Electrolyte
Wouldn't Wanna Know
approved by Elevator_Music
Primary QC approvals: [2/2] [Charmander, iss]
Secondary QC approval: [1/1] [Hawkstar]
GP checks: [2/2] [NixHex, GatoDelFuego]
[Overview]
<p>In a tier where competition in Mienfoo, Scraggy, and even Timburr is prominent and checks such as Murkrow and Misdreavus are common, it's hard for Machop to stand out. Machop doesn't have any outstanding stats other than its Attack, which still isn't all that high and is overshadowed by its relatively low Speed and Special Defense. However, its ability and movepool let it fill a unique niche that makes it both powerful and hard to take down. Its magnificent ability in No Guard and access to DynamicPunch makes it a destructive offensive force—not only hitting much of the metagame for massive amounts of damage but also confusing the foe in the process. Also, despite its low Special Defense, Machop is still no defensive slouch—it has good Defense when compared to most other LC Pokemon, letting it tank a few hits if needed, boosting its longevity and the amount of overall damage it can inflict. It is lacking in the Speed department, but it is also in no way slow, hitting the magical 14 Speed which lets it outspeed every non-boosted opponent when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Despite its downsides and its competition, Machop is worth a slot on many offensive teams with its outstanding Attack, a unique and destructive niche, quite a lot of bulk, and just good enough Speed.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: ThunderPunch / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: No Guard
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop doesn't lack power or bulk, although it does lack Speed. This can be made up for with a Choice Scarf, turning Machop into a quick, destructive attacker that is great at wallbreaking. Because it hits the coveted 14 Speed, Machop can outpace every non-boosted opponent and spam its powerful DynamicPunch with relatively few drawbacks because of No Guard, which makes all of its moves hit with perfect accuracy. Machop's access to a perfectly accurate DynamicPunch makes it hard to counter because it hits like a truck and confuses its opponents, making it tough for them to be able to hit back without taking a ton of damage in the process. DynamicPunch is all Machop really needs to deal damage, so the rest of the moves are used for coverage purposes. Payback hits Ghost- and Psychic-types fairly hard, and even though its power is halved because Machop always goes first, Machop always gets two shots to hit its opponent anyway, so the end result is still the same. Ice Punch hits Flying-types such as Natu and Murkrow, Bug-types such as Joltik, and Grass-types such as Foongus harder than Payback. ThunderPunch is used to hit Water- and Flying-types such as Mantyke or Ducklett for a lot of damage. Rock Slide can also be used in the last slot to hit Bug- and Flying-type Pokemon, such as Larvesta and Shelmet, eliminating them as checks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs maximize Machop's Speed and Attack, giving it the tools it needs to do its job. Then, the EVs are split between HP and Defense to give Machop a fair amount of bulk so it can take the hits of opposing walls. Machop should always use No Guard because it lets Machop utilize the powerful DynamicPunch to deal damage. Bullet Punch can also be used instead of a coverage move because it has priority and can hit even faster threats once they are weakened, but Bullet Punch is fairly weak as it is not boosted by STAB.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates, Machop appreciates the removal of Ghost-, Flying-, Poison-, Bug-, and Psychic-types, as well as the removal of other physically bulky Pokemon. Murkrow is a solid teammate, as it can check Ghost-, Psychic-, and Bug-types with its Dark- and Flying-type coverage. It also hits Natu fairly hard as well. Houndour is another great partner, as it can Pursuit trap Ghost- and Psychic-types as well as roast Bug-types with its Fire-type STAB. Houndour also appreciates Machop's ability to easily defeat Rock-type Pokemon in return. Misdreavus is a good teammate as well, as it too can remove Ghost- and Psychic-types. Its powerful special attacks also let it muscle past physical walls that give Machop trouble. Machop, in return, can remove Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon that check Misdreavus. Chinchou also has some good synergy with Machop, as it can wall Flying-types and hit physical walls with special attacks. Its access to Volt Switch can also give Machop an opportunity to switch in. Another thing Machop appreciates is entry hazard support, as it forces so many switches with the threat of a powerful DynamicPunch. Drilbur comes to mind, as it can set up Stealth Rock and also soft check Poison-, Bug-, and Flying-types with a combination of Earthquake and Rock Slide for coverage. Anorith is another great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock, spin away entry hazards, and hit Flying-, Bug-, and Psychic-types hard with its Rock- and Bug-type STABs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Machop can also run an effective Guts set, but this is outclassed by Timburr thanks to its superior bulk. A Bulk Up set could also work, but this too is outclassed by Timburr, which is bulkier, just as powerful, and has the ability to recover health with Drain Punch or hit hard with STAB priority. Machop can also use an effective SubPunch set, as Focus Punch is immensely powerful, making Machop an even scarier threat, while Substitute also lets Machop defeat faster Ghost and Psychic-types, giving it a free turn to hit them with Payback. Machop also gets Encore, which can give it opportunities to set up or force a switch and smack something hard with DynamicPunch or Close Combat.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>DynamicPunch's power and side effect of confusion makes Machop quite hard to take down initially, as anything that switches in that is not immune to DynamicPunch will find a sizeable portion of its HP taken off and become confused in process. Despite this, Machop's low Speed and Special Defense make it fairly easy to revenge kill. Also, Machop's reliance on its Fighting-type STAB to really hit hard makes it easy for Ghost-types and other Pokemon that resist Fighting to take Machop down. Ghost-types such as Misdreavus or Frillish excel at countering Machop for this reason. Misdreavus is a good counter to Machop because it doesn't have anything to fear from DynamicPunch's confusion shenanigans, can 2HKO with Shadow Ball, and sponge one Payback if at high enough health. Frillish is another good counter as it moves after Machop, so it doesn't fear Payback and is immune to its Fighting-type STAB. As a plus, it can burn Machop with a perfectly accurate Will-O-Wisp due to No Guard. Psychic-types, such as Natu or Slowpoke, are great counters too. Natu is a notable one, as it can not only hit Machop's weaker Special Defense with Hidden Power Flying, but it can also use FeatherDance to lower Machop's Attack and make it too weak to deal any damage. Additionally, it can Roost off any damage sustained by Payback. Poison-types are also great counters, as they resist Machop's Fighting-type STAB and are usually not hit very hard by any of its other moves. Croagunk can wall Machop all day, but it has to watch out for DynamicPunch confusion. Foongus also walls Machop, as it can recover off any confusion damage with Regenerator and put Machop to sleep with Spore. Bug-types are nice checks as well; Larvesta resists Machop's Fighting-type STAB and can hit Machop hard with Flare Blitz. Furthermore, it can burn Machop with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
Primary QC approvals: [2/2] [Charmander, iss]
Secondary QC approval: [1/1] [Hawkstar]
GP checks: [2/2] [NixHex, GatoDelFuego]
TO DO LIST:
~Get 2 QC approvals
~Write up
~Get 3rd QC approval
~Get 2 GP checks
DONE
ISSUES:
~I'll be testing Close Combat over Dynamic Punch on all of the sets, but I'm not sure the power boost is really all that worth it since it drops Machop's defenses and doesn't grant the confusion that Dynamic Punch does. I'll bring up some calcs and see what QC has to say.
~Moved Protect to AC in Guts set, and made Bullet Punch before Thunder Punch. Thunder Punch doesn't really hit anything important, and Bullet Punch gives Machop useful priority that lets it cleave off weakened opponents whilst also giving it a 'free' turn to let Toxic Orb kick in. Protect is fairly bad because you won't really need to use it more than once and sacrifices a slot of coverage. If QC could weigh in, that would be great.
~Possibly make Ice Punch come before Payback? The importance of the two moves is inconsistent between the sets; Payback comes before Ice Punch in the first two sets but after it in the last. I think Ice Punch should come first. What does QC think?
~I plan on beefing up the Checks and Counters section as well as the potential teammates section. The analysis needs to emphasize how the perfect accuracy, power, and confusion of Dynamic Punch makes Machop hard to wall, however, its low speed makes it easy to revenge kill.
~Put Bulk Up and Guts into OO.
DONE
ISSUES:
~I'll be testing Close Combat over Dynamic Punch on all of the sets, but I'm not sure the power boost is really all that worth it since it drops Machop's defenses and doesn't grant the confusion that Dynamic Punch does. I'll bring up some calcs and see what QC has to say.
~Moved Protect to AC in Guts set, and made Bullet Punch before Thunder Punch. Thunder Punch doesn't really hit anything important, and Bullet Punch gives Machop useful priority that lets it cleave off weakened opponents whilst also giving it a 'free' turn to let Toxic Orb kick in. Protect is fairly bad because you won't really need to use it more than once and sacrifices a slot of coverage. If QC could weigh in, that would be great.
~Possibly make Ice Punch come before Payback? The importance of the two moves is inconsistent between the sets; Payback comes before Ice Punch in the first two sets but after it in the last. I think Ice Punch should come first. What does QC think?
~I plan on beefing up the Checks and Counters section as well as the potential teammates section. The analysis needs to emphasize how the perfect accuracy, power, and confusion of Dynamic Punch makes Machop hard to wall, however, its low speed makes it easy to revenge kill.
~Put Bulk Up and Guts into OO.
[Overview]
<p>In a tier where competition in Mienfoo, Scraggy, and even Timburr is prominent and checks such as Murkrow and Misdreavus are common, it's hard for Machop to stand out. Machop doesn't have any outstanding stats other than its Attack, which still isn't all that high and is overshadowed by its relatively low Speed and Special Defense. However, its ability and movepool let it fill a unique niche that makes it both powerful and hard to take down. Its magnificent ability in No Guard and access to DynamicPunch makes it a destructive offensive force—not only hitting much of the metagame for massive amounts of damage but also confusing the foe in the process. Also, despite its low Special Defense, Machop is still no defensive slouch—it has good Defense when compared to most other LC Pokemon, letting it tank a few hits if needed, boosting its longevity and the amount of overall damage it can inflict. It is lacking in the Speed department, but it is also in no way slow, hitting the magical 14 Speed which lets it outspeed every non-boosted opponent when equipped with a Choice Scarf. Despite its downsides and its competition, Machop is worth a slot on many offensive teams with its outstanding Attack, a unique and destructive niche, quite a lot of bulk, and just good enough Speed.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: ThunderPunch / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: No Guard
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop doesn't lack power or bulk, although it does lack Speed. This can be made up for with a Choice Scarf, turning Machop into a quick, destructive attacker that is great at wallbreaking. Because it hits the coveted 14 Speed, Machop can outpace every non-boosted opponent and spam its powerful DynamicPunch with relatively few drawbacks because of No Guard, which makes all of its moves hit with perfect accuracy. Machop's access to a perfectly accurate DynamicPunch makes it hard to counter because it hits like a truck and confuses its opponents, making it tough for them to be able to hit back without taking a ton of damage in the process. DynamicPunch is all Machop really needs to deal damage, so the rest of the moves are used for coverage purposes. Payback hits Ghost- and Psychic-types fairly hard, and even though its power is halved because Machop always goes first, Machop always gets two shots to hit its opponent anyway, so the end result is still the same. Ice Punch hits Flying-types such as Natu and Murkrow, Bug-types such as Joltik, and Grass-types such as Foongus harder than Payback. ThunderPunch is used to hit Water- and Flying-types such as Mantyke or Ducklett for a lot of damage. Rock Slide can also be used in the last slot to hit Bug- and Flying-type Pokemon, such as Larvesta and Shelmet, eliminating them as checks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs maximize Machop's Speed and Attack, giving it the tools it needs to do its job. Then, the EVs are split between HP and Defense to give Machop a fair amount of bulk so it can take the hits of opposing walls. Machop should always use No Guard because it lets Machop utilize the powerful DynamicPunch to deal damage. Bullet Punch can also be used instead of a coverage move because it has priority and can hit even faster threats once they are weakened, but Bullet Punch is fairly weak as it is not boosted by STAB.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates, Machop appreciates the removal of Ghost-, Flying-, Poison-, Bug-, and Psychic-types, as well as the removal of other physically bulky Pokemon. Murkrow is a solid teammate, as it can check Ghost-, Psychic-, and Bug-types with its Dark- and Flying-type coverage. It also hits Natu fairly hard as well. Houndour is another great partner, as it can Pursuit trap Ghost- and Psychic-types as well as roast Bug-types with its Fire-type STAB. Houndour also appreciates Machop's ability to easily defeat Rock-type Pokemon in return. Misdreavus is a good teammate as well, as it too can remove Ghost- and Psychic-types. Its powerful special attacks also let it muscle past physical walls that give Machop trouble. Machop, in return, can remove Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon that check Misdreavus. Chinchou also has some good synergy with Machop, as it can wall Flying-types and hit physical walls with special attacks. Its access to Volt Switch can also give Machop an opportunity to switch in. Another thing Machop appreciates is entry hazard support, as it forces so many switches with the threat of a powerful DynamicPunch. Drilbur comes to mind, as it can set up Stealth Rock and also soft check Poison-, Bug-, and Flying-types with a combination of Earthquake and Rock Slide for coverage. Anorith is another great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock, spin away entry hazards, and hit Flying-, Bug-, and Psychic-types hard with its Rock- and Bug-type STABs.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Machop can also run an effective Guts set, but this is outclassed by Timburr thanks to its superior bulk. A Bulk Up set could also work, but this too is outclassed by Timburr, which is bulkier, just as powerful, and has the ability to recover health with Drain Punch or hit hard with STAB priority. Machop can also use an effective SubPunch set, as Focus Punch is immensely powerful, making Machop an even scarier threat, while Substitute also lets Machop defeat faster Ghost and Psychic-types, giving it a free turn to hit them with Payback. Machop also gets Encore, which can give it opportunities to set up or force a switch and smack something hard with DynamicPunch or Close Combat.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>DynamicPunch's power and side effect of confusion makes Machop quite hard to take down initially, as anything that switches in that is not immune to DynamicPunch will find a sizeable portion of its HP taken off and become confused in process. Despite this, Machop's low Speed and Special Defense make it fairly easy to revenge kill. Also, Machop's reliance on its Fighting-type STAB to really hit hard makes it easy for Ghost-types and other Pokemon that resist Fighting to take Machop down. Ghost-types such as Misdreavus or Frillish excel at countering Machop for this reason. Misdreavus is a good counter to Machop because it doesn't have anything to fear from DynamicPunch's confusion shenanigans, can 2HKO with Shadow Ball, and sponge one Payback if at high enough health. Frillish is another good counter as it moves after Machop, so it doesn't fear Payback and is immune to its Fighting-type STAB. As a plus, it can burn Machop with a perfectly accurate Will-O-Wisp due to No Guard. Psychic-types, such as Natu or Slowpoke, are great counters too. Natu is a notable one, as it can not only hit Machop's weaker Special Defense with Hidden Power Flying, but it can also use FeatherDance to lower Machop's Attack and make it too weak to deal any damage. Additionally, it can Roost off any damage sustained by Payback. Poison-types are also great counters, as they resist Machop's Fighting-type STAB and are usually not hit very hard by any of its other moves. Croagunk can wall Machop all day, but it has to watch out for DynamicPunch confusion. Foongus also walls Machop, as it can recover off any confusion damage with Regenerator and put Machop to sleep with Spore. Bug-types are nice checks as well; Larvesta resists Machop's Fighting-type STAB and can hit Machop hard with Flare Blitz. Furthermore, it can burn Machop with Will-O-Wisp.</p>