Hitmonlee Discussion



Abilities:
Limber: Hitmonlee cannot be Paralyzed.
Reckless: Raises the power of any of Hitmonlee's recoil attacks by 1.2x. This also includes Jump Kick and Hi Jump Kick, but does not include Struggle.
Unburden: Hitmonlee's base Speed is doubled after its Held Item is used, consumed, or removed (only if it had one to start with). If it leaves the field after this effect or gains another item, this bonus is reset.

Base Stats:
50 / 120 / 53 / 35 / 110 / 87

Lvl-up Moves
1 Double Kick
1 Revenge
5 Meditate
9 Rolling Kick
13 Jump Kick
17 Brick Break
21 Focus Energy
25 Feint
29 Hi Jump Kick
33 Mind Reader
37 Foresight
41 Wide Guard
45 Blaze Kick
49 Endure
53 Mega Kick
57 Close Combat
61 Reversal

TM/HM Moves:
TM06 Toxic -- 90% 10 One Nearby
TM08 Bulk Up
TM10 Hidden Power
TM11 Sunny Day
TM17 Protect
TM18 Rain Dance
TM21 Frustration
TM26 Earthquake
TM27 Return
TM31 Brick Break
TM32 Double Team
TM39 Rock Tomb
TM42 Facade
TM44 Rest
TM45 Attract
TM46 Thief
TM47 Low Sweep
TM48 Round
TM52 Focus Blast
TM56 Fling
TM67 Retaliate
TM71 Stone Edge
TM78 Bulldoze
TM80 Rock Slide
TM83 Work Up
TM84 Poison Jab
TM87 Swagger
TM90 Substitute
TM94 Rock Smash
HM04 Strength

Pre-Evo Moves
1 Fake Out learned by Tyrogue
1 Tackle learned by Tyrogue

Egg Moves
Bullet Punch
Counter
Helping Hand
Mach Punch
Pursuit
Rapid Spin
Vacuum Wave

Gen 4 TM/HM
TM01 Focus Punch
TM43 Secret Power
TM78 Captivate
TM82 Sleep Talk
TM83 Natural Gift
HM08 Rock Climb

Tutor Moves:
HGSS: Headbutt
HGSS: Low Kick
HGSS: Role Play
Pt/HGSS: Bounce
Pt/HGSS: Helping Hand
Pt/HGSS: Knock Off
Pt/HGSS: Mud-Slap
Pt/HGSS: Snore
Pt/HGSS: Sucker Punch
Pt/HGSS: Superpower
Pt/HGSS: Swift
Pt/HGSS: Vacuum Wave
E/FRLG: Body Slam
E/FRLG: Counter
E/FRLG: Double-Edge
E: DynamicPunch
E/FRLG: Mega Punch
E/FRLG: Metronome
E/FRLG: Mimic
E/FRLG: Seismic Toss


Overview:
The shift to gen 5 brought good new and bad news. Hitmonlee was one of the lucky pokemon to get the boosted Hi Jump Kick, having 130 BP in this gen. Add Reckless to the mix backed up by a really nice Base Attack stat of 120 and you have one dangerous pokemon. It's decent speed and low HP kinda stop most of his sweeps, making Hitmonlee fall into RU where he really can kick ass (pun intended).

Life Orb
Item: Life Orb/Expert Belt
Ability: Reckless / Limber
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature (+ Atk/+ Spe, - SpA)
- Hi Jump Kick / Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Double Edge
- Mach Punch / Sucker Punch / Bullet Punch

LO Hitmonlee can be very dangerous to teams. His signature move is Hi Jump Kick, which reaches 304 BP after STAB, Reckless and Life orb. This sheer power can easily 3HKO the bulkiest of Tangela and just destroy other pokemon. Stone Edge is for hitting those Flying types who resist you most powerfull move. Double-Edge gets boosted by Reckless as well, hitting Cresselia hard. Then you pick you priority move of choice. Mach punch is the best choice as it gets STAB, but the other can be usefull as well.

Note that you also can use Blaze Kick to make short work of Ferroseeds with Protect. Rapid Spin is also viable, as spinning is very important in RU. Finally, you can mix the movesets, adding Sucker Punch > Double-Edge and what not. The Ev Spread is pretty straitforward: as fast and as strong as possible. Adamant is the preferred nature for max Attack, but Jolly is an option as well. You can vary the item as well, bluffing a Choiced set with Expert Belt if you don't like the Life Orb recoil.

If you want to negate Hi Jump Kick altogether because of the recoil, you can use Close Combat and have the Limber ability. This can help in beating protect users as well as avoiding that painfull 50% HP recoil. Limber also helps with sweeping as you can't get paralysed, meaning you can stay fast and threatening throughout a match.

Choice
Item: Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature (+ Atk/+ Spe, - SpA)
- Hi Jump Kick / Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Double-Edge
- Mach Punch / Sucker Punch / Bullet Punch /

Choice Band Hitmonlee is just a monster. 558 Attack coupled with a 234 BP attack wreacks havoc. Hitmonlee's Hi Jump Kick has an 81% chance of 2HKO'ing max/max Eviolite Tangela and that is because of HJK's accuracy. that is powerfull. Anyway, the rest of the moves are the same as above, expect for Rapid Spin. You can also go for the Choice Scarf, making Hitmonlee a dangerous late game cleaner. Again, if you want to go for Close Combat, be my guest and do it. I think that the 2HKO on Tangela will stay the same, even the odds.

Offensive Spinner
Item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
Ability: Reckless
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe,
Jolly Nature (+Spe , -SpA
- Rapid Spin
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge / Foresight
- Sucker Punch / Foresight


Every Ru team needs a spinner, as the most common RU pokemon are weak to SR (yanmega moltres), so an offensive spinner set can suit Hitmonlee well while being a thread as well. Rapid spin spins hazards away, what the set is for. Hi Jump Kick is just insanely powerfull, reaching 304 BP after all the multipliers (LO, Reckless, STAB). Then you use 2 out of three moves in slot 2 and 3. Stone edge is your second most powrfull move for covergage, Sucker Punch is Priority and Foresight can be used to hit rapid spin on Ghosts or just plain KO them with a Hi Jump Kick!

Checks and Counters:
Strong Physically bulky pokemon who resist Hi Jump Kick generally wall Hitmonlee sets. Emaples include Cresselia, Cofagrigus, Dusknoir (dusclops is UU lol) and Qwilfish. Hitmonlee is very frail in the phisical side, so a RK with either high speed (Swellow, Yanmega), priority (Floatzel/Haryama etc) or a scarf (Krookodile, Porygon-Z) can take Hitmonlee down as well. Good walling pokemon and pokes to take down said walls are recommended. Hitmonlee is not SR weak,but Ru is full of hazards and that wear Hitmonlee down, so a Spinner is suggested to keep Hitmonlee alive. Paralysis also cripples Hitmonlee, as it can only use it's weak priority moves to act first.

Discuss!
 
Here's the set that I've used with moderate success.

Hitmonlee @ Leftovers / LO
Trait: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant / Jolly
- Bulk Up
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch / Blaze Kick

Really, I don't see the perks of Reckless over Limber. You're powerful enough with 130 Base Power with HJK, and immunity of paralysis would help it sweep far more than a minor 1.2x more powerful HJK could. I could see it being used on a Choice set, but otherwise Limber is the better option.
 
Slash in Close Combat next to High Jump Kick, Does Hitmonlee get any significant KOs Using HJK over Close Combat?

People maybe prefer CC over HJK because the 50% Recoil from missing can be a big turn off, and if the opponent has a ghost type or a pokemon with Protect, not of mention the chance of missing. Compared to CC lower Def and SpD which can be worked around easier.
 

Molk

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You know, hitmonlee can learn double edge and through the ability change mechanic it's legal with reckless. please mention this and sucker punch.
 
ok added most suggestions. also done the counters section.

Let's discuss even further. What can RK it and who are counters other than coFAG, Cress and possible Qwilfish
 
I once used, in 4th gen, bulk up set with hitmonlee...

Hitmonlee @ Leftovers
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Jolly
- Bulk Up
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge/Sucker Punch
- Substitute

I don't know if it is good, but I used it in OU as a lead which I currently don't know why...

Unburden Hitmonlee was nice in my Mono fighting team to prevent sweeping.
 
This set should be listed:

Offensive Spinner
Hitmonlee @ Life Orb / Expert Belt /
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe, Jolly
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge / Foresight
-Sucker Punch / Foresight
-Rapid Spin

check out the "spinning in RU" thread for more details.
 
^HOW DID YOU GET MY LEE SET? O.o
In the OP, 304 BP is said to be HJK's at the Choice set, but in the LO set, you say:
His signature move is Hi Jump Kick, which reaches 304 BP after STAB, Reckless and Life orb.
Just saying.
 
Really guys.
Hitmonlee @ Normal Gem
Unburden
252 Atk/252 Spe/ 4 SpD
Jolly/Adamant
- Fake Out
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Besides ghosts being a problem. Why would you not use this set?
 

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