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Hitmonlee is the most offensive evolution, requiring Tyrogue’s Attack stat to outpace his Defense, which is very easy, especially with a nature such as Adamant. Playing with Hitmonlee in battle is very straightforward – his specialty is hitting hard and fast with the most powerful moves, using one of three interesting abilities to support himself.

Hitmonlee’s original ability is Limber, which makes him immune to paralysis. In Gen 4, he was given Reckless, which used to be his signature ability. Reckless boosts the power of recoil moves, even those that don’t always inflict the recoil damage. In Hitmonlee’s case, this makes for a deadly Hi Jump Kick. His new Dream World ability is Unburden, which doubles his Speed if he drops or consumes a held item.

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Unburden

Item: Normal Gem

Effort: 252 Attack / 252 Speed / 6 HP

Fake Out

Hi Jump Kick

Stone Edge

Blaze Kick

This is a sample set for Hitmonlee. Combining Fake Out with a Normal Gem is one easy way to activate the Unburden ability to make sure Hitmonlee gets to attack first. The other moves are all powerful attacks of different types, so Hitmonlee can deal damage to many opponents. Hitmonlee often has issues with accuracy, especially as Hi Jump Kick will knock out half of his HP if it fails to damage the target. If you would rather use the Reckless ability, Fake Out can be replaced with another move and the Wide Lens item can help with accuracy.

Hitmonchan is a more balanced alternative, needing higher Defense than Attack to obtain. If you are worried about his Attack stat after evolution because you want to run an offensive moveset, there is no need to worry. Simply feed your Tyrogue plenty of Iron to boost his Defense before you begin investing in Attack, and then quickly evolve him into Hitmonchan. After that, use berries or a Join Avenue beauty salon to remove his Defense boosts.

Hitmonchan is not quite as strong or as fast as Hitmonlee, but has a few advantages in that he can learn more diverse (and generally more accurate) coverage moves and will not require breeding to get the better priority moves. His best ability is Iron Fist (which was also his signature ability a while back) as it boosts the power of many of the moves you’re likely to teach him. His Dream World ability, Inner Focus, is worth mentioning as it can be useful in Double and Triple battles, where flinching is a greater threat.

Nature: Adamant

Ability: Iron Fist

Item: Life Orb

Effort: 252 Attack / 216 Speed / 40 HP

Drain Punch

Ice Punch

ThunderPunch

Mach Punch

This is a very straightforward, but effective approach for Hitmonchan. Making full use of his Iron Fist ability and the power augment from the Life Orb, Hitmonchan can hit many opponents for accurate super-effective damage. Drain Punch may not be the strongest STAB move, but the HP stealing effect counteracts the Life Orb recoil nicely. You can use another attack, such as Close Combat or Sky Uppercut, if you need more power. Bullet Punch can be used instead of Mach Punch if you don’t like having two Fighting moves. Mach Punch is stronger, but Bullet Punch can hit Ghost-types and other heavy Fighting-type resistors.

Hitmontop is the biggest departure, and balancing out the Attack and Defense stats can prove unnerving. It’s best to evolve at exactly level 20, since going to higher levels can increase the gap between Tyrogue’s stats. Once you succeed, however, you obtain a very popular support Pokemon with a number of tricks up his sleeve for a Fighting-type.

Hitmontop can use the Intimidate ability to lower the foe’s Attack stat, which is particularly effective in Double Battles along with moves like Fake Out and Wide Guard. Or he can use the Technician ability to boost the power of moves like Mach Punch, Bullet Punch or Low Sweep to more threatening levels. Unfortunately, his Dream World ability, Steadfast, doesn’t have much to offer. Hitmontop’s main draw is how well he uses priority attacks, so his Speed stat isn’t of much importance.

Nature: Impish

Ability: Intimidate

Item: Leftovers

Effort: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 6 Sp. Defense

Rapid Spin

Foresight

Close Combat

Bullet Punch

This reliable Hitmontop takes physical hits nicely with Intimidate and can remove hazards like Spikes and Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin. Even if your opponent tries to stop Rapid Spin with a Ghost-type Pokemon, Foresight ensures the move will work. Close Combat is a strong and accurate STAB attack, but almost any Fighting move can be used here (like Hi Jump Kick for more power and no stat penalty, or Brick Break for more utility). Bullet Punch is a priority attack to finish off weakened foes. Mach Punch can be used due to being stronger with STAB, though Bullet Punch will hit Ghost-types without the help of Foresight. If a priority attack is not needed, Toxic can help beat other defensive Pokemon, or Stone Edge can deal damage to enemies that resist Fighting.