[OVERVIEW]
Hawlucha is one of the tier's deadliest sweepers thanks to its solid offensive STAB combination, high Speed, Swords Dance, and an incredible ability in Unburden. With the combination of a terrain seed and the Unburden ability, Hawlucha outspeeds many faster foes, ranging from Mega Alakazam, +2 Shift Gear Magearna, and Mega Swampert under the rain to Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Greninja. Hawlucha often finds setup opportunities against common Pokemon that it forces out, such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, defensive and Choice Scarf variants of Landorus-T, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha also has the benefit of being a setup sweeper that isn't revenge killed by Ditto, as Ditto cannot copy the Speed boost from Unburden. However, Hawlucha is burdened with a below-average Attack stat, as it cannot OHKO targets like Tapu Lele, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T before a Swords Dance boost, and is unable to OHKO defensive staples like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini, and Clefable after a boost. Hawlucha also struggles against Electric-types that resist both of its STAB options, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if Hawlucha does not pack Stone Edge for the former. While Unburden is one of Hawlucha's greatest strengths, it is also one of its greatest weaknesses; once Hawlucha activates Unburden, it only has one shot at a sweep, and it is highly susceptible to being phazed out by moves like Whirlwind from Skarmory. Lastly, Hawlucha is prone to being picked off by priority moves like Ice Shard from Weavile, Water Shuriken from Ash-Greninja, Quick Attack from Mega Pinsir, and Fake Out + Quick Attack from Mega Lopunny, especially if Hawlucha does not carry Roost.
[SET]
name: Terrain Seed Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute / Roost / Stone Edge
item: Electric Seed / Psychic Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Swords Dance turns Hawlucha into a dangerous late-game cleaner and is useful for forcing its way past defensive teams. Acrobatics threatens fellow Fighting-types like Kommo-o, Mega Medicham, and Mega Lopunny, and hits a wide range of neutral targets like Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Toxapex. High Jump Kick smashes Steel-types like Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Heatran and threatens neutral targets like Magearna, Mega Mawile, and Rotom-W after a boost. Substitute eases prediction and protects Hawlucha from attempted status ailments like Toxic from Toxapex and Thunder Wave from Ferrothorn. Roost keeps Hawlucha healthy throughout the game, letting it defensively check the likes of Choice Scarf Kartana and non-Flyinium Z Landorus-T and continue threatening these Pokemon. Finally, Stone Edge threatens Volcarona without triggering Flame Body and is useful for breaking past Zapdos, which otherwise poses a huge problem for Hawlucha.
Set Details
========
The given Speed EVs allow Hawlucha to outrun Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, while the given HP and Special Defense investment let Hawlucha survive uninvested Clefable's Moonblast; if Hawlucha runs Psychic Seed, it can instead move the EVs from Special Defense to HP or Speed. The given terrain seeds should be used if Hawlucha is paired with the designated teammate, like Electric Seed for Tapu Koko, Psychic Seed for Tapu Lele, and Grassy Seed for Tapu Bulu. The Defense boost from Electric Seed and Grassy Seed is helpful for stomaching physical attacks like Landorus-T's Explosion, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed allows Hawlucha to take special attacks like Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken more easily. As for alternative EV spreads, Hawlucha can customize it to its team's desires; for example, it can drop its Speed EVs to 44 to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja after activating Unburden, allowing it to invest more EVs in bulk. Substitute variants with Electric or Grassy Seed have the option to run 128 HP and 60 Special Defense EVs so that Toxapex's Scald doesn't break the Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Hawlucha is best utilized as a late-game cleaner and benefits from the removal of threats like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if it runs Roost or Substitute over Stone Edge for the former. Because Hawlucha has only one shot at a sweep, it is best to preserve its terrain seed until it is time to go all in, as Hawlucha cannot afford to be phazed out due to its lack of Speed before the Unburden boost to outpace fast offensive Pokemon. The Defense boost from Electric or Grassy Seed lets Hawlucha find setup opportunities against physical attackers like Tapu Bulu and Choice-locked Pokemon like Kartana and Landorus-T, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed lets it do the same against Choice-locked Ash-Greninja. Hawlucha variants that run Substitute or Roost can also set up against passive Pokemon like Toxapex and defensive variants of Landorus-T. Since Landorus-T sometimes runs Flyinium Z to take Hawlucha out, it is a good idea to use Substitute to scout for variants that have this set. Hawlucha needs to be careful around Pokemon that have abilities or items that punish contact moves, like Garchomp and Rocky Helmet users like Skarmory and Tornadus-T, as it is easier to deal with if it has been weakened throughout the game, especially if Hawlucha does not have Roost to heal itself. It is also important to keep in mind that Ferrothorn and Heatran sometimes run Protect to potentially bait Hawlucha into taking crash damage from High Jump Kick. Therefore, it is a good idea to scout for Protect against these Pokemon so that it can time use of High Jump Kick correctly, and Hawlucha can play mind games back by nabbing an extra Swords Dance boost, setting up Substitute, or using Roost to stay healthy.
Team Options
========
Hawlucha is a solid fit on offense and hyper offense teams, which can give it the support it needs to clean up late-game. Tapu Koko is Hawlucha's best partner, as not only is it a mandatory partner for activating Electric Seed, but it can also bring Hawlucha in safely via Volt Switch or U-turn, and it provides dual screens, allowing Hawlucha much easier opportunities to set up. In return, Hawlucha switches into Ground-type attacks aimed at Tapu Koko. Both Protean and Ash-Greninja are solid partners for Hawlucha, as they provide Spikes support, putting pressure on shared checks like Tapu Fini. Additionally, Protean Greninja baits in and annihilates bulky Fairy-types like Clefable with Gunk Shot and Magearna with Tectonic Rage, while Ash-Greninja pressures bulky Psychic-types like Slowbro and Cresselia. Hawlucha also benefits from strong wallbreakers like Kyurem-B and Mega Mawile getting rid of Celesteela and Skarmory, the latter of which threatens to phaze Hawlucha out with Whirlwind. Magearna forms a strong partnership with Hawlucha, covering Fairy-types like Clefable, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini; Assault Vest variants provide a free entry with Volt Switch, while Calm Mind and Shift Gear variants break down opposing teams for Hawlucha to clean up later in the game. On hyper offense teams, a dedicated lead like Mega Diancie, Taunt Mew, Excadrill, and Imprison Landorus-T is beneficial, providing entry hazards while preventing opposing entry hazards from being set up, setting the tempo beautifully. Hawlucha forms a strong core with a Dragon Dance sweeper like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados, both of which benefit from Hawlucha taking care of Grass-types like Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha especially appreciates Mega Tyranitar dispatching Zapdos, which gives Hawlucha major trouble. Volcarona benefits from Hawlucha handling Mega Tyranitar and Chansey, and in return, Volcarona takes on bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types like Slowbro, Cresselia, and Clefable. While Hawlucha isn't a common sight on rain teams, teammates like Pelipper, Mega Swampert, and Manaphy synergize well with Hawlucha and benefit from it dispatching Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana. In return, Mega Swampert bowls over the likes of Tapu Koko, while Manaphy utilizes a rain-boosted Hydro Vortex to break past bulky targets that Hawlucha struggles with, like Unaware Clefable, Slowbro, and Cresselia. Ferrothorn provides solid utility in Spikes, Knock Off to remove items like Leftovers from Celesteela and Clefable, and Thunder Wave to cripple Mega Alakazam, which is a huge threat to rain teams. Tapu Lele is a mandatory partner for Hawlucha variants that carry Psychic Seed. On teams that feature Tapu Lele as a partner, Mega Alakazam is a solid partner for Hawlucha, as it can bust through Pokemon that threaten Hawlucha like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, and it provides its team with a safety measure against rain teams thanks to Trace copying Swift Swim from Mega Swampert. Despite adding up on the Fairy weakness, Mega Medicham and Kommo-o are solid partners, as they can pressure and weaken shared Fairy-type checks like Clefable and Tapu Fini. On teams with Tapu Bulu as a partner, Kartana is another solid teammate as it sends Slowbro packing with Leaf Blade, and it can aid Hawlucha in overwhelming the likes of Magearna and Toxapex.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option for Hawlucha to pressure Pokemon that rely on recovery to stay healthy, like Clefable and Haze Toxapex, prevent Celesteela from punishing it with Leech Seed, and prevent Skarmory from attempting to phaze it out with Whirlwind. However, this does make Hawlucha vulnerable to being burned by Toxapex's Scald if it is not carrying Substitute. Encore disrupts Protect users like Celesteela and thwarts recovery attempts from Mega Scizor, turning them into setup fodder and forcing them to switch out. Drain Punch provides Hawlucha with a more accurate Fighting-type STAB move, allows it to keep itself healthy, complements Substitute to let it use the move slightly more frequently, and takes away the burden of playing mind games against Protect variants of Ferrothorn and Heatran. However, it is much less powerful than High Jump Kick, making it easier for a healthy Magearna to slug Hawlucha out. Poison Jab provides a way for Hawlucha to bait in and eliminate Tapu Koko, but it serves no other purpose besides that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T resist both of Hawlucha's STAB options and fire back with their super effective moves. Between these three Pokemon, Zapdos is perhaps Hawlucha's worst nightmare because it also heals off any damage taken with Roost, and threatens paralysis from Static. Zapdos and Thundurus-T have to be wary of Stone Edge, however. If Hawlucha doesn't have Substitute or Roost, Bulky Rotom-W survives Hawlucha's unboosted High Jump Kick and can threaten either a burn with Will-O-Wisp or a KO with its super effective STAB moves.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Fairy-types like Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria are bulky enough to survive +2 Acrobatics and threaten Hawlucha back with their super effective STAB moves. Hawlucha must also be wary of Unaware variants of Clefable, as they ignore Hawlucha's Attack boosts and threaten it back in return. Defensive variants of Magearna often invest in enough bulk to survive +2 High Jump Kick and retaliate either with Fleur Cannon or a coverage move like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt; however, Magearna needs to stay healthy to slug it out, lest it be picked off. Hawlucha must also tread carefully against Mega Mawile due to Intimidate dropping Hawlucha's Attack stat before Mega Evolving. However, Mega Mawile cannot switch into High Jump Kick safely and requires proper positioning to get on the field.
**Bulky Psychic-types**: Bulky Psychic-types like Cresselia, Slowbro, and Mew survive Hawlucha's boosted Acrobatics and threaten it in return with super effective damage. Future Sight variants of Cresselia and Slowbro can also pressure Hawlucha variants that run Substitute, forcing it into an uncomfortable position. Additionally, Slowbro can either burn Hawlucha with Scald or cripple it with Toxic, putting it on a timer.
**Priority Users**: Priority moves like Water Shuriken, Quick Attack, and Ice Shard — courtesy of Ash-Greninja, Mega Pinsir, and Weavile — can pick off Hawlucha after taking prior chip damage. However, none of these users can come in safely; plus, the Special Defense and Defense boost, depending on the Terrain Seed that Hawlucha used, weakens the amount of damage that it takes from these moves. Mega Scizor deserves a mention, as not only is it bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB moves, but it can also threaten Hawlucha back in return with a Swords Dance-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Status Conditions**: Hawlucha despises status ailments, especially burn and paralysis, which reduce its damage output and Speed, respectively, and hinder its shot at a sweep. Additionally, burn and especially Toxic will put Hawlucha on a timer.
**Phazing**: Skarmory and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB options and can phaze Hawlucha out with Whirlwind and Roar. Because Hawlucha has only one chance to sweep, it cannot afford to be phazed out, as it will lose the Speed boost from Unburden.
**Contact Effects**: As Hawlucha is forced to rely on contact moves to threaten the opposing team, it is susceptible to chip damage from Pokemon like Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Rocky Helmet users like Tornadus-T and Skarmory. Additionally, Pokemon that have abilities that punish contact moves with status ailments like Static from Zapdos and Flame Body from Volcarona can potentially cripple Hawlucha, making it much easier to deal with.
**Protect**: Pokemon that Hawlucha should have easily dealt with, like Heatran and Ferrothorn, commonly carry Protect and force mind games against Hawlucha by baiting it into using High Jump Kick as they use Protect, forcing Hawlucha to risk taking crash damage if it tries to use High Jump Kick.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Hawlucha is one of the tier's deadliest sweepers thanks to its solid offensive STAB combination, high Speed, Swords Dance, and an incredible ability in Unburden. With the combination of a terrain seed and the Unburden ability, Hawlucha outspeeds many faster foes, ranging from Mega Alakazam, +2 Shift Gear Magearna, and Mega Swampert under the rain to Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Greninja. Hawlucha often finds setup opportunities against common Pokemon that it forces out, such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, defensive and Choice Scarf variants of Landorus-T, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha also has the benefit of being a setup sweeper that isn't revenge killed by Ditto, as Ditto cannot copy the Speed boost from Unburden. However, Hawlucha is burdened with a below-average Attack stat, as it cannot OHKO targets like Tapu Lele, Mega Latias, and Tornadus-T before a Swords Dance boost, and is unable to OHKO defensive staples like Slowbro, Toxapex, Tapu Fini, and Clefable after a boost. Hawlucha also struggles against Electric-types that resist both of its STAB options, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if Hawlucha does not pack Stone Edge for the former. While Unburden is one of Hawlucha's greatest strengths, it is also one of its greatest weaknesses; once Hawlucha activates Unburden, it only has one shot at a sweep, and it is highly susceptible to being phazed out by moves like Whirlwind from Skarmory. Lastly, Hawlucha is prone to being picked off by priority moves like Ice Shard from Weavile, Water Shuriken from Ash-Greninja, Quick Attack from Mega Pinsir, and Fake Out + Quick Attack from Mega Lopunny, especially if Hawlucha does not carry Roost.
[SET]
name: Terrain Seed Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Substitute / Roost / Stone Edge
item: Electric Seed / Psychic Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 96 HP / 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========
Swords Dance turns Hawlucha into a dangerous late-game cleaner and is useful for forcing its way past defensive teams. Acrobatics threatens fellow Fighting-types like Kommo-o, Mega Medicham, and Mega Lopunny, and hits a wide range of neutral targets like Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Toxapex. High Jump Kick smashes Steel-types like Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and Heatran and threatens neutral targets like Magearna, Mega Mawile, and Rotom-W after a boost. Substitute eases prediction and protects Hawlucha from attempted status ailments like Toxic from Toxapex and Thunder Wave from Ferrothorn. Roost keeps Hawlucha healthy throughout the game, letting it defensively check the likes of Choice Scarf Kartana and non-Flyinium Z Landorus-T and continue threatening these Pokemon. Finally, Stone Edge threatens Volcarona without triggering Flame Body and is useful for breaking past Zapdos, which otherwise poses a huge problem for Hawlucha.
Set Details
========
The given Speed EVs allow Hawlucha to outrun Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, while the given HP and Special Defense investment let Hawlucha survive uninvested Clefable's Moonblast; if Hawlucha runs Psychic Seed, it can instead move the EVs from Special Defense to HP or Speed. The given terrain seeds should be used if Hawlucha is paired with the designated teammate, like Electric Seed for Tapu Koko, Psychic Seed for Tapu Lele, and Grassy Seed for Tapu Bulu. The Defense boost from Electric Seed and Grassy Seed is helpful for stomaching physical attacks like Landorus-T's Explosion, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed allows Hawlucha to take special attacks like Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken more easily. As for alternative EV spreads, Hawlucha can customize it to its team's desires; for example, it can drop its Speed EVs to 44 to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja after activating Unburden, allowing it to invest more EVs in bulk. Substitute variants with Electric or Grassy Seed have the option to run 128 HP and 60 Special Defense EVs so that Toxapex's Scald doesn't break the Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
Hawlucha is best utilized as a late-game cleaner and benefits from the removal of threats like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, especially if it runs Roost or Substitute over Stone Edge for the former. Because Hawlucha has only one shot at a sweep, it is best to preserve its terrain seed until it is time to go all in, as Hawlucha cannot afford to be phazed out due to its lack of Speed before the Unburden boost to outpace fast offensive Pokemon. The Defense boost from Electric or Grassy Seed lets Hawlucha find setup opportunities against physical attackers like Tapu Bulu and Choice-locked Pokemon like Kartana and Landorus-T, while the Special Defense boost from Psychic Seed lets it do the same against Choice-locked Ash-Greninja. Hawlucha variants that run Substitute or Roost can also set up against passive Pokemon like Toxapex and defensive variants of Landorus-T. Since Landorus-T sometimes runs Flyinium Z to take Hawlucha out, it is a good idea to use Substitute to scout for variants that have this set. Hawlucha needs to be careful around Pokemon that have abilities or items that punish contact moves, like Garchomp and Rocky Helmet users like Skarmory and Tornadus-T, as it is easier to deal with if it has been weakened throughout the game, especially if Hawlucha does not have Roost to heal itself. It is also important to keep in mind that Ferrothorn and Heatran sometimes run Protect to potentially bait Hawlucha into taking crash damage from High Jump Kick. Therefore, it is a good idea to scout for Protect against these Pokemon so that it can time use of High Jump Kick correctly, and Hawlucha can play mind games back by nabbing an extra Swords Dance boost, setting up Substitute, or using Roost to stay healthy.
Team Options
========
Hawlucha is a solid fit on offense and hyper offense teams, which can give it the support it needs to clean up late-game. Tapu Koko is Hawlucha's best partner, as not only is it a mandatory partner for activating Electric Seed, but it can also bring Hawlucha in safely via Volt Switch or U-turn, and it provides dual screens, allowing Hawlucha much easier opportunities to set up. In return, Hawlucha switches into Ground-type attacks aimed at Tapu Koko. Both Protean and Ash-Greninja are solid partners for Hawlucha, as they provide Spikes support, putting pressure on shared checks like Tapu Fini. Additionally, Protean Greninja baits in and annihilates bulky Fairy-types like Clefable with Gunk Shot and Magearna with Tectonic Rage, while Ash-Greninja pressures bulky Psychic-types like Slowbro and Cresselia. Hawlucha also benefits from strong wallbreakers like Kyurem-B and Mega Mawile getting rid of Celesteela and Skarmory, the latter of which threatens to phaze Hawlucha out with Whirlwind. Magearna forms a strong partnership with Hawlucha, covering Fairy-types like Clefable, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini; Assault Vest variants provide a free entry with Volt Switch, while Calm Mind and Shift Gear variants break down opposing teams for Hawlucha to clean up later in the game. On hyper offense teams, a dedicated lead like Mega Diancie, Taunt Mew, Excadrill, and Imprison Landorus-T is beneficial, providing entry hazards while preventing opposing entry hazards from being set up, setting the tempo beautifully. Hawlucha forms a strong core with a Dragon Dance sweeper like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados, both of which benefit from Hawlucha taking care of Grass-types like Tapu Bulu, Ferrothorn, and Choice Scarf Kartana. Hawlucha especially appreciates Mega Tyranitar dispatching Zapdos, which gives Hawlucha major trouble. Volcarona benefits from Hawlucha handling Mega Tyranitar and Chansey, and in return, Volcarona takes on bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types like Slowbro, Cresselia, and Clefable. While Hawlucha isn't a common sight on rain teams, teammates like Pelipper, Mega Swampert, and Manaphy synergize well with Hawlucha and benefit from it dispatching Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana. In return, Mega Swampert bowls over the likes of Tapu Koko, while Manaphy utilizes a rain-boosted Hydro Vortex to break past bulky targets that Hawlucha struggles with, like Unaware Clefable, Slowbro, and Cresselia. Ferrothorn provides solid utility in Spikes, Knock Off to remove items like Leftovers from Celesteela and Clefable, and Thunder Wave to cripple Mega Alakazam, which is a huge threat to rain teams. Tapu Lele is a mandatory partner for Hawlucha variants that carry Psychic Seed. On teams that feature Tapu Lele as a partner, Mega Alakazam is a solid partner for Hawlucha, as it can bust through Pokemon that threaten Hawlucha like Zapdos and Tapu Koko, and it provides its team with a safety measure against rain teams thanks to Trace copying Swift Swim from Mega Swampert. Despite adding up on the Fairy weakness, Mega Medicham and Kommo-o are solid partners, as they can pressure and weaken shared Fairy-type checks like Clefable and Tapu Fini. On teams with Tapu Bulu as a partner, Kartana is another solid teammate as it sends Slowbro packing with Leaf Blade, and it can aid Hawlucha in overwhelming the likes of Magearna and Toxapex.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option for Hawlucha to pressure Pokemon that rely on recovery to stay healthy, like Clefable and Haze Toxapex, prevent Celesteela from punishing it with Leech Seed, and prevent Skarmory from attempting to phaze it out with Whirlwind. However, this does make Hawlucha vulnerable to being burned by Toxapex's Scald if it is not carrying Substitute. Encore disrupts Protect users like Celesteela and thwarts recovery attempts from Mega Scizor, turning them into setup fodder and forcing them to switch out. Drain Punch provides Hawlucha with a more accurate Fighting-type STAB move, allows it to keep itself healthy, complements Substitute to let it use the move slightly more frequently, and takes away the burden of playing mind games against Protect variants of Ferrothorn and Heatran. However, it is much less powerful than High Jump Kick, making it easier for a healthy Magearna to slug Hawlucha out. Poison Jab provides a way for Hawlucha to bait in and eliminate Tapu Koko, but it serves no other purpose besides that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T resist both of Hawlucha's STAB options and fire back with their super effective moves. Between these three Pokemon, Zapdos is perhaps Hawlucha's worst nightmare because it also heals off any damage taken with Roost, and threatens paralysis from Static. Zapdos and Thundurus-T have to be wary of Stone Edge, however. If Hawlucha doesn't have Substitute or Roost, Bulky Rotom-W survives Hawlucha's unboosted High Jump Kick and can threaten either a burn with Will-O-Wisp or a KO with its super effective STAB moves.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Fairy-types like Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria are bulky enough to survive +2 Acrobatics and threaten Hawlucha back with their super effective STAB moves. Hawlucha must also be wary of Unaware variants of Clefable, as they ignore Hawlucha's Attack boosts and threaten it back in return. Defensive variants of Magearna often invest in enough bulk to survive +2 High Jump Kick and retaliate either with Fleur Cannon or a coverage move like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt; however, Magearna needs to stay healthy to slug it out, lest it be picked off. Hawlucha must also tread carefully against Mega Mawile due to Intimidate dropping Hawlucha's Attack stat before Mega Evolving. However, Mega Mawile cannot switch into High Jump Kick safely and requires proper positioning to get on the field.
**Bulky Psychic-types**: Bulky Psychic-types like Cresselia, Slowbro, and Mew survive Hawlucha's boosted Acrobatics and threaten it in return with super effective damage. Future Sight variants of Cresselia and Slowbro can also pressure Hawlucha variants that run Substitute, forcing it into an uncomfortable position. Additionally, Slowbro can either burn Hawlucha with Scald or cripple it with Toxic, putting it on a timer.
**Priority Users**: Priority moves like Water Shuriken, Quick Attack, and Ice Shard — courtesy of Ash-Greninja, Mega Pinsir, and Weavile — can pick off Hawlucha after taking prior chip damage. However, none of these users can come in safely; plus, the Special Defense and Defense boost, depending on the Terrain Seed that Hawlucha used, weakens the amount of damage that it takes from these moves. Mega Scizor deserves a mention, as not only is it bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB moves, but it can also threaten Hawlucha back in return with a Swords Dance-boosted Bullet Punch.
**Status Conditions**: Hawlucha despises status ailments, especially burn and paralysis, which reduce its damage output and Speed, respectively, and hinder its shot at a sweep. Additionally, burn and especially Toxic will put Hawlucha on a timer.
**Phazing**: Skarmory and Hippowdon are bulky enough to survive Hawlucha's boosted STAB options and can phaze Hawlucha out with Whirlwind and Roar. Because Hawlucha has only one chance to sweep, it cannot afford to be phazed out, as it will lose the Speed boost from Unburden.
**Contact Effects**: As Hawlucha is forced to rely on contact moves to threaten the opposing team, it is susceptible to chip damage from Pokemon like Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Rocky Helmet users like Tornadus-T and Skarmory. Additionally, Pokemon that have abilities that punish contact moves with status ailments like Static from Zapdos and Flame Body from Volcarona can potentially cripple Hawlucha, making it much easier to deal with.
**Protect**: Pokemon that Hawlucha should have easily dealt with, like Heatran and Ferrothorn, commonly carry Protect and force mind games against Hawlucha by baiting it into using High Jump Kick as they use Protect, forcing Hawlucha to risk taking crash damage if it tries to use High Jump Kick.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/favmon-garchomp.653095/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/