Gym attackers, machamp

Machamp is a special purpose attacker, but since the targets include three of the five best defenders in the game as well as the highest possible CP pokemon, tyranitar, it could be worth investing in one.


Since the very beginning of the game machamp has been suggested as a counter against defending snorlax.

With varying degrees of success.


Normal type pokemon have a weakness against fighting attacks, and the idea was to have machamp with STAB bonus attacking into snorlax.

With a base attack of 234 and decent HP bulk only slightly suffering from a low defence value, machamp looks ready for the job. Initially it suffered from poor max CP (translated into poor base attack and defence), but it got a boost during the November patch.


Machamp comes with legacy moves, and a pre generation one used for the job most likely has Karate Chop as a primary attack and Cross Chop for a charge attack.

That combination, quite frankly, doesn't cut it any longer. Generation 2 brought changes to attacks which mauled existing machamp's ability to attack.

So you need to start all over again.


A post generation 2 machamp can receive either Bullet Punch or Counter as primary attacks. This one is a no brainer. Counter or start evolving into the next machamp.

Charge attacks are Close Combat, Dynamic Punch and Heavy Slam. If you're stuck with Heavy Slam, well, time to evolve yet another machamp.

Dynamic Punch, while servicable, is slower than Close Combat while being a two bar attack. Raw DPS is also lower. While total damage throughput should be higher with Dynamic Punch you run an increased risk of taking the full damage from a defener's charge attack, and machamp just doesn't have the survivability to handle the abuse from Body Slam or Crunch.

I recommend a new machamp with Counter and Close Combat. Both attacks receive the STAB bonus and work extra well against normal type defenders.


The original idea was to have machamp handle snorlax, and after the buff to chansey, to cut into that insane HP bulk as quickly as possible.

With the introduction of blissey surviving the fight became an issue as well.


Since Body Slam got reworked into a three bar attack survivability against snorlax also became important, and we're already watching how tyranitar starts making its presence known in gyms.


Machamp should shorten the fights against snorlax, chansey and blissey. It will slaughter a tyranitar due to double weakness to fighting type attacks.

As a bonus it works well against lapras, golem and rhydon (and the occasional steelix).

Warning: The preferred primary attack for both snorlax and blissey in defense is Zen Headbutt. While none of those defenders benefit from a STAB bonus, machamp is still weak against psychic type attacks.

Blissey can become a major problem since the preferred charge attack, Dazzling Gleam, is supereffective against machamp.


Avoid dragonite, especially generation 2 ones. Also be wary against exeggutor and slowbro. I'd definitely avoid espeon.