Hawlucha - Best Moveset & Build | Pokemon Sword Shield

Find out how to breed Hawlucha in Pokemon Sword and Shield! Learn about the best competitive Hawlucha movesets, best builds, best nature, counters & the breeding process!!!

Table of Contents

Best Moveset & Build
Best Moves
Best Items
Best Nature And EVs
Counters
Competitive Breeding Process

Hawlucha Related Articles

Location & Stats

Competitive Build

Hawlucha Best Moveset & Build

Total Base Stats	500
Type

Mold Breaker Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Adamant (Atk↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Life Orb
Best Ability
Mold Breaker Moves cannot be prevented by your opponent's abilities.
Best Moveset
Close Combat / Brave Bird / Iron Head / U-Turn ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
Attack 252, Speed 252, HP 4

Take Out Mimikyu With Mold Breaker

Mold Breaker allows Hawlucha to ignore Mimikyu's Disguise ability. Given how common Mimikyu is in the current meta, this is particularly appealing. However, even though it can land Dig on Rotom, this is not recommended due to Hawlucha's Electric type weakness.

Faster Than Most Pokemon

Hawlucha's base 118 Speed gives it the upper hand when it comes to hitting first. In terms of commonly used Pokemon in the meta, only Dragapult, Inteleon, and Cinderace can manage to outspeed it. With the exception of speed boosting moves/abilities, Hawlucha can strike first. With a speed boost from Max Airstream, it can even outspeed Dragapult!

Fourth Move Choice Is Up To You

We strongly recommend taking Close Combat (or High Jump Kick, either is ok), Brave Bird, & Iron Head on your Hawlucha. The final move, however, entirely depends on what your team is in need of. Note that if you want to use Max Guard, you'll need to put in a support or status move (such as Swords Dance).

Unburden Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Jolly (Speed ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	White Herb
Best Ability
Unburden Increases speed when the user's held item is used up or knocked off.
Best Moveset
Close Combat / Brave Bird / Iron Head / Swords Dance ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
HP 252, Attack 252, Speed 4

Actively Use Up Your Item

Hawlucha has gained the move Close Combat this generation, meaning it can now combo it with Unburden and a White Herb. When Close Combat lowers your stats, they will be returned to normal and the White Herb will be consumed. This will trigger your Unburden Speed bonus. In contrast with previous generations, this time around Hawlucha can actively use up its own item.

Boost Your Speed And Sweep

An Unburdened Hawlucha is extremely fast, so much so that it doesn't even need a speed boosting nature. It can reach 340 speed (at Lv. 50) with an Adamant nature, which is even faster than a Scarfed Dragapult or Excadrill (not in a Sandstorm). Use this to your advantage and overpower your opponents.

Works Well With Pincurchin

Pincurchin's ability Electric Surge creates Electric Terrain whenever it switches in. When doing so, make Hawlucha hold an Electric Seed. This will be consumed immediately upon entering a field with Electric Terrain on it, immediately granting you the Unburden buff in addition to the Defense buff from the Electric Seed.

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Hawlucha - Best Moves

Press the buttons below to toggle between different builds!

Mold Breaker Build Unburden Build

Build #1 - Mold Breaker

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Close Combat	Powerful STAB move to take out opponents. Necessary for Max Knuckle.
Brave Bird	Flying stab move, necessary for Max Airstream.
Iron Head	Good for coverage, as well as for Max Steelspike's Defense boost.
U-Turn	Allows you to switch out of dangerous situations.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
High Jump Kick	An alternative to Close Combat. A bit dangerous if it misses.
Dig	Good move for dealing with Rotom and other Electric types.
Rock Tomb	Slows the opponent's speed. Good coverage.
Stone Edge	High chance of critting, but can sometimes miss.
Fire Punch	Possible coverage move.
Thunder Punch	Possible coverage move for water types.
Zen Headbutt	Possible coverage move.
Throat Chop	Prevents the opponent from using sound-base moves.
Swords Dance	Boosts attack 2 stages. Powerful if given a window of opportunity to set up.
Substitute	Creates a dummy at the expense of 25% health. Useful for getting through an opponent's Dynamax.
Taunt	Forces the opponent to use only attacking moves. Good for locking down tanks.

Build #2 - Unburden

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Close Combat	Necessary to proc the White Herb.
Brave Bird	Flying stab move, necessary for Max Airstream.
Iron Head	Good for coverage, as well as for Max Steelspike's Defense boost.
Swords Dance	Boosts attack 2 stages. One use and you'll be able to sweep.

rotom ▲Return to Filter Menu

Hawlucha - Best Item to Hold

Item	Traits
Life Orb	For Mold Breaker builds, simply increases the damage of your moves and improves your sweeping potential.
Sitrus Berry	Heals up some health after taking a hit. Can be used for both Unburden and Mold Breaker builds.
Focus Sash	Useful for ensuring that you survive your first turn. Will also trigger your speed boost, allowing you to outspeed the opponent and OHKO them the next turn.
White Herb	Restores a reduced stat to normal. Can be procced with your own Close Combat, triggering Unburden.
Electric Seed	Useful in the Pincurchin combo variation. Procced on Electric Terrain, raises Defense.

Check Out Battle Item Locations Here!

Hawlucha - Best Nature And EVs

Hawlucha - Recommended Natures

Nature	Traits
Jolly	Speed↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Recommended for Mold Breaker builds, since they won't get the Unburden speed buff.
Adamant	Atk↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Recommended for Unburden builds, as they will have more than enough speed to sweep.

Which Nature Would You Recommend?

Recommended Base Point (EV) Allocation

Mold Breaker and Unburden Build

Stat	Base Point
Attack	252 points (max)
Speed	252 points (max)
HP	4 points

Both builds benefit from the exact same EV distribution. Max out Speed and Attack to do the highest amount of damage possible.

Check Out The EV (Base Point) Guide Here!

Hawlucha Counters

Recommended Pokemon To Counter Hawlucha

Pokemon	Explanation
Rotom (Any Form)	Pros - Electric moves are super effective - Resists flying moves - Fan Rotom resists Fighting moves too Cons - Can be hit with Dig
Dragapult	Pros - Dragapult is faster - Immune to Fighting moves Cons - None
Toxapex	Pros - Can outheal even vs. Thunder Punch - Protects itself and inflicts Poison with Baneful Bunker Cons - Struggles against Taunt variants
Galarian Corsola	Pros - Can outlast with Strength Sap - Immune to fighting moves Cons - Struggles against Taunt variants
Aegislash	Pros - Resists flying moves - Immune to fighting moves - Can lower attack with King's Shield Cons - None

How To Play Against Hawlucha

Watch Out For Its Wide Coverage

Although most Hawlucha will probably run a Fighting, Flying, and Steel move, the last move can be extremely difficult to predict. Possible move types it could use include Ground, Rock, Fire, Electric, Psychic, and Dark.

Watch For Pincurchin Combo Builds

If you spot a Pincurchin on the enemy team, chances are the accompanying Hawlucha will have a very specific build to make use of its partner. Prepare a physical wall and special attacker to deal with Hawlucha so it doesn't sweep you.

The Rotom Family Are All A Good Pick

Basically any Rotom form you pick will have a decent to good matchup against Hawlucha, as they all resist Flying moves and can use Electric moves. Also, even a Rotom with 0 Defense EVs can usually withstand a (Jolly) Max Quake (although it comes down to a roll).

Hawlucha - Competitive Breeding Process

Breeding Process Flow Chart

1	Catch Hawlucha on Route 6 (it's quite uncommon)
2	Hatch Eggs until you get a High IV Hawlucha
3	Breed that Hawlucha until you get one with a Jolly or Adamant Nature
4	Put 252 EVs in Attack, 252 EVs in Speed, and 4 in HP
5	Max out its Dynamax Level
7	Teach it Close Combat, Brave Bird, Iron Head, and U-Turn
8	Equip a Life Orb