Kingambit
Kingambit hits from both ends of the turn. Sucker Punch strikes first with priority, Kowtow Cleave never misses, and Iron Head and Low Kick round out the coverage. Its ability is almost always Defiant, which raises its Attack two stages for every stat an opponent lowers, so the Intimidate that blunts other physical attackers makes this one stronger. Dark/Steel resists or ignores a lot of the format, and many sets hold a Chople Berry to survive the 4x Fighting hit it fears most.
Strategy notes revised Nov 2, 2026 · usage and sets live
Don't lead Intimidate into it: Incineroar's entry drops its Attack one stage and Defiant raises it two, a net +1. Parting Shot is worse: it lowers two stats, so Defiant fires twice and Kingambit ends up at +3. Snarl and Icy Wind set it off too. And don't click an attack with a frail Pokémon expecting to move first: Sucker Punch hits first whenever you choose to attack. Protect or a status move makes it fail.
Close Combat is 4x effective on Dark/Steel: through a Chople Berry it still OHKOs more often than not (94 to 111%), and without one it's a sure OHKO. Sneasler resists Kowtow Cleave and Sucker Punch, so the one hit that beats it to the punch only takes about a third of its HP.
As Mega Charizard Y, sun-boosted Weather Ball becomes a 100-power Fire move that OHKOs Kingambit, and Heat Wave hits both foes nearly as hard. Charizard is faster, and Sucker Punch, Kingambit's only way to hit first, takes well under half its HP.
Ground is super-effective, and a Choice Scarf Garchomp moves long before it. Stomping Tantrum or Earthquake takes over half of Kingambit's HP each time, while Kowtow Cleave and Iron Head take under half back, so Garchomp wins the exchange in two hits.
Sneasler is Kingambit's most common partner, and the pair punishes an Intimidate lead twice: a White Herb Sneasler gets its Attack back and doubles its Speed through Unburden, and Kingambit takes a net +1 from Defiant. Lead with something that doesn't lower their stats.
Many Kingambit teams also bring Basculegion, whose Last Respects gains 50 power for every teammate that has fainted. Each KO you take on their side makes the late game harder, so keep an answer to it in the back.
Every answer on this card was checked against the live learnset and roster data shown above. A citation that no longer holds is dropped, not shown. Type-based answers are computed from base stats and STAB. Speed is the real level-50 maximum. This is deterministic and sourced, with no guesses.