Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
60
|
- |
135 |
167 |
- |
| Atk |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| Def |
75
|
85 |
95 |
127 |
139 |
| SpA |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| SpD |
75
|
85 |
95 |
127 |
139 |
| Spe |
80
|
90 |
100 |
132 |
145 |
Overview
Medicham's phenomenal Attack, thanks to Pure Power, decent base 80 Speed, and great offensive movepool make it a top offensive threat in the UU metagame. However, Medicham's frailty and average Speed means that it can be easily demolished by faster sweepers, especially Rotom and Mismagius, that haunt the UU tier. Much like a double-edged sword, smart playing will turn Medicham into a one-man demolition crew, 2HKOing most opposing Pokémon, but recklessness will leave you one Pokémon short and your opponent free of a major threat.
An exceptional Attack stat, along with decent Speed, makes Medicham a perfect candidate for a Choice Scarf, transforming it into a potent revenge killer and late-game sweeper. Due to Medicham's mediocre defensive stats and lack of resistances, it is best to bring it in for a revenge kill, which should prove to be a simple task as Medicham has good type coverage with its attacks to KO most opponents. From there, Medicham can muscle its way through weakened teams with its titanic Attack.
Hi Jump Kick is Medicham's main attack and reaches 150 Base Power after STAB, which can OHKO many neutral targets, such as Swellow and Sceptile. Bulkier sweepers such as Leafeon and Drapion will not have an easy time against Hi Jump Kick either, as most are 2HKOed even without residual damage factored in. Despite this, Hi Jump Kick should not be used haphazardly, as it invites Ghost-types to switch in and cause Medicham to lose a significant portion of its HP. Brick Break is a weaker alternative that does not suffer from Hi Jump Kick's flawed accuracy and potential recoil. Psycho Cut is a good secondary STAB that allows Medicham to handle Poison-types that resist Hi Jump Kick, primarily Venusaur and Weezing. Most Venusaur are OHKOed, while Weezing is always 2HKOed, regardless of residual damage. Support and SubSeeder Venusaur, however, are only OHKOed with residual damage. Psycho Cut also puts a large dent in Rotom and Mismagius that try to switch into a predicted Fighting-type move. ThunderPunch and Ice Punch are for additional coverage, mainly against specific Pokémon that resist or are neutral to either of Medicham's STAB attacks. ThunderPunch assures a 2HKO on Moltres and Slowking, while Ice Punch can OHKO Gligar and Altaria and 2HKO Claydol. Trick cripples defensive Pokemon like Slowbro and Uxie that would otherwise wall Medicham, making it easier for Medicham or another team member to dispose of them.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Jolly nature and Choice Scarf bring Medicham's Speed to 426, which is enough to outspeed Adamant Rock Polish Torterra and Aggron after a boost. Alternatively, Medicham can use an Adamant nature to improve its chances of scoring an OHKO against threats such as Scyther and Alakazam. The loss of Speed from using an Adamant nature, however, will leave Medicham vulnerable to boosting sweepers such as Rock Polish Rhyperior, which Medicham can normally take on when using a Jolly nature.
Since Hi Jump Kick scores most of Medicham's KOs, a means of handling Ghost-types is necessary to let Medicham smash through opposing teams. Therefore, a Pursuit user is an excellent teammate for Medicham, and Houndoom fits that role perfectly. Mixed Houndoom eliminates Ghost-types with ease, as its Life Orb-boosted Pursuit OHKOes Mismagius and most Rotom as they switch out, and its Sucker Punch will always KO them. Additionally, Houndoom absorbs Will-O-Wisp aimed at Medicham to gain a Flash Fire boost, which will let it weaken the opposing team with a boosted Fire-type attack, so Medicham can come in and clean up later in the match.
Phazers help Medicham tremendously when coupled with entry hazards, as they allow you to scout opposing teams for any Ghost-types or physically defensive Pokémon that cause Medicham trouble and rack up entry hazard damage by inducing multiple switches. Specially Defensive Drapion works well for this role because it can also KO Ghost-types that it may expose with Whirlwind or wear down opposing Pokémon with Toxic Spikes so Medicham can finish them off.
Medicham's amazing Attack, coupled with its decent Speed, make it a potent sweeper in UU. With the boost Life Orb provides, a quite extensive list of what Hi Jump Kick 2HKOes is created. Defensive threats, such as Milotic, will be 2HKOed if they attempt to come in on a Hi Jump Kick; for example, 248 HP / 252 Def Bold Milotic takes 55.2% - 65.1% damage. Low Kick is a safer option over Hi Jump Kick, as it has the same or greater Base Power as Hi Jump Kick when used against bulky Pokémon like Torterra and Donphan. However, the inconsistency in its Base Power can make more of a liability for Medicham than an asset, since Medicham will lose OHKOs that Hi Jump Kick would have scored against lighter Pokémon, such as Lanturn. Zen Headbutt deals with Pokémon that resist Medicham's Fighting-type STAB move, as well as having a 20% flinch rate to potentially spare Medicham from taking serious damage. Fake Out and Bullet Punch provide priority and let Medicham revenge kill weakened threats, such as Alakazam and Sceptile, with ease. ThunderPunch and Ice Punch can be used for coverage on Pokémon like Claydol or Slowbro, which resist both of Medicham's STAB attacks. Additionally, they serve as safer alternatives for Hi Jump Kick when used on Pokémon that are hit for super effective damage by the respective attack.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
An Adamant nature is a viable option on Medicham to ensure OHKOs on bulkier Pokémon that it still outspeeds, such as Dragon Dance Feraligatr (before the Speed boost from Dragon Dance) and Weezing. However, that will leave it unable to at least tie with many of the positive base 80 Pokemon in UU, most notably Venusaur. Since Psycho Cut is illegal alongside Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt is the only physical Psychic-type STAB available to this Medicham set. While one can forgo Bullet Punch to use Psycho Cut, Bullet Punch is Medicham's most reliable priority move, as Fake Out only works once, and Medicham needs a reliable priority move to handle faster Pokémon.
Medicham enjoys having entry hazards and paralysis support to sweep through opposing teams with greater ease. Registeel is a good teammate for this task as it can set up Stealth Rock, paralyze opposing Pokémon with Thunder Wave, and resists Flying- and Ghost-type attacks aimed at Medicham. Wish support is recommended to compensate for the loss of HP from Life Orb, which would leave Medicham at more risk than usual. Leafeon and Chansey are good choices due to their bulk.
A Choice Band provides Medicham with the necessary boost to break through even the sturdiest of physical walls. Hi Jump Kick coming off 657 Attack can OHKO walls such as Steelix and Regirock with minimal residual damage. Even Pokémon that take neutral damage from Hi Jump Kick are effectively 2HKOed after a switch in; for instance, Tank Torterra is dealt a minimum of 54.2% damage. Despite this destructive power, one should be wary of Ghost-types on the opposing team, which enjoy switching into Medicham locked into Hi Jump Kick, causing it to lose a significant portion of its HP in the process. Brick Break is a good option to avoid the perils of Hi Jump Kick, but Medicham will have to settle for 2HKOs on Pokémon that it would normally OHKO with Hi Jump Kick. Psycho Cut deals with Pokemon that Hi Jump Kick or Brick Break cannot dispose of, such as Venusaur and Weezing. ThunderPunch is for Flying-types and an alternative for Hi Jump Kick against Water-types. Slowbro, which normally counters Medicham, takes 51.8% - 60.9% damage from ThunderPunch, making it difficult for it to wall Medicham. Ice Punch is for additional coverage alongside ThunderPunch, mainly for Ground-types like Claydol and Gligar. Trick cripples defensive threats like Uxie by ridding them of their Leftovers, and is especially useful when partnered with Brick Break, so Medicham can at least ruin an opposing wall if it cannot KO it.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This Medicham is an asset to offensive teams that need a reliable wallbreaker. While Medicham normally appreciates an Adamant nature to boost its already phenomenal Attack stat, Jolly is necessary to tie with other positive Speed nature base 80 Pokémon like Venusaur, Blaziken, and Altaria. A Pursuit user is also necessary to ensure that Medicham can attack without the fear of Ghosts switching in. Once again, Houndoom is an excellent candidate for the position as it also absorbs Will-O-Wisp aimed at Medicham. Entry hazards help Medicham tear through bulky Pokémon much easier. Omastar is a good choice to provide this due to its access to all three entry hazards and resistance to Flying-type moves.
Other Options
Medicham can attempt to diminish its frailty by running a Bulk Up set with 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 Spe and Recover. After a single Bulk Up, Medicham is never 2HKOed by a combination of Waterfall and Aqua Jet from maximum Attack Azumarill and still has a high enough Attack stat to 2HKO max HP Donphan and Milotic. However, Medicham rarely gets opportunities to set up due to its lack of bulk and average Speed. Substitute and Focus Punch can be used to nail opponents with a 225 Base Power attack while sparing Medicham from being KOed in an instant, but Medicham will find it difficult to consistently create Substitutes due to its low HP and slightly above-average defenses.
Toxic is a viable option to weaken physically defensive Pokémon like Slowbro and Tangrowth that easily switch into Medicham. Rock Slide is an alternative for Ice Punch or ThunderPunch to deal with Flying-types like Moltres, Swellow, and Altaria with a decent 30% flinch rate, but the 90% accuracy may end up hurting Medicham as any of the previously mentioned Pokémon can OHKO it should Rock Slide fail to hit. Baton Pass is useful for passing Bulk Up boosts or Substitutes and scouting opposing teams for possible threats, but Medicham lacks the Speed necessary to use it effectively.
Checks and Counters
Few Pokémon can reliably counter Medicham due to its incredible Attack. Spiritomb stands out as a counter due to its immunity to both of Medicham's STAB moves. With overall great defenses, Spiritomb can switch into any of Medicham's attacks with impunity and force it out with the threat of being KOed by Shadow Ball or Shadow Sneak. Tangrowth easily walls Medicham and can cripple it with sleep or paralysis and dispose of Medicham with Leaf Storm or Power Whip. A non-boosted Hi Jump Kick barely 3HKOes 252 HP / 252 Def Tangrowth even after a switch into Stealth Rock.
Bulky Psychic-types have no trouble coming in and ruining Medicham's sweep. Slowbro resists Fighting- and Psychic-type moves, as well as Ice Punch, and with its superb Defense, can easily switch into Medicham and threaten it with STAB Surf and Psychic. However, it has to watch out for ThunderPunch and Trick, which ruin its walling capabilities. Uxie functions in the same vein as Slowbro, as it can easily withstand any attack in Medicham's repertoire due to its base 130 Defense and resistances to both of Medicham's STAB moves, as well as threaten it with Thunder Wave, Yawn, and Psychic. Offensively, Mesprit can 2HKO Medicham with Psychic or Zen Headbutt while switching in easily due to its reasonable bulk and resistances to Medicham's STABs.
