Kingambit is the cleanest answer to Reg M-A’s most-used ability. With DefiantDefiantabilityRaises Attack by 2 stages whenever any of the Pokémon's stats are lowered — including by Intimidate.Click to read more →, every time an opponent activates IntimidateIntimidateabilityWhen this Pokémon enters the battlefield, the opposing Pokémon's Attack stat drops by one stage.Click to read more → within Kingambit’s earshot — switch-ins, Parting Shots, Memento — Kingambit gains +2 Attack instantly. Given how heavily the format leans on IncineroarIncineroarpokemonThe most-used Pokémon in Reg M-A. Defines doubles tempo with Fake Out, Intimidate on every switch, and Parting Shot pivots.Click to read more →, that’s a free boost in roughly half the matches. The alternative ability, Supreme Overlord, scales late-game instead — +10% Attack and Special Attack per fainted ally, capping at +50% — earning Kingambit the cleaner role on bulkier teams.
Why it’s foundational
Defiant flips the format’s most common tempo tool. Incineroar, Salamence, and any other Intimidate user becomes a switching liability when Kingambit is on the field — the +2 boost is automatic, instantaneous, and stacks across multiple Intimidate activations. A team that loops Incineroar between turns to maintain Intimidate pressure is feeding Kingambit two free Swords Dances per game.
The Dark/Steel typing pulls extra weight defensively. Kingambit resists 9 of 18 types — including Ghost, Dragon, and Steel — and is immune to Psychic. Combined with 100/120 physical bulk, it survives most neutral hits and uses Sucker Punch to close out games. Priority Dark STAB lands before slower threats can react, and at +2 Attack from Defiant it threatens clean OHKOs.
Common sets
- Defiant pivot (most common) — Kowtow Cleave, Iron Head, Sucker Punch, ProtectProtectmoveA move that makes the user immune to all moves for one turn. Fails if used consecutively.Click to read more →. Black Glasses or Leftovers. Adamant nature with HP and Attack investment, minimal Speed.
- Swords Dance sweeper — Swords Dance, Kowtow Cleave, Sucker Punch, Iron Head. Life Orb. Sets up alongside Trick RoomTrick RoomstrategyFor 5 turns, slower Pokémon move first. Reverses the entire speed game — a strategy that builds teams around very slow attackers.Click to read more → or under TailwindTailwindmoveDoubles the Speed of every Pokémon on your side for 4 turns. Often paired with Prankster for instant priority setup.Click to read more → since Kingambit’s natural 50 Speed needs help.
- Choice Band — Kowtow Cleave, Iron Head, Sucker Punch, Brick Break. Locks into raw damage; relies on the team’s speed control to position the right move.
Common partners
- GarchompGarchomppokemonThe premier spread attacker under Tailwind. Earthquake hits both opponents, Scale Shot chains Speed boosts, and Dragon Claw threatens opposing dragons.Click to read more → — bait-and-punish. Garchomp invites opposing Intimidate, then Kingambit switches in next turn and collects +2 from the Incineroar that came to soften Garchomp.
- WhimsicottWhimsicottpokemonPrankster utility lead. Priority Tailwind, Encore, and Sunny Day let it dictate tempo against teams that thought they had it.Click to read more → — PranksterPranksterabilityAn ability that gives all Status moves +1 priority — they go before almost everything, even if the Pokémon is slow.Click to read more → Tailwind gives Kingambit the speed it doesn’t have otherwise, plus priority EncoreEncoremoveForces the target to repeat their last move for 3 turns — devastating in doubles when it traps a Protect or harmless status move.Click to read more → to stop opposing setup before it can KO Kingambit through resists.
- HattereneHatterenepokemonMagic Bounce setter and Trick Room anchor. Reflects status, sets terrain, and powers slow attackers under reversed Speed.Click to read more → — Trick Room inverts speed order, putting Kingambit’s 50 base Speed ahead of nearly every offensive Pokémon. Defiant + TR + +2 Sucker Punch is one of the format’s strongest finishing lines.
What beats it
Fighting-type moves are 4× super effective — the cleanest counter. Sneasler’s Close Combat threatens an OHKO, and Conkeldurr’s Drain Punch under Trick Room hits with reverse-speed advantage. Fire and Ground hit for 2×: Garchomp Earthquake or VolcaronaVolcaronapokemonThe format's most explosive special setup sweeper. One Quiver Dance turns its 135 Special Attack into a wallbreaker that outspeeds the field.Click to read more → Heat Wave handle Kingambit if it can’t safely Sucker Punch first. The structural answer is don’t trigger Defiant — lead something that doesn’t carry Intimidate, or Mega Evolve in rather than switching the Intimidate user in.