TL;DR: Should You Pull?
Power Ranking: 10/10
A Powerful Special Attacker with AOE damage, occasional flinch and high self-sufficiency to tear through any Stage. The power that Marnie possesses easily puts her top five on the list of Strikers and arguably a must-pull for anyone.
Should You Pull: Quick Overview
With astronomical attack stats and abilities to boost that further, coupled with annihilating AOE moves, Marnie is highly recommended for beginners and veterans alike.
What Does It Do?
If you’ve played Sword & Shield, Marnie should be a familiar face. Her seemingly icy face and contrasting friendly attitude made her a fan-favourite after her debut. Her path as the player’s rival started with a noble purpose: to make her hometown, Spikemuth, lively again. Although she suffered defeat in the base games, here in Pokémon Masters EX, her dream was finally realised (partially). Now partnered with the Malevolent Pokémon, this sync pair will surely burn away any opposition!
Marnie (Champion) & Galarian Moltres is a Dark-type Sync Pair with a weakness to Fairy-types. She sports mediocre speed and lacks defences but makes up with ABSURD Special Attack stats. Seriously, ranking top 10 in terms of Special Attack is nothing to scoff at — more so when it is just the base. Their first move is the signature move of Galarian Moltres: Fiery Wrath. This Dark-type AOE move consumes four bars of gauge on use, with power ranging from 155-186 with 100 accuracy and a bonus 20% chance of inflicting flinch.
Protect comes next, which is…odd for a Striker, to say the least; nevertheless, this one-use move can increase survivability by protecting the user from a standard attack or halving damage from any Sync, Dynamax or Gigantamax moves. Next, we have this sync pair's crown jewel: B Fiery Wrath. This Dark-type AOE Buddy Move does not consume gauge, has 100 accuracy, and does 200-240 damage, increasing by 20% in a pinch. Heck, it even ignores all damage-reducing, critical preventing and enduring abilities! The flinch chance and damage dealt are also not decreased by the number of opponents hit, making this move one of the strongest in the game. Its only drawback is that it can only be used whenever a sync pair on your team uses a sync move, but considering how powerful this move is, this condition seems more like a balance than a limitation. The final move is Triumphant Spirit!, which maxes out Special Attack, +4 Speed, +2 Evasiveness, and applies the Enduring effect at the cost of 10% of HP. This apparent drawback is advantageous, which we will cover below.
Let’s begin with the Master Passive: Galar Spirit. This passive skill boosts team-wide Special Attack and Special Defense with a more significant boost if more Galar Sync Pairs are on the team. Next is Sinister Aura, which reduces Sync Move Cooldown by one and maximises Critical Hit Rate. Spikemuth Grit is more late-game, though, restoring 40% HP and granting Special Moves ↑ Next by three ranks, giving Marnie a vengeful power surge. Finally, we have Mind over Matter 4. This skill boosts Special Attack by 40% when HP is reduced, making the HP reduction in their trainer move beneficial.
Marnie is a powerful ally on any team. Her ludicrous stats, powerful AOE moves, complete buffing profile, and passive skills make any stage an easy clear with proper defence and speed support. With that taken care of, Marnie can unleash Fiery Wrath on her opponents without weighing them down.
How To Use It?
Sync Grid Considerations & Lucky Skills
Sync Grid & Sync Levels
Marnie & Moltres are great at ⅕. As mentioned above, the absurd stats make this sync pair worth your hard-earned (or paid) gems.
At ⅖, there are more worthwhile nods to activate. Evasive Sync-Up 3 is free boosting since Evasion Boosts are built in Marnie’s trainer move. Fiery Wrath: Move Gauge Refresh 3 might be worth it if you want more gauge. Protect: Slippery 2 could be helpful, but it is rather niche as Evasion rates ultimately come down to chance.
As with any sync pair, Marnie & Moltres flares at ⅗. Wounded Sync-Up 5 and Wounded Power 3 are must-haves for them. Soften Up 1 is invaluable but is surrounded by not-as-effective nods, so you might want to leave critical hit rates to chance in favour of more multipliers. Fiery Wrath: Aggravation 2 could be applicable if you desire more disrupting power. Protect: Super Preparation 9 will give Marnie & Moltres a power surge if timed accurately, but it uses too much energy to reach.
EX Viability
AOE sync moves will make any stage consume less time so it's always a great consideration.
Lucky Skills
Critical Strike 2, what else?
Games Modes
On the Champion Stadium, she's a powerhouse, and if a stage is weak to Dark-types…can you guess what happens next? For Legendary Arena & Gauntlet, she's still an invaluable ally, her sheer power can destroy the bosses. Just ensure the boss has no whimsical tendencies, and you should be fine.
Extreme Battles are always a bit more…complicated. Most of these stages have a specific niche for specified Sync Pairs. Marnie has the power, but it may not cut it in certain situations. Marnie is mostly overkill in the Battle Villa, but you might want to bring her with refreshable supports or fish for MP refreshes.
Team Compositions
Sonia & Yamper and Bede & Articuno are optimal choices for teams with Marnie. Both of them can offer defensive buffs and gauge management, which Marnie requires to reach her full potential. Sygna Suit Darkrai can also be considered for its Dark-typing and unique Dark Zone and the Neo Champions of Kalos are highly compatible with Marnie as well, supporting Marnie with debilitating debuffs and speed boosts.
To be honest, Marnie can be paired with almost any support units, as long as they satiate her needs in speed and/or bring longevity to the team.
Showcase Video
Is It Worth Pulling?
For beginner and intermediate players, Marnie & Moltres will be an excellent addition to your team. She possesses the brute force required to steamroll most stages, making it way easier to obtain more resources to advance. For veteran players, it is more up to preference but obviously a powerful choice.
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