A Strategy Guide to Hackmons Cup

By platinumCheesecake. Released: 2019/02/09.

Introduction

Hackmons Cup has always been an interesting metagame. In the format, each player gets a team of six Pokémon with entirely random moves, abilities, EVs, IVs, natures, and items. There are no clauses to save you from strategies normally deemed uncompetitive, the most notable of which are Evasion and Sleep Clauses. Because of these features, Hackmons Cup plays similarly to Random Battles, but with higher variance and even more reliance on scouting. However, that is not to say the tier isn't skill based. For a metagame as random as Hackmons Cup, the same users still occupy the top ladder, often possessing GXE scores of 80% or more. While bad RNG certainly will account for the occasional losing streak, the vast majority of the time the more skilled Hackmons Cup player will win.

General Strategies

One of the things that will mark the difference between an average Hackmons Cup player and a great Hackmons Cup player will be in how they treat the Pokémon they're dealt. It is vitally important you play with what you get; don't label a Pokémon useless unless it has four actually useless moves. The only truly useless moves are 1-Base Power Z-Moves and moves exclusively meant for doubles. Even then, odds are you'll be able to utilize a use-impaired Pokémon for scouting and taking switches, so long as you're careful to not let foes set up on it. Suboptimal moves like Cotton Spore and Mud Sport might not ever be viable in traditional singles formats, but even they can aid a Hackmons Cup team in the right situation.

Probably the most important strategy to playing Hackmons Cup well is the art of scouting. As much as you can, aim to play safely with your switches. It's better to lose a weaker Pokémon than waste a more important member of your party on a wild guess. On the flipside, you also don't want to reveal what isn't necessary. If, for example, you have only shown Hurricane on your Roserade and you can KO the opponent with it, you can end up saving the Fire Pledge that it knows for a possible Steel-type switch-in.

Switching is a huge part of scouting, and an understanding of what switches mean will help you gauge what your opponent might be packing. There are two types of switches: offensive and defensive. Offensive switches occur when a player cannot deal enough damage, when they are being outhealed, or when they absolutely need to eliminate a high-profile threat. You should expect that if the opponent switches after their Pokémon is unable to effectively damage yours, their switch-in will likely have a strong, possibly super effective move. Defensive switches, on the other hand, occur when a player needs to tank a hit or when they need to save a useful Pokémon for later. These switches are often characterized by the player putting their opponent in a position where the moves they've revealed are less effective on the switch-in.

Obviously, unless you know all the opposing Pokémon's moves, you won't ever know for sure why they switched, but it's important to try to think about why they're making the moves they are. In fact, you might be able to determine what unrevealed moves an enemy does or doesn't have based on a given switch. If they switched out against a Pokémon before, odds are they'll do it again. If you need to make a blind switch, you can try and flip your thinking by asking yourself, "What moves won't my opponent be using?" For example, say you have a Tirtouga and you need to make a defensive switch. You can safely assume your opponent wouldn't be using a Fire-, Flying-, or Poison-type move, so your Breloom is probably a fairly safe option. Even with that, you should still prioritize making low-risk switches and consider the relative value of your Pokémon when you're unsure of what your opponent can do.

Another point to note is the importance of residual damage and status. From my experience, most Pokémon on average are downed in three to five hits, so almost any form of residual damage will be helpful in turning those 5HKOs into 4HKOs. Status is obviously powerful in this metagame (no Sleep Clause!), but I want to specifically call out how powerful regular old poison is in Hackmons Cup because of its ability to shave down those turns. I'd actually argue poison is often better than paralysis because of how rare recovery is; even Twineedle and Smog are surprisingly viable moves because of their high chances to poison. As one final point on residual damage, you should always treat your entry hazard setters like the wincons they are by refraining from wildly switching them in or having them take unnecessary damage before they can set up their hazards. And if your opponent starts laying up hazards of their own, moves like Mimic, Sketch, and Copycat might be able to even things up for you.

The last big, obvious strategy I have to share is to know what everything does. The command /dt is your friend, and you should use it. Hackmons Cup involves lots of moves, items, and interactions that don't usually see play, so you need to be aware of what's going on at all times. Even the small details matter, too. Watch for abilities that activate at the beginning of turns, Leftovers recovery, and abnormal type effectiveness (-ate abilities, Normalize, Liquid Voice, etc.).

Threats and Wincons

In most metagames, games are often decided on saving "wincons." A wincon is normally defined as a Pokémon whose objective is to win the match; however, since Pokémon are not as powerful in Hackmons Cup as they are in Random Battles, "winning the match" can be a bit different in scope than in other randomized metagames. A wincon might just be a Pokémon that can get two clean KOs before going down itself. You should always take note of potential wincons when you scan your team.

Watch out for Pokémon on both teams that carry these features:

Pokémon
- Fast, strong Pokémon with good offensive moves, setup moves, or strong STAB moves that can sweep or break past the opposing team
- Bulky Pokémon with reliable recovery;
- Pokémon with naturally high stats, especially stoneless Mega Evolutions
- High-level Pokémon with OHKO moves
- Pokémon with useful synergies—any move, ability, or item combo that works to your advantage (e.g., Flame Orb on a Guts user, a Drizzle Pokémon with Muddy Water, or that Aerilate Boomburst Tornadus I got one time).
Moves
- S tier moves: Crystal-Free Z-Moves (notably Extreme Evoboost and Clangorous Soulblaze), Spore, Strength Sap, Toxic Spikes
- A tier moves: Chatter, Diamond Storm, Oblivion Wing, Parting Shot, Revelation Dance, Spectral Thief, cleric support, good setup moves, hazard removal, other hazards, protect moves, recovery.
Abilities: Fluffy, Fur Coat, Huge Power, Pure Power, Moody, Wonder Guard, trapping abilities.

Wonder Guard is especially notable in Hackmons Cup, as it will almost always dictate the flow of the battle in games where it is present. It's not something you can really plan for, so you must be always on guard. If you have a Pokémon with Wonder Guard, you should carefully consider whether you want to send it out early-game or save it until the very end. Using it early means that with careful scouting, you gain a huge momentum advantage so long as you don't get punished. Using it at the end has the potential to straight up win you the game, but it means you'd be at a disadvantage until this point, as you'd only have five Pokémon to work with. I usually make this decision based on how good the Pokémon's defensive typing is. I'd probably use a Wonder Guard Yanmega throughout the game, but I'd almost surely save a Wonder Guard Voltorb until the end. If you find yourself against a Wonder Guard Pokémon, there might not be much you can do. Always double-check your team for any possible avenues before you immediately give up. Hopefully you have a super effective move remaining (preferably multiple, even better if not revealed yet), and if you don't, your next best bet is to bank on racking up residual damage. Unless you have three or more Pokémon that can handle the Wonder Guard user, my best recommendation is to be risky with your switches; a well-played Wonder Guard Pokémon puts tremendous pressure on the opponent even in the best of circumstances. Above all, though, don't give up until your last option is truly exhausted.

What is a good stat?

In addition to knowing abilities and moves, your Pokémon's statistics provide valuable information when assessing your team. Because natures, EVs, and IVs are randomized, you can never count on Pokémon to perform the roles you're accustomed to. Since Hackmons Cup scales levels based on Base Stat Totals, some low-BST Pokémon with most of their Base Stats concentrated in Speed and an attacking stat (like Doduo and Abra) will have very high stats that allow them to be powerful threats.

Speed stats are just as crucial as always. Get in the habit of hovering your mouse over enemy Speed stats, and know how your Speed values match up based on mid-match observations. If your 96 Speed Aggron just outsped a Linoone, it's safe to assume the Linoone has an item or ability that makes it move last or halves its Speed.

Knowing all of your stats is a critical step in excelling in Hackmons Cup. With enough practice, it's even possible to spot a suspiciously low damage roll and begin to theorize a possible foe's stat-affecting ability. Because most Pokémon can tank a few hits on average anyway, Pokémon with high attacking stats are generally valued more than Pokémon with high defensive stats. For now, here's a brief cheat sheet on how I typically value stats, excluding HP.

100 and below: Bad.

You shouldn't rely on raw stats below 100 to do much of anything. A strong super effective move off of a raw 100 stat might deal 40% to most Pokémon if you're lucky. Having below 100 in a defensive stat typically signifies a high likelihood of getting 2HKOed by just about anything decent.

100-140: Subpar

Maybe with the right synergy these could be good, but they're still below average.

140-160: Usable

These are solid stats you should feel comfortable relying on.

160-200: Good

These stats will let you hit fairly hard and tank reasonably well.

200+: Stellar

200 is the benchmark about 1 in 3 Pokémon meet in an attacking stat. Attacking stats above 220 are rare, and Pokémon with them should be treated as wincons if they possess adequate moves. You can feel very comfortable switching into Pokémon with 200+ defensive stats, and such Pokémon can be wincons themselves if they possess reliable recovery.

The First Turn

Before you do anything else in a Hackmons Cup game, you absolutely have to scan your team. Right from the first turn, you should be thinking about your strategy. Take note of any possible wincons, threats, and synergies, and pay attention to your abilities, items, and stats. Then, you should ask yourself questions about your lead's potential value in relation to your opponent's lead. Consider if it is better to switch to save a potentially useful Pokémon for later, or if it is better to attack their Pokémon instead. Ask yourself how confident you feel about winning against the enemy lead. How useful might it be to eliminate their lead based on their typing and rough stats, even if your own Pokémon may be damaged in the process? Be sure in scanning your team to note what types are difficult for you to hit and plan accordingly.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Hackmons Cup is a fun, if not hectic metagame with a surprising breadth of skill behind it, and enough RNG to keep it always fresh and interesting. There are many unique interactions you'll never see in a standard metagame that are a part of what makes Hackmons Cup as fun as it is. I hope I've motivated some of you to give this unique metagame a chance.

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