Status: Need Proofreading
Updates:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/medicham
Woah, it's been a while since I did a revamp!
I removed the Reversaler set because it was inconsistent and is a poor set in general (IMO). For this analysis I tried to "get straight to the point", as reflected upon by darkie's announcement!
------------------------------------------------------
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick / Brick Break
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: ThunderPunch / Trick / Toxic
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Medicham's incredible offensive power makes it a brilliant candidate to use Choice Scarf, which boosts its mediocre Speed to a higher level. Medicham won't survive powerful hits, so being able to outspeed and OHKO faster Pokemon gives it a huge advantage. The choice between what nature to use is a simple Speed versus Attack argument. A Jolly nature will allow Medicham to reach 426 Speed, outrunning Modest Choice Scarf Rotom and Adamant Rock Polish Torterra. On the other hand, an Adamant nature will allow Medicham to reach 388 Speed, outrunning Adamant +1 Feraligatr and Jolly Swellow; however, Medicham does possess more raw power than if it would use a Jolly nature.</p>
<p>Hi Jump Kick is a powerful STAB move capable of 2HKOing 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix, 252 HP / 0 Def Regirock, and can OHKO 252 HP / 0 Def Registeel. However, due to its imperfect accuracy and the fact that Medicham will hurt itself if it misses, Brick Break is a completely acceptable choice. Brick Break will do significantly less than Hi Jump Kick would, but its unerring accuracy means that it can be more useful at certain times. Next, Psycho Cut also gets STAB and hits at least 88% of the entire UU metagame for neutral damage alongside High Jump Kick or Brick Break. Next, Ice Punch is Medicham's most powerful move against Altaria and Claydol. Ice Punch can score an important 2HKO on Claydol if it switches into Stealth Rock. Finally, the last moveslot has three options that can be used. ThunderPunch hits Slowbro for super effective damage, who would otherwise wall Medicham to no end. ThunderPunch is also Medicham's best attack against Moltres; it will OHKO Moltres if it switches into Stealth Rock. Another option that can be used is Trick, which can cripple some of Medicham's best counters, including Slowbro and Donphan, both of whom despise Choice Scarf. While unorthodox, Toxic can help remedy Medicham's inability to deal much damage to the aforementioned foes. Toxic will also help Medicham cripple Milotic, Tangrowth, and Uxie.</p>
<p>Medicham has a series of specific counters that do extremely well against it. Bulky Psychic-types, such as Uxie and Slowbro, are the number one opponents that Medicham loathes. These opponents usually take little damage from Medicham's attackins, and can then use Psychic and Surf respectively to reduce Medicham's health. Next comes the premier bulky physical walls of UU - Donphan and Tangrowth. With either Hi Jump Kick or Ice Punch, Medicham only manages to do 29% at max to 252 HP / 252 Donphan and 36% at max to 252 HP / 252 Def Tangrowth. Both of them have lethal STAB attacks that they can use against Medicham, who will probably not survive the onslaught. Possibly Medicham's greatest counter, however, is Spiritomb. Spiritomb's Ghost-/Dark-typing means that it is immune to Medicham's dual-STAB, and 252 HP / 252 Def (Rest + Sleep Talk + Calm Mind) versions take only 27% from either elemental punch. Spiritomb can then "use" Medicham to set up its Calm Minds on the switch.</p>
<p>One of the simplest ways to combat Medicham's enemies is to simply tweak its moveset. Replacing an elemental punch with Toxic can reduce the potetial of foes like Slowbro, Donphan, and Tangrowth. However, you will still encounter everlasting problems against Spiritomb and possibly Uxie with Rest. If Medicham has Trick, it can help too, as many of Medicham's counters are ones with low Speed.</p>
<p>Providing team support for Medicham is all about understanding one crucial thing: a large number of Pokemon in the lower tiers are highly "Medicham-weak". It is not uncommon to observe a Medicham tear through entire teams simply with a Choice Scarf Hi Jump Kick outrage. Therefore, the key to allowing it to sweep is to help eliminate its things that it can't hurt. Setting up Toxic Spikes cripples Donphan, Tangrowth, and Slowbro altogether. However, realize that Poison-type Pokemon are, who absorb Toxic Spikes, are particularly common in UU. A bulky Water-type is an excellent partner to work alongside Medicham. An example of this is Toxic / Recover / Surf / Ice Beam Milotic. Milotic can cripple opposing Water- and Psychic-types with Toxic, while using Surf and Ice Beam on Donphan and Tangrowth respectively. Milotic can also use Surf against Claydol and Moltres, Pokemon that sometimes give Medicham problems. Next, the greatest concern remains to be Spiritomb. Spiritomb is not as invincible as its typing suggests, and can be defeated by forceful moves coming from both physical and special attackers. For example, Absol can usually set up on Spiritomb that do not have Will-O-Wisp and proceed to use Pursuit or Sucker Punch. Mixed Blaziken can break through Spiritomb's defenses and helps against Tangrowth and Donphan as well. Users of Taunt can also be helpful against Spiritomb. An example is Mismagius, who (with enough Special Defense EVs) takes only around 40% from Spiritomb's Dark Pulse and can use Taunt to temporarily prevent it from being able to Rest. This allows any poison that you might have inflicted upon Spiritomb to remain and beat it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Hi Jump Kick / Brick Break
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Trick / Toxic
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Choice Scarf Medicham is typically used to defeat threats with its high Speed, Choice Band Medicham trades this Speed for power. An Adamant nature is highly recommended on this set, since it allows Medicham to grab the most useful 2HKOs against several opponents. The overall EVs put Medicham at 720 Attack and 259 Speed, which is just incredible for something whose home is UU.</p>
<p>This set mirrors the Choice Scarf one in terms of moves and EVs. However, it is important to note that the list of opponents that Medicham can OHKO and 2HKO has now expanded. For example, Hi Jump Kick now OHKOes 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix and Regirock 100% of the time, even without Stealth Rock damage. It will also 2HKO 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Tangrowth and Donphan if they switch into Stealth Rock. Next, Psycho Cut OHKOes Mismagius and Rotom, easily eliminating them from play should they choose switch into a Fighting-type attack. ThunderPunch will 2HKO even the most physically defensive variants of Slowbro, something that the Choice Scarf set cannot do. For this reason, ThunderPunch should be used in the third moveslot in the place of Ice Punch (as opposed to the Choice Scarf set). Options in the fourth moveslot remain the same as well. All three available options in the last moveslot are in some way designed to very effectively combat traditional Medicham counters, but it is important to know the benefits of each. Ice Punch hits Altaria incredibly hard, while 2HKOing Donphan and Tangrowth all the same. Trick can be used to cripple incoming Medicham switch-ins, including defensive Uxie, Spiritomb, or even the aforementioned Donphan and Tangrowth. Finally, Toxic is your most reliable method of harming Uxie and Spiritomb, although you should still be wary of the Rest + Sleep Talk versions.</p>
<p>Even though you can now 2HKO the likes of Claydol, Slowbro, and Milotic, Uxie and Spiritomb are still the best counters to this set. Spiritomb takes a maximum of 43.75% from ThunderPunch, meaning that it will never be 2HKOed even with Stealth Rock damage. It is immune to Psycho Cut and Hi Jump Kick - worse, Medicham hurts itself if it unfortunately uses Hi Jump Kick against Spiritomb - and its Shadow Ball can pick on Medicham's poor defensive stats. Even though Uxie is not immune to Medicham's double STAB, the best Medicham can muster against it is a poor 33% with either Hi Jump Kick or ThunderPunch. Uxie can take many hits from Medicham and can hit back with Psychic or even set up Reflect and Light Screen. Other counters to this set include Rotom and Medicham. While they must tread carefully due to being OHKOed by Psycho Cut, offensive versions are faster than this Medicham and can damage it with their Shadow Balls. Dark-types with Pursuit can trap Medicham if it incorrectly uses Psycho Cut; for example, Drapion can switch in, absorb a Psycho Cut, and severely weaken Medicham with Pursuit as it switches out.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is a requirement for this set. The least your team members should do is set it up, allowing Medicham to score 2HKOs against its most dedicated opponents. Toxic Spikes can also help, but Rest + Sleep Talk Spiritomb and Uxie have no problem getting past them anyway. Chansey can deal with opposing Uxie. Seismic Toss and Toxic will weaken it to the point that Medicham can at least 2HKO it with any of its moves. Wish support also means that Medicham can stay alive longer. Spiritomb is a more difficult problem, but Blaziken can deal with it. Immunity to Will-O-Wisp and a useful resistance to Dark Pulse means that Blaziken can usually switch into Spiritomb and threaten physically defensive versions with Fire Blast; the same applies to Uxie, although Blaziken must be careful because Shadow Ball and Psychic hurt. To deal with Mismagius and Rotom, specially defensive Drapion can use either Crunch or Pursuit to finish them off. Drapion can also support Medicham by handling Uxie. The simple conclusion and lesson to be learned is that with the right team support, Medicham should have no trouble sweeping.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Medicham can use an Endure/Substitute + Reversal set, but it is not very reliable. In terms of other attacking options, Medicham has a few interesting ones. Fire Punch is available, but generally inferior to Medicham's Hi Jump Kick. For a more powerful Psychic-type STAB move, Zen Headbutt can be used, especially on the Choice Scarf set. The primary reason for this is its extra 10 base power and 20% flinch chance, which can be used to abuse the factor of luck in certain situations. Medicham also has access to Rock Slide, allowing it to deal with Flying-types (namely Moltres) easily, but often ThunderPunch and Ice Punch are the more appealing options.</p>
<p>Bullet Punch and Fake Out are Medicham's only viable priority moves, but both have very low power. They should only be considered if you seriously need the priority they offer. Medicham can also use Bulk Up and Baton Pass, but it is often too fragile to perform any such strategy. An interesting Foresight + Hi Jump Kick set can be used against Spiritomb, OHKOing it once and for all. Like most Fighting-types, Medicham has access to Focus Punch, but Hi Jump Kick is generally the better option.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Speed and Attack should always be maximized. It is not worth it to try increasing Medicham's "bulk" by investing EVs into HP, Defense, or Special Defense. Power is more important to it than survivability.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Before anything else, set up Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock is imperative in helping Medicham sweep; the lack of them may result in typical 2HKOs turning into 3HKOs, something Medicham cannot afford. Spikes and Toxic Spikes can come in useful as well; however, they may be hard to fit in offensive teams. While beneficial, they are not required, as Medicham can function well enough with Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Because Medicham's counters are few, teammates are easy to find. Therefore, the simple goal in providing such team support is to knock its most prominent defensive (Tangrowth, Donphan, Slowbro, Uxie, Spiritomb, Mesprit) and offensive (Moltres, Yanmega, Mismagius, Rotom, Swellow) counters out of play. Analyzing this list, you can observe that three Pokemon are Stealth Rock weak. Furthermore, Tangrowth, Donphan, Slowbro, and Slowking can only be 2HKOed (by the Choice Band set) with the aid of Stealth Rock. Next, it is time to focus on checking threats individually. A well-powered Life Orb Blaziken with high Special Attack EV investment destroys Tangrowth and Donphan. With a super effective Hidden Power, it is capable of 2HKOing Slowbro. Uxie, Spiritomb, or Mesprit that have high Defense EVs looking to switch into Blaziken's Superpower lose around half their health to Fire Blast (or Overheat). Furthermore, these opponents often lack a reliable recovery move, allowing Medicham to potentially finish them off the next time it is sent into play. Alternatively, a Yanmega of your own can check many of these threats; Tangrowth, Slowbro, Uxie, and Mesprit all eat a super effective Bug Buzz, while Donphan is 2HKOed by it. Yanmega is also capable of taking a Shadow Ball coming off Spiritomb and proceed to 2HKO it (again, with Stealth Rock assitance).</p>
<p>Medicham's offensive opponents (usually Choice Scarfed versions) continue to be troublesome. Mismagius and Rotom can be beaten with a well-played Pursuit, Sucker Punch, or Crunch coming off a few Pokemon, including specially defensive Drapion or Honchkrow. Chansey can also be used to cripple them with Toxic, although it will lose to Mismagius one on one. However, Chansey has the benefit of having Special Defense so high that it will have no trouble against Yanmega and Moltres. Chansey can also provide Wish support, something Medicham may need, especially if it continuously switches into Stealth Rock. Next, Registeel can wall Yanmega, Rotom, Swellow, and Mismagius quite comfortably, retaliating with Iron Head. However, the Moltres problem must be addressed. Milotic comes to mind; with Surf and Ice Beam, it can not only check Moltres, but also Donphan and Yanmega. Less notable options include Clefable and Regirock.</p>
<p>Sometimes the goal of a teammate isn't necessarily to OHKO or completely remove a Medicham counter from the game, but to weaken it. This allows Medicham to 2HKO them (it still deals around 33% to Uxie) at best, meaning that it will sooner or later clear its own path to sweep.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Medicham's incredible Attack stat is high enough to scare any team. "Glass cannon" is a phrase which sums up Medicham nicely; it has a huge Attack stat with very poor defenses. Because of this, Medicham may be hard to get onto the field, but once in, it can cause quite a bit of havoc.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Few Pokemon like switching in on Medicham's attacks, but a few specific ones fare well against it. Against the Choice Scarf set, Mesprit, Donphan, Tangrowth, Slowbro, Spiritomb, Uxie, and just about anything else that can take at least three to four of Medicham's hits do well against it. Medicham isn't going to survive a lot of attacks, so even weaker attacks will bring it down. Anything that is faster than Medicham and can OHKO it will also be problematic. Examples include Rotom, Moltres, and Yanmega.</p>
<p>Spiritomb and Uxie are the best counters against the Choice Band set. This is because they can take a number of hits coming from any of Medicham's moves; Spiritomb has the added bonus of being immune to both Hi Jump Kick and Psycho Cut. This set usually only runs 259 Speed, so a wide range of opponents are faster than it. Examples of opponents that can outrun and OHKO Choice Band Medicham include Mismagius, Swellow, or even Dugtrio. All of these are fragile, however, so they should be careful not to get hit by any of Medicham's attacks. When sufficiently weakened, priority users like Azumarill can be used to knock Medicham out.</p>
Updates:
- "Team Options" in pink
- I split the "Choice" set into "Choice Scarf" and "Choice Band"
- I deleted the "Reversal" set
- I rewrote most content but kept some details
- I rewrote all Sub-Sections (except Opinion) and included a "Team Options" one
- I removed all references from OU and based this analysis on UU
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/medicham
Woah, it's been a while since I did a revamp!
I removed the Reversaler set because it was inconsistent and is a poor set in general (IMO). For this analysis I tried to "get straight to the point", as reflected upon by darkie's announcement!
------------------------------------------------------
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick / Brick Break
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: ThunderPunch / Trick / Toxic
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Medicham's incredible offensive power makes it a brilliant candidate to use Choice Scarf, which boosts its mediocre Speed to a higher level. Medicham won't survive powerful hits, so being able to outspeed and OHKO faster Pokemon gives it a huge advantage. The choice between what nature to use is a simple Speed versus Attack argument. A Jolly nature will allow Medicham to reach 426 Speed, outrunning Modest Choice Scarf Rotom and Adamant Rock Polish Torterra. On the other hand, an Adamant nature will allow Medicham to reach 388 Speed, outrunning Adamant +1 Feraligatr and Jolly Swellow; however, Medicham does possess more raw power than if it would use a Jolly nature.</p>
<p>Hi Jump Kick is a powerful STAB move capable of 2HKOing 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix, 252 HP / 0 Def Regirock, and can OHKO 252 HP / 0 Def Registeel. However, due to its imperfect accuracy and the fact that Medicham will hurt itself if it misses, Brick Break is a completely acceptable choice. Brick Break will do significantly less than Hi Jump Kick would, but its unerring accuracy means that it can be more useful at certain times. Next, Psycho Cut also gets STAB and hits at least 88% of the entire UU metagame for neutral damage alongside High Jump Kick or Brick Break. Next, Ice Punch is Medicham's most powerful move against Altaria and Claydol. Ice Punch can score an important 2HKO on Claydol if it switches into Stealth Rock. Finally, the last moveslot has three options that can be used. ThunderPunch hits Slowbro for super effective damage, who would otherwise wall Medicham to no end. ThunderPunch is also Medicham's best attack against Moltres; it will OHKO Moltres if it switches into Stealth Rock. Another option that can be used is Trick, which can cripple some of Medicham's best counters, including Slowbro and Donphan, both of whom despise Choice Scarf. While unorthodox, Toxic can help remedy Medicham's inability to deal much damage to the aforementioned foes. Toxic will also help Medicham cripple Milotic, Tangrowth, and Uxie.</p>
<p>Medicham has a series of specific counters that do extremely well against it. Bulky Psychic-types, such as Uxie and Slowbro, are the number one opponents that Medicham loathes. These opponents usually take little damage from Medicham's attackins, and can then use Psychic and Surf respectively to reduce Medicham's health. Next comes the premier bulky physical walls of UU - Donphan and Tangrowth. With either Hi Jump Kick or Ice Punch, Medicham only manages to do 29% at max to 252 HP / 252 Donphan and 36% at max to 252 HP / 252 Def Tangrowth. Both of them have lethal STAB attacks that they can use against Medicham, who will probably not survive the onslaught. Possibly Medicham's greatest counter, however, is Spiritomb. Spiritomb's Ghost-/Dark-typing means that it is immune to Medicham's dual-STAB, and 252 HP / 252 Def (Rest + Sleep Talk + Calm Mind) versions take only 27% from either elemental punch. Spiritomb can then "use" Medicham to set up its Calm Minds on the switch.</p>
<p>One of the simplest ways to combat Medicham's enemies is to simply tweak its moveset. Replacing an elemental punch with Toxic can reduce the potetial of foes like Slowbro, Donphan, and Tangrowth. However, you will still encounter everlasting problems against Spiritomb and possibly Uxie with Rest. If Medicham has Trick, it can help too, as many of Medicham's counters are ones with low Speed.</p>
<p>Providing team support for Medicham is all about understanding one crucial thing: a large number of Pokemon in the lower tiers are highly "Medicham-weak". It is not uncommon to observe a Medicham tear through entire teams simply with a Choice Scarf Hi Jump Kick outrage. Therefore, the key to allowing it to sweep is to help eliminate its things that it can't hurt. Setting up Toxic Spikes cripples Donphan, Tangrowth, and Slowbro altogether. However, realize that Poison-type Pokemon are, who absorb Toxic Spikes, are particularly common in UU. A bulky Water-type is an excellent partner to work alongside Medicham. An example of this is Toxic / Recover / Surf / Ice Beam Milotic. Milotic can cripple opposing Water- and Psychic-types with Toxic, while using Surf and Ice Beam on Donphan and Tangrowth respectively. Milotic can also use Surf against Claydol and Moltres, Pokemon that sometimes give Medicham problems. Next, the greatest concern remains to be Spiritomb. Spiritomb is not as invincible as its typing suggests, and can be defeated by forceful moves coming from both physical and special attackers. For example, Absol can usually set up on Spiritomb that do not have Will-O-Wisp and proceed to use Pursuit or Sucker Punch. Mixed Blaziken can break through Spiritomb's defenses and helps against Tangrowth and Donphan as well. Users of Taunt can also be helpful against Spiritomb. An example is Mismagius, who (with enough Special Defense EVs) takes only around 40% from Spiritomb's Dark Pulse and can use Taunt to temporarily prevent it from being able to Rest. This allows any poison that you might have inflicted upon Spiritomb to remain and beat it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Hi Jump Kick / Brick Break
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Trick / Toxic
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Choice Scarf Medicham is typically used to defeat threats with its high Speed, Choice Band Medicham trades this Speed for power. An Adamant nature is highly recommended on this set, since it allows Medicham to grab the most useful 2HKOs against several opponents. The overall EVs put Medicham at 720 Attack and 259 Speed, which is just incredible for something whose home is UU.</p>
<p>This set mirrors the Choice Scarf one in terms of moves and EVs. However, it is important to note that the list of opponents that Medicham can OHKO and 2HKO has now expanded. For example, Hi Jump Kick now OHKOes 252 HP / 0 Def Steelix and Regirock 100% of the time, even without Stealth Rock damage. It will also 2HKO 252 HP / 252 Def Impish Tangrowth and Donphan if they switch into Stealth Rock. Next, Psycho Cut OHKOes Mismagius and Rotom, easily eliminating them from play should they choose switch into a Fighting-type attack. ThunderPunch will 2HKO even the most physically defensive variants of Slowbro, something that the Choice Scarf set cannot do. For this reason, ThunderPunch should be used in the third moveslot in the place of Ice Punch (as opposed to the Choice Scarf set). Options in the fourth moveslot remain the same as well. All three available options in the last moveslot are in some way designed to very effectively combat traditional Medicham counters, but it is important to know the benefits of each. Ice Punch hits Altaria incredibly hard, while 2HKOing Donphan and Tangrowth all the same. Trick can be used to cripple incoming Medicham switch-ins, including defensive Uxie, Spiritomb, or even the aforementioned Donphan and Tangrowth. Finally, Toxic is your most reliable method of harming Uxie and Spiritomb, although you should still be wary of the Rest + Sleep Talk versions.</p>
<p>Even though you can now 2HKO the likes of Claydol, Slowbro, and Milotic, Uxie and Spiritomb are still the best counters to this set. Spiritomb takes a maximum of 43.75% from ThunderPunch, meaning that it will never be 2HKOed even with Stealth Rock damage. It is immune to Psycho Cut and Hi Jump Kick - worse, Medicham hurts itself if it unfortunately uses Hi Jump Kick against Spiritomb - and its Shadow Ball can pick on Medicham's poor defensive stats. Even though Uxie is not immune to Medicham's double STAB, the best Medicham can muster against it is a poor 33% with either Hi Jump Kick or ThunderPunch. Uxie can take many hits from Medicham and can hit back with Psychic or even set up Reflect and Light Screen. Other counters to this set include Rotom and Medicham. While they must tread carefully due to being OHKOed by Psycho Cut, offensive versions are faster than this Medicham and can damage it with their Shadow Balls. Dark-types with Pursuit can trap Medicham if it incorrectly uses Psycho Cut; for example, Drapion can switch in, absorb a Psycho Cut, and severely weaken Medicham with Pursuit as it switches out.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is a requirement for this set. The least your team members should do is set it up, allowing Medicham to score 2HKOs against its most dedicated opponents. Toxic Spikes can also help, but Rest + Sleep Talk Spiritomb and Uxie have no problem getting past them anyway. Chansey can deal with opposing Uxie. Seismic Toss and Toxic will weaken it to the point that Medicham can at least 2HKO it with any of its moves. Wish support also means that Medicham can stay alive longer. Spiritomb is a more difficult problem, but Blaziken can deal with it. Immunity to Will-O-Wisp and a useful resistance to Dark Pulse means that Blaziken can usually switch into Spiritomb and threaten physically defensive versions with Fire Blast; the same applies to Uxie, although Blaziken must be careful because Shadow Ball and Psychic hurt. To deal with Mismagius and Rotom, specially defensive Drapion can use either Crunch or Pursuit to finish them off. Drapion can also support Medicham by handling Uxie. The simple conclusion and lesson to be learned is that with the right team support, Medicham should have no trouble sweeping.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Medicham can use an Endure/Substitute + Reversal set, but it is not very reliable. In terms of other attacking options, Medicham has a few interesting ones. Fire Punch is available, but generally inferior to Medicham's Hi Jump Kick. For a more powerful Psychic-type STAB move, Zen Headbutt can be used, especially on the Choice Scarf set. The primary reason for this is its extra 10 base power and 20% flinch chance, which can be used to abuse the factor of luck in certain situations. Medicham also has access to Rock Slide, allowing it to deal with Flying-types (namely Moltres) easily, but often ThunderPunch and Ice Punch are the more appealing options.</p>
<p>Bullet Punch and Fake Out are Medicham's only viable priority moves, but both have very low power. They should only be considered if you seriously need the priority they offer. Medicham can also use Bulk Up and Baton Pass, but it is often too fragile to perform any such strategy. An interesting Foresight + Hi Jump Kick set can be used against Spiritomb, OHKOing it once and for all. Like most Fighting-types, Medicham has access to Focus Punch, but Hi Jump Kick is generally the better option.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Speed and Attack should always be maximized. It is not worth it to try increasing Medicham's "bulk" by investing EVs into HP, Defense, or Special Defense. Power is more important to it than survivability.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Before anything else, set up Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock is imperative in helping Medicham sweep; the lack of them may result in typical 2HKOs turning into 3HKOs, something Medicham cannot afford. Spikes and Toxic Spikes can come in useful as well; however, they may be hard to fit in offensive teams. While beneficial, they are not required, as Medicham can function well enough with Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Because Medicham's counters are few, teammates are easy to find. Therefore, the simple goal in providing such team support is to knock its most prominent defensive (Tangrowth, Donphan, Slowbro, Uxie, Spiritomb, Mesprit) and offensive (Moltres, Yanmega, Mismagius, Rotom, Swellow) counters out of play. Analyzing this list, you can observe that three Pokemon are Stealth Rock weak. Furthermore, Tangrowth, Donphan, Slowbro, and Slowking can only be 2HKOed (by the Choice Band set) with the aid of Stealth Rock. Next, it is time to focus on checking threats individually. A well-powered Life Orb Blaziken with high Special Attack EV investment destroys Tangrowth and Donphan. With a super effective Hidden Power, it is capable of 2HKOing Slowbro. Uxie, Spiritomb, or Mesprit that have high Defense EVs looking to switch into Blaziken's Superpower lose around half their health to Fire Blast (or Overheat). Furthermore, these opponents often lack a reliable recovery move, allowing Medicham to potentially finish them off the next time it is sent into play. Alternatively, a Yanmega of your own can check many of these threats; Tangrowth, Slowbro, Uxie, and Mesprit all eat a super effective Bug Buzz, while Donphan is 2HKOed by it. Yanmega is also capable of taking a Shadow Ball coming off Spiritomb and proceed to 2HKO it (again, with Stealth Rock assitance).</p>
<p>Medicham's offensive opponents (usually Choice Scarfed versions) continue to be troublesome. Mismagius and Rotom can be beaten with a well-played Pursuit, Sucker Punch, or Crunch coming off a few Pokemon, including specially defensive Drapion or Honchkrow. Chansey can also be used to cripple them with Toxic, although it will lose to Mismagius one on one. However, Chansey has the benefit of having Special Defense so high that it will have no trouble against Yanmega and Moltres. Chansey can also provide Wish support, something Medicham may need, especially if it continuously switches into Stealth Rock. Next, Registeel can wall Yanmega, Rotom, Swellow, and Mismagius quite comfortably, retaliating with Iron Head. However, the Moltres problem must be addressed. Milotic comes to mind; with Surf and Ice Beam, it can not only check Moltres, but also Donphan and Yanmega. Less notable options include Clefable and Regirock.</p>
<p>Sometimes the goal of a teammate isn't necessarily to OHKO or completely remove a Medicham counter from the game, but to weaken it. This allows Medicham to 2HKO them (it still deals around 33% to Uxie) at best, meaning that it will sooner or later clear its own path to sweep.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Medicham's incredible Attack stat is high enough to scare any team. "Glass cannon" is a phrase which sums up Medicham nicely; it has a huge Attack stat with very poor defenses. Because of this, Medicham may be hard to get onto the field, but once in, it can cause quite a bit of havoc.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Few Pokemon like switching in on Medicham's attacks, but a few specific ones fare well against it. Against the Choice Scarf set, Mesprit, Donphan, Tangrowth, Slowbro, Spiritomb, Uxie, and just about anything else that can take at least three to four of Medicham's hits do well against it. Medicham isn't going to survive a lot of attacks, so even weaker attacks will bring it down. Anything that is faster than Medicham and can OHKO it will also be problematic. Examples include Rotom, Moltres, and Yanmega.</p>
<p>Spiritomb and Uxie are the best counters against the Choice Band set. This is because they can take a number of hits coming from any of Medicham's moves; Spiritomb has the added bonus of being immune to both Hi Jump Kick and Psycho Cut. This set usually only runs 259 Speed, so a wide range of opponents are faster than it. Examples of opponents that can outrun and OHKO Choice Band Medicham include Mismagius, Swellow, or even Dugtrio. All of these are fragile, however, so they should be careful not to get hit by any of Medicham's attacks. When sufficiently weakened, priority users like Azumarill can be used to knock Medicham out.</p>
