Best team for Medicham in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO's competitive Battle League is one of the game's biggest draws for new players. This is partially thanks to Niantic's mobile title now holding a spot at the annual Pokemon World Championships. More and more players are looking to get into the competitive scene with the hopes of one day being the official best trainer.

One of the starting places for many players is the Great League. This is the official format used for the 2023 World Championships, making it the preferred one by many trainers. This should bring Medicham into focus, as the creature is seen as one of the best picks that this tier of play has to offer. So, how can players make the best use of the Pocket Monster?

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer

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The best team for Medicham in Pokemon GO's Great League features Shadow Swampert and Carbink

The best team for Medicham in the Great League (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Medicham is currently the best creature players can use in Pokemon GO's Great League. Thanks to its low combat power cap, the Pocket Monster can really let loose in this tier of play. It can take almost full IVs and still be able to participate in the league.

Medicham's Fighting typing and access to a potent set-up (Power-up Punch) allow it to easily roll through the defensive Steel-type picks that the Great League tier has become known for. Medicham works best with creatures that can take its place when one of its counters switches in. This has led to the construction of the following sample team:

Pokemon	Fast Attack	Charged Attack
Medicham	Counter	Psychic, Ice Punch
Shadow Swampert	Mud Shot	Hydro Cannon, Earthquake
Carbink	Rock Throw	Rock Slide, Moonblast

With this team, Medicham is not confined to a set-up moveset utilizing Power-up Punch. This means that there is no prep work to be done before the Pocket Monster is at its maximum use.

Carbink is a great partner for Medicham, as it is the best tank in Pokemon GO as of writing, with Shadow Swampert providing a nice combination of defense and offense.

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Can Medicham be used anywhere else in Pokemon GO?

Medicham and its Mega Evolution are two notoriously bad picks in every other aspect of Pokemon GO. This is due to the base species' relatively low combat power total of around 1,600, making it a liability in the other two tiers of Battle League and rendering it obsolete in raids and gym defense.

The reason also has to do with the passive abilities of the two creatures and Azumarill. As experienced Pokemon fans will know, Pure and Huge Power offer pretty much the same benefit: doubling the user's Attack stat.

With these sorts of passive abilities being absent from Pokemon GO and Niantic wanting to stay as faithful to the source material as possible, Medicham and its Mega Evolution have been left with weak stats and no changes to make up for the loss of its entire gimmick. This is also why Azumarill is stuck in the prison of Great League.