OU Spotlight: Hawlucha

By Altervisi.
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Art by Rocket Grunt

Art by Rocket Grunt

Introduction

Hawlucha has risen to become one of the OverUsed tier's most popular and threatening sweepers. At first glance this may seem surprising, as outside of Hawlucha's respectable Speed stat, this Pokémon seems to be lacking the raw power that other top sweepers like Kartana and Magearna possess due to a middling base 92 Attack stat. In fact, in the beginning of Sun and Moon, Hawlucha found its place in UU. Even without Unburden, it could still outspeed the majority of the UU tier, and access to Swords Dance gave Hawlucha reliable means to boost its Attack. Hawlucha was not the standout sweeper it is today, however, requiring many turns to set up and suffering competition from Cobalion, Infernape, and Terrakion as a Fighting-type sweeper.

In the latter half of 2017, Hawlucha's popularity surged, rising to OU by usage, due to a particular strategy. Thanks to the support provided by the Island Guardians, especially from Tapu Koko, when Hawlucha switches in on Terrain while holding the corresponding Seed, Hawlucha will gain a +1 Defense or Special Defense boost, which eases setup opportunities, its Speed will double instantly thanks to Unburden, and the damage of Acrobatics will double. Before Terrains, Hawlucha would repeatedly use Substitute to lower its HP below 50%, this was in order to consume a Sitrus Berry (which would restore 25% of its HP), which in turn would provide the Unburden and Acrobatics boost, after which Hawlucha could use Swords Dance. This method does not provide a Defense boost, requires many turns and costs Hawlucha at least 25% of its HP. However, with this new Terrain strategy a huge obstacle that was previously in the way for Hawlucha was removed: the difficulty in setting up, now, only one Swords Dance is required to a become threatening sweeper. Initially, Hawlucha found its place as a sweeper on rain teams, as it is very efficient at late-game cleaning, pairing well with other rain members like Mega Swampert without necessarily relying on the weather to function and Hawlucha quickly became popular on a wide variety of teams and playstyles.

Hot Sets

Hawlucha

Hawlucha is blessed with high-Base Power STAB moves in High Jump Kick and Acrobatics, which boast almost perfect neutral coverage in the context of viable OU Pokémon. Swords Dance patches up Hawlucha's unimpressive Attack stat and allows Hawlucha to OHKO Pokémon like Tapu Lele, Ferrothorn, and Shift Gear Magearna. Roost is widely considered the best option in the last slot, allowing Hawlucha with a Defense boost to set up on Landorus-T and Celesteela.

Other options in the last slot include:

- Stone Edge, to answer a common counter in Zapdos.

- Substitute, to help avoid status and set up easier.

- Drain Punch, to give a 100% accurate Fighting-type move that works as a less reliable healing method than Roost.

Good Cores

Tapu Koko

While any Terrain and Seed combination will work with Hawlucha, Tapu Koko is by far the most common partner. This is because Tapu Koko can hit a number of targets that Hawlucha is threatened by for impressive damage, examples including Clefable, Celesteela, and Zapdos. Tapu Koko also sports Volt Switch, which allows it to deal damage throughout the match while avoiding hits thanks to Tapu Koko's lightning-fast Speed, as well as bringing Hawlucha in safely, due to it often forcing the opponent to switch with its offensive pressure. While Shuca Berry is currently the best item for Koko, it is important to note that any viable Tapu Koko set pairs well with Hawlucha, such as Choice Specs and even niche, less offensive options like Reflect and Light Screen, which provides momentum and bolsters Hawlucha's defenses. The following Pokémon function great with Hawlucha, however it is important to remember that these should be used alongside a Hawlucha + Tapu core, otherwise Hawlucha will not be able to active its held Seed as it will not have a partner to set Terrain.

Tyranitar

Hawlucha functions as a late-game cleaner, so wallbreakers that can weaken or beat checks, particularly Zapdos, make for great partners. Tyranitar is a stellar wallbreaker in the OU tier, handily beating Zapdos and putting huge dents in other checks, like Clefable. Tyranitar also has access to a very strong Pursuit, which can trap and KO Psychic-types like Latios, which are troublesome for Hawlucha without a Swords Dance boost.

Swampert

While Hawlucha finds its place on a huge range of team styles, Swampert on rain teams stands out from other Ground-types as a great partner. Hawlucha can answer Mega Swampert’s checks like Tangrowth, Ferrothorn, and Assault Vest Tapu Bulu, and in return Swampert can break walls like Landorus-T and Toxapex that Hawlucha potentially struggles against. For Swampert, Stone Edge is the best move in the last slot in order to hit Zapdos and free Hawlucha to run Roost; however, Swampert more commonly runs Stealth Rock or Superpower.

Tapu Bulu Tapu Lele

While the synergy and momentum Tapu Koko provides makes it the standout Island Guardian to pair with Hawlucha, Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu are also worth considering as partners that can set their respective Terrains for Hawlucha to use for its boosts. Tapu Lele appreciates the damage Hawlucha can do to Steel-types and packs a variety of strong sets that allow it to perform a number of roles, such as wallbreaker or cleaner. It also provides a valuable Special Defense boost with Psychic Seed, which is particularly handy against the ever-present Ash-Greninja and its priority Water Shuriken. Tapu Bulu, similarly to Tapu Koko, provides a Defense boost and also boasts a number of sets that allow it to act as a special wall, wallbreaker, or setup sweeper, which can notably carry Stone Edge, possibly with Rockium Z, to hit Zapdos.

Metagame Trends

Terrain benefits Hawlucha in many ways, providing an instant power and speed boost that was not available before. Terrain also frees up Hawlucha's last moveslot, as it no longer has to run Substitute to lower its HP, eat a Sitrus Berry, and then earn the Unburden boost. While the advent of Terrains in the OverUsed tier certainly deserves the main credit for Hawlucha's rise since XY, there are a few more trends that, over time, have swung in Hawlucha's favor. For example, last generation saw 'Birdspam' as a very prominent playstyle, and Talonflame, with access to Flying-type priority, meant Hawlucha had a very common and hard counter. However, with the nerf to Gale Wings, Talonflame is hardly seen in OU this generation. Hawlucha also benefits since it can beat some new and prominent Pokémon in Generation 7, like Tapu Lele and Kartana, as well as long-standing OU staples like Heatran, Volcarona, and Tyranitar.

Final Thoughts

While Hawlucha can be susceptible to status effects, is underpowered before Swords Dance, and cannot boost its Speed or Defense again if phazed by Whirlwind, Hawlucha is a great sweeper on many different team styles. Rain provides great synergy, hyper offense with Aurora Veil or dual screens gives Hawlucha considerable bulk to set up with, and teams with a bulky offense strategy appreciate Hawlucha's blistering Speed and great neutral coverage to clean late-game, once the opponent has been sufficiently weakened. This makes Hawlucha a Pokémon that is extremely easy to fit on almost any archetype, and one that every team should have at least one solid answer to, given its prominence and strength.

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