Machamp, The Superpower Pokémon. It unleashes megaton-level punches that send opponents flying clear over the horizon. It can lift heavy loads with the greatest of ease. It can even heft dump trucks. But its clumsy fingers prevent it from doing any precision work. It grasps its opponents with its four arms and twists them up in an intricate hold. People call it “the Machamp special.” With four arms, it can attack and defend simultaneously. It’s said to have mastered every martial art in the world.

Overview

The original iconic Fighting-type, Machamp has had a long ride through the competitive scene. Machamp was a dominating presence with its fantastic offensive movepool until power creep set in for it in the BW days, with the release of Conkeldurr which plays almost identically to it but with a better stat spread and access to Mach Punch. In combination with other faster Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion and then the Fairy typing, Machamp has dropped into the lower tiers of competitive. However, Machamp still runs around in these formats running similar sets, and it can still be a powerful bulky attacker or pivot like in its glory days. Positives
Guts - Guts is a huge boon for Machamp to separate it as a wallbreaker in its power range, having 590 Attack after it activates. This allows Machamp to punch huge holes into the enemies team giving it a niche over a number of other Fighting-types.
Stats - Machamp has decent stats even if power creep really hurt it. While its Speed leaves a lot to be desired and low Special Attack limits what sort of sets Machamp can run (it learns learns Fire Blast for some reason), Machamp is still strong and durable enough to take a beating and dish out the pain.

Negatives
Low Speed - Machamp's really low Speed is a major problem, as it makes it an easy target for fast revenge killers or other wall breakers such as Salazzle and Decidueye.
Outclassed - While Machamp is a very serviceable Pokemon, there is usually a better Fighting-type out there that can do the same thing but better. Its greatest claim to fame nowadays is No Guard Dynamic Punch but that only gets you so far on such a slow Fighting-type.

Abilities

Guts - Raises Attack while affected by status - An amazing ability, this allows Machamp to sponge moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, making it an excellent pivot for bulky offensive teams that struggle with status otherwise.
No Guard - All moves have 100% accuracy - A strong ability in combination with Dynamic Punch, making it nice to harass the opponent with the raw damage and guaranteed confusion chance.
Steadfast - Prevents Flinches - Overall sub par compared to No Guard or Guts, even in Doubles where Fake Out is common.

Movesets

Guts Wallbreaker

-Close Combat
-Knock Off
-Facade
-Bullet Punch / Ice Punch
Item Attached: Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs and Nature:
Adamant Nature
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd

Close Combat is the primary move of the set packing immense power with a Guts boost, allowing Machamp to muscle through most threats. Knock Off is a nice complement to Close Combat to hit Ghost and Psychic threats that resist or are immune to Close Combat, while also removing their items. Facade synergizes with the set getting double power with the burn from Flame Orb, hitting Poison and Flying types hard that resist Close Combat but for more damage than Knock Off. Finally, Bullet Punch allows Machamp to pick off faster threats as well as weakened targets, while Ice Punch allows Machamp to get around bulky Flying- and Grass-type threats that can wall or slow Machamp, such as Amoonguss or Gliscor.

Other Options and Partners

No Guard - No Guard is a fun option for spamming Dynamic Punch and perfect accuracy Stone Edge, though Guts is overall a better option that also helps separate Machamp from the other Fighting types it tends to compete with. Overall a novel and viable option but make sure its either for fun or something wouldn't fill the role better.

Moltres - Moltres is a powerhouse wallbreaker, but it struggles with bulky walls such as Rhyperior and Umbreon that Machamp excels at dealing with. This allows Machamp to create space for Moltres to work while Moltres can run U-Turn to give Machamp a free switch-in. Cut Rotom - With its access to Volt Switch, Cut Rotom is a nice teammate with Machamp as it helps create free switches to Machamp. Cut Rotom can also bait in threats such as Umbreon that Machamp excels at breaking as well as applying pressure to whatever switches in after Umbreon.

VGC, & Double Battle Options

Machamp is one of those Pokemon you never should expect to see in Doubles but every now and then it finds a way to sneak its way up somewhere. This happens most often in restricted formats where better options aren't so readily available, but nonetheless Machamp has a few useful tools that make it barely viable in Doubles. While most of its movepool is standard Fighting-type fare, it does boast access to No Guard and the always useful Wide Guard. These tools by themselves are all it really offers and they aren't really enough to make it stand out, and as with most Fighting-types it suffers from the rise of Fairy-types and also lacks the offensive presence to make up for it. However, even though it's thoroughly outclassed in its role, there will always be someone out there trying to use Machamp to make use of that Wide Guard utility for a Trick Room team.

Fault Blocker

- Dynamic Punch
- Poison Jab / Ice Punch
- Stone Edge / Poison Jab
- Wide Guard
Item Attached: Sitrus Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant / Brave Nature

There's not a lot to say about Machamp's moveset, but it's role is a straightforward offensive support one. No Guard Dynamic Punch is a powerful tool that can quickly harass foes with a bit of luck, though the confusion nerf makes this less powerful than it used to be. Poison Jab is the only way Machamp is really threatening any of the Alola Island Guardians or Mega Gardevoir, though it's not necessarily going to OHKO them so it will need some help there. Ice Punch allows Machamp to threaten Landorus-T and Mega Salamence, though Intimidate greatly diminishes the damage output here. Stone Edge still hits Mega Salamence while also sniping Mega Charizard Y, which is better than Ice Punch if Landorus-T is well accounted for on the team. Wide Guard allows Machamp to protect its team from powerful spread moves such as Heat Wave and Earthquake, and can be safely used for multiple turns if necessary.

Maximum investment in HP and Attack is the only way to go for Machamp as it doesn't really benefit from anything else unless you have specific defensive benchmarks to hit. An Adamant nature allows it to avoid being outsped by slower foes such as turbo Snorlax, but otherwise a Brave nature can be used if you want to go all-in on the Trick Room mode. Sitrus Berry provides some useful recovery though a pinch berry can be used if the stronger burst recovery is desired. However, Machamp is usually not tanky enough to make reliable use of the berry. Lastly, as previously mentioned, No Guard is necessary to make Dynamic Punch a reliable option in the first place and ultimately what defines Machamp.

Other Options & Team Ideas

- Knock Off can provide some utility against Psychic-types like Cresselia and Ghost-types like Aegislash, while also removing the omnipresent pinch berries. However, Machamp has a tough time making room for its moves as it is.
- Protect is usually mandatory on Doubles sets and it's worth consideration on Machamp as well, but without Wide Guard Machamp loses half of its utility and it has a tough time giving up a coverage slot for Protect.
- If you're committing to Machamp, Trick Room support is often useful here. Teammates such as Cresselia and Mega Gardevoir can set up Trick Room while also benefiting from Wide Guard support to help set up. They can also serve as a useful Tapu Lele check due to their Psychic resistance.

Checks & Counters

Nidoqueen - Without Ice Punch, Nidoqueen is a strong option to answer to Machamp as Facade is the best answer to Nidoqueen otherwise. With its typing and Black Sludge, Nidoqueen can look to outmaneuver Machamp, as well as set up hazards such as Toxic Spikes to threaten other team members.
Residual Damage - With Machamp's dependence on Guts, residual damage is a major problem for Machamp despite the nerf to burn damage.This means that its possible to stall out Machamp by pressuring it out as Burn does 12.5% per turn, while factoring in hazards and damage that can build up quickly. Machamp being slow also means that it's easy to wear down with any little hit, so any amount of damage is going to annoy Machamp.
Fairy-types - Machamp lacks effective ways to deal with Fairy-types such as Florges outside of Guts-boosted Facade and Bullet Punch, both of which aren't reliable. Machamp's low Speed often means it can't even do much damage without risking being OHKOed first, making that an even trickier matchup for Machamp.

Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Evolve Machoke

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Evolve Machoke

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
NEvolve Machoke

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Evolve Machoke

Colosseum/XD:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Machoke

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Machoke

Black/White:
Evolve Machoke (White)
Trade from White (Black)

Black 2/White 2:
Trade from White

X/Y:
Evolve Machoke

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Machoke

Sun/Moon:
Evolve Machoke

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Machoke

Animé Appearences

Machamp has made a couple of appearances in the anime. Most of which are cameos # -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