[Overview]
<p>At first glance, one m
ay simply dismissight not think much of Medicham, w
ith itho has poor base stats and
a ridiculous appearance
. But to boot. However, it would seem
, that pink pantaloons are not merely a source of ridicule, but also the source of Pure Power. Taking its ability into account, Medicham has the highest Attack stat in the game
, with the exception of behind only Deoxys-A, letting it pack a mean punch. This is backed up by a workable
80 base
80 Speed,
allowing Medichamwhich allows it to outrun the unboosted metagame with a Choice Scarf, and pretty much all defensive Pokemon without. On top of this, Medicham has access to Hi Jump Kick, a stupidly powerful move
; Medicham's Hi Jump Kick that is the second
-most powerful non-suicidal move you're likely to see,
being trumped only by Darmanitan
. T's Flare Blitz.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the less that
is said about Medicham's defenses
though, the better. Medicham is not quite in Dugtrio or Sharpedo territory
–—for reference, it can take a Choice Band Scizor
's Bullet Punch
– but this is not exactly. However, this is not much of an achievement
. G; getting Medicham safely into battle
mawill likely be a challenge.
</p>
<p>One Another major concern for Medicham is
the competition
wit
h other f faces from Fighting-types such as Mienshao and Terrakion, both of wh
ichom possess significantly better stats
, b
esides Attack. ar Attack.</p>
<p>Notably, Medicham has access to Psychic STAB; though neither Zen Headbutt nor Psycho Cut has good Base Power,
they provide Medicham wiboth a
re reliable a
ttack, and hitnd do decent damage to Pokemon such as Tentacruel
hard. Without these moves, Medicham is extremely vulnerable to Ghost
-types and the move Protect,
each of which will cause
50% recoil when using Hi Jump Kick. At least Medicham <i>has</i> a secondary STABit to take Hi Jump Kick recoil. More importantly, Medicham has access to Ice Punch, ThunderPunch
, and Trick,
letting itwhich let it easily take out Gliscor
easily and cripple defensive Pokemon. Overall,
this means that Medicham has very few
—if any
—safe switch-ins. Make sure not to underestimate the power of Hi Jump Kick.</p
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt
move 4: Trick / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Pure Power <DW ABILITY IS RELEASED>
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Given Medicham's already outrageous power and average Speed, a Choice Scarf set seems entirely obvious,
lettingas the boost lets Medicham outrun the vast majority of Pokemon in the OU metagame. However, Medicham achieves more than your typical
sChoice Scarf user; it can not only play a revenge killing role, but also break through most walls, and even
sweep late in the game under the right conditions. Largely, this ispull off a late-game sweep under the right conditions. This is largely due to the sheer power of Hi Jump Kick
. A; a 130 Base Power move coming from an effective base Attack stat of 169 is no laughing matter. For example,
with it, Adamant Medicham can 2HKO
Skarmory and OHKO 112 HP Rotom-W. This is almost as powerful as a super effective Psycho Cut, so clearly this is the move you'll want to use as soon as it is safe to do so. <physically or specially defensive?> Skarmory and OHKO 112/0 <or "standard"?> Rotom-W. As a neutral Hi Jump Kick is almost as powerful as a super effective Psycho Cut, it will likely be Medicham's most-used move.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Ghost-types and the move Protect will both cause
Hi Jump Kick to miss and Medicham to receive
50%huge recoil, so another STAB attack can often prove useful. Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt m
ayight have low Base Power, but they provide
Medicham with a less risky move for revenge killing weakened threats, a
lso hittingnd also lets it hit Poison-types, such as Gengar and Tentacruel, super effectively.
The choice between Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt is a little tricky: Psycho Cut is generally preferred, as the main purpose of Medicham's Psychic STAB is to reliably kill weakened opponents. Zen Headbutt's chance to miss is not appreciated, as it leaves Medicham with only Ice Punch as an accurate move, but it is significantly more powerful than a resisted Hi Jump Kick, and has a very handy flinch chance.</p>
<p>Ice Punch is Medicham's main coverage move, as it
hitsdoes super effective damage to a number of Pokemon that resist Hi Jump Kick
super effectively;. For example, it OHKOes Dragonite, Landorus, and Latios after Stealth Rock damage, and easily 2HKOes Gliscor. Trick provides a very good option for the last slot, differentiating Medicham from other Fighting-types by allowing it to cripple the likes of Jellicent, Reuniclus, Mew, and Slowbro. A
lsodditionally, if the Choice Scarf is proving inconvenient (for example, if the opponent has a Ghost-type or is spamming Protect)
, it can be removed
. and foisted onto an opponent. Alternatively, ThunderPunch allows Medicham to 2HKO Jellicent and OHKO Gyarados, but notably
will fall
s short of a 2HKO on Slowbro.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread for this set is very simple; Attack is maximized
, as is Speed, since for power, and Speed is too as this is required to
Speed tie with +1 Dragonite of
the same nature as Medichama similar nature. The choice of nature is much more difficult; as previously mentioned, Medicham can act as a wallbreaker and a sweeper
, as well as a revenge killer.
ForDue to this, the extra power provided by Adamant is greatly appreciated,
giving you a guaranteedas it secures the OHKO on 4/0 Latios with Ice Punch after Stealth Rock,
athe 2HKO on Skarmory and Forretress, and a potential OHKO on Choice Band Scizor after Stealth Rock. However,
with Jolly Medicham can outrun
and revenge kill Jolteon, Adamant +1 Dragonite, Modest
Choice Scarf Rotom-W
, and Timid
Choice Scarf Heatran
and revenge kill any of them. So g. Generally,
a Jolly
nature is preferred if
Medicham is intendedyou intend for Medicham to be more of a revenge killer
rather than a sweeper.
WithIf running a Jolly nature
, you can
also consider chang
eing the EV
Sspread to 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
in orderto give Medicham a little more bulk while maintaining the ability to outrun Modest
Choice Scarf Rotom-W
, giving you a little more bulk.</p>.
<p>Medicham is also somewhat flexible as far as moves are concerned. The choice between Psycho Cut and Zen Headbutt is a little tricky; Psycho Cut is generally preferred as this set uses its Psychic STAB to reliably kill weakened opponents. Zen Headbutt's chance to miss is not appreciated, leaving only Ice Punch as an accurate move, but it is significantly more powerful than a resisted Hi Jump Kick, and has a very handy flinch chance. In terms of alternative moves, Baton Pass can
also be used over Trick to scout the opponent's switch-in and maintain momentum. This is very useful if trying to trap a Ghost-type with Pursuit.</p>
<p>
Ghost-types will always be the main threat to Medicham, as their mere presence prevents it fromThe main threat to Medicham is always going to be Ghost-types, as they prevent the free
ly us
inge of Hi Jump Kick
. Medicham merely by being present on the opposing team. You might be able to beat some of them
one-on-onewith Medicham, but they are still best removed by Medicham's teammates
, specifically. Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar and Choice Band Scizor
. Protect users are also are therefore strongly recommended. The second most annoying
thing for Medicham to face
, but t is Protect users, which strip 50% of Medicham's health if it uses Hi Jump Kick, and allows an appropriate switch to a resistant Pokemon otherwise. There is little you can do about this besides being wary of common Protect users, such as Jirachi, Blissey, Vaporeon, Gliscor, Politoed
, and Tentacruel.
In additionBesides Pursuit trappers, you m
ightay want to pair Medicham with another Fighting-type, such as Mienshao or Terrakion
, to overwhelm the opponent's Fighting
-resist
sant Pokemon. Mienshao
can notably
has U-turn to helpget Medicham
switch in safely
with U-turn, and can 2HKO Jellicent with Grass Knot. Other than this, you'll want to
providesupport Medicham with Stealth Rock
support, as many of the Pokemon
that resist
ant to Hi Jump Kick will take 25% damage from it
<does it secure any xhkos, specifically? also, suggest stealth rock users>.</p>
[SET]
name: Non-Choice
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut
move 4: Substitute / Drain Punch
item: Life Orb / Black Belt
ability: Pure Power
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though it m
ayight be tempting to
putequip Medicham with a
cChoice item
on Medicham, the power and flexibility provided by other items can be extremely useful. Instead of a revenge killer, Medicham becomes a potent wallbreaker and destroyer of defensive teams
<stallbreaker?>. Medicham also becomes much less vulnerable to Ghosts, Gliscor
, and Protect
users. In fact, if played correctly, Medicham can actually take advantage of Protect by using Substitute
; this move also helps to ease prediction for Medicham, and can be used, which can ease prediction in addition to block
ing status move
coming Medicham's ways. However, the damage from Substitute, Life Orb
, and potential
ly Hi Jump Kick recoil will build up
tremendously fastrapidly, so you m
ayight wish to consider another option. Drain Punch
over Substitute providesprovides Medicham with a reliable STAB move
withthat also has a useful secondary effect, preventing Medicham from being worn down.
This is anIt is a particularly excellent move to use against opponents
whichthat spam Protect
<why?>, and is good for finishing off weakened Pokemon.
Black Belt is a viable alternative item, providing a boost to Hi Jump Kick comparable to that of Life Orb without causing recoil. This also lets Medicham convincingly bluff a choice item before surprising the opponent. </p>
<p>Ice Punch is a required move
, giving as it has a good chance to OHKO 252/184+ Gliscor, a
s well as guaranteednd secures the OHKO
s on 4/0 Salamence, Latios
, and Landorus, a
nds well as Dragonite after Stealth Rock damage. Zen Headbutt
orand Psycho Cut
gives Medicham a reliableare both reliable secondary STAB attack
,s that also hit
ting Tentacruel,
Gengar, Fighting-types,
Gengar, and Jellicent harder than
theMedicham's other moves
do. Psycho Cut is noticeably weaker and
doesn't cause flinches, but alsolacks a handy flinch chance, but doesn’t miss
either. Still, a miss is not the end of the world when behind the safety of a Substitute
, which increases the viability of Zen Headbutt.</p>
<p>Overall, this set is extremely potent, but it does have a tendency to fall flat on its face occasionally
. I; it's not the most consistent Pokemon ever. Medicham will often prove useful against more defensive teams, especially those
whichthat underestimate its power. Offensive teams, on the other hand, can present trouble
; n. Nonetheless, Medicham should be able to attain a KO every time it gets in safely. Another issue
worth bearing in mind is that an intelligent opponent can often wear Medicham down with smart switches, especially if they have a
gGhost
, which is worth bearing in mind-type. Therefore, Medicham requires much more prediction than your typical Substitute user
, especially if running Life Orb. You should also
think carefully as to whether the much weaker Mienshao might make a better choice thanks to better Speed and Regenerator, which gives it much better durability. Still,give careful thought as to whether Mienshao might make a better choice. Although it is much weaker, Mienshao packs better Speed and durability, the latter thanks to its Regenerator ability. Still, rest assured that almost nothing can
toumatch Medicham's sheer power.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>
Choosing tThe EV spread is not difficult
.; Attack and Speed are maximized so that Medicham can hit as hard and
as fast as possible. Medicham's defenses are rather poor anyway, and as such are best ignored. A Jolly nature allows Medicham to outrun Adamant Dragonite, Mamoswine, and Lucario
, as well as Modest Rotom-W and Timid Heatran
; in each case a Jolly nature is, which in all cases will make the difference between life and death.
The additional Speed granted by Jolly will give Medicham considerably more utility against offensive teams, against which it
might otherwise
might struggle due to its weak defenses. However, the power drop will prove significant at times,
including missing the chance to OHKO offensive Dragonitesuch as against offensive Dragonite, who will never be OHKOed through Multiscale. If you choose to
use an item other thanforgo Life Orb, an Adamant nature also becomes more favo
urable
. <why?></p>
<p>Speaking of items, Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb, as the boost it provides to Hi Jump Kick is comparable to that of Life Orb, and it doesn't cause recoil. Additionally, it lets Medicham convincingly bluff a Choice item and quite possibly surprise the opponent. Other options include Wide Lens, Expert Belt, and Leftovers, but all leave Medicham's Hi Jump Kick too weak. If not using Substitute, Life Orb will usually prove the best option.</p>
<p>A number of moves can be used instead of Substitute or Drain Punch. ThunderPunch is useful for
hitting OHKOing Gyarados and Starmie, and 2HKOing Slowbro if
also running
an Adamant
nature and
a Life Orb. Recover allows Medicham to take advantage of a free turn, for example from a switch or an opposing Protect, making Medicham much more durable. Bulk Up
could also helpis another way to take advantage of free turns, but Medicham will probably be easily revenge killed
<give a common attack that KOes at +1, or unless you mean special moves, in which case state so>. A priority move
, such as Fake Out or Bullet Punch
, is also
possiviable, but remember that Psycho Cut is illegal with Bullet Punch.
You can also replace yourMedicham can even elect to forgo its Psychic STAB
if you want, but Jellicent and Tentacruel
maywill prove very problematic if
you alsoit lack
s ThunderPunch
. If they are not present on the opposing team, running both Substitute and Drain Punch can be very effective, as the HP lost to Life Orb and Substitute can be recovered. As for the item choice, other options include Wide Lens, Expert Belt, and Leftovers, but all leave Medicham's Hi Jump Kick too weak. If not using Substitute, Life Orb will usually prove the best option. </p>
<p>This set has some trouble with Ghosts, though admittedly not nearly as much as the choice set as well. If one isn't concerned about Jellicent and Tentacruel, running both Substitute and Drain Punch can be very effective, as the latter move allows Medicham to recover HP lost to Life Orb and Substitute.</p>
<p>This set has some trouble with Ghosts, but not as much as its Choice counterpart does. Medicham can muscle its way past most of them, but they still prevent
theit from free
ly us
e ofing Hi Jump Kick. Unfortunately, Tyranitar is a poor partner
since Sandstorm just tips theas the sandstorm it summons just tips Medicham's residual damage problem over the edge, but other Pursuit users
, such as Choice Band Scizor and specially defensive Metagross
, can help trap Ghost
s- and Psychic
-types. Stallbreaker Mew and Sableye can
both prove problematic for this set, so a reliable switch-in
to them, such as Heatran or Volcarona
, makes a good partner. Finally, specially defensive Jirachi
makes an excellent partner forpairs well with Medicham, as it is able to spread paralysis with Thunder Wave, Body Slam
, and Thunder, a
s well asnd also check
ings Gengar and Reuniclus.
Wish and U-turn can make switching Medicham in ratherFurthermore, its access to U-turn can help Medicham switch in even more easi
erly, and
with Wish, it can even heal a weakened Medicham if you can get it in safely.
This does a lot forAll in all, the support Jirachi provides does a lot to mitigate Medicham's issues with
its average Speed,
rapid wearing downtendency to take large amounts of residual damage, and inability to switch in
safely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As far as alternative sets go, the most obvious is
a Choice Band
. T one consisting of Hi Jump Kick, Ice Punch, and two of Drain Punch, ThunderPunch, and Bullet Punch, but this is a lot less flexible than
and often inferior to the non-
cChoice set
, leaving. As the opponent
able to sacrifice something beforewill often simply sacrifice one of their weakened or less useful Pokemon to forc
inge Medicham back out
;, the
extra attack is often just overkill. Still, the set would be Hi Jump Kick, Ice Punch, and two of Drain Punch, ThunderPunch and Bullet Punch. additional power is often just overkill.</p>
<p>A number of other moves could occasionally prove useful: Double
-Edge hits Psychic-types harder than any of Medicham's other moves
do, but
thisit is a bad move to be locked into
<why?>, and the
recoil iLife Orb set does not appreciate
d on the
Life Orb setrecoil. Fire Punch allows Medicham to OHKO Scizor and Forretress
(assumingafter Sturdy is broken
), but these Pokemon
arewill already tak
inge a ton from Hi Jump Kick. Rock Slide is useful against Volcarona and Flying-types, but
usually a Psychic-type move or Ice Punch is more effective
in general. Foresight allows Medicham to hit Ghosts with Hi Jump Kick, but
you can KO most in the required two turns anyway. Pain Split can be used on a set with Life Orb an Substitute to provide longevity and damage opponents, but Medicham's coverage is sacrificed.most can be 2HKOed by Medicham's other moves. Pain Split can be used on a set with Substitute and Life Orb to provide longevity and damage opponents, but this requires Medicham to sacrifice coverage. Either Ac
cupressure
andor Bulk Up can be used to set up on opponents that spam Protect, but Medicham's average Speed leaves it too vulnerable to
being revenge kill
inged.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Directly countering Medicham can prove extremely difficult, due to its phenomenal power and decent coverage. However, there are still a couple of ways to deal with Medicham effectively. First and foremost
, we hav are Ghost-types; the mere presence of a
n opposing Ghost will hamper Medicham significantly
, by preventing it from using Hi Jump Kick freely. However, most
gGhosts are not themselves perfect counters; Gengar is OHKOed by a Psychic
-type move or
a Life Orb Ice Punch, Jellicent falls to ThunderPunch or
a Life Orb Zen Headbutt, and many other defensive ghosts, such as Sableye, Dusclops, and Cofagrigus, absolutely hate Trick. Psychic-types cannot hinder Medicham purely by existing, but are often great switch-ins. Slowbro,
Sstallbreaker Mew, and Calm Mind Reuniclus can usually counter Medicham if they avoid Trick
., while Gyarados can
also wall any variant lacking ThunderPunch.
There are also lots of Pokemon which can take two sMoreover, several bulky Pokemon are not 2HKOed by Choice Scarf Hi Jump Kick
s,; examples includ
inge Dragonite, bulky Volcarona, Gliscor, Celebi
, and Intimidate Salamence.
</p>
<p>Finally
, the move Protect is also an effective check to Medicham, as it punishes Medicham for using Hi Jump Kick.
ThisProtect is very effective against the Choice set, but
it is less so against
the other set, as itnon-Choice variants, which can take advantage of the free turn with Substitute.</p>
