Hitmontop Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Fake Out support allows Hitmontop to narrow down the situation for its partner for a turn. Close Combat is a powerful attack that gives Hitmontop some bite. Wide Guard protects Hitmontop and its partner from spread attacks, namely Sylveon's Hyper Voice and Landorus-T's Earthquake and Rock Slide. Helping Hand lets Hitmontop boost the power of its partner's attacks. Quick Guard protects your team from priority, mainly Sucker Punch, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Thundurus's status moves. Feint lets Hitmontop's partner get off a valuable guaranteed hit. Stone Edge can also be used for coverage if you find Hitmontop's final support option unneeded. Set Details A simple EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk is used to maximize bulk while also giving Hitmontop as strong a Close Combat as possible. Speed investment is optional. Hitmontop sits at the awkward Speed tier of 70. Investing enough to outspeed uninvested threats with a similar Speed can be useful. With 60 Speed EVs, Hitmontop outruns uninvested Heatran. 140 Speed EVs let Hitmontop outrun uninvested Rotom-W, though investing a little more is recommended, as Rotom-W often speed creeps. Investing in defenses is not heavily recommended, as it doesn't change what Hitmontop is OHKOed by unless it is a significant investment. Taking investment out of Attack is also not recommended; Hitmontop needs 244 Attack EVs to guarantee the KO on 4 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD Mega Kangaskhan. Close Combat's damage plummets as soon as you start removing Attack EVs. Usage Tips Bringing Hitmontop in swings the momentum in your favor most of the time thanks to its Intimidate and Fake Out pressure. Hitmontop makes for a good, albeit very predictable and answerable lead. It's even better to switch in turn one if you decide on some other pair of leads and the situation isn't favorable. Because Intimidate and Fake Out are refreshed every time Hitmontop switches in, Hitmontop works very well with U-turn or Volt Switch users. If Hitmontop's Fake Out is very obviously telegraphed, consider using some other attack instead to punish your opponent for anticipating Fake Out. Team Options Hitmontop is great with Pokemon that have powerful spread moves, such as Mega Charizard Y, Sylveon, Heatran, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Salamence, as it can shield them with Fake Out and boost their damage output with Helping Hand. Pokemon with speed control such as Zapdos and Thundurus enjoy Fake Out and Intimidate. Hitmontop's Intimidate and Fake Out support makes partners with boosting moves such as its classic partner Quiver Dance Volcarona. Hitmontop's Fighting-type coverage is so helpful that almost any special attacker appreciates Hitmontop as a partner; notable mentions include Hydreigon and Gardevoir. Pokemon that loathe Landorus-T and its spread moves such as Talonflame, Mega Mawile, and Mega Charizard Y like Hitmontop's Intimidate and Wide Guard. Hitmontop enjoys working with Pokemon that can deal with Mega Mawile, Mega Salamence, and Talonflame. Rotom-W is good against Mega Mawile and Talonflame, while Landorus-T is good against all three.

Technician boosts all moves that have a Base Power of 60 or less, allowing Hitmontop to utilize priority moves to the fullest. Fake Out prevents opponents from setting up and makes them a sitting duck for a turn; this gives Hitmontop's partner the opportunity to set up something of its own or KO the foe that poses a threat to Hitmontop. A STAB-, Technician-, and Life Orb-boosted Mach Punch deals out massive amounts of damage to almost everything it touches, and is the main drawing point for this set. Pokemon that resist Mach Punch, however, such as Latios and Zapdos, give Hitmontop problems, and Sucker Punch provides the perfect counter against these foes. As a priority Dark-type move, Sucker Punch is also the perfect solution to any Psychic-type threats that threaten Hitmontop with their powerful STAB attacks. Detect provides Hitmontop with a way to stay alive for an additional crucial turn, while its partner takes care of a threatening foe. Detect may be unnecessary, however, and in this case Wide Guard provides a suitable option. Spread moves such as Heat Wave and Rock Slide run rampant in doubles, and Wide Guard blocks these moves, keeping Hitmontop's teammates alive. A Life Orb boosts Hitmontop's already-powerful attacks even further, and Sucker Punch welcomes the rise in power, as it is not boosted by Technician. All of Hitmontop's attacks are priority-based moves and therefore, only a minimum amount of EVs are invested in Speed while maximum investment in HP and Attack secure Hitmontop's place on the field as a bulky attacker. Hitmontop's skills as a powerful priority user are much in need, allowing it to fit on a variety of different teams. Trick Room teams benefit from the Fake Out support Hitmontop brings to the table, allowing Trick Room to be set up without hindrance. Likewise, Tailwind and goodstuff teams appreciate the extra time given by Hitmontop with Fake Out.

A Fighting Gem is used alongside Close Combat or Mach Punch for a one-time powerful Fighting-type move. To keep Hitmontop in top condition, a Sitrus Berry can be used instead and helps greatly with Hitmontop's longevity. A third, unlisted option to consider is an Eject Button. With an Eject Button, both Intimidate and Fake Out are re-usable, allowing for more disruption. However, be warned that an untimely Eject Button activation can spell your doom if a faster opponent activates it before a crucial Close Combat. As with most support sets, maximum investment in HP keeps Hitmontop alive and kicking throughout the game, while 252 EVs are placed in Attack to allow it to hit hard with its attacks. Weavile has excellent synergy with this set, as Hitmontop shields it from the common spread moves that threaten it in Heat Wave and Rock Slide while also decreasing the damage Fighting-type moves do to Weavile through Intimidate. Likewise, Weavile aids Hitmontop by eliminating the Flying- and Psychic-type threats which cause Hitmontop grief with their STAB attacks.

Fake Out gives Hitmontop's partner a free turn to do whatever best enables itself. A Fighting Gem-boosted Close Combat turns Hitmontop's unassuming Attack into a benchmark for survivability. Sucker Punch lets Hitmontop threaten Fighting-resistant Pokemon, namely Latios, and pin low-HP Pokemon. Feint allows Hitmontop's partner to bypass Protect and also provides it with a priority move to pick up KOs on very low HP targets. Wide Guard allows Hitmontop to support its preferred partners that are weak to a spread move. Helping Hand boosts the power of Hitmontop's partner and can turn 2HKOs into OHKOs. For example, many Pokemon are EVed specifically to survive a Dragon Gem-boosted Draco Meteor from Latios, but only Dragon-resistant foes and very specially bulky Pokemon like Cresselia are able to survive one boosted by Helping Hand. Maximum Speed EVs give Hitmontop the ability to outspeed common Pokemon such as Metagross, Rotom, and Politoed. Hitmontop does not have a good defensive typing or the natural bulk to consistently switch in multiple times in a match, so maximizing its damage is considered ideal, although bulky sets have been successful. Other Options Stone Edge gives Hitmontop a way to hit Thundurus and Volcarona. Fighting Gem-boosted Mach Punch almost always OHKOes Choice Scarf Tyranitar sets as well as providing a more powerful and reliable priority attack than Sucker Punch or Feint. Common Partners Volcarona is a quintessential partner for Hitmontop. Hitmontop's Intimidate offsets Volcarona's abysmal Defense stat, and Fake Out lets it use Quiver Dance with relative ease. Volcarona appreciates that Hitmontop can use Wide Guard to block Rock Slide and deal meaningful damage to threats that check it, most importantly Heatran and Tyranitar. Similarly, Thundurus appreciates Hitmontop's Intimidate and ability to check Tyranitar that enables it to use Thunder Wave and Nasty Plot freely. In a metagame where most Pokemon are EVed specifically to survive its attacks, Latios greatly appreciates Hitmontop's kit of Fake Out, Helping Hand, and Feint. Checks and Counters Every Psychic-type checks Hitmontop. Even minimally-invested Cresselia can OHKO it, although Latios does not enjoy taking a Sucker Punch nor Metagross a Fighting Gem-boosted Close Combat. Amoonguss can freely use Rage Powder, rendering all of Hitmontop’s offensive options useless and forcing it to predictably use a supporting move or switch. Tornadus is given a Defiant boost from Intimidate, in addition to resisting Fighting-type moves and OHKOing Hitmontop. Landorus-T resists Close Combat and reduces Hitmontop's middling Attack with Intimidate, removing its offensive presence from the field.

Hitmontop offers Intimidate combined with the rare access to Fake Out and Wide Guard. On top of this, Hitmontop has other support moves at its disposal, including Feint and Helping Hand. These moves, alongside better offensive pressure, separate Hitmontop from Scrafty. Hitmontop, however, is balanced by a mediocre Attack stat, susceptibility to Intimidate, reliance on Close Combat for damage, and low offensive pressure in the face of the metagame's most common Pokemon. Close Combat is Hitmontop's strongest STAB attack, allowing it to OHKO Excadrill and non-Chople Berry Tyranitar. Hitmontop mitigates its inability to damage bulky foes such as Jellicent and Cresselia with Toxic, which puts them on a timer and eventually forces them off the field. Helping Hand also mitigates Hitmontop's lack of offensive pressure by boosting the power of Hitmontop's teammate. Feint allows Hitmontop's teammate to pick up a crucial KO by preventing a foe from blocking incoming attacks with Protect. Wide Guard blocks powerful spread attacks such as Excadrill and Landorus-T's Earthquake, Kingdra's Muddy Water, and Heatran's Heat Wave. Fighting Gem is the item of choice, allowing Hitmontop to secure the OHKO on Chople Berry Tyranitar, Heatran, and Kyurem-B. Fighting Gem also gives Hitmontop respectable damage output even against Fighting-resistant foes. Sitrus Berry is an option to increase its longevity, but it is typically not recommended due to Hitmontop's already low offensive presence. This EV spread outspeeds standard Heatran while maximizing Attack, with the remaining EVs dumped into HP to boost Hitmontop's overall bulk. Hitmontop prefers to switch in and out frequently to reset Fake Out and Wide Guard while cycling Intimidate. As many teams can benefit from Intimidate and Fake Out, Hitmontop can easily fit on teams with minimal direct support. That said, Hitmontop shines best on teams with set up Pokemon, such as Volcarona and Suicune, as the free turn generated through Fake Out allows them to setup easier. Heatran is another excellent teammate, as it benefits greatly from Fake Out. Additionally, Hitmontop can threaten opposing Heatran and Tyranitar and block Earthquake and Muddy Water with Wide Guard. Latios and Thundurus are two Pokemon that benefit from Intimidate, effectively increasing their physical bulk, and Hitmontop's good matchup into Tyranitar and Steel-types.

Hitmontop can use Bulk Up to increase its decent Attack and already high Defense, making it very tough to take down. With Hitmontop's defenses so high, it would be a shame to waste them with Close Combat, but luckily Hitmontop has Technician to utilize the move Revenge to its fullest potential. The strategy starts by scouting your opponent's counters, and then weakening them with strong STAB attacks. If your opponent either does not have a good counter, or has a counter that relies on physical attacks, you can proceed to Bulk Up right away. With a couple of Bulk Ups, Hitmontop can sweep the opposing team with Revenge for STAB, Sucker Punch for coverage and priority, and Stone Edge to hit the rest of the Pokemon who resist Revenge and Sucker Punch. If you wish, you may use Mach Punch instead of Revenge, even though it isn't nearly as powerful or reliable. Pokemon such as Magmortar help pave the way for this Hitmontop set, because its main counter is none other than Slowbro, as it packs massive HP and Defense stats, resistances to Fighting-type attacks, and a reliable recovery move. Uxie is tough as well, but Pokemon such as Absol can Pursuit Uxie into oblivion, as long as Uxie doesn't carry U-turn. A Choice Scarf Absol or Drapion can be of use as well, to trap and KO Alakazam who will be a prime revenge killer for Hitmontop. Weezing and Spiritomb also put Bulk Up Hitmontop between a rock and a hard place, making Hitmontop either switch out and lose its boosts, or stay in to get burned. Absol is a nice lure for these Pokemon, as it can Swords Dance on their switch-in and 1-2HKO them with Psycho Cut and Night Slash respectively.

Hitmontop normally faces stiff competition from his Fighting-type counterparts Hitmonlee and Hariyama. The selling points of this set that distinguishes it from the aforementioned Pokemon are high Defense and Special Defense along with Intimidate. Additionally, Hitmontop has slightly higher Speed than Hariyama, which ultimately makes him a viable choice and not one inferior to its brethren. Close Combat is the primary attacking choice for this set and is capable of 2HKOing physical walls like Donphan and Milotic with a little residual damage. Sucker Punch allows Hitmontop to hold his ground against offensive teams; his Speed stat is still quite low, but priority will deal with a slew of faster threats such as Mismagius, Alakazam, and Rotom. Stone Edge wards off overzealous Flying-types who would normally switch into the defensive set easily. Mach Punch serves as a secondary priority move to use against Houndoom, Swellow, and Absol. Rapid Spin is also a viable alternative if you want to effectively spin on many physical walls switching into this set. Thanks to Life Orb, this set can feign a pure offensive set and will therefore lure in dedicated physical walls like Tangrowth, Weezing, and Slowbro, ultimately making spinning easier. The Speed EVs hit 212 Speed, allowing Hitmontop to outpace Adamant Torterra by one point. This also means Hitmontop outruns the prominent Milotic, allowing him to 2HKO her with Close Combat with Stealth Rock in play. If you opt not to use Mach Punch in the final slot, an EV spread of 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe is recommended as it allows Hitmontop to outpace Jolly Aggron, who has a slight chance to 2HKO Hitmontop with Stealth Rock and Intimidate. Foresight and Pursuit are viable options in the final slot depending on what you plan to do. Foresight allows Hitmontop to bypass the Fighting-type immunity of Ghost-types, which can help scare away Mismagius, Rotom, and Spiritomb switch-ins. On the other hand, Pursuit can come in handy against Mismagius and Rotom who flee in fear of Sucker Punch. To demonstrate Hitmontop's ability to hurt Pokemon, here are some calculations: Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252 Def Bold Milotic: 48.1% - 56.7% Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Adamant Donphan: 50.3% - 59.4% Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Venusaur: 43.5% - 51.2% Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Venusaur: 38.5% - 45.5% As with the other offensive sets, Hitmontop has difficulty beating Slowbro, Uxie, Mesprit, Weezing, and Spiritomb; the latter two have access to Will-O-Wisp and can greatly reduce Hitmontop's effectiveness. Slowbro and Weezing can be dealt with by using offensive lures such as Swords Dance Leafeon and Swords Dance Blaziken. Spiritomb, on the other hand, is a harder Pokemon to lure, but a good option is Life Orb Mismagius. Uxie and Mesprit can be dealt with by using Close Combat and Stone Edge on consecutive switches until their HP drops to Sucker Punch KO range. Stealth Rock is required to gain a higher chance of 2HKOing Milotic and Donphan. Although it's not completely compulsory, Spikes can also be used to score a higher chance of 2HKOing the defensive juggernaut Tangrowth. Omastar makes a fine choice for setting up both Stealth Rock and Spikes.

With Technician and a whole slew of priority attacks, Hitmontop becomes one of the best revenge killers in the UU metagame. Basically, Hitmontop switches into a given Pokemon whom it can KO, and uses Fake Out to cause it to flinch and deal damage. After Fake Out, the opponent's Pokemon should be in KO range for Mach Punch. Close Combat or Revenge is used as a STAB attack, both of which carry various advantages and setbacks. Close Combat can dent more physically bulky Pokemon such as Steelix for more immediate power, however, Revenge has 90 Base Power because of Technician, or 120 Base Power if used after being hit, making it a very nice option when compared to Close Combat, which lowers Hitmontop's useful and above average defenses. Keep in mind that Revenge has a negative priority, making you attack last, though. Bullet Punch is there to basically be able to revenge kill Ghost-types, and Pokemon who resist Mach Punch more effectively. However, Stone Edge is still a viable option, to hit Pokemon such as Charizard and Moltres who effectively wall this set. After all of your opponent's Pokemon are weakened and their counters are removed, Hitmontop can utilize its strong priority attacks and proceed to sweep late game. This offensively oriented Hitmontop is very easily walled by Pokemon such as Weezing, Spiritomb, Slowbro, and basically any other defensive Poison-, Ghost-, or Psychic-type. Blaziken is a great Pokemon for getting rid of Spiritomb, because not only can Blaziken catch Spiritomb with a Fire Blast on the switch, it can also switch in with ease into Will-O-Wisp or Dark Pulse variants. Blaziken can also lure and 2HKO Slowbro as well. Unfortunately, the weakness to Flying-type attacks is a bad thing in the UU metagame because of Swellow's strong Brave Bird and Moltres' strong Air Slash, and both Blaziken and Hitmontop share this weakness. To get Swellow out of the way, one can try many tactics. Stealth Rock can be used on a Pokemon such as Regirock, so that Swellow is forced out and will have to take large amounts of damage switching in with Stealth Rock in play, on top of status and Brave Bird recoil. Venusaur, Sceptile and other Grass- or Bug-types are decent Swellow lures, and all can take Swellow out with the correct attack, but these plans are not foolproof by any means, so keeping a Swellow counter (such as nearly any Rock-or Steel-type) is ideal.

Hitmontop is one of the most reliable users of Rapid Spin in UU, making it a good choice for a team in need of entry hazard removal. In UU, Spiritomb is commonly used on teams who rely on residual damage to defeat the opponent due to Spiritomb's incredible bulkiness and ability to block Rapid Spin. However, Hitmontop is one of the better ways around it, due to the fact that Hitmontop possesses the move Foresight. Foresight allows Hitmontop to basically nullify Spiritomb's Ghost-type attribute, and hit it with Rapid Spin or a super effective STAB Close Combat. Even when used against Pokemon such as Rotom or Mismagius, Foresight allows Hitmontop to reliably Rapid Spin. With Intimidate lowering your foe's Attack, Hitmontop will get many chances to safely switch into Stealth Rock users such as Steelix and spin away the hazards. To make Hitmontop a relative threat to your opponent (other than threatening with entry hazard removal), Close Combat can be used with either Sucker Punch or Stone Edge for coverage. Close Combat and Sucker Punch work well with their near perfect coverage and allow Hitmontop to revenge kill effectively. However, Stone Edge is a nice attack to hit some common Flying-types super effectively, such as Altaria and Moltres. Rest can be used in the last slot as well, because with Hitmontop constantly being hit with burn or poison among other damage it may have taken, it can definitely appreciate the full recovery. A lesser option is Earthquake - while it may seem redundant with Hitmontop's STAB, it hits Toxicroak hard, preventing it from setting up for free on Hitmontop. Close Combat is preferred over other Fighting-type moves because of its high power, perfect accuracy, and the fact that Hitmontop is usually slow enough to go second against harder hitting foes, making the drop in defenses not impact Hitmontop as much. A more specially defensive spread with 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD with a Careful nature can be used for easier spinning against Special Ghost-type threats such as Mismagius and Rotom once their immunity has been removed with Foresight. Pokemon with 4x weaknesses to Stealth Rock essentially rely on Hitmontop to clear the field before they enter battle. Without Hitmontop's Rapid Spin support, Pokemon such as Charizard, Moltres, and Scyther will start the battle with 50% HP, which is a bad thing in most circumstances. With Hitmontop on their team however, they can freely switch in and cause some serious harm to your opponent. If Hitmontop uses Rest, Pokemon like Altaria, Chansey, or Miltank with Heal Bell or Aromatherapy help lessen the time that Hitmontop is asleep.

Set Description The threat of Fake Out generates turns wherein Hitmontop's partner can act freely and fire off powerful attacks without retaliation or set up moves such as Trick Room, Dragon Dance, and Substitute. Close Combat threatens Fighting-weak foes such as Tyranitar and Heatran and does significant damage to frail threats such as Raikou. Close Combat incurs stat drops after use and makes Hitmontop prone to being picked off by neutral attacks; as such, it commonly finds itself forced off the field, as it prefers to preserve its utility for late-game. Sucker Punch picks off weakened threats and chunks Latias. Detect allows Hitmontop to shield itself from powerful attacks; however, using Toxic will improve its matchup against bulky Psychic-types that want to stay on the field for multiple turns, such as Latias and Cresselia, and bulky foes that Hitmontop's other moves fails to cover like Swampert and Gyarados. Hitmontop is a common bulky switch-in to physical attacks or Dragon Dance users due to Intimidate, while the subsequent Fake Out pressure frees up its partner to eliminate them. As such, Hitmontop is often preserved for late-game, where its utility is even more consequential, and where it can help pick off weakened threats with Sucker Punch. Hitmontop also finds itself as a fairly common lead, because its Fake Out allows a teammate to set up Stealth Rock or Trick Room, and it threatens Tyranitar with a Close Combat; however, it struggles against other common leads such as Mew, Metagross, Rotom-H, and Pokemon with a faster Fake Out. Team Options Every Pokemon appreciates Hitmontop's utility, with the greatest beneficiaries being those that want to use their own utility moves to generate more pressure in the long run. Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Gyarados are threats that appreciate the setup opportunities that Hitmontop creates with Fake Out and by weakening physical attackers. Trick Room users such as Bronzong and Cresselia also enjoy Hitmontop's presence, as very few individual special attackers can punch through their bulk. It must be noted that while Hitmontop's Speed is low enough to be functional in Trick Room, it is often too weak and risks generating too little offensive pressure, especially next to the aforementioned setters. Hitmontop also finds itself as a common partner next to Substitute users such as Heatran and Metagross.

Set Description Hitmontop finds opportunities to use Rapid Spin by coming in on physical attackers such as Kangaskhan and Solrock, as well as a chipped Omastar in 2HKO range for Brick Break, as Hitmontop loses the interaction otherwise. Hidden Power Ghost is needed to check Solrock, and additionally hits other Psychic-types such as Slowking, Grumpig, and Lunatone, as well as Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Haunter, which can spinblock Hitmontop. Hitmontop's third coverage move is important for deciding which Pokemon it will cover while sacrificing other matchups. Earthquake can be chosen to hit Poison-types, such as Tentacruel, Qwilfish, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and Muk, and it can hit Electric-types hard without activating Static. Rock Slide is chosen to hit Flying-types such as Scyther, Altaria, and Fearow, usually on the switch in. Toxic helps against irritating walls such as Blastoise, Cradily, Sableye, and Hypno; it also is a generally safe move to use, as it cripples most of Hitmontop's switch-ins without having to guess with a coverage option. The given EV spread lets Hitmontop have favored odds to 3HKO Omastar with Brick Break while also dealing important damage to bulky Kangaskhan, Cradily, and Misdreavus. The rest of the EVs are put in HP and Defense to let Hitmontop switch in on physical attackers. More EVs can be placed into Speed to hit benchmarks for outspeeding certain Pokemon; 136 Speed EVs let Hitmontop outspeed offensive Omastar, and 184 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed defensive Kangaskhan variants. However, the extra Speed isn't always worth the loss in bulk unless it's needed for Hitmontop's team. Team Options Due to Hitmontop lacking reliable recovery, it is rarely seen without Wish Kangaskhan, which helps Hitmontop switch into common Kangaskhan switch-ins, such as opposing Kangaskhan, Omastar, Solrock, and Granbull, over the course of a longer game. Hitmontop is vulnerable to status such as Toxic from Kangaskhan when switching into it, which harms its general longevity, so a cleric such as Ampharos, Aromatherapy Vileplume, or Altaria helps patch up this issue. Hitmontop tends to invite in setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Scyther, Gligar, Curse Muk, and Swords Dance Vileplume, and it lacks power to prevent Curse Lapras, Curse Walrein, and Feraligatr from setting up on it. For this reason, Hitmontop pairs well with a phazer such as Encore Walrein, Roar Blastoise, Roar Altaria, or Perish Song Misdreavus. Hitmontop appreciates Pokemon that can switch into the Flying-types it tends to draw in, including most of the aforementioned Pokemon like Walrein, Altaria, Lapras, and Misdreavus. In return, Hitmontop switches into and checks Solrock, which threatens these Pokemon. Hitmontop can be used in the lead position to Intimidate physical attackers and win the 1v1 against leads like Ampharos, Kangaskhan, Walrein, and Nidoking, or it can be used in the back to switch into physical attackers or Spikers mid-game when it needs to.