i swear he looks like a chicken nugget or something[OVERVIEW]
Hitmonlee's good Attack stat, good enough Speed to outpace most defensive Pokemon, and exclusive access to the extremely powerful High Jump Kick let it perform admirably as a wallbreaker, being strong enough to OHKO even Rhydon. Hitmonlee's coverage in Rock Slide and Earthquake lets it threaten would-be answers like Zapdos and Nidoqueen, while Toxic allows it to lure in and cripple Mew, which would otherwise wall it. Unfortunately, Hitmonlee's physical bulk is extremely poor, leaving it entirely unable to switch in on many of the physical attackers it aims to pressure, such as Melmetal, Rhydon, and Mega Gyarados, as well as weaker Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Poliwrath. Due to its middling Speed, Hitmonlee also is vulnerable to a plethora of popular revenge killers, including Mega Beedrill, Alolan Dugtrio, and Starmie. It is also vitally outrun and threatened by prominent Pokemon in the base 100 Speed tier, namely Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y, regardless of its nature, and it struggles to significantly threaten Mega Venusaur at all.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Toxic / Bulk Up
item: No Item
nature: Adamant
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick is a spammable STAB move thanks to the rarity of Protect and Ghost-types. Rock Slide's coverage complements High Jump Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to threaten Flying-types such as Zapdos. Earthquake provides coverage for Poison-types like Nidoqueen and Gengar, is Hitmonlee's strongest attack versus Mega Venusaur, and acts as a more reliable option for picking off weakened targets due to its perfect accuracy. Toxic lets Hitmonlee lure in and cripple Mew, saving it from being complete fodder. Alternatively, Bulk Up allows Hitmonlee to more easily break targets like Starmie lacking Psychic and Zapdos lacking Drill Peck, as well as augmenting its lacking Defense to potentially survive revenge killing attempts from the likes of Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Aerodactyl lacking Wing Attack, and Mega Beedrill, but dropping Toxic means Hitmonlee will require support to deal with Mew. An Adamant nature is preferred due to the rarity of relevant Pokemon, most notably Jolly Mega Gyarados, that a Jolly nature would let Hitmonlee outrun.
Usage Tips
========
Hitmonlee should be brought in as often as possible throughout a game in order to maximize the amount of damage it can deal to the opposing team. This can be done with good predictions or support in the form of U-turn or Teleport. If it is safe to do so, going for Toxic early in a battle in order to status troublesome Pokemon like Mew and Zapdos as they switch in can give you a great advantage. Spamming High Jump Kick is a viable option, as it greatly wears down any switch-ins alongside Stealth Rock. As a result, coverage can be reserved for when it is absolutely necessary or for hard predictions.
Team Options
========
As a wallbreaker, Hitmonlee greatly appreciates Stealth Rock support in order to help wear down would-be answers. Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio can all provide this support while also acting as great responses to Zapdos. Melmetal and the aforementioned Rhydon are very useful teammates, being able to switch in on physical attacks aimed at Hitmonlee from the likes of Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Beedrill. Both also act as very effective wallbreakers, forming a powerful offensive core with Hitmonlee that can help soften the opposing team. Late-game sweepers like Dragonite, Mega Alakazam, and Alolan Sandslash greatly benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to wear down the opponent's defensive core in advance. Alolan Muk exploits Mew, Hitmonlee's most common answer, as well as helping to take on other Psychic-types like Mega Alakazam and Starmie. Mega Gyarados can also fill a similar role, trading a better typing for greater firepower and its own Water resistance. Pivots utilizing U-turn make for great teammates, allowing Hitmonlee to switch in safely on Pokemon it can threaten. Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Beedrill are the best examples, with all three often drawing in Pokemon vulnerable to High Jump Kick, such as Mega Gyarados, Rhydon, and Melmetal.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Poison Jab provides coverage for Clefable, but it comes at the expense of coverage for more relevant Pokemon. Facade can be used to exploit status, but its power is lacking, as it is unable to 2HKO Mew even when Hitmonlee is statused. Substitute can potentially protect Hitmonlee from revenge killing attempts after it claims a KO, but it can be difficult to set up and maintain.
Checks and Counters
========
**Mew and Starmie**: Mew and Starmie can switch in and heal off any damage Hitmonlee does to them while also threatening it with status or Psychic. However, both must be wary of Toxic, which will limit their effectiveness.
**Zapdos**: Zapdos isn't hurt too badly by High Jump Kick and can threaten Hitmonlee in return with Thunderbolt or Drill Peck, but it dislikes being afflicted with Toxic, can be threatened by Bulk Up variants as it switches in, and has to be careful when using Roost due to High Jump Kick and Earthquake dealing massive damage.
**Mega Venusaur**: Mega Venusaur can comfortably tank any attack from Hitmonlee and fire its own back. This exchange will, however, leave it significantly weakened.
**Revenge Killers**: Mega Beedrill, Mega Aerodactyl, Alolan Dugtrio, and Mega Alakazam are examples of Pokemon that can comfortably revenge kill Hitmonlee.
**Gengar**: While Gengar is OHKOed by Earthquake, its presence alone can dissuade Hitmonlee from freely spamming High Jump Kick.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Eve, 375272]]
- Quality checked by: [[Vengeance417, 198446], [Lilburr, 481709]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732]]
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