Is Machop Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Goldenrod Department Store basement and an in-game trade in the same city. Fighting-type with AbilityGuts or AbilityNo Guard. Machamp through double trade evolution is the endgame goal. Available before Whitney, making the timing ideal.
Machop trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Machop trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Machop has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Machoke trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's typing presses Machoke's defenses.
Machoke resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Machoke has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Machamp resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Sabrina's team hits Machamp's weaknesses hard.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Machamp has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Machamp trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
In-Game Trade
Machop can be received through an in-game trade in Goldenrod City. Trade Drowzee. Trade a Drowzee to a trainer in Goldenrod City.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 25FightingVital ThrowPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 31FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 37FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Catch Machop
Catch Machop in Mt. Mortar (walking, Lv 13-15, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 25FightingVital ThrowPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 31FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 37FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Machop to Machoke
Machop evolves into Machoke at Level 28. Your Machop should hit Level 28 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 28)
- LV 28FightingVital ThrowPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 32FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- LV 40FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Machoke to Machamp
Machoke evolves into Machamp when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Clair.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 34)
- LV 34FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- LV 34FightingVital ThrowPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 40FightingCross ChopPower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
How to Get Machop in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Machop is common across five locations, walking the grass and also offered in a Goldenrod trade where an NPC swaps one for your Drowzee. That deal is handy if you would rather not hunt the wild fighter down.
5 locations to catch Machop
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Machop in HGSS
Machop is the chain's first catch. You'll find walking and trade encounters from Lv. 12-45 across 34 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into MachokeRock Tunnel - 1FLv.14CaveRate 5%Safari Zone - WastelandLv.17FloorRate 10%MorningCliff Cave - 1FLv.22CaveRate 4%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.32CaveRate 30%or evolve from Machop (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into Machamp
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Machop.
How to Get Shiny Machop in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Machop trains in Rock Tunnel and Mt. Mortar, though a shiny hatches faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Machop odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Machop Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Machop.
Machop Weakness
Type-wise, Machop takes extra damage from Flying and Psychic. Its Fighting typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug, Rock, Dark |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Machop Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Machop
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Farfetch'd Normal | C | |
 Ninjask Bug | C | |
 Vespiquen Bug | C | |
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
 Fearow Normal | C | |
 Kadabra Psychic | A | |
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing | ||
 Murkrow Dark | C | |
 Mr. Mime Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Machop View Mr. Mime builds →Psybeam 2x109-128%KO Aerial Ace 2x30-36% | ||
Machop Evolutions
Machop is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Machoke first, then eventually reaches Machamp. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Machop easily with 39 breeding partners from the Human-Like egg group. Pass egg moves like Bullet Punch, Close Combat, Counter and 10 more to offspring.
HGSS Machop Best Moveset
80 Attack with AbilityNo Guard guaranteeing every attack connects, including the opponent's. Trades miss chance for perfect accuracy on both sides. 35 Speed goes last but guaranteed hits matter more here.
Best Build
Machop best EVs are Attack and HP
Physical Tank Moveset
- Payback
- Dynamic Punch
- Substitute
- Bulk Up
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Bullet Punch and Close Combat aren't available any other way for Machop, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Focus Punch and Focus Blast for solid options.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Always brimming with power, it passes time by lifting boulders. Doing so makes it even stronger.
It loves to work out and build its muscles. It is never satisfied, even if it trains hard all day long.
Machop HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Machop in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Machop in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Machop from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Machop easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Trade a Drowzee to a trainer in Goldenrod City. This is an NPC trade, so the Machop you receive is yours immediately, no transfer cable needed.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Machop does the job early-game if you need a Fighting type on your team. Evolve it into Machoke before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Machop has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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