Suspect SS Godly Gift Suspect Test #2: Alolan Marowak

[zioziotrip]

https://pokepast.es/7991dada0f3ef946 - used these webs, tried necro>nihil but both are similar levels of okay, another special mon may be better

 

[Eeveepunter]

GGAM Snax checking in as for Eevepunter. Used the trusty ol beat up team but had more issues with rain than normal. Tried to use ttar over sackataka and kart in the ho slot, mildly successful. Marowak-A def strong, leaning ban.

 

[Gman]

Hello all :)
The team I built for our last suspect had another nice run, I might publish it in the thread later as it keeps doing surprisingly well!
As for Alowak, I'll be voting ban. Its sheer immediate power is scary when it is gifted Attack, but a Speed bonus helps it to find a lot of set-up opportunities.
Last time, I found it to be a bit too predictable and one-directional, as its item is always certain (it'll never be boots, orb, band or scarf), and its movepool seemed to be similarly plagued. This time around, while I still haven't used it, I've witnessed a lot of new phenomena pop up, aside from the classic Rock Head SD+3 attacks (Bonemerang/Flare Blitz/Poltergeist, in my experience) with huge breaking power and the more rare Flame Charge. Namely:

• Lighting Rod: whilst not on the same level with Rock Head in terms of breaking power, Lightning Rod offers a surprise-immunity that can be game-changing when facing Tapu Koko, Regieleki, or Arctozolt. Similarily, it helps against Prankster T-Wave, which is generally a good means to halt it.
• Substitute: Sub helps Alowak against Intimidate users, against Prankster status, as well as against faster revenge-killers that lack Infiltrator. It avoids being knocked or tricked, hindering many of the ways that generally bring it to a stop.
• Shadow Bone: People have picked up on itemless mons trying to check Alowak (I've used Defense Pelipper, I've seen Tornadus around). Shadow Bone can invalidate said switch-ins, and oftentimes scouting is not an option, as teams can't easily fit 2 full counters to it.
• Knock Off: Knock Off is a move that's particularly valuable in a metagame filled with boots and scarves. It's slightly weaker than SBone against itemless mons but it's a devastating midground in most situations.

In a metagame where blanket checks are simply vital for balance, as there's too vast a pool of potential offensive threats, Alolawak finds a way to exploit the ones that are meant to cover it, and it can turn the tides of a match by itself, with its disruptive power and relative unpredictability. It works well with almost any God, and on its own, it makes some HOs like TRoom and Webs a nightmare to face.
Thank you for hosting this suspect, the council of Godly Gift is always very active and ready to consult with the playerbase, cheers on that

 

[Mada]

28 games cause i'm bad
s/o to Pujo and to lockjaw for their teams

 

[Redflix]

reqs

S/o TheCoastsOfToast for cheering me throughout even though i played like a 1000 elo

 

[dhelmise]

https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/ss-godly-gift-alolan-marowak.3691199/

voting up