Pokemon GO Hitmonchan: Best moveset, counters, and is it any good?

Hitmonchan has come into the spotlight once again thanks to Pokemon GO's weekly Spotlight Hour event. During this event, many players will have the chance to add this monster to their battling parties, but what some players may be wondering is if it is worth the effort to grind and train up. With the meta practically set in stone, it can be hard for serious battlers to find viable team members that branch away from the formula.

While Hitmonchan can prove to be a very valuable asset on a lot of teams, it must be used properly. To do so, players must know information regarding the monster, like its best movesets and which creatures counter it. Here is everything to know about Hitmonchan in Pokemon GO.

---

Everything to know about Hitmonchan in Pokemon GO

HItmonchan has high defense which is good for Pokemon GO's real-time battle system (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Hitmonchan is a pure Fighting-type Pokemon, which leaves it vulnerable to Fairy, Psychic, and Flying-type attacks. Thankfully, moves belonging to these elements are fairly uncommon in lower tiers of play outside of a few choice metagame contenders like Medicham, Cresselia, and Carbink. This elemental typing also grants Hitmonchan resistances to Rock, Bug, and Dark-type attacks.

Hitmonchan has access to all of the elemental punches, meaning its best moveset is very adaptable depending on the metagame you want to compete in. For the highest chance of success and damage capacity, those wanting to use Hitmonchan should take the following moveset:

• Counter - Fast Attack
• Ice Punch - Charged Attack
• Power-up Punch - Charged Attack

You can replace Ice Punch with any of the other elemental punches to see the same relative success. However, Ice Punch does give it a better chance against Flying, Ground, and Grass-type monsters, which could make an appearance in both Pokemon GO's Great and Ultra Leagues.

Hitmonchan also has a great stat spread with 193 Attack, 197 Defense, and 137 Stamina. This leaves Hitmonchan with a great balance of damage and bulk, but it will require some IVs in Stamina to help its survivability in combat.

---

How to counter Hitmonchan in Pokemon GO

Hitmonchan is not a popular choice in the Battle League for a reason. It has quite a few potential counters (Image via Game Freak)

Pokemon GO's Hitmonchan is countered best by monsters with more bulk than itself. Since stamina is its lowest stat, a lot of high-profile monsters in the Great League can easily outlast it. Popular Water-types like Lanturn, Azumarill, and Whiscash can beat Hitmonchan this way.

Popular Flying-types can also prove to be an issue for Hitmonchan depending on the elemental punch it chooses to run. Talonflame and Skarmory can easily deal with variants running Ice Punch and may have the damage potential to outlast Thunder Punch variants if they switch into it.

---

Is Hitmonchan good in Pokemon GO?

Hitmonchan is a very good anti-meta pick if the stars align just right (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Hitmonchan may not be the best possible Fighting-type players can use for competitive play in Pokemon GO, but it still has some merit in the hands of a skilled trainer. With so many coverage options and a lot of potential with its balanced offense and defense, Hitmonchan has the capacity to be a serious threat in PvP battles.