Hakamo-o's solid bulk, ability Bulletproof, and defensive typing allow it to check a variety of offensive threats, including Roselia, Lampent, and Thwackey, although it must be wary of Grassy Seed Acrobatics sets from the latter. It can take advantage of these Pokemon to set up with Dragon Dance, which helps compensate for its middling Speed and Attack stats and allows it to sweep late-game. Substitute provides Hakamo-o with even more opportunities to set up, as it can set up a Substitute in front of Pokemon like Tangela, Shadow Ball Galarian Corsola, and Ferroseed to boost up without fear of getting statused or having its Eviolite removed by Knock Off. Dual Chop can be used in place of Dragon Claw to KO Focus Sash Abra after a Dragon Dance and damage foes like Lampent through a Substitute, but the imperfect accuracy and increased chance of triggering Galarian Corsola's Cursed Body make it a risky option. Drain Punch helps to compensate for the HP lost when setting up Substitute and makes it very difficult for Hakamo-o to be worn down low enough to be knocked out by a priority move. Alternatively, Iron Head can be used to KO weakened Fairy-types after a boost, especially if their Eviolite has been removed. Bulletproof makes Hakamo-o immune to Koffing's Sludge Bomb and Lampent's Shadow Ball, which makes it an effective check to both of those Pokemon and gives it more chances to set up.
Hakamo-o struggles a lot against Fairy-types like Clefairy and Togetic, particularly if it isn't running Iron Head, and needs foes like Galarian Corsola and Haze Mareanie to be weakened before it can sweep. As such, Gurdurr, Tangela, and Machoke make for great teammates for Hakamo-o, as they use Knock Off to remove Eviolites from physical walls, and Machoke variants with Heavy Slam or Flame Orb + Facade can lure in and KO or heavily weaken Fairy-types. A Steel-type like Klang can check the aforementioned Fairy-types as well as Psychic-types like Duosion and Abra, which force Hakamo-o out. Choice Band Thwackey partners nicely with Hakamo-o, as it can bring it in safely via U-turn against Tangela, Koffing, and Ferroseed, which Hakamo-o can set up against, or wear them down shared checks like Galarian Corsola with Knock Off. The passive recovery from Grassy Terrain that Thwackey provides allows Hakamo-o to stay healthy as it cuts its HP for Substitute. Entry hazard setters like Roselia, Koffing, and Metang help wear down targets like Electabuzz and Piloswine so they are less likely to check Hakamo-o late-game.
