[Overview]
<p>With Snorlax being the king of GSC, Machamp seems like a pretty good idea given its mighty Fighting STAB. However, it takes as much as 49% switching into Snorlax's Double-Edge, making it a shaky check for the big lug. However, while Machamp is a shaky Snorlax check, on offense it's a monster — half of the Pokemon on most teams are weak to Fighting-type attacks, severely limiting what can switch into Machamp. Furthermore, a few teams do not even have a Fighting resist, allowing Machamp to steamroll these teams when it comes across them if it manages to OHKO Skarmory with a +1 critical hit Cross Chop. Cross Chop has a 20% critical hit rate after factoring accuracy, so going for the critical hit is a viable strategy and not just a pipe dream. Machamp also has decent 85 / 80 / 90 defenses, allowing an all-out attacker much more leeway to switch in than the similar Marowak, and permitting the use of a more defensive RestTalk set to tank mixed sweepers. Machamp does have its flaws, though. Its low Speed, Spikes vulnerability, lack of useful resistances, and good-but-not-great defenses make it extremely vulnerable to simply being beat down upon, and it's also often the victim of bad luck and PP issues thanks to Cross Chop's 80% accuracy, meager 8 PP, and dependence on the critical hit to break walls such as Skarmory.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse Sweeper
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost / Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp is one of GSC's deadliest attacking threats, mostly thanks to its 358 Attack-backed STAB Cross Chop. Cross Chop is not only an incredibly useful Fighting-type STAB move, which is super effective or at least neutral against most of GSC's big players, but it also has a 20% critical hit rate after factoring accuracy, adding to its already devastating strength. Curse is what really allows this Machamp set to shine, as after a Curse boost, Cross Chop is able to OHKO even the vaunted Skarmory with a critical hit. As a pure physical attacker, being able to kill Skarmory, much less in one hit, is an impressive feat indeed. Furthermore, even though it's a Curse sweeper, Charm Umbreon and Growl Miltank can't just switch in to stall it thanks to its super effective Fighting-type STAB. A few teams fail to carry a Fighting resist; for these teams, Skarmory is often all they have to attempt to wall Machamp, and Skarmory will die if it gets hit by a boosted critical hit Cross Chop, forcing the team to crumble shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>Of course, there are several common Fighting-type resisting Pokemon that can step in to serve as more capable Machamp walls. Even then, though, Machamp gets a slew of coverage moves to handle them. Rock Slide 2HKOs the ever-present Zapdos after a Curse boost, whereas the choice of Hidden Power is able to 2HKO other defensive threats. An unboosted Hidden Power Bug 2HKOs the common Exeggutor. An unboosted Hidden Power Ghost on the other hand is able to 2HKO the Ghost-types on average while still retaining the ability to 3HKO Exeggutor. Hidden Power Bug is usually preferred because Exeggutor directly forces Machamp to switch out with its STAB Psychic whereas Ghost-types still take a lot of damage from Curse-boosted Rock Slides and can't threaten direct damage to Machamp to force it out easily. Regardless of which Hidden Power is chosen, they both also give Machamp some recourse against its number one check: Starmie. Starmie without Reflect are 2HKOed by Hidden Power after a Curse boost, and Reflect variants are 2HKOed after three Curse boosts, which are easily obtainable without taking too much damage from Surf if Machamp Curses on the turns that Starmie switches in and uses Reflect. Thanks to the combination of Curse and Hidden Power, in addition to the fact that Starmie's Surf only 4HKOes Machamp, Starmie needs to run Psychic to consistently scare Machamp into switching out with the threat of the 2HKO, and even then Machamp can still kill a weakened Starmie (62-73% health) with a Curse-boosted Hidden Power while being able to tank a single STAB Psychic with plenty of health to spare. Even considering all of this, though, Machamp could simply rely on its team to clear out Starmie for it and instead use Fire Blast in the last slot, which handily 3HKOes Exeggutor and allows Machamp to easily KO Skarmory without burning through precious Cross Chop PP attempting to score the critical hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp's ability to tank hits, especially STAB Water-type attacks, constitutes one of its main selling points over the similar Swords Dance Marowak (the other being the raw wallbreaking potential of a boosted critical hit Cross Chop). However, while Machamp has an easier time setting up because of its ability to take hits, it shouldn't be switching into attacks very often, as if it does, its lack of resistances or a recovery move means that it will simply be worn down without being able to use that extra bulk to set up. Because of this, it needs to be played similarly to Marowak in that it needs to be switched in judiciously on predicted non-attacking turns on the opponent's part, preferably on predicted switches to Snorlax to nab a free turn to set up Curses or predict switches to Exeggutor as the opponent will undoubtedly switch out to avoid taking the possible STAB Cross Chop. However, while Machamp isn't immediately forced out by anything with an attacking move and a modicum of Defense the way Marowak is, it does rely on a much less accurate, less reliable, and more PP-starved STAB move than Marowak does. Indeed, as often as Cross Chop can win games by breaking key walls with timely critical hits, it can also disappoint with untimely misses, forcing Machamp to become worn down without accomplishing anything on the offensive, even if played perfectly.</p>
<p>Curse sweeping Machamp, much like Swords Dance Marowak, loves plenty of support to help it get in position to break walls. Paralysis is first and foremost the biggest assistance to this Machamp. A paralyzed Skarmory is unable to use Curse after switching in on Machamp's Curse, rendering it unable to stall out Machamp's Cross Chop PP as it attempts to score a critical hit. Furthermore, paralyzed Umbreon cannot switch in on a turn that Machamp uses Curse to neutralize Machamp by setting its Attack stage to -1; Machamp can't afford to waste Cross Chops on turns when its Attack stage is so low, as even against Umbreon, which takes super effective damage, a -1 Cross Chop fails to 2HKO without a critical hit. In general, paralysis is great even against the foes Machamp is supposed to set up against and beat; it prevents Machamp from being worn down every turn that it chooses to attack, and can transform the possible Cross Chop miss from a potential sweep-ender to a minor inconvenience. Some of the better paralysis-spreading partners for Machamp include Stun Spore Exeggutor, Thunder Wave Starmie, Thunder Wave Zapdos, and Body Slam Snorlax.</p>
<p>Other support that is appreciated by Machamp includes Pokemon that can bait its counters to switch into Explosions. Cloyster is probably the best at this, as it can bait Starmie in to spin away its Spikes, only to subsequently Explode on it and free up Machamp to rampage. Exeggutor and Steelix often end up catching foes such as Zapdos and Suicune that can otherwise wear Machamp down with their STAB special attacks. Machamp usually beats these foes if it Curses on the turn that they switch in, but it takes a lot of damage in the process, so being rid of the likes of Zapdos and Suicune beforehand is a great help to Machamp's sweeping efforts. Further support includes Pursuit users. Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom are all adept at catching Exeggutor, which otherwise causes Machamp problems by forcing it out with STAB Psychic. They are also all good at forcing Ghost-types to take residual damage to put them in +1 Rock Slide 2HKO range if Machamp opts for Hidden Power Bug over Hidden Power Ghost. Furthermore, Tyranitar can severely weaken Zapdos with Pursuits on the switch out, whereas Umbreon can use the combination of Toxic and Pursuit to force Starmie into +1 Hidden Power OHKO range before it can switch in to combat Machamp. Finally, Rapid Spin support from Starmie can be a great help to give Machamp more leeway to predict opportunities to switch in. However, it's not absolutely necessary for Machamp, as it can often restore the health lost to Spikes with Leftovers as it stays in to set up, whereas other heavy-hitters such as Marowak and Rhydon need Rapid Spin support much more because they are usually limited to using one attack before being forced to switch out.</p>
<p>While this Machamp is well-tailored to take on its most common checks, there are still a few things it will struggle mightily to get past. Nidoking resists everything it has except for the weak Hidden Power Ghost, although its offensive nature means that it lacks a recovery move itself, and its moderate attacking stats mean that it won't be able to do much damage to Machamp in return, thereby allowing Machamp to set up fairly safely against Nidoking unless it has yet to use Lovely Kiss. Heracross poses a bigger problem to Machamp; it resists Cross Chop and can either Curse up alongside Machamp or wear it down with Seismic Toss. A +2 Rock Slide will 3HKO an unboosted Heracross, though, as will an unboosted Fire Blast should Machamp be using it, so Seismic Toss will not KO Machamp in time if it Curses on the switch unless Heracross gets lucky and consistently hits Rest and Seismic Toss with Sleep Talk at critical moments. Muk is probably the toughest thing for Machamp to deal with, as it resists Cross Chop, Curses up alongside Machamp, and can dish out heavy damage in return with Sludge Bomb. However, Muk is usually on a suicide mission and often uses Explosion to take itself out of commission, thereby effectively dealing with itself to allow Machamp an opportunity to sweep. These threats are far less common and effective as Machamp checks than the likes of Zapdos and Exeggutor, and as a result, using moves such as Earthquake and Fire Blast to deal with these threats is rare and generally not worth the trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Pure Attacker
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake / Body Slam
move 4: Fire Blast / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Machamp gives up the ability to set up with Curse in return for more coverage. While being able to set up Curse is helpful for beating the likes of Suicune and weakened Starmie, in most cases Machamp doesn't even need to set up to threaten major damage against most threats, and the extra moveslot gives Machamp another coverage move to help it beat what it normally couldn't. Cross Chop is the obvious STAB move, running off of Machamp's ludicrous Attack stat, having a high critical hit rate for breaking walls, and having a great STAB typing for hitting half of most teams for super effective damage. However, not having Curse to boost its power means that Machamp must waste a lot of Cross Chop's PP looking for the critical hit if it's beating Suicune or Skarmory with it. Rock Slide is another non-negotiable moveslot, as it guarantees a 3HKO on Zapdos, something that otherwise walls Machamp entirely. The other two moveslots ultimately depend on what threats you want Machamp to be able to handle. Earthquake is an excellent move that isn't usually considered a good coverage move alongside Fighting STAB. However, it does hit Poison- and Ghost-type switch-ins hard, and it's a 100% accurate 100 Base Power move that helps to preserve Cross Chop's PP against Ground-weak foes and that ensures low-health foes can be finished off. Body Slam could also be used to paralyze Starmie switch-ins, which otherwise walls Machamp completely and is very adept at avoiding paralysis. The last moveslot depends further on what Machamp wants to be able to hurt. Fire Blast is an excellent coverage move, as it preserves Cross Chops against Steel-types (most notably Skarmory), and can also be used to handily 3HKO Exeggutor and to 3HKO Heracross on average. Using one of the Hidden Powers in this slot is also an option; Hidden Power Bug 2HKOs Exeggutor switch-ins, whereas Hidden Power Ghost can 2HKO Ghost-types if Earthquake is foregone for Body Slam. If Body Slam is used as the third move, a Hidden Power should be used in the last slot to allow Machamp to kill Starmie on its own, as this is the main reason to use Body Slam on Machamp.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As always, Cross Chop can be very annoying with its unreliable accuracy and meager 8 PP. However, Machamp sporting Earthquake and Fire Blast can preserve its Cross Chop PP in many situations, including against Steel-types and Raikou, and Earthquake also allows Machamp to finish off low-health foes with a reliable 100% accurate move that, unlike Hidden Power, is actually strong enough to ensure reasonable KOs. As a result, all-out attacking Machamp isn't as dependent on the use of Cross Chop as other Machamp variants are, although it is still just as likely to miss against Snorlax in a critical moment to lead to Machamp being KOed by Double-Edge as it is to score the timely critical hit to KO Suicune. Also, like the Curse sweeper, this Machamp needs to be played cautiously to ensure it doesn't take too much damage on the switch in. All-out attacking Machamp is more of a hit-and-run type of Pokemon than it is a set-up-and-sweep Pokemon, so it isn't as desperate to be at full health to ensure it can set up. Regardless, it's still slow and doesn't have any resistances to common attacks, so it can be quite an easy task to wear down Machamp before it can break anything if one isn't judicious about when Machamp is switched in. This means no switching Machamp directly into Snorlax's STAB moves, but rather switching Machamp into predicted Snorlax switch-ins.</p>
<p>This Machamp, while less impactful on offense, is more self-sufficient and therefore doesn't require as much support to ensure some kind of setup. Its goal is simply to come in, hit something, switch out, then repeat until the opponent's team is dented enough to go for the kill. Still, Machamp's low Speed means that paralysis support from Stun Spore Exeggutor, Thunder Wave Starmie, and Body Slam Snorlax is still extremely appreciated so that Machamp, upon switching in, might be able to force walls such as Zapdos and Suicune to take two hits upon switching in, thereby vastly improving Machamp's ability to KO these walls or to force the opponent to either predict around Machamp or sacrifice a Pokemon to get their wall in safely. Paralysis support also allows Machamp to outspeed Umbreon to prevent it from switching in on a predicted non-Cross Chop turn and subsequently neutralizing Machamp with Charm. In addition, using Explosions to take out Machamp's walls is probably more important for this set than it is for the Curse sweeper, as this Machamp can't just use Curse to muscle its way past threats that resist its attacks. In particular, using Cloyster or even Steelix to Explode on Starmie is key to allowing Machamp to do relevant damage to other Pokemon, especially if it forgoes Body Slam for broader coverage against other threats. Steelix and Exeggutor can help Machamp out by targeting Suicune and Zapdos with Explosion, as they otherwise make life difficult for all-out attacking Machamp. Pursuit support from Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom also helps Machamp immensely against Exeggutor, and Tyranitar has the added bonus of being able to chip away at Zapdos. Umbreon is a poor partner for the all-out attacking Machamp set, as it doesn't do enough to Starmie with Pursuit on the switch out to ensure it will be KOed by an unboosted Hidden Power as it switches back into Machamp, not to mention that all-out attacking Machamp might not even be carrying Hidden Power. This set also appreciates Rapid Spin support a lot more than Curse Machamp does, as this Machamp is more of a hit-and-run Pokemon and is therefore not likely to get a lot of Leftovers recovery to restore health lost to Spikes. Having its own Spikes to aid in getting kills is also more appreciated by all-out attacking Machamp, as it's a much more opportunistic killer than the Machamp that sets up with Curse, and Spikes makes it much more likely that walls switching into all-out attacking Machamp are either put into KO range, or are limited to the Spikes-immune Zapdos and Skarmory to ease prediction.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp has pretty decent defensive stats to accompany its mammoth Attack and Fighting STAB; this set aims to take advantage of this bulk by using it for longevity and allowing Machamp to act as a mixed wall, rather than simply using it to allow Machamp the leeway to switch in and set up a sweep. This Machamp, thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk, is an excellent Snorlax check, being able to Rest off Double-Edges on the switch, force Snorlax to switch out with the threat of Cross Chop, and be constantly available thanks to Sleep Talk. Sleep Talk also allows Machamp to get around one of its biggest downfalls by conserving Cross Chop PP via PP-free uses of the move with Sleep Talk turns. Curse rounds out the set by allowing Machamp to match Snorlax's Curses and to allow it to Curse up and sweep when Fighting-resisting Pokemon have been cleared out of the way. This Machamp set does not have the coverage options that other sets have, and as such, having Cross Chop as its only attacking move means that it will be unable to touch Ghost-types and will either be beaten or outstalled by Fighting-type resisting Psychic- and Flying-types as well. Still, once these Pokemon are defeated, this Machamp set absolutely ravages opposing teams and cannot be killed very easily in return.</p>
<p>RestTalk Machamp is not a purely offensive being; in fact, it's more defensive than offensive by virtue of the many things that wall it. It's bulky enough to avoid being 3HKOed by the big 3 mixed attackers: Tyranitar, Nidoking, and Dragonite without Hidden Power Flying (which is most Dragonite). Furthermore, it scares them out with the threat of a Curse-based setup, and manages to, unlike other mixed walls, force Snorlax to switch out by virtue of STAB Cross Chop (and beats last-Pokemon CurseLax to boot). While this set struggles to get past any Fighting-type resisting Pokemon (and is therefore less offensive than other variants), this Machamp can brutalize those few teams that fail to use a Fighting resist because it not only has the ability to set up with Curse and KO walls such as Skarmory with a critical hit Cross Chop, but also the ability to stick around with Rest and Sleep Talk unlike sweeping Machamp sets. Still, though it has incredible offensive setup potential by virtue of its longevity, this Machamp's main selling point is its aforementioned defensive virtues, as a single Ghost-type will render it useless, and any Fighting-type resist should be able to beat it fairly easily.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Sleep Talk does help Cross Chop's PP problems to an extent, it still only has a paltry 8 PP, making it fairly easy to stall out, and it also still has a very unreliable 80% accuracy. Because of this, Machamp usually needs to use a couple of Curses before it begins firing off Cross Chops so that it has enough power to minimize its Cross Chop PP consumption and also to minimize the impact of misses by being able to KO most Pokemon in a single hit. However, Machamp can't start Cursing while Fighting-immune Ghosts or Fighting-resisting special attackers such as Exeggutor or Zapdos are on the field; these foes will either threaten Machamp into switching out or stall Machamp out of Cross Chops. Because of this, this Machamp set appreciates Pursuit support much more than other sets that have coverage moves specifically for beating these threats. Tyranitar, as always, is an excellent partner, being able to Pursuit trap Ghosts and Exeggutor while also being able to chip away at Zapdos. Houndoom also traps Exeggutor and Ghost-types with Pursuit, and Umbreon shines against Exeggutor but can struggle to Pursuit trap Ghost-types because it fails to KO them with Pursuit before Perish trap manages to kill it. Using Explosion with Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Steelix to bait and kill the likes of Starmie and Zapdos is also solid support to wipe out Machamp's checks and clear its way for a sweep. Having paralysis support from the likes of Stun Spore Exeggutor and Body Slam Snorlax is, as with all Machamp sets, very valuable, as Skarmory can safely switch in and match Machamp's Curses otherwise, and Umbreon can switch in on a predicted Curse and Charm Machamp's Attack down to effectively waste any Cross Chops to follow. Additionally, Rapid Spin support is very handy for this Machamp, as it is very slow and lacks good resistances. It normally walls the big 3 mixed attackers because it fails to be 3HKOed by any of them, but it is outsped by all of them and there is no guarantee that it will be able to take Spikes damage on top of two Nidoking Earthquakes or Dragonite Double-Edges as it switches in. Having Spikes cleared means that Machamp is also guaranteed to avoid being 2HKOed by Snorlax's Double-Edge if it manages to mispredict and switch into it, thereby giving Machamp the leeway to switch in and deter Snorlax from setting up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Using Earthquake or Body Slam over one of the coverage options on the Curse sweeper set is a possibility, but generally an inferior possibility because it deprives Machamp of crucial coverage against either the ultra-common Zapdos or Exeggutor. In addition, the Curse sweeper could also ditch one of the coverage moves in favor of Rest to permit it to setup, break a wall, then Rest off damage and status for later carnage, but this is not recommended without Heal Bell support as Machamp is dead weight while asleep. Counter, too, is a good option for Machamp, but honestly it's only really viable on the all-out attacker set as, again, the Curse sweeper relies on its specific coverage moves to get past common threats. Counter allows Machamp to KO Skarmory or even Zapdos going for the Drill Peck, and also punishes foes such as Nidoking and Heracross trying to wear Machamp down with Earthquake and Seismic Toss, respectively. However, while Counter can catch these foes off guard, Machamp's vast attacking movepool, excellent Fighting STAB, and huge 358 Attack stat mean that it's usually better off using an attacking move to maximize coverage rather than waiting to catch something off guard with Counter. Meditate is an interesting option over Curse on the Curse sweeper set to allow Machamp the opportunity to boost its Attack without lowering its Speed. Generally, the extra Defense from Curse is preferred to allow Machamp to tank Drill Pecks from Skarmory and Double-Edges from Snorlax as it attacks, but not suffering a Speed drop can be useful if Machamp is being passed Agility boosts or for preserving the Speed tie against Exeggutor and allowing Machamp to OHKO with a +1 Hidden Power Bug with a 50% chance of not having to take a Psychic in return. Hidden Power Rock can be used over Rock Slide if Machamp isn't using an anti-Psychic Hidden Power. Hidden Power's perfect accuracy can be preferred over Rock Slide's 90% accuracy, whereas Rock Slide is not likely to be flinching anything relevant. A particularly interesting, but generally not very effective, gimmick would be the use of Berserk Gene over Leftovers on the all-out attacking set. The +2 Attack boost without setup can sometimes catch opponents off guard, and if Machamp gets lucky and consistently hits past confusion it can quickly take one or two Pokemon down with it before it succumbs to confusion damage and damage sustained from attacks by faster foes. However, Berserk Gene gives Machamp one shot at making a difference, as once Machamp is switched out, Berserk Gene is consumed, leaving Machamp a regular all-out attacker but with much less longevity thanks to the lack of Leftovers. Furthermore, the 50% likelihood during any given turn of simply having Machamp smack itself for non-trivial damage makes Berserk Gene a very high-risk item that generally isn't worth it. Along the lines of gimmicks that generally aren't worth it, Vital Throw and Light Screen fall into this category. Vital Throw is often prized for its -1 priority, thereby preventing Machamp from being phazed after a Curse. The problem is that Vital Throw is so very weak compared to Cross Chop's raw power, and the phaze immunity hardly matters to Machamp as most phazers aren't able to safely phaze with the threat of a +1 Cross Chop looming over them. In addition, Vital Throw's negative priority can screw Machamp over if it needs to outspeed Snorlax (e.g., after a Belly Drum) and KO it with its STAB Fighting move. Light Screen, on the other hand, is often seen as a good move as the biggest threats to a Machamp sweep are STAB Psychic users and accumulated damage from STAB Surfs and Thunders. However, giving up a coverage move on Machamp itself is not a good way to set up Light Screen for Machamp, as it reduces the impact of Machamp once it does get a Light Screen boost. Rather, Light Screen is best used by a teammate, such as Blissey or Zapdos, to permit Machamp the best use of its attacking movepool while still enabling it to tank Psychics and other powerful special moves when a teammate pseudo-passes Light Screen to it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Starmie is widely considered the most dependable check to Machamp, and for good reason. It resists Cross Chop, avoids being 2HKOed by an unboosted Hidden Power, and can 2HKO back with Psychic. Of course, without Psychic, Starmie risks having RestTalk Machamp set up on it, as Surf is only a 4HKO, and also risks being KOed by any Machamp with Curse and Hidden Power; after a single Curse, Machamp 2HKOs Starmie without a defense boost, and after 3 Curses, which Machamp can easily set up in the face of Starmie's Surf, Machamp can 2HKO even Starmie behind a Reflect. Exeggutor is also a prime Machamp check, being able to switch in easily on a Cross Chop or Curse and 2HKO with Psychic. However, Exeggutor must be wary of Hidden Power Bug, which 2HKOes without a Curse boost and OHKOes after Machamp uses Curse. Zapdos is another Pokemon that acts as a soft check to Machamp; it 3HKOes with Thunder or Thunderbolt and resists Cross Chop, although most Machamp carry Rock Slide specifically for Zapdos and will be able to 2HKO after a Curse boost. Suicune can repeatedly smack Machamp with Surf for the 4HKO; this isn't enough to guarantee Machamp is killed before it is able to kill Suicune in return though, because Suicune is 3HKOed by non-critical hit Cross Chop, it will usually be enough to weaken Machamp to where it won't be able to accomplish anything else after killing Suicune, and might be enough to flat out beat Machamp if Cross Chop misses. All-out attacking Machamp is walled much harder by Suicune, as it fails to be 3HKOed by an unboosted Cross Chop, whereas RestTalk Machamp will outright beat any Suicune without Roar due to its ability to use Rest to restore health lost to Surf. Skarmory is another check that works well against non-Fire Blast Machamp; it can use Curse to match Machamp's boosts and threaten to 3HKO in return with STAB Drill Peck. Critical hit Cross Chops or the uncommon Fire Blast can beat it, though. The observant should notice a pattern with these checks: Machamp has some way of beating them all. Still, all of these checks can go up against Machamp well enough to ensure, at the very least, Machamp is too crippled to do more than break that one check, and at best, they abuse Machamp's propensity to beat itself with Cross Chop's low accuracy and PP.</p>
<p>Machamp also has a few other checks that are more situational and less common than those listed above. Most Machamp do not use Earthquake because it's generally a poor coverage move to run alongside Cross Chop, which is excellent news for Muk as a Machamp counter. Without Earthquake, Machamp really has no way of getting past Muk, as Muk can match Machamp's attempts to Curse up and beat it while being able to deal heavy damage to Machamp with STAB Sludge Bomb. Heracross makes a solid check to Machamp as well. It resists Cross Chop, Machamp rarely has a coverage move specifically for dealing heavy damage to Heracross, and Heracross can slowly but surely 5HKO Machamp with Seismic Toss, or use Curse to match Machamp's boosts. Curse Heracross, unlike Seismic Toss variants, can also wall Sleep Talk Machamp and out-PP it thanks to Cross Chop's meager 8 PP. Fire Blast Machamp threatens to 3HKO Heracross, though, but Fire Blast, much like Cross Chop, is fairly easy to stall out of PP. Nidoking and Tentacruel can also check non-Earthquake Machamp to an extent by virtue of their Poison typing, the former being able to use Lovely Kiss to incapacitate Machamp and the latter being able to outpace Curse's defense boosts with Swords Dance. Machamp ultimately beats both of these threats with enough Curse boosts in spite of their ability to resist Cross Chop, rendering RestTalk Machamp thoroughly uncheckable by these particular Poison-types. However, while RestTalk Machamp gets credit for matching up well against Heracross and non-Cursing Poison-types, the fact that it can only attack using Cross Chop renders it incapable of touching Ghost-types entirely. Machamp can't afford to PP stall Gengar, as Cross Chop has terrible PP, and Gengar can always play for the freeze with Ice Punch or kill Machamp with a timely critical hit Thunderbolt. Misdreavus, on the other hand, immediately forces Machamp to switch out. In addition to hardwalling RestTalk Machamp, Ghosts are also good checks to Machamp variants lacking Earthquake or Hidden Power Ghost, as Machamp can only 3HKO with Rock Slide after a Curse boost, whereas Gengar can severely wear Machamp down with Thunderbolts and a full-health Misdreavus needs to be 2HKOed to guarantee that it fails to kill Machamp with Perish Trap. Meganium makes another uncommon but effective Machamp check. Behind Reflect, with Leech Seed sapping Machamp's health, and with Synthesis to provide instant healing, Meganium acts to thoroughly outstall Machamp. Slowbro rounds out the list of uncommon checks, but it certainly is a good one; it can use Growl or Reflect to neutralize Curse variants, or threaten to outright kill Machamp with Psychic. Its reliance on Rest for recovery coupled with its Hidden Power weakness can render it beatable by Machamp, though.</p>
<p>With Snorlax being the king of GSC, Machamp seems like a pretty good idea given its mighty Fighting STAB. However, it takes as much as 49% switching into Snorlax's Double-Edge, making it a shaky check for the big lug. However, while Machamp is a shaky Snorlax check, on offense it's a monster — half of the Pokemon on most teams are weak to Fighting-type attacks, severely limiting what can switch into Machamp. Furthermore, a few teams do not even have a Fighting resist, allowing Machamp to steamroll these teams when it comes across them if it manages to OHKO Skarmory with a +1 critical hit Cross Chop. Cross Chop has a 20% critical hit rate after factoring accuracy, so going for the critical hit is a viable strategy and not just a pipe dream. Machamp also has decent 85 / 80 / 90 defenses, allowing an all-out attacker much more leeway to switch in than the similar Marowak, and permitting the use of a more defensive RestTalk set to tank mixed sweepers. Machamp does have its flaws, though. Its low Speed, Spikes vulnerability, lack of useful resistances, and good-but-not-great defenses make it extremely vulnerable to simply being beat down upon, and it's also often the victim of bad luck and PP issues thanks to Cross Chop's 80% accuracy, meager 8 PP, and dependence on the critical hit to break walls such as Skarmory.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse Sweeper
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost / Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp is one of GSC's deadliest attacking threats, mostly thanks to its 358 Attack-backed STAB Cross Chop. Cross Chop is not only an incredibly useful Fighting-type STAB move, which is super effective or at least neutral against most of GSC's big players, but it also has a 20% critical hit rate after factoring accuracy, adding to its already devastating strength. Curse is what really allows this Machamp set to shine, as after a Curse boost, Cross Chop is able to OHKO even the vaunted Skarmory with a critical hit. As a pure physical attacker, being able to kill Skarmory, much less in one hit, is an impressive feat indeed. Furthermore, even though it's a Curse sweeper, Charm Umbreon and Growl Miltank can't just switch in to stall it thanks to its super effective Fighting-type STAB. A few teams fail to carry a Fighting resist; for these teams, Skarmory is often all they have to attempt to wall Machamp, and Skarmory will die if it gets hit by a boosted critical hit Cross Chop, forcing the team to crumble shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>Of course, there are several common Fighting-type resisting Pokemon that can step in to serve as more capable Machamp walls. Even then, though, Machamp gets a slew of coverage moves to handle them. Rock Slide 2HKOs the ever-present Zapdos after a Curse boost, whereas the choice of Hidden Power is able to 2HKO other defensive threats. An unboosted Hidden Power Bug 2HKOs the common Exeggutor. An unboosted Hidden Power Ghost on the other hand is able to 2HKO the Ghost-types on average while still retaining the ability to 3HKO Exeggutor. Hidden Power Bug is usually preferred because Exeggutor directly forces Machamp to switch out with its STAB Psychic whereas Ghost-types still take a lot of damage from Curse-boosted Rock Slides and can't threaten direct damage to Machamp to force it out easily. Regardless of which Hidden Power is chosen, they both also give Machamp some recourse against its number one check: Starmie. Starmie without Reflect are 2HKOed by Hidden Power after a Curse boost, and Reflect variants are 2HKOed after three Curse boosts, which are easily obtainable without taking too much damage from Surf if Machamp Curses on the turns that Starmie switches in and uses Reflect. Thanks to the combination of Curse and Hidden Power, in addition to the fact that Starmie's Surf only 4HKOes Machamp, Starmie needs to run Psychic to consistently scare Machamp into switching out with the threat of the 2HKO, and even then Machamp can still kill a weakened Starmie (62-73% health) with a Curse-boosted Hidden Power while being able to tank a single STAB Psychic with plenty of health to spare. Even considering all of this, though, Machamp could simply rely on its team to clear out Starmie for it and instead use Fire Blast in the last slot, which handily 3HKOes Exeggutor and allows Machamp to easily KO Skarmory without burning through precious Cross Chop PP attempting to score the critical hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp's ability to tank hits, especially STAB Water-type attacks, constitutes one of its main selling points over the similar Swords Dance Marowak (the other being the raw wallbreaking potential of a boosted critical hit Cross Chop). However, while Machamp has an easier time setting up because of its ability to take hits, it shouldn't be switching into attacks very often, as if it does, its lack of resistances or a recovery move means that it will simply be worn down without being able to use that extra bulk to set up. Because of this, it needs to be played similarly to Marowak in that it needs to be switched in judiciously on predicted non-attacking turns on the opponent's part, preferably on predicted switches to Snorlax to nab a free turn to set up Curses or predict switches to Exeggutor as the opponent will undoubtedly switch out to avoid taking the possible STAB Cross Chop. However, while Machamp isn't immediately forced out by anything with an attacking move and a modicum of Defense the way Marowak is, it does rely on a much less accurate, less reliable, and more PP-starved STAB move than Marowak does. Indeed, as often as Cross Chop can win games by breaking key walls with timely critical hits, it can also disappoint with untimely misses, forcing Machamp to become worn down without accomplishing anything on the offensive, even if played perfectly.</p>
<p>Curse sweeping Machamp, much like Swords Dance Marowak, loves plenty of support to help it get in position to break walls. Paralysis is first and foremost the biggest assistance to this Machamp. A paralyzed Skarmory is unable to use Curse after switching in on Machamp's Curse, rendering it unable to stall out Machamp's Cross Chop PP as it attempts to score a critical hit. Furthermore, paralyzed Umbreon cannot switch in on a turn that Machamp uses Curse to neutralize Machamp by setting its Attack stage to -1; Machamp can't afford to waste Cross Chops on turns when its Attack stage is so low, as even against Umbreon, which takes super effective damage, a -1 Cross Chop fails to 2HKO without a critical hit. In general, paralysis is great even against the foes Machamp is supposed to set up against and beat; it prevents Machamp from being worn down every turn that it chooses to attack, and can transform the possible Cross Chop miss from a potential sweep-ender to a minor inconvenience. Some of the better paralysis-spreading partners for Machamp include Stun Spore Exeggutor, Thunder Wave Starmie, Thunder Wave Zapdos, and Body Slam Snorlax.</p>
<p>Other support that is appreciated by Machamp includes Pokemon that can bait its counters to switch into Explosions. Cloyster is probably the best at this, as it can bait Starmie in to spin away its Spikes, only to subsequently Explode on it and free up Machamp to rampage. Exeggutor and Steelix often end up catching foes such as Zapdos and Suicune that can otherwise wear Machamp down with their STAB special attacks. Machamp usually beats these foes if it Curses on the turn that they switch in, but it takes a lot of damage in the process, so being rid of the likes of Zapdos and Suicune beforehand is a great help to Machamp's sweeping efforts. Further support includes Pursuit users. Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom are all adept at catching Exeggutor, which otherwise causes Machamp problems by forcing it out with STAB Psychic. They are also all good at forcing Ghost-types to take residual damage to put them in +1 Rock Slide 2HKO range if Machamp opts for Hidden Power Bug over Hidden Power Ghost. Furthermore, Tyranitar can severely weaken Zapdos with Pursuits on the switch out, whereas Umbreon can use the combination of Toxic and Pursuit to force Starmie into +1 Hidden Power OHKO range before it can switch in to combat Machamp. Finally, Rapid Spin support from Starmie can be a great help to give Machamp more leeway to predict opportunities to switch in. However, it's not absolutely necessary for Machamp, as it can often restore the health lost to Spikes with Leftovers as it stays in to set up, whereas other heavy-hitters such as Marowak and Rhydon need Rapid Spin support much more because they are usually limited to using one attack before being forced to switch out.</p>
<p>While this Machamp is well-tailored to take on its most common checks, there are still a few things it will struggle mightily to get past. Nidoking resists everything it has except for the weak Hidden Power Ghost, although its offensive nature means that it lacks a recovery move itself, and its moderate attacking stats mean that it won't be able to do much damage to Machamp in return, thereby allowing Machamp to set up fairly safely against Nidoking unless it has yet to use Lovely Kiss. Heracross poses a bigger problem to Machamp; it resists Cross Chop and can either Curse up alongside Machamp or wear it down with Seismic Toss. A +2 Rock Slide will 3HKO an unboosted Heracross, though, as will an unboosted Fire Blast should Machamp be using it, so Seismic Toss will not KO Machamp in time if it Curses on the switch unless Heracross gets lucky and consistently hits Rest and Seismic Toss with Sleep Talk at critical moments. Muk is probably the toughest thing for Machamp to deal with, as it resists Cross Chop, Curses up alongside Machamp, and can dish out heavy damage in return with Sludge Bomb. However, Muk is usually on a suicide mission and often uses Explosion to take itself out of commission, thereby effectively dealing with itself to allow Machamp an opportunity to sweep. These threats are far less common and effective as Machamp checks than the likes of Zapdos and Exeggutor, and as a result, using moves such as Earthquake and Fire Blast to deal with these threats is rare and generally not worth the trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Pure Attacker
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake / Body Slam
move 4: Fire Blast / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Machamp gives up the ability to set up with Curse in return for more coverage. While being able to set up Curse is helpful for beating the likes of Suicune and weakened Starmie, in most cases Machamp doesn't even need to set up to threaten major damage against most threats, and the extra moveslot gives Machamp another coverage move to help it beat what it normally couldn't. Cross Chop is the obvious STAB move, running off of Machamp's ludicrous Attack stat, having a high critical hit rate for breaking walls, and having a great STAB typing for hitting half of most teams for super effective damage. However, not having Curse to boost its power means that Machamp must waste a lot of Cross Chop's PP looking for the critical hit if it's beating Suicune or Skarmory with it. Rock Slide is another non-negotiable moveslot, as it guarantees a 3HKO on Zapdos, something that otherwise walls Machamp entirely. The other two moveslots ultimately depend on what threats you want Machamp to be able to handle. Earthquake is an excellent move that isn't usually considered a good coverage move alongside Fighting STAB. However, it does hit Poison- and Ghost-type switch-ins hard, and it's a 100% accurate 100 Base Power move that helps to preserve Cross Chop's PP against Ground-weak foes and that ensures low-health foes can be finished off. Body Slam could also be used to paralyze Starmie switch-ins, which otherwise walls Machamp completely and is very adept at avoiding paralysis. The last moveslot depends further on what Machamp wants to be able to hurt. Fire Blast is an excellent coverage move, as it preserves Cross Chops against Steel-types (most notably Skarmory), and can also be used to handily 3HKO Exeggutor and to 3HKO Heracross on average. Using one of the Hidden Powers in this slot is also an option; Hidden Power Bug 2HKOs Exeggutor switch-ins, whereas Hidden Power Ghost can 2HKO Ghost-types if Earthquake is foregone for Body Slam. If Body Slam is used as the third move, a Hidden Power should be used in the last slot to allow Machamp to kill Starmie on its own, as this is the main reason to use Body Slam on Machamp.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As always, Cross Chop can be very annoying with its unreliable accuracy and meager 8 PP. However, Machamp sporting Earthquake and Fire Blast can preserve its Cross Chop PP in many situations, including against Steel-types and Raikou, and Earthquake also allows Machamp to finish off low-health foes with a reliable 100% accurate move that, unlike Hidden Power, is actually strong enough to ensure reasonable KOs. As a result, all-out attacking Machamp isn't as dependent on the use of Cross Chop as other Machamp variants are, although it is still just as likely to miss against Snorlax in a critical moment to lead to Machamp being KOed by Double-Edge as it is to score the timely critical hit to KO Suicune. Also, like the Curse sweeper, this Machamp needs to be played cautiously to ensure it doesn't take too much damage on the switch in. All-out attacking Machamp is more of a hit-and-run type of Pokemon than it is a set-up-and-sweep Pokemon, so it isn't as desperate to be at full health to ensure it can set up. Regardless, it's still slow and doesn't have any resistances to common attacks, so it can be quite an easy task to wear down Machamp before it can break anything if one isn't judicious about when Machamp is switched in. This means no switching Machamp directly into Snorlax's STAB moves, but rather switching Machamp into predicted Snorlax switch-ins.</p>
<p>This Machamp, while less impactful on offense, is more self-sufficient and therefore doesn't require as much support to ensure some kind of setup. Its goal is simply to come in, hit something, switch out, then repeat until the opponent's team is dented enough to go for the kill. Still, Machamp's low Speed means that paralysis support from Stun Spore Exeggutor, Thunder Wave Starmie, and Body Slam Snorlax is still extremely appreciated so that Machamp, upon switching in, might be able to force walls such as Zapdos and Suicune to take two hits upon switching in, thereby vastly improving Machamp's ability to KO these walls or to force the opponent to either predict around Machamp or sacrifice a Pokemon to get their wall in safely. Paralysis support also allows Machamp to outspeed Umbreon to prevent it from switching in on a predicted non-Cross Chop turn and subsequently neutralizing Machamp with Charm. In addition, using Explosions to take out Machamp's walls is probably more important for this set than it is for the Curse sweeper, as this Machamp can't just use Curse to muscle its way past threats that resist its attacks. In particular, using Cloyster or even Steelix to Explode on Starmie is key to allowing Machamp to do relevant damage to other Pokemon, especially if it forgoes Body Slam for broader coverage against other threats. Steelix and Exeggutor can help Machamp out by targeting Suicune and Zapdos with Explosion, as they otherwise make life difficult for all-out attacking Machamp. Pursuit support from Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Houndoom also helps Machamp immensely against Exeggutor, and Tyranitar has the added bonus of being able to chip away at Zapdos. Umbreon is a poor partner for the all-out attacking Machamp set, as it doesn't do enough to Starmie with Pursuit on the switch out to ensure it will be KOed by an unboosted Hidden Power as it switches back into Machamp, not to mention that all-out attacking Machamp might not even be carrying Hidden Power. This set also appreciates Rapid Spin support a lot more than Curse Machamp does, as this Machamp is more of a hit-and-run Pokemon and is therefore not likely to get a lot of Leftovers recovery to restore health lost to Spikes. Having its own Spikes to aid in getting kills is also more appreciated by all-out attacking Machamp, as it's a much more opportunistic killer than the Machamp that sets up with Curse, and Spikes makes it much more likely that walls switching into all-out attacking Machamp are either put into KO range, or are limited to the Spikes-immune Zapdos and Skarmory to ease prediction.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machamp has pretty decent defensive stats to accompany its mammoth Attack and Fighting STAB; this set aims to take advantage of this bulk by using it for longevity and allowing Machamp to act as a mixed wall, rather than simply using it to allow Machamp the leeway to switch in and set up a sweep. This Machamp, thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk, is an excellent Snorlax check, being able to Rest off Double-Edges on the switch, force Snorlax to switch out with the threat of Cross Chop, and be constantly available thanks to Sleep Talk. Sleep Talk also allows Machamp to get around one of its biggest downfalls by conserving Cross Chop PP via PP-free uses of the move with Sleep Talk turns. Curse rounds out the set by allowing Machamp to match Snorlax's Curses and to allow it to Curse up and sweep when Fighting-resisting Pokemon have been cleared out of the way. This Machamp set does not have the coverage options that other sets have, and as such, having Cross Chop as its only attacking move means that it will be unable to touch Ghost-types and will either be beaten or outstalled by Fighting-type resisting Psychic- and Flying-types as well. Still, once these Pokemon are defeated, this Machamp set absolutely ravages opposing teams and cannot be killed very easily in return.</p>
<p>RestTalk Machamp is not a purely offensive being; in fact, it's more defensive than offensive by virtue of the many things that wall it. It's bulky enough to avoid being 3HKOed by the big 3 mixed attackers: Tyranitar, Nidoking, and Dragonite without Hidden Power Flying (which is most Dragonite). Furthermore, it scares them out with the threat of a Curse-based setup, and manages to, unlike other mixed walls, force Snorlax to switch out by virtue of STAB Cross Chop (and beats last-Pokemon CurseLax to boot). While this set struggles to get past any Fighting-type resisting Pokemon (and is therefore less offensive than other variants), this Machamp can brutalize those few teams that fail to use a Fighting resist because it not only has the ability to set up with Curse and KO walls such as Skarmory with a critical hit Cross Chop, but also the ability to stick around with Rest and Sleep Talk unlike sweeping Machamp sets. Still, though it has incredible offensive setup potential by virtue of its longevity, this Machamp's main selling point is its aforementioned defensive virtues, as a single Ghost-type will render it useless, and any Fighting-type resist should be able to beat it fairly easily.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Sleep Talk does help Cross Chop's PP problems to an extent, it still only has a paltry 8 PP, making it fairly easy to stall out, and it also still has a very unreliable 80% accuracy. Because of this, Machamp usually needs to use a couple of Curses before it begins firing off Cross Chops so that it has enough power to minimize its Cross Chop PP consumption and also to minimize the impact of misses by being able to KO most Pokemon in a single hit. However, Machamp can't start Cursing while Fighting-immune Ghosts or Fighting-resisting special attackers such as Exeggutor or Zapdos are on the field; these foes will either threaten Machamp into switching out or stall Machamp out of Cross Chops. Because of this, this Machamp set appreciates Pursuit support much more than other sets that have coverage moves specifically for beating these threats. Tyranitar, as always, is an excellent partner, being able to Pursuit trap Ghosts and Exeggutor while also being able to chip away at Zapdos. Houndoom also traps Exeggutor and Ghost-types with Pursuit, and Umbreon shines against Exeggutor but can struggle to Pursuit trap Ghost-types because it fails to KO them with Pursuit before Perish trap manages to kill it. Using Explosion with Cloyster, Exeggutor, and Steelix to bait and kill the likes of Starmie and Zapdos is also solid support to wipe out Machamp's checks and clear its way for a sweep. Having paralysis support from the likes of Stun Spore Exeggutor and Body Slam Snorlax is, as with all Machamp sets, very valuable, as Skarmory can safely switch in and match Machamp's Curses otherwise, and Umbreon can switch in on a predicted Curse and Charm Machamp's Attack down to effectively waste any Cross Chops to follow. Additionally, Rapid Spin support is very handy for this Machamp, as it is very slow and lacks good resistances. It normally walls the big 3 mixed attackers because it fails to be 3HKOed by any of them, but it is outsped by all of them and there is no guarantee that it will be able to take Spikes damage on top of two Nidoking Earthquakes or Dragonite Double-Edges as it switches in. Having Spikes cleared means that Machamp is also guaranteed to avoid being 2HKOed by Snorlax's Double-Edge if it manages to mispredict and switch into it, thereby giving Machamp the leeway to switch in and deter Snorlax from setting up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Using Earthquake or Body Slam over one of the coverage options on the Curse sweeper set is a possibility, but generally an inferior possibility because it deprives Machamp of crucial coverage against either the ultra-common Zapdos or Exeggutor. In addition, the Curse sweeper could also ditch one of the coverage moves in favor of Rest to permit it to setup, break a wall, then Rest off damage and status for later carnage, but this is not recommended without Heal Bell support as Machamp is dead weight while asleep. Counter, too, is a good option for Machamp, but honestly it's only really viable on the all-out attacker set as, again, the Curse sweeper relies on its specific coverage moves to get past common threats. Counter allows Machamp to KO Skarmory or even Zapdos going for the Drill Peck, and also punishes foes such as Nidoking and Heracross trying to wear Machamp down with Earthquake and Seismic Toss, respectively. However, while Counter can catch these foes off guard, Machamp's vast attacking movepool, excellent Fighting STAB, and huge 358 Attack stat mean that it's usually better off using an attacking move to maximize coverage rather than waiting to catch something off guard with Counter. Meditate is an interesting option over Curse on the Curse sweeper set to allow Machamp the opportunity to boost its Attack without lowering its Speed. Generally, the extra Defense from Curse is preferred to allow Machamp to tank Drill Pecks from Skarmory and Double-Edges from Snorlax as it attacks, but not suffering a Speed drop can be useful if Machamp is being passed Agility boosts or for preserving the Speed tie against Exeggutor and allowing Machamp to OHKO with a +1 Hidden Power Bug with a 50% chance of not having to take a Psychic in return. Hidden Power Rock can be used over Rock Slide if Machamp isn't using an anti-Psychic Hidden Power. Hidden Power's perfect accuracy can be preferred over Rock Slide's 90% accuracy, whereas Rock Slide is not likely to be flinching anything relevant. A particularly interesting, but generally not very effective, gimmick would be the use of Berserk Gene over Leftovers on the all-out attacking set. The +2 Attack boost without setup can sometimes catch opponents off guard, and if Machamp gets lucky and consistently hits past confusion it can quickly take one or two Pokemon down with it before it succumbs to confusion damage and damage sustained from attacks by faster foes. However, Berserk Gene gives Machamp one shot at making a difference, as once Machamp is switched out, Berserk Gene is consumed, leaving Machamp a regular all-out attacker but with much less longevity thanks to the lack of Leftovers. Furthermore, the 50% likelihood during any given turn of simply having Machamp smack itself for non-trivial damage makes Berserk Gene a very high-risk item that generally isn't worth it. Along the lines of gimmicks that generally aren't worth it, Vital Throw and Light Screen fall into this category. Vital Throw is often prized for its -1 priority, thereby preventing Machamp from being phazed after a Curse. The problem is that Vital Throw is so very weak compared to Cross Chop's raw power, and the phaze immunity hardly matters to Machamp as most phazers aren't able to safely phaze with the threat of a +1 Cross Chop looming over them. In addition, Vital Throw's negative priority can screw Machamp over if it needs to outspeed Snorlax (e.g., after a Belly Drum) and KO it with its STAB Fighting move. Light Screen, on the other hand, is often seen as a good move as the biggest threats to a Machamp sweep are STAB Psychic users and accumulated damage from STAB Surfs and Thunders. However, giving up a coverage move on Machamp itself is not a good way to set up Light Screen for Machamp, as it reduces the impact of Machamp once it does get a Light Screen boost. Rather, Light Screen is best used by a teammate, such as Blissey or Zapdos, to permit Machamp the best use of its attacking movepool while still enabling it to tank Psychics and other powerful special moves when a teammate pseudo-passes Light Screen to it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Starmie is widely considered the most dependable check to Machamp, and for good reason. It resists Cross Chop, avoids being 2HKOed by an unboosted Hidden Power, and can 2HKO back with Psychic. Of course, without Psychic, Starmie risks having RestTalk Machamp set up on it, as Surf is only a 4HKO, and also risks being KOed by any Machamp with Curse and Hidden Power; after a single Curse, Machamp 2HKOs Starmie without a defense boost, and after 3 Curses, which Machamp can easily set up in the face of Starmie's Surf, Machamp can 2HKO even Starmie behind a Reflect. Exeggutor is also a prime Machamp check, being able to switch in easily on a Cross Chop or Curse and 2HKO with Psychic. However, Exeggutor must be wary of Hidden Power Bug, which 2HKOes without a Curse boost and OHKOes after Machamp uses Curse. Zapdos is another Pokemon that acts as a soft check to Machamp; it 3HKOes with Thunder or Thunderbolt and resists Cross Chop, although most Machamp carry Rock Slide specifically for Zapdos and will be able to 2HKO after a Curse boost. Suicune can repeatedly smack Machamp with Surf for the 4HKO; this isn't enough to guarantee Machamp is killed before it is able to kill Suicune in return though, because Suicune is 3HKOed by non-critical hit Cross Chop, it will usually be enough to weaken Machamp to where it won't be able to accomplish anything else after killing Suicune, and might be enough to flat out beat Machamp if Cross Chop misses. All-out attacking Machamp is walled much harder by Suicune, as it fails to be 3HKOed by an unboosted Cross Chop, whereas RestTalk Machamp will outright beat any Suicune without Roar due to its ability to use Rest to restore health lost to Surf. Skarmory is another check that works well against non-Fire Blast Machamp; it can use Curse to match Machamp's boosts and threaten to 3HKO in return with STAB Drill Peck. Critical hit Cross Chops or the uncommon Fire Blast can beat it, though. The observant should notice a pattern with these checks: Machamp has some way of beating them all. Still, all of these checks can go up against Machamp well enough to ensure, at the very least, Machamp is too crippled to do more than break that one check, and at best, they abuse Machamp's propensity to beat itself with Cross Chop's low accuracy and PP.</p>
<p>Machamp also has a few other checks that are more situational and less common than those listed above. Most Machamp do not use Earthquake because it's generally a poor coverage move to run alongside Cross Chop, which is excellent news for Muk as a Machamp counter. Without Earthquake, Machamp really has no way of getting past Muk, as Muk can match Machamp's attempts to Curse up and beat it while being able to deal heavy damage to Machamp with STAB Sludge Bomb. Heracross makes a solid check to Machamp as well. It resists Cross Chop, Machamp rarely has a coverage move specifically for dealing heavy damage to Heracross, and Heracross can slowly but surely 5HKO Machamp with Seismic Toss, or use Curse to match Machamp's boosts. Curse Heracross, unlike Seismic Toss variants, can also wall Sleep Talk Machamp and out-PP it thanks to Cross Chop's meager 8 PP. Fire Blast Machamp threatens to 3HKO Heracross, though, but Fire Blast, much like Cross Chop, is fairly easy to stall out of PP. Nidoking and Tentacruel can also check non-Earthquake Machamp to an extent by virtue of their Poison typing, the former being able to use Lovely Kiss to incapacitate Machamp and the latter being able to outpace Curse's defense boosts with Swords Dance. Machamp ultimately beats both of these threats with enough Curse boosts in spite of their ability to resist Cross Chop, rendering RestTalk Machamp thoroughly uncheckable by these particular Poison-types. However, while RestTalk Machamp gets credit for matching up well against Heracross and non-Cursing Poison-types, the fact that it can only attack using Cross Chop renders it incapable of touching Ghost-types entirely. Machamp can't afford to PP stall Gengar, as Cross Chop has terrible PP, and Gengar can always play for the freeze with Ice Punch or kill Machamp with a timely critical hit Thunderbolt. Misdreavus, on the other hand, immediately forces Machamp to switch out. In addition to hardwalling RestTalk Machamp, Ghosts are also good checks to Machamp variants lacking Earthquake or Hidden Power Ghost, as Machamp can only 3HKO with Rock Slide after a Curse boost, whereas Gengar can severely wear Machamp down with Thunderbolts and a full-health Misdreavus needs to be 2HKOed to guarantee that it fails to kill Machamp with Perish Trap. Meganium makes another uncommon but effective Machamp check. Behind Reflect, with Leech Seed sapping Machamp's health, and with Synthesis to provide instant healing, Meganium acts to thoroughly outstall Machamp. Slowbro rounds out the list of uncommon checks, but it certainly is a good one; it can use Growl or Reflect to neutralize Curse variants, or threaten to outright kill Machamp with Psychic. Its reliance on Rest for recovery coupled with its Hidden Power weakness can render it beatable by Machamp, though.</p>
