Step Into the Dojo: Fighting-Types in LC

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Introduction to Fighting-types

Since DPP LC, Fighting-types have been a staple of Little Cup, as they've proven to be excellent Pokémon due to their ability to thrive in roles such as offensive setup sweeper, bulky attacker, offensive pivot, and Choice Scarf cleaner. Although some roles show flexibility in striking a balance between offensive and defensive, Fighting-types are generally more offensive. The Fighting typing is great offensively, as it can hit common Rock-, Steel-, and Dark-types super effectively. Unfortunately, Fighting-type checks are found in the relatively common Fairy-, Flying-, and Psychic-types, though it can be noted that most Fighting-types only have that single typing, which leaves them relatively easily checked by the same Pokémon. Fighting-types tend to be more physically oriented, with the notable exception of Nasty Plot Croagunk. The viable Fighting-types have a wide range in Speed, with examples of slow Fighting-types including Croagunk and Timburr and significantly faster Fighting-types like Mienfoo also thriving. A Choice Scarf also allows certain Fighting-types like Choice Scarf Mienfoo to take on the role of a powerful revenge killer.

Fighting spam has proven to be pretty effective in ORAS and SM, as the viable Fighting-types can wear down each other's checks, which can overload the foe's responsibilities and leave their team rather vulnerable. Fighting-types tend to fit on a variety of teams due to their flexibility, including as a part of offensive cores such as Carvanha and Mienfoo, in balanced cores for bulkier Fighting-types such as Vullaby or Alolan Grimer and Timburr, and as general glues by removing items and exerting offensive pressure against many common metagame threats including Pawniard, Onix, Ferrothorn, and Carvanha. The two most prominent Fighting-type checks are Spritzee and Snubbull, which can wall most Fighting-types and take care of them easily, though Foongus, Croagunk, and Cottonee also deserve a mention, as they can take on most Fighting-types as well.

Fighting-types throughout the ages

The top Fighting-types in DPP LC were Machop, Mankey, and Croagunk, which were very viable in LC's debut generation because they had solid stats and were able to handle the majority of the metagame. They could also often handle their own checks with coverage moves, making them formidable forces. Though Fighting-types were really hard to counter, if you expected a Machop or Mankey to be Choice locked, you could switch in a Pokémon that took advantage of it being locked into that move and force it out, Pokémon that could do this well were Drifloon and Slowpoke. The viability and popularity of Fighting-types drastically increased in BW LC, as it introduced three new great Fighting-types in Mienfoo, Timburr, and Scraggy, though the latter was eventually banned. Though Fighting-types did quite well, BW LC contained solid checks to them, including Drifloon and Abra from past generations and the new Gothita, Vullaby, and Misdreavus, the last of which had recently been unbanned. XY also proved to be a generation where Fighting-types were quite dominant, as they gained generational buffs and upgrades that made them more efficient. Almost all Fighting-types gained access to the newly buffed Knock Off, which gave them a very useful coverage move against Psychic- and Ghost-types and allowed them to remove key items like Eviolite, Berry Juice, and Choice Scarf. Furthermore, Drifloon and Misdreavus, two Pokémon that could deal with Fighting-types, were eventually banned. The arrival of Fairy-types such as Spritzee and Snubbull helped keeping Fighting-types in check, though, and furthermore, Flying-types like Fletchling, Vullaby, and Choice Scarf Rufflet often scared them off. Nevertheless, Fighting-types were still one of the premier types in XY and were used in almost every successful team in that era. Now in SM LC, Fighting-types are popular as ever, with Mienfoo and Timburr benefitting from Fletchling being nerfed and Gothita being banned. Fighting-types have fewer checks than before and are more free this generation, although important checks such as Spritzee, Snubbull, Foongus, and others still remain. The introduction of Z-Moves created interesting methods to take down Fighting-types, but on the other hand it also made Fighting-types stronger, as sets such as Z-Bounce Mienfoo and Scraggy with Fightinium Z, Psychium Z, or Poisonium Z can break down Pokémon that otherwise check them. Fighting-types have been quite viable and effective so far in SM LC and seem poised to continue to be so throughout this generation.

Popular Fighting-types

Timburr

Timburr has been a huge part of LC since BW because of its high Attack stat, access to powerful moves and beneficial abilities, and ability to maintain a balance between offensive and defensive roles. Timburr has always been one of the best bulky attackers thanks to Iron Fist boosting the power of its variety of punch moves including Drain Punch, which also allows Timburr to maintain its longevity. Mach Punch allows Timburr to easily clean weakened Pokémon or physically weak Pokémon, as it is STAB and Iron Fist boosted, which makes it an extra powerful priority move that comes in handy against Pokémon such as Pawniard and Amaura, which both outspeed Timburr. Knock Off is an essential move that can hit Timburr's Psychic- and Ghost-type checks, such as Abra and Gastly, on the switch. In the first set, the last moveslot is taken by a coverage move such as Ice Punch or Poison Jab, which are mainly used to hit its Flying- and Fairy-type checks, respectively. In the second set, Bulk Up is used instead of a coverage move to make Timburr very powerful and very bulky at the same time, giving it the ability to clean the opposing team very easily with Mach Punch or provide support by pressuring opposing Pokémon early-game to support other sweepers on its team for the late-game. Timburr is very hard to take down due to its coverage moves and massive offensive pressure, although Flying- and Fairy-types can be troublesome if they safely switch in, leaving them able to tank at least one hit and bring Timburr down with super effective STAB moves. If facing Timburr, it would be advised to try to wear it down as much as possible with status or entry hazards and then safely switch in your check to Timburr to KO it. Additionally, it is important to note Timburr's rather sluggish Speed, which, though Timburr can circumvent it somewhat through Mach Punch, can be taken advantage of by fast checks.

Mienfoo

Mienfoo, alongside Timburr, has been a great Fighting-type from the day it was released in BW. Possessing great Attack and decent defenses and Speed, Mienfoo can be identified as a powerful, bulky, and fast Fighting-type, which allows it to successfully perform multiple roles with its vast movepool and very useful ability in Regenerator. Mienfoo's first set cements it as one of the best bulky attackers, hitting hard and tanking the majority of moves thrown at it. In Mienfoo's bulky attacker set, Drain Punch is a very important move aside from just being a STAB attack, as it can help Mienfoo recover lost health and increase its longevity. U-turn allows Mienfoo to pivot safely when it expects a check to switch in; if it outspeeds the foe and pivots out, this move allows Mienfoo to get to safety and bring in a teammate that can take the move aimed at Mienfoo. Depending on the EVs used, Mienfoo might work as a slow or fast pivot. U-turn also works really well with Mienfoo's ability, letting it pivot safely and regain health, which makes it one of the most viable pivots. Knock Off is a very common move among Fighting-types to help get rid of the common Eviolite on opposing Pokémon to make them more vulnerable against Mienfoo's powerful moves. It can also be used to hit Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon on the switch to deal massive damage to them, especially since the latter can be quite frail. High Jump Kick is a stronger Fighting-type STAB attack than Drain Punch and deals massive damage, helping Mienfoo break through some walls with the drawback of a chance for lots of recoil damage, which could land Mienfoo in a tight situation. High Jump Kick is also a very good move for the Choice Scarf set, as in conjunction with an alternate ability in Reckless, it allows Mienfoo can deal even more damage and break certain walls quite well. For coverage moves, Acrobatics, Stone Edge, and Poison Jab are all useful. The first can hit opposing Fighting- and Grass-types super effectively, which is especially useful for Fighting-types like Timburr and opposing Mienfoo that will most likely hit Mienfoo with Knock Off, boosting the move's Base Power. Poison Jab should be used to hit Fairy-types either on the switch or once they are weakened because they are bulky enough to switch into Mienfoo's other moves and KO it with super effective moves. Stone Edge can surprise Flying-types on the switch, and the high critical ratio can also come in handy against bulky Flying-types such as defensive Vullaby. Stone Edge is usually less useful than Acrobatics and Poison Jab as a coverage move, and these coverage moves are mostly second to High Jump Kick anyway. Mienfoo can also utilize a Choice Scarf set, which allows it to outspeed and KO faster Pokémon, acting as a revenge killer. This set also forms a great Fighting spam core with Timburr, as the two can take out each other's checks. Lastly, a Baton Pass set can take advantage of the popularity of Mienfoo's main set to bluff the opponent and get a Swords Dance boost for its teammates; however, Mienfoo is often outclassed by other Baton Pass users such as Torchic and its other sets typically outclass its Baton Pass set. Mienfoo currently also has a new trending set in Z-Bounce, which can use Supersonic Skystrike to take out Foongus, a common switch-in, and opposing Fighting-types unexpectedly.

Croagunk

Croagunk has been one of the most viable Fighting-type attackers since as early as DP, where it excelled greatly, due to its equally good Attack and Special Attack stats. Croagunk generally runs Nasty Plot as its main set due to its powerful STAB special attacks in Sludge Bomb and Focus Blast, access to Vacuum Wave for cleaning most weakened Pokémon, and ability to provide offensive pressure early-game. Nasty Plot Croagunk can easily take out a lot of Pokémon, including other Fighting-types, due to its resistance to Fighting-type moves due to its part Poison typing. Though it might not appreciate an incoming Knock Off, Croagunk can hit the opposing Fighting-type with Sludge Bomb, as most Fighting-types have a lower Special Defense stat. Croagunk can also deal with normal Fighting-type targets such as Rock-, Steel-, and Ice-types, although it is a little bit frailer than Mienfoo and Timburr even with an Eviolite. Aside from normal Fighting-type targets, Croagunk can also take out Grass-types such as Foongus and Cottonee, which take on most other Fighting-types. If Croagunk sets up Nasty Plot enough times, it can sweep the opposing team with Vacuum Wave, which is very effective due to it being a reasonably powerful priority move. Sticky Web support can also allow Croagunk to be more effective, because normally Croagunk is rather sluggish. Croagunk's second set is its mixed attacker set, which utilizes Croagunk's physical and special movepool, which contains good moves such as Drain Punch and Knock Off and the aforementioned Vacuum Wave and Sludge Bomb. This set can be used to surprise special walls and take them out; however, the main purpose of the set is to deal as much damage as possible and not worry about setting up. Croagunk's last set is its physical support set, where it utilizes only physical moves. This set is less offensive than the two other sets, as it is mostly used to hit hard physically and switch into and wall a lot of Pokémon such as Mienfoo and Cottonee. Physical Croagunk can also use its health-recovering Drain Punch and bulk-increasing Bulk Up to maintain longevity, so instead of all-out attacking, this set allows Croagunk to also have a sort of defensive approach. Like Timburr's Bulk Up set, this set also provides offensive pressure early-game. Croagunk's access to special and physical priority moves in Vacuum Wave, Sucker Punch, and Fake Out makes it a naturally talented cleaner, which is its main role and what it does best.

Scraggy

With its great Attack stat and defenses alongside powerful move options, it is easy to see why Scraggy is a popular Fighting-type. Scraggy has two powerful sets that make use of its vast array of moves, including setup options, powerful STAB moves, and coverage moves. Scraggy also has two good abilities in Shed Skin and Moxie that it can make good use of with its sets. These abilities benefit Scraggy's respective sets, with Shed Skin having a chance to prevent status from interfering with Scraggy's sweep and Moxie making Scraggy more powerful each time it KOes a foe, either adding to Dragon Dance boosts or boosting the power of a Choice Scarf set. Scraggy can utilize Z-Moves quite well with Moxie, as they can most likely KO an opposing Pokémon if used correctly, which nets Scraggy an easy Moxie boost. Scraggy also has Intimidate, which may not be as good as the aforementioned two abilities but can force significant switches and provide a free setup opportunity. Scraggy's typing also makes it quite different from other Fighting-types, as it is immune to Psychic where others are weak to it. Sadly, Scraggy's typing also makes it weak to opposing Fighting-types, which puts it at a disadvantage when compared to Timburr and Mienfoo. Flying- and Fairy-types are also as threatening as ever, especially since the latter can deal 4x super effective damage with their STAB moves. Scraggy's first set is a Dragon Dance set, which benefits from Scraggy's already powerful STAB moves in Drain Punch, High Jump Kick, and Knock Off, making Scraggy very dangerous after it sets up with Attack and Speed boosts. With the Speed boosts from Dragon Dance, Scraggy can also attempt to outspeed and KO its checks with powerful coverage moves, such as Zen Headbutt and Poison Jab, hitting opposing Fighting-types and Fairy-types, respectively. Scraggy's other set is a Choice Scarf set, which gives Scraggy high levels of Speed without having to set up. As Scraggy sweeps with its high Speed, Moxie makes it progressively more powerful, acting like a safer Dragon Dance. What makes the Dragon Dance set more popular is the ability to switch moves, as a Pokémon that resists Scraggy's Choice-locked move can stop it dead in its tracks even if it has boosts from Moxie. Even though Scraggy has its share of checks and flaws, offensive teams really benefit Scraggy's ability to set up and destroy the opposing team, so if you play with Scraggy, you must have sufficient support to allow it to set up safely.

Less Popular Fighting-types

Timburr, Mienfoo, Croagunk, and Scraggy are obviously not the only Fighting-types in LC; however, certain flaws drag down the viability of other Fighting-types to the point where even though the four most popular Fighting-types also have some flaws, they tend to overshadow others due to a variety of factors. These less popular other Fighting-types include Stufful, Riolu, Mankey, and Pancham, which all have their niches that separate them from the pack. Starting with Stufful, a good ability in Fluffy and good HP and Attack stats alongside a solid Normal / Fighting offensive typing are eye catching, as it has good neutral coverage that only misses out on Ghost-types. Sadly, this same typing drags it down defensively due to the current popularity of other Fighting-types. Stufful's movepool is also very disappointing, as its powerful STAB moves in Hammer Arm and Superpower both have negative secondary effects and its movepool also doesn't include the ever-so-useful Knock Off, priority moves, or pivoting moves. Its few powerful coverage moves aren't enough to make up for these issues. Riolu has a great ability in Prankster and powerful moves such as High Jump Kick and Zen Headbutt that allow it to set up and deal a lot of damage; however, it is completely outclassed by the popular Fighting-types, which are better setup sweepers, and Prankster's nerf in SM made Dark-types immune to moves used through Copycat, resulting in recoil damage if High Jump Kick is called. Riolu is also quite frail due to its mediocre defenses, which allow it to be KOed more easily by typical Fighting-type checks such as Abra, Vullaby, and Spritzee. Mankey has an interesting niche as a Choice Scarf user with access to good abilities, such as Defiant and Vital Spirit, and a solid movepool including Close Combat, Earthquake, Gunk Shot, and U-turn, although it lacks the essential Knock Off. It is mostly outclassed as a Choice Scarf pivot by Mienfoo; although its ability to wallbreak and do massive damage is commendable, if it doesn't KO its target, Mankey will likely be KOed itself due to its poor defenses. Lastly there's Pancham, which has a unique niche in access to a really good pivoting move in Parting Shot alongside an adequate movepool with options like Drain Punch, Knock Off, Zen Headbutt, and Gunk Shot, which is further supported by two good abilities in Iron Fist and Mold Breaker, allowing Pancham to become a decent bulky pivot if it uses an Eviolite; however, Mienfoo and Timburr are much better at performing bulky roles. Pancham also can utilize Swords Dance to become a decent setup sweeper, but again, it is outclassed by the likes of Nasty Plot Croagunk, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Bulk Up Timburr due to their better stats, movepool, and abilities. Pancham only has two out of the three, due to it being rather frail to special attacks.

Fighting-type Cores

Due to their offensive presence and reasonable bulk, Fighting-types are good choices for either offensive or balanced cores. An example of an offensive core that includes a Fighting-type is the Carvanha + Baton Pass Mienfoo core, where Mienfoo sets up Swords Dance and then uses Baton Pass to transfer its Attack boosts to Carvanha, which then uses Protect to gain +1 Speed and start sweeping. Swords Dance boosts allow Carvanha to tear down its checks that could handle it at normal strength such as Spritzee, Ferroseed, and Snubbull, which makes Carvanha a very fast and powerful sweeper in a core that, sadly, really struggles with Foongus, which can resist Mienfoo's High Jump Kick and use Clear Smog to erase any Swords Dance boosts or use Spore to prevent setup. Taunt users also do the trick quite well, although Taunt users that resist High Jump Kick would be recommended, since it does a lot of damage even on a neutral hit. An example of a balanced core that contains a Fighting-type is the Alolan Vulpix + Bulk Up Timburr core. Alolan Vulpix is currently the only Pokémon in LC that has access to Aurora Veil, and after it is set up, Timburr can switch into moves thrown at Alolan Vulpix, taking on the Rock- and Steel-type foes that threaten it. Aurora Veil prevents Timburr from sustaining significant damage, which allows Timburr to set up with Bulk Up quite safely and then start sweeping, making it extremely durable and powerful. There is an effective method to check this core, which is the use of strong special attackers such as Nasty Plot Croagunk, which can take out the frail Alolan Vulpix with Focus Blast or set up on it with Nasty Plot, later efficiently dealing with Timburr, as it resists all of its moves and can take it out with Sludge Bomb due to Timburr's weaker Special Defense.

Possibly the most effective and powerful core, which is very common in the current SM LC metagame, is the Fighting spam core. Type spam has always been quite an effective and powerful offensive archetype in LC, and Fighting spam is currently one of the strongest type spam archetypes due to it conveniently containing two powerful and popular Fighting-types that can take care of each other's checks, namely Choice Scarf Mienfoo and bulky attacker Timburr. Choice Scarf Mienfoo outspeeds faster checks that would take advantage of Timburr's sluggishness and then attacks them with powerful moves such as High Jump Kick and Knock Off, and if a Pokémon resists Mienfoo's powerful moves and tries to retaliate, Timburr can step in, tank that move with its better bulk, and proceed to attack that Pokémon with moves that hit like a truck. An obvious downside to Fighting spam is their shared weaknesses, meaning that most Pokémon that could check one Fighting-type can check two. Pokémon that can do this have to be reasonably bulky to take on two Fighting-types in a row, though, so some Vullaby variants and Spritzee, which tank all of the two's moves and KO them with super effective STAB moves, would work well. Sometimes, instead of Mienfoo, Scraggy + Croagunk is used to take care of typical Fighting spam checks, though the switch adds more possible checks to the core, which makes the original Mienfoo + Timburr core more effective. Currently, a new trendy core that roams around the SM LC metagame is Alolan Grimer + Reckless Choice Scarf Mienfoo, which devastates unprepared teams by having Alolan Grimer trap and take out Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon and having Mienfoo more freely spam Reckless-boosted High Jump Kick.

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Final Thoughts

Currently, it can be safe to assume that Fighting-types dominate the SM LC metagame, as they are very popular due to their vast movepools, good stats, and great abilities, which all work together to form powerful sets that can deal with a multitude of Pokémon despite the many Fighting-type checks out there. Fighting-types have already ensured themselves quite a solid position in the SM LC metagame, and only a huge metagame shift could decrease their popularity. The future of Fighting-types isn't 100% clear, but if we look at the past, we can easily see the trend of Fighting-types excelling throughout the generations, so it would be safe to assume Fighting-types in the future will be rather safe and sturdy. It turns out that exercise, training, and healthy eating do come in handy, as you'll always be amazed when your buff Fighting-type enters the ring!

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