Medicham, The Meditate Pokémon. It is said that through meditation, Medicham heightens energy inside its body and sharpens its sixth sense. This Pokémon hides its presence by merging itself with fields and mountains. Through the power of meditation, Medicham developed its sixth sense. It gained the ability to use psychokinetic powers. This Pokémon is known to meditate for a whole month without eating.Through yoga training, it gained the psychic power to predict its foe's next move.It elegantly avoids attacks with dance-like steps, then launches a devastating blow in the same motion.
Overview
Pure Power. Those are the words that people come to associate with Medicham. For those unfamiliar with Pokemon, that may seem like a strange assessment to make, considering that Medicham has immensely underwhelming base 60 attack and special attack. With such low offenses, where does this power come from? The answer is simply its ability, appropriately known as Pure Power, as this dastardly ability doubles Medicham’s attack stat. Thanks to this ability, Medicham’s attack stat can reach a staggering 480, which eclipses that of even Mega Rayquaza or Primal Groudon. However… that’s where the good news ends. Pure Power may help Medicham’s attack, but every other stat is still lackluster, leaving it frail and having only meager speed. As a result, you shouldn’t expect Medicham to be sweeping teams on its own. Rather, Medicham embraces a wall-breaking role with its frighteningly powerful High Jump Kick. Gen 6 may have made its life a bit harder, by introducing new foes such as Fairy types, and mega evolutions such as Mega Sableye and Mega Slowbro, but it did get a Mega Evolution itself! Unfortunately, since its Mega Evolution pretty much outclasses it entirely, there’s not a whole lot of reason to use standard Medicham in Gen 6 if you’re not using its Mega Evolution. Still, despite its flaws, Medicham does have one thing going for it; Pure Power!
Positives
+Pure Power turns what would be an underwhelming attack stat into one of the highest attack stats in the game. There’s no underplaying how great this is.
+Medicham’s got a pretty good movepool. It’s got good STAB options in High Jump Kick and Zen Headbutt, in addition to tools such as Fake Out, Bullet Punch, Rock Slide, Poison Jab, and the Elemental Punches.
+Its Mega Evolution is pretty solid.
Negatives
-Medicham’s bulk is pretty poor. Base 60/75/75 defenses make it hard to take hits.
-Medicham’s speed leaves a bit to be desired. Base 80 speed is the no-man’s land of speed tiers, being a bit on the slow side but not so slow as to take advantage of things like Trick Room.
-Medicham’s typing can be a problem defensively, as it only has two resistances to fall back on, Fighting & Rock.
-The reliance on High Jump Kick to secure KO’s can mean Ghost types, Protect, and random misses can all put a great deal of pressure on Medicham.
Abilities
Pure Power: The Pokémon’s Attack stat is doubled in battle while having this ability. - One of the best abilities in the game, and the very reason to use Medicham at all. This attack doubles the actual attack stat (not the base stat), meaning that Medicham can hit with power that’s usually reserved for Legendary Pokemon. This ability is literally the only reason to use Medicham at all. You will use this ability 100% of the time, no exceptions.
Hidden Ability (Available):
Telepathy: Prevents damage from team-mates during Double and Triple battles. - A useless ability in Singles, made worse by the fact that Medicham is completely and utterly useless without Pure Power. In Doubles it has some meager use on Mega Medicham since it will always Mega Evolve immediately, and Telepathy could in theory let it switch into a partner’s Earthquake or something… Although Mega Medicham isn’t great in Doubles so this is very niche. Regardless, in Singles, never use this ability; Pure Power is infinitely superior, and without it there’s no reason to use Medicham at all over, oh say, Gallade.
Movesets
I Have The Power!
-High Jump Kick
-Zen Headbutt
-Thunder Punch
-Trick / Drain Punch
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
With all that power at its disposal, it should go without saying that Medicham can make great use of a Choice Scarf set. High Jump Kick is a must-have for Medicham, as it packs an absurd base 130 power, which in conjunction with STAB and Pure Power means that anything not immune to it WILL be hurting… just watch out for those Ghost types, since missing a High Jump Kick will strip Medicham of half of its HP. On the other side of the STAB spectrum, Zen Headbutt hits reasonably hard as Medicham’s strongest psychic STAB. Thunder Punch hits many of the flying types who resist Jellicent’s attacks where it’s most common, such as Sigilyph, Togekiss, and Jellicent. The final moveslot is largely filler, but Medicham has a few options available to it. Trick can screw over some Pokemon that are more passive, such as Spiritomb, while Drain Punch can be a safer alternative to High Jump Kick that also heals back HP; just be aware that it has a substantial drop in power compared to High Jump Kick can will not secure the same KOs.
Jolly Nature and 252 Speed EVs help to maximize Medicham’s speed, which, in conjunction with the Choice Scarf, allows it to outspeed most of the metagame. Naturally, the remaining 252 EVs go into Attack to maximize its damage output. The remaining 4 EVs just get put into Special Defense. It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway; you always want to use Pure Power. No exceptions.
Go Go Pure Power Rangers!
-High Jump Kick
-Zen Headbutt
-Thunder Punch
-Drain Punch / Bullet Punch
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Pure Power
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
If for some reason you feel like Medicham doesn’t hit hard enough already, you can try sticking a Life Orb on it, which in turn lets it switch attacks as well. The move pool is much the same as the previous set. High Jump Kick remains your obscenely powerful, if not risky STAB move. Use it with caution around Ghost types and Protect users. Zen Headbutt covers your Psychic STAB, dealing decent damage with its respectable base power. Thunder Punch continues to be your best bet for Jellicent, Sigilyph, and Togetic, who otherwise don’t fear much from Medicham. Finally, Drain Punch can be a weaker but safer option compared to High Jump Kick, which can let Medicham recover some HP as well. However, Bullet Punch can be an option for its priority, which will allow Medicham to pick off some weakened targets that might otherwise outspeed it.
Medicham can benefit from either Adamant Nature or Jolly Nature with this set. Jolly Nature is a bit more reliable in that it maximizes Medicham’s speed so that it’s not outsped by fellow base 80’s, but it’s hard to deny the raw power that Adamant nature provides. Regardless, 252 EVs into both speed and attack is always essential, while the remaining 4 are dumped into Special Defense. Life Orb will extend your power even further, but it comes at the cost of 10% HP recoil. And as always, Pure Power is your one and only viable option for ability.
Other Options
-Choice Band can be used to give Medicham ridiculous amounts of power, making very few things want to switch in.
-Psycho Cut is an alternative to Zen Headbutt, which trades power for accuracy.
-Foresight is an interesting option on Life Orb sets, which allows it to catch Ghost types on the switch, and make them susceptible to High Jump Kick. This is most notable against Spiritomb, whose immunity will turn into a weakness when Foresight is used against it.
-Fire Punch can be used to target things like Gourgeist and Trevenant, but its coverage outside of those threats isn’t the greatest, since the myriad of Steel types it would otherwise target usually hate High Jump Kick.
-Poison Jab can target fairy types, but its coverage is otherwise not that good, and the most noteworthy fairy Medicham usually faces, Granbull, will usually still come out on top of it.
-Baton Pass can be used to take advantage of the fact that Medicham forces switches with its raw power, allowing you to switch in an appropriate counter, most notably Pursuit trappers to trap and dispose of Ghost types who might try to troll your High Jump Kicks.
-Substitute can be used to protect against status and deter revenge killing, especially since Medicham forces switches to allow itself an opportunity to set up.
-Fake Out can be used to break Sturdy and Focus Sash and also add a little chip damage here and there.
Countering Medicham
Medicham’s got a lot of power, but it’s not an insurmountable Pokemon. Given its reliance on High Jump Kick, Ghost types become an obvious answer, as they can turn a High Jump Kick into Medicham losing 50% of its HP. Where Medicham is most common in tiered play, Spiritomb is noteworthy for being immune to both of Medicham’s STAB attacks, and defensive sets are at best 3HKO’ed by Adamant Life Orb sets. Meanwhile, Medicham is 2HKO’ed by Foul Play, while a burn from Will-o-Wisp can cripple Medicham. Cofagrigus would be 3HKO’ed by Adamant Life Orb Zen Headbutt, but the second Medicham touches it, Mummy will override Pure Power, forcing Medicham to switch out. At the same time, Cofagrigus can 2HKO with Shadow Ball or burn Medicham with Will-o-Wisp. Uxie’s typing allows it to resist both of Medicham’s STAB attacks, and it fears nothing from Choice Scarf sets, while Adamant Life Orb High Jump Kick can only 3HKO. Meanwhile, Uxie can cripple Medicham with Thunder Wave, or pivot with a slow U-Turn to an offensive threat that can force Medicham out. Defensive Granbull is only 3HKO’ed by Adamant Life Orb Zen Headbutt after Intimidate, while it can soundly 1HKO Medicham with Play Rough, or cripple it with Thunder Wave. Aromatisse can handle Choice Scarf Medicham pretty soundly, but risks being 2HKO’ed by an Adamant Life Orb Zen Headbutt. However, Moonblast will 1HKO Medicham so it can at least check it in a pinch. Likewise, although defensive Jellicent is 2HKO’ed by Adamant Life Orb Zen Headbutt, it can put pressure on Medicham when using High Jump Kick, it can burn Medicham with Scald, or it can 2HKO with Shadow Ball. Although Medicham hits hard, its underwhelming speed can mean that offensive threats pressure it immensely. Things like Choice Scarf Emboar, Choice Scarf Braviary, Fletchinder, Life Orb Flygon, Meloetta, and many more are capable of outspeeding Medicham and soundly 1HKO’ing it. In addition, anything that Medicham fails to 1HKO will usually hit it back hard due to its poor bulk.
These issues are furthered in more inclusive formats, where Medicham is completely outclassed by its Mega Evolution, so the things that can handle its Mega Evolution will handle the standard form even better. Things like Mega Sableye, Slowbro, Mega Slowbro, Mew, and Cresselia amongst others are insurmountable obstacles for Medicham. Meanwhile, there’s no shortage of faster and powerful offensive threats who can outspeed and 1HKO Medicham, such as Darmanitan, Mega Aerodactyl, Hydreigon, Talonflame, and many others. Honestly, there’s a reason standard Medicham isn’t seen much in more inclusive formats, so if you’re not using its Mega Evolution, you’re better off keeping it in lower-tiered play.
Overview
When Mega Evolution came around, it brought with it a massive power creep, introducing a myriad of hard hitting Pokemon. Many of them had high speed as well, some had plenty of bulk, while others had great utility. With so many powerful Pokemon being introduced, it was certainly hard to justify Medicham’s one-dimensional power. Or it would’ve been, were it not for the fact that Medicham was among the lucky recipients to receive a mega evolution in XY! So if you thought Medicham was powerful, wait until you take a look at Mega Medicham! Mega Medicham is, quite frankly, a version of Medicham that does pretty much everything better. Its lackluster base 60 attack was ramped up to an average base 100… And it still has Pure Power, so its attack skyrockets to absolutely absurd levels. We’re talking a maximum of 648 attack! Its bulk got a little better as well, and it got a decent speed boost to bring it up to an average base 100 speed. As a result, Mega Medicham pretty much outclasses its base form to the point here it’s not really worth using the base form. However, all is not well for Mega Medicham. Although its speed and bulk got small boosts, they are still decisively average, meaning it’s very susceptible to offensive teams. Its poor defensive typing also means it has difficulty taking hits, so although Mega Medicham can dish out the pain, it certainly can’t take it. Still, if you hate Stall and want to destroy it outright with immense amounts of power, then look no further than Mega Medicham.
Positives
+If you thought Pure Power was scary on standard Medicham, prepare to be terrified by it on Mega Medicham. Pure Power makes Mega Medicham’s attack become the second highest in the game, behind only Mega Mawile (whose similar ability puts it in the same boat). This allows it to utterly destroy things like Skarmory or Hippowdon, who are otherwise considered good physical walls.
+Mega Medicham finally has a decent base speed of 100, so it’s no longer in the no-man’s land of speed tiers.
+The great physical movepool that standard Medicham had is still every bit as good, if not better, for Mega Medicham.
+Access to Fake Out allows Mega Medicham to buy a turn to Mega Evolve with relative safety.
Negatives
-As is the case with many of the Mega Evolutions introduced in XY, Mega Medicham got a rather useless boost to its special attack. Those 20 points could’ve been better placed literally anywhere else.
-Although Mega Medicham got a boost to its defenses, 60/85/85 defenses still leave a bit to be desired, so it can’t take too many hits.
-Fighting/Psychic typing continues to be underwhelming defensively, as it only has two resistances to fall back on.
-Competition from Mega Lopunny is always a problem, as although Mega Medicham packs substantially more power, Mega Lopunny is much faster, and doesn’t have to worry about Ghost types eating High Jump Kicks thanks to Scrappy.
Abilities
Pure Power: The Pokémon’s Attack stat is doubled in battle while having this ability. - Pure Power was great on standard Medicham, and it’s even better on Mega Medicham. Not much has really changed with how great this ability is, and thanks to the fact that Mega Medicham retains it, this means you always want to Mega Evolve ASAP. Such a great ability.
Movesets
Power Overwhelming
-Fake Out
-High Jump Kick
-Ice Punch
-Zen Headbutt / Thunder Punch / Bullet Punch
Item Attached: Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power (Pure Power on Medicham)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
Mega Medicham has pretty much one moveset that you’ll ever see. The premise is very simple. Utilize Fake Out for not only chip damage and breaking Focus Sash/Sturdy, but also for affording Medicham the turn it needs to Mega Evolve and thus jump to a better speed tier. High Jump Kick is Mega Medicham’s primary STAB attack, whose raw power with its base 130 power makes it terrifying to switch into. Just be aware that the standard drawbacks apply; if High Jump Kick fails to connect due to immunity (ghost types), Protect, or a miss, then Mega Medicham will be losing half of its HP in recoil damage. Ice Punch is valuable for its ability to destroy some Pokemon that might give Mega Medicham issues, such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. For the final moveslot, Mega Medicham does have a few options based on what it wants to cover. Zen Headbutt lets Mega Medicham better deal with the bulky Mega Venusaur, while also being its best bet against defensive Clefable who can otherwise wall Mega Medicham. Thunder Punch is most notable for being able to deal super-effective damage to Slowbro and Mega Slowbro, who are perfect counters to Mega Medicham if it lacks Thunder Punch. Finally, Bullet Punch allows Mega Medicham to check Mega Diancie by 1HKOing it, and can be used against other Pokemon as a means of picking off weakened opponents.
Much like standard Medicham, Mega Medicham has the option to go either Jolly or Adamant with its nature. Jolly Nature lets it hit the ever-important base 100 speed benchmark, while Adamant Nature packs an absurd amount of power that’s hard to deny. Regardless of nature, 252 Attack and Speed EVs is bog standard, while the remaining 4 EVs get dumped into Special Defense. The choice of ability prior to Mega Evolving is completely irrelevant as it will Mega Evolve ASAP, and neither pre-Mega Ability does anything defensively in Singles. Might as well keep Pure Power on standard Medicham for the sake of consistency!
Other Options
-Substitute is an option to ward off status and protect against revenge killing, although you do sacrifice some coverage for it.
-Bulk Up can give Mega Medicham a little more power and some defense to boot, and works well in conjunction with Drain Punch to keep Mega Medicham healthy. However, it lacks the coverage and immediate power of the primary set.
-Baton Pass can continue to be used as a means to pivot Mega Medicham out, especially if you anticipate a switch to a counter.
-Fire Punch is almost exclusively to deal with Ferrothorn without the risk of Protect ruining an attempt to High Jump Kick. However, this is often not worth it compared to other coverage options.
-Poison Jab can deal more damage to Fairy types, most notably Clefable, but it’s still a 2HKO, which Zen Headbutt can also do on Adamant sets.
VGC, Double, & Triple Battle Options
Medicham unfortunately has failed to make its mark in the past few VGC formats. While Mega Medicham has incredible attack thanks to Pure Power, it doesn't really have anything else that stands out in the fast-paced doubles format. The threat of Protect on so many Pokemon makes High Jump Kick much riskier than it is in singles, and the combination of its mediocre defenses, poor defensive typing, and only decent speed stat means that it doesn't take hits well. As with many Pokemon, this problem is made even worse in VGC 2016 with all the powerful legendaries around, but if you find a way to keep it safe (likely through speed control or redirection) Medicham can break through many Pokemon in formats where the restricted legends are still banned.
Pure(ly) (Attack) Power
-Drain Punch / High Jump Kick / Low Kick
-Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut
-Ice Punch / Protect
-Fake Out / Protect
Item Attached: Medichamite
Ability: Telepathy -> Pure Power
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
The EVs and nature are very straightforward, as you want Medicham to hit hard and fast. An Adamant nature maximizes Medicham's attack and can work best if your team utilizes multiple forms of speed control, but it already has plenty of power anyway. A Jolly nature allows it to outspeed as man Pokemon as possible so that it won't take a hit. A Jolly nature after mega-evolving will allow Medicham to at worst speed-tie with Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Charizard Y. While the pre-mega ability doesn't matter too much since you'll want to mega evolve anyway, Telepathy can at least allow you to switch a non-mega Medicham in on your own Earthquake, Surf, or Discharge.
If you really like living risky, High Jump Kick is fine, but you'll be crashing and getting recoil a lot unless you're good at predicting opponents' Protects. Drain Punch is the next best Fighting attack and can restore HP to make up for its mediocre bulk a little. Low Kick is the preferred option in VGC 2016 due to all the heavy legendaries. Zen Headbutt is its strongest Psychic STAB move and may flinch the opponent, but can also miss. Psycho Cut is slightly weaker but with perfect accuracy, and the higher chance to critical hit can help Medicham work around being Intimidated. Ice Punch can easily OHKO Landorus-T even at -1, and still does a lot to Pokemon like Zapdos. Both Protect and Fake Out help Medicham safely mega evolve and get the increase in speed the following turn. Fake Out can provide valuable chip damage and potentially allow Medicham's partner to set up Tailwind or another move, while Protect has more long-term value in allowing Medicham to keep itself safe from a Pokemon that can easily OHKO it like Talonflame, while its teammate takes it out.
Other Options
-Fire Punch and Thunder Punch provide some coverage against specific threats like Scizor or Gyarados that can potentially give a team problems.
-Bullet Punch is Medicham's strongest priority move, and can do well over half to many fairies like Gardevoir.
-Feint is slightly weaker than Bullet Punch, but can go through Protect and achieve KOs on weakened Pokemon. Both it and Bullet Punch can also help Medicham dodge Sucker Punch.
-Rock Slide is Medicham's strongest spread move.
-Poison Jab is another move to threaten fairy types and can easily OHKO them.
-Quick Guard keeps Medicham and its partner safe from priority moves, and can come in handy against Pokemon like Talonflame, Thundurus, or Sableye.
-Facade helps Medicham work around burns and hit very hard if inflicted with a status.
-Focus Punch is more viable in doubles since Medicham's partner can redirect attacks aimed it and annihilate any target that doesn't resist it.
-Substitute can be tough to fit on a set but keeps Medicham safe from status moves and let it take an additional hit.
-Psych Up is almost never worth it, but Medicham can become truly terrifying if you get it to copy a Dragon Dance or Swords Dance boost.
Countering Mega Medicham
Mega Medicham hits even more crazy hard than regular Medicham, so it has a very short list of true counters given it can 2HKO even bulky physical walls such as Skarmory or Hippowdon. However, there are a few reliable answers. Mega Sableye fears nothing from Mega Medicham, as it is immune to both of its STAB attacks, and is 3HKO’ed less than half the time by Ice Punch. Meanwhile, Mega Sableye can 2HKO with Shadow Ball, heal off damage with Recover, or burn Mega Medicham with Will-o-Wisp. Magic Bounce also prevents Mega Medicham from thinking it can utilize Foresight as an answer, as well. Mega Slowbro fears nothing from sets lacking Thunder Punch, as it is only 4HKO’ed about 62% of the time by Adamant High Jump Kick. Even with Thunder Punch, it’s only a 3HKO, while Mega Slowbro can 2HKO with Scald, if not burn it outright. Standard Slowbro can be 2HKO’ed by Thunder Punch, but if Mega Medichap lacks it, there’s only a 25% chance that High Jump Kick can 3HKO. Slowbro 3HKOs with Scald too, but it can also fish for a burn, and Regenerator can help to keep it healthy. Cresselia is only 4HKO’ed 78% of the time by High Jump Kick, and i can either 3HKO Mega Medicham with Psychic, or stall it out with Toxic and Moonlight. Mew is 3HKO’ed by Adamant High Jump Kick, but can easily burn Mega Medicham with Will-o-Wisp. Adamant Mega Medicham can 2HKO Defensive Clefable with Zen Headbutt, but otherwise Clefable can take most of Mega Medicham’s other attacks, and can 2HKO with a VERY low chance to 1HKO with Moonblast. Skarmory may be 2HKO’ed by High Jump Kick, but it can 1HKO with Brave Bird, so it at least checks Mega Medicham. Anything that can put status on Mega Medicham can greatly cripple it, such as Sableye’s Will-o-Wisp or Thundurus’s Thunder Wave. Finally, there are a myriad of threats that outspeed and utterly destroy Mega Medicham, such as Gengar, Latios, Latias, Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Mega Pinsir, and more. Much like standard Medicham, Mega Medicham can utterly destroy stall, but struggles against offense due to its poor bulk and average speed. As a result, anything that Mega Medicham doesn’t KO will often be able to do likewise to it.
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Victory Road (Ruby/Sapphire)
T|rade from Ruby/Sapphire (Emerald)
FireRed/LeafGreen:
T|rade from Ruby/Sapphire
Colosseum/XD:
Evolve Meditite
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Route 217, Lake Acuity, Mt. Coronet Top, Victory Road (Diamond/Pearl)
Mt. Coronet (Platinum)
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Safari Zone
Black/White:
Trade from Black 2/White 2
Black 2/White 2:
Pinwheel Forest Hidden Grotto
X/Y:
Evolve Meditite
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Victory Road
Animé Appearences
