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[OVERVIEW]
* Hitmonlee is one of the best Fighting-types to ever grace the NeverUsed tier thanks to its unpredictability, high Attack stat, and great utility moves in Rapid Spin and Knock Off.
* Its best STAB, High Jump Kick, 2HKOes or OHKOes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it.
* Hitmonlee acts as a solid Choice Scarf user, as it is capable of revenge killing a big portion of the tier and still use Rapid Spin to clean the entry hazards.
* Despite its good Special Defense, Hitmonlee has a terrible physical bulk, and therefore it can't afford to switch into any kind of move.
* While High Jump Kick allows Hitmonlee to hit any kind of Pokemon thanks to its ability, Fighting resists such as Psychic-, Ghost-, and Fairy-types will always make Hitmonlee struggle.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Black Belt / Life Orb
ability: Reckless
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's most spammable STAB, but while it hits extremely hard thanks to Reckless, its drawback makes it risky if the opponent has a Ghost-type.
* Knock Off covers Ghost- and Psychic-types. such as Jellicent, Xatu, and that might switch into High Jump Kick, and it also removes Eviolite from Rhydon and Golbat.
* Mach Punch is an useful priority move that hits weakened Pokemon before they revenge kill Hitmonlee, such as weakened Virizion, Meloetta, and healthy Sneasel.
* Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to clean entry hazards from the battle floor, giving some of its teammates more opportunities to come in, especially if they're weak to Stealth Rock.
* Stone Edge can be used over Rapid Spin if Hitmonlee's team isn't weak to entry hazards or if it has hazard removal already, as it allows Hitmonlee to 2HKO Xatu and Golbat without Eviolite.
Set Details
========
* Reckless is the preferable ability, because it gives High Jump Kick an enormous boost, allowing Hitmonlee to OHKO some Pokemon that it couldn't otherwise, such as Steelix after Stealth Rock, Virizion, and Drapion.
* Fist Plate gives High Jump Kick and Mach Punch more power while not ruining Hitmonlee's longevity, but Life Orb can be used to nab some granted OHKOes, such as against Machamp and Bulk Up Braviary.
* Maximum investment in Attack with an Adamant nature allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, while maximum Speed investment with allows Hitmonlee to outspeed important Pokemon, such as Barbaracle, Samurott, and Alolan Sandslash.
* A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Xatu, Rotom-C, and Toxicroak, but it misses the OHKO on some Pokemon, such as Rhydon and Steelix.
Usage Tips
========
* Hitmonlee is too frail to come in directly, so bringing it in with a Volt Switch or U-turn user, especially if they are slower than the target, is ideal, since Hitmonlee is going to be brought in healthy and able to take some hits.
* Spamming High Jump Kick is extremely risky if the opponent has a Ghost-type. Instead, try to predict the Ghost-type with Knock Off or just play around it carefully, with of without a Pursuit trapper.
* Bluffing Choice Scarf against more offensive builds might allow Hitmonlee to get some important OHKOs.
Team Options
========
* Other Fighting-types such as Virizion, Toxicroak, and Machamp can form a pretty good Fighting spam core alongside Hitmonlee, either overwhelming or luring their checks.
* Pursuit trappers, such as Sneasel and Drapion, can trap Ghost- and Psychic-types that would annoy Hitmonlee.
* Entry hazard support from Steelix, Rhydon, Seismitoad, Qwilfish, and Garbodor helps Hitmonlee to wallbreak.
* Ground-types such as Seismitoad, Rhydon, Steelix, and Gastrodon can help Hitmonlee to beat Poison-types, such as Garbodor, Toxicroak, and Qwilfish.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: High Jump Kick
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Stone Edge / Close Combat
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* High Jump Kick is Hitmonlee's strongest move, enabling it to 2HKO or OHKO almost any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, such as Seismitoad, Virizion, and Meloetta.
* Knock Off allows Hitmonlee to catch Ghost- and Psychic-types on the switch, 2HKOing Xatu, Jellicent, and Slowking if they're not carrying Colbur Berry. It also enables Hitmonlee to remove Eviolite from Rhydon and Golbat.
* Stone Edge enables Hitmonlee to 2HKO Xatu and Golbat after Stealth Rock.
* Close Combat can be used over Stone Edge if you're looking for a more reliable STAB that can still OHKO offensive threats, such as Meloetta and Sceptile after Stealth Rock.
* Rapid Spin is a solid move that enables Hitmonlee to remove entry hazards from the field.
Set Details
========
* Reckless gives High Jump Kick a huge boost, allowing Hitmonlee to OHKO many Pokemon that it couldn't otherwise, such as Meloetta, Virizion, and Drapion.
* Choice Scarf allows Hitmonlee to act as a solid revenge killer that can threaten teams after their Fighting resist got knocked out. It also allows Hitmonlee to use Rapid Spin before it gets KOed.
* Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature allow Hitmonlee to outspeed Choice Scarf Rotom-C and Accelgor, while the Attack investment allows it to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
* Be careful when using High Jump Kick against a foe if he has a Ghost-type, as Hitmonlee will lose precious momentum and health if it crashes.
* Use Hitmonlee to revenge kill offensive threats such as Virizion, Meloetta, Drapion, and Sceptile.
* Hitmonlee gives its foes many setup opportunities if it locks itself into Rapid Spin, so clicking Rapid Spin if the opponent has a setup sweeper is not recommended.
Team Options
========
* Entry hazard support coming from Steelix, Garbodor, Rhydon, and Qwilfish helps Hitmonlee to get past physical walls.
* Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Slowbro, Slowking, and Meloetta are able to deal with many of Hitmonlee's checks, mainly Poison-types.
* Dark-types such as Drapion, Skuntank, and Sneasel make good teammates to this set due to Hitmonlee's vulnerability against Ghost-types.
* Strong wallbreakers such as Emboar, Sceptile, and Samurott make good partners as well, mainly because they can take advantage of Hitmonlee's ability of revenge killing threats.
[SET]
name: Unburden Attacker
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Rapid Spin / Stone Edge
item: Normal Gem
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Fake Out activates Normal Gem and Unburden as well, making Hitmonlee a deadly sweeper that can clean many late-game scenarios if all of the Fighting resists are worn down or KOed. It's also useful if Hitmonlee needs to inflict some chip damage for a teammate or even for itself.
* Close Combat is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB move besides High Jump Kick, KOing many weakened Pokemon or even OHKOing frail stuff after Stealth Rock, such as Virizion, Meloetta, Sceptile, and Delphox.
* Knock Off hits Psychic- and Ghost-types, which don't take much damage or are immune to Close Combat, supereffectively, while also removing Eviolite from Rhydon and Golbat.
* Rapid Spin allows Hitmonlee to clean entry hazards from the field.
* Stone Edge can be used over Rapid Spin if Hitmonlee's team is not weak to entry hazards and if the team is weak to Delphox, Xatu, or Golbat.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Speed investment allows Hitmonlee to outspeed many Pokemon, such as Timid Accelgor, Choice Scarf Drapion, and opposing Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, while an Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment allows Hitmonlee to hit as hard as possible, OHKOing Pokemon that Jolly wouldn't after Stealth Rock, such as Delphox, Virizion, and Meloetta.
* Normal Gem works pretty alongside Unburden because once Hitmonlee uses a Normal-type move, either Fake Out or Rapid Spin, it activates, doubling Hitmonlee's Speed stat and making it extremely hard to revenge kill without solid Fighting resists.
Usage Tips
========
* Never activate Normal Gem if any Fighting resist is still healthy, unless you need to sacrifice Hitmonlee or use Rapid Spin.
*
Team Options
========
Describe some teammates that would be a good idea to pair with this Pokemon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A combination of Endure, Reversal, Liechi Berry, and Unburden can be deadly to many unprepared teams since it can pretty much sweep the late-game if it gets hit by a strong attack, but it's too risky because of many attackers carrying priority moves, and it also struggles to OHKO many Fighting resists, such as Slowbro, Qwilfish, and especially Garbodor, that can KO it with Rocky Helmet damage.
* Earthquake can be used on both sets to hit Poison-types such as Garbodor and Qwilfish, but it lacks consistency since it doesn't hit anything else and is hard to fit onto both of the sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Slowbro**: Slowbro can take pretty much any attack coming from Hitmonlee and either set up Calm Mind or kill it with Psyshock.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Weezing, Garbodor, Vileplume, and Qwilfish resist High Jump Kick and can make many things while they take hits, such as set Spikes or Toxic Spikes, burn Hitmonlee with Will-O-Wisp or Scald, or simply 2HKO it with their STABs.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Jellicent, Gourgeist, and Spiritomb might fear Knock Off, but they can switch into High Jump Kick without any regret and recover their health with Recover, Synthesis, or Rest, respectively.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Granbull, Whimsicott, and Aromatisse can OHKO Hitmonlee with their STABs and take High Jump Kick fairly easily.
**Faster Choice Scarf users**: Choice Scarf Hitmonlee is a great revenge killer, but it's still outsped by most of the Choice Scarf users. Meloetta, Drapion, and Vanilluxe outspeed Hitmonlee and can KO it after some chip damage.
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