[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Fire Punch
move 4: Shadow Sneak
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Muk's unique defensive profile and ability in Sticky Hold contribute to making it the best Curse user in the tier. Sticky Hold is an underrated ability that is crucial to Muk's success, protecting its Black Sludge from Knock Off and Trick attempts that ruin its main competition, Munchlax. Muk's typing and high bulk allow it to switch in easily against staples like Meganium, Leafeon, and Mienfoo, which gives it plenty of opportunities to attack or use Curse. Curse is key to turning Muk into an enormously threatening tank, boosting its already great Attack to sky-high levels and shoring up its decent physical bulk. After a Curse, usual checks like Lairon and Rest Talk Shelgon can be forced to switch out for fear of Muk being able to beat them one-on-one. Poison Jab is Muk's necessary STAB attack, as its chance to poison puts serious pressure on Solrock and Ground-types, which could otherwise answer Muk with little fear. Brick Break is its preferred coverage move, as Curse allows Muk to win against other Muk even with resisted moves, and the huge damage it does to Lairon allows Muk to duel it. Fire Punch is another coverage option to dispatch Wormadam-S in one attack, as it would otherwise be able to whittle Muk down by repeatedly using Psychic, although Muk loses the ability to reliably beat Lairon. Shadow Sneak provides Muk with priority, finishing off many threatening Pokemon that survive a +1 Poison Jab after Stealth Rock, such as Glaceon and Kingler. Maximum Attack is invested so that Muk can hit as hard as possible after a Curse, while the remaining EVs are invested into bulk.
Curse Muk plays at a slower pace than the early-game powerhouse that is Muk's four attacks set, waiting for roadblocks like Hippopotas and Solrock to be statused or removed before committing to a Curse. Before using Curse, Muk can fulfill its usual functions of checking Pokemon like Mienfoo and Meganium and using the opportunity to try and land a poison on the Rock- or Ground-type that is likely to check it. Pokemon that can keep Muk healthy and answer its checks are ideal. Meganium and physically defensive Clefairy are common partners, not minding Will-O- Wisp from Solrock and Earthquake from Whiscash while providing crucial cleric support. They're also solid checks to Psychic-types, such as Grumpig and Mr. Mime, which are the few Pokemon that can seriously threaten Muk with huge damage. Solrock and Muk's defensive profiles have great synergy, as Solrock can comfortably switch into most physical attacks for Solrock, while Muk exploits the weak walls that try to handle Solrock. Persian and Emolga's natural Speed helps keep opposing offense in check for the rather slow Muk, and they both have a trove of options to lure Muk's checks for it. For example, Persian can use a Technician-boosted Water Pulse to remove Solrock, while Emolga can use Thunderbolt or even Hidden Power Fighting to pressure Lairon. There are few Pokemon that can use Muk as setup fodder, but Arbok has the perfect combination of Coil and Poison typing to do so. Reliable answers to Arbok such as Wormadam-S and Hippopotas are important to Curse Muk's success. Pokemon reliant on Eviolite such as the aforementioned Clefairy and Mienfoo appreciate Muk as a partner, which is one of the few Knock Off absorbers in the tier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Gunk Shot's incredible power seems appealing, but most of Muk's checks take Gunk Shot about as well as Poison Jab and are mostly threatened by the poison chance. This makes it outclassed compared to Poison Jab's better accuracy and PP. Muk can run a RestTalk Curse set to become a very bulky sweeper that is immune to Trick. However, Muk is then forced to run Payback as its only attack due to Steel-types having an immunity to Poison Jab and thus can no longer check Pokemon such as Simisear, Leafeon, and Clefairy. Choice Band combined with Muk's incredible Attack and movepool seems very appealing, but without Black Sludge's recovery and with Choice Band's locked moves, Muk's very low Speed and the ease for foes to pivot into moves like Poison Jab and Fire Punch are even bigger hurdles. Taunt is a generally good move that prevents walls from healing and using their utility and status moves, but Muk's low Speed makes this useful against minimal Pokemon that it couldn't already beat. Memento and Explosion have effective use on hyper offense teams, but any team with a slower pace will likely not appreciate KOing their own Muk. Special moves such as Giga Drain to hit Solrock seem appealing at face value, but Muk's paltry Special Attack and four-moveslot syndrome make this not very worthwhile.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Solrock's resistance to Poison, neutrality to Fighting, and reliable recovery make it the most common and effective Muk check in the tier. It can also threaten Muk back with Will-O-Wisp, a STAB attack, and Earthquake. Graveler has the physical bulk to easily take even a Focus Punch on the switch and threaten back with an OHKO from Earthquake.
**Poison-types**: Arbok's Intimidate, Poison typing, and access to Coil and Earthquake make it one of the few opposing Pokemon that can turn an opportunity to switch into Muk into a setup opportunity. Gloom and Ivysaur both survive two Fire Punches and can wear down Muk with Leech Seed. However, their passivity risks them being worn down by a burn or a critical hit.
**Steel-types**: Both Lairon and Wormadam-S are threatened by Muk's super effective coverage, but their Poison immunity grants their team many more options to pivot around Muk and put it in a bad position. They also have the capacity to threaten it; Lairon's Head Smash targets Muk's softer Defense stat for huge damage, while Wormadam-S can use Psychic and Hidden Power Ground to deny Muk free setup opportunities.
**Ground-types**: Hippopotas and Vibrava are extremely reliable stops to Muk thanks to their STAB Earthquake, Eviolite-boosted bulk, and reliable recovery. Wormadam-G and Whiscash are threatened by status much more due to their lack of recovery, but they are still good Muk checks.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: While faster staples like Persian and Grumpig can revenge kill a weakened Muk, its incredible bulk makes this unreliable when it's healthy. Physical attackers like Luxray, Kingler, and Shelgon have the upfront power to revenge kill or even set up on Muk, and they can survive a Poison Jab into Shadow Sneak when necessary.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Poison Jab
move 3: Brick Break / Fire Punch
move 4: Shadow Sneak
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sticky Hold
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Muk's unique defensive profile and ability in Sticky Hold contribute to making it the best Curse user in the tier. Sticky Hold is an underrated ability that is crucial to Muk's success, protecting its Black Sludge from Knock Off and Trick attempts that ruin its main competition, Munchlax. Muk's typing and high bulk allow it to switch in easily against staples like Meganium, Leafeon, and Mienfoo, which gives it plenty of opportunities to attack or use Curse. Curse is key to turning Muk into an enormously threatening tank, boosting its already great Attack to sky-high levels and shoring up its decent physical bulk. After a Curse, usual checks like Lairon and Rest Talk Shelgon can be forced to switch out for fear of Muk being able to beat them one-on-one. Poison Jab is Muk's necessary STAB attack, as its chance to poison puts serious pressure on Solrock and Ground-types, which could otherwise answer Muk with little fear. Brick Break is its preferred coverage move, as Curse allows Muk to win against other Muk even with resisted moves, and the huge damage it does to Lairon allows Muk to duel it. Fire Punch is another coverage option to dispatch Wormadam-S in one attack, as it would otherwise be able to whittle Muk down by repeatedly using Psychic, although Muk loses the ability to reliably beat Lairon. Shadow Sneak provides Muk with priority, finishing off many threatening Pokemon that survive a +1 Poison Jab after Stealth Rock, such as Glaceon and Kingler. Maximum Attack is invested so that Muk can hit as hard as possible after a Curse, while the remaining EVs are invested into bulk.
Curse Muk plays at a slower pace than the early-game powerhouse that is Muk's four attacks set, waiting for roadblocks like Hippopotas and Solrock to be statused or removed before committing to a Curse. Before using Curse, Muk can fulfill its usual functions of checking Pokemon like Mienfoo and Meganium and using the opportunity to try and land a poison on the Rock- or Ground-type that is likely to check it. Pokemon that can keep Muk healthy and answer its checks are ideal. Meganium and physically defensive Clefairy are common partners, not minding Will-O- Wisp from Solrock and Earthquake from Whiscash while providing crucial cleric support. They're also solid checks to Psychic-types, such as Grumpig and Mr. Mime, which are the few Pokemon that can seriously threaten Muk with huge damage. Solrock and Muk's defensive profiles have great synergy, as Solrock can comfortably switch into most physical attacks for Solrock, while Muk exploits the weak walls that try to handle Solrock. Persian and Emolga's natural Speed helps keep opposing offense in check for the rather slow Muk, and they both have a trove of options to lure Muk's checks for it. For example, Persian can use a Technician-boosted Water Pulse to remove Solrock, while Emolga can use Thunderbolt or even Hidden Power Fighting to pressure Lairon. There are few Pokemon that can use Muk as setup fodder, but Arbok has the perfect combination of Coil and Poison typing to do so. Reliable answers to Arbok such as Wormadam-S and Hippopotas are important to Curse Muk's success. Pokemon reliant on Eviolite such as the aforementioned Clefairy and Mienfoo appreciate Muk as a partner, which is one of the few Knock Off absorbers in the tier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Gunk Shot's incredible power seems appealing, but most of Muk's checks take Gunk Shot about as well as Poison Jab and are mostly threatened by the poison chance. This makes it outclassed compared to Poison Jab's better accuracy and PP. Muk can run a RestTalk Curse set to become a very bulky sweeper that is immune to Trick. However, Muk is then forced to run Payback as its only attack due to Steel-types having an immunity to Poison Jab and thus can no longer check Pokemon such as Simisear, Leafeon, and Clefairy. Choice Band combined with Muk's incredible Attack and movepool seems very appealing, but without Black Sludge's recovery and with Choice Band's locked moves, Muk's very low Speed and the ease for foes to pivot into moves like Poison Jab and Fire Punch are even bigger hurdles. Taunt is a generally good move that prevents walls from healing and using their utility and status moves, but Muk's low Speed makes this useful against minimal Pokemon that it couldn't already beat. Memento and Explosion have effective use on hyper offense teams, but any team with a slower pace will likely not appreciate KOing their own Muk. Special moves such as Giga Drain to hit Solrock seem appealing at face value, but Muk's paltry Special Attack and four-moveslot syndrome make this not very worthwhile.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Solrock's resistance to Poison, neutrality to Fighting, and reliable recovery make it the most common and effective Muk check in the tier. It can also threaten Muk back with Will-O-Wisp, a STAB attack, and Earthquake. Graveler has the physical bulk to easily take even a Focus Punch on the switch and threaten back with an OHKO from Earthquake.
**Poison-types**: Arbok's Intimidate, Poison typing, and access to Coil and Earthquake make it one of the few opposing Pokemon that can turn an opportunity to switch into Muk into a setup opportunity. Gloom and Ivysaur both survive two Fire Punches and can wear down Muk with Leech Seed. However, their passivity risks them being worn down by a burn or a critical hit.
**Steel-types**: Both Lairon and Wormadam-S are threatened by Muk's super effective coverage, but their Poison immunity grants their team many more options to pivot around Muk and put it in a bad position. They also have the capacity to threaten it; Lairon's Head Smash targets Muk's softer Defense stat for huge damage, while Wormadam-S can use Psychic and Hidden Power Ground to deny Muk free setup opportunities.
**Ground-types**: Hippopotas and Vibrava are extremely reliable stops to Muk thanks to their STAB Earthquake, Eviolite-boosted bulk, and reliable recovery. Wormadam-G and Whiscash are threatened by status much more due to their lack of recovery, but they are still good Muk checks.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: While faster staples like Persian and Grumpig can revenge kill a weakened Muk, its incredible bulk makes this unreliable when it's healthy. Physical attackers like Luxray, Kingler, and Shelgon have the upfront power to revenge kill or even set up on Muk, and they can survive a Poison Jab into Shadow Sneak when necessary.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
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