This is Hitmonchan's best chance at doing some damage in OU battles, and even then it gets outclassed by Medicham, Gallade and many others. Still, if you're a big Hitmonchan fan, having him outrun and kill a Swords Dance Garchomp or Dragon Dance Gyarados will surely bring a smile to your face. With Choice Scarf, Hitmonchan will outrun everything in the base 120 Speed group, and most Gyarados after a Dragon Dance. Mach Punch might seem unnecessary with Choice Scarf, but Weavile is still faster, so it doesn't hurt to have something to take him out in one hit before he gets to attack. Fire Punch is mostly for Heracross, although it gives you some more power against Forretress and Scizor too.
Focus Punch is immensely powerful, so powerful in fact, that even sturdy Fighting resists have trouble absorbing it. Nidoqueen and Claydol, for example both take around 50% damage from it. However, it requires perfect prediction to use effectively, so the more reliable option of Close Combat is also a good choice. Ice Punch is a better tool for killing the two Fighting resistant Ground-types that were just mentioned, and most Flying-types. Mach Punch is great for bringing down weakened, but faster enemies late in the game. ThunderPunch has more merit in OU, where reliable tools for slaying Gyarados are always welcome. However, in UU you may prefer to go with Fire Punch to hit Toxicroak. Earthquake is also an option if you want more power against various Poison-types, although few have the Defense to handle repeated hits from Hitmonchan anyway. Stone Edge is not needed, as Ice Punch only has 10 less BP and superior accuracy. The only Flying-types neutral to Ice Punch in UU are Mantine (who is easily 2HKOed by Ice Punch or Close Combat, Pelipper (who is more effectively taken care of with ThunderPunch), Articuno, and Delibird; the latter two both being unable to take repeated Close Combats.
Hitmonchan's best chance at a sweep in UU. Predict attacks early on, then Agility late in the game and finish off your opponents. Earthquake has more merit here than in the previous sets, as you may find yourself needing the extra power against Toxicroak, Nidoqueen and Muk. Speed is set at 210, enough to beat Swift Swimmers like Gorebyss and Omastar before they set up. After setting up Agility, Hitmonchan will outrun Electrode.
Use Substitute on a switch to ease prediction, but this comes at the cost of a fourth attack. Ice Punch has the best coverage as a lone secondary attack. Mach Punch can finish off some faster opponents if they managed to barely survive a Focus Punch. Black Belt gives a boost to Focus Punch and Mach Punch, or you can use Leftovers to replenish HP lost from creating Substitutes. Other OptionsSky Uppercut gets a boost from Iron Fist, but Close Combat is still a more powerful option and has better accuracy. Drain Punch remains too weak, even with Iron Fist. Pursuit can wear down a switching opponent, but is difficult to find a moveslot for. It can Rapid Spin in a pinch, but Hitmontop fills the utility role better. EVsAlways max Attack and use a minimum of 241 Speed to outrun all base 60 Speed Pokemon, then dump the remainder in HP. Jolly nature, with max Speed will let 'Chan get the drop on neutral natured Toxicroak, Nidoking and max Speed Absol. OpinionWith Iron Fist, Hitmonchan finally has something unique and useful to offer. Without factoring in STAB, Focus Punch suddenly has a whopping 180 power and Mach Punch a respectable 48. Do not expect to see it in standard play, but used well, it can be decent in the UU environment. If you want to use Hitmonchan differently from the strategies outlined above, you are better off with Hitmonlee, Hitmontop or Primeape. CountersHitmonchan has a hard time switching in, but once it does, you will be pushed to find anything in UU that enjoys taking an Iron Fist Focus Punch from the Choice Band set. Ghosts are always handy to have around. Besides the obvious Fighting immunity, Rotom can handle Earthquake and Thunderpunch, and Drifblim is also immune to Earthquake. Shedinja takes everything but Stone Edge and Fire Punch. Nidoqueen and Claydol and good switch-ins as they resist Fighting, Rock and are immune to Electric. Claydol is also immune to Earthquake, and therefore only has to fear Ice Punch. Muk does ok with a few EVs invested in Defense, otherwise it risks a 2HKO from Close Combat or the elemental punches. Earthquake will still be a problem though. You can switch Scyther and Venomoth into Fighting attacks thanks to their 4x resist, but neither will enjoy switching into Hitmonchan's secondary attacks. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
