Machamp Pokkén Tournament DX Guide

Dec 9

Written By Kamaal

Partially written and edited by BadIntent, most information provided by Kamaal.

- Overview
- Attributes
- Move List
- Combos

Overview

Machamp is a close quarters powerhouse. It has limited range and slow walk speed which means it will take a while to chase down full screen opponents. But once it gets in, it becomes very hard to get it off. Machamp has a few pokes that are safe against Counter Attacks which is a rarity in Pokkén. It has high damage grabs, powerful mixups, and strong armored moves.

Attributes

(from Shoryuken)
HP: 660
Synergy Burst Gauge: 200
Burst Duration: 12 seconds

Move List

Counter Attack

i27/47. -8. High. Shifts on hit from field phase. Only launches when fully charged.

Grab

i11. 100 damage in field phase. 150 damage in duel phase.

Air Grab

Can grab airborne opponents. By inputting 4Y+B in the air, Machamp spins towards the opponent before grabbing.

RL X

i23. Mid. High and mid-high invincible frame 1. Has three levels of charge that increase the damage and range of the attack. Level 1 requires a 2 second charge, level 2 is a 5 second charge and level 3 is a 20 second charge. Damage is 80/120/200. Frame data on block is -16/-16/-8.

Pokémon Moves

Bulk Up 5A

Enhances Machamp’s next Pokémon move. This is a common round starter as few character can punish round start Bulk Up. Any time Machamp gets space or a knockdown, they present opportunities to use Bulk Up.

Cross Chop 5A (Enhanced)

i23. -24. Pressing 5A while Machamp is already in Bulk up does Cross Chop. Closes the distance extremely quickly and can be used to end combos from juggles in both phases.

Submission 6A

i26. Normal: 100 dmg (field) / 120 dmg (duel). Enhanced: 150 dmg field / 180 dmg (duel). Command grab that shifts from field to duel but does NOT shift from duel to field (0 PSP). Cancelable with block or jump. The enhanced version has armor from frames 1-16 making it a powerful tick grab option. You can even use this as a reversal in certain scenarios.

Karate Chop 4A

i19. -4/+4. High. Can erase projectiles starting on frame 3. Stuns opponent on critical hit. This is primarily used in field phase for the first property, but can be used to apply pressure when enhanced due to being +4 on block. Enhanced damage increases from 80 to 120.

Heavy Slam 8A

Duel phase only. i44 (the slam). Mid, mid, low. 0/-8 on block. The first hit only hits airborne, but not i’m sure the exact startup of it. Enhanced increases damage. Can be angled with 7A or 9A. Outside of a wall splat or Emolga, this only combos if it hits as a cross up. The final shockwave is a low, and none of the hits are highs or mid-highs making this attack not vulnerable to conventional anti-air invincibility.

Close Combat 2A

Duel phase only. i23. Mid-low. 180/230 dmg. -28 on block. Highly damaging combo ender. The last hit phase shifts and the first hits do not jail into the last hit.

Scary Face RL A

i35. A very unconventional command counter. Does no damage on its own, but is +12 on hit and -8 on block. Has great range and blue armored from frames 1-26. This gives a speed debuff on hit, and crumples the opponent on critical hit.

Field Phase Moves

nY

i15. -8. Special mid. Can cancel into specials or fY, making it a fairly threatening multilayered mixup up close.

sY

i23. -8. Special mid. Cancelable into fY. Can catch people running in (such as after blocking bY), but difficult to use on offense because the opponent can CADC or walk away from it.

fY

i27. -6. Blue armor frames 1-20. Has a lot of range and is safe on CA. Machamp's best and most frequently used field phase move.

bY

i30. -8. Has a deceptively large hitbox that can launch people just outside of it. Useful for meaty setups as well as clearing ultra low priority projectiles like Sceptile seeds. Can be angled in different directions.

jY

Mid. -2. Launching mid projectile. Can combo into Cross Chop from half screen. Causes a significant amount of hitstop against CADCs, making it mostly safe against them. The downside to this move is the fact that it is easy to react to and has a long whiff animation.

jX

i11. -10. Mid-high. Starts up very fast for an aerial attack. For example you can jX in between Blaze Kicks loops to beat it out. This is only actually -10 if you do it low to the ground while decending. Otherwise this is generally at least grab punishable.

Homing Attack

i17. -4/-4. Despite Machamp taking a long time to reach the opponent due to its slow walk speed, once there it has access to one of the fastest homing moves in the game. Machamp’s homing ties for the highest priority, allowing it to trade with or beat every other homing in a clash.

Duel Phase Moves

5Y

i15. -4/-4. Has a 5YY followup. High, mid string; doesn't jail. Both hits are special cancelable. This can be a powerful Submission setup, but it is a bit difficult to use because opponents already typically want to 8Y or 2Y vs Machamp at that range.

6Y

This string has several extensions: 6Y, 6YY, 6YYY, 6YYX, 6YYYX.

i11. 6YYY is mid-low, mid, mid. Frame data on block for each hit is -8, -8, -12. This first two hits are not a true block string and are both -4 on hit. 6YY has an armored mid-low extension (X) that is +8 on block, but can be jumped over. There is also a true mid extension (Y) that launches but is -12 on block. The pushback on 6YYY makes it not grab punishable by any character, however. This is a very powerful string due to its speed and its mixup potential.

2Y

i11. Simultaneous low + high attack that's effectively a true mid against everything but Aegislash low stance. This attack has very little recovery so it is safe on counter attacks. Excellent for stagger pressure and is a large part of what makes Machamp such a threat at close range - this move cuts off opponents' offense before it can start.

8Y

i15. +4. High. Good for block pressure but has a lot of pushback on hit, in which case you have to special cancel to keep up momemtum. Notable for being able to block string into Cross Chop for a guard break vs weakened shieldss

4X

i27. Blue armor frames 1-17. The extensions for 4X are 4XX and 4XY. Mid, mid-high, mid. 4X is -12 on block alone. 4XY is +4 on block and +12 on hit. 4XX is -16 on block and launches on hit.

This is a more damaging reversal than CA. Despite being the same speed as uncharged CA, 4XX leads to a full combo while uncharged CA doesn't lead to anything. Has a 4XY extension that's plus on block, but it can itself be armored between hits so it's not used very often.

8X

i27. -12. Mid-high. Throw crush and avoids lows frame 5. Deals 12 phase shift points and instantly ends the phase on hit, making it strong vs Darkrai Bad Dreams Rising and red armor moves like Chandelure Overheat. Has 3 different inputs, 7X, 8X, 9X. 9X has the most range while 7X has the most pushback (enough that many characters can't punish it despite being -12)

6X

i27/35. -8/0. Mid-low. Long range command throw crush that can punish the likes of Chandelure hex and Sceptile giga drain. In neutral it's reactable at 31 frames but has deceptive range that can catch people trying to walk away from it. Has a charged version that can be used to chase people down at full screen after hitting them with certain supports such as Emolga. The charged version still does not pierce.

5X

i19. -4. Mid-low. 5XX is -8 on block but +8 when charged.

The second hit (5XX) can be charged and pierces when fully charged. The charged version also deals 12 phase shift points, meaning it shifts instantly. Often used on oki or as a combo ender to avoid losing enhance state with Close Combat.

2X

Has several extensions/variations. 2X, 2XX, 2XR, 2XRX.

i19. -16. Low. 2XX is -12 on block. Avoids highs frame 9. Machamp's lone tech crouch. Has a lot of range but both hits are unsafe. The first can be used as a knockdown tool in neutral. The second hit also launches, but is usually used in combos or as a whiff punisher.

2XR. Machamp can cancel its 2X into a projectile invincible roll, which lasts long enough to roll through burst waves if properly timed. Retains a large amount of high invulnerability as well, making it useful to approach opponents with strong highs and anti airs.

2XRX. +4 on block, +8 on hit. Pressing X during roll goes into rolling hammer, an armored plus on block true mid that's safe on CA and launches on critical hit. Excellent oki tool. Difficult to use in neutral because it's easily reactable with grab, so it's best used by rolling under projectiles to punish with hammer.

jY

i11. +8. High. plus on block air to air with low scaling. Machamp's main way of contesting jumps in lieu of a traditional anti air.

jX

+8. Mid. +8. Despite being an aerial, this move is classified as a true mid, meaning air invulnerability has no effect on it. Is armored for a few frames and plus on block, making it strong on both offense and defense. Even after the armor wears off, still retains blue armor critical hit properties against normal attacks. One of Machamp's best moves, if not the best.

Burst Attack

i18. Mid. 0 on block. Invincible frame 5. Cinematic if the first rock hits.

Machamp Combos

While Machamp is a very damaging character, its combos are often short confirms such as 8Y into Close Combat. Here are a few more conventional combos.

- (6YY)Y 2XX 2A. The first two hits (6YY) do not combo into 6YYY.

- Air to air jY 5Y 2A

- jY 8Y 2A

- 4XX 2XX jY 5XX

- Crit 2XRX jY 6YYX

- 2XX jY 2XX 2A

Kamaal