Machamp, The Superpower Pokémon. It punches with its four arms at blinding speed. It can launch 1,000 punches in two seconds. It can knock a train flying with a punch. However, it is terrible at delicate work using its fingers. It uses its four powerful arms to pin the limbs of its foe, then throws the victim over the horizon.

Overview

Machamp has always been a good Pokémon, and 4th gen was its peak of greatness. With the introduction of Conkeldurr and other Pokémon with No Guard, Machamp has lost its shine. Still a great Pokémon but outclassed in general by Conkeldurr, it's worth using if you focus on its strengths. DynamicPunch and No Guard, higher Speed, slightly higher Special Attack, the elemental punches, Sleep Talk, and a better lead set.

Abilities

Guts: get a hench Attack boost when you are inflicted with status. It's a cool ability that'd normally get chosen, but compared to No Guard... it's nothing.
No Guard: hot damn, this ability is amazing. 100% accurate moves? That's cool enough by itself, but combine that with DynamicPunch, Stone Edge and Fire Blast, you have moves that really need the accuracy increase.
Steadfast: your Speed increases when you flinch. Uh... yippee? More or less pointless. Machamp is so slow to begin with and... you have No Guard as an option.

Movesets

Lead Machamp leading the POTW

- Dynamic Punch
- Bullet Punch
- Payback
- Stone Edge / Ice Punch
Item Attached: Lum Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

Having an incredibly threatening Pokémon immediately in your face right at the start of the match is not a pretty sight. Machamp is not a pretty sight. DynamicPunch in your face is not pretty either, especially when it confuses you on contact. Yeah, it's ridiculous. DynamicPunch wins games. Bullet Punch makes Machamp's awful speed irrelevant, letting it jump the gun on many faster Pokémon, finishing them off or taking a bite out before you go down. Payback gets near perfect coverage with DynamicPunch, and works great with Machamp's already mentioned Speed. Stone Edge also gets good coverage with DynamicPunch and is an awesome attack in general, especially with No Guard bringing that often annoying 80% accuracy up to max. However, Ice Punch is an option as it can take out the many 4x weak Pokémon in OU. Remember, a 2x super effective Ice Punch is the same strength as a neutral DynamicPunch.

ResTalk

- DynamicPunch / Revenge
- Stone Edge / Payback / Ice Punch
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: No Guard / Guts
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

A Machamp set with serious staying power. Anyway, DynamicPunch is your move of choice here, due to its amazingness. However, (and someone correct me if I'm wrong (which I don't think I am) Revenge is a good option here with Guts. On top of the Guts boost, you will often be getting the double base power thanks to Machamp's sluggish Speed (which you could lower with Brave and a low Speed IV), meaning uh... STAB brings it up to 90... Guts adds to your Attack but as that affects Revenge's power, let's say that takes it to 135, which is often doubled to 270 thanks to its effect. Yeah, 270 power. That's cool. Anyway, the rest of the moves are standard. Stone Edge is great in general, good coverage with Fighting, works with No Guard. Payback is awesome with Machamp's Speed, and gets near perfect coverage with Fighting. Ice Punch is cool for coverage, a good move in general. Rest recovers any health and puts you to sleep, activating Guts. Sleep Talk means you can do something whilst you nap.

Substitute

- Substitute
- DynamicPunch
- Ice Punch / Stone Edge
- Payback
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

Substitute blocks status and allows you to ease up on prediction. DynamicPunch is amazing, yeah yeah. Ice Punch is also amazing, works well with Fighting, etc. Same with Stone Edge. Payback hits Ghosts and what not hard... yeah, this set is cool but it's pretty dull to explain after the same moves have been explained about four times. Oh well, it's a good set. Substitute is really good for Machamp.

Choice Orb

- DynamicPunch / Close Combat
- Payback
- Ice Punch
- Bullet Punch / Stone Edge
Item Attached: Choice Band / Flame Orb
Ability: No Guard / Guts
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)

Hard hitting at its best. DynamicPunch confuses and wrecks everything, where as Close Combat just... wrecks everything more. Payback hits whatever resists Fighting hard, and Ice Punch decimates Gliscor and other flyers. Bullet Punch bypasses Machamp's awful Speed, but Stone Edge kills Gyarados and is a lot more dangerous.

Bulky Bulker

- DynamicPunch
- Ice Punch
- Payback
- Bulk Up
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: No Guard
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Spd)

DynamicPunch hurts stuff and confuses, awesome. Ice Punch destroys plenty of common switch ins and common Pokémon in OU, awesome. Payback wrecks other switch ins and gets near perfect coverage, awesome. Bulk Up raises your already scary Attack to massive levels, as well as making you more bulky physically. It's a great move, especially considering how many times the opponent switches when they get confused.

EVs & Natures

Lead Machamp leading the POTW
You could run some more Speed to beat out on anything specific, like 124 EVs to beat Skarmory. However, it isn't really worth it, and max HP and max Attack works fine.

ResTalk
You could take the Speed down to minimum by running Brave, 0 Speed IV and no EVs so that Payback and Revenge always get their boost.

Substitute
You can run max HP and 4 Speed, but beating Skarmory is always useful.

Choice Orb
If you are running Flame Orb, use Conkeldurr. No, no, you will probably want a lot more Speed, if not max. Choice Band can take hits but Orb is damaging you every turn.

Bulky Bulker
Outrunning Skarmory is ideal, so you can decimate it with a +n DynamicPunch. As you are boosting your Attack, max isn't really needed, but the bulk is.

Other Options

Choice Scarf, Counter, Encore, Fire Blast, Fire Punch, Fling, Knock Off, Low Kick
Choice Scarf improves Machamp's Speed considerably, but it's still outsped by most of the OU tier.
Counter is always a cool move, but you have to wonder if Machamp is bulky enough to use it on, or would it be better to just DynamicPunch everything?
Encore is another cool move, and is best used on lead Machamp.
Fire Blast can decimate Forretress and Skarmory, which are two walls Machamp will often deal with. It also gets perfect accuracy with No Guard, which is always nice.
Fire Punch is... the Fire elemental punch. Pretty pointless, to be honest.
Fling can throw a Flame Orb to burn something, but that's about all it is good fore.
Knock Off is a cool support move as it removes something which is often key to the opponent's strategy.
Low Kick is an alternative Fighting move. It often has as much power as Cross Chop, sometimes more, and doesn't have the drawback of lowering your defences.

Double & Triple Battle Options

No Guard is Machamp's main selling point in multi Pokémon battles. It allows you to run moves that would otherwise be risky. DynamicPunch is always going to be useful, as it potentially shuts a Pokémon down whislt it is confused. Machamp also has access to Earthquake, but that's better left to Pokémon with STAB. Machamp also has Light Screen, strangely enough, so you could have it set that up if you wanted. There's also Wide Guard, which is an all party Protect.

Partners

Anything to take out and switch into Flying and Psychic types work well. Heatran, Magnezone, Metagross, they all work as partners. Machamp forces a lot of switches, so using it on a team with entry hazards is definitely a wise move. Machamp is a Pokémon that can reliably switch into Tyranitar and force it out, meaning you can semi-safely run Pokémon who would fear Pursuit. Honestly, Machamp doesn't really need partners. It can do its job of hitting hard and forcing switches on every team. Unlike something like... Porygon-Z, where it can't just be thrown onto a team, Machamp can fit into most teams well enough to make an impact.

Countering Machamp

You want bulk and a Fighting resist? You have a few options. Gliscor is the key Fighting counter, but most Machamp carry Ice Punch which wrecks Gliscor, so watch out. Weezing can burn and wear Machamp down whilst taking nothing from its attacks. The flyers with Intimidate work well, such as Gyarados and Salamence, just watch out for Stone Edge and the elemental punches. Slowbro can heal any damage Machamp causes, switch in to anything it can do, force it out, inflict it with status, whatever. It's also immune to confusion if you use Own Tempo. Slowbro dominates Machamp. Rotom still works as a counter, as long as you are careful around Payback. Zapdos is a great Pokémon for beating Machamp, thanks to Roost and Pressure. DynamicPunch only has 8pp, so after just four uses on Zapdos it'll be gone. Cresselia and other bulky Psychic Pokémon like Deoxys work well. There's also Dusknoir and Spiritomb, who can abuse Pressure, Will-o-wisp and their immunity to Fighting to stay on top of Machamp. There really aren't many reliable counters thanks to confusion potentially ruining any chance of stopping Machamp. However, revenge killing Machamp is another story. Thanks to its poor Speed, Machamp is easily revenge killed by any hard hitting attack. I'd make a list but honestly, there are so many Pokémon that outspeed Machamp that can be a threat to it that a list would be ridiculous. Togekiss, Starmie, Azelf, Yanmega, the list is more or less endless. Revenge killing Machamp is often the best way of taking it out, as you don't risk hitting yourself after DynamicPunch. Anyway, closing comments... outclassed now as a Fighting type, it still has its own little place in OU, which is basically ABUSE NO GUARD LIKE CRAZY. It's still a great Pokémon just... generally not as useful as others like Conkeldurr.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Machoke

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Evolve Machoke

Colosseum/XD:
RSEFRLG

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Machoke

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Machoke

Black/White:
Evolve Machoke (White)
Transfer from DPPtHGSS or Trade from White (Black)

Animé Appearences

Machamp has had a few Animé Appearences. Its appearances have been mostly cameos, but most notably, Giovanni and Noland both have one. # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 29 The Punchy Pokémon Pokémon Match! Serious Battle! Pics 63 The Battle of the Badge Viridian Gym! The Last Badge! Pics M1 Mewtwo Strikes Back Mewtwo's Counterattack Pics 101 The Mandarin Island Miss Match Lorelei of the Elite Four! Ice Duel! Pics M2 The Power of One Revelation Lugia Pics 171 Beauty and the Breeder Sayonara Vulpix! Beauty Contest! Pics 196 The Ring Masters Feraligatr Vs. Blastoise! Sumo Match! Pics 211 Machoke, Machoke Man Cianwood City Gym! Wrestling Match! Pics 230 Extreme Pokémon! Ride the Swiftly Running Pokémon!! Pics 273 Playing with Fire!! Blaziken Returns! Battle with Harrison!! Pics 402 Like a Meowth to a Flame EverGrande City Arrival! Meowth in Boots!? Pics 403 Saved by the Beldum Start The Preliminaries! Morrison Appears!! Pics 404 From Brags to Riches Opening! EverGrande Tournement!! Pics 412 Numero Uno Articuno First Battle! Battle Factory (Part 1) Pics S20 The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon The Terrifying Mirage Pokémon Pics 417 Sitting Psyduck Psyduck's Depression! Pics 437 Harley Rides Again! Munchlax's Battle Debut! Harley & Taking the Game Seriously! Pics 525 Bibarel Gnaws Best Bibarel! Understood! Pics 592 To Thine Own Pokemon Be True! Pokémon PingPong Competition! Ambipom Perseveres!! Pics 651 League Unleashed! Opening! Sinnoh League - Suzuran Tournament!! Pics 838 The Forest Champion The Forest Champion! Enter Hawlucha!! Pics 854 When Dark and Light Collide! Hawlucha & Dark Hawlucha!! Pics 940 Battling With a Clean Slate! We Start at Zero! Clemont's Decision!! Pics 944 Alola to New Adventure! Alola! New Islands, New Pokémon!! Pics 947 First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-style! Enter Rowlet! I Got A Pokémon in Alola!! Pics 952 To Top A Totem! The Totem Pokémon is Gumshoos! Pics 993 Faba's Revenge! Faba Strikes Back! Nebby Gets Abducted!! Pics 1004 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! Set Off! You Are Our Ultra Guardians!! Pics 1006 Pushing the Fiery Envelope! Burn with Passion, Litten! Down with Incineroar!! Pics 1007 TBC Ash and Passimian! A Touchdown of Friendship!! Pics 1009 Smashing with Sketch! Smashing with Sketch! The Fierce Poké-Ping Pong Match!! Pics 1024 A Young Royal Flame Ignites! The Young Flame of Alola! The Birth of Royal Ash!! Pics M22 Pokémon The Power of Us Pokémon: Everyone's Story   1026 Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids! Ash Becomes Tiny Pics 1035 Turning the Other Mask! Kukui Up Against the Wall! A Second Masked Royal!! Pics 1056 This Magik Moment! A New Show?! The Tiny Melody of Magikarp Pics 1058 The Dealer of Destruction! Guzma, Emperor of Destruction! Pics 1097 The Sinnoh Iceberg Race! Don't Give In, Piplup! An Ice Floe Race in the Sinnoh Region!! Pics 1115 Splash, Dash, and Smash for the Crown! Splash! Magikarp Crown Yourself, Slowking Pics 1123 Solitary and Menacing! Bea, the Lone Warrior! The Grapploct Menace!! Pics M22 Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle Pokémon: Koko   1174 Battle Three with Bea! Rival Showdown! Ash VS Bea!! Pics 1175 A Battle of Mega vs Max! Mega Evolution VS Gigantamax! Pics 1181 The Winding Path to Greatness! Gengar Does Its Best! The Road to Gigantamax!! Pics 1188 Battling Turned Up to Eleven! Marnie from Spikemuth Pics 1198 Aim for the Eight! VS Raihan! A Fight with Masters Eight on the Line!! Pics 1210 TBC The Climax Begins: Ash's Masters Tournament Experience Pics 1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics 22 Charge! Galar Mine! Clash! The Galar Mine Pics 69 TBC I'm a Pokémon and You're Me?! Pics