Hoopa-U takes advantage of its staggering mixed attacking stats, coverage options, and STAB Knock Off and Psychic Noise to become a solid stallbreaker in the metagame. Simultaneously, the Assault Vest and physical bulk investment slightly improve its matchup against offensive teams, capable of trading hits decently well; in particular, Assault Vest magnifies Hoopa-U's natural special bulk to soft check common threats like Gholdengo, Darkrai, Kyurem, and Raging Bolt. Knock Off can remove valuable items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from foes like Ting-Lu and Alomomola, while Psychic Noise can shut down the recovery of Gliscor and Clefable, with an even wider range of Pokemon falling victim to both moves, including common defensive staples like Garganacl, Moltres, Clodsire, and Dondozo. Psychic Noise has the added benefit of stopping Hatterene and Primarina's Draining Kiss, letting Hoopa-U potentially win the one-on-one. Aside from providing Hoopa-U with decent longevity, Drain Punch reliably hits Dark-types like Ting-Lu, Darkrai, and Kingambit as well as common Tera Dark users like Clodsire, which can attempt to heal in the face of Hoopa-U's Psychic Noise. Thunderbolt immediately nails physically defensive Water- and Flying-types like Alomomola, Dondozo, Moltres, and Corviknight. On top of working well with Tera Poison, Gunk Shot is another option to threaten common Fairy-types and Tera Fairy users like Primarina, Hatterene, Clefable, Raging Bolt, and Gholdengo while netting the OHKO against Ogerpon-W; the poison chance is also handy against foes like Ting-Lu. The Special Attack EVs allow Hoopa-U to OHKO Keldeo with Psychic Noise, with the remaining Defense EVs letting it reach benchmarks such as surviving Ogerpon-W's Power Whip after Stealth Rock, +1 Tera Normal Dragonite's Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock, and +1 Speed Booster Energy Great Tusk's Headlong Rush. Tera Fairy provides a generally valuable defensive typing against the metagame's Dragon- and Dark-types like Dragapult, Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Weavile, while Tera Poison flips its Fairy weakness from foes like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Primarina. Both Tera types provide a crucial U-turn resistance against pivots like Landorus-T, Dragapult, Cinderace, and Rillaboom as well as letting it stomach otherwise fearsome Fighting-type attacks from Zamazenta and physical Iron Valiant.

Hoopa-U works well on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its role compression as a strong stallbreaker and special tank. Defensive pivots like Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, Corviknight, Zapdos, and Moltres are necessary teammates; aside from bringing Hoopa-U into the field safely, they can deal with and switch into troublesome offensive threats that can overrun Hoopa-U, such as Enamorus, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile. Moreover, Moltres, Zapdos, and Corviknight can punish otherwise no-drawback U-turns aimed at Hoopa-U from foes like Rillaboom, Landorus-T, and Ogerpon-W with Flame Body, Static, and Rocky Helmet, while Alomomola provides crucial Wish support for Hoopa-U. The aforementioned Corviknight as well as other entry hazard control options like Great Tusk and Cinderace also keep Hoopa-U healthy by removing troublesome hazards. The team's own entry hazards from setters like Garganacl, Gliscor, and Clefable are similarly important, as they take advantage of the switches that Hoopa-U forces and further exacerbates its ability to suffocate defensive teams, especially because it makes Heavy-Duty Boots users like Alomomola and Moltres vulnerable to them with Knock Off. Landorus-T is a phenomenal partner on bulky offense teams that similarly covers all of the aforementioned traits; it brings Hoopa-U in safely via U-turn, sets Stealth Rock, and switches into physical attackers like Great Tusk, Cinderace, and opposing Landorus-T. Other wallbreakers like Gholdengo and Raging Bolt can further pressure the opposition together with Hoopa-U, with Gholdengo also capable of defensively covering for its weaknesses against Iron Valiant. Hoopa-U works well with late-game cleaners like Zamazenta that appreciate its positive matchup against bulky teams that they tend to struggle with; in particular, Hoopa-U's ability to either threaten or overwhelm the likes of Dondozo, Moltres, and Clefable makes it take over games more easily. Furthermore, it also complements Hoopa-U by excelling against offensive teams that Hoopa-U has a harder time keeping up with, either offensively threatening or defensively handling foes like Kingambit and Weavile. Other offensive threats like Dragapult are great teammates too, with it in particular capable of bringing Hoopa-U on the field safely via U-turn and crippling foes like Kingambit with status to improve Hoopa-U's matchup against them.