[OVERVIEW]
Hawlucha is one of the tier's deadliest sweepers thanks to its solid offensive STAB combination, high Speed, Swords Dance, and an incredible ability in Unburden. With the combination of a terrain seed and the Unburden ability, Hawlucha outspeeds many faster foes, ranging from Mega Alakazam, +2 Shift Gear Magearna, and Mega Swampert under the rain to Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Greninja. Hawlucha often finds setup opportunities against common Pokemon that it forces out, such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, defensive and Choice Scarf variants of Landorus-T, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha also has the benefit of being a setup sweeper that isn't revenge killed by Ditto, as Ditto cannot copy the Speed boost from Unburden. However, Hawlucha is burdened with a below-average Attack stat, as it cannot OHKO targets like Tapu Lele, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T before a Swords Dance boost, and is unable to OHKO defensive staples like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini, and Clefable after a boost. Hawlucha also struggles against Electric-types that resist both of its STAB options, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko. While Unburden is one of Hawlucha's greatest strengths, it is also one of its greatest weaknesses; once Hawlucha activates Unburden, it only has one shot at a sweep, and it is highly susceptible to being phazed by moves like Whirlwind from Skarmory. Lastly, Hawlucha is prone to being picked off by priority moves like Ice Shard from Weavile, Water Shuriken from Ash-Greninja, Quick Attack from Mega Pinsir, and Fake Out + Quick Attack from Mega Lopunny, especially if Hawlucha does not carry Roost.
[SET]
name: Terrain Seed Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute / Roost
item: Electric Seed / Psychic Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Swords Dance turns Hawlucha into a dangerous late-game cleaner and is useful for forcing its way past defensive teams. Acrobatics and High Jump Kick complement each other beautifully; after a boost, Acrobatics threatens a wide range of neutral targets like Landorus-T, Gliscor, Toxapex, and Clefable, while High Jump Kick does the same against Flying-resistant targets like Magearna, Mega Mawile, and Rotom-W. Substitute eases prediction and protects Hawlucha from attempted status ailments like Toxic and Scald burns from Toxapex and Thunder Wave from Ferrothorn. Finally, Roost keeps Hawlucha healthy throughout the game, letting it defensively check the likes of Choice Scarf Kartana and non-Flyinium Z Landorus-T and continue threatening these Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The given Speed EVs allow Hawlucha to outrun Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, while the given HP and Special Defense investment let Hawlucha survive uninvested Clefable's Moonblast; if Hawlucha runs Psychic Seed, it can instead move the EVs from Special Defense to HP or Speed. The given terrain seeds should be used if Hawlucha is paired with the designated teammate, like Electric Seed for Tapu Koko and Psychic Seed for Tapu Lele. The Defense boost from Electric Seed is helpful for stomaching physical attacks like Landorus-T's Explosion, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed allows Hawlucha to take special attacks like Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken more easily. As for alternative EV spreads, Hawlucha can customize it to its team's desires; for example, it can drop its Speed EVs to 44 to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja after activating Unburden, allowing it to invest more EVs in bulk. Substitute variants with Electric Seed have the option to run 128 HP and 60 Special Defense EVs so that Toxapex's Scald doesn't break the Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Hawlucha is best utilized as a late-game cleaner and benefits from the removal of threats like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if Hawlucha is not running Stone Edge for Zapdos. Because Hawlucha has only one shot at a sweep, it is best to preserve its terrain seed until it is time to go all in, as Hawlucha cannot afford being phazed due to its lack of Speed before the Unburden boost to outpace fast offensive Pokemon. The Defense boost from Electric Seed lets Hawlucha find setup opportunities against physical attackers like Tapu Bulu and Choice-locked Pokemon like Kartana and Landorus-T, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed lets it do the same against Choice-locked Ash-Greninja and more easily beat Tapu Fini and Clefable. Hawlucha variants that run Substitute or Roost can also set up against passive Pokemon like Toxapex and defensive variants of Landorus-T; Hawlucha variants running Substitute can even use the move to punish the opponent attempting to sacrifice a weakened Pokemon and protect it from priority moves from Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, and Ash-Greninja, making it easier to secure a sweep. Since Landorus-T sometimes runs Flyinium Z to take Hawlucha out, it is a good idea to use Substitute to scout for variants that have this set. It is also important to keep in mind that Ferrothorn and Heatran sometimes run Protect to potentially bait Hawlucha into taking crash damage from High Jump Kick. Therefore, it is a good idea to scout for Protect against these Pokemon so that it can time use of High Jump Kick correctly, and Hawlucha can play mind games back by nabbing an extra Swords Dance boost, setting up Substitute, or using Roost to stay healthy.
Team Options
========
Hawlucha is a solid fit on hyper offense teams, which can give it the support it needs to clean up late-game. Tapu Koko is Hawlucha's best partner, as not only is it a mandatory partner for activating Electric Seed, but it can also bring Hawlucha in safely via Volt Switch or U-turn, allowing Hawlucha much easier opportunities to set up. In return, Hawlucha switches into Ground-type attacks aimed at Tapu Koko. Both Protean and Ash-Greninja are solid partners for Hawlucha, as they provide Spikes support, putting pressure on shared checks like Tapu Fini. Additionally, Protean Greninja baits in and annihilates bulky Fairy-types like Clefable with Gunk Shot and Magearna with Tectonic Rage, while Ash-Greninja pressures bulky Psychic-types like Slowbro and Cresselia. Hawlucha also benefits from strong wallbreakers like Kyurem-B and Mega Mawile smashing through defensive targets like Toxapex, Magearna, Celesteela, and Skarmory to open the path for Hawlucha to clean up. Magearna forms a strong partnership with Hawlucha, covering Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Lele; pivot variants provide a free entry with Volt Switch, while Calm Mind variants break down opposing teams for Hawlucha to clean up later in the game. Hawlucha forms a strong core with a Dragon Dance sweeper like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados, both of which benefit from Hawlucha taking care of Grass-types like Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha especially appreciates Mega Tyranitar dispatching Zapdos, which gives Hawlucha major trouble. Volcarona benefits from Hawlucha handling Mega Tyranitar and Chansey, and in return, Volcarona takes on bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types like Slowbro, Cresselia, and Clefable. Tapu Lele is a mandatory partner for Hawlucha variants that carry Psychic Seed; it and Mega Alakazam both serve as strong early-game wallbreakers to put shared answers like Cresselia and Magearna out of commission, as well as bust past Zapdos, directly enabling Hawlucha to finish the game. Despite adding up on the Fairy weakness, Mega Medicham and Kommo-o are solid partners, as they can pressure and weaken shared Fairy-type checks like Clefable and Tapu Fini.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diyusi.519886/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Stone Edge is useful for breaking past Zapdos, which otherwise poses a huge problem for Hawlucha. Taunt is an option for Hawlucha to prevent Toxapex from removing its boosts with Haze and stop Skarmory from attempting to phaze it with Whirlwind. However, this does make Hawlucha vulnerable to being burned by Toxapex's Scald. Encore disrupts Protect users like Celesteela and thwarts recovery attempts from Cresselia, turning them into setup fodder and forcing them to switch out. Drain Punch provides Hawlucha with a more accurate Fighting-type STAB move, allows it to keep itself healthy, and takes away the burden of playing mind games against Protect variants of Ferrothorn and Heatran. However, it is much less powerful than High Jump Kick, making it easier for a healthy Magearna to slug Hawlucha out. Poison Jab provides a way for Hawlucha to bait in and eliminate Tapu Koko, but it serves no other purpose besides that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T resist both of Hawlucha's STAB options and fire back with their super effective moves. Between these three Pokemon, Zapdos is perhaps Hawlucha's worst nightmare because it also heals off any damage taken with Roost, and threatens paralysis from Static. Zapdos and Thundurus-T have to be wary of Stone Edge, however. Rotom-W survives Hawlucha's unboosted High Jump Kick and can threaten either a burn with Will-O-Wisp or a KO with its super effective STAB moves.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Fini are bulky enough to survive +2 Acrobatics and threaten Hawlucha back with their super effective STAB moves. Hawlucha must also be wary of Unaware variants of Clefable, as they ignore Hawlucha's Attack boosts and threaten it back in return. Defensive variants of Magearna often invest in enough bulk to survive +2 High Jump Kick and retaliate either with Fleur Cannon or a coverage move like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt; however, Magearna needs to stay healthy to slug it out, lest it be picked off.
**Bulky Psychic-types**: Bulky Psychic-types like Cresselia, Slowbro, and Reuniclus survive Hawlucha's boosted Acrobatics and threaten it in return with super effective damage. Future Sight variants of Cresselia and Slowbro can also pressure Hawlucha variants that run Substitute, forcing it into an uncomfortable position. Additionally, Slowbro can either burn Hawlucha with Scald or cripple it with Toxic, putting it on a timer.
**Priority Users**: Priority moves like Water Shuriken, Quick Attack, and Ice Shard — courtesy of Ash-Greninja, Mega Pinsir, and Weavile — can pick off Hawlucha after taking prior chip damage. However, none of these users can come in safely; plus, the Special Defense and Defense boost, depending on the Terrain Seed that Hawlucha used, weakens the amount of damage that it takes from these moves. Mega Scizor deserves a mention, as not only is it bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB moves, but it can also threaten Hawlucha back in return with a Swords Dance-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Phazing**: Skarmory and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB options and can phaze Hawlucha with Whirlwind. Because Hawlucha has only one chance to sweep, it cannot afford to be phazed, as it will lose the Speed boost from Unburden.
**Contact Effects**: As Hawlucha is forced to rely on contact moves to threaten the opposing team, it is susceptible to chip damage from Pokemon like Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Rocky Helmet users like Tornadus-T and Skarmory. Additionally, Pokemon that have abilities that punish contact moves with status ailments like Static from Zapdos can potentially cripple Hawlucha, making it much easier to deal with.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diyusi.519886/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Hawlucha is one of the tier's deadliest sweepers thanks to its solid offensive STAB combination, high Speed, Swords Dance, and an incredible ability in Unburden. With the combination of a terrain seed and the Unburden ability, Hawlucha outspeeds many faster foes, ranging from Mega Alakazam, +2 Shift Gear Magearna, and Mega Swampert under the rain to Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Greninja. Hawlucha often finds setup opportunities against common Pokemon that it forces out, such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, defensive and Choice Scarf variants of Landorus-T, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha also has the benefit of being a setup sweeper that isn't revenge killed by Ditto, as Ditto cannot copy the Speed boost from Unburden. However, Hawlucha is burdened with a below-average Attack stat, as it cannot OHKO targets like Tapu Lele, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T before a Swords Dance boost, and is unable to OHKO defensive staples like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini, and Clefable after a boost. Hawlucha also struggles against Electric-types that resist both of its STAB options, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko. While Unburden is one of Hawlucha's greatest strengths, it is also one of its greatest weaknesses; once Hawlucha activates Unburden, it only has one shot at a sweep, and it is highly susceptible to being phazed by moves like Whirlwind from Skarmory. Lastly, Hawlucha is prone to being picked off by priority moves like Ice Shard from Weavile, Water Shuriken from Ash-Greninja, Quick Attack from Mega Pinsir, and Fake Out + Quick Attack from Mega Lopunny, especially if Hawlucha does not carry Roost.
[SET]
name: Terrain Seed Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute / Roost
item: Electric Seed / Psychic Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Swords Dance turns Hawlucha into a dangerous late-game cleaner and is useful for forcing its way past defensive teams. Acrobatics and High Jump Kick complement each other beautifully; after a boost, Acrobatics threatens a wide range of neutral targets like Landorus-T, Gliscor, Toxapex, and Clefable, while High Jump Kick does the same against Flying-resistant targets like Magearna, Mega Mawile, and Rotom-W. Substitute eases prediction and protects Hawlucha from attempted status ailments like Toxic and Scald burns from Toxapex and Thunder Wave from Ferrothorn. Finally, Roost keeps Hawlucha healthy throughout the game, letting it defensively check the likes of Choice Scarf Kartana and non-Flyinium Z Landorus-T and continue threatening these Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The given Speed EVs allow Hawlucha to outrun Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, while the given HP and Special Defense investment let Hawlucha survive uninvested Clefable's Moonblast; if Hawlucha runs Psychic Seed, it can instead move the EVs from Special Defense to HP or Speed. The given terrain seeds should be used if Hawlucha is paired with the designated teammate, like Electric Seed for Tapu Koko and Psychic Seed for Tapu Lele. The Defense boost from Electric Seed is helpful for stomaching physical attacks like Landorus-T's Explosion, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed allows Hawlucha to take special attacks like Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken more easily. As for alternative EV spreads, Hawlucha can customize it to its team's desires; for example, it can drop its Speed EVs to 44 to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja after activating Unburden, allowing it to invest more EVs in bulk. Substitute variants with Electric Seed have the option to run 128 HP and 60 Special Defense EVs so that Toxapex's Scald doesn't break the Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Hawlucha is best utilized as a late-game cleaner and benefits from the removal of threats like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if Hawlucha is not running Stone Edge for Zapdos. Because Hawlucha has only one shot at a sweep, it is best to preserve its terrain seed until it is time to go all in, as Hawlucha cannot afford being phazed due to its lack of Speed before the Unburden boost to outpace fast offensive Pokemon. The Defense boost from Electric Seed lets Hawlucha find setup opportunities against physical attackers like Tapu Bulu and Choice-locked Pokemon like Kartana and Landorus-T, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed lets it do the same against Choice-locked Ash-Greninja and more easily beat Tapu Fini and Clefable. Hawlucha variants that run Substitute or Roost can also set up against passive Pokemon like Toxapex and defensive variants of Landorus-T; Hawlucha variants running Substitute can even use the move to punish the opponent attempting to sacrifice a weakened Pokemon and protect it from priority moves from Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, and Ash-Greninja, making it easier to secure a sweep. Since Landorus-T sometimes runs Flyinium Z to take Hawlucha out, it is a good idea to use Substitute to scout for variants that have this set. It is also important to keep in mind that Ferrothorn and Heatran sometimes run Protect to potentially bait Hawlucha into taking crash damage from High Jump Kick. Therefore, it is a good idea to scout for Protect against these Pokemon so that it can time use of High Jump Kick correctly, and Hawlucha can play mind games back by nabbing an extra Swords Dance boost, setting up Substitute, or using Roost to stay healthy.
Team Options
========
Hawlucha is a solid fit on hyper offense teams, which can give it the support it needs to clean up late-game. Tapu Koko is Hawlucha's best partner, as not only is it a mandatory partner for activating Electric Seed, but it can also bring Hawlucha in safely via Volt Switch or U-turn, allowing Hawlucha much easier opportunities to set up. In return, Hawlucha switches into Ground-type attacks aimed at Tapu Koko. Both Protean and Ash-Greninja are solid partners for Hawlucha, as they provide Spikes support, putting pressure on shared checks like Tapu Fini. Additionally, Protean Greninja baits in and annihilates bulky Fairy-types like Clefable with Gunk Shot and Magearna with Tectonic Rage, while Ash-Greninja pressures bulky Psychic-types like Slowbro and Cresselia. Hawlucha also benefits from strong wallbreakers like Kyurem-B and Mega Mawile smashing through defensive targets like Toxapex, Magearna, Celesteela, and Skarmory to open the path for Hawlucha to clean up. Magearna forms a strong partnership with Hawlucha, covering Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Lele; pivot variants provide a free entry with Volt Switch, while Calm Mind variants break down opposing teams for Hawlucha to clean up later in the game. Hawlucha forms a strong core with a Dragon Dance sweeper like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados, both of which benefit from Hawlucha taking care of Grass-types like Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha especially appreciates Mega Tyranitar dispatching Zapdos, which gives Hawlucha major trouble. Volcarona benefits from Hawlucha handling Mega Tyranitar and Chansey, and in return, Volcarona takes on bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types like Slowbro, Cresselia, and Clefable. Tapu Lele is a mandatory partner for Hawlucha variants that carry Psychic Seed; it and Mega Alakazam both serve as strong early-game wallbreakers to put shared answers like Cresselia and Magearna out of commission, as well as bust past Zapdos, directly enabling Hawlucha to finish the game. Despite adding up on the Fairy weakness, Mega Medicham and Kommo-o are solid partners, as they can pressure and weaken shared Fairy-type checks like Clefable and Tapu Fini.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diyusi.519886/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Stone Edge is useful for breaking past Zapdos, which otherwise poses a huge problem for Hawlucha. Taunt is an option for Hawlucha to prevent Toxapex from removing its boosts with Haze and stop Skarmory from attempting to phaze it with Whirlwind. However, this does make Hawlucha vulnerable to being burned by Toxapex's Scald. Encore disrupts Protect users like Celesteela and thwarts recovery attempts from Cresselia, turning them into setup fodder and forcing them to switch out. Drain Punch provides Hawlucha with a more accurate Fighting-type STAB move, allows it to keep itself healthy, and takes away the burden of playing mind games against Protect variants of Ferrothorn and Heatran. However, it is much less powerful than High Jump Kick, making it easier for a healthy Magearna to slug Hawlucha out. Poison Jab provides a way for Hawlucha to bait in and eliminate Tapu Koko, but it serves no other purpose besides that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T resist both of Hawlucha's STAB options and fire back with their super effective moves. Between these three Pokemon, Zapdos is perhaps Hawlucha's worst nightmare because it also heals off any damage taken with Roost, and threatens paralysis from Static. Zapdos and Thundurus-T have to be wary of Stone Edge, however. Rotom-W survives Hawlucha's unboosted High Jump Kick and can threaten either a burn with Will-O-Wisp or a KO with its super effective STAB moves.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Fini are bulky enough to survive +2 Acrobatics and threaten Hawlucha back with their super effective STAB moves. Hawlucha must also be wary of Unaware variants of Clefable, as they ignore Hawlucha's Attack boosts and threaten it back in return. Defensive variants of Magearna often invest in enough bulk to survive +2 High Jump Kick and retaliate either with Fleur Cannon or a coverage move like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt; however, Magearna needs to stay healthy to slug it out, lest it be picked off.
**Bulky Psychic-types**: Bulky Psychic-types like Cresselia, Slowbro, and Reuniclus survive Hawlucha's boosted Acrobatics and threaten it in return with super effective damage. Future Sight variants of Cresselia and Slowbro can also pressure Hawlucha variants that run Substitute, forcing it into an uncomfortable position. Additionally, Slowbro can either burn Hawlucha with Scald or cripple it with Toxic, putting it on a timer.
**Priority Users**: Priority moves like Water Shuriken, Quick Attack, and Ice Shard — courtesy of Ash-Greninja, Mega Pinsir, and Weavile — can pick off Hawlucha after taking prior chip damage. However, none of these users can come in safely; plus, the Special Defense and Defense boost, depending on the Terrain Seed that Hawlucha used, weakens the amount of damage that it takes from these moves. Mega Scizor deserves a mention, as not only is it bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB moves, but it can also threaten Hawlucha back in return with a Swords Dance-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Phazing**: Skarmory and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB options and can phaze Hawlucha with Whirlwind. Because Hawlucha has only one chance to sweep, it cannot afford to be phazed, as it will lose the Speed boost from Unburden.
**Contact Effects**: As Hawlucha is forced to rely on contact moves to threaten the opposing team, it is susceptible to chip damage from Pokemon like Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Rocky Helmet users like Tornadus-T and Skarmory. Additionally, Pokemon that have abilities that punish contact moves with status ailments like Static from Zapdos can potentially cripple Hawlucha, making it much easier to deal with.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diyusi.519886/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Last edited:
