Marowak ex – Genetic Apex
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The 10th best Pokémon of Genetic Apex is Marowak (Genetic Apex 153/228, 264/228)! As we dive into our next countdown, we’ll start by running through the card. Then we’ll come back to each aspect and discuss it. Marowak ex is a (F) Type, Stage 1 Pokémon ex that evolves from Cubone. It has 140 HP, (G) Weakness, Retreat Cost (C), and Rarity of ♦♦♦♦ or ★★. It has no Ability, and just one attack. “Bonemerang” costs (F)(F) and has you flip two coins; for each “heads” Bonemerang does 80 damage per “heads”.
The ♦♦♦♦ is essentially the Pokémon ex rarity, as nothing else has been released in it (yet). Beyond that are just the alternate art chase cards, including the ★★ version of Marowak ex. It might be different when in-game trades are made available, but for now this means you need to expect a lot from these cards, given the effort and luck required in pulling them.
The (F) Type has no (F) specific Pokémon or Energy support, but 64% of (C) Pokémon, 90% of (D) Pokémon, and 92% of (L) Pokémon are (F) Weak. Most of these cards don’t see competitive, play, but enough do that this is still good. Aerodactyl ex (Mythical Island 046/068, 078/068, 084/068), Hitmonlee (Genetic Apex 154/228), and Marshadow (Mythical Island 047/068, 074/068) have seen success in multiple (F) and partial (F) decks. So the net result is that being a (F) Type is a positive.
Technically, being a Pokémon ex is purely a negative. All Pokémon ex have to have that Rule Box stating they’re worth two points when KO’d, and we already have our first anti-ex card in the form of
Tauros (Mythical Island 060/068). However, this is obviously why Marowak ex has 140 HP when its non-ex counterpart has just 100, and at least partially why Bonemerang hits as hard as it does for the Energy. It might be why Marowak ex’s Retreat Cost isn’t higher, either.
As a Stage 1, Marowak ex needs an extra turn and an extra card to hit the field. That would be Cubone, and our only option right now is Cubone (Genetic Apex 151/228, 239/228). Cubone is a fairly unremarkable but typical evolving Basic, though it does enjoy a Full Art chase version that can come in handy for intimidation, or motivation if you personally do better the prettier your cards are. It also connects Marowak ex mechanically to Marowak (Genetic Apex 152/228). This Marowak has seen at least a little competitive success alongside Marowak ex, because it has solid stats and an attack for (F) that does damage without needing to flip any coins.
Marowak ex has 140 HP. Looking through the competitive deck tiers over at Pokémon Zone, most decks above their low (but still competitive) tier can one-shot Marowak, but the lower you go down the more effort it takes. It’s also worth noting that 140 seems to be a reasonable score for a Stage 1 Pokémon. (G) Weakness isn’t a major concern; none of their big attackers suddenly score OHKOs, they just have an easier time with 2HKOs or 3HKOs. The Retreat Cost of (C) very good. If you have to pay it, and if you’re running X Speed and/or Leaf, you probably won’t.
With two coin flips, Bonemarang has four possible outcomes. As the order of the “heads” and “tails” doesn’t matter, it means it is reasonable to expect 80 damage half the time. Which is only 10 more than fellow Stage 1 (F) Pokémon Sandslash (Genetic Apex 138/226) does for the same Energy without being a Pokémon ex. Around a fourth of the time, you’ve whiff completely, doing zero damage. The opposite fourth of the time, you can score a fantastic 160 damage. There are only seven Pokémon (all ex) which can survive 160 damage.
Of course, your actual mileage can vary. Even when it does line up with the above, you never know when each result will occur. You might score double “heads” when you just needed 10 damage to finish something off… or worse, double “tails”. The (F)(F) Energy makes it risky to run Marowak ex in mixed company, and for as fast and affordable as Bonemerang is, you’ll still sometimes find you just can’t quite power-up in time. Still, 160 damage is hard to scoff at… and especially if you know your opponent is more skilled than you, it can be worth it to try for a lucky break.
Rating: 3.25/5
Marowak ex is, admittedly, is a low tier competitive deck, and almost didn’t make the Top 10. It’s still seeing at least a little bit of success, and can be beginner friendly. Knowing how to recover from bad flips is not beginner friendly, but if you choose the Mewtwo starter pack, you’re guaranteed to get a copy of Marowak ex. Since that’s the pack I chose, I might be biased in thinking Marowak ex has more of a presence than it actually does.
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