[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Muk’s strong defensive typing and high Special Defense allows it to be one of the top threats in the metagame. Common Special attackers like Chandelure, Munkidori, and Dragalge are stopped in their tracks and forced out by it. On top of this, Alolan Muk isn’t useless against bulkier Pokemon either; thanks to its access to Knock Off in combination with Poison Touch, it can whittle through Slowbro, Sylveon, Talonflame, and Gastrodon. Poison Touch along with Poison Jab allows it to spread poisons nearly uninhibited, letting it chip away at opposing teams quite easily. However, Alolan Muk is quite frail physically, often forced out by pivots like Mienshao and Flygon, which loses momentum. It also is weak to fairly common Ground-types like Flygon, Krookodile, and Rhyperior. Also, its reliance on unreliable and passive forms of recovery can let it be overwhelmed and taken advantage of.
[SET]
name: Special Wall
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Poison Jab / Poison Fang
move 3: Rest / Drain Punch
move 4: Sleep Talk / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Touch
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
tera type: Water / Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Poison Jab is preferred for damage, but Poison Fang can be used to spread poison more easily. Rest + Sleep Talk offers reliable recovery but is quite passive; however, Drain Punch + Protect allows Alolan Muk to regain health and still threaten Steel-types like Magnezone and Lucario while simultaneously allowing it to pressure opponents. Tera Water can be used to better take Fire-type attacks from Hisuian Typhlosian and Chandelure, and it gifts it a strong defensive Tera type that can take tons of Pokemon well. However, Tera Dragon can be used to resist more typings, keeping you safe from specific Special attackers like Thundurus, Venusaur, and Infernape. Both Tera Water and Dragon help Alolan Muk when facing Ground-types, but they tend to leave it more susceptible to physical wallbreakers like Flygon, Tsareena, and Brambleghast.
Alolan Muk fails against physical attackers—especially Ground- and Fighting-types such as Krookodile, Flygon, Lucario, and Mienshao, so Pokemon like Slowbro, Swampert, and Talonflame can help to form a strong defensive core for the team. After using Knock Off, Alolan Muk has no strong way to deal with Steel-types like Registeel and Klefki, so they take advantage of it and start to set-up or set Spikes in front of it, respectively. To counter this, teammates that can handle these such as Infernape, Krookodile, and Flygon pair well with Alolan Muk. Since it can deal with Psychic- and Ghost-types easily, Pokemon such as Mienshao, Mew, and Munkidori greatly appreciate Alolan Muk’s presence. Because of how easily Alolan Muk can spread Knock Off, hazard setters like Klefki, Rhyperior, and Quagsire. With how many times Alolan Muk is forced to switch into an attack, hazards become an issue for it, jeopardizing its ability to take on Chandelure and Munkidori. To clear these hazards, Pokemon like Talonflame, Noivern, and Tsareena pair perfectly.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
A more offensive Alolan Muk with an Assault Vest and a moveset of Knock Off / Poison Jab / Drain Punch / and one of either Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Giga Drain, or Shadow Sneak can be used to take Special hits while also pressuring opponents, but, in doing so, it misses out on any reliable recovery. Toxic Spikes can be on Alolan Muk, but, due to the prevalence of grounded Poison-types like Vileplume, Munkidori, and opposing Alolan Muk, it tends to fall short of useful.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon like Krookodile, Flygon, and Rhyperior easily pressure it with a super-effective Earthquake, and they can capitalize on a forced switch by instead going for Stealth Rock or setting up.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Mienshao, Gallade, and Lucario, while not having a way to hit Alolan Muk super-effectively overwhelm it, taking advantage of its low Defense with their powerful, consecutive Fighting-type attacks.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Vileplume and Tera Poison Slowbro can wall Alolan Muk due to their immunity to Toxic. On top of that, Vileplume is able to set up Leech Seed or use Growth while Slowbro freely sets up with Calm Mind and threatens it with a burn.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Physical breakers like Lycanroc-D and Feraligatr easily overwhelm Alolan Muk with their Choice Band- and Life Orb-boosted attacks due to its low Defense.
**Set-up Pokemon**: With how passive Alolan Muk can be, especially with Rest, it can be set-up fodder for Pokemon like Cloyster, Gallade, and Flygon.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rabia.336073/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Alolan Muk’s strong defensive typing and high Special Defense allows it to be one of the top threats in the metagame. Common Special attackers like Chandelure, Munkidori, and Dragalge are stopped in their tracks and forced out by it. On top of this, Alolan Muk isn’t useless against bulkier Pokemon either; thanks to its access to Knock Off in combination with Poison Touch, it can whittle through Slowbro, Sylveon, Talonflame, and Gastrodon. Poison Touch along with Poison Jab allows it to spread poisons nearly uninhibited, letting it chip away at opposing teams quite easily. However, Alolan Muk is quite frail physically, often forced out by pivots like Mienshao and Flygon, which loses momentum. It also is weak to fairly common Ground-types like Flygon, Krookodile, and Rhyperior. Also, its reliance on unreliable and passive forms of recovery can let it be overwhelmed and taken advantage of.
[SET]
name: Special Wall
move 1: Knock Off
move 2: Poison Jab / Poison Fang
move 3: Rest / Drain Punch
move 4: Sleep Talk / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Touch
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
tera type: Water / Dragon
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Poison Jab is preferred for damage, but Poison Fang can be used to spread poison more easily. Rest + Sleep Talk offers reliable recovery but is quite passive; however, Drain Punch + Protect allows Alolan Muk to regain health and still threaten Steel-types like Magnezone and Lucario while simultaneously allowing it to pressure opponents. Tera Water can be used to better take Fire-type attacks from Hisuian Typhlosian and Chandelure, and it gifts it a strong defensive Tera type that can take tons of Pokemon well. However, Tera Dragon can be used to resist more typings, keeping you safe from specific Special attackers like Thundurus, Venusaur, and Infernape. Both Tera Water and Dragon help Alolan Muk when facing Ground-types, but they tend to leave it more susceptible to physical wallbreakers like Flygon, Tsareena, and Brambleghast.
Alolan Muk fails against physical attackers—especially Ground- and Fighting-types such as Krookodile, Flygon, Lucario, and Mienshao, so Pokemon like Slowbro, Swampert, and Talonflame can help to form a strong defensive core for the team. After using Knock Off, Alolan Muk has no strong way to deal with Steel-types like Registeel and Klefki, so they take advantage of it and start to set-up or set Spikes in front of it, respectively. To counter this, teammates that can handle these such as Infernape, Krookodile, and Flygon pair well with Alolan Muk. Since it can deal with Psychic- and Ghost-types easily, Pokemon such as Mienshao, Mew, and Munkidori greatly appreciate Alolan Muk’s presence. Because of how easily Alolan Muk can spread Knock Off, hazard setters like Klefki, Rhyperior, and Quagsire. With how many times Alolan Muk is forced to switch into an attack, hazards become an issue for it, jeopardizing its ability to take on Chandelure and Munkidori. To clear these hazards, Pokemon like Talonflame, Noivern, and Tsareena pair perfectly.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
A more offensive Alolan Muk with an Assault Vest and a moveset of Knock Off / Poison Jab / Drain Punch / and one of either Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Giga Drain, or Shadow Sneak can be used to take Special hits while also pressuring opponents, but, in doing so, it misses out on any reliable recovery. Toxic Spikes can be on Alolan Muk, but, due to the prevalence of grounded Poison-types like Vileplume, Munkidori, and opposing Alolan Muk, it tends to fall short of useful.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon like Krookodile, Flygon, and Rhyperior easily pressure it with a super-effective Earthquake, and they can capitalize on a forced switch by instead going for Stealth Rock or setting up.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Mienshao, Gallade, and Lucario, while not having a way to hit Alolan Muk super-effectively overwhelm it, taking advantage of its low Defense with their powerful, consecutive Fighting-type attacks.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Vileplume and Tera Poison Slowbro can wall Alolan Muk due to their immunity to Toxic. On top of that, Vileplume is able to set up Leech Seed or use Growth while Slowbro freely sets up with Calm Mind and threatens it with a burn.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Physical breakers like Lycanroc-D and Feraligatr easily overwhelm Alolan Muk with their Choice Band- and Life Orb-boosted attacks due to its low Defense.
**Set-up Pokemon**: With how passive Alolan Muk can be, especially with Rest, it can be set-up fodder for Pokemon like Cloyster, Gallade, and Flygon.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rabia.336073/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Last edited: