Why it is everywhere
PokeTools gave Kingambit 25.3% usage in September, the fifth most used Pokémon in Reg M-C, and at the Puebla Regional it won 53.8% of its games according to Pokémon Zone.
It is Dark and Steel type, with 100 base HP, 135 Attack and 120 Defense. That typing gives it two immunities, to Poison and Psychic, and it resists nine other types. In exchange it is very slow: 50 base Speed.
| Damage taken | Types |
|---|---|
| Four times | Fighting |
| Double | Ground and Fire |
| Half | Normal, Flying, Rock, Ghost, Steel, Grass, Ice, Dragon and Dark |
| None | Poison and Psychic |
The set: Sucker Punch and Kowtow Cleave
Usage data agree on the core: Kowtow Cleave, Sucker Punch and Iron Head, with Protect, Swords Dance or Low Kick in the last slot. Items are split between Black Glasses, Life Orb and Chople Berry, which weakens one super-effective Fighting-type hit.
Kowtow Cleave is a Dark-type move with 85 power that never misses. Sucker Punch, with 70, has +1 priority, but only works if the target is going to use an attack that turn: if it protects, switches or uses a status move, it fails. Iron Head gives it a Steel-type attack against Fairies, and in Champions its flinch chance drops to 20%.
Low Kick has a specific use: the heavier the target, the harder it hits, and against another Kingambit, at 120 kg, it has 100 power and deals four times the damage.
Defiant against Intimidate
Defiant raises Attack by two stages every time an opponent lowers one of its stats. Against the Intimidate of Incineroar, one of the most used Pokémon, Kingambit loses one stage and gains two: it ends up one stage higher. That is why it pays to think twice before leading Incineroar against it.
The alternative is Supreme Overlord, which raises the power of its attacks by 10% for each fainted ally. In Reg M-C you play four Pokémon, so at most three allies can faint: the real maximum is 30%, and only when Kingambit is the last one standing. In usage data, Defiant is almost the only one that shows up: it works from turn one.
Who it plays with
Pokébase lists Sneasler as its most common partner, on more than half of its teams, and other sources mention Garchomp, Basculegion, Incineroar and Rillaboom. With Sneasler the pair applies pressure from turn one, and Kingambit finishes off with priority whatever Sneasler leaves damaged.
Guides such as Game8's also pair it with Incineroar, whose Intimidate weakens the physical attackers that threaten Kingambit. And, in our reading, it fits in Trick Room: with a Speed-lowering nature and no stat points in Speed it sits at 63, among the slowest in the format.
| Kingambit's Speed | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum (Speed-lowering nature, 0 stat points) | 63 |
| Neutral, 0 stat points | 70 |
| Maximum (Speed-raising nature, 32 stat points) | 112 |
How to beat it
First, have Fighting-type damage. Sneasler's Close Combat or an opponent's Low Kick deal four times the damage, and Earthquake or Fire attacks deal double. Watch out for Chople Berry, which weakens one Fighting hit: if it holds one, it can survive an attack that should knock it out.
Second, do not give it Sucker Punch. If Kingambit threatens to finish something off, Protect or a status move makes it fail. Armor Tail, Farigiraf's ability, blocks priority moves against its side; Psychic Terrain blocks them against grounded Pokémon, and Quick Guard protects both that turn.
And third, do not hand it Defiant: no Intimidate and no moves that lower its stats, such as Incineroar's Intimidate or Parting Shot. If your team relies on them, leave that Pokémon out when you see Kingambit at team preview.
