Oglemi
Borf
http://www.smogon.com/rs/pokemon/hitmonchan
[Overview]
Say hello to what is possibly the most dangerous Pokemon in NU. This dominance is thanks to a lot of factors: a fantastic offensive and defensive typing, great stats, an almost perfect movepool that includes Mach Punch, which is probably the best priority move in a metagame sorely lacking in them, and a huge amount of viable sets, making Hitmonchan pretty unpredictable. Along with all of its amazing qualities, Hitmonchan is also about the only viable Fighting-type available in NU apart from Machoke, giving it a place on every offensive team to crush the common Normal-, Rock-, and Steel-types of the tier. With practically unique access to Rapid Spin, Hitmonchan is a staple on stall and defensive teams as well. Hitmonchan is the reason Sableye and Chimecho are as important and good as they are in the tier, despite Hitmonchan having ways to bypass them and every other counter to it. Prepare well for Hitmonchan, and consider it on every team you make; your teams will likely be made better with its addition.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sky Uppercut / Brick Break
move 2: Hidden Power Ghost
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Mach Punch / Rock Slide
item: Choice Band
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This is Hitmonchan's flagship set and one of the most dangerous sets in the tier, with devastating power, speed, and coverage immediately upon entering the field. STAB Fighting-type attacks destroy a huge portion of the tier, and Sky Uppercut is a powerful and reliable attack to batter opposing Pokemon with, especially when backed by the power boost of a Choice Band. Brick Break is a bit weaker, but is 100% accurate and comes with the added benefit of breaking Reflect, which is an otherwise reliable way to soften Hitmonchan's blows. Hidden Power Ghost and Earthquake give Hitmonchan almost perfect coverage alongside its Fighting-type STAB move, with the former destroying Haunter and Chimecho, otherwise good switch-ins, and the latter taking out Swalot and Arbok as well as being Hitmonchan's strongest option against Sableye. The last moveslot is up to how you want Hitmonchan to operate on your team. Mach Punch makes Hitmonchan a safety net option against dangerous late-game sweepers like SubSalac Flail Kingler, Dragon Dance Pupitar, and Choice Band Raticate. Alternatively, Rock Slide completes Hitmonchan's stellar coverage and makes it extremely difficult to switch into safely for defensive teams, eliminating Flying-types like Golbat, Pelipper, and Tropius and Bug-types like Venomoth as decent switch-ins.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
A Jolly nature is needed to let Hitmonchan Speed tie with other Hitmonchan and ensure it outspeeds Kingler and maximum Speed base 65s, instead of just tying with them as it would with Adamant. Hidden Power Bug can be used to hit both Chimecho and Tangela in one slot, but Haunter is far more dangerous to teams than Tangela if it gets in for free, making Hidden Power Ghost the overall better option. Focus Punch can be used in the last slot if you think you can predict well; the power of a STAB Choice Band-boosted Focus Punch is almost unreal, blasting through neutral targets like Bellossom and 2HKOing bulky targets that Sky Uppercut only 3HKOes such as Wailord. Focus Punch's power is so great, a super effective Hidden Power Ghost only does about 10% more against targets that resist Focus Punch like Chimecho.
There are only a few Pokemon that can take on this set without much trouble. Physically defensive Sableye is the most pressing concern for anybody using this set, as it is only 3HKOed by Earthquake and can heal off the damage with Recover. Pairing Hitmonchan with a strong special attacker that can blow past Sableye like Seadra or using a teammate that can hit it with Toxic will allow Hitmonchan to eventually break through it. Spikes will also go a long way in allowing Hitmonchan to punch through Sableye and other defensive threats like Swalot, meaning Roselia and Glalie are classic teammates. Any Pokemon that resist Fighting are roadblocks to Choice Band Hitmonchan, as they prevent it from using its powerful STAB moves. Dark-types like Cacturne and special walls like Kecleon can eliminate Fighting-resistant threats like Chimecho and Haunter, and Electric-types like Plusle can remove Pelipper and other Flying-types from the picture. Hitmonchan is rather easy to revenge kill with faster offensive Pokemon like Pidgeot and Murkrow, meaning Mawile is a great teammate; Mawile also comes with the benefit of being able to Baton Pass Substitutes and Swords Dance boosts to Hitmonchan. Keep in mind, though, that the goal is not to necessarily sweep with this Hitmonchan set—it works best as a wallbreaker and safety net. This set should be paired with a dedicated late-game sweeper, such as Dragon Dance Pupitar, SubSalac Flail Vigoroth, or Rain Dance Huntail, to clean up the opponent's team.
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Sky Uppercut / Brick Break
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Earthquake / Mach Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With Bulk Up, Hitmonchan turns into more of a tank, letting it blow through the Pokemon it's meant to take out and keep on chugging. Being able to switch moves is a big selling point in running Bulk Up over Choice Band, as is the added recovery from Leftovers to deal with Spikes and the greater number of hits Hitmonchan is able to take. Sky Uppercut and Hidden Power Ghost give Hitmonchan great two-move coverage, hitting everything in the tier for sufficient damage once Hitmonchan has enough boosts under its belt. Earthquake prevents Arbok and Swalot from stopping Hitmonchan's sweep, but Mach Punch can be used to pick off weakened attackers like Raticate, Glalie, and Murkrow. The choice comes down to your team. Earthquake makes Hitmonchan more of a wallbreaker and stallbreaker, while Mach Punch makes Hitmonchan a better cleaner and safety net.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
A bulkier EV spread like 196 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to make better use of the Defense boosts from Bulk Up, while still outspeeding maximum Speed Jolly Pupitar. This spread features more Attack than the listed spread thanks to the Adamant nature beefing up Mach Punch and effectively making up for the Speed lost. Specially defensive spreads, with varying degrees of defensive investment are also usable, but having immediate Speed and power is what generally makes Hitmonchan so dangerous. Rock Slide can be used in the last slot depending on the needs of your team, in particular giving Hitmonchan super effective coverage on Golbat and Pelipper. Substitute is an option that allows Hitmonchan to better sweep the opponent's team end-game by protecting it from revenge kills from the likes of Flying-types and Chimecho as well as status from Sableye.
This set fits best on balance teams that need a way to stallbreak, dismantle common defensive cores, and prevent Sableye and Chimecho from being consistent, reliable answers to Hitmonchan. A big perk to using this set over others is that it's harder for physical threats like Pidgeot and Raticate to revenge kill it, although they still pose a threat should Hitmonchan be sufficiently weakened. Haunter in particular is still a major threat to the success of this set, making generally defensive teammates that can keep offensive pressure up ideal to pair with Hitmonchan; options include Kecleon, Relicanth, and Tangela. This set is stopped cold by Swalot if lacking Earthquake or Substitute, making Chimecho a good partner to take it out; Chimecho can also heal status with Heal Bell.
[SET]
name: Bulky Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Sky Uppercut / Brick Break
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Toxic / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Hitmonchan is one of the few Pokemon with access to Rapid Spin in the tier, and it's far and away the most usable, meaning it has a major niche apart from being a super strong Fighting-type. Hitmonchan also has a pretty easy time spinning when needed, as Haunter, Sableye, and Shedinja are the tier's only spinblockers, and only Sableye can repeatedly switch into Hitmonchan without much worry. Hitmonchan also destroys two of the major Spikers in the tier in Cacturne and Glalie and deals a good number on the third, Roselia. All of this makes Hitmonchan a staple on defensive teams, allowing common grounded stall Pokemon like Roselia, Sableye, Flareon, and Relicanth to thrive.
A bulky EV spread allows Hitmonchan to more easily come in throughout the game and spin when needed and retains its strength on the battlefield with maximum Attack investment. The moveset is designed to allow Hitmonchan to spin as reliably as possible, with Toxic making an appearance here in the last slot to cripple Sableye and eventually let Hitmonchan win the spin war against it. If you're not concerned by that, Earthquake gives Hitmonchan as much coverage as possible with its other moves, allowing it to get a spin off by forcing switches, if the opponent lacks Sableye that is.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
The EV spread has enough Speed to outrun Jolly Pupitar before a Dragon Dance, with the rest of the EVs invested in Attack and HP. Mach Punch can be used in the last slot to make Hitmonchan more of a safety net for the slower, defensive teams it'll likely be featured on, letting it check faster threats that can give defensive teams some trouble like Vigoroth and Raticate.
Because this set is slower than other Hitmonchan variants, there are a number of Pokemon that can outspeed it and deal a huge amount of damage. This includes dangerous Choice Band attackers like Flareon and Kingler, which can blow right through Hitmonchan's increased bulk with Double-Edge for a near OHKO. With this in mind, this set requires a sturdy backbone to allow it to switch in and out; thankfully, this set fits best on teams that feature such backbones. Relicanth, Mawile, Metang, and Sudowoodo make great physically defensive Pokemon to pair with Hitmonchan. This set has a tougher time with Chimecho than most of its other sets, even with Hidden Power Ghost to beat it back, making a specially defensive teammate to take it down, like Kecleon, a good partner.
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Mach Punch / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Hitmonchan's Focus Punch is one of the strongest unboosted attacks in the tier and absolutely devastates even those Pokemon that resist it, exposing even the most physically defensive versions of Chimecho to a 2HKO from Focus Punch followed by Hidden Power Ghost. Substitute pairs perfectly with Focus Punch, as it protects Hitmonchan from status and revenge kills and allows Hitmonchan to fire off a Focus Punch guaranteed. The last slot is flexible, with Mach Punch picking off most Pokemon that can break Hitmonchan's Substitute and survive a Focus Punch such as Pidgeot. Earthquake is also usable to muscle through the Poison-types that can comfortably tank Focus Punch and Hidden Power Ghost like Swalot and Arbok and is Hitmonchan's best weapon against Sableye apart from Toxic.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
The EV spread given makes Hitmonchan as specially bulky as possible while keeping a decent amount of power behind its attacks, in particular allowing its Substitute to survive Giga Drain from 0 SpA Roselia and Surf from 0 SpA Dewgong. If you feel you don't need these benchmarks and want Hitmonchan to hit as hard as possible, a simple 252 Atk / 252 Spe spread is perfectly doable and lets Hitmonchan gain a guaranteed OHKO on 0 HP Pidgeot. This set can be combined with a Liechi or Salac Berry over Leftovers to allow Hitmonchan to sweep in the late-game. If you go this route, it's recommended to place Sky Uppercut in the last slot to give Hitmonchan a STAB move should it be unable to keep its Substitute up. Rock Slide can be used in the last slot, as Hitmonchan tends to lure in Golbat and this set is apt at taking it out along with Pelipper and Venomoth. Finally, Toxic is another option for the last slot as Hitmonchan's best move for Sableye and can allow Hitmonchan to stall for extra chip damage on foes should the need arise.
Sableye and physically defensive Chimecho pose a huge barrier to the success of this set, making a very strong special attacker to break through these threats a good teammate. Cacturne in particular can set up Spikes against Sableye to weaken Hitmonchan's other checks and threatens Chimecho out with a STAB Hidden Power Dark. Wish Flareon makes a great partner to this set as well to help recover off the damage Hitmonchan will take from setting up Substitute and to obliterate Sableye with STAB Fire Blast. This set works well as a lure to weaken the opponent's physically defensive Pokemon, opening the door for a late-game sweeper like Kingler or Pupitar to clean up after Hitmonchan throws around a few Focus Punches.
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Sky Uppercut / Brick Break
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Rock Slide / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set is pretty unorthodox but can work wonders against frailer, offensive teams should Hitmonchan get a turn to set up. The goal with this set is to set up Agility late-game on a Pokemon Hitmonchan forces out, like Flareon or Kecleon, and proceed to sweep the opponent's team because nothing is able to outspeed it. This set completely turns the tide against otherwise safe checks and revenge killers like Raticate and Haunter, as they are outsped and OHKOed by a boosted Hitmonchan. Sky Uppercut and Hidden Power Ghost give Hitmonchan the coverage it needs to successfully sweep, with the last slot taking out key threats to the success of this set. Rock Slide is recommended here to get as strong a hit on targets like Pidgeot, Golbat, and Venomoth as possible and make use of the possible flinch chance should it come down to it. Earthquake is a strong option as well to make sure Arbok and Swalot cannot stop Hitmonchan's sweep, and it is Hitmonchan's best way to break through Sableye.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
With the given spread, Hitmonchan is as strong as possible while outspeeding literally everything else in the tier after Agility, even vastly outpacing maximum Speed Tangela in the sun. Due to this, you can drop Hitmonchan's Speed investment down a bit and pump some of those EVs into HP to protect Hitmonchan a bit from foes' priority moves, but outspeeding as much as possible before a boost may be more beneficial to the success of this set.
This set should function almost solely as a sweeper, meaning it's going to need teammates to break walls and generally weaken the opponent's team enough to allow it to sweep. In particular, Sableye needs to be removed or weakened sufficiently before Hitmonchan sets up, as it'll otherwise wall Hitmonchan to oblivion. Spikes is the best way to whittle down Sableye down, along with a few of Hitmonchan's other checks, making Glalie and Roselia ideal teammates. Strong special wallbreakers should be next on the list of Hitmonchan's teammates to force the opponent's hand and hopefully get them to sacrifice Sableye or other physically defensive Pokemon. Seadra, Flareon, and Huntail are particularly adept at eliminating Sableye and other Hitmonchan checks from the picture. Alternatively, pairing Hitmonchan with a physically attacking lure to take out Sableye is also doable. Machoke can lure Sableye in and nail it with Toxic, effectively removing its long-term capability to wall both Machoke and Hitmonchan. Other physical attackers like Raticate can punch a hole deep enough into Sableye and Chimecho to allow Hitmonchan to clean up later with Earthquake and Hidden Power Ghost.
[Other Options]
While there aren't a lot of other sets that Hitmonchan can viably run outside of the ones listed above, it does have a lot of alternate move options that haven't been mentioned in much detail. In particular, Focus Punch can be run on any of the sets mentioned above in place of Hitmonchan's STAB attacks or other moves. It's just generally not recommended, as Sky Uppercut is sufficiently powerful enough for most sets and Focus Punch requires precision prediction that is tough to accomplish without the help of Substitute. Liechi or Salac Berry can be run on any set mentioned above as well to give Hitmonchan a bit more oomph in the late-game that it otherwise wouldn't have. Counter is an interesting and potentially useful option to run with a bit of defensive investment, as most offensive teams' answer to Hitmonchan is to revenge kill it with something like Pidgeot; with some defensive investment, Hitmonchan can theoretically tank the hit and eliminate Pidgeot from the picture in one move, a feat that it otherwise would not be able to accomplish. Revenge is an alternative STAB option on any set not running maximum Speed, as the doubled power if Hitmonchan moves second can definitely be worth it. Hidden Power Bug is available for Hitmonchan to get a strong hit on Tangela and Chimecho, but its effective coverage ends there. A ChestoRest set is doable, giving Hitmonchan some much-needed longevity on its bulkier sets, but Rest costs a moveslot that Hitmonchan typically needs. Finally, Thief is an option over Toxic wherever it's mentioned above as a way to cripple Sableye and other defensive Pokemon like Wailord.
[Checks and Counters]
Thanks to being immune to Hitmonchan's STAB moves and taking neutral damage from the rest of Hitmonchan's coverage options, Sableye is Hitmonchan counter numero uno. With maximum Defense, it avoids a 2HKO from Choice Band-boosted Earthquake and can Recover off any damage Hitmonchan throws at it apart from Toxic. Maximum Defense Chimecho is the next best answer to any Hitmonchan, as it is only just 2HKOed by Choice Band-boosted Hidden Power Ghost, which is relatively easy to pivot out of should Chimecho take the hit, and can set up Reflect on Hitmonchan to soften its other blows. Haunter needs to avoid Hidden Power Ghost at all costs, but it is typically immune to the other three of four moves most Hitmonchan carry, allowing it to easily pick Hitmonchan off with Psychic. Golbat, Pelipper, and Tropius are generally good switch-ins as well, as they only need to fear the uncommon Rock Slide and can eliminate Hitmonchan with Hidden Power Flying. Swalot and Arbok are good initial switch-ins to Hitmonchan but need to be wary of straying into an Earthquake. Venomoth is practically immune to Fighting, only really fears Rock Slide, and can put Hitmonchan to sleep with Sleep Powder. Defensive Tangela takes 40% at most from Choice Band Hitmonchan's Sky Uppercut, allowing it to stall Hitmonchan out with Leech Seed and Morning Sun. Finally, Hitmonchan is rather easy to revenge kill with faster physical attackers, particularly Murkrow, Pidgeot, Vigoroth, and Raticate, as long as they avoid Mach Punch.
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