Marowak, The Bone Keeper Pokémon. This Pokémon sets the bone it holds on fire and dances through the night as a way to mourn its fallen allies. The cursed flames that light up the bone carried by this Pokémon are said to cause both mental and physical pain that will never fade.
Overview
Marowak returns for the Galar region and while not much has changed for its Kanto counterpart, the Alolan version at least got a decent upgrade in Poltergeist. Alolan will always be the favoured variant since it posseses a fantastic Fire/Ghost type combination that gives two strong STABs to hit most targets for neutral damage. It also posseses decent bulk, three useful abilities and its unique signature item in Thick Club which doubles its Attack stat. However, Alolan Marowak is vulnerable to all entry hazards, poison and weak attacks due to its lack of recovery. It is also extremely vulnerable to Knock Off since it can potentially remove its Thick Club and render it as a mediocre Pokemon throughout the match (assuming it even survives the super-effective damage) and its poor Speed stat makes it easily outspeeded by Pokemon such as Weavile, Bisharp and Gengar.
There's nothing else to be said about the Kanto variant. A sub-optimal Pokemon that finds itself more comfortable with a more valuable niche in Doubles and genuinely has nothing to offer in Singles. Overall, a mediocre Pokemon that completely relies on Trick Room to get things done.
Positives
Thanks to Thick Club doubling its Attack stat, Alolan Marowak can boast a whooping Attack stat which makes it a terribly difficult wallbreaker to switch into combined with its Ghost and Fire STABs.
Coverage-wise, Alolan Marowak doesn't needs a lot since Fire and Ghost STAB can hit most Pokemon for neutral damage and it gets what it needs on Bonemerang / Earthquake to complement it.
Base 110 Defense provides decent physical bulk allowing it to take hits fairly well before smacking opponents.
While its three abilities are not outstanding, they all provide valuable niches: Lightning Rod gives Alolan Marowak an additional Electric immunity allowing it to switch into Electric types, Rock Head nullifies Flare Blitz recoil damage and Curse Body can be useful to disable the last move used by the opponent which can open opportunities for another teammate to set-up.
Negatives
Base 45 Speed is extremely low and Marowak needs a huge amount of Speed investment to even hit walls before it gets hinderd.
No recovery and being grounded with a weakness to Stealth Rock means that Marowak is extremely vulnerable to indirect damage and often requires hazard removal or dedicated support around it to be succesful.
Movesets
LAVENDER TOMBSTONY
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Poltergeist / Shadow Bone
- Earthquake / Bonemerang
Item Attached: Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head / Lightning Rod
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Alolan Marowak can effectively wallbreak through teams thanks to the raw power boost it gets from its Thick Club and with access to Swords Dance, it will obliterate anything unfortunate enough to be slower than it. Flare Blitz is Alolan Marowak's strongest STAB move, hitting insanely hard with no recoil thanks to its Rock Head ability. Poltergeist is the 2nd strongest STAB Marowak can get access to as long as the opponent has an item. However, if your team has a Knock Off user, Shadow Bone is a valid alternative as it will hit targets without missing or failing while providing decent power. Earthquake is the best coverage move Marowak can use to smack both Incineroar and Toxapex for super-effective coverage. Bonemerang is also an option in case it is required for Marowak to hit through Substitute users vulnerable to the move.
DYNAMAX:
It's definitely recommended to Dynamax in case the situation merits it since Alolan Marowak gains a lot from the additional bulk provided by it. Max Flare provides Sun which not only strengthens Alolan Marowak's STAB but also weakens Water attacks against it. Max Phantasm reduces the opponent's Defense allowing it to wallbreak more effectively. Finally Max Quake increases Marowak's weaker Special Defense which increases its overall bulk making it harder to be taken down.
Max Attack and Speed allows Alolan Marowak to outspeed walls like Toxapex while providing maximum power allowing it to wall break. Thick Club is the only item that should be considered to be used by Marowak due to its overwhelming boost in Attack.
Partners
Stealth Rock also puts a huge dent into Marowak so having hazard removal is ideal since it can't afford to run Heavy-Duty Boots to alleviate this. Corviknight stands out as it can also switch into Ground-type attacks easily, though Mandibuzz is another option that also resists Ghost- and Dark-type moves as well. Rillaboom's Grassy Surge can also help mitigate the threat of Earthquake while providing passive helaing, and it can threaten Water- and Rock-types that Marowak may not want to deal with. Alolan Marowak's low Speed makes it ideal for a Trick Room setup if you choose to forego Speed completely, so teammates such as Hatterene and Mimikyu are excellent considerations if going that route too.
Other Options
Substitute is a strong utility move that can capitalize on switches to give either Marowak form an easier time against faster foes that would otherwise threaten it easily. Giving up a moveslot for this can be difficult though.
Low Kick is useful with Dynamax as Max Knuckle's Attack boosts can make a difference against bulkier foes, and otherwise gives Alolan Marowak a useful tool against Thick Fat Snorlax who walls it completely otherwise.
Thunder Punch can provide useful coverage against bulky Water-types, though Toxapex is already hit by Ground-type coverage and the Water/Ground Pokemon don't care about Thunder Punch.
Countering Marowak
Thick Club makes it very tricky to switch into either form or Marowak, though it very slow so unless it has Trick Room support it will always suffer against faster foes that can easily wear it down. Water-types in particular threaten both forms so Rapid Strike Urshifu, Primarina, Lapras, and Mantine are worth consideration for this role.
Both forms of Marowak hate Knock Off to varying degrees since they both rely greatly on Thick Club for high damage output, though Alolan Marowak is also weak to it so there's even greater risk involved there. In particular this can make it difficult for Alolan Marowak to even switch into some Ferrothorn and Rillaboom despite type-advantage, since switching into a Knock Off can simply end Marowak's time on the field. Rillaboom can even run High Horsepower so Alolan Marowak is even less safe against what otherwise feels like an advantageous matchup.
In general, Ground-type coverage is far from uncommon so Alolan Marowak must be wary of anything faster than it that may be running Ground-type moves. Even a matchup like Venusaur is unsafe due to the fear of Earth Power. However, common Ground-types such as Excadrill, Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Rhyperior all pose trouble for Alolan Marowak as is. Stealth Rock also chips down Alolan Marowak very fast which is a problem when Flare Blitz is a consideration, so keeping Stealth Rock pressure up can be alone to put it on a timer.
Marowak, The Bone Keeper Pokémon. This Pokémon overcame its sorrow to evolve a sturdy new body. Marowak faces its opponents bravely, using a bone as a weapon. When this Pokémon evolved, the skull of its mother fused to it. Marowak's temperament also turned vicious at the same time.
Overview
Positives
Thick Club doubles its Attack stat which makes Kantonian Marowak a powerful threat capable of breaking through teams with dedicated support.
It gets decent coverage moves with Fire Punch, Knock Off and Stone Edge to hit those targets immune to its STAB Earthquake.
Base 110 Defense cannot be underestimated since it gives Kantonian Marowak decent bulk from the physical side.
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Negatives
Base 45 Speed is pathetic, however, Marowak can effectively use this on Trick Room as it will allow it to outspeed several threats with it.
Movesets
BONE MARROW
- Substitute
- Knock Off
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
Item Attached: Thick Club
Ability: Battle Armor
IVs: 0 Speed
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Brave Nature
DYNAMAX:
Kantonian Marowak also benefits from Dynamax since it allows it to increase its bulk. It only gains a notable beneficial effect from Max Quake since it increases its weaker Special Defense stat.
Max Attack and HP provides Kantonian Marowak with all the power and bulk it needs to stay as long as possible. Under Trick Room, it becomes extremely difficult to deal with so make sure you can take advantage of it. Thick Club is the only item that will significantly boost Marowak compared to other items, so make sure it remains as your only choice if you plan to use Marowak.
Partners
Marowak really appreciates bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn that can switch into Grass- and Water-type threats with ease, and also benefits from hazard support that it provides. Marowak also doesn't like to deal with Flying-types unless they're hit hard by Fire Punch like Corviknight, so teammates like Magnezone, Dracozolt, and Kyurem are worth considering for keeping the pressure on these foes. Kantonian Marowak also appreciates Trick Room support even if its Alolan cousin does it better, so the previously noted Trick Room setters like Mimikyu are still worth consideration.
Other Options
Substitute is a strong utility move that can capitalize on switches to give either Marowak form an easier time against faster foes that would otherwise threaten it easily. Giving up a moveslot for this can be difficult though.
Low Kick is useful with Dynamax as Max Knuckle's Attack boosts can make a difference against bulkier foes, and otherwise gives Alolan Marowak a useful tool against Thick Fat Snorlax who walls it completely otherwise.
Stone Edge can be used on Kantonian Marowak to deal with Flying-types directly, though giving up Knock Off or Fire Punch can be tough to justify and the shaky accuracy can be annoying.
Thunder Punch can provide useful coverage against bulky Water-types, though Toxapex is already hit by Ground-type coverage and the Water/Ground Pokemon don't care about Thunder Punch.
Checks & Counters
Thick Club makes it very tricky to switch into either form or Marowak, though it very slow so unless it has Trick Room support it will always suffer against faster foes that can easily wear it down. Water-types in particular threaten both forms so Rapid Strike Urshifu, Primarina, Lapras, and Mantine are worth consideration for this role. Kantonian Marowak also fears faster Grass-types that it can't nail with Fire Punch, Rillaboom stands out the most here since even with Trick Room support it can simply snipe Marowak with a powerful Grassy Glide and there's nothing you can do about it.
Both forms of Marowak hate Knock Off to varying degrees since they both rely greatly on Thick Club for high damage output, though Alolan Marowak is also weak to it so there's even greater risk involved there. In particular this can make it difficult for Alolan Marowak to even switch into some Ferrothorn and Rillaboom despite type-advantage, since switching into a Knock Off can simply end Marowak's time on the field. Rillaboom can even run High Horsepower so Alolan Marowak is even less safe against what otherwise feels like an advantageous matchup.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Cerulean Cave, Victory Road (Red / Blue)
Safari Zone (Yellow)
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Rock Tunnel (Gold, Silver)
Route 9, Route 10, Rock Tunnel (Crystal)
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Trade from FireRed/LeafGreen
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Seavault Canyon, Victory Road
Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Admin Eldes in Citadark Isle (XD)
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Cubone
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Rock Tunnel, Safari Zone
Black/White:
Route 15
Black 2/White 2:
Trade from Black & White
X/Y:
Evolve Cubone
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X & Y
Sun/Moon:
Evolve Cubone
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Cubone
Totem Size: Heahea City
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Evolve Cubone (Kanto Form)
Fuchsia City Trade (Alola Form)
Sword/Shield:
Potbottom Desert
Gift from Diglett Master (Alola Form)
Max Raid Battles: Challenge Beach, Courageous Cavern, Potbottom Desert, Stepping-Stone Sea
Animé Appearences
