What is a good moveset for Muk?

Question

This thread is for Kantonian Muk. For Alolan Muk, please go here.

If you have a good competitive moveset for Muk, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Muk Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Gen V

Muk (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Def / 56 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Gunk Shot
- Curse
- Brick Break

Gunk Shot is high powered STAB. You'll want it over Poison Jab because you won't be able to much count on a Super-effective hit, meaning you'll need high base power. Shadow Sneak provides priority. Brick Break provides type coverage. Curse can make Muk a nice physical tank. It isn't like you'll be needing Speed. Black Sludge provides you with healing. Since it will actually harm most foes to be holding this, you don't need Sticky Hold, and Stench is just bad, so Poison Touch is the ability. EVs give you nice defenses, and allow you to do good damage.

Comments

my exact set, except the EV's i gave all to HP

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Throw in Ice Punch for coverage. Remove Curse. ;)

Answer 2

Ekans is snake backwards, Arbok is kobra backwards, what is Muk backwards? O.o
Sub-Punch Muk:

Muk (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
- Focus Punch
- Shadow Sneak / Payback
- Substitute

This guy is one of my favourite OG Pokemon, he is a pile of purple gelatinous substance, how awesome is that?
Anyway, Muk has decent defenses, high HP, and pretty good Attack, I think he does best with high powered moves to accentuate that attack. First, we have Poison Jab or Gunk Shot for STAB, the typical "power vs accuracy" debate, I prefer accuracy, so I go with Poison Jab. Focus Punch makes the set, it has 150 Power is isn't hindered by Muk's poor speed stat. Shadow Sneak has priority, is physical, and provides full neutral coverage with Focus Punch, it also hits Psychic types pretty hard; Payback is also viable, as Muk is slow, and it has almost as good a coverage, with a little more power. Substitute makes the set work as it protects Muk from flinching on Focus Punch, Muk can put up huge 101 Subs that can't be broken by simply Seismic tossing them.
EVs give it 404 HP (101 Sub), max attack, and a heightened SpDef for taking blows. Black Sludge is like Leftovers for poison types, I often use it to avoid Item Clauses, leftovers is also pretty much the same. Sticky Hold is the only worthwhile ability on this set as Stench is useless and Poison Touch doesn't work with two of the attacks...

Answer 3

Muk (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 160 HP / 96 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave

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He works quite well to be honest.

Thunder gets 100% accuracy in rain.

Hidden Power [Water] gets a boost in the rain, AND covers Ground for you.

Shadow Ball takes care of your Psychic weakness.

Sludge Wave is great STAB.

Comments

i see the flaw in this moveset, as he'll just get, washed away...

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Good job, this set works very well and its the first working special set. I upvoted it.:)

Answer 4

Muk (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 Atk / 172 Def / 84 HP
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Brick Break

Gunk Shot is STAB and really powerful. Ice Punch and Thunder Punch form a physical BoltBeam combo for type coverage. Brick Break is for Steel, Rock, Ice, Dark types.

Answer 5

Double/Triple Battle

Muk (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Stench
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Gunk Shot
- Helping Hand
- Brick Break / Shadow Sneak

Gunk Shot is STAB. Rock Slide hits multiple foes. Helping Hand provides team support. Brick Break is coverage, Shadow Sneak is priority. Choose what is more important to you. I'd suggest using Muk with Trick Room support.

Comments

If you use Trick Room support, you should use 0 Speed IVs.

Answer 6

Muk (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 212 HP / 124 Atk / 172 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poison Jab
- Substitute
- Shadow Sneak
- Curse

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Poison Jab + Poison Touch = 50% chance to poison. Curse ups your power even more. Shadow Sneak is coverage + priority, while Substitute makes sure you don't get revenge killed.

Answer 7

6th gen moveset:

Buck (Muk) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Acid Armor
- Power-Up Punch
- Poison Jab
- Shadow Sneak

A special tank that can freely set up on many threats if needed. One Acid Armor puts Muk's defenses higher than its special. This makes it much harder for Muk to be countered. Poison Jab is the primary move on the set, but Power-Up Punch makes Muk a big threat and allows him to get past some fragile Steel types with relative ease, and hit hard with Poison Jab or Shadow Sneak on the next Pokemon.

It isn't OP by any means but it does work well and can function as a special wall without any time invested in its set up moves.

Comments

"fragile Steel type"

oxymoron
[ˌäksəˈmôrˌän]
NOUN
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Answer 8

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Stockpile / Curse
- Poison Jab
- Toxic / Haze
- Fire Punch

Stockpile if you want both defenses raised, Curse if you want the Attack boost.
Poison Jab is STAB, Toxic for stalling or Haze to prevent Pokemon from setting up on you. Fire Punch is to hit Steel types.

Comments

Black Sludge is good for scarfed trick users so Poison Touch would be a vetter choice

Answer 9

Trick Room Sweeper

Muk @ Iron Ball
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 SpD / 128 Def
Brave Nature
- Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
- Fling
- Ice Punch
- Disable / Explosion

Once you have a Trick Room set up, simply switch this guy in and wreak havoc. With such low speed halved by the Iron Ball this Muk will definitely move first. His main STAB move can be either Poison Jab or Gunk Shot, depending upon whether you prefer power or accuracy. Ice Punch covers your Ground weakness, and Flinging an Iron Ball has 130 base power while covering your Psychic weakness. Finally, the good bulk of this set should allow you to survive long enough to Disable any moves you can't take many of or wait till the last second to Explode all over your adversaries. This set works well in Doubles, too since Gunk Shot hits both opponents at once.

Answer 10

Gen 7 ZU

Muk @ Black Sludge / Leftovers
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 46 Atk / 110 Def / 100 SpD
Careful / Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Fire Punch
- Curse
- Shadow Sneak

Gunk Shot is powerful STAB. Fire Punch covers Steel types. Curse raises Muk's Defense and boosts its physical moves. Shadow Sneak lets Muk bypass the Speed drop from Curse. Rest should also be considered, because it can get Muk back to full HP.

Answer 11

Gen 7 ZU

Muk @ Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch

Did I purposely arrange the moves for the first letter of Muk's moves to spell GIFT? Yes I did. Gunk Shot is STAB. Ice Punch deals with Ground types and has a chance to poison them thanks to Poison Touch. Fire Punch deals with Steel types. Thunder Punch is for the BoltBeam combo and also has a chance to poison thanks to Poison Touch.

Answer 12

Gen 5 RU

Muk @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Gunk Shot / Poison Jab
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Shadow Punch

Muk is a really solid tank in Gen 5 RU being able to take special hits well and dish them out and with solid hp, defence investments will make it a greater psychical tank with access to some good coverage, Gunk Shot/Poison Jab is for STAB with Sub+Focus Punch to get away with dealing an incredible amount of damage and Shadow Punch for coverage against Psychic types. Overall, Muk is a really good devastating tank

Answer 13

Gen 9 NU Specially Defensive Curse

Muk @ Leftovers
Ability: Poison Touch
Tera Type: Water / Dark / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Poison Jab
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak

Well, Muk gets Drain Punch in Gen 9, so here is a Curse set that also has Drain Punch. Curse boosts Muk's Attack and Defense stat, making it more threatening offensively and harder to take out defensively. Poison Jab is used for Poison STAB and the chance of the move to poison is higher thanks to Poison Touch. Drain Punch provides coverage against Steel-types and is useful for giving Muk some HP recovery. Drain Punch also has the chance to spread poison thanks to Poison Touch. Shadow Sneak allows Muk to revenge kill faster Pokemon and can also spread poison due to Poison Touch. Tera Water allows Muk to have a defensive typing that gets rid of Muk's Ground and Psychic weakness. Tera Dark allows Muk to have an immunity to Psychic moves. Tera Fairy is used if you need a Fairy-type on your team, as every NU team at the time of this post needs to have a Pokemon who has Tera Fairy.

Black Sludge is used as the item for passive HP recovery. The EV spread is a Specially Defensive one since Muk will boost its Attack and Defense stats with Curse. Poison Touch is used as the Ability because being able to spread posion in a tier with basically 0 clerics is really good.

Answer 14

Gen 9 NU Specially Defensive

Muk @ Leftovers
Ability: Sticky Hold / Poison Touch
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Poison Jab
- Drain Punch
- Toxic Spikes
- Protect / Haze

Muk gets Toxic Spikes in Gen 9, so Muk actually has defensive utility on NU teams instead of being just a purple blob. Poison Jab is used for a Poison STAB that has a 30% chance to spread poison. Drain Punch is another move Muk gets in Gen 9, which allows Muk to deal super effective damage against Steel-types and gives Muk some HP recovery. Toxic Spikes allows Muk to spread poison against opposing grounded Pokemon. Protect allows Muk to scout opposing Pokemon and give Muk a free turn of Leftovers recovery. Haze is an option to get rid of stat boosts from Pokemon setting up. Sticky Hold is used as the Ability to prevent its Leftovers from getting Knocked Off. Sticky Hold is also useful for preventing Trick from working. Poison Touch can be used instead to spread poison with its contact moves. Tera Water is used to give Muk a nice defensive type and is the reason Leftovers is used over Black Sludge, since Black Sludge hurts non-Poison-types.

Comments

Only 4 Pokemon have knock off in NU. Trick is more common, yes, but just having the ability for two moves seems funny. Won't Poison Touch be better, as both of it's attacking moves make contact?

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You can use Poison Touch, but having Sticky Hold is nice to have another form of HP recovery.

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Why not Black Sludge and Poison Touch, since Trick users will be hurt? Only downside is Knock Off, but as Talos has mentioned, only 4 Pokémon have it.

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Muk prefers to not get Choiced Locked, so Sticky Hold is nice for that. I guess the Ability depends on what you prefer, I'll add that in. Also: "Tera Water is used to give Muk a nice defensive type and is the reason Leftovers is used over Black Sludge, since Black Sludge hurts non-Poison-types." Should Muk need to Tera, Black Sludge will hurt it if it still has its Black Sludge. And one of the Knock Off users, Passimian, is really common, so... (And it's 3 Knock Off users, Banette doesn't count)