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The chief problems with HMs are that they take up a valuable time slot on a Pokemon ‘s moveset, they are n’t constantly the most brawny attacks in battle, and they can not be easily replaced by another travel. consequently, many trainers will opt to carry around an “ HM mule, ” whose main purpose on the team is to use as many HMs as possible so that the rest of the team does n’t have to. And these are the best options for that role.
Updated August 18th, 2020 by Tanner Kinney : The function that HM-users can serve in earlier Pokemon titles should n’t be understated. And if any region requires an HM mule, it would absolutely be Hoenn. The end-game prerequisite of having every individual water-type HM is absolutely a struggle. On top of that, Strength and Rock Smash are needed for a distribute of different caves, and Cut is needed at the most random and inopportune times. This number deserves to be expanded with a few more options to try and hit as many of those HMs without being wholly useless otherwise. There are besides a copulate of piquant options for people looking to annoy their friends with bad ideas .
Updated December 31st, 2020 by Josh Davison: In many ways, HM ‘s or Hidden Machines were a facet of Pokemon games that were relics of other RPGs and Metroidvania-type games of the late-90s and early on 2000s. They were a way of blocking off geographic progress in Pokemon games until the actor completed specific tasks to unlock the HM ‘s that could allow them to move forward in a way that felt organic. Despite that, there was something always very charming about HM ‘s and the necessitate to have a specific extremity of your team that was loaded up with all of these average moves specifically needed to help you through a cave or across the oceans of Hoenn. There was a huge array of preferred “ HM mules ” in the Hoenn region, and we ‘re going to tack on more of those poor underappreciated Pokemon to this number today. On this day, those Pokemon ultimately get their deserved recognition .
20 Hariyama
A Fighting-type HM mule ? In this economy ? You got that right. Hariyama can learn two of the expect HMs for a Fighting-type Pokemon : strength and Rock Smash. That ‘s expected, unexciting, and not the argue Hariyama makes it onto this tilt .
The spin with Hariyama is that it can learn Surf. As a consequence, this big and bulky Fighting-type Pokemon can help you ride the Hoenn waves from island to island as you continue your quest to become a Pokemon Master
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19 Relicanth
Relicanth is a relatively unsurprising inclusion on this list. It fulfills the ideal requirements for an HM mule in that it can learn four HMs : surfboard, Waterfall, Dive, and Rock Smash. That last one is what edges it out over other Water-types such as Luvdisc .
It besides helps that Relicanth is required for the Regirock, Registeel, and Regice perplex. Relicanth is a relatively rare Pokemon, so that might make it a loath choice for many trainers. however, it ‘s a cavalryman of an HM drug user, so it earns its spot on the tilt .
18 Walrein
Walrein wins out over Relicanth with another HM at its administration : strength. This big and icy cub can push around boulders, presumably with either its head or flippers. Walrein can besides learn Rock Smash, Surf, Waterfall, and Dive .
With Spheal evolving to Sealeo at degree 32 and Sealeo into Walrein at horizontal surface 44, it ‘s a lot of exploit to obtain this finical HM mule, but it ‘s an option that ‘s on the table. Plus, with that spread of Water-type moves, it would n’t be in that much trouble if the rest of your team were knocked out in an intense conflict .
17 Salamence
Of class, Walrein about looks quaint when compared to the measure of training it takes for Bagon to make it to its Salamence form. This mighty Dragon-type is an improbable choice for an HM mule, and that ‘s what makes it so blue. Bagon evolves into Shelgon at level 30, and Shelgon takes another 20 levels before it transforms into Salamence at 50 .
Salamence actually learns one fewer HM than Walrein with only Rock Smash, Strength, Cut, and Fly at its disposal. That said, the sum of sour and commitment required for a Salamence gives it a leg up on the number .
16 Sceptile
Sceptile is another improbable choice given that it ‘s a starter Pokémon in Hoenn, but that ‘s what makes it even a better choice. Provided you start the plot with Treeko, you wo n’t even need to catch this Pokemon. It will constantly be with you !
Sceptile technically learns fewer HMs than even Salamence with lone Strength, Cut, and Rock Smash being on the menu. however, it can besides learn Flash, which was downgraded from an HM in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. It was still an HM when Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald came out, and it ‘s still used to illuminate blue caves in former games .
15 Sharpedo
Sharpedo is a firm, strong, and cool water-type that stands out amongst a misprint sea of water-type Pokemon. It does require the Surf HM to even find Sharpedo ( either by catching Carvanha on Route 118 with the Good Rod or just in the godforsaken ), but it is worth it .
This one Pokemon is capable of learning five different HMs, importantly being the full of life late-game HMs. On top of that, it can effectively utilize the world power of the better HMs like Strength and Surf, mean that even with a full moon HM moveset it can inactive find practice as a party extremity. Sharpedo is absolutely a solid HM user .
14 Whiscash
Whiscash, the Whiskers Pokemon, has solid type and a diverseness of solid moves it can learn. Barboach can besides be obtained after getting the Good Rod, meaning that it comes online as an HM-user pretty promptly. It ‘s actually very similar to Sharpedo in a fortune of ways, besides using five HM moves .
however, unlike Sharpedo, it ‘s not a good in normal gameplay. high HP hardly means much when the rest of its stats are halfhearted. It is calm unique if a sting anserine in design. This wolffish may be person ‘s lucky charm to take on the Elite Four, and that ‘s a absolutely serviceable character for Whiscash .
13 Swampert
Most people will assume the best HM-user to find early on is Linoone, since Zigzagoon is one of the first Pokemon a newly flight simulator will encounter. But what Pokémon appears tied earlier ? That ‘s right, the starter Pokemon, and Swampert barely so happens to be an excellent option for this cause .
It may seem a bit depressing to use a starter Pokemon as the elementary HM-user, but Swampert is arrant for the job. It learns all of the crucial HMs precisely when the musician will acquire them, meaning no newfangled Pokemon will need to be caught for the job. In the speedrun for Gen 3 Pokemon games, Swampert finally takes on this role when the fabled Pokémon takes its spot as the leash .
12 Kyogre
What Pokemon could beat out the starter as a piquant HM-user choice ? How about one of the legendary Pokemon, able of changing the weather and destroying the world ? After all, nothing gets better than turning that extremely rare Pokemon into a canonized rock-pushing boat .
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obviously, for all virtual purposes, Kyogre is a atrocious HM drug user. It appears incredibly late in the game in Pokemon Emerald, meaning that its determination has about surely already been fulfilled. however, for those who prefer to skip on using legendaries, taking this Pokémon that appears once in a playthrough and making it sol useless is pretty entertaining, not to mention a solidly inflict flex .
11 Latias/Latios
Kyogre is a pretty absurd, albeit utilitarian HM-user. however, there ‘s silent one Pokemon more absurd than Kyogre. The only thing crazier than using Kyogre is using a Pokemon where one of the two can lone be obtained using an e-Reader. That ‘s right, both Latias and Latios are actually fantastic HM Pokemon .
Like Kyogre, it is wholly and wholly otiose to make Latias or Latios an HM-only Pokémon. If that ‘s what the player wants to do, though, they ‘ll be surprised to find that these two can learn six HM moves. Cut, Surf, Fly, Waterfall, Dive, and Flash are all available to the Eon Pokemon. If Pelipper is excessively vanilla, then Latias/Latios are the perfective level of sub-optimal .
10 Absol
Absol is a neat Pokemon to have in one ‘s party due to its cool design and rarity in the game. however, its level-up moveset in Generation III is pretty awful, with Bite as its only Dark-type attacking move .
To make up for its deplorable level-up moveset, Absol can be taught four HMs in Cut, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash. In this way, one can still flaunt this rare Pokemon without having to use it in battle .
9 Breloom
early on on in the game, it is very coarse to run into a crabbed little Shroomish. If a flight simulator happens to catch this Grass Pokemon and train it up to level 23, it will evolve into the handy Breloom.
Because Breloom can be obtained early and easily, it makes a slenderly better HM mule than the rare Absol. Like Absol, Breloom learns Cut, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash, but as an add bonus, it will besides get a STAB boost with Rock Smash due to its Fighting-typing .
8 Kecleon
inevitably, trainers will finally encounter a Kecleon in Pokemon Emerald because it has a small function in the storyline. Around Fortree City, there will be cryptic objects blocking paths that can only be seen with the help of the Devon Scope from Steven Stone .
As it would turn out, the inconspicuous objects are Kecleon. If one is caught, it can be used for Cut, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash, like Breloom and Absol .
7 Aggron
One of the most surprising Hoenn Pokemon on the tilt is Aggron, who is more normally known for its massive Defense stat rather than its utility outside of struggle. While it ‘s no storm that Aggron can learn Cut, Strength, or Rock Smash, it ‘s a spot odd albeit helpful that it can besides learn Surf .
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With this combination of HMs, Aggron is the perfect HM mule for exploring caves, since most caves have rocks to smash, boulders to shove, and bodies of water to cross .
6 Linoone
When one thinks about popular HM mules, chances are that Linoone comes to mind. It is a fairly generic Normal-type Pokemon, and consequently, might not be the most stimulate to use in battle. That gives it an even bigger reason to be an HM mule alternatively .
Its pre-evolution, Zigzagoon, is one of the first Pokémon available to catch in the Hoenn Region, making Linoone extremely utilitarian early on in the game. Like Aggron, Linoone can learn Cut, Surf, Strength, and Rock Smash .
5 Pelipper
Unlike the other Pokemon on this list, Pelipper only learns two HMs, Surf and Fly. however, these two HMs are both essential for covering vitamin a much anchor as possible in the Hoenn Region .
While Surf allows the flight simulator to cross bombastic bodies of water, Fly lets them instantaneously return to any town that they have previously visited. Pelipper is one of the few Hoenn Pokemon in Generation III who can learn both of those HMs .
4 Wailord
Inspired by the blue giant, Wailord is one of the biggest Pokemon to always exist. naturally, it has the capability to assist its flight simulator in many ways on country or ocean .
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As a Water-type Pokemon, Wailord has access to all three Water-types HMs in Surf, Waterfall, and Dive for ocean exploration. In addition, it can besides use Strength and Rock Smash while navigating through land or caves .
3 Tropius
Tropius is a unique Pokemon of the Hoenn Region, an interesting thwart between a flying dinosaur and a banana implant .
While it does not possess the best stats for battle, Tropius is no doubt a neat Pokemon to keep in the party as the HM mule. As a Grass/Flying-type, it can learn Fly among four other HMs in Cut, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash .
2 Ludicolo
In Generation III, there are a entire of eight different HMs. Ludicolo can learn six of them-Surf, Waterfall, Dive, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash. This gives it plenty of variety show when it comes to utility outside of struggle .
The entirely downside to Ludicolo is that it requires a Water Stone for evolution. thankfully, its pre-evolution, Lombre, can besides learn the lapp six HMs if its flight simulator does not wish to use a Water Stone on their HM mule .
1 Crawdaunt
The only Hoenn Pokemon who might make a better HM mule than Ludicolo is Crawdaunt. Like Ludicolo, Crawdaunt can besides learn six out of the eight HMs in the bet on .
The independent difference is that Crawdaunt learns Cut, while Ludicolo learns Flash. Flash is commodious to have in a dark cave, but it is not american samoa essential as Cut, which is used to reach modern areas of the region. consequently, Crawdaunt has a flimsy edge over Ludicolo in terms of being the best hectometer mule .
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Karli Iwamasa
( 94 Articles Published )
Karli Iwamasa is a creative writer based in the Bay Area. She spends most of her fourth dimension playing with cats, consuming healthy amounts of caffeine, and writing fun lists for Comic Book Resources & TheGamer .
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