In-battle formes
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| HP: | 50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 105 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 79 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 76 |
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Strategies
- en
- NU
Overview
High Attack combined with a decent Speed stat, powerful STAB moves, and a respectable Special Defense stat makes Hitmonchan a solid offensive threat. Iron Fist powers up most almost all of Hitmonchan's common moves, particularly STAB Mach Punch, which hits most offensive Pokemon really hard. Another big thing that sets Hitmonchan apart from other Fighting-types in the tier is Rapid Spin, letting it provide great support to its team. Hitmonchan struggles with Ghost-types like Rotom and Gourgeist-XL, though, as it doesn't learn Knock Off to hit them super effectively, having to rely on Ice Punch or Stone Edge to hit them, while pretty much all of them outspeed Hitmonchan and can get a quick Will-O-Wisp off against it.
Physical Attacker
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Moves
Drain Punch is a great reliable STAB move, getting boosted by Iron Fist and recovering HP that Hitmonchan might've lost when switching in. Close Combat can be used over Drain Punch, as it offers more damage, being able to OHKO Skuntank and Ferroseed, but it doesn't recover HP and lowers both of Hitmonchan's defensive stats. Mach Punch is a great STAB priority move that can pick off weakened foes. Ice Punch and Stone Edge both provide solid coverage on lots of Pokemon that are normally able to switch in on Drain Punch, such as Mantine, Charizard, and Scyther. Stone Edge also hits Rotom and Mismagius for more damage than Ice Punch. Rapid Spin is what sets Hitmonchan apart from other Fighting-types in the tier, as it gets lots of opportunities to spin away entry hazards throughout the match.
Set Details
Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonchan to hit as hard as possible, while Drain Punch, Ice Punch, and Mach Punch are boosted further by Iron Fist. An Adamant nature is preferred over Jolly, as the important Pokemon Hitmonchan gets to outspeed with Jolly are limited to Shiftry and Kabutops, which faint to a Mach Punch anyway. Life Orb offers more damage on all of Hitmonchan's attacks at the cost of 10% of Hitmonchan's HP every time it uses one.
Usage Tips
Hitmonchan should be used to revenge kill powerful attackers like Barbaracle and Shiftry with Mach Punch. When predicting a switch to a defensive check that Hitmonchan can hit super effectively with a coverage move, the appropriate move can be used, but Rapid Spin should be prioritized most of the time depending on the situation. If there are no entry hazards on the field to spin away and there is a hard counter to Hitmonchan such as Weezing or Mesprit on the opposing team, there is no real reason to stay in and attack it for a pathetic amount of damage, so you're better off double switching in that scenario to keep up momentum.
Team Options
Hitmonchan is checked by most Psychic-types and Ghost-types such as Mesprit, Musharna, Mismagius, and Rotom, which makes Pursuit trappers such as Skuntank and Liepard great partners. In return, Hitmonchan is able to break past the likes of Steelix and Rhydon, both which easily switch into Skuntank and Liepard. Steelix is a good partner due to its ability to check Mega Audino and other Psychic-types, while providing Stealth Rock support. Pairing these two together comes at the cost of being vulnerable to Rotom, so make sure to pair the two with a solid check such as Magmortar, Pyroar, or Lanturn. Charizard, Scyther, and Archeops are good teammates for Hitmonchan too, as all of them greatly benefit from Hitmonchan's ability to spin away entry hazards and beat Steel- and Rock-types. Ice-types also benefit from Hitmonchan's hazard control, as well as it dealing with Steel-types and having good matchups versus most of the Fire-types in the tier.
Bulk Up
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Moves
Bulk Up allows Hitmonchan to break through its bulkier checks like Vileplume much more easily than with standard Life Orb sets. Drain Punch is used in combination with the Iron Fist boost in order to gain back HP after taking hits to set up. Close Combat is an option to hit a lot harder but also lowers defenses and causes Hitmonchan to be worn down a lot more easily. It allows Hitmonchan to also net KOs on Rhydon and Steelix when running a Jolly nature. Mach Punch is also boosted by Iron Fist and gives Hitmonchan a priority attack to hit faster threats like Tauros and Archeops. Ice Punch is the coverage of choice, as it hits common Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Vileplume and Xatu. Iron Fist-boosted Ice Punch also hits Fighting-resistant Pokemon a lot harder than coverage moves like Knock Off that are used by other Bulk Up sweepers like Gurdurr.
Set Details
The EVs are to maximize attacking capabilities, with maximum Speed investment used to outspeed Pokemon like Claydol, Pursuit Skuntank, and neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon like Samurott and Ludicolo. It also allows Hitmonchan to not have to rely on Mach Punch to revenge kill certain Pokemon, something that similar attackers like Gurdurr are forced to do. An Adamant nature can be used to guarantee the OHKO on threats like Vileplume and Archeops with Ice Punch and Mach Punch, respectively, after Stealth Rock. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Pokemon that aim to outpace Adamant Hitmonchan such as Xatu, which Hitmonchan can then proceed to OHKO with Ice Punch after a boost. Iron Fist gives a boost to all the punch-based attacks on the set. Life Orb is used to boost all the attacks on the set, and Drain Punch helps mitigate its recoil.
Usage Tips
Hitmonchan is able to force Pokemon like Steelix and Shiftry out quite easily, so it's able to set up Bulk Ups on them in order to break through whatever counter the opponent switches in, like Vileplume or Xatu. Hitmonchan is also able to bluff the Rapid Spin set quite often, so setting up on obvious switches to spinblockers like Gourgeist takes advantage of this well. It can also be played as a revenge killer early in the game, as Iron Fist-boosted Mach Punch is a great tool to revenge kill threats like Tauros and Pyroar. It's also smart to know what the checks to Hitmonchan are and strategically chip them throughout the game to get them in range of Hitmonchan's Mach Punch. This includes Pokemon like Garbodor and Clefairy that need to be chipped earlier in the game, as they are hard stops to this Hitmonchan set.
Team Options
As most of Hitmonchan's checks are Psychic- and Ghost-types like Mesprit, Xatu, and Mismagius, it's smart to pair it with a Pursuit trapper like Liepard or Skuntank. Pairing Hitmonchan with Volt Switch and U-turn users like Rotom and Mesprit allows you to chip at the opposing team in order to get them in range of Hitmonchan's attacks as well as getting it in safely. Choice Band Scyther also makes for a great partner, as it provides Pursuit support and is able to break down physical walls like Garbodor and Clefairy, while Hitmonchan switches in on Steel- and Rock-types through U-turn and forces them out. Rhydon and Steelix make for great partners, as they are able to check the numerous physical attackers like Scyther and Charizard that plague Hitmonchan prior to setting up; they also provide Stealth Rock for Hitmonchan to guarantee KOs on Pokemon like Vileplume and Archeops.
Assault Vest
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Moves
Drain Punch is a STAB move boosted by Iron Fist that provides Hitmonchan with semi-consistent recovery. Mach Punch is a strong priority move that helps support Hitmonchan's poor Speed by letting it revenge kill offensive threats such as Tauros and Shiftry. Ice Punch provides neutral coverage on Pokemon that resist Hitmonchan's STAB attacks and allows Hitmonchan to deter Ghost-types from blocking Rapid Spin. Another option is Stone Edge, which, in addition to dealing more damage to Ghost-types, hits several Flying-types that are neutral to Ice Punch super effectively, such as Charizard, Mantine, and Pelipper. It's also a non-contact move and therefore preserves Hitmonchan from Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage, although it loses coverage against Grass-types such as Vileplume and is less reliable overall due to its low accuracy. Rapid Spin constitutes much of Hitmonchan's value in NU, as its favorable matchup against many entry hazard setters gives it many opportunities to spin throughout the course of a battle.
Set Details
Iron Fist raises the Base Power of Hitmonchan's punch-based attacks. 48 EVs in Speed allow Hitmonchan to outpace Adamant Aggron; however, depending on how much bulk you desire or what threats you believe are worth outspeeding, the amount of Speed is highly customizable. Examples include running 96 EVs to Speed creep Adamant Torterra and Trevenant and 208 EVs to do the same for neutral-natured Samurott and Ludicolo. An Adamant nature along with maximum Attack investment gives Hitmonchan the greatest ability to pressure opposing teams, and the remaining EVs are dumped into HP to allow Hitmonchan to sponge hits as well as possible.
Usage Tips
With Assault Vest equipped and some HP investment, Hitmonchan can pivot into numerous special attackers in the tier, such as Magmortar and Swellow. Rapid Spin will often be the move of choice when entry hazards are up, but be wary of opposing spinblockers such as Rotom and Mismagius, which may require an Ice Punch or a double switch to a Pursuit trapper to take care of, as well as of chip damage from Rocky Helmet users such as Garbodor and Xatu. Although Hitmonchan's power is significantly decreased due to a lack of a power-boosting item, it is still adept at revenge killing weakened and frail attackers such as Pyroar and Jynx.
Team Options
As is the case with any spinner, but especially with a Fighting-type one, Pursuit support from the likes of Skuntank and Liepard is key for dealing with Ghost-type spinblockers such as Rotom and Psychic-type threats such as Mesprit and Xatu. Psychic-types such as the aforementioned Mesprit and Xatu can remove bothersome Poison-types such as Garbodor and Weezing which largely wall Hitmonchan and can even chip away at its health with Rocky Helmet, punishing it for spinning away entry hazards. Scyther, Charizard, and other Flying-types greatly benefit from Hitmonchan's ability to keep Stealth Rock off the field and pressure the Rock- and Steel-types that can easily thwart their sweeps. Due to the Special Defense boost from Assault Vest, Hitmonchan pairs well with frailer attackers such as Vivillon and Samurott which are forced out by strong special attackers like Swellow, Lilligant, and Aurorus.
Other Options
Thunder Punch and Earthquake can be used to hit different checks to Hitmonchan, although Earthquake has very specific Pokemon it aims to hit and leaves Hitmonchan completely countered by Ghost-types, as the relevant ones have access to Levitate. Foresight can be used over either Mach Punch or Ice Punch to catch Ghost-types on the switch in order to spin away entry hazards on them or hit them hard with Drain Punch. A Lum Berry works well with the move, as most Ghost-types will try to burn Hitmonchan as they get identified with Foresight, letting Hitmonchan OHKO both Mismagius and offensive Rotom. Fist Plate is an option to boost the power of Hitmonchan's Fighting-type moves without having to suffer Life Orb recoil, but Life Orb and Assault Vest have more consistent uses.
Checks and Counters
Ghost-types: Hitmonchan doesn't have a solid way to touch Ghost-types, and it risks getting spinblocked by them and getting crippled by Will-O-Wisp, which all of the relevant Ghost-types tend to run.
Bulky Psychic-types: Mesprit, Musharna, and Grumpig can easily take multiple hits from Hitmonchan and proceed to either set up on it or KO it with a STAB attack.
Fairy-types: Mega Audino and Clefairy can easily switch into Hitmonchan and can set up on it or pass Wish to teammates.
Poison-types: Garbodor and Weezing take very little damage from anything Hitmonchan throws at them, giving them a free turn to set up Toxic Spikes. Weezing can also cut Hitmonchan's attack with Will-O-Wisp. Garbodor also punishes Rapid Spin with Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage.
Fast Flying-types: Charizard and Scyther, while both can be lured by Stone Edge, are normally pretty safe switch-ins to Hitmonchan as long as Stealth Rock is not on the field. They can then proceed to OHKO Hitmonchan with Acrobatics or Aerial Ace, respectively.
