NU Hitmonlee

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
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[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off a brutally strong High Jump Kick thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows it to function as a decent entry hazard controller for offensive teams, and its Mach Punch allows it to keep a number of Pokemon that are dangerous for offensive teams, including Sneasel and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. Furthermore, the prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes general problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat means it can be taken advantage of by a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants from revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. It also faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than it due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, practically having 156 Base Power thanks to Reckless and consequently severely denting anything that doesn't resist it. Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat and revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful to support Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option for KOing Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox that have a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Colbur Berry Delphox. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox and Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and a Jolly nature is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to at least Speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, an Adamant nature takes best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into a guaranteed 2HKO and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOes physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximizing Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb further increases Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Z-Crystal Mismagius with Knock Off and helping against Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge.

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, and Ice-types that it is able to force out like Guzzlord, Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Miltank to maximize its potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to use Knock Off a lot early-game to remove items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berries and Z-Crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro, however, because users of those items will often be able to take the attack and KO Hitmonlee back with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as the presence of Ghost-types on the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present on the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, such as Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord. Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Grassium Z Delphox and Electrium Z Medicham, help Hitmonlee actually wallbreak. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt appreciate Hitmonlee's Rapid Spin because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon that are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon that struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes stacking offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing. Stone Edge 2HKOes Golbat that have lost Eviolite while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox that trades a good matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang, and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allow Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of a Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in using Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early-game, while Fighting-resistant Pokemon are still healthy, it will usually be best to spam Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove switch-ins' items and deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon that lack a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove, anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord, which Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of, and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can use its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Mesprit with Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, or Grass Knot are important because Hitmonlee struggles to do anything at all as long as Slowbro is around. Pokemon that appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary, and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Blaze Kick
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming its White Herb thanks to the Speed drop, allowing Hitmonlee to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up by providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and lack of punishment versus Ghost-types and random Protect users. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up against or just threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; it also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Whimsicott and Toxicroak hard. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z-Move Whimsicott isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over either Stone Edge or Blaze Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by outpacing every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and thus protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit. White Herb is consumed to restore the stats that drop upon the first use of Curse or Close Combat, allowing Hitmonlee to reliably activate Unburden. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible and Speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. A Jolly nature makes Hitmonlee Speed tie with opposing Hitmonless pre-boost and outrun Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no other purposes given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your wincon; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything that can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. When setting up, it is generally best to try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee, such as -2 Guzzlord, defensive Gigalith, and Pokemon that are locked into weak or resisted moves like Pursuit from Sneasel and Choice Scarf Houndoom. If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only Speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users, however.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat. Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses to Hitmonlee like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, Medicham, and Toxicroak, are also good partners to help facilitate a sweep. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Omastar are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful for putting Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won't switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick and also avoids an OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off guard, dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn't achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter, or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Unburden Hitmonlee to double its Speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative that can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it's comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring the uncommon Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, being able to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of a Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOes with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the game puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk using its strongest STAB move. Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can take Knock Off and retaliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to set up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster than Hitmonlee, resists High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOes Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the excellent coverage of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, Aromatisse is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it's a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon have no fear of Mach Punch outside of latter when it has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO Hitmonlee with Aerial Ace or Hurricane; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee as setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of KO range of Knock Off. That said, they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with +6 Quick Attack, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant. It is also able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
 
Last edited:

quziel

I am the Scientist now
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Sorry this took a while, but imo we need the following:

1) Unburden Curse deserves a set, which is curse/cc/knock/Stone edge or Mach.

2) Mention Sucker on the wallbreaker set; not getting eaten by delphox and rotom remains useful.

3) Mention Mach on Scarf: beating Zangoose and checking Klinklang is real nice

C&C
Mention Venu in the poison types thing as a soft check, which tanks a hit once for a team, though not more.

Add a bullet for Fairy types: Whimsicott tanks one hit and OHKOs in return, while Aromatisse uses the mon as setup fodder if scarf ever clicks knock, or if it can come in after a sack on LO.

QC 1/3 after this
 

poh

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  • Very hard to switch in on if you lack bulky Fighting resists.
    Remove this line
  • Remove mentions of Rotom-C
  • Due to Hitmonlee's frailty, it is generally best to bring it in using slow VoltTurners like Xatu and Vikavolt or when a teammate faints.
    Remove this line
  • Black Belt should be put in Other Options. So remove all Black Belt mentions and place them in OO.
  • The Unburden set should look like this:
    name: Unburden
    move 1: Curse
    move 2: Close Combat
    move 3: Blaze Kick
    move 4: Stone Edge
    item: White Herb
    ability: Unburden
    evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
    nature: Adamant
    Blaze Kick is important cause it also hits Venusaur and Toxicroak for good damage.

Tag me when you're done with this and i'll give it a final check.
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Implemented the above check and set a reminder to do usage tips/TO for Curse tomorrow; if I put it off and don't do it tomorrow ur allowed to tag me itt and call me a cuck
 

poh

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I think TO for Curse could be a lot better but I'm bad at TO and UT so yeah. PursuitOfHappiny
TO looks good, just remove the part about stealth rock support and focus on tspikes (wears bulky waters down the most)
UT: Cursing again after Cursing once with White Herb can be an option to gain the extra power boost. However it's only worth clicking again if you're still faster than your opponent's team + you actually can afford to click it. Adamant Lee has 273 speed, Curse + Unburden --> 546 speed, Cursing again --> 364 speed, speedties Whimsicott.

QC 2/3
 
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Have a nice day!

[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off brutally strong HJKs thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows ot to function as a decent hazard controller for offensive teams, and access to STAB priority allows it to keep a number of Pokemon which are dangerous for offensive teams, such as Choice Scarf Vanilluxe and Sneasel, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense stats means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. The prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting on its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat, which means it can be taken advantage of a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. In addition, it faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than Hitmonlee due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being boosted to 156 Base Power by Reckless and concequently severely denting anything which doesn't resist it, meanwhile Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat, allowing it to revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful alongside Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option allows Hitmonlee to KO Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox through its Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Delphox through its Colbur Berry. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox or Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and Jolly is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, Adamant is also an option to take best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee in the matchup versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into guaranteed 2HKO, and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOs physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximising Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb bolsters Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Mismagius with Knock Off through its Z-crystal and helping verus Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge, but this comes at the cost of taking a little damage every time it moves, which can cause issues versus teams with Pokemon like Slowbro.

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, or Ice-types like Guzzlord, Incineror, Vanilluxe, and Miltank that it is able to force out to maximise Hitmonlee's potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to click Knock Off a lot early-game to remove the items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berry and Z-crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro because users of these items will often be able to retaliate and KO Hitmonlee with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as Ghost-types in the back of the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present in the back of the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, namely including Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord.
Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Bloom Doom Delphox and Electrium Medicham, are useful because Hitmonlee can't realistically wallbreak as long as it hasn't been knocked out. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt that appreciate Rapid Spin support are good partners because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon which are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon which struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless, meanwhile Knock Off allows it to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes-stacking offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing due to its perfect accuracy and the fact it's not punished by Ghost-types and Protect. Stone Edge 2HKOs Golbat which have lost their Eviolite prior while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox which trades the matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allows Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in on Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early game, while Pokemon which are resistant to Fighting-type attacks are still healthy, it will usually be best to click Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove the items of switch-ins and to deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon which lack Colbur Berry or a Z-crystal.
- Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- or Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam if it attempts to take them on with the item in-tact. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord that Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can click its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Thunderbolt/Signal Beam/Grass Knot Mesprit are important as Hitmonlee struggles to really do anything as long as Slowbro is sitting in the back. Pokemon which appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Blaze Kick Stone Edge
move 4: Stone Edge Blaze Kick (read down for reasoning)
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming Hitmonlee's White Herb, allowing it to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up while also providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's second strongest STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and freedom versus Ghost-types and random Protects. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up on or just allowing it to threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Venusaur and Toxicroak hard and is also Hitmonlee's best option versus Whimsicott. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; the latter also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. if you're saying here knock off is an option over blaze kick, blaze kick should be the 4th move as oppose to Stone Edge However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z move Venusaur isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over Stone Edge, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by doubling its Speed stat, allowing it to outrun every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and as such protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit from Hitmonlee. White Herb restores the stats which drop when Curse or Close Combat is used and is consumed, allowing Hitmonlee to activate Unburden without relying on an opposing Knock Off. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible while still being able to speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. Jolly is an option that speed ties with opposing Hitmonlee pre-boost while also outrunning Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no real purpose beyond this, given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your win condition; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to one of Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything which can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for soft-checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. Generally try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee or Pokemon that are locked into awkward moves like Pursuit when setting up expand on this; give examples of specific prominent pokemon it cab set up on, such as pursuit-locked sneasel, defensive gigalith, choice-locked houndoom and pokemon at minus attack / spa like guzzlord (not saying you need to mention all these pokemon, just a few to give the reader an idea). If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game is preferred, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help to remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat.Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Venusaur, Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, and Toxicroak. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Qwilfish are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful to put Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won’t switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick while also avoiding the OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off-guard, dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn’t achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Hitmonlee to double its speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative which can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it’s comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring a potential Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird. Venusaur can tank a hit from Hitmonlee and can either set up with either Sunny Day or Growth, put Hitmonlee to sleep with Sleep Powder, or hit it hard with Giga Drain; that said, it can only take one or two hits.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, allowing it to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOs with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the back puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk clicking High Jump Kick. Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can both take a hit from Knock Off and retalliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to boost up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster, resists both High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOs Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the restricted range of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, it is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it’s a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon fear nothing from Mach Punch outside of when the latter has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO with Aerial Ace or Hurricane, respectively; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee for setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of range of Knock Off. That said, it they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with Quick Attack at +6, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant of the set while being able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
this is really well done, 3/3
 

GP 1/2
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[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off a brutally strong High Jump Kicks thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows it to function as a decent hazard controller for offensive teams, and access to STAB priority its Mach Punch allows it to keep a number of Pokemon which that are dangerous for offensive teams, such as including Sneasel and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe and Sneasel, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense stats means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. Furthermore, the prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes general problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting on its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat means it can be taken advantage of by a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants from revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. In addition, it It also faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than Hitmonlee it due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being boosted to 156 Base Power by Reckless and concequently practically having 156 Base Power thanks to Reckless and consequently severely denting anything which doesn't resist it, meanwhile that doesn't resist it. Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat, (comma) allowing it to and revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful alongside Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option allows Hitmonlee to KO for KOing Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox through its that have a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Colbur Berry Delphox through its Colbur Berry. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox or and Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp. (per)

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and a Jolly nature is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to at least Speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, Adamant is also an option to an Adamant nature takes best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee in the matchup versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into a guaranteed 2HKO, and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOes physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximising maximizing Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb bolsters further increases Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Z-Crystal Mismagius with Knock Off through its Z-crystal and helping verus against Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge, but this comes at the cost of taking a little damage every time it moves, which can cause issues versus teams with Pokemon like Slowbro. (you don't give an alternative, so why point that out)

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, or and Ice-types like Guzzlord, Incineror, Vanilluxe, and Miltank that it is able to force out like Guzzlord, Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Miltank to maximise maximize Hitmonlee's potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to click use Knock Off a lot early-game to remove the items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berry Berries and Z-Crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro, (comma) however, because users of these those items will often be able to retaliate take the attack and KO Hitmonlee back with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as the presence of Ghost-types in the back of on the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present in the back of on the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, namely including Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord. Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Bloom Doom Delphox and Electrium Z Medicham, are help Hitmonlee reach a point where wallbreaking is a reasonable goal actually wallbreak, which it isn’t possible until this Pokemon Slowbro is knocked out. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt that appreciate Rapid Spin support are good partners Hitmonlee's Rapid Spin because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon which that are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon which that struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless,. (per) meanwhile Knock Off allows it Hitmonlee to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes-stacking offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing due to its perfect accuracy and the fact it's not punished by Ghost-types and Protect. Stone Edge 2HKOes Golbat which that have lost their Eviolite prior while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox which that trades the a good matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang, (comma) and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allows Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of a Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in on using Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early-(hyphen)game, while Fighting-resistant Pokemon which are resistant to Fighting-type attacks are still healthy, it will usually be best to click spam Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove the items of switch-ins' (apo) items and to deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon which that lack a Colbur Berry or a Z-Crystal. Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- or and Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam if it attempts to take them on with the item in-tact. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove, (comma) anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord, (comma) which that Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of, (comma) and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can click use its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Thunderbolt/Signal Beam/Grass Knot Mesprit with Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, or Grass Knot are important as because Hitmonlee struggles to really do anything at all as long as Slowbro is sitting in the back around. Pokemon which that appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary, (comma) and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Blaze Kick
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming Hitmonlee's White Herb thanks to the Speed drop, allowing it Hitmonlee to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up while also by providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's second strongest STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and freedom lack of punishment versus Ghost-types and random Protects users. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up on against or just allowing it to threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; it also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Whimsicott and Toxicroak hard. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z-Move move Whimsicott isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over either Stone Edge or Blaze Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by doubling its Speed stat, allowing it to outrun outpacing every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and as such thus protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit from Hitmonlee. White Herb restores the stats which that drop when Curse or Close Combat is used and is consumed, allowing Hitmonlee to activate Unburden without relying on an opposing Knock Off. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible while still being able to and Speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. Jolly is an option that speed ties with opposing Hitmonlee pre-boost while also outrunning A Jolly nature makes Hitmonlee Speed tie with opposing Hitmonless pre-boost and outrun Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no real purpose beyond this, other purposes given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your win condition; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to one of Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything which that can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for soft-checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. When setting up, it is generally best to try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee, such as -2 SpA Guzzlord, (comma) and defensive Gigalith, and Pokemon that are either locked into weak or resisted moves like Pursuit, (comma) such as Sneasel, and Choice Scarf Houndoom. If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game is preferred, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only Speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users, (comma) however.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help to remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat. Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses to Hitmonlee like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, Medicham, (comma) and Toxicroak, are also good partners to help facilitate a sweep. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Omastar are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful to put for putting Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won’t switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick while also avoiding the an OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off-guard, dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn’t achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter, (comma) or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Unburden Hitmonlee to double its Speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative which that can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it’s comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring a potential the uncommon Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, allowing it to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of a Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOes with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the back game puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk clicking using High Jump Kick. Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can both take a hit from Knock Off and retalliate retaliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to boost set up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster than Hitmonlee, resists both High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOes Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the restricted range excellent coverage of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, it Aromatisse is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it’s a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon have no fear nothing from of Mach Punch outside of when the latter has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO with Aerial Ace or Hurricane, respectively; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee for as setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of KO range of Knock Off. That said, it they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with +6 Quick Attack at +6, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant. (per) It is also of the set while being able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
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GP 1/2
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[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off a brutally strong High Jump Kicks thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows it to function as a decent hazard controller for offensive teams, and access to STAB priority its Mach Punch allows it to keep a number of Pokemon which that are dangerous for offensive teams, such as including Sneasel and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe and Sneasel, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense stats means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. Furthermore, the prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes general problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting on its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat means it can be taken advantage of by a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants from revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. In addition, it It also faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than Hitmonlee it due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being boosted to 156 Base Power by Reckless and concequently practically having 156 Base Power thanks to Reckless and consequently severely denting anything which doesn't resist it, meanwhile that doesn't resist it. Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat, (comma) allowing it to and revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful alongside Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option allows Hitmonlee to KO for KOing Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox through its that have a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Colbur Berry Delphox through its Colbur Berry. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox or and Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp. (per)

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and a Jolly nature is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to at least Speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, Adamant is also an option to an Adamant nature takes best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee in the matchup versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into a guaranteed 2HKO, and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOes physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximising maximizing Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb bolsters further increases Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Z-Crystal Mismagius with Knock Off through its Z-crystal and helping verus against Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge, but this comes at the cost of taking a little damage every time it moves, which can cause issues versus teams with Pokemon like Slowbro. (you don't give an alternative, so why point that out)

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, or and Ice-types like Guzzlord, Incineror, Vanilluxe, and Miltank that it is able to force out like Guzzlord, Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Miltank to maximise maximize Hitmonlee's potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to click use Knock Off a lot early-game to remove the items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berry Berries and Z-Crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro, (comma) however, because users of these those items will often be able to retaliate take the attack and KO Hitmonlee back with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as the presence of Ghost-types in the back of on the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present in the back of on the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, namely including Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord. Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Bloom Doom Delphox and Electrium Z Medicham, are help Hitmonlee reach a point where wallbreaking is a reasonable goal actually wallbreak, which it isn’t possible until this Pokemon Slowbro is knocked out. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt that appreciate Rapid Spin support are good partners Hitmonlee's Rapid Spin because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon which that are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon which that struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless,. (per) meanwhile Knock Off allows it Hitmonlee to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes-stacking offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing due to its perfect accuracy and the fact it's not punished by Ghost-types and Protect. Stone Edge 2HKOes Golbat which that have lost their Eviolite prior while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox which that trades the a good matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang, (comma) and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allows Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of a Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in on using Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early-(hyphen)game, while Fighting-resistant Pokemon which are resistant to Fighting-type attacks are still healthy, it will usually be best to click spam Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove the items of switch-ins' (apo) items and to deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon which that lack a Colbur Berry or a Z-Crystal. Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- or and Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam if it attempts to take them on with the item in-tact. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove, (comma) anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord, (comma) which that Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of, (comma) and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can click use its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Thunderbolt/Signal Beam/Grass Knot Mesprit with Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, or Grass Knot are important as because Hitmonlee struggles to really do anything at all as long as Slowbro is sitting in the back around. Pokemon which that appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary, (comma) and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Blaze Kick
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming Hitmonlee's White Herb thanks to the Speed drop, allowing it Hitmonlee to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up while also by providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's second strongest STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and freedom lack of punishment versus Ghost-types and random Protects users. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up on against or just allowing it to threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; it also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Whimsicott and Toxicroak hard. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z-Move move Whimsicott isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over either Stone Edge or Blaze Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by doubling its Speed stat, allowing it to outrun outpacing every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and as such thus protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit from Hitmonlee. White Herb restores the stats which that drop when Curse or Close Combat is used and is consumed, allowing Hitmonlee to activate Unburden without relying on an opposing Knock Off. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible while still being able to and Speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. Jolly is an option that speed ties with opposing Hitmonlee pre-boost while also outrunning A Jolly nature makes Hitmonlee Speed tie with opposing Hitmonless pre-boost and outrun Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no real purpose beyond this, other purposes given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your win condition; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to one of Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything which that can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for soft-checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. When setting up, it is generally best to try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee, such as -2 SpA Guzzlord, (comma) and defensive Gigalith, and Pokemon that are either locked into weak or resisted moves like Pursuit, (comma) such as Sneasel, and Choice Scarf Houndoom. If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game is preferred, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only Speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users, (comma) however.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help to remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat. Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses to Hitmonlee like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, Medicham, (comma) and Toxicroak, are also good partners to help facilitate a sweep. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Omastar are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful to put for putting Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won’t switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick while also avoiding the an OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off-guard, dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn’t achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter, (comma) or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Unburden Hitmonlee to double its Speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative which that can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it’s comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring a potential the uncommon Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, allowing it to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of a Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOes with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the back game puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk clicking using High Jump Kick. Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can both take a hit from Knock Off and retalliate retaliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to boost set up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster than Hitmonlee, resists both High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOes Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the restricted range excellent coverage of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, it Aromatisse is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it’s a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon have no fear nothing from of Mach Punch outside of when the latter has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO with Aerial Ace or Hurricane, respectively; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee for as setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of KO range of Knock Off. That said, it they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with +6 Quick Attack at +6, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant. (per) It is also of the set while being able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
Implemented
 

Lumari

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off a brutally strong High Jump Kick thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows it to function as a decent entry hazard controller for offensive teams, and its Mach Punch allows it to keep a number of Pokemon that are dangerous for offensive teams, including Sneasel and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. Furthermore, the prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes general problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat means it can be taken advantage of by a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants from revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. It also faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than it due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, practically having 156 Base Power thanks to Reckless and consequently severely denting anything that doesn't resist it. Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat and revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful alongside to support Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option for KOing Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox that have a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Colbur Berry Delphox. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox and Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and a Jolly nature is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to at least Speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, an Adamant nature takes best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into a guaranteed 2HKO (RC) and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOes physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximizing Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb further increases Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Z-Crystal Mismagius with Knock Off and helping against Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge.

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, and Ice-types that it is able to force out like Guzzlord, Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Miltank to maximize Hitmonlee's its potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to use Knock Off a lot early-game to remove items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berries and Z-Crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro, however, because users of those items will often be able to take the attack and KO Hitmonlee back with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as the presence of Ghost-types on the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present on the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, namely such as (unless it's literally just those 3) Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord. Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Bloom Doom Grassium Z Delphox and Electrium Z Medicham, help Hitmonlee actually wallbreak, which isn’t possible until Slowbro is knocked out. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt appreciate Hitmonlee's Rapid Spin because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon that are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon that struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes stacking (RH) offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing. Stone Edge 2HKOes Golbat that have lost Eviolite while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox that trades a good matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang, and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allow Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of a Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in using Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early-game, while Fighting-resistant Pokemon are still healthy, it will usually be best to spam Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove switch-ins' items and deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon that lack a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove, anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord, which Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of, and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can use its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Mesprit with Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, or Grass Knot are important because Hitmonlee struggles to do anything at all as long as Slowbro is around. Pokemon that appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary, and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Blaze Kick
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming Hitmonlee's its White Herb thanks to the Speed drop, allowing Hitmonlee to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up by providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and lack of punishment versus Ghost-types and random Protect users. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up against or just threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; it also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Whimsicott and Toxicroak hard. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z-Move Whimsicott isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over either Stone Edge or Blaze Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by outpacing every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and thus protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit. White Herb restores the stats that drop when Curse or Close Combat is used and is consumed, allowing Hitmonlee to reliably activate Unburden without relying on an opposing Knock Off. (optional ig but i mean no one would consistently try to activate unburden that way to set up a sweep in the first place) Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible and Speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. A Jolly nature makes Hitmonlee Speed tie with opposing Hitmonless pre-boost and outrun Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no other purposes given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your win condition wincon; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything that can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. When setting up, it is generally best to try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee, such as -2 Guzzlord, defensive Gigalith, and Pokemon that are locked into weak or resisted moves like Pursuit such as from Sneasel (RC) and Choice Scarf Houndoom. If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only Speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users, however.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat. Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses to Hitmonlee like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, Medicham, and Toxicroak, are also good partners to help facilitate a sweep. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Omastar are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful for putting Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won’t switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick while also avoiding and also avoids an OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off guard, (RH) dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn’t achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter, or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Unburden Hitmonlee to double its Speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative that can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it’s comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring the uncommon Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, allowing it being able to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of a Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOes with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the game puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk using High Jump Kick its strongest STAB move (optional). Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can take Knock Off and retaliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to set up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster than Hitmonlee, resists High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOes Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the excellent coverage of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, Aromatisse is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it’s a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon have no fear of Mach Punch outside of when the latter when it has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO Hitmonlee with Aerial Ace or Hurricane; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee as setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of KO range of Knock Off. That said, they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with +6 Quick Attack, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant. It is also able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
 
Last edited:

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Hitmonlee can fire off a brutally strong High Jump Kick thanks to Reckless, which makes it a dangerous wallbreaker and revenge killer. Additionally, its access to the rare Rapid Spin allows it to function as a decent entry hazard controller for offensive teams, and its Mach Punch allows it to keep a number of Pokemon that are dangerous for offensive teams, including Sneasel and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, in check without sacrificing wallbreaking power while also allowing it to pick off a handful of setup sweepers like Omastar and Klinklang. Hitmonlee also has access to Unburden, allowing it to function as a decent late-game cleaner. However, its frailty as a result of its low HP and Defense means that it can't afford to take any particularly strong hits. Furthermore, the prominence of Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Golbat, Garbodor, and Mismagius causes general problems for Hitmonlee while also impacting its ability to spam High Jump Kick safely, and its middling Speed stat means it can be taken advantage of by a number of dangerous offensive Pokemon like Delphox, Sigilyph, and Whimsicott while also preventing Choice Scarf variants from revenge killing faster setup sweepers like Vivillon, Zangoose, and Klinklang. It also faces heavy competition from other Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak, which typically have more utility than it due to differences in movepool, typing, or ability.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, practically having 156 Base Power thanks to Reckless and consequently severely denting anything that doesn't resist it. Mach Punch allows Hitmonlee to circumvent its middling Speed stat and revenge kill faster Pokemon like Sceptile, Choice Scarf Vanilluxe, and +2 Omastar. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to hit Ghost-types like Rotom and Mismagius for super effective damage, punishing their attempts to switch into its High Jump Kick, while also allowing it to dent Psychic-types like Xatu, Sigilyph, and Delphox. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from its side of the field, which is useful alongside to support Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, but Stone Edge is also a very viable option for KOing Golbat that switch in on Knock Off. It also hits Delphox that have a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Earthquake is also a viable option that hits Garbodor super effectively while still hitting Colbur Berry Delphox. Sucker Punch allows Hitmonlee to hit Delphox, Rotom, and Sigilyph before they move, surprising them if they attempt to pick it off. That said, Hitmonlee still needs to be careful of Delphox and Rotom if they carry Colbur Berry or Will-O-Wisp.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard and as fast as possible, and a Jolly nature is preferred because it allows Hitmonlee to at least Speed tie with opposing Hitmonlee. With that said, an Adamant nature takes best advantage of Mach Punch while also helping Hitmonlee versus physically defensive Mega Audino, turning a low 2HKO rate into a guaranteed 2HKO (RC) and guaranteeing that Hitmonlee KOes physically defensive Golbat with Knock Off followed by Stone Edge. Reckless bolsters High Jump Kick's damage output, maximizing Hitmonlee's ability to wallbreak effectively. Life Orb further increases Hitmonlee's firepower, allowing Jolly Hitmonlee to OHKO Z-Crystal Mismagius with Knock Off and helping against Golbat if Hitmonlee carries Stone Edge.

Usage Tips
========

Try to bring Hitmonlee out against bulky Dark-, Normal-, and Ice-types that it is able to force out like Guzzlord, Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Miltank to maximize Hitmonlee's its potency as a wallbreaker. It's generally best to use Knock Off a lot early-game to remove items from Hitmonlee's switch-ins. Be wary of Colbur Berries and Z-Crystals when using Knock Off versus slower targets like Mesprit and Slowbro, however, because users of those items will often be able to take the attack and KO Hitmonlee back with their STAB moves. In addition, be wary of Protect from Pokemon like Vaporeon and Mega Audino as well as the presence of Ghost-types on the opposing team, as using High Jump Kick versus such Pokemon will result in Hitmonlee crashing. If a Pokemon that Hitmonlee severely struggles to dent, such as Slowbro, is present on the opposing team, take the opportunity to clear entry hazards with Rapid Spin or double switch anticipating it.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that draw out Dark-types like Guzzlord and Incineroar, such as Xatu, Rotom, Slowbro, and Delphox, are useful for their ability to provide Hitmonlee with opportunities to fire off an attack safely. Similarly, Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Rotom, Xatu, and Choice Scarf Braviary are useful to help get Hitmonlee onto the field against Pokemon that it has a good matchup versus, namely such as (unless it's literally just those 3) Rhydon, Steelix, and Guzzlord. Pokemon that can lure and remove Slowbro, such as Bloom Doom Grassium Z Delphox and Electrium Z Medicham, help Hitmonlee actually wallbreak, which isn’t possible until Slowbro is knocked out. Pokemon like Delphox, Vanilluxe, and Vikavolt appreciate Hitmonlee's Rapid Spin because they won't get worn down throughout the match, and Pokemon that are prone being taken advantage of by Fighting-weak setup attackers like Klinklang and Scrafty, such as Sneasel and Choice Scarf Delphox, benefit from Hitmonlee's ability to shut them down with Mach Punch. The same applies to Pokemon that struggle with fast Dark-types like Houndoom and Sneasel, such as Sigilyph, Mismagius, Rotom, Haunter, and the aforementioned Delphox.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Rapid Spin / Close Combat
move 4: Stone Edge / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move, being bolstered by Reckless. Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to pick off Ghost- and Psychic-types like Sigilyph, Delphox, and Mismagius while filling a utility role by removing the items of switch-ins. Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to function as an emergency hazard remover for teams that lack one; this is also useful for Spikes stacking (RH) offense teams that can't afford to clear their own entry hazards with Defog. Close Combat is a reliable secondary STAB move that allows Hitmonlee to avoid the risk of crashing. Stone Edge 2HKOes Golbat that have lost Eviolite while also allowing Hitmonlee to revenge kill Delphox without fearing Colbur Berry. Earthquake is a more accurate option to hit Delphox that trades a good matchup versus Golbat for the ability to 2HKO defensive Garbodor. Mach Punch is also an option that allows Hitmonlee to pick off boosted Zangoose, Klinklang, and Omastar, which it otherwise loses to.

Set Details
========

Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to function as a powerful revenge killer, outrunning a range of Pokemon that it can't outpace otherwise like Sceptile, Houndoom, Delphox, and Sigilyph. Maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, whereas maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature allow Hitmonlee to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-C, which helps Hitmonlee set itself apart from Passimian in the role of a Choice Scarf-wielding Fighting-type. Reckless is the ability of choice to bolster High Jump Kick, which increases Hitmonlee's potency as a revenge killer.

Usage Tips
========

Hitmonlee is generally best used as a revenge killer; when not revenge killing, try to bring it in using Volt Switch from Pokemon like Rotom-C to help alleviate its frailty. Early-game, while Fighting-resistant Pokemon are still healthy, it will usually be best to spam Knock Off so that Hitmonlee can remove switch-ins' items and deal a good amount of damage to Pokemon that lack a Colbur Berry or Z-Crystal. Be wary of a potential Colbur Berry when revenge killing Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon like Delphox, Rotom, and Mismagius (and also Choice Scarf in the case of Delphox) because they are all capable of punishing Hitmonlee with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Psychic, and Dazzling Gleam. When Hitmonlee lacks any means of posing a threat to the opposing team due to the presence of Pokemon like Slowbro, consider taking the opportunity to remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin instead of attacking, and if there are none to remove, anticipate the opponent and consider a double switch to retain momentum.

Team Options
========

Rotom baits out Pokemon like Guzzlord, which Hitmonlee is able to take advantage of, and brings Hitmonlee in for free with Volt Switch. Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom are useful for removing dangerous Psychic- and Ghost-types so that Hitmonlee can use its STAB attacks without fear. Slowbro lures like Grassium Z Delphox and Mesprit with Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, or Grass Knot are important because Hitmonlee struggles to do anything at all as long as Slowbro is around. Pokemon that appreciate Rapid Spin support, including Vanilluxe, Delphox, Braviary, and Scyther, make for naturally good partners.

[SET]
name: Unburden
move 1: Curse
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Blaze Kick
item: White Herb
ability: Unburden
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Curse boosts Hitmonlee's Attack and Defense stats by 1 stage while also consuming Hitmonlee's its White Herb thanks to the Speed drop, allowing Hitmonlee to boost up and activate Unburden simultaneously; this increases Hitmonlee's consistency when cleaning up by providing it with a buffer against priority. Close Combat is Hitmonlee's STAB move, being preferable to High Jump Kick due to its 100% accuracy and lack of punishment versus Ghost-types and random Protect users. It also functions as a secondary method of activating Unburden, allowing Hitmonlee to clean up versus teams that it can't boost up against or just threaten offense mid-game when cleaning with it isn't your win condition. Stone Edge allows Hitmonlee to dent Golbat, OHKOing fully physically defensive variants at +1 after Stealth Rock if Eviolite has been removed prior; it also hits Delphox, which resists both of Hitmonlee's other attacks. Blaze Kick is important for its ability to hit Whimsicott and Toxicroak hard. Knock Off is an option over Blaze Kick that provides accurate super effective coverage versus Ghost- and Psychic-types, most notably including Rotom, while also giving Hitmonlee more utility early- and mid-game. However, most common Ghost- and Psychic-types are already hit hard by Hitmonlee's other attacks, and missing out on both Toxicroak and Z-Move Whimsicott isn't ideal. Mach Punch can be used over either Stone Edge or Blaze Kick, allowing Hitmonlee to pick off weakened Klinklang while also moving before Zangoose's Quick Attack if Unburden has activated. It also allows Hitmonlee to pick off faster Pokemon like Houndoom, Sneasel, Dugtrio, and Cinccino without activating Unburden. Earthquake is also an option over Stone Edge that allows Hitmonlee to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Qwilfish for super effective damage while also hitting Delphox accurately.

Set Details
========

Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's Speed stat when its item is consumed or removed with Knock Off; this allows Hitmonlee to function as a late-game cleaner or mid-game offense breaker by outpacing every Choice Scarf user in the format (most notably including Delphox) and thus protecting it from being revenge killed without the use of priority or a Pokemon that can take a hit. White Herb restores the stats that drop when Curse or Close Combat is used and is consumed, allowing Hitmonlee to reliably activate Unburden without relying on an opposing Knock Off. (optional ig but i mean no one would consistently try to activate unburden that way to set up a sweep in the first place) Maximum Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible and Speed tie with Dugtrio and outrun Sneasel, Cinccino, and Whimsicott even if Curse is used after the boost from Unburden. A Jolly nature makes Hitmonlee Speed tie with opposing Hitmonless pre-boost and outrun Choice Scarf Emboar after the boost from Unburden and the stat drop from 1 additional Curse, but it serves no other purposes given that most slower Pokemon don't run Speed-boosting natures, and it weakens Hitmonlee's ability to clean up late-game.

Usage Tips
========

Try to avoid using Hitmonlee until late-game if it is your win condition wincon; it only gets one shot at sweeping, and you can be left in a tight spot if its White Herb is lost prematurely thanks to Knock Off, Intimidate, Close Combat, or a random secondary effect. Make sure that anything that can take a hit from Hitmonlee is removed or weakened into KO range before attempting a sweep; this means removing Ghost- and Psychic-types with Pursuit and using teammates to help overwhelm Pokemon like Garbodor. While other Hitmonlee sets are very safe options for checking Sneasel, you need to be very careful when trying to use it as setup fodder because setting up with Curse on a turn that it uses Knock Off cuts the boost from Unburden substantially. When setting up, it is generally best to try to make use of opposing Pokemon that can't deal heavy damage to Hitmonlee, such as -2 Guzzlord, defensive Gigalith, and Pokemon that are locked into weak or resisted moves like Pursuit such as from Sneasel (RC) and Choice Scarf Houndoom. If using Hitmonlee to threaten offensive teams mid-game, switching in and consuming its White Herb to remove something with Close Combat is a valid option because it puts pressure onto a number of typical offensive responses to Hitmonlee such as Choice Scarf Delphox and Choice Scarf Scyther. Using Curse twice is an option if Hitmonlee is faster than the entire opposing team; doing so means that Hitmonlee can only Speed tie with opposing Whimsicott and loses its good matchup versus Choice Scarf users, however.

Team Options
========

Pursuit users like Sneasel and Houndoom help remove Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon that resist Close Combat. Pokemon that can help overwhelm defensive responses to Hitmonlee like Garbodor, Jellicent, and Slowbro, such as Whimsicott, Sceptile, Delphox, Medicham, and Toxicroak, are also good partners to help facilitate a sweep. Memento users like Whimsicott and Uxie are useful for helping Hitmonlee set up. Spikes and Toxic Spikes from users such as Garbodor and Omastar are important to aid in the wearing down of the opposing team, most notably including bulky Water-types. Similarly, users of Toxic such as Slowbro, Colbur Berry Slowking, and Garbodor are also very useful for putting Slowbro under pressure.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Hitmonlee's movepool is very limited, restricting alternative options available to it. Black Belt is a viable alternative to Life Orb that allows Hitmonlee to maintain its own health and bluff Choice Scarf, but the power drop on its non-Fighting-type moves means that it isn't usually worthwhile. Poison Jab is an option to hit Whimsicott and Aromatisse. However, the former won’t switch in directly very often and is faster than non-Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, whereas the only viable variant of the latter is already 2HKOed after Stealth Rock if it switches in on by High Jump Kick while also avoiding and also avoids an OHKO from Poison Jab after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch can be used to catch Whimsicott off guard, (RH) dealing around 50% to it when used alongside Life Orb. However, it doesn’t achieve anything beyond this outside of potentially picking off a very weakened Mismagius, Haunter, or Sigilyph. Normal Gem + Fake Out is an option over Curse that allows Unburden Hitmonlee to double its Speed without taking any damage, and when used alongside Mach Punch it also allows an unboosted Hitmonlee to pick off a boosted Zangoose without fearing Quick Attack. That said, the power drop compared to Curse Hitmonlee is very noticeable. Endure + Liechi Berry is another alternative that can be run alongside Reversal to pack more punch, but it’s comparatively very susceptible to priority, and it is hard to control when Liechi Berry will activate.

Checks and Counters
========

**Poison-types**: Garbodor takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's attacks barring the uncommon Earthquake and wears Hitmonlee down with Rocky Helmet. Vileplume and Weezing also fear little from Hitmonlee and can cripple it with Stun Spore or Will-O-Wisp. Golbat needs to be wary of Stone Edge and Knock Off, but it takes very little from any of Hitmonlee's other attacks and OHKOes in return with Brave Bird.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro fears nothing from Hitmonlee, allowing it being able to set up in its face with Calm Mind. Uxie and Mesprit force Hitmonlee out and can use it to set up Stealth Rock with ease. Sigilyph is faster than Hitmonlee, takes almost nothing from High Jump Kick, and can OHKO back with Psychic; that said, it needs to be wary of Choice Scarf variants because of the threat of Knock Off. Xatu can take advantage of a Hitmonlee that is locked into a Fighting-type move to grab momentum on the switch it forces with U-turn. Delphox is also faster and OHKOes with Psychic, and Colbur Berry variants don't fear being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Knock Off.

**Ghost-types**: Using High Jump Kick as a Ghost-type switches in results in Hitmonlee crashing and taking damage, which means that having one present in the game puts a lot of pressure on the Hitmonlee player to not risk using High Jump Kick its strongest STAB move (optional). Colbur Berry variants of Jellicent and Rotom can take Knock Off and retaliate with Will-O-Wisp. Mismagius is faster than Hitmonlee and can remove it with Dazzling Gleam; Colbur Berry variants can even use Hitmonlee to set up with Nasty Plot if it isn't both holding Choice Scarf and locked into Knock Off, although it needs to be wary of Curse variants.

**Fairy-types**: Whimsicott is faster than Hitmonlee, resists High Jump Kick, Mach Punch, and Knock Off, and OHKOes Hitmonlee with Moonblast, which can easily put the Hitmonlee's team under a lot of pressure due to the excellent coverage of Fairy-type attacks. Aromatisse can take a hit from High Jump Kick with ease and also uses Hitmonlee to set up Trick Room, pressuring Hitmonlee it if it locks itself into Knock Off. However, Aromatisse is 2HKOed by High Jump Kick after Stealth Rock, meaning it needs to be wary of switching into Hitmonlee directly, especially if it’s a wallbreaker variant.

**Faster Attackers**: Scyther and Vivillon have no fear of Mach Punch outside of when the latter when it has consumed its Focus Sash, and both can OHKO Hitmonlee with Aerial Ace or Hurricane; Vivillon can also use Hitmonlee as setup fodder if it carries Flyinium Z or is otherwise out of KO range of Knock Off. That said, they both need to be careful of switching into Stone Edge variants, and Scyther needs to be wary of its Choice Scarf being removed by Knock Off. Belly Drum Zangoose OHKOes Hitmonlee with +6 Quick Attack, leaving it unfazed by Choice Scarf variants outside of a rare Mach Punch variant. It is also able to circumvent said move from wallbreaker variants by matching its priority bracket.
Implemented. This is done.
 

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