Hitmontop (OU Analysis)

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[Overview]

<p>Hitmontop is a Pokemon with two very usable abilities, both of which suit his capabilities very well. With Intimidate, Hitmontop can be a great Rapid Spinner, capable of spinning past Ghosts to remove entry hazards. However, with Technician, he can deal large amounts of damage before the opponent can even move thanks to the boost to priority moves. Hitmontop is also a great check to any form of Tyranitar, capable of either Intimidating to reduce the impact of physical blows, or outright KOing with Mach Punch. Unfortunately, he cannot do both effectively, as he fails to deal heavy damage with a defensive spread and doesn't have as much bulk with the an offensive spread. Hitmontop also fails to do anything significant outside of Rapid Spinning, whereas fellow Rapid Spinners such as Forretress can set up entry hazards, and Starmie can deal large amounts of damage with its attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop does a great job at doing what he has to do: supporting your team both defensively and offensively.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Rapid Spin
move 1: Foresight
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Rest
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
ability: Intimidate
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Hitmontop is a great Rapid Spinner because of his ability to use Foresight to bypass the Ghost-type's immunity to Normal-type moves. With this move in his arsenal, he can hit Ghost-type Pokemon with Rapid Spin and also damage them with Close Combat. Rapid Spin helps the team by removing annoying entry hazards, while Close Combat helps Hitmontop deal respectable amounts of damage; the drops in defenses don't matter much because Hitmontop will probably be moving second due to his low Speed. Stone Edge is there to deal with Flying-type Pokemon like Gyarados and Dragonite, while also hitting Gengar so he can't set up a Substitute against Hitmontop. Rest is also another viable option for more stall-based teams, due to Hitmontop's great physical bulk allowing him to come in many times to absorb attacks (I'm uncertain what this means - do you mean that with Rest, Hitmontop is good when used on a stall team, or good against a stall team? the meaning is rather unclear, so maybe you should reword it to specify, as I am unsure). It can also be used to remove any status inflictions such as poison or burn, but must be partnered with a cleric.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The given EV spread allows Hitmontop to obtain maximum physical bulk. This, coupled with Intimidate, makes him a great Tyranitar counter. However, a spread of 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD with a Careful nature may also be used if you want Hitmontop to come in on Rotom-A's attacks more easily. It allows him tp to avoid a 3HKO from Choice Scarf Rotom-A's attacks and also gives more buffer room against defensive Rotom-A.</p>

<p>Low Kick can be used over Close Combat if you don't appreciate the drops in defenses from Close Combat. However, it does leave Hitmontop more vulnerable against light physical walls, like Swampert and Vaporeon, along with other light Pokemon, like Shaymin and Jirachi. Sucker Punch can be used in the 4th fourth moveslot in order to revenge kill weakened Pokemon, but is generally too unreliable to take care of Ghost-type types Pokemon. Mach Punch may be used to KO weakened Empoleon, Lucario, and Tyranitar; however, it only 2HKOes max HP Lucario and Tyranitar, and is fairly weak otherwise.</p>

<p>Many Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, like Dragonite, Gyarados, and Zapdos, appreciate Hitmontop as a partner due to his ability to remove Stealth Rock. Mixed Dragonite can switch in more easily and launch more attacks, while both defensive and offensive Gyarados can more effectively Intimidate opponents. Hitmontop and Gyarados together can run a double Intimidate strategy, meaning that physically-based Pokemon will have a hard time dealing damage. Zapdos can also wall more Pokemon as it no longer loses a large chunk of health every time it switches in. Hitmontop also has good defensive synergy with all of the above Pokemon because he resists Rock-type moves aimed at all the aforementioned Pokemon them.</p>

<p>Scizor's constant U-turning means that he tends to take a lot of entry hazard damage, so he also appreciates having Hitmontop as a partner. If Hitmontop has Rest, then Pokemon that use Heal Bell and Aromatherapy are helpful partners. Some examples include Celebi, Blissey, and Togekiss. Hitmontop resists Celebi's Dark-type weakness, Togekiss's Rock-type weaknesses weakness, and also has Intimidate to weaken physical attacks that target Blissey.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Technitop
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Close Combat / Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Hitmontop can also use his secondary ability, Technician, to deal large amounts of damage to the opposing Pokemon. The idea of this set is to use weak priority moves that get boosted by Technician to deal damage before the opposing Pokemon can attack. Both Fake Out and Mach Punch get boosted by Technician, and unresisted together the two of them together deal effectively an a 150 Base Power attack boosted by Life Orb. Mach Punch also helps out in checking Empoleon, Tyranitar, Lucario, and other weakened Pokemon. Close Combat is there to hit bulkier Pokemon such as Machamp and Bronzong, while Low Kick is an alternative if you dislike the drops in defenses from Close Combat. It does, however, miss out on a few notable 2HKOes on Pokemon such as Forretress, Jirachi, Shaymin, and Vaporeon. The last moveslot is delegated to cover covering Pokemon who shrug off Hitmontop's first three attacks. Stone Edge deals a large amount of damage to Dragonite and Gyarados, and can even 2HKO bulky Gyarados after Intimidate. Pursuit can be used to trap and KO Gengar along with Choice Scarf Rotom-A.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Ironically, this moveset has difficulties against Spikers because Hitmontop can't Rapid Spin away any entry hazards. Therefore, Rapid Spin can be used in the last spot slot in case Forretress and Skarmory decide to get greedy with their Spikes. Bullet Punch can also be used in the last moveslot, but it would only do around 50% to Gengar and thus is outclassed by Pursuit.</p>

<p>Hitmontop has difficulty getting past physically defensive Pokemon like Hippowdon, Skarmory, and Swampert. If he's not using Rapid Spin, then he also has difficulty against Spikers. Both Heatran and Starmie are good partners; Heatran can scare away Skarmory, Forretress, and Metagross, while Starmie can scare away Hippowdon and Skarmory, as well as Rapid Spin away any entry hazards.</p>

<p>If Hitmontop is using Stone Edge, then a Pokemon that can trap and KO Ghost-type Pokemon is a useful partner. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a great choice as it can lock in and KO Gengar and Rotom-A. If Pursuit is chosen instead, then Pokemon that can check Gyarados and Dragonite are good teammates. Suicune and Vaporeon can check the two fliers, while Choice Scarf Jirachi and Flygon can revenge kill both of them.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Due to Hitmontop's great Rapid Spinning capabilities, Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock really appreciate having him on the team. Dragonite can come in several times if he's using a mixed set and launch off several more Draco Meteors, while Gyarados can tag team Hitmontop in a double Intimidate strategy to reduce the power of physical attackers. Zapdos can also wall Pokemon much more easily if it doesn't have lose 25% of its HP every time it switches in, while Togekiss can potentially annoy the opponent much more. Scizor, although having a neutrality to Stealth Rock, also appreciates Rapid Spin because of his tendecy to frequently switch in and out of battle.</p>

<p>Hitmontop also appreciates teammates who can absorb status ailments for him. Heatran is a great example because he can absorb Will-O-Wisps Wisp and is immune to Toxic. Hitmontop is also a good partner for defensive Pokemon such as Vaporeon, Blissey, and Suicune, as those three will have a harder time walling other Pokemon if their health is being chipped away by poison and entry hazard damage. On stall teams, Hitmontop is also a good member because of his ability to get past Rotom-A, whereas Forretress has to resort to Payback. That, combined with his ability to counter Tyranitar, makes him a unique teammate help for many stall teams.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Hitmontop, he has difficulty bypassing physically defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, Forretress, Metagross, Hippowdon, Swampert, and many others. Strong special attackers, such as Heatran and Starmie, can help eliminate those problems. Heatran can scorch Spikers with his STAB moves, while Starmie can strike with a powerful Hydro Pump and Rapid Spin away any entry hazards.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>There's not much that Hitmontop can do besides what has already been listed. Sucker Punch is an interesting choice, but Gengar will just set up a Substitute, defensive Rotom-A will just use Will-O-Wisp, and Choice Rotom-A will just switch out. Toxic is an intriguing option because of its ability to cripple Swampert and Hippowdon, but Hitmontop often has difficulty finding a spare moveslot for it. Due to Hitmontop's ability to scare away Tyranitar, Rain Dance and Sunny Day are other potential moves to support your team. Hitmontop can also Rapid Spin away the Toxic Spikes that cripple most weather teams. However, be aware that Tyranitar can easily switch in again later on and remove the weather.</p>

<p>A Bulk Up set with Low Kick, Stone Edge, and a coverage move can be used, but without much with little immediate power, the a lack of a recovery move, and his low Speed, Hitmontop won't be sweeping many teams.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Spike-stacking based teams don't really have anything to "counter" Hitmontop since he is so reliable at Rapid Spinning away any entry hazards. However, they can switch in a faster and powerful Pokemon to force Hitmontop to take heavy damage if he wants to Rapid Spin. Alternatively, Rotom-A or Gengar can Trick a Choice item onto Hitmontop, preventing him from using Foresight effectively and crippling him for the rest of the battle.</p>

<p>Physical walls can also check Hitmontop because of his inability to bypass them effectively. Metagross can Meteor Mash, while Skarmory can Brave Bird or Whirlwind him away. Starmie can hit Hitmontop with a Hydro Pump or Surf while he can't do anything back except for Sucker Punch or Pursuit (This seems rather out of place, as Starmie isn't a physical wall).</p>


 

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