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Old Mar 16th, 2013, 7:28:05 PM   #1
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Default Hitmonchan (GP 1/2)

[Overview]

<p>In a tier filled with many viable Fighting-type Pokemon, Hitmonchan struggles to stand out. Hitmonchan often finds itself weaker, slower, or frailer than other Figthing-types, and in some cases all three. It is also flawed as a Rapid Spin user, as it cannot handle spinblockers very well, unlike the usually superior option, Kabutops. Hitmonchan also doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve to get past Psychic- and Ghost-types like some other Fighting-types; with these things in mind, it might seem like Hitmonchan has nothing going for it.</p>

<p>Despite generally lacking in stats, and to an extent in movepool, Hitmonchan does have a small niche provided by Iron Fist. It has access to a very wide array of punching moves, including the rare Mach Punch and the elemental punches, a trait only shared by Gurdurr. Due to this, its coverage moves hit harder than its competition, and Mach Punch, a move most other Fighting-types lack, can revenge kill a large number of threats, (AC) especially those that are weak to it. Overall, always consider your other options before using Hitmonchan, but don't discount it completely, as it might be just what you are looking for.</p>

[SET]
name: Life Orb
Move 1: Drain Punch / Close Combat
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: ThunderPunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Rapid Spin
item: Life Orb
ability: Iron Fist
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>A simple offensive set is the best way to utilize Hitmonchan. Although it might not look very unique at first, access to Iron Fist, a plethora of punching moves that get boosted by said ability, and priority in Mach Punch give it all the advantages that it needs and somewhat make up for its inferior power. Without Psychic- and Ghost-types, Hitmonchan is surprisingly difficult to wall, so it can serve as an effective wallbreaker with its good coverage while keeping faster Pokemon in check with Mach Punch. Drain Punch is the preferred STAB option, as it gets boosted by Iron Fist, making it reach decent levels of power, while simultaneously healing off damage taken from Life Orb. Alternatively, Close Combat can be used, as even factoring in Iron Fist it is stronger than Drain Punch. Mach Punch is an important move for Hitmonchan, as it is one of the few Pokemon that can learn the move, allowing it to finish off or revenge kill foes weak to it; for example, it almost always OHKOes Sawsbuck and Crawdaunt after Stealth Rock damage. ThunderPunch allows Hitmonchan to 2HKO bulky Water-types, such as Poliwrath and Slowking, and it can also hit Flying-types hard on the switch. Ice Punch is preferred for the final slot, getting good coverage with ThunderPunch to form a pseudo BoltBeam combination and hitting Pokemon such as Tangrowth, Druddigon, and Amoonguss for super effective damage. However, Hitmonchan could instead use Rapid Spin in this slot, as it allows Hitmonchan to rid the field of hazards, though this is at the expense of losing coverage. Keep in mind thoughthat it loses to all relevant spinblockers, so only use it in case space cannot be made on your team for the few other Rapid Spin users in the tier and Hitmonchan's other traits are needed.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Hitmonchan should always run maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature, as it needs all the power it can get and needs to outpace Absol, as Mach Punch will then make Sucker Punch fail, which can do a lot of damage despite the resistance it has. A Life Orb is preferred simply because it offers more power, and Drain Punch mitigates the recoil damage from the item anyways. Fire Punch can be used over one of Hitmonchan's coverage moves, and is notable for getting past Bug-types such as Escavalier and Galvantula, but space is fairly limited on this set and Fire Punch doesn't offer as much offensive coverage as the other moves that Hitmonchan typically uses.</p>

<p>Like almost every other Fighting-type in the metagame, Hitmonchan struggles a lot against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon, having nothing in its movepool that can be used to defeat them reliably. Due to this, Pursuit support from the likes of Absol, Spiritomb, and Escavalier is a good idea, as it can trap them or hit them with a stronger move if they decide to stay in. In addition, if Ghost-types are eliminated, Hitmonchan can use Rapid Spin more freely. If Hitmonchan is running Rapid Spin, Fire-types, such as Moltres and Entei, also make good partners, as they appreciate the lack of entry hazards, such as Stealth Rock, on the field and can switch into Will-O-Wisps from the Ghost-types that carry them; most are also powerful enough to KO the Ghost-types. They also hit Bug-types, which resist Fighting, for a lot of damage. Hitmonchan is easily taken out by STAB Flying-type moves from the likes of Moltres and Sigilyph, making Lanturn a good partner, resisting Flying and having the bulk to take all their other moves, while Heal Bell can cure Hitmonchan of troubling statuses, most of which severely cripple Hitmonchan. Although Archeops stands a chance at beating Lanturn with Earthquake, Hitmonchan can hit Archeops hard with any of its moves, so the likelihood of one directly threatening Hitmonchan is rare.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Most of what Hitmonchan has access to is outclassed by something else. Hitmonchan can run a set with Rapid Spin and Foresight, guaranteeing a spin. However, such a set has numerous problems: Hitmonchan lacks good resistances, has a mediocre physical bulk even when invested, does pororly against Ghost-types already, and most Ghost-types are unable to defeat Kabutops, another Rapid Spin user. Hitmonchan learns Agility, which can allow it to sweep late game, but Hitmonlee has a much easier time doubling its Speed thanks to Unburden, which allows it to attack and set up in the same turn. SubPunch is an interesting option on Hitmonchan, considering Focus Punch is boosted via Iron Fist, raising the power of the move to near-unmatched levels, but there are not very many cases where Hitmonchan will be able to keep the Substitute up, and it doesn't beat any additional Pokemon with Focus Punch. Bulk Up is mostly outclassed by Gallade due to higher stats in almost every area; although Mach Punch gives Hitmonchan a slight advantage, it is not enough to make it worth using over Gallade. Stone Edge can nail Flying-types a bit harder than ThunderPunch while also hitting Fire-types hard, but Hitmonchan already either easily defeats or flat-out loses to all of the Flying-types in RU, and Stone Edge does not alleviate this fact. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than even Close Combat, but the side effect is very undesirable, and it isn't that much more powerful. Finally, Hitmonchan has access to Bullet Punch and Fake Out, but Bullet Punch has redundant coverage with Mach Punch, and Fake Out can become a waste of space considering that its damage output is fairly low.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Countering Hitmonchan is much like countering most other Fighting-types in RU. Just like others, Hitmonchan struggles against Ghost-type Pokemon such as Misdreavus and Rotom, which are immune to Hitmonchan's Fighting moves and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp, and then proceed to wear it down with repeated Shadow Balls. Psychic-types, such as Uxie or Mesprit, are similar cases, as although they are not immune to Fighting-moves, they still do not take very much damage from them and can hit Hitmonchan hard with their STAB. Flying-types, such as Sigilyph, Moltres, and Scyther, can outspeed and OHKO Hitmonchan with their super effective STAB moves and switch into Fighting moves with ease, but they must watch out for ThunderPunch and Ice Punch. Durant and Galvantula are not weak to anything Hitmonchan commonly carries and can deal a lot of damage with Thunder and Iron Head, respectively, though both must watch out for the rare Fire Punch. Finally, in a general sense, Hitmonchan's stats can work against it in one-on-one situations. Generally, if the foe is a strong physical attacker, is not weak to Mach Punch, and is faster than Hitmonchan, there is a very good chance that the Pokemon can do massive damage to if not OHKO Hitmonchan, with examples including Entei, Gallade, and Choice Scarf Emboar.</p>
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Last edited by Swamp-Rocket; May 23rd, 2013 at 10:54:50 PM. Reason: check
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Old Mar 17th, 2013, 11:28:30 PM   #2
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Just going to point out that Magic Coat should be removed from Hitmonchan's other options, Magic Coat being listed on its DPP moves page is actually an error and Hitmonchan cant learn Magic Coat via any means. Ive checked on Bulbapedia and Serebii to confirm this.
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Old Mar 18th, 2013, 12:22:15 AM   #3
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you are definitely going to want drain punch over close combat... while close combat is a little stronger even with iron fist factored in, the HP recovery really helps hitmonchan stay alive longer which is pretty important since its rather frail. also i like rapid spin as the 4th move on any hitmonchan because spinning in RU is pretty hard to come by outside of tops / cryo.. ghosts are gonna be annoying to chan without foresight anyway. if anyone disagrees with slashing rapid spin on mach punch i will gladly reassess my thought process but for now i full support spin slashed..
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Old Mar 18th, 2013, 12:37:52 AM   #4
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I think that an agility + 3 attacks set could work. The moves would be close combat, ice punch and thunder punch. This set is different than the life orb set because it cannot be revenge killed very easily after an agility and mach punch isn't needed to revenge kill faster foes. this set is best used as a late game cleaner. However, setting up an agility can be hard. Agility should at least get an other options mention since its hitmonchan's only way to boost its speed.
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Old Mar 18th, 2013, 12:58:09 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Magcargo 2 View Post
I think that an agility + 3 attacks set could work. The moves would be close combat, ice punch and thunder punch. This set is different than the life orb set because it cannot be revenge killed very easily after an agility and mach punch isn't needed to revenge kill faster foes. this set is best used as a late game cleaner. However, setting up an agility can be hard. Agility should at least get an other options mention since its hitmonchan's only way to boost its speed.
Totally agreeing that Agility Hitmonchan should get at least an OO mention, it looks pretty solid on paper, being somewhat similar to Unburden Hitmonlee but having some extra bulk and coverage options to help it stand out when compared to its counterpart. Silentverse mentioned earlier that he thinks Agilitychan might even deserve a full set of its own, so i'm probably going to playtest it a bit and see how it does.

Also agreeing that Drain Punch should probably be slashed with Close Combat on both the Life Orb and the possible Agility set if it ends up being worthy of a full set. While it isnt as strong as Close Combat, Iron Fist still bolsters it to an acceptable base power and the recovery is invaluable in most cases, definitely worthy of a slash in my opinion. Im not sure if Rapid Spin really needs to be slashed with Mach Punch, because in my opinion one of the main reasons to use Hitmonchan in the first place is the Iron Fist boosted Mach Punch, but i'd be open to giving it an AC mention.
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Old Mar 18th, 2013, 7:16:32 AM   #6
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Alright, I've added Agility to OO (If it deserves a set then yeah It'll get a set - I completely forgot it had the move), slashed Rapid Spin with Ice Punch (I don't see myself using Ice Punch as much as other moves - if it needs an AC mention only I'll move it there, but its powerful Mach Punch is honestly the only reason I use it so I'm not slashing that), slashed Drain Punch over Close Combat (and moved it out of AC), and got rid of Magic Coat.
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Old Mar 24th, 2013, 12:34:42 AM   #7
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I would honestly just slash Agility next to Mach Punch. I tried out the Agility set and didn't find myself using it very much and was mostly playing it as a mid-game wallbreaker.

SV thinks it deserves its own set, I'll let him post that. But imo you should just go ahead and fill out the rest of the skeleton and we'll stamp it asap.
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Old Apr 7th, 2013, 6:27:05 PM   #8
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Okay this is FINALLY ready for QC checks. Sorry - I completely forgot about this.

Anyhow, I am hesitant on slashing Agility with Mach Punch. It's not that I think Agility sucks, but its mainly that the two sets would play completely differently. I either am going to make it a separate set or OO it - Mach Punch Hitmonchan (wallbreaker/revenge killer) is just too different from Agility Hitmonchan (late game sweeper) to combine the two.
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Old Apr 17th, 2013, 4:26:32 PM   #9
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[Overview]
  • Needs to be toned down. There is rarely a good reason to use Hitmonchan over other Fighting-types. You should probably start off the analysis with something like that.
  • It's bad at spinning - even if it runs Foresight that greatly hinders its coverage.
  • The only thing that Hitmonchan has over most other Fighting-types is Mach Punch.

[Life Orb]
  • Mention that Ice Punch hits Druddigon and Amoonguss.
  • Fire Punch is good to catch Escavalier off guard.
  • The alternative spread of 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe is unnecessary. Hitmonchan should always be using enough Speed to outrun Absol.
  • Mention Escavalier instead of Drapion for taking out Psychic-types and for Pursuit.

The rest looks fine


QC Approved 1/3
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Old Apr 17th, 2013, 4:52:09 PM   #10
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Spiritomb should be added to the section on Pursuit support as well in my opinion, its one of the best Pursuit users in the tier and it should definitely get a mention.

Otherwise this looks pretty good

QC Approved 2/3
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Old May 6th, 2013, 8:11:06 PM   #11
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This is written now and ready for the third QC check
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Old May 7th, 2013, 12:29:42 AM   #12
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Rapid Spinner is not a word, use spinner or Rapid Spin user

it's ThunderPunch

Attack and Speed should be capitalized in AC

it's Will-O-Wisp

you should describe Hitmonchan's role on the team; it's a wallbreaker that can hit quite a large array of Pokemon for a decent amount of damage, opening the way for something else to sweep. It's the fact that Hitmonchan is very easy to wall with certain pokes, like defensive Spiritomb or Uxie, that makes it a poor Pokemon in the metagame for the most part. Though for most teams lacking one of his solid counters he can be kinda tough to switch into and is hard to actually revenge kill with most Scarf users or fast mons like Cinccino, Aero, and Archeops cuz of Mach Punch


QC Approved 3/3
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Old May 7th, 2013, 5:26:37 PM   #13
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Amcheck :)
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Amcheck
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Old May 7th, 2013, 5:41:11 PM   #14
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am check


EDIT: ffs this is the second time I've gotten ninja'd while am checking today

Also @Rohail17's check: "Rapid Spinner" is absolutely a usable term.
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Old May 7th, 2013, 5:50:38 PM   #15
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Oglemi posted above to use either spinner or Rapid Spin user.
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Old May 7th, 2013, 9:00:11 PM   #16
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Because so much of those checks were similar, I implemented Rohail's check with a bit of Jukain's.

EDIT: Fixed the below - I passed over it during revision sorry
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Old May 7th, 2013, 9:17:14 PM   #17
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Rapid Spinners is not a word either
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Old May 18th, 2013, 1:28:51 PM   #18
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sorry for the wait

diff



GP Approved 1/2

Mostly choppy writing and bad wording, you had Pokegrammar right for the most part. Stamp is in addition to the changes you made before.
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Old May 23rd, 2013, 10:54:34 PM   #19
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Sorry it took so long but I got the GP check in finally.
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