www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/machop
[Overview]
<p>Machop is an all around useful Pokemon. It hits like a truck, while also being able to take hits like a tank. Its low Speed is the only thing holding it back, but at the same time it has its merit; for example, Payback hits with double the power when used last, and Close Combat's defense drops take place after Machop is hit. On top of that, you can slap a Choice Scarf of Machop, making it into a speedy sweeping machine, destroying almost every Pokemon with a mix of its power, confusion, bulk, and coverage. If you need a bulky sweeper who can take hits and deal them back out, you will not regret choosing Machop.</p>
[SET]
Name: Choice Scarf
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Rock Slide / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: No Guard
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop has pretty low Speed, but it has enough to reach the magic number of 14; this means that with a Choice Scarf, its Speed reaches 21, thus allowing it to outspeed any Pokemon without a Choice Scarf. DynamicPunch makes Machop one of the deadliest sweepers out there. Its insane power, confusion, and perfect accuracy with No Guard all make it terrifying for your opponent. Payback is usedes to hit Ghosts on the switch, while Ice Punch takes care of Gligar. Rock Slide hits Bug- and Flying-types such as Pineco and Mantyke who generally won't get taken out by an Ice Punch and has an impressive 30% flinch rate that shouldn't be overlooked. Bullet Punch is also an option due to the sheer utility a priority attack brings to the table, especially working off of Machop's respectable Attack stat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Machop can do well as a stand alone sweeper with its great coverage and power, it does its job even better with some team support. This set's main counters are Gligar and Ghost-types. Ghost-types are fortunately easy to trap and KO with Pursuit, and so Munchlax and Stunky make for good teammates. Both of those Pokemon can switch into any Ghost-type attack and OHKO the Ghost with Pursuit as it switches out and most of the time when it stays in, leaving an open hole for Machop's DynamicPunch. Unfortunately, Gligar is more difficult to handle than Ghost-types, though it can be checked by Paras or Bronzor.</p>
[SET]
Name: Lead Chop
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Bullet Punch / Encore
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry / Oran Berry
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 76 SpD / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop has the bulk and power to make a very effective lead. Few Pokemon can actually beat Machop while still getting Stealth Rock down. However, Machop does have trouble dealing with Fake Out leads, especially Meowth, whose Hypnosis will always hit due to No Guard. Machop is excellent at gaining early momentum in the game because of its ability to beat many Pokemon without taking any damage (due to confusion).</p>
<p>DynamicPunch is a great move to have on a lead not only for its sheer power, but for the confusion it provides as well. Opposing Pokemon will only have a 50% chance to get Stealth Rock down due to confusion. The confusion also helps you deal with the opponent's switch-in, as it lets you switch a Pokemon in for free half of the time. Ice Punch and Payback are for Gligar and Ghosts respectively, OHKOing them with ease. Bullet Punch picks the ever-common Focus Sash leads such as Chimchar and Kabuto. Encore is an option over Bullet Punch if you would rather hinder the effectiveness of set up leads than finish off Pokemon using a Focus Sash. However, Bullet Punch is still recommended because of how common Focus Sash leads are in Little Cup.</p>
<p>Machop doesn't really need more Speed because it already outspeeds slow leads while faster ones will outspeed it regardless. The one Speed point is for Phanpy, who will otherwise outpace Machop with 36 EVs, or will tie with Machop with no investment. The rest of the EVs are put into Machop's HP and defenses, making it quite bulky.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Even with Machop's bulk, Focus Sash is usually the best item to use because leads like Houndour can still OHKO Machop with strong special attacks. However, Oran Berry is a great alternative, allowing Machop to take on some leads it could potentially have trouble with, like Phanpy and Snover. Lum Berry is also a good option; it allows you to actually beat Meowth, assuming it uses Hypnosis after Fake Out.</p>
<p>Machop is great at luring and destroying Gligar and Gastly who often come in on DynamicPunch and attempt to set up. This means that Pokemon who benefit from Gligar and Gastly being removed will make great partners for Machop. Gastly is a problem for Pokemon like Croagunk, who can only hit it on the switch with Ice Punch. Machop is also a great teammate for other Fighting-types, because nothing benefits more from Gligar being gone than Choiced Fighting-types.</p>
<p>Machop could also use some defensive support for leads it has trouble with. Machop can't deal with Meowth or any other lead with a sleep inducing move. Their sleep moves are 100% accurate because of No Guard, so Machop is defenseless. This makes Mankey a great teammate for Machop due to its immunity to sleep. It also benefits from Gligar being removed from battle.</p>
[SET]
Name: Guts Sweeper
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is your standard status orb sweeper, but this one hurts a little more than the others. With the Attack boost, Machop gets a lot of easy OHKOs, even on bulky Pokemon such as Bronzor, which makes Machop an invaluable asset against slow teams. Close Combat is Machop's strongest attack, and with Machop's low Speed, the opponent probably won't end up hitting Machop before the defense drop occurs. At first glance Payback seems like quite a poor choice of attack as it's not the strongest move Machop could get; however, with Machop's low Speed and high defenses, it's likely that it'll survive long enough to hit with double the power, making it have the same base power as Earthquake and better type coverage with Close Combat since it hits Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Ice Punch hits Flying-types, most importantly Gligar, who is a common switch-in to Machop. The last move is really up to personal preference and team style. Bullet Punch does not get STAB, but is a priority move nonetheless and helps quite a bit given Machop's low Speed. Protect is good if you want to use this Machop as your lead, though there are far better options for Protect leads.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Guts Machop is one of those Pokemon who is surprisingly strong, so your opponent's standard Machop counters likely won't cut it. For example, Guts Machop can OHKO Bronzor and clear the path for many Pokemon. Pokemon like Gligar, Croagunk, and even other Fighting-types appreciate having Bronzor out of the way, because it allows them to sweep without the possibility of being walled. It can also keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field if your opponent relies on Bronzor to set it up, so Focus Sash users can freely switch in without their item being broken.</p>
<p>Here are some damage calculations to illustrate how powerful this set is:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Close Combat vs. max HP / max Def Onix: 100%</li>
<li>Close Combat vs. max HP / max Def Bronzor: 84.00% - 100.00%</li>
<li>Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Gligar: 100%</li>
</ul>
[SET]
Name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: DynamicPunch
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Oran Berry
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 36 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop is already fairly bulky by default, but becomes even more difficult to take down after it has a couple of Bulk Ups under its belt. After a Bulk Up, Machop becomes a tank who giggles at the sight of any unboosted attacks aimed at it. Machop has great coverage combined with the power and confusion that DynamicPunch provides. Bullet Punch can be used over Payback, as after a Bulk Up, it does a good load of damage even without STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As with all Pokemon who require time to set up, Machop needs some team support to buy it some turns to use Bulk Up. Wynaut is a possibility with its Encore trapping strategy, but that is sort of overkill for Machop, who is bulky enough to take a couple hits while it is setting up. Pokemon who lure out Rock-types are ideal with Machop, because Rock-types are set up fodder for Machop due to its resistance to their STAB. Eevee comes to mind as a good teammate, luring out Pokemon like Cranidos and Anorith to soak its Normal-type STAB attacks. As a bonus, Eevee is good at getting rid of the fast, strong, and frail attackers who may stop Machop with its Adaptability STAB Quick Attack.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Focus Punch + Substitute is an option, delivering an incredibly strong attack from behind a 5 HP Substitute, but Machop's other attacks generally hit hard enough as it is without having the disadvantage of having to use Substitute beforehand. Revenge is a great option for any set (besides the Choice Scarf set) because Machop has the Defense to take a hit and the move has 120 Base Power without the detrimental defense drop of Close Combat. Earthquake is an option to get rid of Croagunk in one hit, as Ice Punch will only 2HKO Croagunk. ThunderPunch can be used on any of the sets to hit Slowpoke with 25 more Base Power if they are a nuisance to your team. It also OHKOes Mantyke. Machop gets Encore which could be useful against very slow opponents such as Hippopotas and Bronzor in tandem with Bulk Up. However, this is very situational as Machop is very slow and will likely not get the chance to abuse it.</p>
<p>With such a low Speed and incredibly powerful attacks, Machop is a great addition to any Trick Room team. You can basically give any set (besides the Scarf) a Brave nature, 0 speed IVs, and be good to go.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Machop is an all around useful Pokemon. It hits like a truck, while also being able to take hits like a tank. Its low Speed is the only thing holding it back, but at the same time it has its merit; for example, Payback hits with double the power when used last, and Close Combat's defense drops take place after Machop is hit. On top of that, you can slap a Choice Scarf of Machop, making it into a speedy sweeping machine, destroying almost every Pokemon with a mix of its power, confusion, bulk, and coverage. If you need a bulky sweeper who can take hits and deal them back out, you will not regret choosing Machop.</p>
[SET]
Name: Choice Scarf
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Payback
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Rock Slide / Bullet Punch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: No Guard
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop has pretty low Speed, but it has enough to reach the magic number of 14; this means that with a Choice Scarf, its Speed reaches 21, thus allowing it to outspeed any Pokemon without a Choice Scarf. DynamicPunch makes Machop one of the deadliest sweepers out there. Its insane power, confusion, and perfect accuracy with No Guard all make it terrifying for your opponent. Payback is usedes to hit Ghosts on the switch, while Ice Punch takes care of Gligar. Rock Slide hits Bug- and Flying-types such as Pineco and Mantyke who generally won't get taken out by an Ice Punch and has an impressive 30% flinch rate that shouldn't be overlooked. Bullet Punch is also an option due to the sheer utility a priority attack brings to the table, especially working off of Machop's respectable Attack stat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Machop can do well as a stand alone sweeper with its great coverage and power, it does its job even better with some team support. This set's main counters are Gligar and Ghost-types. Ghost-types are fortunately easy to trap and KO with Pursuit, and so Munchlax and Stunky make for good teammates. Both of those Pokemon can switch into any Ghost-type attack and OHKO the Ghost with Pursuit as it switches out and most of the time when it stays in, leaving an open hole for Machop's DynamicPunch. Unfortunately, Gligar is more difficult to handle than Ghost-types, though it can be checked by Paras or Bronzor.</p>
[SET]
Name: Lead Chop
move 1: DynamicPunch
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Bullet Punch / Encore
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry / Oran Berry
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 76 SpD / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop has the bulk and power to make a very effective lead. Few Pokemon can actually beat Machop while still getting Stealth Rock down. However, Machop does have trouble dealing with Fake Out leads, especially Meowth, whose Hypnosis will always hit due to No Guard. Machop is excellent at gaining early momentum in the game because of its ability to beat many Pokemon without taking any damage (due to confusion).</p>
<p>DynamicPunch is a great move to have on a lead not only for its sheer power, but for the confusion it provides as well. Opposing Pokemon will only have a 50% chance to get Stealth Rock down due to confusion. The confusion also helps you deal with the opponent's switch-in, as it lets you switch a Pokemon in for free half of the time. Ice Punch and Payback are for Gligar and Ghosts respectively, OHKOing them with ease. Bullet Punch picks the ever-common Focus Sash leads such as Chimchar and Kabuto. Encore is an option over Bullet Punch if you would rather hinder the effectiveness of set up leads than finish off Pokemon using a Focus Sash. However, Bullet Punch is still recommended because of how common Focus Sash leads are in Little Cup.</p>
<p>Machop doesn't really need more Speed because it already outspeeds slow leads while faster ones will outspeed it regardless. The one Speed point is for Phanpy, who will otherwise outpace Machop with 36 EVs, or will tie with Machop with no investment. The rest of the EVs are put into Machop's HP and defenses, making it quite bulky.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Even with Machop's bulk, Focus Sash is usually the best item to use because leads like Houndour can still OHKO Machop with strong special attacks. However, Oran Berry is a great alternative, allowing Machop to take on some leads it could potentially have trouble with, like Phanpy and Snover. Lum Berry is also a good option; it allows you to actually beat Meowth, assuming it uses Hypnosis after Fake Out.</p>
<p>Machop is great at luring and destroying Gligar and Gastly who often come in on DynamicPunch and attempt to set up. This means that Pokemon who benefit from Gligar and Gastly being removed will make great partners for Machop. Gastly is a problem for Pokemon like Croagunk, who can only hit it on the switch with Ice Punch. Machop is also a great teammate for other Fighting-types, because nothing benefits more from Gligar being gone than Choiced Fighting-types.</p>
<p>Machop could also use some defensive support for leads it has trouble with. Machop can't deal with Meowth or any other lead with a sleep inducing move. Their sleep moves are 100% accurate because of No Guard, so Machop is defenseless. This makes Mankey a great teammate for Machop due to its immunity to sleep. It also benefits from Gligar being removed from battle.</p>
[SET]
Name: Guts Sweeper
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Payback
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is your standard status orb sweeper, but this one hurts a little more than the others. With the Attack boost, Machop gets a lot of easy OHKOs, even on bulky Pokemon such as Bronzor, which makes Machop an invaluable asset against slow teams. Close Combat is Machop's strongest attack, and with Machop's low Speed, the opponent probably won't end up hitting Machop before the defense drop occurs. At first glance Payback seems like quite a poor choice of attack as it's not the strongest move Machop could get; however, with Machop's low Speed and high defenses, it's likely that it'll survive long enough to hit with double the power, making it have the same base power as Earthquake and better type coverage with Close Combat since it hits Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Ice Punch hits Flying-types, most importantly Gligar, who is a common switch-in to Machop. The last move is really up to personal preference and team style. Bullet Punch does not get STAB, but is a priority move nonetheless and helps quite a bit given Machop's low Speed. Protect is good if you want to use this Machop as your lead, though there are far better options for Protect leads.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Guts Machop is one of those Pokemon who is surprisingly strong, so your opponent's standard Machop counters likely won't cut it. For example, Guts Machop can OHKO Bronzor and clear the path for many Pokemon. Pokemon like Gligar, Croagunk, and even other Fighting-types appreciate having Bronzor out of the way, because it allows them to sweep without the possibility of being walled. It can also keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field if your opponent relies on Bronzor to set it up, so Focus Sash users can freely switch in without their item being broken.</p>
<p>Here are some damage calculations to illustrate how powerful this set is:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Close Combat vs. max HP / max Def Onix: 100%</li>
<li>Close Combat vs. max HP / max Def Bronzor: 84.00% - 100.00%</li>
<li>Ice Punch vs. max HP / max Def Gligar: 100%</li>
</ul>
[SET]
Name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: DynamicPunch
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Oran Berry
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 HP / 36 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Machop is already fairly bulky by default, but becomes even more difficult to take down after it has a couple of Bulk Ups under its belt. After a Bulk Up, Machop becomes a tank who giggles at the sight of any unboosted attacks aimed at it. Machop has great coverage combined with the power and confusion that DynamicPunch provides. Bullet Punch can be used over Payback, as after a Bulk Up, it does a good load of damage even without STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As with all Pokemon who require time to set up, Machop needs some team support to buy it some turns to use Bulk Up. Wynaut is a possibility with its Encore trapping strategy, but that is sort of overkill for Machop, who is bulky enough to take a couple hits while it is setting up. Pokemon who lure out Rock-types are ideal with Machop, because Rock-types are set up fodder for Machop due to its resistance to their STAB. Eevee comes to mind as a good teammate, luring out Pokemon like Cranidos and Anorith to soak its Normal-type STAB attacks. As a bonus, Eevee is good at getting rid of the fast, strong, and frail attackers who may stop Machop with its Adaptability STAB Quick Attack.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Focus Punch + Substitute is an option, delivering an incredibly strong attack from behind a 5 HP Substitute, but Machop's other attacks generally hit hard enough as it is without having the disadvantage of having to use Substitute beforehand. Revenge is a great option for any set (besides the Choice Scarf set) because Machop has the Defense to take a hit and the move has 120 Base Power without the detrimental defense drop of Close Combat. Earthquake is an option to get rid of Croagunk in one hit, as Ice Punch will only 2HKO Croagunk. ThunderPunch can be used on any of the sets to hit Slowpoke with 25 more Base Power if they are a nuisance to your team. It also OHKOes Mantyke. Machop gets Encore which could be useful against very slow opponents such as Hippopotas and Bronzor in tandem with Bulk Up. However, this is very situational as Machop is very slow and will likely not get the chance to abuse it.</p>
<p>With such a low Speed and incredibly powerful attacks, Machop is a great addition to any Trick Room team. You can basically give any set (besides the Scarf) a Brave nature, 0 speed IVs, and be good to go.</p>
