Four Arms Are Better Than Two
Machamp@Leftovers/Assault Vest
Brave nature
No Guard
252 Attack/252 HP/4 Sp. Atk
~Dynamic Punch
~Stone Edge
~Knock Off
~Fire Blast
Heh, Machamp. A classic Fighting-type, and not without good reason. Dynamic Punch is your main STAB move, dealing heavy damage and confusing anything that lives to tell the tale. Stone Edge and Knock Off are for additional coverage. Fire Blast seems crazy, I know, but bear with me here. Ordinarily, a Machamp would be at the mercy of any physical wall, like Skarmory or Ferrothorn. Even the likes of Scizor or Forretress could slow Machamp down. But not if you're packing Fire Blast. Not meant as regular coverage, more along the lines of a last resort against aforementioned physical walls.
Item helps Machamp survive. Ability is best for use with its attacks.
Other options:
*Machamp can learn Mega Kick, and it goes well with No Guard, but Normal moves don't offer it too much in the way of coverage that would be worth dropping its other moves.
*If you want a nice priority move (because let's face it, Machamp ain't that fast), Bullet Punch gets the job done and can put a dent in those pesky Fairy-types as well.
*Cross Chop seems tempting at first, but Dynamic Punch outclasses it- same power, and causes confusion.
*Earthquake is always worth consideration. It also gets Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Ice Punch, so it's no stranger to good coverage.
*If you decide to go with a Guts set, Facade is practically obligatory on one of those.
Abilities:
*Guts: When Machamp is inflicted with a status condition, its Attack is increased by x1.5. If it's burned, its Attack won't be lowered at all, allowing the Attack boost to be just as effective as it would for any other status. Always a good Ability, but Machamp actually has an even better option in...
*No Guard: Any attacks used by or against Machamp cannot miss, even if the target is in the air, underground, underwater, or vanished. Easily Machamp's best Ability. Just look at some of its moves- Dynamic Punch, Stone Edge, Fire Blast- it's perfect. Just bear in mind that this means opponent's moves can't miss Machamp, though.
*Steadfast: Machamp's Hidden Ability. When Machamp flinches, its Speed goes up by one stage. While it can be argued that Machamp would benefit from a nice Speed boost, Steadfast is just too situational to rely on.
Partners:
Wish support would help greatly, and something with Aromatherapy or Heal Bell would be useful if you're not trying out a Guts set. And if you want to forego Fire Blast for some strange reason, a nice special attacker with a good Fire move would make a great partner for Machamp.
Counters:
If you're not packing Fire Blast, Skarmory is something to watch out for. Gengar can switch in on Dynamic Punch or Earthquake (though must beware Stone Edge or especially Knock Off) and OHKO with Psychic or Dazzling Gleam. Oh, and if you're not packing Bullet Punch or something, Fairy-types are something to be on the lookout for.
Opinion:
I like Machamp. It's cool.
Prediction for next week:
Garbodor.