Summary

Medicham, with its attack-doubling Pure Power ability, is one of the strongest fighters and heaviest hitters in the entire metagame. Pure Power not only doubles its base attack, but also any IVs and EVs invested into it -- a fully invested Medicham effectively has an IV of 62 and 504 EVs in its Attack stat that gets further boosted by 20% from its nature. However, Medicham isn't a fast hard-hitter like other threats such as Aerodactyl. While an 80 base speed is respectable, it leaves Medicham vulnerable to potential OHKOs from faster threats or bulkier opponents that can withstand a hit. So, you'll need to pivot Medicham carefully to switch it in safely.

The great advantage of Medicham in ADV Draft is its versatility. Medicham can effectively use all the viable items of Generation 3 Pokémon, including Choice Band, Leftovers, Lum Berry, or Salac Berry. In draft play, sand is not common due to Tyranitar being restricted to one user per draft pool. This enables pinch berry strategies, with Salac Berry being the most common. Medicham can put itself in Salac Berry range to boost its speed and sweep the competition, either by reducing its own HP with Substitute or by using Endure. Medicham's Substitutes are quite fragile and won't hold up to most attacks; rather, they're used to block status moves or gain momentum when forcing a switch. When using Substitute, Focus Punch pairs excellently with it, allowing Medicham to deal significant damage with a guaranteed 150 base power hit. Salac Berry Medicham is often paired with Reversal, as both Endure and Substitute allow Medicham to reach 1% HP, maximizing Reversal's damage to be even stronger than the aforementioned Focus Punch and activating Salac Berry.

Medicham can also function as an all-out attacker, thanks to its significant coverage options combined with a powerful Fighting STAB. Common checks to Fighting-types are either Flying or Poison-type Pokémon, with Poison-types being less common. The best coverage moves for Medicham include Rock Slide and Shadow Ball, to counter Flying threats like Salamence and Ghost-types, which are immune to Fighting moves. Medicham can also set up with Bulk Up, paired with Recover and Leftovers. This combination allows it to chip down even the bulkiest Pokemon such as Skarmory to some extent before being forced out -- specifically, Medicham should be able to Recover-stall Drill Peck Skarmory -- and return the heat with strong attacks such as a boosted Hi Jump Kick that has a chance to OHKO bulkier variants of Snorlax. Weezing is Medicham's biggest check, as it can cripple Medicham with Will-O-Wisp and resist most of its moves. To counter this, Medicham can learn Psychic (which deals about 50% damage to an uninvested Weezing with 0 Special Attack investment) or equip a Lum Berry to avoid losing damage output. Facade is another option if Medicham gets burned, though it won't do much to its usual checks. The most threatening Medicham build is with Choice Band, making it one of the most powerful Pokémon in the game. When running this set, consider Fake Out for a revenge-killing option and as a priority move, which can be essential in clutch situations.

Summary written by Sir Artichoke

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