Overview
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Although he might not look the part, Hitmontop is a very good supporting Pokemon in Doubles. With access to a wide array of amazing support moves such as Fake Out, Wide Guard, and Feint, Hitmontop will surely pull his weight in many matches. In addition to that, he has access to Intimidate, which allows him to cripple physical attackers, making him even more valuable.
However, there are a couple of things that hamper Hitmontop in doing what he does best. First and foremost, despite his great defenses, even with Intimidate, he can't take repeated hits very well due to his disappointing HP stat and mediocre defensive typing, which doesn't give him many valuable resistances. He also lacks reliable recovery, another downfall for something that will have to take hits multiple times throughout the battle. Furthermore, he has serious four-moveslot syndrome. Being severely vulnerable to burns and losing to pretty much anything that resists his STAB moves doesn't help his case either.
Utility
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Name: Utility
Move 1: Fake Out
Move 2: Close Combat
Move 3: Wide Guard / Quick Guard
Move 4: Feint / Detect / Sucker Punch
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Sitrus Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 60 Def / 60 SpD
Nature: Adamant
Moves
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With this set, Hitmontop is able to disrupt the opponent and protect himself and his allies from threatening attacks as efficiently as possible, giving leeway to his partner to do some serious damage to the opposing team. Fake Out is an excellent move in Doubles, allowing Hitmontop to disarm a dangerous opposing threat right after he switches in. Close Combat is Hitmontop's most reliable STAB attack, dealing decent amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it and preventing him from becoming setup bait. The choice between Wide Guard and Quick Guard depends on what your team needs most: Wide Guard is the best option when you are using Pokemon that are threatened by common spread moves like Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Heat Wave, whereas Quick Guard is the preferred option when you're using a team that isn't bulky enough to comfortably take common priority moves, such as Talonflame's Brave Bird, Scizor's Bullet Punch, and Breloom's Mach Punch. Quick Guard also helps defend against Thundurus's Prankster Thunder Wave and against slower Fake Outs. For the last moveslot, Feint is usually the best option, breaking opposing Protects, Wide Guards, and Quick Guards, making it easier for a teammate to deal heavy damage. As a bonus, it can pick off threats that are left with a small amount of HP. Detect can be used if you want to keep Hitmontop safe from harm when the going gets tough. Finally, Sucker Punch is an option to get around Psychic- and Ghost-types, which otherwise fear nothing from Hitmontop. However, it should be noted that Hitmontop doesn't have much offensive prowess, so bulkier Psychic- and Ghost-types can still easily take a Sucker Punch.
Set details
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The recommended EV spread allows Hitmontop to survive two uninvested Cresselia Psyshocks and Psychics and generally makes him bulky enough to tank a few hits. An Adamant nature and 136 Attack EVs are used because without them, Hitmontop is rather weak. A more offensive spread of 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe is viable, as it outruns Rotom-W and Substitute Heatran and hits harder, but Hitmontop usually prefers to be bulky and survive longer. Sitrus Berry is the item of choice, as Hitmontop really appreciates some recovery with all the moves he has to tank. However, Lum Berry could be used if you are concerned about Hitmontop being burned.
Usage Tips
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Considering how well he pairs up with common leads and has the ability to support them with Intimidate, Hitmontop makes for an excellent lead, disrupting non-Ghost-type Trick Room setters and breaking Focus Sashes of threats like Terrakion and Shaymin-S with Fake Out. A special mention goes to Mega Kangaskhan, as Hitmontop can form a threatening double Fake Out core with her. Not only does he function well as a lead, but his bulk also allows him to switch in and out so that he can be used anywhere throughout the game. In order to let him function to his fullest potential, it is recommended to remove opposing Will-O-Wisp users from play as soon as possible. Make sure you switch Hitmontop in when you're sure he's not going to take a powerful hit, as he's worn down rather fast without careful play. Use Close Combat with care: once his defenses have dropped, Hitmontop can't take hits well anymore and needs to switch out immediately.
Team Options
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Due to the plethora of support options provided by Hitmontop, he can fit on many teams with ease. He works best when used on teams that dislike common spread moves, so he makes an ideal partner for the likes of Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, and Scizor, among others. The former two also appreciate Hitmontop's Feint, breaking opposing Protects and Wide Guards and giving them the ability to spam their powerful spread moves fearlessly. Hitmontop doesn't require much support himself, but he does appreciate partners that can get rid of opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types. Therefore, Bisharp and Tyranitar pair excellently with him.
Other Options
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Hitmontop's movepool has many great moves to utilize outside of what's been listed, and if you can manage to find room on his moveset for one of these, they will surely be helpful. Helping Hand is an excellent option which allows his teammates to hit harder, which is appreciated by many powerful threats that commonly accompany him. Stone Edge is a neat option to hit Flying-types like Talonflame, Thundurus, and Shaymin-S hard on the switch. Rest can be used in conjunction with Chesto Berry to give Hitmontop more longevity while also allowing him to restore from a burn, but being as hard-pressed for moveslots as he is, you're usually better off using Sitrus Berry. An Assault Vest set consisting of Fake Out / Close Combat / Stone Edge / Feint or Sucker Punch and an EV spread of 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe with an Adamant nature is a cool option, but it faces competition from Scrafty, which trades more power and a priority move for more durability and a Dark-type STAB move in Knock Off. Expert Belt with the same spread as the Assault Vest set is an option over the standard Sitrus Berry set, allowing Hitmontop to score some OHKOs he usually wouldn't get, such as an OHKO on Heatran and a good chance at OHKOing Chople Berry Tyranitar. Stone Edge works especially well on this set, scoring a guaranteed OHKO on 4 HP Thundurus as well as a guaranteed 2HKO on 4 HP Salamence.
Checks & Counters
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**Attack Control**: Landorus-T and Gyarados can weaken Hitmontop with Intimidate and resist Close Combat. Will-O-Wisp cripples Hitmontop by halving its attack, and Ghost-type users like Chandelure, Gourgeist-XL, and Trevenant are especially dangerous, as Hitmontop can't do anything to them in return.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types can easily switch into anything Hitmontop can throw at them and retaliate with a super-effective move. Togekiss deserves a special mention, as she not only 4x resists Fighting, but she also can redirect Hitmontop's Close Combat thanks to Follow Me, meaning that Hitmontop has no means of doing anything useful while she's on the field. Much like Psychic-types, Flying-types can switch in safely because they resist Hitmontop's STAB attacks and can threaten it with powerful moves. Notable examples include Talonflame (if Hitmontop lacks Quick Guard), Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard Y.
**Utility Moves**: Taunt users such as Thundurus-I and Aerodactyl can prevent Hitmontop from using Wide Guard and Quick Guard, thus prevent him from doing his job successfully. Encore also stops Hitmontop, as he hates being locked into something like Fake Out, but Encore is a rather rare move. Rage Powder users like Amoonguss and Volcarona can redirect Hitmontop's Close Combats, hindering his performance. In addition, Amoonguss can put Hitmontop to sleep with Spore.
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