Pancham Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Parting Shot allows Pancham to easily pivot, as the stat drops can give a teammate such as a setup sweeper a free switch. Drain Punch is the STAB move of choice, as it is boosted by Iron Fist and gives Pancham a form of recovery. Knock Off hits the Ghost-types that are immune to Drain Punch super effectively and provides incredible utility in removing a foe's item. Gunk Shot can hit the Fairy-types that can easily take any of Pancham's other moves very hard, notably 2HKOing Spritzee and non-Berry Juice Snubbull and OHKOing Cottonee. Zen Headbutt is another option that hits the Poison-types that resist Drain Punch as well as opposing Fighting-types super effectively, always 2HKOing Mareanie and nearly always 2HKOing Timburr and Mienfoo. Set Details Eviolite enhances Pancham's already solid bulk, thus allowing it to stay alive longer in a match. 180 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Pancham's Attack, meaning it hits as hard as possible while recovering a lot of HP with Drain Punch. The defensive EVs allow Pancham to survive Psychic from Focus Sash Abra as well as Icicle Spear from +2 Shellder. 12 Speed EVs give Pancham 11 Speed, making it outspeed Timburr, Skrelp, and Snubbull. Iron Fist increases Drain Punch's damage, allowing Pancham to 2HKO Alolan Grimer and non-Eviolite Vullaby, as well as OHKO both Doduo and Archen after Stealth Rock, with Drain Punch. Mold Breaker is another option to remove items from Sticky Hold users such as Trubbish and OHKO Magnemite through Sturdy. Usage Tips Pancham can be switched in on the Pokemon it threatens, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Tirtouga, to create opportunities to dent the opponent's walls or generate momentum with Parting Shot. However, Pancham tends to get worn down quickly, so be careful not to switch it in too often and to preserve it for the threats it needs to beat. Be careful of using Parting Shot if the opponent has a Pawniard or Snivy: they both get offensive boosts if they are hit by the move. In the late-game, Parting Shot should be used to pivot into a powerful cleaner such as Shellder or Nasty Plot Vullaby, as the stat drops can give them the opportunity they need to set up and win the game. Team Options Setup sweepers that only need one turn to potentially win a game, such as Nasty Plot Vullaby, Swords Dance Pawniard, and Shell Smash Shellder, appreciate Parting Shot to get them in with a free switch and lower the opponent's stats. Pawniard is especially notable, as it can set up on the Fairy-types Pancham lures in. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn, such as Chinchou and Mienfoo, can form momentum cores with Pancham. Diglett is also a good partner for Pancham, as it can be brought in safely with Parting Shot and trap the Poison-types that resist Drain Punch. If Pancham is running Zen Headbutt over Gunk Shot, Gastly is a great teammate, as it is capable of taking advantage of Parting Shot if it is used on the Fairy-types that Pancham lures in, such as Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee, by setting up a Substitute. It also appreciates Pancham threatening Pawniard and Munchlax.

Moves Swords Dance boosts Pancham's Attack, allowing it to effectively break down the opponent's walls. Drain Punch is Pancham's main STAB move, as it complements its solid natural bulk by giving it recovery. Knock Off hits the Ghost-types that are immune to Drain Punch and removes the foe's item, giving Pancham nice utility. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-type switch-ins such as Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee very hard, OHKOing Cottonee and 2HKOing Spritzee and non-Berry Juice variants of Snubbull. Alternatively, Zen Headbutt hits Poison-types such as Mareanie, which is always 2HKOed by it, and Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Timburr, which are nearly always 2HKOed, super effectively. Set Details Eviolite is the item of choice, as it enhances Pancham's solid bulk, giving it more opportunities to set up. 180 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature maximize Pancham's Attack, allowing it to dent the opponent's team as much as possible while getting the maximum possible HP back from Drain Punch. The Defense and Special Defense EVs give Pancham good bulk, allowing it to survive +2 Shellder's Icicle Spear and Focus Sash Abra's Psychic. If Pancham's teammates can provide Sticky Web support, an alternative spread of 180 Atk / 20 Def / 52 SpD / 252 Spe should be used, as it hits 14 Speed, allowing Pancham to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame after Sticky Web. Mold Breaker is used to remove items from Sticky Hold users such as Trubbish with Knock Off and bypass Magnemite's Sturdy to OHKO it. Iron Fist is also an option to 2HKO Alolan Grimer and OHKO both Doduo and Archen after Stealth Rock. It also guarantees the OHKO on Alolan Grimer and Abra with Drain Punch after one Swords Dance. Usage Tips Pancham should be brought in on Pokemon it threatens out, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Tirtouga. The opportunities created by these forced switches should be used to dent the opponent's switch-in and remove items in the early-game. In the late-game, these opportunities should be used to set up a Swords Dance to sweep the opponent's team or remove walls for your sweeper. If Pancham is being used as a wallbreaker for your team, setting up a Swords Dance can be useful, as it allows Pancham to power through walls even more quickly. Since Pancham will usually not be using Drain Punch on forced switches with this set, it tends to be worn down very quickly. As such, it should not be used as the primary counter for any Pokemon, but should instead focus on wallbreaking with the power boost from Swords Dance. If your team has Sticky Web, Pancham should be preserved until the late-game in order to set up a Swords Dance and sweep the opponent's team. Team Options Pancham greatly appreciates Sticky Web support from Pokemon like Surskit and Spinarak, as it allows it to outspeed most of the opponent's team and potentially sweep in the late-game. Other Knock Off users are also appreciated, as they can remove Eviolites, giving Pancham an easier time wallbreaking, and Choice Scarves, allowing Pancham to clean more easily in the late-game on a Sticky Web team. Another Fighting-type such as Mienfoo can work very well with Pancham. Thanks to them sharing counters and having powerful attacks, those counters will often be worn down over the course of a match, meaning it will be unable to counter both. In addition, the two will also easily be able to deal with Dark-type cores. Pivots such as Chinchou, Mienfoo, and Foongus work very well with Pancham, as they can get it in on a free switch quite easily. Chinchou also deals with the Flying-types that threaten Pancham and are immune to Sticky Web. Pursuit users such as Munchlax and Alolan Grimer can trap Psychic- and Ghost-types for Pancham, giving it an easier time cleaning. Diglett is also a great partner for Pancham, as it can trap and KO the Poison-types that wall it, such as Mareanie and Trubbish. Lastly, since Pancham is weak to burns, it appreciates a cleric like Spritzee or Chinchou. The former of these can also pass Wishes to Pancham, improving its longevity, thus allowing it to wallbreak for longer over the course of a match, while the latter is capable of pivoting into Pancham with Volt Switch.

Moves Parting Shot allows Pancham to function as a pivot and provide its teammates opportunities to set up. Drain Punch is the STAB move of choice because it allows Pancham to recover some of its HP and stay alive longer to pivot throughout the battle. Knock Off removes foes' items and provides great utility to Pancham's teammates. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types very hard, even 2HKOing Spritzee, while Zen Headbutt allows Pancham to KO Poison- and Fighting-types much more easily. Set Details 180 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Pancham's Attack. 100 Defense and 212 Special Defense EVs give Pancham Eviolite numbers and good bulk to survive many hits while pivoting, even Focus Sash Abra's Psychic. The 12 Speed EVs give Pancham 11 Speed, allowing it to outspeed Spritzee, Snubbull, and Timburr. Mold Breaker allows Pancham to remove the items of Pokemon that have the ability Sticky Hold with Knock Off, which means Pancham can beat Trubbish without having to use Zen Headbutt. This also means Pancham can bypass Sturdy and KO Pokemon that rely on the SturdyJuice strategy. Usage Tips Switch Pancham into Pokemon it can capitalize on, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, Omanyte, and Tirtouga. KO weaker threats, and dent the switch-ins. Using Parting Shot on a predicted switch grabs momentum and can help a teammate set up. Pancham is slow and it lacks access to priority moves, unlike Croagunk and Timburr, so switching into Pawniard is not always safe, as Pawniard can outspeed and KO Pancham. Pawniard can also come in on a Parting Shot and grab Attack boosts thanks to Defiant. Team Options Pokemon that can use Volt Switch or U-turn are great teammates for Pancham; Mienfoo, Chinchou, Fletchling, and Archen are good examples. Sweepers that appreciate Parting Shot and can capitalize on its use, such as Swords Dance Fletchling, Swords Dance Pawniard, Shell Smash Tirtouga, Omanyte, and Shellder, pair well with Pancham. Pokemon that can remove Fairy- or Poison-types can be beneficial, such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and Foongus for the former, and Abra, Archen, Drilbur, and Diglett for the latter. Gothita can be a useful teammate, as Pancham helps get Gothita in for free due to its low Speed and Parting Shot, and Gothita removes Pokemon Pancham doesn't like, such as Croagunk. Spritzee can use Aromatherapy while Lickitung can use Heal Bell, and both can use Wish in order to keep Pancham healthy throughout the battle.

Moves Swords Dance allows Pancham to break through many walls with ease. Drain Punch gives Pancham means of recovery while wallbreaking and is also a great move in general. Knock Off removes items and allows Pancham and its teammates to sweep. Gunk Shot removes common Fairy-type switch-ins from play, and Zen Headbutt KOes common Poison-type switch-ins and opposing Fighting-types. Set Details 180 EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Pancham's Attack. 12 Speed EVs allows Pancham to hit 11 Speed, which allows it to outspeed Skrelp, Timburr, and Snubbull. 100 Defense and 212 Special Defense EVs allow Pancham to survive a variety of hits, most notably Focus Sash Abra's Psychic and +2 Tirtouga's Waterfall. Mold Breaker allows Pancham to Knock Off the items of Pokemon that have the ability Sticky Hold, allowing Pancham to KO Trubbish without using Zen Headbutt. Pancham also bypasses Sturdy, allowing it to KO Pokemon that rely on the SturdyJuice strategy. Pancham can also run a set with 252 Speed EVs, which allows it to outspeed many walls such as Pumpkaboo and Vullaby. However, doing so reduces its bulk, so keep that in mind. Usage Tips Switch Pancham into Pokemon it forces out, such as Pawniard or Tirtouga. After Pancham has successfully switched in, use Knock Off early-game to remove Pancham's checks' items. During the late-game, use Swords Dance on the switches Pancham forces, and then proceed to remove walls to clear the way for your sweeper. Team Options Other Pokemon that can use Knock Off, such as Fighting-types and Pawniard, help support Pancham. Pokemon that can pivot into Pancham, such as Mienfoo, Chinchou, and Foongus, are also a big help to get Pancham in freely. Entry hazards help weaken walls that Pancham wants to break through, so entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed, Archen, and Tirtouga help Pancham do its job. Pokemon that deal with Flying-types help; Tirtouga, Chinchou, and Archen are good options to deal with these threats. Gothita can be a useful partner to remove Poison-types, opposing Fighting-types, and items from walls with Trick. Cottonee, Stunky, and Diglett can be useful partners, as they all learn Memento and help Pancham set up easily. Also, Diglett traps Poison-types, while Stunky traps Psychic-types. Again, Pancham appreciates the support of Spritzee and Lickitung; Spritzee has Aromatherapy while Lickitung has Heal Bell, and they both can heal it with Wish. Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Fletchling, Swords Dance Pawniard, and the Shell Smash users appreciate Pancham's ability to break through a wide array of walls.