqueen are both good candidates for this role. Furthermore, the former can bring Alolan Marowak in with U-turn, while the latter is freed up by it running Stealth Rock and can wallbreak alongside it. Pokemon that can pivot Alolan Marowak into battle safely, such as the aforementioned Flygon, Crobat, and Heliolisk, are great partners. Heliolisk in particular is one of Alolan Marowak's best partners, as it can switch into Water-types and pressure faster threats such as Togekiss and Nidoqueen, while Alolan Marowak can crush Heliolisk's slower checks, such as Steelix. Other Water-type switchins, such as Starmie and Guzzlord, are important to pair with Alolan Marowak to cover its most common weakness; Guzzlord can also handle Ghost- and Dark-types such as Chandelure and mixed Sharpedo(Purely physical shark deals a lot more to Guzz with CC) that threaten Alolan Marowak. The aforementioned Crobat, Tsareena, Starmie, and Flygon are also the best options to provide necessary hazard control for Alolan Marowak.(Tsareena has had an uptick in usage lately and it's one of the best removal options) Knock Off absorbers such as Heracross, Golisopod, and Klefki are very important partners to preserve Alolan Marowak's Thick Club; all three of these Pokemon also carry Spikes to stack hazards with Alolan Marowak.(Klefki is good at absorbing Knock Off, while Golisopod dislikes losing boots and Heracross is only situationally good at it, rework this area) Finally, Alolan Marowak likes falling back on Steel-types such as Metagross and Registeel to handle fast special attackers such as Celebi and Gardevoir; like with Nidoqueen, it also frees up their movesets by carrying Stealth Rock.(Celebi isn't very good at forcing out Marowak-A, though and specifically specs Gardevoir is. Something that Marowak-A does like to fall back on is other Electric-type checks, since it's inadequate on its own)

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

Alolan Marowak could use Swords Dance to reach nuclear levels of power, but Stealth Rock is often far more valuable to its team and it will rarely find situations in which setting up is worthwhile due to its low Speed and bulk. On Trick Room teams, however, Alolan Marowak employs Swords Dance with Rock Head and a moveset of Poltergeist, Flare Blitz, and Low Kick to become near impossible to switch into.(Though, Trick Room teams are fairly matchup reliant and inconsistent)

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-types**: Milotic outspeeds Alolan Marowak and can easily heal off any attack short of Poltergeist. Suicune and Seismitoad also outspeed Alolan Marowak and can force it out to set up Calm Mind and Stealth Rock, respectively, but must be careful due to their lack of recovery. Vaporeon and Quagsire can both take two hits from Alolan Marowak if it does not carry Poltergeist, but they must be wary of Shadow Bone defense drops. Though they cannot switch in, offensive Water-types such as Sharpedo and Starmie force Alolan Marowak out easily; this gives the latter free opportunities to spin away its Stealth Rock.

**Dark-types**: (Incin and umbreon.)

**Ground-types**: Flygon resists Fire Punch and can force Alolan Marowak out to Defog away its Stealth Rock.(but flygon doesn't KO marowak with EQ and it can't switch into Poltergeist. Most Flygon are also not Defog sets, so I wouldn't mind if you removed that bit or worded this area differently) Nidoqueen and Golurk can easily OHKO Alolan Marowak and fire off powerful attacks on its forced switch, but they struggle to come in against it. Rhyperior and Steelix can each take a single hit from Alolan Marowak at full health and trade with it in a pinch, although Steelix's Earthquake fails to OHKO it.

**Special Attackers**: Powerful special attackers, such as Chandelure and Choice Specs Gardevoir and Chandelure, have no problem forcing Alolan Marowak out and threatening its team in the process. Among these threats, Raikou and Toxtricity stand out as Electric-types that Alolan Marowak cannot reliably (You defo check choiced toxt)check due to their coverage in Scald and Snarl, respectively, while Togekiss can both survive a hit from Alolan Marowak and flinch it down with Air Slash.

*Stealth Rock**: Alolan Marowak cannot run Heavy-Duty Boots and has no recovery, so Stealth Rock severely cuts into its health and, over time, chips it into range of Pokemon it checks, such as Xurkitree and Lucario.

**Item Removal**: Alolan Marowak relies on its Thick Club for its damage output, and therefore is greatly annoyed by any Pokemon that can remove it. Pokemon that Alolan Marowak would otherwise solidly check, such as Rotom-C, Vileplume, and Salazzle, can put a damper on its wallbreaking ability and overall effectiveness with Trick, Corrosive Gas, and Knock Off.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[memesketch, 537558]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

 

[memesketch]

Yourwelcomethanku Implemented! Thanks for the great check. Letting you know I changed a few other notable things per your suggestions, mainly changing Flygon to offensive in C&C and replacing P2 with Bewear as a more notable Flare Blitz target. Lmk if there's anything else to change before QC check

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Sorry but upon further discussion with the QC team, we want Marowak-A's set to be like what's below. So, CTRL F and remove or appropriately change the Flare Blitz, Stealth Rock, Rock Head, and EQ mentions. Though, Stealth Rock, Rock Head, and Flare Blitz can be moved to the Other Options or in the case of Stealth Rock left as a mention in set comments.

The changes should be generally straightforward and you seem like a good writer, so I'll qc 1/2

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Shadow Bone / Substitute
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

**Ground-types**: Flygon can OHKO Alolan Marowak with Earthquake and force it out to gain momentum or set up with Dragon Dance. Nidoqueen and Golurk can easily OHKO Alolan Marowak and fire off powerful attacks on its forced switch, but they struggle to come in against it. Rhyperior and Steelix can each take a single hit from Alolan Marowak at full health and trade with it in a pinch, although Steelix's Earthquake fails to OHKO it.

Gain momentum via U-turn

Finally, Alolan Marowak likes falling back on Steel-types such as Metagross and Registeel to handle fast special attackers such as Choice Specs Gardevoir; like with Nidoqueen, Alolan Marowak also frees up their movesets by carrying Stealth Rock.

Choice Specs Gardevoir isn't that common, so while this is true, due to it being the only thing mentioned, I think this could've better example. Like what I said earlier about other Electric-type checks, since Maro isn't very good on its own

 

[memesketch]

Yourwelcomethanku sorry to tag you again but I implemented your changes, and just because there were important changes to make in basically every area of the analysis I wanted to check in one more time b4 proceeding in case I missed anything

 

[Yourwelcomethanku]

Tagging me is just fine, I'm pretty happy with this

Stealth Rock is a viable option in the last slot if none of Alolan Marowak's teammates carry it due to the amount of switches Alolan Marowak forces, but it makes Alolan Marowak less self-sufficient as a wallbreaker.

Its lack of longevity and Stealth Rock weakness can make it poor at keeping them up throughout a game too.

**Water-types**: Milotic outspeeds Alolan Marowak and can easily heal off any attack short of Poltergeist. Suicune and Seismitoad also outspeed Alolan Marowak and can force it out to set up Calm Mind and Stealth Rock, respectively, but must be careful due to their lack of recovery. Vaporeon and Quagsire can both take two hits from Alolan Marowak if it does not carry Poltergeist, but they must be wary of Shadow Bone defense drops. Though they cannot switch in, offensive Water-types such as Sharpedo and Starmie force Alolan Marowak out easily with the threat of an OHKO.

Poltergeist is no longer a slashed option, so remove the if it does not carry polt part

**Dark-types**: Incineroar's great bulk and access to Intimidate let it switch into Alolan Marowak's STAB moves with ease and force it out with the threat of Knock Off; however, it must be wary of Low Kick and Earthquake. Umbreon, if healthy, can stall out any of Alolan Marowak's moves save for Flare Blitz and nearly OHKO back with Foul Play.

EQ is no longer on the set

 

[zizalith]

nice work, qc 2/2

 

[GoldCat]

ziza wasn't aware that I'm working on a QC so wait before putting it into GP just yet.

 

[GoldCat]

marowak

[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Marowak is an effective wallbreaker for offensive teams due to its combination of extreme power and defensive utility. (I think it's important to start off to say that Marowak is a niche pick and faces harsh competition from other wallbreakers like Heracross, Pangoro, and Golurk. Then you can transition over to Marowak's unique strengths, which you've already mentioned.) Alolan Marowak's strong Thick Club-boosted attacks and offensive typing let it easily force out common slow, bulky Pokemon such as Registeel and Reuniclus, giving it opportunities to fire off powerful attacks or set up Substitute or Stealth Rock. Alolan Marowak's good matchups against common forms of removal such as Crobat and Dhelmise also help it to keep Stealth Rock up in many matchups if it chooses to run the move. (SR is no longer slashed, so I don't think it should be mentioned in the overview.) On the defensive end, (Marowak is a wallbreaker, so the defensive utility isn't per se that important, though it makes teambuilding with Marowak feasible, it's the fact that Marowak can use its defensive qualities to get in multiple times against Xurkitree to ideally pick up a KO. So that's what I would rather see you emphasize. Blocking the Volt Switch isn't what's important, it's that Marowak got in for free and start clicking. Though mentioning it can soft check Roserade and Lucario is still important.) a useful set of resistances and a great ability in Lightning Rod allow Alolan Marowak to block Xurkitree's and Rotom-C's Volt Switch and soft check other threats like Roserade and Lucario. However, Alolan Marowak's defensive utility ends there, as its abysmal Speed and weaknesses to common offensive types such as Water, Dark, Ground, and Ghost leave it unable to check certain Electric-types such as Raikou and vulnerable to dangerous wallbreakers such as Pangoro, Nidoqueen, and Chandelure and faster defensive Pokemon like Milotic. Furthermore, Alolan Marowak's lack of reliable recovery and Stealth Rock weakness prevent it from continually checking (Again Maro checking stuff isn't the main thing, it's that its few opportunities to switch in and wallbreak are limited.) the few Pokemon it can switch into, especially Xurkitree.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker Stealth Rock
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Shadow Bone / Substitute
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Low Kick OHKOes Stakataka, Guzzlord, and Snorlax after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes Incineroar and Rhyperior. Alolan Marowak uses Shadow Bone alongside Poltergeist because it is perfectly accurate and gives Alolan Marowak's teammates more freedom to carry Knock Off. Alternatively, Substitute eases prediction on forced switches and shields Alolan Marowak from faster Pokemon. Stealth Rock is a viable option in the last slot if none of Alolan Marowak's teammates carry it due to the amount of switches Alolan Marowak forces, but it makes Alolan Marowak less self-sufficient as a wallbreaker; additionally, Alolan Marowak can struggle to keep Stealth Rock up throughout a game due to its lack of longevity.

Alolan Marowak appreciates partners that can relieve pressure on it to check Electric-types; Flygon and Nidoqueen are both good candidates for this role. Furthermore, the former can bring Alolan Marowak in with U-turn, while the latter can wallbreak alongside it. Pokemon that can pivot Alolan Marowak into battle safely, such as the aforementioned Flygon, Crobat, and Heliolisk, are great partners. Heliolisk in particular is one of Alolan Marowak's best partners, as it can switch into Water-types and pressure faster threats such as Togekiss and Nidoqueen, while Alolan Marowak can crush Heliolisk's slower checks, such as Steelix. Other Water-type switch-ins, (AH) such as Starmie and Guzzlord, are important to pair with Alolan Marowak to cover its most common weakness; Guzzlord can also handle Ghost- and Dark-types such as Chandelure and mixed Sharpedo that threaten Alolan Marowak. Crobat, Tsareena, Starmie, and Flygon are the best options (How come? Generally, you should always explain such claims because you otherwise leave the reader in the dark, and it's helpful information for newer players.)to provide necessary hazard control for Alolan Marowak. Klefki, Heracross, and Golisopod all carry Spikes to potentially stack hazards with Alolan Marowak, and the former two can absorb Knock Off to preserve Alolan Marowak's Thick Club. (1 layer of Spikes also guarantees the 2HKO on Umbreon with Low Kick. I would like to see you mention Pokemon which appreciates Marowak's wallbreaking somewhere. For example, Flygon and Aerodactyl love bulky Water-types being low or KOed by Marowak.)

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

Flare Blitz can be situationally used alongside Rock Head to greatly increase Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking prowess; it notably allows Alolan Marowak to 2HKO Umbreon and almost always OHKO Steelix after Stealth Rock and Bewear. However, losing Lightning Rod forfeits what little defensive utility Alolan Marowak has. Alolan Marowak could use Swords Dance to reach nuclear levels of power, but it will rarely find situations in which setting up is worthwhile due to its low Speed and bulk, and therefore Substitute and Stealth Rock are often more productive options. However, on Trick Room teams, Alolan Marowak employs Swords Dance with Rock Head and a moveset of Poltergeist, Flare Blitz, and Low Kick to become near impossible to switch into; regardless, it is worth noting that Trick Room teams are highly matchup reliant and inconsistent.

Checks and Counters
===================

*Stealth Rock**: Alolan Marowak cannot run Heavy-Duty Boots and has no recovery, so Stealth Rock severely cuts into its health and, over time, chips it into range of Pokemon it checks, such as Xurkitree and Lucario. (Moved it up.)

**Water-types**: Milotic outspeeds Alolan Marowak and can heal off most of its attacks and respond with Scald. Suicune and Seismitoad also outspeed Alolan Marowak and can force it out to set up Calm Mind and Stealth Rock, respectively, but must be careful due to their lack of recovery. Vaporeon and Quagsire can take most of Alolan Marowak's attacks and attempt to stall out Poltergeist, though they cannot safely switch into a Ghost-type STAB move. Though they cannot switch in, offensive Water-types such as Sharpedo and Starmie force Alolan Marowak out easily with the threat of an OHKO.

**Dark-types**: Incineroar's great bulk and access to Intimidate let it switch into Alolan Marowak's STAB moves with ease and force it out with the threat of Knock Off; however, it must be wary of Low Kick. Umbreon, if healthy, can stall out any of Alolan Marowak's moves save for Flare Blitz and nearly OHKO back with Foul Play.

**Ground-types**: Flygon can OHKO Alolan Marowak with Earthquake and force it out to gain momentum with U-turn or set up with Dragon Dance. Nidoqueen and Golurk can easily OHKO Alolan Marowak and fire off powerful attacks on its forced switch, but they struggle to come in against it. Rhyperior and Steelix can each take a single hit from Alolan Marowak at full health and trade with it in a pinch, although Steelix's Earthquake fails to OHKO it.

**Special Attackers**: Powerful special attackers, such as Choice Specs Gardevoir, have no problem forcing Alolan Marowak out and threatening its team in the process. Among these threats, Raikou and Toxtricity stand out as Electric-types that Alolan Marowak cannot reliably check due to their coverage in Scald and Snarl, respectively, while Togekiss can both survive a hit from Alolan Marowak and flinch it down with Air Slash.

**Item Removal**: Alolan Marowak relies on its Thick Club for its damage output, and therefore is greatly annoyed by any Pokemon that can remove it. Pokemon that Alolan Marowak would otherwise solidly check, such as Rotom-C, Vileplume, and Salazzle, can put a damper on its wallbreaking ability and overall effectiveness with Trick, Corrosive Gas, and Knock Off.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[memesketch, 537558]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yourwelcomethanku, 541847], [GoldCat, 359771]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

Top-notch work, implement and I'll take a quick second look to just make sure.

 

[memesketch]

Implemented, anything else to change before proceeding?

 

[GoldCat]

Looks like you covered everything, QC 2/2 great work.

 

[gorex]

GP Team

 

[Adeleine]

Add/Fix Remove Comment
(AC): Add Comma

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[OVERVIEW]

Although it faces stiff competition from Pangoro, Golurk, and Heracross makes it niche, Alolan Marowak is a niche but an effective wallbreaker for offensive teams due to its combination of extreme power and defensive utility. Alolan Marowak's strong Thick Club-boosted attacks attacks, Thick Club, and offensive typing let it easily force out common slow, bulky Pokemon such as Registeel and Reuniclus, giving it opportunities to fire off powerful attacks or set up Substitute. A useful set of resistances and a great ability in Lightning Rod allow Alolan Marowak to take advantage of Xurkitree to come into play and soft check play, as well as soft checking other threats like Roserade and Lucario. However, Alolan Marowak's defensive utility ends there, as its there. Its abysmal Speed and weaknesses to common offensive types such as Water, Dark, Ground, and Ghost leave it unable to check certain Electric-types such as Raikou, (AC) and it's vulnerable to dangerous wallbreakers such as Pangoro, Nidoqueen, and Chandelure and faster defensive Pokemon like Milotic. Furthermore, Alolan Marowak's lack of reliable recovery and Stealth Rock weakness limit its opportunities to come in, especially against Xurkitree.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Poltergeist
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Shadow Bone / Substitute
item: Thick Club
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Low Kick OHKOes Stakataka, Guzzlord, and Snorlax after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes Incineroar and Rhyperior. Alolan Marowak uses Shadow Bone alongside Poltergeist because it is perfectly accurate and gives Alolan Marowak's teammates more freedom to carry Knock Off. Alternatively, Substitute eases prediction on forced switches and shields Alolan Marowak from faster Pokemon. Stealth Rock is a viable option in the last moveslot, (AC) if none of Alolan Marowak's teammates carry it, (AC) due to the amount of switches Alolan Marowak forces, but it makes Alolan Marowak less self-sufficient as a wallbreaker; additionally, Alolan Marowak can struggle to keep Stealth Rock up throughout a game due to its lack of longevity.

Alolan Marowak appreciates partners that can relieve pressure on it to check Electric-types; Flygon and Nidoqueen are both good candidates for this role. Furthermore, the former can bring Alolan Marowak in with U-turn, while the latter can wallbreak alongside it. Other Pokemon that can pivot Alolan Marowak into battle safely, such as the aforementioned Flygon, Crobat, Crobat and Heliolisk, are great partners too. Heliolisk in particular is one of Alolan Marowak's best partners, as it can switch into Water-types and pressure faster threats such as Togekiss and Nidoqueen, while Alolan Marowak can crush Heliolisk's slower checks, such as Steelix. Other Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Guzzlord, are important to pair with Alolan Marowak to cover its cover Alolan Marowak's most common weakness; Guzzlord can also handle Ghost- and Dark-types such as Chandelure and mixed Sharpedo that Sharpedo, which threaten Alolan Marowak. On the other hand, Alolan Marowak is very effective at luring in bulky Water-types and forcing lures in bulky Water-types very effectively and forces (minor changes for cohesion in context) damage on them, which helps faster attackers such as Aerodactyl, Flygon, and Sharpedo break through them more easily. Entry hazard control is necessary to allow Alolan Marowak to come into play more often; Crobat, Flygon, Tsareena, and Starmie are all excellent options that can account for some of its weaknesses and bring it into battle with U-turn or Teleport. Klefki, Heracross, and Golisopod all carry Spikes to augment Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking potential, letting it 2HKO Umbreon with Low Kick with only a single layer down. after only a single layer. (subjective to avoid double with) The former two can additionally absorb Knock Off to preserve Alolan Marowak's Thick Club.

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

Flare Blitz can be situationally used alongside Rock Head to greatly increase Alolan Marowak's wallbreaking prowess; it notably allows Alolan Marowak to 2HKO Umbreon and Umbreon, almost always OHKO Steelix after Stealth Rock and Rock, and almost always OHKO (I imagine?) Bewear. However, losing Lightning Rod forfeits what little defensive utility Alolan Marowak has. Alolan Marowak could use Swords Dance to reach nuclear levels of power, but it will rarely find situations in which setting up is worthwhile worthwhile situations to set up due to its low Speed and bulk, and therefore Substitute and Stealth Rock are often more productive options. However, on Trick Room teams, Alolan Marowak employs Swords Dance with Rock Head and a moveset of Poltergeist, Flare Blitz, and Low Kick to become near impossible to switch into; regardless, it is worth noting that Trick Room teams are highly matchup reliant and inconsistent.

Checks and Counters
===================

*Stealth Rock**: Alolan Marowak cannot run Heavy-Duty Boots and has no recovery, so Stealth Rock severely cuts into its health and, over time, chips it into KO range of Pokemon it checks, such as Xurkitree and Lucario.

**Water-types**: Milotic outspeeds Alolan Marowak, (AC) and can heal off from most of its attacks, (AC) and can respond with Scald. Suicune and Seismitoad also outspeed Alolan Marowak and can force it out to set up Calm Mind and Stealth Rock, respectively, but must be careful due to their lack of recovery. Vaporeon and Quagsire can take most of Alolan Marowak's attacks and attempt to stall out Poltergeist, though they cannot safely switch into a Ghost-type STAB move. Though they cannot switch in, offensive Water-types such as Sharpedo and Starmie force Alolan Marowak out easily with the threat of an OHKO.

**Dark-types**: Incineroar's great bulk and access to Intimidate let it switch into Alolan Marowak's STAB moves with ease and force it out with the threat of Knock Off; however, it must be wary of Low Kick. Umbreon, if fully (I imagine, bc low kick can 2hko after spikes?you can change things if needed) healthy, can stall out any of Alolan Marowak's moves save for Flare Blitz and nearly OHKO back with Foul Play.

**Ground-types**: Flygon can OHKO Alolan Marowak with Earthquake and force it out to gain momentum with U-turn or set up with Dragon Dance. Nidoqueen and Golurk can easily OHKO Alolan Marowak and fire off powerful attacks on its forced switch, but they struggle to come in against it. Rhyperior and Steelix can each take a single hit from Alolan Marowak at full health and trade with it in a pinch, although Steelix's Earthquake fails to OHKO it.

**Special Attackers**: Powerful special attackers, such as Choice Specs Gardevoir, have no problem forcing Alolan Marowak out and threatening its team in the process. Among these threats, Raikou and Toxtricity stand out as Electric-types that Alolan Marowak cannot reliably check due to their coverage moves in Scald and Snarl, respectively, while Togekiss can both survive a hit from Alolan Marowak and flinch it down with Air Slash.

**Item Removal**: Alolan Marowak relies on its Thick Club for its damage output, and therefore is greatly annoyed by any Pokemon that can remove it is a great annoyance. Pokemon that Alolan Marowak would otherwise solidly check, such as Rotom-C, Vileplume, and Salazzle, can put a damper on its wallbreaking ability and overall effectiveness with Trick, Corrosive Gas, and Knock Off.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[memesketch, 537558]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yourwelcomethanku, 541847], [GoldCat, 359771]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Adeleine, 517429]]

very good writing, both in terms of mechanics and effective writing
GP Team done