So I recently replaced Machamp on my team with this, and I got to say it is freaking amazing. No, it cannot spam Dynamic Punches, but there is so much else to love, it's really not too much of a wonder that Machamp has become less and less common on PO.
1st-- Defensive Stats. The way Ropuushin's are built up, he can be EV'd to to match Machamp's bulk on both sides OR significantly surpass it on the physical, depending on how you spread your defensive EVs. The HP definitely highly outweighs the difference in Sp.DEF.
2nd-- What did Dynamic Punch do? It improved Machamp's survivability and let it win lots of outcomes 1 v. 1. Drain Punch very much accomplishes something similar. The returns to HP brought back from its healing are not to be underestimated, especially when it can take down many targets with Mach Punch to protect its HP when the chance presents itself.
3rd-- With Boil Water, Toxic and Toxic Spikes quite common, Guts is just too much to pass up on (and Ropuushin definitely does this better than Machamp).
4th-- Mach Punch in a Doryuuzu-centric metagame. Need I say more?
For teams that have nearly no issue with Doryuuzu (very few and far between imo), I'd say Machamp can arguably be better, but for most teams with even something of a Doryuuzu weak, Mach Punch Ropuushin is hard to pass up.
So yeah, some say "Mach Punch only kills Doryuuzu." I say "MACH PUNCH KILLS DORYUUZU!!!!! >:D" STAB priority is also good in general, and it can also provide your team something of a fail-safe against Cloyster.
1st-- Defensive Stats. The way Ropuushin's are built up, he can be EV'd to to match Machamp's bulk on both sides OR significantly surpass it on the physical, depending on how you spread your defensive EVs. The HP definitely highly outweighs the difference in Sp.DEF.
2nd-- What did Dynamic Punch do? It improved Machamp's survivability and let it win lots of outcomes 1 v. 1. Drain Punch very much accomplishes something similar. The returns to HP brought back from its healing are not to be underestimated, especially when it can take down many targets with Mach Punch to protect its HP when the chance presents itself.
3rd-- With Boil Water, Toxic and Toxic Spikes quite common, Guts is just too much to pass up on (and Ropuushin definitely does this better than Machamp).
4th-- Mach Punch in a Doryuuzu-centric metagame. Need I say more?
For teams that have nearly no issue with Doryuuzu (very few and far between imo), I'd say Machamp can arguably be better, but for most teams with even something of a Doryuuzu weak, Mach Punch Ropuushin is hard to pass up.
So yeah, some say "Mach Punch only kills Doryuuzu." I say "MACH PUNCH KILLS DORYUUZU!!!!! >:D" STAB priority is also good in general, and it can also provide your team something of a fail-safe against Cloyster.