[OVERVIEW]
Machamp is one of the most powerful offensive Pokemon due to a combination of a high Attack stat, great offensive movepool, and strong offensive typing in Fighting that grants it a STAB move in Cross Chop, which lets it take down many common Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Miltank, Rhydon, as well as Steelix, and makes Machamp one of the best offensive checks to Snorlax in the tier. Machamp also has great coverage moves such as Rock Slide, Earthquake, and Fire Blast, which can make it very difficult to reliably counter. However, Machamp's purely average bulk and low Speed means that Machamp is often forced to take hits from the likes of Zapdos and Cloyster before it can KO them in return, which can leave Machamp too weak to take on further foes. Machamp is also very vulnerable to status from Pokemon like Skarmory, Suicune, and Zapdos, which can make it even harder for Machamp to do its job. Additionally, Machamp's Fighting typing gives it no useful resistances outside of Rock and leaves it weak to common Flying and Psychic types such as Zapdos, Exeggutor, and Starmie, and combining this with Machamp's only decent bulk means that it often doesn't provide its team with much defensive utility. Finally, Machamp's best STAB move, Cross Chop, has unreliable accuracy and low PP, which can be incredibly problematic.
[SET]
name: Curse Sweeper
move 1: Curse
move 2: Cross Chop
move 3: Rock slide
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Curse Boosts Machamp's Attack and Defense by one stage, allowing it to break through teams much easier as well as letting it withstand more attacks; notably, +1 Rock Slide allows Machamp to 2HKO Zapdos and allows it to possibly come out on top against Starmie without Psychic with Hidden Power Bug, and Curse Generally lets Machamp break through Bulky Pokemon like Suicune and Skarmory. Cross Chop is Machamp's STAB move that super effectively hits several common Pokemon such as Snorlax, Cloyster, Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Steelix, and it's high critical hit rate gives it a better chance of killing Pokemon like Skarmory. Rock Slide hits Flying-types such as Zapdos, Charizard, and Dragonite. Hidden Power Bug 2HKOs Exeggutor and lets it beat the aforementioned Starmie without Psychic at +1, but worsens Machamp's matchup against Poison-types. Earthquake takes down Poison types that would otherwise be troublesome for Machamp such as Nidoking, Gengar, and Muk, as well as 2HKOing Raikou after a Curse boost, but sacrifices being able to super effectively hit Exeggutor and other Psychic types. Fire Blast has a high chance to 2HKO Skarmory and OHKOs Forretress, but is quite weak due to Machamp's low Special Attack
Team Options
========
Include potential teammates for the Pokemon, as well as descriptions and details as to why.
[SET]
name: All-Out-Attacker
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Blast / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost
item: Leftovers
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Cross Chop is obviously Machamp's preferred STAB move due to it's high power and critical hit rate. Rock slide is essential for taking down Flying-types such as Zapdos and Dragonite. Earthquake hits Poison-types such as Nidoking and Muk and has a chance to 2HKO Raikou. Fire Blast has a chance to 2HKO Skarmory and OHKOs Forretress. Hidden Power Bug can be used to 2HKO Exeggutor and is also a good option against other Psychic-types like Starmie. Hidden Power Ghost is an alternative that hits Misdreavus for super effective damage and does good damage against most psychic types, but fails to 2HKO Exeggutor.
Team Options
========
Include potential teammates for the Pokemon, as well as descriptions and details as to why.
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Cross Chop is the default STAB move for the set and hits many non Fighting resistant Pokemon for high damage. Curse increases Machamp's Attack and Defense by one stage, allowing it to become a more threatening attacker and making it harder to take down. Rest fully restores Machamp's health and cures it of any status it may have been afflicted with. Sleep Talk takes advantage of Rest by letting Machamp act during sleep.
Team Options
========
Include potential teammates for the Pokemon, as well as descriptions and details as to why.
Other Options
=============
- Hidden Power Ghost and Hidden Power Flying on Curse
- Light Screen
===================
**Psychic-types**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.
**Ghost-types**: Describe why the Pokemon is a threat.
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[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
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