Status: Complete / Need grammar check
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/muk
_______________________________________________________________
[OVERVIEW]
[Opinion]
<p>Muk is probably one of the worst cases of moveslot syndrome in history. His main offensive type is rather pitiful; Steel, Rock, and Ground are three omnipresent types and none of them mind it. This means Muk relies a lot on his big movepool to really hurt whatever switches into him, but the limit of three leftover moveslots hinders him greatly, especially since Explosion is such a tempting move, sometimes leaving him with only two moves for make up for the bad STAB.</p>
<p>Muk is an excellent special tank who can take attacks sent from the likes of special Venusaur who happens to be one of the metagame's finest sweeper. His monster 105 base Attack should not be ignored either, as it can tear massive holes in even resistant foes with his powerful Gunk Shots. Curse can very feasibly sweep a team once the threatening status attacks are out of the way, and hopefully the counter has taken enough damage to die to a couple of boosted hits. All in all, Muk is a solid choice for any UU team.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Shadow Sneak / Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Muk makes a fantastic Curse user in UU due to its superb bulk who can take special hits repeatedly. This set utilizes the move Curse, which increases Muk's average Defense and decent Attack. Poison Jab is your obligatory STAB move while the third slot gives Muk better coverage. Brick Break allows you to damage Steel- and Rock-types such as Steelix, Registeel, and Probopass, which usually carry Earthquake to wreck your set up. Ice Punch allows you to hit Ground-types such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol, who are common switch-ins to Muk. Explosion is a powerful move for your last slot to guarantee yourself one Pokemon, while Shadow Sneak allows you to hit faster Pokemon like Espeon and Alakazam, who can threaten Muk with a STAB Psychic attack. Rest is another option if Muk has a couple of Curse under its belt, which allows Muk to replenish health loss from setting up. Gunk Shot is another option on this set for a stronger STAB attack but it is not recommended because Gunk Shot has less PP and accuracy.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a hard time dealing with Registeel and Steelix due to their titanic Defense which allow them to take repeated Brick Breaks from Muk. Steelix can use Roar to prevent Muk from setting up Curse, or it can use Earthquake to deal plenty of damage on Muk. Registeel can take repeated hits thrown at it but it does not hit as hard as Steelix when it uses Earthquake. Hariyama makes an excellent pairing with Muk due to its incredible base HP who can take repeated Earthquakes from Steelix and Registeel. Hariyama can threaten opposing Steel-types with a STAB Fighting-type attack. Nidoking and Nidoqueen who invest heavily in Defense can easily come in on this set. They resist Muk's STAB attack and can threaten with a STAB Earthquake. Milotic or Quagsire are good options that can work great alongside Muk. Milotic has exceptional bulk who can shrug off attacks and it has access to Recovery to heal off damage from Nidoking and Nidoqueen. Milotic disposes both Nidoking and Nidoqueen with Surf. Quagsire is another option if you want to remain immune to Nidoking and Nidoqueen's STAB attacks. Muk will also appreciate eight-turn dual screens to set up with less difficulty.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Leftovers
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the previous set, this doesn’t attempt to sweep, but instead aims to handle Special hits directed at Muk while dishing out attacks with its impressive Base 105 Attack. These moves are for pure coverage. Poison Jab is a move you would prefer for better accuracy while Gunk Shot provides extra power but less accuracy. This set does not mind the PP drop from Gunk Shot. Brick Break and Focus Punch are a must to damage opposing Rock and Steel-types, who usually gives Muk a tough time. The selections for Brick Break and Focus Punch totally depend on how confident your prediction skills are. Focus Punch will deal more damage than Brick Break; if you manage to predict a Rock or Steel-type switch-in.</p>
<p>Ice Punch is useful against opposing Ground-types who attempt to come in on your STAB attack. Ice Punch hits Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol respectively. Payback is another option for hitting opposing Psychic-types which could be problematic for Muk. Giga Drain is handy to hit Quagsire, Gastrodon, Golem and Relicanth on a switch.</p>
<p>Shadow Sneak is another option on this set to cover speedy Psychic-types, but it is far too weak without a Curse boost. Explosion is another option for this set to take out Pokemon with Muk. Fire Blast can be used in UU to hit Steelix, but that's the extent of its UU uses compared to OU.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Muk will have a harder time dealing with Steel-types like Registeel and Steelix without a Curse boost. Both Registeel and Steelix can shrug off Brick Break from Muk. If Muk happens to use Focus Punch on a predicted switch, it will still fail to take huge amount of HP from Registeel and Steelix. A defensive Hariyama can be a neat partner with Muk. It can take repeated Earthquake while dishing out a strong STAB move. Moltres is another option in this set to come in on Earthquake and attempt to scare Steel-types away with a Fire-type move. Muk will attract Psychic-types and the perfect choice to take Psychic attacks is Spiritomb. Spiritomb can utilize Pursuit on fleeing Psychic-types or perform a Calm Mind set to handle bulkier Psychic-types like Uxie and Hypno.</p>
[SET]
name: Sleep Talk
move 1: Poison Jab
move 2: Brick Break
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to make up for Muk’s lack of recovery move. This set is quite simple: you use Rest when your health is rather low and use Sleep Talk while you are asleep. This set also helps you come in on status and utilize Rest to clean off status. Poison Jab is your required STAB move, while Brick Break gives you extra coverage which allows you to penetrate through Steel-types and Rock-types and hit Ground-types neutrally.</p>
<p>Gunk Shot is another option for extra power, but the accuracy and PP is too low. Brick Break can be replaced with Curse to perform a set with Rest / Sleep Talk / Curse / Poison Jab, but Poison Jab alone is a pathetic attacking option and you would have a rugged time muscling your way through a metagame filled with Steel-types and Ground-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This particular set is a nice switch-in to Ninetales, Rotom, and Vileplume, all of which Muk would normally steer clear of due to their status attacks. In fact, Muk is just a great status absorber in general due to the fact that its Poison typing and high Special Defense allow it to switch in on nearly every status user in UU with impunity.</p>
<p>As always, this set has a hard time dealing with Steel-types and Ground-types. With the lack of type coverage, Nidoking and Nidoqueen can come in on this set with ease and can frighten Muk with a STAB Earthquake. Espeon in particular can come and set up or scare away Muk with Psychic. Muk partners well with Spiritomb to take incoming Psychic-type attacks dished at Muk and can utilize Pursuit to hurt fleeing Espeon. Like mentioned on the other set a Calm Mind set can be performed to deal with bulkier Psychic-types like Uxie and Mespirit much easier. Dealing with Nidoking and Nidoqueen is tougher and the excellent partner to handle these Pokemon is Milotic. Milotic can handle Nidoqueen easier but Nidoking might be troublesome. Milotic has great bulk to shrug off Thunderbolts from Nidoking and can take a STAB Earthquake from Nidoking. Milotic can frighten Nidoking with Surf and can easily heal off damage with Recovery. Milotic can also handle Steelix easily and it can dispose Registeel head-to-head due to the lack of recovery move. If Milotic happens to be Thunder Waved, it can utilize a Sleep Talk set and take advantage of Marvel Scale.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Black Sludge
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Muk’s base 105 Attack is quite impressive for a wall and with excellent prediction, this set can be very effective. The nifty thing Muk possesses is the ability to hit hard and cushion attacks nicely due to its titanic HP and adequate bulk. Gunk Shot is finally a main option unlike the other sets. A STAB Gunk Shot can deal a considerable amount of damage to those that don’t resist it. Poison Jab is your “safe option” if you think Gunk Shot’s accuracy is making you nervous. The selection between Brick Break and Focus Punch totally relies on your prediction skills. Focus Punch can now penetrate harder on Steel-types and Rock-types and with deal roughly around 62.15% - 73.45% on a Relaxed 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix, which is Muk’s number one counter. Brick Break is another option but will fail to get a clean 2HKO on Steelix. Ice Punch deals with Ground-types like Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol respectively. Explosion is your final slot which holds massive power which can OHKO anything that doesn’t resist it.</p>
<p>Payback is another option in place of Ice Punch to hurt opposing Psychic-types but Ice Punch is more important to damage Ground-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set hits hard but it is still stopped by Steel-types. Steelix and Registeel has to be extra careful switching in on Focus Punch. Other than Focus Punch, it can easily come in on the other three attacks. It can scare away Muk with Earthquake or use Roar. Nidoking and Nidoqueen can also come in on a predicted Poison-type or Fighting-type attack and damage it with a STAB Earthquake. As mentioned Milotic alone can stop this set’s counters and scare them away with Surf. In this set, Muk will always appreciate layers of Spikes to hurt Steelix and Registeel switch-ins harder and it has a chance to OHKO it on a switch if it was damaged before.</p>
[SET]
name: Sub-Punch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 4: Ice Punch / Payback / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The simple Sub-Punch set and this set is quite helpful to damage opposing Steel and Rock-type switch ins with a stronger Fighting-type move. This set is quite simple, Substitute on a something you will scare, or something you will take little damage from, and then you can use Focus Punch. The astonishing thing about this set is you can perform Focus Punch to deal more damage to your common Steel- and Rock-type switch ins behind a Substitute. Gunk Shot is your obligatory STAB move with extra power and if you prefer to be safer, Poison Jab is the preferred attack. Ice Punch covers Ground-types like Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol in particular, who resist Fighting + Poison. However, you're looking at a 3HKO at best, so you may prefer Payback to maim Ghosts instead. Payback helps with Psychic-types too, but most of them aren't a concern when you are safe behind a Substitute and can freely batter their generally lower Defense with Gunk Shots. Also, as with every other set, Explosion is an option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Behind a Substitute it is harder to deal with due to 101 HP Substitutes. Steelix in particular can deal with this set much easier. Despite the ability to hurt Steelix with a stronger Fighting-type attack, it will deal roughly around 41.24% - 49.15% which is a clean 3HKO. It is still lackluster without a Choice Band boost or a Curse boost. Steelix can easily use Roar to blow away Muk or use Earthquake to damage it. As always, Milotic is a perfect partner who shrugs off Earthquakes and scare away with Surf. Mentioned in the previous set, Muk appreciates layers of Spikes which can turn 3HKO’s to 2HKO’s. Muk also appreciates dual screens which make it extra difficult to penetrate through 101 HP Substitutes.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Muk is a unique pokemon that has a unique base spread. Its role in the team is cushion blows from Special hits and dish out attacks with an impressive base 105 Attack. Muk’s lack of recovery move is a disappointment but a Rest Talk set is available. Muk can come in on Venuaur who resist most of its attacks and can absorb Toxic Spikes from Venussaur. Muk has a rather tough time muscling its way through Steelix and Registeel. Muk can partner with many Pokemon to remove these threats because an unboosted Brick Break and Focus Punch will fall short.</p>
<p>Muk will attract Earthquake and Moltres can come in and scare away Steelix and Registeel with a STAB Fire attack. An appropriate spinner is required to help Moltres switch in more. If you are nervous and unsure of Moltres, Milotic can make a perfect partner with Muk. With its tremendous bulk, it can manage to take Earthquake and scare them away with Surf. If you are confident and you feel they will use Stealth Rock, you can use Magneton to trap these Steel-types and help Muk out in the long run. Claydol, Nidoking and Nidoqueen will give Muk a hard time because it is immune to Poison + Fighting. As stated earlier, Milotic can come in and do a fine job here and can easily replenish its health with Recovery and scare them away with a STAB Water move. On the Choice Band and SubPunch sets, Muk will appreciate layers of Spikes and dual screen to help destroy its counters. SubPunch is a great tactic to hit your counters behind a Substitute. Overall, Muk is a great Pokemon that can dish out attacks while cushion hits from the opponent.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Besides Ice Punch, Muk also has access on other elemental punches. If you are planning to use Muk in OU, Thunder Punch can help against Gyarados and Tentacruel. Fire Punch can hurt Skarmory and Foretress hard. Fire Blast is also another option to score a 2HKO on Skarmory and Foretress in particular, but its lackluster Special Attack needs some investment, which Muk doesn’t really need. Memento is an extremely unorthodox move that Muk can employ in some very circumstantial cases to set up your next Pokemon, such as a Belly Drummer or some other late-game sweeper. Mean Look can force something to stay into you so you can kamikaze on them with Explosion. Muk can also perform Haze but Weezing can do a better job at doing that. Taunt is OK since it stops stuff setting up and forces Ghosts to attack so you can hit them with Payback, and prevents them from burning Muk. Screech can telegraph a switch; sometimes allow Muk a free Focus Punch. Again, Giga Drain is there, but only if you want to surprise enemies that have a 4x weakness to it.<p>
[Counters]
<p>Muk has a plethora of counters in UU. Mentioned in every set, Muk has a difficult time getting past Steel, Rock and Ground-types, which are all very common defensive typing in UU. In UU, Steelix and Registeel can prevent Muk from doing anything because of their titanic Defense. Muk’s only source of attack to hit hard is a boosted Focus Punch, which is a clean 2HKO on both Steelix and Registeel, but it is hard to perform. Steelix is probably Muk’s worst nightmare and can’t do anything because it can threaten it with Roar or Earthquake. Nidoking, Claydol and Nidoqueen are also a bothersome to Muk who resist Muk’s STAB move and Fighting move. All three have a considerable amount of bulk to take Ice Punch and they can outpace Muk and use a STAB Earthquake. Drapion is also another forgotten threat who can set up Swords Dance and attempt to scare away Muk.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/muk
_______________________________________________________________
[OVERVIEW]
[Opinion]
<p>Muk is probably one of the worst cases of moveslot syndrome in history. His main offensive type is rather pitiful; Steel, Rock, and Ground are three omnipresent types and none of them mind it. This means Muk relies a lot on his big movepool to really hurt whatever switches into him, but the limit of three leftover moveslots hinders him greatly, especially since Explosion is such a tempting move, sometimes leaving him with only two moves for make up for the bad STAB.</p>
<p>Muk is an excellent special tank who can take attacks sent from the likes of special Venusaur who happens to be one of the metagame's finest sweeper. His monster 105 base Attack should not be ignored either, as it can tear massive holes in even resistant foes with his powerful Gunk Shots. Curse can very feasibly sweep a team once the threatening status attacks are out of the way, and hopefully the counter has taken enough damage to die to a couple of boosted hits. All in all, Muk is a solid choice for any UU team.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion / Shadow Sneak / Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Muk makes a fantastic Curse user in UU due to its superb bulk who can take special hits repeatedly. This set utilizes the move Curse, which increases Muk's average Defense and decent Attack. Poison Jab is your obligatory STAB move while the third slot gives Muk better coverage. Brick Break allows you to damage Steel- and Rock-types such as Steelix, Registeel, and Probopass, which usually carry Earthquake to wreck your set up. Ice Punch allows you to hit Ground-types such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol, who are common switch-ins to Muk. Explosion is a powerful move for your last slot to guarantee yourself one Pokemon, while Shadow Sneak allows you to hit faster Pokemon like Espeon and Alakazam, who can threaten Muk with a STAB Psychic attack. Rest is another option if Muk has a couple of Curse under its belt, which allows Muk to replenish health loss from setting up. Gunk Shot is another option on this set for a stronger STAB attack but it is not recommended because Gunk Shot has less PP and accuracy.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a hard time dealing with Registeel and Steelix due to their titanic Defense which allow them to take repeated Brick Breaks from Muk. Steelix can use Roar to prevent Muk from setting up Curse, or it can use Earthquake to deal plenty of damage on Muk. Registeel can take repeated hits thrown at it but it does not hit as hard as Steelix when it uses Earthquake. Hariyama makes an excellent pairing with Muk due to its incredible base HP who can take repeated Earthquakes from Steelix and Registeel. Hariyama can threaten opposing Steel-types with a STAB Fighting-type attack. Nidoking and Nidoqueen who invest heavily in Defense can easily come in on this set. They resist Muk's STAB attack and can threaten with a STAB Earthquake. Milotic or Quagsire are good options that can work great alongside Muk. Milotic has exceptional bulk who can shrug off attacks and it has access to Recovery to heal off damage from Nidoking and Nidoqueen. Milotic disposes both Nidoking and Nidoqueen with Surf. Quagsire is another option if you want to remain immune to Nidoking and Nidoqueen's STAB attacks. Muk will also appreciate eight-turn dual screens to set up with less difficulty.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch / Payback
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Leftovers
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the previous set, this doesn’t attempt to sweep, but instead aims to handle Special hits directed at Muk while dishing out attacks with its impressive Base 105 Attack. These moves are for pure coverage. Poison Jab is a move you would prefer for better accuracy while Gunk Shot provides extra power but less accuracy. This set does not mind the PP drop from Gunk Shot. Brick Break and Focus Punch are a must to damage opposing Rock and Steel-types, who usually gives Muk a tough time. The selections for Brick Break and Focus Punch totally depend on how confident your prediction skills are. Focus Punch will deal more damage than Brick Break; if you manage to predict a Rock or Steel-type switch-in.</p>
<p>Ice Punch is useful against opposing Ground-types who attempt to come in on your STAB attack. Ice Punch hits Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol respectively. Payback is another option for hitting opposing Psychic-types which could be problematic for Muk. Giga Drain is handy to hit Quagsire, Gastrodon, Golem and Relicanth on a switch.</p>
<p>Shadow Sneak is another option on this set to cover speedy Psychic-types, but it is far too weak without a Curse boost. Explosion is another option for this set to take out Pokemon with Muk. Fire Blast can be used in UU to hit Steelix, but that's the extent of its UU uses compared to OU.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Muk will have a harder time dealing with Steel-types like Registeel and Steelix without a Curse boost. Both Registeel and Steelix can shrug off Brick Break from Muk. If Muk happens to use Focus Punch on a predicted switch, it will still fail to take huge amount of HP from Registeel and Steelix. A defensive Hariyama can be a neat partner with Muk. It can take repeated Earthquake while dishing out a strong STAB move. Moltres is another option in this set to come in on Earthquake and attempt to scare Steel-types away with a Fire-type move. Muk will attract Psychic-types and the perfect choice to take Psychic attacks is Spiritomb. Spiritomb can utilize Pursuit on fleeing Psychic-types or perform a Calm Mind set to handle bulkier Psychic-types like Uxie and Hypno.</p>
[SET]
name: Sleep Talk
move 1: Poison Jab
move 2: Brick Break
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to make up for Muk’s lack of recovery move. This set is quite simple: you use Rest when your health is rather low and use Sleep Talk while you are asleep. This set also helps you come in on status and utilize Rest to clean off status. Poison Jab is your required STAB move, while Brick Break gives you extra coverage which allows you to penetrate through Steel-types and Rock-types and hit Ground-types neutrally.</p>
<p>Gunk Shot is another option for extra power, but the accuracy and PP is too low. Brick Break can be replaced with Curse to perform a set with Rest / Sleep Talk / Curse / Poison Jab, but Poison Jab alone is a pathetic attacking option and you would have a rugged time muscling your way through a metagame filled with Steel-types and Ground-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This particular set is a nice switch-in to Ninetales, Rotom, and Vileplume, all of which Muk would normally steer clear of due to their status attacks. In fact, Muk is just a great status absorber in general due to the fact that its Poison typing and high Special Defense allow it to switch in on nearly every status user in UU with impunity.</p>
<p>As always, this set has a hard time dealing with Steel-types and Ground-types. With the lack of type coverage, Nidoking and Nidoqueen can come in on this set with ease and can frighten Muk with a STAB Earthquake. Espeon in particular can come and set up or scare away Muk with Psychic. Muk partners well with Spiritomb to take incoming Psychic-type attacks dished at Muk and can utilize Pursuit to hurt fleeing Espeon. Like mentioned on the other set a Calm Mind set can be performed to deal with bulkier Psychic-types like Uxie and Mespirit much easier. Dealing with Nidoking and Nidoqueen is tougher and the excellent partner to handle these Pokemon is Milotic. Milotic can handle Nidoqueen easier but Nidoking might be troublesome. Milotic has great bulk to shrug off Thunderbolts from Nidoking and can take a STAB Earthquake from Nidoking. Milotic can frighten Nidoking with Surf and can easily heal off damage with Recovery. Milotic can also handle Steelix easily and it can dispose Registeel head-to-head due to the lack of recovery move. If Milotic happens to be Thunder Waved, it can utilize a Sleep Talk set and take advantage of Marvel Scale.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 2: Brick Break / Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Black Sludge
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Muk’s base 105 Attack is quite impressive for a wall and with excellent prediction, this set can be very effective. The nifty thing Muk possesses is the ability to hit hard and cushion attacks nicely due to its titanic HP and adequate bulk. Gunk Shot is finally a main option unlike the other sets. A STAB Gunk Shot can deal a considerable amount of damage to those that don’t resist it. Poison Jab is your “safe option” if you think Gunk Shot’s accuracy is making you nervous. The selection between Brick Break and Focus Punch totally relies on your prediction skills. Focus Punch can now penetrate harder on Steel-types and Rock-types and with deal roughly around 62.15% - 73.45% on a Relaxed 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix, which is Muk’s number one counter. Brick Break is another option but will fail to get a clean 2HKO on Steelix. Ice Punch deals with Ground-types like Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol respectively. Explosion is your final slot which holds massive power which can OHKO anything that doesn’t resist it.</p>
<p>Payback is another option in place of Ice Punch to hurt opposing Psychic-types but Ice Punch is more important to damage Ground-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set hits hard but it is still stopped by Steel-types. Steelix and Registeel has to be extra careful switching in on Focus Punch. Other than Focus Punch, it can easily come in on the other three attacks. It can scare away Muk with Earthquake or use Roar. Nidoking and Nidoqueen can also come in on a predicted Poison-type or Fighting-type attack and damage it with a STAB Earthquake. As mentioned Milotic alone can stop this set’s counters and scare them away with Surf. In this set, Muk will always appreciate layers of Spikes to hurt Steelix and Registeel switch-ins harder and it has a chance to OHKO it on a switch if it was damaged before.</p>
[SET]
name: Sub-Punch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
move 4: Ice Punch / Payback / Explosion
item: Black Sludge
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The simple Sub-Punch set and this set is quite helpful to damage opposing Steel and Rock-type switch ins with a stronger Fighting-type move. This set is quite simple, Substitute on a something you will scare, or something you will take little damage from, and then you can use Focus Punch. The astonishing thing about this set is you can perform Focus Punch to deal more damage to your common Steel- and Rock-type switch ins behind a Substitute. Gunk Shot is your obligatory STAB move with extra power and if you prefer to be safer, Poison Jab is the preferred attack. Ice Punch covers Ground-types like Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Claydol in particular, who resist Fighting + Poison. However, you're looking at a 3HKO at best, so you may prefer Payback to maim Ghosts instead. Payback helps with Psychic-types too, but most of them aren't a concern when you are safe behind a Substitute and can freely batter their generally lower Defense with Gunk Shots. Also, as with every other set, Explosion is an option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Behind a Substitute it is harder to deal with due to 101 HP Substitutes. Steelix in particular can deal with this set much easier. Despite the ability to hurt Steelix with a stronger Fighting-type attack, it will deal roughly around 41.24% - 49.15% which is a clean 3HKO. It is still lackluster without a Choice Band boost or a Curse boost. Steelix can easily use Roar to blow away Muk or use Earthquake to damage it. As always, Milotic is a perfect partner who shrugs off Earthquakes and scare away with Surf. Mentioned in the previous set, Muk appreciates layers of Spikes which can turn 3HKO’s to 2HKO’s. Muk also appreciates dual screens which make it extra difficult to penetrate through 101 HP Substitutes.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Muk is a unique pokemon that has a unique base spread. Its role in the team is cushion blows from Special hits and dish out attacks with an impressive base 105 Attack. Muk’s lack of recovery move is a disappointment but a Rest Talk set is available. Muk can come in on Venuaur who resist most of its attacks and can absorb Toxic Spikes from Venussaur. Muk has a rather tough time muscling its way through Steelix and Registeel. Muk can partner with many Pokemon to remove these threats because an unboosted Brick Break and Focus Punch will fall short.</p>
<p>Muk will attract Earthquake and Moltres can come in and scare away Steelix and Registeel with a STAB Fire attack. An appropriate spinner is required to help Moltres switch in more. If you are nervous and unsure of Moltres, Milotic can make a perfect partner with Muk. With its tremendous bulk, it can manage to take Earthquake and scare them away with Surf. If you are confident and you feel they will use Stealth Rock, you can use Magneton to trap these Steel-types and help Muk out in the long run. Claydol, Nidoking and Nidoqueen will give Muk a hard time because it is immune to Poison + Fighting. As stated earlier, Milotic can come in and do a fine job here and can easily replenish its health with Recovery and scare them away with a STAB Water move. On the Choice Band and SubPunch sets, Muk will appreciate layers of Spikes and dual screen to help destroy its counters. SubPunch is a great tactic to hit your counters behind a Substitute. Overall, Muk is a great Pokemon that can dish out attacks while cushion hits from the opponent.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Besides Ice Punch, Muk also has access on other elemental punches. If you are planning to use Muk in OU, Thunder Punch can help against Gyarados and Tentacruel. Fire Punch can hurt Skarmory and Foretress hard. Fire Blast is also another option to score a 2HKO on Skarmory and Foretress in particular, but its lackluster Special Attack needs some investment, which Muk doesn’t really need. Memento is an extremely unorthodox move that Muk can employ in some very circumstantial cases to set up your next Pokemon, such as a Belly Drummer or some other late-game sweeper. Mean Look can force something to stay into you so you can kamikaze on them with Explosion. Muk can also perform Haze but Weezing can do a better job at doing that. Taunt is OK since it stops stuff setting up and forces Ghosts to attack so you can hit them with Payback, and prevents them from burning Muk. Screech can telegraph a switch; sometimes allow Muk a free Focus Punch. Again, Giga Drain is there, but only if you want to surprise enemies that have a 4x weakness to it.<p>
[Counters]
<p>Muk has a plethora of counters in UU. Mentioned in every set, Muk has a difficult time getting past Steel, Rock and Ground-types, which are all very common defensive typing in UU. In UU, Steelix and Registeel can prevent Muk from doing anything because of their titanic Defense. Muk’s only source of attack to hit hard is a boosted Focus Punch, which is a clean 2HKO on both Steelix and Registeel, but it is hard to perform. Steelix is probably Muk’s worst nightmare and can’t do anything because it can threaten it with Roar or Earthquake. Nidoking, Claydol and Nidoqueen are also a bothersome to Muk who resist Muk’s STAB move and Fighting move. All three have a considerable amount of bulk to take Ice Punch and they can outpace Muk and use a STAB Earthquake. Drapion is also another forgotten threat who can set up Swords Dance and attempt to scare away Muk.</p>
