Greybaum
GENTLEMAN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Golem holds a unique position in the ZU metagame as a strong wallbreaker that can trap Steel-types such as Bronzor and Mawile thanks to its ability, Magnet Pull, paving the way for teammates like Exeggutor and Muk to sweep teams. Its solid Attack stat and access to coverage options in Fire Punch and Earthquake cement it as the most reliable Magnet Pull trapper in the tier, with its consistency at taking out Bronzor giving it a notable advantage over its main competition in Probopass. Alolan Golem is also able to perform sufficiently well even after Steel-types are no longer present, functioning as both a powerful wallbreaker and a slow pivot with the use of Volt Switch. However, Alolan Golem suffers from a poor Speed stat that leaves it susceptible to strong attackers such as Exeggutor, Torterra and Simipour. Alolan Golem also has a poor typing defensively, giving it weaknesses to a variety of common types, including a 4x weakness to Ground and a 2x weakness to Water and Grass. Finally, Alolan Golem suffers from some competition with Probopass, which offers additional utility as a Magnet Pull trapper thanks to its notably higher defensive stats, allowing it to better perform as a Stealth Rock setter and defensive pivot.
[SET]
name: Steel Trapper
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Band
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Punch is Alolan Golem's most effective move for taking out Bronzor and also serves to hit Torterra, which would otherwise wall this set.
Earthquake is a more powerful coverage option that hits many Steel-types harder than Fire Punch does, including Mawile and Probopass. Earthquake also wards off physically defensive Pokemon such as Golem, which may aim to switch into a predicted Stone Edge or Volt Switch. Finally, Volt Switch allows Alolan Golem to pivot out of unfavorable matchups, catching the likes of Silvally-Fighting and Machoke as they switch in and bringing teammates in against faster targets without forcing them to take any unnecessary damage.
Set Details
========
Choice Band gives Alolan Golem the power necessary to 2HKO defensive behemoths like Avalugg and Pyukumuku with Stone Edge. Magnet Pull is vital for Alolan Golem to perform its main role of removing Steel-types like Bronzor.
Usage Tips
========
Alolan Golem's primary role is to remove defensive Steel-types, so you should look for opportunities to bring it in safely. While Alolan Golem can sometimes be switched directly into status moves such as Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave, you can also make use of double switches or U-turn or Volt Switch users to bring in Alolan Golem. In addition to trapping Steel-types, Alolan Golem can also take advantage of passive Pokemon such as Altaria and Choice-locked Pokemon like Wild Charge Electivire and Double-Edge Silvally to find opportunities to fire off a powerful Stone Edge. In these situations, if the opponent has a physically bulky Pokemon such as Poliwrath or Machoke, Volt Switch can be used instead to maintain momentum and safely bring in teammates that can further threaten the opponent's team. When expecting a Ground-type to switch in, you should look to maintain momentum by performing a double switch or, if possible, catching said Ground-type with a super effective coverage move. Notable examples of this include using Fire Punch to hit Torterra and Earthquake to hit Golem. Be careful of locking into moves that can be taken advantage of by setup sweepers like Rock Polish Torterra and Swords Dance Combusken, however.
Team Options
========
Alolan Golem works best when paired with Pokemon that appreciate defensive Steel-types being removed. For example, Psychic-types like Beheeyem and Grass-types such as Servine and Torterra greatly appreciate Alolan Golem's ability to remove Probopass and Bronzor, respectively. Alolan Golem can be paired with pivots like Rotom-S, Silvally-Fighting, and Silvally-Dragon to create a deadly VoltTurn core; Rotom-S is able to act as a check to Water- and Grass-types like Swanna, Poliwrath, and Torterra that force Alolan Golem out, while Silvally-Fighting checks Golem and can lure in defensive Pokemon such as Bronzor and Gourgeist-XL before punishing them with U-turn or Toxic. Finally, Silvally-Dragon is able to compensate for Alolan Golem's weakness to Grass-type attacks by checking Grass-type Pokemon like Servine and Leafeon. All of these Pokemon are able to clear entry hazards for Alolan Golem and greatly appreciate its ability to eliminate Steel-types such as Metang and Bronzor, allowing them to use Defog more reliably. In addition to Grass-types, Alolan Golem's defensive typing also leaves it vulnerable to Ground- and Water-types. Exeggutor and Mareanie are examples of Pokemon that can help offset these weaknesses, with Exeggutor reliably checking Ground-types like Sandslash and Torterra, and Mareanie handling fast Water-types like Floatzel and Simipour.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Wild Charge is a viable option over Volt Switch, trading the ability to pivot for a stronger secondary STAB option that is notable for OHKOing Mareanie. Alolan Golem can also use Galvanize to gain access to a strong Electric-type Return, Double-Edge, or Explosion. However, without Magnet Pull, this set is largely outclassed by regular Golem, which has a better typing both offensively and defensively and is less predictable as a result of its greater set versatility. Alolan Golem can also run a more utility-based Stealth Rock set alongside Air Balloon or Leftovers as the item of choice, but this set is outclassed by Probopass due to the latter's superior stats and defensive typing.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Alolan Golem has a hard time breaking past Ground-types, as they resist Stone Edge and can block Volt Switch. While Golem and Torterra are averse to switching into Earthquake or Fire Punch directly, both deter Alolan Golem from using Stone Edge. Sandslash and Silvally-Ground outspeed Alolan Golem and can comfortably take any of its attacks at least once, making them solid switch-ins. Vibrava is especially notable for being able to tank any of Alolan Golem's attacks and freely heal off any damage with Roost.
**Fighting-types**: Bulky Fighting-types like Machoke, Poliwrath, and Silvally-Fighting take negligible damage from Stone Edge and can take advantage of the gained momentum to cripple Alolan Golem's teammates with Knock Off, Scald, or Toxic. Combusken can't switch into Alolan Golem, but it can set up Swords Dance if Alolan Golem locks itself into Fire Punch.
**Grass-types**: While only Torterra can comfortably take Stone Edge, Leafeon and Torterra are both able to deter Alolan Golem from locking itself into Earthquake by threatening to set up with Swords Dance or Rock Polish and heal off any damage taken with Synthesis. Exeggutor and Simisage are also able to take advantage of Alolan Golem's low Speed and Grass-type weakness by threatening it out with STAB Leaf Storm.
**Faster Pokemon**: Alolan Golem's poor Speed leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Electivire, Komala, and Bouffalant that use super effective moves such as Earthquake. Alolan Golem's poor special bulk also leaves it easily forced out by strong special attackers such as Simipour and Swanna.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[ho3nconfirm3d, 231074], [5gen, 296755]]
- Grammar checked by: [[the-dutch-plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
Alolan Golem holds a unique position in the ZU metagame as a strong wallbreaker that can trap Steel-types such as Bronzor and Mawile thanks to its ability, Magnet Pull, paving the way for teammates like Exeggutor and Muk to sweep teams. Its solid Attack stat and access to coverage options in Fire Punch and Earthquake cement it as the most reliable Magnet Pull trapper in the tier, with its consistency at taking out Bronzor giving it a notable advantage over its main competition in Probopass. Alolan Golem is also able to perform sufficiently well even after Steel-types are no longer present, functioning as both a powerful wallbreaker and a slow pivot with the use of Volt Switch. However, Alolan Golem suffers from a poor Speed stat that leaves it susceptible to strong attackers such as Exeggutor, Torterra and Simipour. Alolan Golem also has a poor typing defensively, giving it weaknesses to a variety of common types, including a 4x weakness to Ground and a 2x weakness to Water and Grass. Finally, Alolan Golem suffers from some competition with Probopass, which offers additional utility as a Magnet Pull trapper thanks to its notably higher defensive stats, allowing it to better perform as a Stealth Rock setter and defensive pivot.
[SET]
name: Steel Trapper
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Band
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Punch is Alolan Golem's most effective move for taking out Bronzor and also serves to hit Torterra, which would otherwise wall this set.
Earthquake is a more powerful coverage option that hits many Steel-types harder than Fire Punch does, including Mawile and Probopass. Earthquake also wards off physically defensive Pokemon such as Golem, which may aim to switch into a predicted Stone Edge or Volt Switch. Finally, Volt Switch allows Alolan Golem to pivot out of unfavorable matchups, catching the likes of Silvally-Fighting and Machoke as they switch in and bringing teammates in against faster targets without forcing them to take any unnecessary damage.
Set Details
========
Choice Band gives Alolan Golem the power necessary to 2HKO defensive behemoths like Avalugg and Pyukumuku with Stone Edge. Magnet Pull is vital for Alolan Golem to perform its main role of removing Steel-types like Bronzor.
Usage Tips
========
Alolan Golem's primary role is to remove defensive Steel-types, so you should look for opportunities to bring it in safely. While Alolan Golem can sometimes be switched directly into status moves such as Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave, you can also make use of double switches or U-turn or Volt Switch users to bring in Alolan Golem. In addition to trapping Steel-types, Alolan Golem can also take advantage of passive Pokemon such as Altaria and Choice-locked Pokemon like Wild Charge Electivire and Double-Edge Silvally to find opportunities to fire off a powerful Stone Edge. In these situations, if the opponent has a physically bulky Pokemon such as Poliwrath or Machoke, Volt Switch can be used instead to maintain momentum and safely bring in teammates that can further threaten the opponent's team. When expecting a Ground-type to switch in, you should look to maintain momentum by performing a double switch or, if possible, catching said Ground-type with a super effective coverage move. Notable examples of this include using Fire Punch to hit Torterra and Earthquake to hit Golem. Be careful of locking into moves that can be taken advantage of by setup sweepers like Rock Polish Torterra and Swords Dance Combusken, however.
Team Options
========
Alolan Golem works best when paired with Pokemon that appreciate defensive Steel-types being removed. For example, Psychic-types like Beheeyem and Grass-types such as Servine and Torterra greatly appreciate Alolan Golem's ability to remove Probopass and Bronzor, respectively. Alolan Golem can be paired with pivots like Rotom-S, Silvally-Fighting, and Silvally-Dragon to create a deadly VoltTurn core; Rotom-S is able to act as a check to Water- and Grass-types like Swanna, Poliwrath, and Torterra that force Alolan Golem out, while Silvally-Fighting checks Golem and can lure in defensive Pokemon such as Bronzor and Gourgeist-XL before punishing them with U-turn or Toxic. Finally, Silvally-Dragon is able to compensate for Alolan Golem's weakness to Grass-type attacks by checking Grass-type Pokemon like Servine and Leafeon. All of these Pokemon are able to clear entry hazards for Alolan Golem and greatly appreciate its ability to eliminate Steel-types such as Metang and Bronzor, allowing them to use Defog more reliably. In addition to Grass-types, Alolan Golem's defensive typing also leaves it vulnerable to Ground- and Water-types. Exeggutor and Mareanie are examples of Pokemon that can help offset these weaknesses, with Exeggutor reliably checking Ground-types like Sandslash and Torterra, and Mareanie handling fast Water-types like Floatzel and Simipour.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Wild Charge is a viable option over Volt Switch, trading the ability to pivot for a stronger secondary STAB option that is notable for OHKOing Mareanie. Alolan Golem can also use Galvanize to gain access to a strong Electric-type Return, Double-Edge, or Explosion. However, without Magnet Pull, this set is largely outclassed by regular Golem, which has a better typing both offensively and defensively and is less predictable as a result of its greater set versatility. Alolan Golem can also run a more utility-based Stealth Rock set alongside Air Balloon or Leftovers as the item of choice, but this set is outclassed by Probopass due to the latter's superior stats and defensive typing.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Alolan Golem has a hard time breaking past Ground-types, as they resist Stone Edge and can block Volt Switch. While Golem and Torterra are averse to switching into Earthquake or Fire Punch directly, both deter Alolan Golem from using Stone Edge. Sandslash and Silvally-Ground outspeed Alolan Golem and can comfortably take any of its attacks at least once, making them solid switch-ins. Vibrava is especially notable for being able to tank any of Alolan Golem's attacks and freely heal off any damage with Roost.
**Fighting-types**: Bulky Fighting-types like Machoke, Poliwrath, and Silvally-Fighting take negligible damage from Stone Edge and can take advantage of the gained momentum to cripple Alolan Golem's teammates with Knock Off, Scald, or Toxic. Combusken can't switch into Alolan Golem, but it can set up Swords Dance if Alolan Golem locks itself into Fire Punch.
**Grass-types**: While only Torterra can comfortably take Stone Edge, Leafeon and Torterra are both able to deter Alolan Golem from locking itself into Earthquake by threatening to set up with Swords Dance or Rock Polish and heal off any damage taken with Synthesis. Exeggutor and Simisage are also able to take advantage of Alolan Golem's low Speed and Grass-type weakness by threatening it out with STAB Leaf Storm.
**Faster Pokemon**: Alolan Golem's poor Speed leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Electivire, Komala, and Bouffalant that use super effective moves such as Earthquake. Alolan Golem's poor special bulk also leaves it easily forced out by strong special attackers such as Simipour and Swanna.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[ho3nconfirm3d, 231074], [5gen, 296755]]
- Grammar checked by: [[the-dutch-plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
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