Alolan Marowak

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.

Kantonian Corner

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. br />
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

Marowak has made a few appearances in the anime. Most notably, Kiawe has an Alolan Marowak that he uses for battles in Alola.

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
75 Bad to the Bone Marowak's Bone Club Pics
101 The Mandarin Island Miss Match Lorelei of the Elite Four! Ice Duel! Pics
110 Pokémon Double Trouble Tag Match! The Last Gym! Pics
389 Showdown At Linoone Linoone! The Shape of Friendship!?! Pics
404 From Brags to Riches Opening! EverGrande Tournement!! Pics
444 What I Did For Love Decisive Game! May VS Brock! Pics
452 The Ole' Berate and Switch Team Rocket's Disbandment!? Respective Roads! Pics
476 Gymbaliar Croagunk & The Mysterious Gym!! Pics
517 Dawn's Early Night Pokémon Contest! Hearthome Convention! Pics
592 To Thine Own Pokemon Be True! Pokémon PingPong Competition! Ambipom Perseveres!! Pics
M12 Arceus & The Jewel of Life Arceus - Towards Conquering Space-Time Pics
641 Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama! Ditto - Transformation Battle! Which One Is It That's Real!? Pics
977 A Crowning Moment of Truth! A Fire Battle! Marowak Shows Up! Pics
978 Currying Favor and Flavor! A Curry-zy Beautiful Battle! The Dance of Lurantis! Pics
980 Rising from the Ruins! Rockruff and the Guardian Diety of the Ruins of Life! Pics
983 Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence! Popplio, Brionne and the An-chor-gry Dhelmise! Pics
985 Alola, Kanto An Alola! in Kanto! Brock & Misty! Pics
986 When Regions Collide Gym Battle! Z-Move VS Mega Evolution!! Pics
987 A Dream Encounter! Ash and Nebby! A Mysterious Encounter!! Pics
991 Night of a Thousand Poses! Strike a Fully Powered Pose for a Sleepover! Pics
993 Faba's Revenge! Faba Strikes Back! Nebby Gets Abducted!! Pics
996 Rescuing the Unwilling! Hurry Up! Operation: Rescue Lusamine!! Pics
997 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight! Shine, Z-Power Ring! A Super Fully Powered 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!! Pics
998 The Professors' New Adventure! Thank You, Solgaleo! You are Our Nebby!! Pics
999 Let Sleeping Pokémon Lie! A Strong Sleeper: Komala's Secret Pics
1000 The Dex Can't Help It! Rotom Won't Stop Undergoing Forme Change! Pics
1002 Tasting the Bitter with the Sweet! Mallow & Lana: Bittersweet Memories! Pics
1003 Getting a Jump on the Competition! Lillie is Soaring Through The Air! The PokéSled Jump Tournament! Pics
1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics
1005 Acting True to Form! The Dark Meowth is Alolan Meowth!? Pics
1006 Pushing the Fiery Envelope! Burn with Passion, Litten! Down with Incineroar!! Pics
1008 Turning Heads and Training Hard! Ilima and Eevee Have Ilimade Their Entrance!! Pics
1009 Smashing with Sketch! Smashing with Sketch! The Fierce Poké-Ping Pong Match!! Pics
1010 Love at First Twirl! Pika Pika Sparkling Love! Poipole Spins Round and Round!! Pics
1012 Rise and Shine, Starship! Shine On, Starship Celesteela! Pics
1013 The Young Flame Strikes Back! Protect the Farm! The Blue Flame Strikes Back!! Pics
1014 Dewpider Ascending! Dewpider Gets Lana!? Pics
1017 Tough Guy Trials! This Tough Old Geezer's the Island Kahuna? Pics
1021 Twirling with a Bang! Ultra Beast Clash! Operation: Boom Boom Crackle!! Pics
1023 Not Caving Under Pressure! A Sandshrew's Storm! An Ice Hole Double Battle!! Pics
1024 A Young Royal Flame Ignites! The Young Flame of Alola! The Birth of Royal Ash!! Pics
1025 All They Want to Do is Dance Dance! Won't You Give us a Dance Dance Evolution? Pics
1026 Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids! Ash Becomes Tiny Pics
1027 The Shape of Love to Come! The Shape of Family: Poipole's Feelings! Pics
1028 The Long Vault Home! Leap 'n' Climb: Stakataka! Pics
1029 I Choose Paradise! I Choose Here! The Pokémon Steam Paradise!! Pics
1030 Filling the Light with Darkness! Crisis in Alola! The Darkness that Eats Radiance!! Pics
1031 Full Moon and Many Arms! Lunala VS UB: BLACK! A Battle at Full Moon!! Pics
1032 The Prism Between Light and Darkness! A Prism of Light and Darkness: Its name is Necrozma! Pics
1033 Securing the Future! Connect to the Future! The Legend of the Blinding One!! Pics
1036 Lillier and the Staff! The Hero Lilliel and the Alolan Cane! Pics
1037 A Haunted House for Everyone! Ghost Pokémon Everywhere! Everyone's Haunted House!! Pics
1038 Sparking Confusion! Wela Volcano: The Golem, the Graveler and the Hikers! Pics
1040 No Stone Unturned! Dartrix the Master!!! Rowlet the Sleeperzzz Pics
1041 Bright Lights, Big Changes! The Duo Splits Up!? Ash & Rotom Pics
1042 We Know Where You're Going, Eevee! Where is Eevee Going? To the End of the World for the Sake of a Meeting! Pics
1044 Parallel Friendships! Fire it Off! The Twin Gigavolt Havoc of Friendship!! Pics
1045 Alola, Alola! An Alola! in Alola! Brock and Misty! Pics
1046 Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone! A Passionate Heart That Smashes Even Rocks! Olivia and Brock!! Pics
1047 That's Some Spicy Island Research! Research Projects on Poni Island! Find the Island Kahuna!! Pics
1048 Showdown on Poni Island! Lycanroc Showdown! Ash VS Gladion!! Pics
1049 Evolving Research! We Have the Sea and We Have Valleys! Pokémon Evolution Training!! Pics
1050 Run Heroes Run! Run, Kiawe! Surpass Yourself!! Pics
1051 Memories in the Mist! In Tapu Fini's Mist Pics
1052 A Grand Debut! An Island Kahuna is Born! Ash's Grand Trial!! Pics
1053 Keeping Your Eyes on the Ball! Hole in One at PokéGolf Pics
1054 Show Me the Metal! Arrival in Alola! Melty Metal Panic!! Pics
1055 Got Meltan? A New Species Has Been Discovered! I Got a Meltan!! Pics
1056 This Magik Moment! A New Show?! The Tiny Melody of Magikarp Pics
1057 Beauty is Only Crystal Deep! Beauty and the Meowth Pics
1058 The Dealer of Destruction! Guzma, Emperor of Destruction! Pics
1059 The Secret Princess! Lillie and the Secret Ingenuity Princess! Pics
1061 Aiming for the Top Floor! Aim for the Top Floor! The Explosive Dragon Gym!! Pics
1064 A Recipe for Success! Mallow's Valiant Effort! The Forest Pokémon Café!! Pics
1066 A Fiery Training Camp Trick! Master the Z-Move! Kiawe's Fierce Boot Camp!! Pics
1067 Living on the Cutting Edge! Perfect Sharpness! Kartana has Arrived! Pics
1070 Chasing Memories, Creating Dreams! Gladion & Lillie! Chasing a Father's Phantom!! Pics
1074 The Battlefield of Truth and Love! Jessie VS James! A Battlefield of Love and Truth!! Pics
1075 Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Strategy! Overcome Decidueye!! Pics
1077 The Road to the Semifinals! Everyone's Fully Powered! The Road to the Semifinals!! Pics
1078 The Final Four! The Semifinals! Kiawe VS Gladion! Pics
1079 Getting Down to The Ire! Rising Fire! More Than One Rival!! Pics
1080 The Wisdom Not to Run! Guzma the Undefeated! Pics
1081 Final Rivals! The Finals! The Ultimate Rival Showdown!! Pics
1082 Enter the Champion! He's Born! The Alolan League Winner! Pics
1084 Exhibition Unmasked! Final Battle! Ash VS Kukui!! Pics
1085 A Full Battle Bounty! Burn with Passion! Get Filled with Intensity! A Full Battle!!! Pics
1086 Fiery Surprises! Conclusion! Incineroar VS Torracat!! Pics
1087 From Z to Shining Z! The Greatest Z in Alola! Tapu Koko VS Pikachu! Pics
1088 Dreaming of the Sun and Moon! The Sun, the Moon and Everyone's Dreams! Pics
1089 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues! Thank You, Alola! Respective Departures!! Pics
1113 A Little Rocket R & R! Rest, Team Rocket! Pics
1126 The New Old Gang of Mine I Am Back! Nice to See You, Alola! Pics
1148 When a House is Not a Home! The Lost Grookey! Who is its Trainer!? Pics
1201 Helping the Hometown Hero! A Triumphant Return! The Alola Champion!! Pics