Machoke Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Dynamic Punch is Machokes best STAB move, allowing it to heavily damage and confuse Pokemon, pressuring potential switch-ins such as Swanna. Knock Off provides Machoke with an excellent coverage option to threaten Pokemon that would otherwise wall it, such as Bronzor, Mareanie, and Dusclops. Rest provides Machoke with a source of recovery and allows Machoke to act as a status absorber. Sleep Talk allows Machoke to preserve its Dynamic Punch PP while also avoiding the passivity that comes after using Rest. Set Details The maximum investment in HP and Defense alongside an Impish nature allows Machoke to maximize its effectiveness as a physical tank. Alternatively, Machoke can run a spread of 252 HP and 252 Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature. Machoke can also run 212 Defense and 44 Speed EVs in order to outspeed base 50 Speed Pokemon such as Lickilicky, Metang, and Regice. No Guard ensures that Machoke hits all of its Dynamic Punches. Usage Tips Machoke performs best as a physical tank, so it should be brought in on physical attackers that it walls such as Electivire, Pinsir, and physical Silvally formes. Dynamic Punch should be spammed for easy chip damage unless you are able to predict a Ghost-type switch-in such as Gourgeist-XL, Dusclops, or Dusknoir. Eviolite adds to Machoke's notable bulk, so it should avoid being hit with Knock Off, especially from Dark-types that it can otherwise reliably check. Machoke should refrain from switching into strong wallbreakers that can 2HKO it such as Toucannon, Choice Band Bouffalant, and Marowak. However, Machoke acts as an excellent pivot against weaker attackers or Pokemon whose attacks it resists such as Electivire, Rapidash, Pawniard, and Sawsbuck. Because of its reliance on Rest for recovery, Machoke should refrain from taking damage as much as possible in order to avoid being passive. However, Rest does enable Machoke to absorb status for its teammates. Machoke should primarily be used defensively, but when against more defensive builds, it should focus on crippling Pokemon with confusion and Knock Off. Team Options Wallbreakers such as Swanna and Simisage that appreciate Machoke's access to Knock Off and its exceptional bulk pair well it. Machoke appreciates Pokemon that can absorb Knock Off, so Silvally formes such as Silvally-Water and Silvally-Dragon tend to make for good partners, as well as Pokemon that carry Z-Moves like Combusken, Swanna, and Rapidash. Machoke is extremely weak to Psychic-types, so Pokemon that resist or are immune to Psychic such as Bronzor, Pawniard, and Silvally-Dark make good partners for it. Pawniard and Silvally-Dark are worth noting due to their access to STAB Pursuit. Flying-types such as Swanna, Rotom-S, and Toucannon are all common threats, so Pokemon that resist their attacks such as Mawile, Rotom-S, Probopass, and Bronzor all pair well with Machoke. Due to being heavily invested in only one of its Defense and Special Defense stats, Machoke appreciates Pokemon that can cover up its other, non-invested stat. Examples of these Pokemon may vary depending on the invested stat; specially defensive walls include Bronzor, Lickilicky, and Muk; physically defensive walls include Gourgeist-XL, Shiinotic, and Avalugg. Entry hazards can allow wallbreakers such as Combusken and Toucannon to break through Machoke, so Machoke appreciates Pokemon that can remove entry hazards such as Komala, Avalugg, and several Silvally formes like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Silvally-Ground.

Moves Dynamic Punch is by far Machoke's best and most spammable move. The powerful and accurate STAB move with a 100% confusion chance and essentially no drawbacks allows Machoke to demolish bulky Rock- and Steel-types such as Aggron and Steelix while also potentially giving a teammate a free switch in or opportunity to set up. Knock Off has excellent coverage alongside Dynamic Punch, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Rotom, Mismagius, and Xatu for super effective damage while also removing the item from bulky Poison-types such as Vileplume, Weezing, and Garbodor. Unfortunately, without access to Drain Punch, Machoke relies on Rest to stay healthy throughout a battle. Rest is also useful for removing a harmful status ailment from Machoke. Sleep Talk allows Machoke to avoid being passive after using Rest and also can preserve Dynamic Punch PP for longer battles. Set Details Maximum HP investment alongside 212 Special Defense EVs and a Careful nature allows Machoke to always survive two Fire Blasts from Life Orb Pyroar and gives it a solid chance to tank two of Life Orb Samurott's Hydro Pumps without giving up too much Speed. 44 Speed EVs let Machoke outspeed common base 50 Speed Pokemon such as Regirock and Mega Audino. Eviolite increases Machoke's already decent defenses to impressive levels. A spread of 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe allows Machoke to check physically offensive threats such as Kangaskhan, Hitmonchan, and Tauros lacking Zen Headbutt, avoiding a 3HKO from all three. Usage Tips Unless you predict the opponent to switch in a Ghost-type such as Colbur Berry Rotom or Gourgeist-XL, it is almost always beneficial to click Dynamic Punch, as confusing a foe can give Machoke a free turn to follow up with a Knock Off or potentially allow a teammate to switch in and take advantage of the confused foe. If the opponent's team relies solely on Psychic- and Poison-types such as Mesprit, Xatu, and Garbodor to check Machoke, attacking with Dynamic Punch is usually the best play, as even if the opponent switches to said check, getting chip damage and confusion is incredibly beneficial. It is also unwise to recklessly switch Machoke into incredibly strong special attacks such as Choice Specs Pyroar's Fire Blast and Aurorus's Hyper Voice, as it will be promptly 2HKOed. Instead, get Machoke in safely against them and threaten them out with Dynamic Punch. With this said, Machoke does make for an excellent pivot into weaker special attacks such as Swellow's Boomburst, Magmortar's Fire Blast, and Rotom's Volt Switch. Team Options Strong users of Pursuit such as Choice Band Liepard, Skuntank, and Scyther make for excellent partners, as they can trap the Psychic-types that resist Dynamic Punch and, more importantly, the Ghost-types that are immune to it. Thunder Wave support from the likes of Xatu, Mega Audino, and Miltank similarly works incredibly well with Machoke, not only remedying its poor Speed stat but also synergizing well with Dynamic Punch's confusion. Lastly, Heal Bell users such as Altaria, Musharna, and Mega Audino can not only wake Machoke up when it has used Rest but also heal Machoke of a problematic status ailment without forcing it to put itself to sleep.

Rest keeps Machoke healthy, and Sleep Talk is extra useful for Machoke due to it potentially saving some Dynamic Punch PP. No Guard Dynamic Punch gives Machoke a reliable STAB option with the added bonus of causing confusion. The last moveslot can be any of three options: Toxic is excellent for spreading chip damage, Ice Punch hits Flying-types like Jumpluff, and Thunder Punch hits Tentacool and Golduck as well as other Flying-types like Mantine that are not to weak to Ice. With 44 Speed EVs, Machoke outspeeds uninvested base 50 Speed Pokemon such as Audino. Machoke's unique toolkit is best used on stall teams that can support it with options like Heal Bell and Wish via Pokemon like Articuno and Audino. In return Machoke can absorb some of the physical attacks thrown at them. Machoke also appreciates partners such as Zweilous and Bronzor that can patch up its Psychic- and Flying-type weaknesses. Machoke also loves entry hazard support, as Dynamic Punch's confusion forces many switches, so teammates like Bronzor and Tentacool that can set entry hazards while patching up Machoke's weaknesses are great choices. Machoke boasts rare-but-valuable resistances to Dark- and Rock-type attacks, so common stall staples like Duosion and Articuno also love having it around to take hits from threats like Shiftry and Rampardos.

Machoke is an effective anti-lead, similar to its evolution Machamp, with its combination of No Guard + Dynamic Punch to land guaranteed confusion with its strong Fighting-type STAB move to potentially prevent opposing leads from responding to its pressure. Machoke can threaten Fighting-weak leads such as Regirock, Tauros, Sharpedo, and Glalie, and it can pressure common switch-ins, such as Nidoqueen and Vileplume, with Dynamic Punch confusion. However, due to Machoke's status as a non-fully-evolved Pokemon, its stats are fairly underwhelming with its slow Speed and middling bulk, and faster attacking leads have ways of responding to it with Fake Out, a sleep-inducing move, or better hit-trading. No Guard is both a blessing and a curse, as it makes opposing moves that rely on mediocre accuracy such as Sharpedo's Hydro Pump and Jynx's Lovely Kiss consistent at hitting Machoke. Toxic allows Machoke to take advantage of common Dynamic Punch switch-ins such as Slowking and Dusclops and put them on a timer. Toxic-immune Pokemon also don't like taking Dynamic Punch or its confusion, and Haunter is hit hard by Machoke's coverage. Bullet Punch allows Machoke to finish off opposing Focus Sash leads and land a hit before it is KOed or put to sleep. Rock Slide can OHKO Charizard and can hit other Flying-types, such as Drifblim and Articuno, hard as well, while benefitting from No Guard making it fully accurate. Other moves can be considered for alternative coverage or utility; Payback puts better pressure against faster Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon, Ice Punch can hit Nidoqueen, Vileplume, and Gligar, and Protect prevents Machoke from being hit by Fake Out. The given EV spread allows Machoke to outspeed Sandslash and make it harder to use Stealth Rock or Rapid Spin when confused. While Machoke can hinder Slowking's longevity with Toxic, Slowking can still check this Machoke set with Own Tempo to prevent Dynamic Punch confusion, and Dusclops is similar while taking advantage of No Guard with a fully accurate Will-O-Wisp. However, since Machoke tends to draw in these Pokemon, having Skuntank to Pursuit trap them is beneficial to let a second Fighting-type such as Hitmonchan or Medicham pick up the pace. Other Dark-types such as Cacturne and Shiftry can switch in on Machoke's checks to set Spikes for the former or threaten to sweep for the latter. Since Machoke can prevent Regirock and Cradily from setting Stealth Rock early in the match and can give entry to Dusclops, Nidoqueen, and Vileplume, it makes a great pairing with Charizard, which can take advantage of Dynamic Punch confusion with Substitute.

After a Bulk Up, Machoke becomes incredibly hard to break physically, making it a great option to plow through the abundant Rock- and Steel-types in the tier and meaning it's tough for Flying-types to revenge kill it. Revenge is the chosen STAB move because Machoke will almost always be going second, and this set is meant to tank through the opponent's team, meaning it thrives on being hit first and dishing the damage back out. Cross Chop is still an option for an always-powerful move, though the accuracy hurts its viability a bit. Hidden Power Ghost is needed coverage for Haunter and Chimecho, though Machoke should never stay in versus Chimecho, as it's almost always OHKOed by Psychic. Earthquake is Machoke's best option to take out Swalot and Arbok as well as being Machoke's best move for Roselia and Sableye. Rock Slide helps take out the Bug- and Flying-types likely to switch into Machoke, although Revenge will normally be doing enough to the two main Flying-types, Pidgeot and Murkrow, as they're neutral to Fighting. Lastly, Encore is also a very viable option which can make setting up far easier and forces switches. Locking something like Mawile into a status move also gives Machoke the Guts boost it loves. 44 Speed EVs let Machoke outpace minimum Speed Mawile and other base 50s. More or less Speed can be run depending on how you want to play Machoke, with 0 Speed being an option to ensure Machoke goes second against as many Pokemon as possible in order to power up Revenge. A physically or specially defensive spread can also be used by moving the Attack EVs to whichever defensive stat you want, since even with no Attack investment, at +1 and with a Guts boost Machoke is going to be hitting like a truck regardless. A specially defensive spread can help Machoke take out the likes of Dewgong and Glalie, while a physically defensive spread can allow Machoke to more easily switch into Rock-types like Pupitar. Focus Punch and Brick Break can be used as alternative STAB moves, but both are less useful than Revenge and Cross Chop in most cases. If using a Substitute + Bulk Up set, with Substitute used in the last slot over Rock Slide or Encore, Focus Punch becomes a far more desirable option to consider, as the additional power is incredible for breaking normally safe switch-ins like Chimecho. If using Machoke as a lure to open up a Hitmonchan sweep, Hidden Power Bug is also an option to destroy defensive Tangela, but overall Hidden Power Ghost is more important for Haunter and Chimecho. Special walls are needed teammates to bring when using Machoke to switch in on the inevitable opposing Chimecho and Haunter, making Kecleon, Dewgong, and Lickitung good teammates. Hitmonchan is a good teammate to consider, as most teams will be unprepared to take on two strong Fighting-types, allowing either Hitmonchan or Machoke to weaken their counters for the other to sweep.

Machoke's great coverage and high Attack stat scream for a Choice Band set, and because Machoke is significantly tankier than Hitmonchan physically, it does hold a viable niche in the tier. Cross Chop is the recommended STAB move due to its high power and relative consistency, but the accuracy can be gut-wrenching at times, making Brick Break a decent alternative. Hidden Power Ghost is needed for Haunter and Chimecho and generally pairs well with Machoke's Fighting-type STAB move. Rock Slide lets Machoke take out certain Flying- and Bug-types looking to switch into Machoke's Fighting STAB move, particularly Pelipper and Venomoth. The move in the last slot will be rarely used, but Earthquake is still needed for Swalot and Arbok, and it is Machoke's hardest hit against Sableye. The biggest difference when using Choice Band Machoke over Choice Band Hitmonchan is you want to try to switch Machoke into predicted status moves to activate Guts. While Hitmonchan would be utterly crippled and walled by Toxic Sableye, Machoke can actually use it to its advantage and cleanly 2HKO even 252 / 252+ Sableye with Earthquake if it's hit by Toxic. This makes Machoke theoretically a better choice to combat heavy stall teams, but in practice Machoke will still be worn down pretty quickly and is more easy to outspeed than Hitmonchan, meaning even the slower stall teams won't find it too difficult to revenge kill Machoke. 44 Speed EVs let Machoke outpace minimum Speed Mawile and other base 50s. From there, Attack is maxed out and the remaining EVs are placed into HP to increase Machoke's bulk as much as possible. Focus Punch can be used over any of the moves on this set, and after a Guts boost it becomes the single strongest attack in the tier without any needed setup. It can be pretty tricky to use, but it has a ton of payoff if it connects over Cross Chop, notably OHKOing Huntail, 2HKOing Chimecho, and OHKOing defensive Tangela after a Guts boost. Revenge is another alternative reliable STAB option, but it doesn't garner any notable KOs over Brick Break, and Machoke typically wants to outspeed what it can with this set. Finally, Facade can be used somewhere on this set to take advantage of the status that Machoke will likely absorb for your team, and it'll hit nearly as hard as Cross Chop without the risk of missing. Teammates are needed to take on Chimecho and Haunter, making special walls like Kecleon and Dark-types like Murkrow good teammates. Flying- and Bug-types are pretty dangerous for this set as well, particularly bulky examples like Pelipper, making Rock- and Steel-types good teammates, particularly Mawile and Relicanth.