Medicham

Behold, the most powerful Pokemon in the franchise, possessing an Atk stat only bested by… Blissey? Disgusting. Well, for what it lacks in offense it makes up for in… being more fragile than Alakazam? OK, move on people, nothing to see here.

In the console games, Medicham stands out as being one of the heaviest hitters. In Pokemon GO it’s missing the secret to its strength: the ability Pure Power. Pure Power doubles Medicham’s Atk stat, taking it from zero to hero. Alas, Pokemon GO doesn’t have abilities implemented. As a result, Medicham’s base stats are less than Spoink’s.

Best PvE Offensive Moveset

• Counter should be paired with Dynamic Punch. This is Medicham’s best offensive moveset.

Best PvE Defensive Moveset

• Counter is superior to Psycho Cut, dealing more damage to targets that resist Fighting-type attacks.

• Ice Punch not only provides counter coverage but may also be the only charge move Medicham can use in the 10 seconds before it’s KO'd.

• While Power-Up Punch may not be particularly powerful, its low cost can make it usable to deal with some attackers.

• Dynamic Punch has okay stats for defense.

Counter is a good Fast Attack, with strong damage output backed by STAB, along with average energy generation. Ice Punch is commonly chosen for its lesser energy cost, as well as its valuable typing coverage, especially against Flying-type Pokemon. Psychic is a great coverage option that benefits from STAB to deal a lot of damage. Power-Up Punch is an alternative option to Ice Punch that sacrifices coverage for sweeping potential. Alternatively Dynamic Punch can be chosen if more Fighting-type damage is needed, but this gives up additional typing coverage. 

What about Psycho Cut?

Psycho Cut offers some of the worst damage output numbers among every fast move in the game, but in return ties for the second best energy generation (only behind Lock-On). This lets Medicham utilize its charge moves much more frequently, though it becomes much more reliant on them as a result. This also means that because of its poor damage output, finishing off low HP opponents might be more risky, due to the increased chances of them reaching their Charge Move prior to fainting.