What it does
Dynamic Punch is a high-power Fighting physical move with low accuracy. On hit, it always inflicts confusion: the confused target has a 50% chance to hurt itself before acting each turn, until confusion clears (roughly 33% per turn, or via switching/Lum Berry).
The accuracy problem divides the user pool entirely. A Pokemon with No Guard — which forces all moves to hit 100% of the time, for both the user and the target — turns Dynamic Punch into a guaranteed-hit, maximum-power, always-confuse combo. This is the textbook No Guard application. Without it, you're rolling an accuracy check every time.
In doubles, confusion is mostly a threat to the confused Pokemon itself — it only damages itself, not allied Pokemon. But a confused opponent still has a 50% chance to act normally each turn, so you can't treat confusion as a hard lock on their turn.
Who runs it
Machamp (63%) is the cleanest user. No Guard makes every use 100% accurate, removes all gambling from the equation, and the guaranteed confusion every hit means the opponent is spending roughly half of their turns hurting themselves. Machamp's Attack stat is sufficient to make the raw damage meaningful on top of the confusion effect. Against opponents without confusion cures, this becomes extremely difficult to play into.
Golurk (62%) runs it without No Guard, so the accuracy miss is real. The reason to run it anyway: when it hits, the combination of very high damage and mandatory confusion is one of the most impactful single-hit results available. Golurk uses it when it needs a big Fighting-type hit into a weak target, accepting the accuracy risk for the potential payoff.
How to use it
Machamp's core loop: Every hit confuses. The confused opponent spends about half their subsequent turns self-damaging instead of attacking you. Combine with a Protect turn to let confusion tick for extra value, then come back and hit again. Two to three turns of confusion from successive hits is a significant tempo advantage.
Golurk's high-risk play: Without No Guard, use Dynamic Punch selectively — on targets with Fighting weakness where the KO or confusion payoff is worth the accuracy risk. Don't build around landing it three times in a row; one miss disrupts the entire plan.
Doubles and confusion: A confused opponent hits itself rather than its allies, but it can still attack on the 50% turns it acts normally. Use the confusion window to enable your partner to deal free damage while the confused target is occupied with self-harm.
Tips & strategy
Confusion is pressure, not a lock: 50% self-hit chance means half the turns the confused Pokemon acts normally. Don't drop your guard assuming the opponent is helpless. Play as though they might act normally every turn — if they hurt themselves, great; if they don't, you weren't caught off-guard.
No Guard cuts both ways: With No Guard active, opponent moves also hit Machamp at 100% accuracy. Low-accuracy high-power moves that would normally miss — like Focus Blast — connect every time against Machamp. This is a real drawback that comes with the package.
Lum Berry negates the confusion: If the opponent holds Lum Berry, the confusion from Dynamic Punch clears immediately at end of turn. You get the damage but no confusion control. Against known Lum Berry users, either knock it off first or don't rely on the confusion to do work.