What is a good moveset for Hawlucha?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Hawlucha, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Hawlucha Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Hawlucha @ Choice Band
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Toxic
- U-turn

obviously a very gimmicky set

This is mainly to bring immediate power, and beat Pokemon that counter the Unburden set (Unaware Clefable, Quagsire, Hippowdon, Toxapex, etc.)

Brave Bird and Close Combat are STAB. Toxic is to beat the few Pokemon that will take banded attacks like Hippowdon. U-turn for momentum/a predicted switch.

Calcs:

252+ Atk Choice Band Hawlucha Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 136-162 (44.7 - 53.2%) -- 31.3% chance to 2HKO (chance to 2HKO and doesn't get affected by Haze)

252+ Atk Choice Band Hawlucha Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Quagsire: 204-241 (51.7 - 61.1%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (almost always 2HKOs and doesn't get affected by Unaware)

252+ Atk Choice Band Hawlucha Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 223-264 (56.5 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (2HKOs phys def clef and doesn't get affected by Unaware, although this is incredibly risky staying in on Clefable considering that Moonblast will always OHKO)

252+ Atk Choice Band Hawlucha Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Clefable: 331-390 (84 - 98.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (can OHKO sp def clef with a bit of damage on it and doesn't get affected by Unaware)

Answer 2

Hawlucha (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flying Press
- High Jump Kick
- Brave Bird
- Throat Chop

Before you start straining your eyes out, screaming in pain, and smashing your device, calm down. It’s not the end of the world. A HAWLUCHA without unburden, and with a choice band??? How could this work?

Well, the choice band is there to boost Hawlucha’s mediocre attack (Base 92 pretty mediocre). Adamant nature further boosts it, making it fairly decent. High jump kick is a powerful move with STAB, but the rest can be whatever you like. The main reason I didnt use unburden Hawlucha with power herb and sky attack is because I would be missing out on a significant amount of attack power.

Strategy is to just spam high jump kick, or throat chop for any psychic types. Just watch out for protect, as if opponent protects on high jump kick you still take whopping recoil damage.

Answer 3

Gen 9
Hawlucha @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EV’s: 252 Attatck/ 252 Speed/ 4 Spd
Nature Adamant
Moves:
-Swords Dance
-Drain Punch
-Acrobatics
-Upper Hand

I love this set. It is used as a reverse sweeper on my mono flying team and always puts in work. The main idea is that if the opponent has a stacked mon (hopefully with no multi hitting moves) you go in and set up a swords dance. Since it’s used as a reverse sweeper it should be brought down to the sash giving it and unburden boost. Then the fighting flying type combo can hit almost anything and does huge damage with the sword dance boosts. Now drain bunch is used to recover hp but there will be times when the opponent can use a priority move before you recover so Upper Hand is there to prevent any priority. If you don’t feel the need to heal you can always go for a different fighting move like close combat but I would keep Upper Hand just in case.

Answer 4

Skydiver (Hawlucha) @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 104 HP / 200 Atk / 204 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Flying Press
- Brick Break
- X-Scissor

Hawlucha's may be unable to actually fly (why is it even a flying type then) but it can skydive with the best of em. So boom. Enter: Skydiver the Hawlucha. The resident Fighting/Flying type on my team with a hint of Bug coverage. Aerial Ace may not be the best Flying move, but there are actually 3 stronger moves that would be possible. Reasons behind not choosing them are item (Acrobatics) recoil (Brave Bird) and power output (Dual Wingbeat). Brick Break is a solid Fighting move in general and Flying Press combines two types STAB coverage and is stronger than Aerial Ace and Brick Break individually. X Scissor is simply to cover against Psychic types and is stronger than the alternative Throat Chop. The Leftovers can help with how squishy Hawlucha is and will help sustain it that much more. The Jolly nature helps to increase Speed a good bit. Mold Breaker can make Hawlucha a weapon in general and The Tera Type makes sense for Hawlucha because there's no real Flying type move that could work well with Flying Tera type

Answer 5

Hawlucha @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
- Protect
- Wing Attack / aerial ace
- Fire Punch / Bulk Up
- Brick Break / Close combat

Nobody else has done this, so here. I’m surprised, seeing as how good it is. Leftovers/protect is constant healing and walling. EVs make this thing hit HARD and FAST. fire punch is coverage. Wing attack and brick break are stabs. Mold breaker is just good. This set works as of Gen 9. Hope you like it!

Comments

Have you tried these sets in competitive?

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What does Fire Punch hit super-effectively that your STAB moves don't? Most of the types that Fire Punch would be super effective against are already covered by Flying or Fighting. I think you would be better off replacing Fire Punch here with a more useful move such as Swords Dance. Also consider replacing Brick Break with Close Combat, it has much higher BP to the point where I think the defense drops would be worth it.

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I might be missing something but isn't Aerial Ace just better Wing Attack

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They are functionally identical in competitive because they have the same BP and evasion moves are usually not allowed in competitive, so just use whichever you like more. (Aerial Ace and Wing Attack)

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All this talk about Aerial Ace or Wing Attack... Are either option even viable on Hawlucha?

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Normally I see Hawlucha using Acrobatics in competitive in conjunction with a Electric or Psychic Seed as its Flying STAB, but that's not really an option here because this set doesn't use a consumable item and Acrobatics is very weak without that. Aerial Ace is really weak at 60BP, but I don't see a lot of better options in Hawlucha's movepool either.

Answer 6

The ultimate moveset
Choice of two movesets because hawlucha is my all time favourite mon

Set 1

Hawlucha @ Power Herb
Ability: Unburden
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Hone Claws
- Sky Attack
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics

Nature: Adamant ONLY (I forbid Jolly )

So as hawlucha is the mascot of all my social medias I know how affective he is

Swords dance - makes him a legend killer so if you're planning on taking them down (as more people are using them) dont go with hone claws (I know that puts high jump kick at risk but a simple hone claws won't guarantee that 1 hit ko)

Sky attack - has that chance of missing but without it his ability cannot activate, it also has that hopeful added flinch as well. A focus sash would destroy the chances of this move being the most effective so power herb is a must. With the Adamant Nature combined with a power herb unleashed with sky attack it packs a punch activating it's ability unburden. Unburden doubles speed once and item is used, bye bye power herb.

• High jump kick is a menacing move with crazy attack power with the little downside of a busted knee but when it hits combined with swords dance and wrecks dont consider any other move... maybe apart from flying press.

• acrobatics doubles atk when an item is used, bye bye power herb. Unlike sky attack which you should only use once acrobatics won't miss and also packs a punch (others use stone edge instead for flying types.. most flying types are vulnerable anyway so acrobatics should still pack a punch. Fling is a waste as you're only now relying on acrobatics and sky attack just works better with a power punch and flinch possibly aka 2 in 1.

Nature & Ability - Adamant Nature ONLY why go Jolly and lower your attack which isn't that great to start off with unburden is your Jolly treat it well. Adamant Nature with max speed is still super fast and unstoppable with unburden. Only go with unburden other Natures are worthless

With every strategy comes a downside aegislash laughs at hawlucha so you'll have to switch out. A skeledirge will also ignore your swords dance with an unaware (beware of unaware Pokemon) and take a nice immunity to the high jump kick and smile at the acrobatics whilst will o wisping you destroying your attack and then slacking off. Any ghost type that cares not for flying type moves is your enemy if a ghost type switches in they have a plan.

Set 2 (grass type bulk assistance)

Not many people know of this one so here it is

Hawlucha @ Grassy Seed
Ability: Unburden
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Hone Claws
- Acrobatics
- High Jump Kick / Drain Punch
- Encore

Nature: Adamant ONLY (I forbid Jolly )

So instead of the sky attack / power herb you're gaining some extra defensive coverage for example
Set 1 is a solo plan
Set 2 asks for help (mainly for mr king Kong the Rillaboom (or any grassy surge Pokemon)

First summon the rillaboom (only switch into hawlucha when you feel he can take a hit switching in maybe from a bug type move used on rillaboom for instance)

Hawlucha comes in immediately activating it's held berry grassy seed from rillabooms grassy surge which happens to raise defense eating the bug type move (pretty handy) unburden is now activated acrobatics aswell.

Encore- Only new move changed from Set 1 is encore, alternative to sky attack you can now troll opponents that try setting up on you, if they use that bug type move you just trap them into using it again for the lols.

Drain punch - combined with the defense raise will keep you in the battle longer and no risk of missing the high jump kick. Combined with the swords dance or hone claws you can gain more health back. (You can still go with high jump kick up to you)

Everything else is pretty much identical to Set 1

Tera flying: Helps power up the acrobatics for the guaranteed no miss hit.

Choose wisely and dont use this strategy on me if we happen to battle

Answer 7

I'll use this instead (note: Gen 8 only),
Hawlucha @ White Herb
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk + 252 Speed + 6 Sp. Def
Nature: Adamant

Moves:
1. Close Combat
2. Acrobatics
3. Fire Punch / Stone Edge (coverage move slap it of your choice)
4. Swords Dance

Basically it doesn't rely heavily on high jump kick that has a high recoil when missed or sky attack cause you won't click sky attack after your item is gone, that makes space for a coverage move like stone edge. And yeah you can use flying press instead of CC but you then have to find a way to remove your item. I'd say use fling + King's rock / iron ball / black sludge. I don't know your choice.
This is kinda is usable set you may modify it too.

Comments

You use close combat