Marshadow
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Marshadow boasts a very good Attack stat, but that potential is dashed by its rather subpar moveset. Counter is great, but Close Combat is middling at best. For some reason, Marshadow does not have access to Ghost-type attacks in this game, rendering its secondary type useless. Its wide coverage options can make it an interesting pick in PvP, but they don't do much when it comes to PvE.
However, Marshadow does have some potent options it can learn in the future. It has a signature Ghost-type move called Spectral Thief, which can potentially make it a good Ghost attacker should it ever get a Ghost-type Fast Attack. It is also capable of learning Aura Sphere to significantly improve its potency as a Fighting attacker.
Offense
- Counter and Close Combat is easily the best moveset that Marshadow can use on offense, making it a decent Fighting attacker.
- Poison Jab, Sucker Punch, Rock Slide, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and Ice Punch are all colorful coverage options...that really don't matter whatsoever in a raiding context.
The Fast Move options worth considering here are Sucker Punch and Counter. Sucker Punch has improved energy gains and the same base power as Counter while also providing counter-coverage against Ghost and Psychic Types, but Counter is situationally good too due to its higher damage thanks to STAB. Still, most of the time Sucker Punch will pull ahead. Poison Jab can be a nasty surprise to Fairy-type Pokemon, but sacrifices Marshadow's overall raw damage output and energy gains.
Marshadow offers a colorful array of coverage in its movepool despite not having a Ghost-type attack. Ice Punch and Rock Slide notably stand out due to their coverage against Flying-type enemies and being strong offensive types in general. Close Combat doesn't provide additional coverage, but its raw power is undeniable and stops Steel-type Pokemon from walling a farmed Marshadow. Thunder Punch can also hit Flying-type Pokemon, but the targets hit by Thunder Punch tend to be less relevant than those hit by Ice Punch or Rock Slide. Fire Punch is generally the weakest when it comes to coverage; despite Fire being great offensively, it doesn't provide much additional coverage with Marshadow's Fighting-type attacks.
Even though it is obtained at Level 15 through a Special Research, Marshadow's CP is too high to enter the Great League.
