Medicham
[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Medicham might look like a mediocre Pokemon. It only has base 60 attacking stats, as well as a rather average base 80 Speed. However, Medicham has an ability that makes it different from other Fighting-type Pokemon: Pure Power. Pure Power raises Medicham's attacking power to insane levels, and with a great offensive typing and coverage options, Medicham makes a great physical attacker. Another merit that separates Medicham from other Fighting-type Pokemon is that it is resistant to Fighting-type attacks due to its Psychic typing, making for a decent check to other Fighting-type Pokemon. Medicham is also the only Fighting-type Pokemon other than Gallade to receive Trick, and with such offensive capability, it can use Choice items to great effect. However, Pure Power isn't enough to make Medicham unbeatable; 65 / 75 / 75 defenses aren't helping Medicham take many hits. To add to Medicham's flaws, base 80 Speed is only average, making it slower than Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Latios, both of which can OHKO Medicham. The fact that its only STAB priority attack, Vacuum Wave, is specially based is another flaw in Medicham's resume. However, Medicham is a Pokemon that has all the tools it needs to succeed, so not preparing for it will cause grief for your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Pure Power!
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick / Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Pure Power
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set showcases Medicham's Pure Power ability, and even though it has no coverage moves, its STAB moves alone are enough to cause problems for your opponent. Fake Out helps teammates by making a Pokemon useless for one turn, which can be crucial as the battle wears on. The choice of Psychic-type STAB move is one of power or accuracy; Psycho Cut is reliable, only slightly weaker than Zen Headbutt, and also has an increased critical hit rate. However, Zen Headbutt has a nice flinch rate, which Medicham can take advantage of thanks to its decent Speed. If you thought the choice of Psychic-type STAB was hard, picking a Fighting-type STAB move can be even harder. However, each attack plays a different role for Medicham. Drain Punch works great alongside Life Orb as it heals Medicham after use, which can help to cancel out Life Orb recoil. Low Kick is another great STAB option, hitting the heavier Pokemon in the VGC 2012 metagame, such as Tyranitar and Metagross, quite effectively. If one likes a high-risk, high-reward strategy, Hi Jump Kick is a perfect move to use. Even though it has a costly 50% recoil if it misses (or hits a Pokemon that has used Protect), a Base Power of 130 is hard to ignore, especially as it is considerably more powerful than both Low Kick and Drain Punch. Detect rounds off the set, allowing Medicham to stay in the fight for longer, as well as being effective even if the opponent uses Imprison.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs provided give Medicham as much Speed as possible. The Attack EVs give Medicham as much power as is possible, making it deadly alongside Pure Power. While most base 80 Speed Pokemon use a neutral Speed nature, Medicham uses Jolly to outspeed all neutral-natured base 92 Speed Pokemon and below, which includes key Pokemon such as Krookodile, Rotom-A, and Toxicroak. However, if one is looking for more power, an Adamant nature can still work, as Medicham will still Speed tie with other neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon.</p>
<p>After reading about how powerful Medicham is with Pure Power, you probably need some evidence of how powerful Medicham really is. Therefore, the calcs below showcase Medicham against common VGC 2012 threats. All of the calcs below are with Medicham using a Jolly nature and a Life Orb:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Low Kick vs. 252/0 Metagross 68.4% - 80.8%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/0 Metagross 73.6% - 86.8%</li>
<li>Drain Punch vs. 252/0 Togekiss 54.5% - 64.4%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/0 Togekiss 93.9% - 110.7%</li>
<li>Drain Punch vs. 252/0 Politoed 64.1% - 75.3%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/0 Politoed 110.4% - 130.5%</li>
<li>Low Kick vs. 4/0 Garchomp 60.6% - 71.5%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 4/0 Garchomp 98% - 115.6%</li>
<li>Drain Punch vs. 252/0 Rotom-W 60.5% - 71.4%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/0 Rotom-W 104.6% - 123.4%</li>
<li>Zen Headbutt vs. 140/0 Zapdos 66.6% - 78.7%</li>
</ul>
<p>While the moves provided give Medicham the ideal moveset, they are changeable due to the immense number of coverage moves Medicham has. Ice Punch hits Flying-type Pokemon that resist Medicham's Fighting-type STAB move, such as Zapdos and Togekiss. It also has the added bonus of hitting Dragon-type Pokemon, such as Garchomp and Haxorus, for super effective damage. ThunderPunch not only nails Flying-type Pokemon, but also hits Water-type Pokemon such as Politoed and Jellicent, the latter being especially important as it is immune to Medicham's Fighting-type STAB attacks. Finally, Rock Slide is an option as it, again, hits Flying-type Pokemon, while it also gives Medicham a spread attack to use; however, it hits weaker than the elemental punches when spread attack mechanics are factored in.</p>
<p>Medicham has problems against two types of Pokemon: Ghost and Flying. As such, Pokemon that can get rid of Ghost- and Flying-type Pokemon make great teammates. Dark-type Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Krookodile can get rid of Ghost-types, while Medicham clears Fighting-type Pokemon that give them trouble. Likewise, Electric-type Pokemon also make great partners, so Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Zapdos can all work out fine. Also, as Fake Out is prone to making the opponent double Protect, Pokemon with Substitute make great partners, as they can use Substitute while the opponent blocks the Fake Out.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 2: Psycho Cut / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Ice Punch / Rock Slide
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
ability: Pure Power
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Choice item users are few and far between, Medicham fills the role exceptionally. One of the reasons for this is the fact that Medicham gains Trick, which means it can potentially cripple another Pokemon for the rest of the match. Medicham hits 198 Speed with a Choice Scarf and an Adamant nature, and 218 with Jolly, which remedies its Speed problem. Likewise, a Choice Band can be used, as Pure Power in conjunction with a Choice Band means total devastation if played right. Drain Punch is the reliable STAB attack for this set, as it not only heals Medicham after every use, but it also hits light Pokemon, such as Rotom-W, for solid damage. However, Low Kick can be used as it hits heavier Pokemon such as Terrakion and Metagross harder than Drain Punch, though beware of lighter Pokemon if locked into Low Kick. Again, the choice of Psychic-type STAB attack is between reliability and power. Psycho Cut is more accurate than Zen Headbutt, but Zen Headbutt works great with a Choice Scarf as Medicham can make use of the flinch rate even more so due to an increase in Speed. The third moveslot is another personal preference. Ice Punch hits Dragon- and Flying-type Pokemon; however, Rock Slide gives Medicham a spread attack that keeps good coverage with its Fighting-type STAB. The crux of this set is Trick, which can screw over defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Musharna.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs given for this set are standard for a physical attacker. However, they are important, as they allow Medicham to hit as hard and as fast as possible. The choice of nature is dependent on the item; with a Choice Scarf, an Adamant nature is preferred as it allows Medicham to retain as much power as possible while still outspeeding common VGC Pokemon such as Latios and Weavile. However, if one decides to use a Choice Band, Jolly is the main nature, as Choice Band will provide more than enough power for Medicham to forgo an Attack-boosting nature.</p>
<p>Like the non-Choice set, Medicham can change its moveset to tailor to one's needs. Hi Jump Kick is usable for its sheer power, but be wary of Protect and Ghost-type Pokemon, as Medicham can't switch attacks while using a Choice item. To make matters worse, because most players double Protect expecting a Fake Out, using Hi Jump Kick on the first turn usually results in disastrous consequences. ThunderPunch can also work on this set, though Ice Punch and Rock Slide work better in most situations.</p>
<p>The first thing one should notice while observing this set is that it has no way of protecting itself. As such, this set needs more support than the non-Choice set. Follow Me from Togekiss and Lucario, Rage Powder from Jumpluff and Amoonguss, and Fake Out support all work, as they buy Medicham time to use its attacks or to Trick its Choice item onto another Pokemon. Aside from that, Pokemon that can clear the field of Flying- and Ghost-type Pokemon make great partners. Dark-type Pokemon, such as Honchcrow and Houndooom, make great teammates, as they can use their Dark-type STAB attacks to clear Ghost-types, as well as having priority in Sucker Punch to remove threats to Choice Scarf Medicham. Electric-type Pokemon, such as the Rotom formes and Zapdos, clear Flying-type Pokemon from the field, while Medicham's Fighting-type STAB clears Rock-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Medicham has an expansive movepool, but sadly, there are few other moves it can use that don't make it outclassed by other Pokemon. Support-wise, Helping Hand is an option to increase the power of an ally's attack by 50%, though Medicham has better things to be doing. A dual screens set might look usable due to Medicham's decent defensive typing, but there are other Pokemon that have much better bulk or Speed, such as Musharna and Latias, respectively, that can pull it off better. Gravity increases Hi Jump Kick's accuracy, making it a bit more usable. Telepathy is a good ability for doubles, but Medicham is outclassed in this regard by Musharna and even Gardevoir, making Telepathy useless on it. Its main merit is Pure Power anyways, and not using it limits Medicham's effectiveness.</p>
<p>Bullet Punch gives Medicham some kind of physical priority, but it doesn't receive STAB and is fairly weak, as well as providing little coverage against Pokemon that trouble Medicham. Feint can be used to break Protects and Detects, making it easier for its ally to attack, but it takes up a moveslot, which is risky for Medicham. Fire Punch deals more damage to Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Scizor, but that's about it. Medicham's other Fighting-type STAB options, Force Palm and Low Sweep, are usable to either lower the opponents' Speed or paralyze them, helping both Medicham and its partner. However, Medicham needs the power of either Drain Punch or Low Kick to really be effective. A set with Endure and Reversal might look decent, but because pinch Berries are not yet released, it isn't as good in practice as it is on paper. Finally, Medicham can use a Fighting Gem to increase the power of its Fighting-type STAB attack to insane levels. For example, Medicham can OHKO 252 / 0 Metagross with a Fighting Gem-boosted Hi Jump Kick!</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>One can look at Medicham's ability and think it must be impossible to beat; however, there are countless Pokemon that can give it problems. Spiritomb and Sableye are immune to both of Medicham's STABs, making them great counters. They also have Will-O-Wisp to cripple Medicham for the remainder of the game. Shedinja walls Medicham completely unless Medicham is running Rock Slide. Bulky Psychic-type Pokemon, such as Cresselia and Latias, make great checks, as they resist both STAB attacks and can cripple Medicham with Thunder Wave. A well-timed Trick can screw over all of the aforementioned Pokemon, however, so be wary of that when facing Medicham. Faster Pokemon such as Gengar, Latios, and Tornadus can just OHKO Medicham before it can attack, though a surprise attack from the Choice Scarf set will be a problem for those Pokemon as well. A nice measure to keep Medicham in check is Trick Room, as Medicham often tries to be as fast as possible.</p>
