In-battle formes
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| HP: | 67 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 82 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 43 |
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Evolutions
- Pancham
Strategies
- en
- LC
Overview
Pancham's access to Parting Shot in combination with its solid bulk and great Attack turns it into an excellent pivot capable of easily giving setup sweepers a free switch. Its wide movepool also includes Swords Dance, which can potentially turn it into a powerful wallbreaker or, with Sticky Web support, even a sweeper, and good coverage options such as Gunk Shot and Zen Headbutt, setting it apart from other Fighting-types.
However, despite these unique traits, Pancham faces stiff competition as a Fighting-type from Mienfoo and Timburr, of which the former is faster and has Regenerator, giving it a form of recovery, and the latter has Guts and priority in Mach Punch, mitigating its low Speed and giving it an easier time setting up. Pancham also suffers from a low Speed stat, which means it is usually forced to take a hit before attacking and thus easily worn down.
Parting Shot Pivot
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Moves
Parting Shot allows Pancham to easily pivot, as the stat drops can give a teammate such as a setup sweeper a free switch. Drain Punch is the STAB move of choice, as it is boosted by Iron Fist and gives Pancham a form of recovery. Knock Off hits the Ghost-types that are immune to Drain Punch super effectively and provides incredible utility in removing a foe's item. Gunk Shot can hit the Fairy-types that can easily take any of Pancham's other moves very hard, notably 2HKOing Spritzee and non-Berry Juice Snubbull and OHKOing Cottonee. Zen Headbutt is another option that hits the Poison-types that resist Drain Punch as well as opposing Fighting-types super effectively, always 2HKOing Mareanie and nearly always 2HKOing Timburr and Mienfoo.
Set Details
Eviolite enhances Pancham's already solid bulk, thus allowing it to stay alive longer in a match. 180 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Pancham's Attack, meaning it hits as hard as possible while recovering a lot of HP with Drain Punch. The defensive EVs allow Pancham to survive Psychic from Focus Sash Abra as well as Icicle Spear from +2 Shellder. 12 Speed EVs give Pancham 11 Speed, making it outspeed Timburr, Skrelp, and Snubbull. Iron Fist increases Drain Punch's damage, allowing Pancham to 2HKO Alolan Grimer and non-Eviolite Vullaby, as well as OHKO both Doduo and Archen after Stealth Rock, with Drain Punch. Mold Breaker is another option to remove items from Sticky Hold users such as Trubbish and OHKO Magnemite through Sturdy.
Usage Tips
Pancham can be switched in on the Pokemon it threatens, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Tirtouga, to create opportunities to dent the opponent's walls or generate momentum with Parting Shot. However, Pancham tends to get worn down quickly, so be careful not to switch it in too often and to preserve it for the threats it needs to beat. Be careful of using Parting Shot if the opponent has a Pawniard or Snivy: they both get offensive boosts if they are hit by the move. In the late-game, Parting Shot should be used to pivot into a powerful cleaner such as Shellder or Nasty Plot Vullaby, as the stat drops can give them the opportunity they need to set up and win the game.
Team Options
Setup sweepers that only need one turn to potentially win a game, such as Nasty Plot Vullaby, Swords Dance Pawniard, and Shell Smash Shellder, appreciate Parting Shot to get them in with a free switch and lower the opponent's stats. Pawniard is especially notable, as it can set up on the Fairy-types Pancham lures in. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn, such as Chinchou and Mienfoo, can form momentum cores with Pancham. Diglett is also a good partner for Pancham, as it can be brought in safely with Parting Shot and trap the Poison-types that resist Drain Punch. If Pancham is running Zen Headbutt over Gunk Shot, Gastly is a great teammate, as it is capable of taking advantage of Parting Shot if it is used on the Fairy-types that Pancham lures in, such as Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee, by setting up a Substitute. It also appreciates Pancham threatening Pawniard and Munchlax.
Swords Dance Wallbreaker
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Moves
Swords Dance boosts Pancham's Attack, allowing it to effectively break down the opponent's walls. Drain Punch is Pancham's main STAB move, as it complements its solid natural bulk by giving it recovery. Knock Off hits the Ghost-types that are immune to Drain Punch and removes the foe's item, giving Pancham nice utility. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-type switch-ins such as Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee very hard, OHKOing Cottonee and 2HKOing Spritzee and non-Berry Juice variants of Snubbull. Alternatively, Zen Headbutt hits Poison-types such as Mareanie, which is always 2HKOed by it, and Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr, which are nearly always 2HKOed, super effectively.
Set Details
Eviolite is the item of choice, as it enhances Pancham's solid bulk, giving it more opportunities to set up. 180 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Pancham's Attack, allowing it to dent the opponent's team as much as possible while getting the maximum possible HP back from Drain Punch. The Defense and Special Defense EVs give Pancham good bulk, allowing it to survive +2 Shellder's Icicle Spear and Focus Sash Abra's Psychic. If Pancham's teammates can provide Sticky Web support, an alternative spread of 180 Atk / 20 Def / 52 SpD / 252 Spe should be used, as it hits 14 Speed, allowing Pancham to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame after Sticky Web. Mold Breaker is used to remove items from Sticky Hold users such as Trubbish with Knock Off and bypass Magnemite's Sturdy to OHKO it. Iron Fist is also an option to 2HKO Alolan Grimer and OHKO both Doduo and Archen after Stealth Rock. It also guarantees the OHKO on Alolan Grimer and Abra with Drain Punch after one Swords Dance.
Usage Tips
Pancham should be brought in on Pokemon it threatens out, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Tirtouga. The opportunities created by these forced switches should be used to dent the opponent's switch-in and remove items in the early-game. In the late-game, these opportunities should be used to set up a Swords Dance to sweep the opponent's team or remove walls for your sweeper. If Pancham is being used as a wallbreaker for your team, setting up a Swords Dance can be useful, as it allows Pancham to power through walls even more quickly. Since Pancham will usually not be using Drain Punch on forced switches with this set, it tends to be worn down very quickly. As such, it should not be used as the primary counter for any Pokemon, but should instead focus on wallbreaking with the power boost from Swords Dance. If your team has Sticky Web, Pancham should be preserved until the late-game in order to set up a Swords Dance and sweep the opponent's team.
Team Options
Pancham greatly appreciates Sticky Web support from Pokemon like Surskit and Spinarak, as it allows it to outspeed most of the opponent's team and potentially sweep in the late-game. Other Knock Off users are also appreciated, as they can remove Eviolites, giving Pancham an easier time wallbreaking, and Choice Scarves, allowing Pancham to clean more easily in the late-game on a Sticky Web team. Another Fighting-type such as Mienfoo can work very well with Pancham. Thanks to them sharing counters and having powerful attacks, those counters will often be worn down over the course of a match, meaning it will be unable to counter both. In addition, the two will also easily be able to deal with Dark-type cores. Pivots such as Chinchou, Mienfoo, and Foongus work very well with Pancham, as they can get it in on a free switch quite easily. Chinchou also deals with the Flying-types that threaten Pancham and are immune to Sticky Web. Pursuit users such as Munchlax and Alolan Grimer can trap Psychic- and Ghost-types for Pancham, giving it an easier time cleaning. Diglett is also a great partner for Pancham, as it can trap and KO the Poison-types that wall it, such as Mareanie and Trubbish. Lastly, since Pancham is weak to burns, it appreciates a cleric like Spritzee or Chinchou. The former of these can also pass Wishes to Pancham, improving its longevity, thus allowing it to wallbreak for longer over the course of a match, while the latter is capable of pivoting into Pancham with Volt Switch.
Other Options
Darkinium Z can be used on the pivot set for Z-Parting Shot, which heals Pancham's incoming teammate up to full HP, in addition to Parting Shot's normal effect of lowering the foe's stats. In the late-game, this can guarantee a sweep by a teammate like Shellder. However, Pancham is too slow to properly use such a strategy, and it also does not appreciate the lack of Eviolite. A Choice Scarf set with Parting Shot, Drain Punch, Knock Off, and either Gunk Shot or Zen Headbutt can be used to take advantage of Parting Shot. With a spread of 180 Atk / 20 Def / 52 SpD / 252 Spe and an Adamant nature, Pancham hits 14 Speed, allowing it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame with a Choice Scarf. A set like that should focus on taking advantage of Parting Shot to grab momentum for Pancham's teammates. An all-out attacking set with Drain Punch, Knock Off, Gunk Shot, and Zen Headbutt can surprise both Fairy- and Poison-type switch-ins, but Pancham is too slow to utilize such a set very well. A RestTalk set with Circle Throw and Bulk Up can be used, but it is usually outclassed by the Swords Dance set listed above. This set should be used with the ability Scrappy so that it is not completely walled by Ghost-types. Superpower and Storm Throw can both be used over Drain Punch on any set for their greater power, but the recovery Drain Punch gives is preferred most of the time. Pancham also has access to other coverage moves not listed above; Ice Punch and Stone Edge could be used to hit Flying-types such as Vullaby, but Drain Punch is neutral on most targets of these moves and they are thus usually inferior to Gunk Shot and Zen Headbutt. Iron Head is a more accurate option than Gunk Shot to hit Fairy types, but the lower power means it misses out on the 2HKO on Spritzee and Eviolite Snubbull as well as the OHKO on Cottonee.
Checks and Counters
Poison-types: Foongus and Mareanie can both take most moves from Pancham easily and threaten it with Spore or a Scald burn. However, they do not like having their Eviolite removed by Knock Off and need to watch out for Zen Headbutt.
Fairy-types: If Pancham lacks Gunk Shot, it is unable to hurt Fairy-types such as Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee. In return, they can force it out with their super effective STAB moves.
Revenge Killers: Faster, powerful attackers such as Doduo, Rufflet, Vullaby, Gastly, and Abra are all capable of easily revenge killing Pancham. All of these except for Abra are also immune to Sticky Web, meaning that they will outspeed Pancham no matter what.
Parting Shot Switch-ins: Snivy and Pawniard can both get boosts if they switch into Parting Shot thanks to their respective abilities in Contrary and Defiant. However, Pawniard must be wary of switching into Pancham, as Drain Punch will OHKO it.
Will-O-Wisp Users: Ponyta and Larvesta can both take any of Pancham's moves with ease, and proceed to burn it with Will-O-Wisp, severely crippling it for the rest of the match.
