Pokémon’s new Hitmonchan Minigame

Japanese players have created an entire new rock-paper-scissors minigame within Pokémon. They've used the unique move set of the punching Pokémon Hitmonchan to do this. The now dubbed "Hitmonchan Minigame" revolves around three moves, which are Upper Hand, Mach Punch, and Focus Punch. Each move counters each other, creating a rock-paper-scissors game.

Included in the Scarlet and Violet Indigo Disk DLC, Upper Hand is essentially an anti-priority move. If the opposing Pokémon choses a priority move for its attack, then the attack will strike first and make the Pokémon flinch. This not only negates the attack of the opposing Pokémon, but also deals a fair share of damage at 65 base power. The introduction of this move gave birth to the Hitmonchan Minigame.

With the inclusion of this new move, players found a way to make quite the fun game mode. This Hitmonchan Minigame mode utilizes the Pokémon's punching-focused move pool. Upper Hand, Mach Punch, and Focus Punch all counter each other.

To understand the Hitmonchan Minigame, it's worth explaining the three moves. First, there's the aforementioned new move Upper Hand, which essentially negates moves that have a priority level up to three. If you choose Upper Hand as an attacking move while your opponent has selected a move with priority, then Upper Hand will act first and make the target flinch, preventing them from making a move. However, if a Pokémon doesn't use a priority move, then nothing happens.

There's also Mach Punch. Simply put, Mach Punch is a move with 40 base power plus one priority level. This means Mach Punch moves before most standard moves. Therefore, Mach Punch is a great tool for finishing off a weak foe or getting a quick hit in.

Last, but not least, there's Focus Punch. This is a two-turn move that has an impressive 150 base power. On the first turn, the Pokémon tightens its focus. Then, on the second turn, it releases the punch. However, the downside of this move is that if the Pokémon using it gets attacked before the actual punch lands, then the Pokémon "loses focus" and doesn't attack.

The Hitmonchan game works just like a rock-paper-scissors game. Upper Hand counters Mach Punch, Mach Punch counters Focus Punch, and Focus Punch counters Upper Hand. Trainers who want an escape from the Video Game Championships (VGC) and need something significantly simpler can play the Hitmonchan Minigame.

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