**artwork by me**
[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Marowak is a good wallbreaker thanks to its rare offensive typing, decent bulk, and signature item Thick Club giving a major boost to its Attack. It also has two fantastic abilities, Rock Head and Lightning Rod. The former allows it to spam a recoil-free Flare Blitz, and the latter allows it to better check Pokemon like Raikou by giving it an immunity to Electric-type moves. However, Alolan Marowak is very easily worn down by residual damage from entry hazards, Toxic damage, and weak attacks. It is also extremely vulnerable to Knock Off because not only is the move super effective against it, Alolan Marowak also risks losing its main source of power, Thick Club. Alolan Marowak's poor Speed means that it is outpaced by most of RarelyUsed's offensive threats and faster walls that threaten it such as Milotic and Mandibuzz. Furthermore, Alolan Marowak has major competition as a Fire-type wallbreaker from Pokemon such as Arcanine, Ninetales, and Salazzle because of their much better Speed tiers.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance Wallbreaker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Shadow Bone
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Low Kick / Earthquake
item: Thick Club
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flare Blitz is Alolan Marowak's strongest STAB move, hitting insanely hard with no recoil thanks to its Rock Head ability. Shadow Bone is a very spammable secondary STAB move, thanks to the limited number of Ghost-resistant Pokemon in RarelyUsed, with a nice chance of lowering the foe's Defense. Swords Dance allows Alolan Marowak to hit even harder. Low Kick allows it to heavily damage Pokemon that resist its STAB moves, such as Rhyperior, Snorlax, and Tyrantrum. Earthquake is a decent alternative to better check Pokemon such as Arcanine, Raikou, and Mega Ampharos.
Set Details
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The given EV spread with an Adamant nature allows Alolan Marowak to be as sturdy and strong as possible. 44 Speed EVs allow Alolan Marowak to outpace and dent uninvested base 50 Speed Pokemon such as Registeel and Donphan. Thick Club boosts Alolan Marowak's Attack, allowing it to act as a powerful wallbreaker. Rock Head lets Alolan Marowak use Flare Blitz without taking recoil damage. An alternative EV spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used to outpace uninvested Mandibuzz and Milotic.
Usage Tips
========
Before Alolan Marowak comes into battle, make sure that all entry hazards are removed, as they cut into its longevity. In spite of its passable bulk, Alolan Marowak cannot take repeated hits. In order to get Alolan Marowak safely into the battle, bring it in after a teammate has been knocked out, use a slow U-turn or Volt Switch user, or bring Alolan Marowak in on a threat whose attacks it resists or is immune to, such as Florges, Choice Band Snorlax, or Bewear locked into a Normal- or Fighting-type move. Alolan Marowak forces many switches. Use this to either set up Swords Dance or use a coverage move to get the jump on your opponent. Do not let Alolan Marowak get poisoned from Toxic or Toxic Spikes, as poison damage racks up and eats away at its bulk. Avoid letting Alolan Marowak lose its Thick Club to Knock Off or Trick users such as Mandibuzz, Gardevoir, and Espeon.
Team Options
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Entry hazard removers are practically mandatory teammates to help support Alolan Marowak. Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Mandibuzz, Mantine, and Donphan are great at this role. Teammates that resist Knock Off such as Machamp, Bewear, and Florges are also helpful, as Alolan Marowak often forces the opponent to go for the move. Mega Evolutions such as Mega Blastoise and Mega Ampharos and Z-Move users such as Virizion and Barbaracle are also noteworthy, since they are immune to Trick and don't take as much damage from Knock Off. Grass-type partners such as Shaymin, Virizion, and Tsareena can help stomach STAB moves from Ground- and Water-types aimed at Alolan Marowak and pressure them in return. Slow pivots such as Mega Ampharos and Forretress can bring Alolan Marowak safely into battle. Fast pivots such as Raikou, Noivern, and Yanmega can force switches thanks to their raw power, which allows Alolan Marowak to come in to battle safely. Clerics such as Umbreon and Healing Wish users such as Shaymin and Gardevoir can help heal any damage and status conditions Alolan Marowak has obtained.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Alolan Marowak can also function as an offensive Stealth Rock setter with its other ability Lightning Rod to check Electric-type Pokemon such as Raikou and Rotom-C. Forgoing Rock Head, however, sacrifices Alolan Marowak's ability to spam recoil-free Flare Blitz. Knock Off can be used to cripple defensive Pokemon like Bronzong, Porygon2, and Cresselia by removing their items. Alolan Marowak prefers the coverage brought by Low Kick or Earthquake, however, and most Pokemon are already threatened by Alolan Marowak's STAB moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-type Pokemon**: Because of its low Speed, Alolan Marowak is easily revenge killed by faster bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Milotic, and Mantine.
**Residual Damage**: Alolan Marowak is vulnerable to all entry hazards, as they cut into its longevity. Stealth Rock alone depletes a quarter of its health when it switches in. Alolan Marowak is also vulnerable to being worn down by poison damage from Toxic or Toxic Spikes. Since it lacks reliable recovery, even resisted hits chip away at Alolan Marowak's health.
**Faster Threats**: Alolan Marowak can fall prey to many Pokemon such as Mega Blastoise, Tyrantrum, and Honchkrow because of its poor Speed tier.
**Ground-type Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Zygarde-10% and Flygon outspeed Alolan Marowak and threaten it with their super effective STAB moves. Donphan can stomach a Flare Blitz from Alolan Marowak and OHKOes it in return with Earthquake.
**Dark-type Pokemon**: Alolan Marowak's Ghost typing and overreliance on Thick Club mean it is very vulnerable to Knock Off users such as Drapion and Pangoro and Pursuit trappers such as Honchkrow. Mandibuzz can also easily OHKO Alolan Marowak with Foul Play after Stealth Rock.
**Rock-type Pokemon**: Rock-types such as Tyrantrum and Lycanroc-D outspeed Alolan Marowak and can hurt it with their powerful STAB moves. Rhyperior survives one Low Kick or Earthquake if Alolan Marowak doesn't boost with Swords Dance and OHKOes it in return with its own Earthquake.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[JustoonSmitts, 239732]]
- Quality checked by: [[roman, 396169], [Leoshad, 409096], [Chrisloud1, 332202]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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