Medicham
Credit to Heysup for the original analysis.
[Overview]
<p>If Medicham had existed in GSC, it would've been one of the worst Pokemon in the game. However, with ADV came innate abilities, and Medicham received one of the best around in Pure Power. In fact, Choice Band Medicham's Hi Jump Kick is the most powerful move in RU, surpassing even Aggron's Head Smash and Moltres's Fire Blast. Medicham was also blessed with a great movepool to hit Pokemon that resist Hi Jump Kick, including a great secondary STAB in Psycho Cut. However, Medicham's Attack is really its only good stat, as base 80 Speed is only decent in RU and 60 / 75 / 75 defenses leave a lot to be desired. Although Medicham can run a Bulk Up set effectively, it has no way around the fact that RU is densely populated with Ghost-types, making it hard to rely on Hi Jump Kick. For this reason, Medicham can only reach its full potential with Pursuit support. However, this does not mean that Medicham is helpless, as it is easily one of the most threatening Pokemon in the tier that you would do well to prepare for.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Pure Power
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Medicham is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice Scarf set to fix its middling Speed. Hi Jump Kick is a brutally powerful STAB move that 2HKOes nearly everything that doesn't resist it, and even then it can power through frailer Pokemon resistant to Fighting-type moves. Psycho Cut is a wonderful secondary STAB move for Medicham as it provides good coverage with Hi Jump Kick. It is mainly used for Poison-type Pokemon such as Qwilfish, Roselia, and Scolipede, and it also 2HKOes Rotom. ThunderPunch gets coverage on Flying-types that resist Hi Jump Kick, such as Scyther and Moltres, and is especially useful for hitting Sigilyph, which resists both of Medicham's STAB moves. It also 2HKOes Slowking, which would otherwise counter Choice Scarf Medicham, and hits other Psychic-types such as Uxie for at least neutral damage. Trick can cripple walls that not even Medicham can break through, such as Tangrowth.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon, maximizing power and Speed to hit as hard and as fast as possible. When holding a Choice Scarf, a Jolly nature is recommended to outspeed many boosting sweepers, most notably Feraligatr at +1 and Aggron and Modest Omastar at +2. It is also worth noting that Adamant Medicham just barely misses out on outspeeding Aerodactyl. Ice Punch is an option to hit more uncommon threats such as Golurk, Altaria, and Torterra harder, but you will generally be rewarded more often if you go with ThunderPunch as Medicham's coverage move. Rock Slide is another option if your team particularly struggles against Moltres, as ThunderPunch will only 2HKO it, while Rock Slide is a guaranteed OHKO. It also has the added bonus of hitting Bug-types, most notably Galvantula and Scyther, harder. Despite its flinch rate and higher Base Power, Zen Headbutt is not recommended over Psycho Cut, as the latter is more accurate and doesn't trigger Cofagrigus's Mummy ability.</p>
<p>Hazard support is greatly appreciated when using Medicham as it typically can force a lot of switches. Steelix and Omastar are good choices to set up entry hazards and also synergize well with Medicham. Furthermore, Medicham needs Pursuit support to function to the best of its ability; Spiritomb, Drapion, and Absol are all great choices.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Drain Punch / Trick
item: Choice Band
ability: Pure Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If you can accept the fact that Medicham is too slow to destroy offensive teams without a Choice Scarf, you could use a Choice Band. With a Choice Band, Medicham reaches an Attack stat of 720, and the power of Hi Jump Kick becomes truly terrifying. Psycho Cut is even more important on this set than the Choice Scarf one, as with Stealth Rock in play, Psycho Cut is a guaranteed 2HKO on Nasty Plot Cofagrigus. In addition, Medicham's Choice Band effectively cancels out the effect of Intimidate, allowing it to OHKO Qwilfish with Psycho Cut. ThunderPunch is again required for crucial coverage on the likes of Slowking, Moltres, and Sigilyph and is Medicham's best option against other Psychic-types. Drain Punch is preferred in the last slot to clean up once all physical walls are gone and Hi Jump Kick's ridiculous power isn't needed anymore. It is also good against offensive teams, as they generally have very few Pokemon that are able to take such a hit. Another option is Trick, which is especially useful against Eviolite-wielding walls. However, Trick on this set supports the team more than Medicham itself as it is able to 2HKO just about everything in RU. Giving Munchlax a Choice Band will give a teammate such as Moltres the opportunity to sweep late-game.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum investment in Attack and Speed allows Medicham to hit hard and fast. An Adamant nature is preferred on this set because the only key threat that it would otherwise beat with Jolly is Smeargle, which will almost always be carrying a Focus Sash and will put Medicham to sleep with Spore regardless of its superior Speed. However, Sleep Talk is a very interesting move on this set as it completely contradicts the effects of a Choice item, allowing Medicham to use different moves while asleep; however, Medicham is not able to select which one. It is useful for switching into the aforementioned Smeargle, as well as Tangrowth and Lilligant. Another option is Bullet Punch, which allows Medicham to revenge kill Archeops and Aerodactyl, while also 2HKOing Sceptile after Stealth Rock. However, this comes with a price, as Bullet Punch is illegal with Psycho Cut, forcing Medicham to use Zen Headbutt instead. Bullet Punch generally isn't recommended because 2HKOing Nasty Plot Cofagrigus is of huge importance and Drain Punch has greater utility. Other moves that can be of some use are Ice Punch and Fire Punch, but both only hit specific threats, so unless your team has trouble with Altaria or Galvantula, stick with Drain Punch or Trick instead.</p>
<p>As always, hazards are a great asset to Medicham's success. They are especially crucial in securing a number of KOs with Stealth Rock, including the 2HKO on Nasty Plot Cofagrigus with Psycho Cut, as well as the OHKO on defensive Rhydon with Hi Jump Kick. Both Steelix and Omastar synergize well with Medicham and have access to Stealth Rock. Another thing that is crucial with any Medicham set is Pursuit support, and of the very few Pokemon that can avoid the 2HKO from Medicham, both Uxie and defensive Cofagrigus are weak to Pursuit, making Spiritomb, Drapion, and Absol good partners. Another good partner is Mandibuzz, as it can wear down both defensive Cofagrigus and defensive Spiritomb with the combination of Taunt and Toxic.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Bulk Up / Fake Out
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Pure Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Medicham also excels without a Choice item. It can run an effective offensive Bulk Up set, increasing Hi Jump Kick's power to truly scary levels. Not even Pokemon that resist Hi Jump Kick can take too much punishment after a Bulk Up or two. Zen Headbutt is the preferred secondary STAB move on this set because Psycho Cut and Bullet Punch are illegal together, and a Psychic-type STAB move is still necessary to hit Ghost-types. Fake Out is a good choice over Bulk Up as well and can form a double priority combination with Bullet Punch that can check frail sweepers, which are frequently seen on weather teams. Bullet Punch is a necessity if Medicham using either Bulk Up or Fake Out, as it can hit frail sweepers that attempt to stop Medicham's rampage, often before it truly begins.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As usual, maximum in investment in Attack and Speed lets Medicham hit as hard and as fast as possible. An Adamant nature is preferred over a Jolly one because the only major threat that Adamant Medicham fails to outspeed is Smeargle, which has a small chance of being OHKOed by the combination of Life Orb-boosted Fake Out and Bullet Punch. As such, Life Orb is the preferred item, especially when using Fake Out over Bulk Up. However, a Lum Berry allows Medicham to set up on weak Scalds or Toxics, especially from the likes of Lanturn. It also makes Medicham a Smeargle counter, as it can hit Smeargle with Hi Jump Kick to break the Focus Sash while absorbing the oncoming Spore and finish it off with Bullet Punch. Recover is an option in the last slot over Bullet Punch, but that caters to a more defensive spread and is better used with Substitute and Leftovers to accumulate multiple boosts.</p>
<p>Hazard support is recommended, as Medicham only needs Stealth Rock to secure the 2HKO on Slowking with Hi Jump Kick. Steelix and Omastar are good choices for setting up hazards as they share good synergy with Medicham. In addition, Pursuit support from the likes of Spiritomb, Drapion, and Absol works wonders with this set, as Zen Headbutt means that Medicham loses against Cofagrigus, and Rotom won't be hit hard by Bullet Punch and can easily OHKO with Shadow Ball. This set works as a great partner for other Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Primeape, because with Pursuit support, Medicham can rip holes into everything that resists Fighting-type attacks, leaving Hitmonchan or Primeape able to clean up late-game. This set has no way of hitting Moltres hard enough, so Lanturn is a great partner that is capable of countering Moltres while also bringing cleric support to the table if you choose to go with Life Orb.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Medicham has a large movepool and is capable of running many more sets than the ones listed. One set that is viable is a Substitute + three attacks set utilizing Hi Jump Kick, Psycho Cut, and Drain Punch with a Life Orb and an offensive EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe. While this set can be effective, it lacks the Speed of the Choice Scarf set or the power of the Choice Band and offensive sets, while its Substitutes are broken by nearly everything. Another interesting prospect is the idea of a Focus Sash + Reversal set, with Reversal outdamaging even Hi Jump Kick while Medicham has 1 HP. However, it comes with the same problems that traditionally plague users of Focus Sash, such as vulnerability to hazards and priority. A useful move in Medicham's movepool is Foresight, which allows Medicham to hit the Ghost-types that always get in its way with Hi Jump Kick. However, this strategy is better done by Hitmonlee, which boasts higher Speed as well as Rapid Spin to take advantage of Foresight.</p>
<p>Medicham can also use more gimmicky sets that are usually far less effective than anything mentioned thus far. First and foremost, Medicham can use Baton Pass to pass any boosts from Bulk Up, Calm Mind, or Work Up to a teammate. However, it is better off using the Bulk Up boosts itself, and Volbeat, Smeargle, and even Musharna are all better users of Baton Pass. Medicham also has access to dual screens and both Rain Dance and Sunny Day, but Uxie is better in both of these roles, as it sports better bulk, higher Speed, and access to Stealth Rock and U-turn to aid its team more. Medicham has access to Recover, but it only finds utility on non-Choice sets; it can also use Pain Split or Rest, but Recover is the superior option. Lastly, Medicham has a wide special movepool as well, highlighted by Psychic, Focus Blast, Shadow Ball, and Vacuum Wave. However, its Special Attack is atrocious, so a specially attacking Medicham could only function as a Baton Pass recipient from Volbeat or Smeargle.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to Medicham's ridiculous power, only Pokemon that either resist or are immune to Hi Jump Kick can hope to counter it. Defensive Spiritomb is arguably its best counter, as it is immune to both of Medicham's STABs and can cripple Medicham with Will-O-Wisp before healing off damage with Pain Split. Offensive versions of Spiritomb are good checks as well, as Choice Band Spiritomb OHKOes Medicham with Shadow Sneak after two layers of Spikes, while Calm Mind versions can use Medicham as setup fodder. Cofagrigus is another top-notch counter, as Trick Room variants only fear the 2HKO from Choice Band-boosted Psycho Cut, and any other variant of Medicham becomes setup fodder. However, defensive variants are a hard counter to any Medicham set and can burn Medicham to cripple it while healing off damage with Rest. Dusknoir is another good Medicham check as it can take on common Choice Scarf variants with ease. It can cripple Medicham with Will-O-Wisp and bring it into KO range with Pain Split before finishing it off with Shadow Sneak. Also, offensive versions of Dusknoir have identical physical bulk as defensive versions and have the added bonus of being able to 2HKO Medicham with Shadow Sneak. Uxie avoids being 2HKOed by even Choice Band Medicham and can cripple it with Thunder Wave before U-turning out, wearing it down with Psychic, or making it setup fodder with Memento.</p>
<p>Of course, you can also take advantage of the fact that Medicham is slow without a Choice Scarf and can be killed by powerful STAB moves due to its frailty. Moltres can switch in on Hi Jump Kick and OHKO with a Life Orb-boosted Air Slash. Scyther 4x resists Hi Jump Kick and also OHKOes with Aerial Ace. Sigilyph can switch in on either STAB move and can either burn Medicham with a Flame Orb and Psycho Shift or OHKO with a Life Orb-boosted Air Slash. However, all three Pokemon must watch out for ThunderPunch. Scolipede 4x resists Hi Jump Kick as well and OHKOes with Life Orb Megahorn after Stealth Rock; it will fall to Psycho Cut or Zen Headbutt, however. Archeops OHKOes with Acrobatics with or without a Flying Gem, but it can't switch in at all due to its frailty and lack of resistances; it also falls to a Life Orb Bullet Punch. Mandibuzz can take even a Choice Band Hi Jump Kick and OHKO with Brave Bird before a Bulk Up, although the recoil will KO it. As a general rule, Medicham is easier to counter when you know which set it's running. Choice Scarf variants can be dealt with by bulky walls such as Tangrowth and Poliwrath, while Choice Band and Bulk Up variants can be revenge killed easily by fast sweepers such as Rotom and Sceptile.</p>
