In Pokémon Sun and Moon, a shiny Alolan Marowak comes from a shiny Cubone. Cubone is 24% of the grass encounters in Wela Volcano Park on Akala Island, at Lv. 16–19. Chain SOS calls until a shiny Cubone shows up, catch it, then level it up to 28 or higher at night. In Sun, night is 18:00–05:59 on the 3DS clock. Moon's clock runs 12 hours apart, so its night is 06:00–17:59. From 31 calls in a row, each new ally has about a 1 in 315.54 chance to be shiny, or 1 in 273.53 with the Shiny Charm. Totem Marowak and the totem-sized gift in the Ultra games are shiny-locked.
This guide covers Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, up to version 1.2. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon have their own section near the end. If you're hunting in Pokémon GO or Legends: Z-A, those games use different methods; see the last section.
What shiny Alolan Marowak looks like
The bone, the skull and the green flames on both ends of the bone look the same on both forms, so at a glance the shiny is easy to miss. The difference is in the body. A normal Alolan Marowak is dark plum with a tan belly. The shiny is blue-violet with a charcoal belly, and the marking on its skull turns black.
| Part | Normal | Shiny |
|---|---|---|
| Body, arms, tail | Dark plum | Blue-violet |
| Belly | Tan | Charcoal |
| Skull marking | Plum | Black |
| Skull, bone, flames | White skull, white bone, green flames | No change |
Shiny Cubone is the one to look for
You won't see a wild Alolan Marowak in Alola, so the shiny you're actually looking for is a Cubone. A shiny Cubone is easy to tell apart: its body is green instead of brown, and sparkles play when it appears. Whether a Pokémon is shiny is fixed when you meet it. Evolving doesn't reroll it, so a shiny Cubone always becomes a shiny Alolan Marowak.
Where to find Cubone
Cubone lives in the grass at Wela Volcano Park, the site of Kiawe's trial on Akala Island. There are five patches between the entrance from Route 7 and the summit, and they all use the same table. It's the same in Sun and Moon, and in the day and at night.
| Pokémon | Rate | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Salandit | 30% | 16–19 |
| Fletchling | 30% | 16–19 |
| Cubone | 24% | 16–19 |
| Magby | 15% | 16–19 |
| Kangaskhan | 1% | 16–19 |
You reach Wela during the story, right after the Battle Royal on Royal Avenue; see Kiawe's trial in the walkthrough. The Marowak that dance with Kiawe during the trial are part of the trial, not wild Pokémon, and you can't catch them. In Sun and Moon, the Totem at Wela is Salazzle.
Cubone's catch rate is 190, so any Poké Ball works well. About 5% of wild Cubone hold a Thick Club, which doubles the Attack of Cubone and both kinds of Marowak. A Lv. 16 Cubone knows Tail Whip, Bone Club, Headbutt and Leer. From Lv. 17 it has Focus Energy instead of Tail Whip.
The SOS chain
Each time a wild Cubone calls for help and an ally answers, the battle's chain counter goes up by one. The more calls in a row, the more chances each new ally gets to be shiny. The odds stop improving at 31 calls. In Sun and Moon the counter starts over after 255, so the boost only lasts from call 31 to call 255.
| Calls in a row | Shiny odds per ally | With the Shiny Charm |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | 1 in 4,096 | 1 in 1,365.67 |
| 11–20 | 1 in 819.6 | 1 in 585.57 |
| 21–30 | 1 in 455.56 | 1 in 372.82 |
| 31–255 | 1 in 315.54 | 1 in 273.53 |
The Shiny Charm doesn't multiply these numbers. It adds two extra shiny checks to each ally, which is why the gap between the two columns shrinks as the chain grows. You get it from the Game Director in Heahea City once you own 300 Alola Pokédex entries; see the Pokédex guide. You don't need it for this hunt.
A chain of 70 doesn't help
The best odds don't come at 70 calls, and they aren't about 1 in 1,024. The odds stop climbing at 31. Every ally from there to 255 has the same chance, so a longer chain just gives you more tries, and more chances for the battle to go wrong.
Kangaskhan, the Adrenaline Orb, and 255
When Cubone calls for help, 9 answers in 10 are another Cubone, and 1 in 10 is Kangaskhan. Knock Kangaskhan out quickly and keep a Cubone on the field to make the calls.
Calls come more often when the caller's HP is low, so bring it into the red without knocking it out. An Adrenaline Orb makes calls more likely for the rest of the battle. Poké Marts sell it for ₽300 once you've cleared three trials, and Kiawe's trial at Wela is the third. Long chains also bring perfect IVs and Hidden Abilities: there's no Hidden Ability chance below a chain of 10, then 5% from 10, 10% from 20 and 15% from 30. In Sun and Moon the counter resets after 255 and the odds go back to the start. They build up again if you keep calling, so it's worth starting a new battle at that point. The same chain rules are on the Bagon page.
Evolving Cubone: Lv. 28 or higher at night
Cubone evolves into Alolan Marowak when it levels up at Lv. 28 or higher during the night. In Sun and Moon this is Cubone's only evolution. Level it up in the daytime and nothing happens: it doesn't turn into the original Ground-type Marowak, it just stays a Cubone. Level 28 isn't a one-time chance either. Any level-up at night after that will work, and a Rare Candy counts.
Night in Sun versus night in Moon
Sun uses your 3DS clock, so night is 18:00 to 05:59. Moon's clock runs 12 hours apart, so in Moon night is 06:00 to 17:59 on your 3DS. That's the most common reason Cubone won't evolve in Moon. After the main story, the other world you reach through the Ultra Wormhole at the Altar of the Sunne or Moone has day and night the other way round. If you're not sure, look at the sky in the game: it should be dark. The same clock decides Umbreon and the other night evolutions.
Abilities after evolving
Alolan Marowak gets its ability from the same slot Cubone had, so the ability name can change when it evolves.
| Slot | Cubone | Alolan Marowak |
|---|---|---|
| Ability 1 | Rock Head | Cursed Body |
| Ability 2 | Lightning Rod | Lightning Rod |
| Hidden Ability | Battle Armor | Rock Head |
If you want Rock Head on your shiny Marowak, you need a Hidden Ability Cubone with Battle Armor, which wild Cubone only have from an SOS chain of 10 or more. A Hidden Ability parent can also pass it on through breeding. A Rock Head Cubone becomes a Cursed Body Marowak.
Marowak that can't be shiny
- Kiawe's dancing Marowak in the Wela trial are part of the trial. You battle the one you pick out, but you can't catch it.
- In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Kiawe's Totem is an Alolan Marowak. You battle it but can't catch it.
- The totem-sized Alolan Marowak from Samson Oak in Heahea City, for 40 Totem Stickers in Ultra Sun, is shiny-locked. In Ultra Moon the 40-sticker reward is a totem-sized Araquanid instead.
Breeding a shiny Cubone instead
Breeding is the other method. With the Masuda method, where the two parents come from games in different languages, each egg has about a 1 in 683 chance to be shiny, or 1 in 512 with the Shiny Charm. The egg hatches into Cubone, so you still have to evolve it at night. The Pokémon Nursery is at Paniola Ranch.
The catch is the foreign parent. 3DS online trading ended on 8 April 2024, so it has to be one you already own, or one you get by local wireless trade. Pokémon Bank, if you still have it installed, closes on 25 February 2027 (US Pacific time). If you don't have one, SOS chaining needs nothing extra.
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Cubone is in the Wela Volcano Park grass in the Ultra games too, and it still evolves into Alolan Marowak at Lv. 28 or higher at night. Three things change:
- Wild Pokémon only call for help once per battle unless you use an Adrenaline Orb. Use one at the start of each battle you want to chain.
- The chain counter stops at 255 instead of resetting, so the odds stay at their best.
- If Cubone levels up at Lv. 28 or higher in Ultra Space Wilds, it evolves into the original Ground-type Marowak. Don't level your shiny there.
See Pokémon Sun vs Ultra Sun for the rest of the differences.
Pokémon GO and Legends: Z-A
In Pokémon GO, shiny Alolan Marowak has been available since November 2018, from raids and events rather than from Cubone at Wela. In Legends: Z-A, wild Alolan Marowak is only in the Mega Dimension DLC, in four-star Fire-type Hyperspace Lumiose zones, and Cubone there doesn't evolve into it. Neither game uses the Sun and Moon method above.
FAQ
What does shiny Alolan Marowak look like?
Its body is blue-violet instead of dark plum, and its belly is charcoal instead of tan. The skull, bone and green flames don't change.
Where do I find Cubone in Sun and Moon?
In the grass at Wela Volcano Park on Akala Island, 24% of encounters at Lv. 16–19, in both games, day and night.
What level does Cubone evolve, and when is night in Moon?
At Lv. 28 or higher, during a level-up at night. In Moon, night is 06:00–17:59 on your 3DS clock. In Sun it's 18:00–05:59.
Why won't my Cubone evolve?
It's under Lv. 28, or it leveled up during the day. In Moon, daytime on the 3DS is night in the game. Level it up again when the sky in the game is dark.
What are the SOS shiny odds at 31 calls?
About 1 in 315.54 per ally, or 1 in 273.53 with the Shiny Charm. They don't get any better after that, and in Sun and Moon they reset after 255 calls.
Does a chain of 70 matter?
No. The shiny odds stop climbing at 31.
Is Totem Marowak shiny-locked?
Yes. It's only in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you can't catch it, and the totem-sized Marowak from Samson Oak in Ultra Sun is shiny-locked too.
Can I breed a shiny Alolan Marowak instead?
Yes, with the Masuda method: about 1 in 683, or 1 in 512 with the Shiny Charm. It hatches as Cubone, so you still evolve it at night.