What it does
Hex is a Ghost-type special move that doubles in power when the target has any status condition — Burn, Paralysis, Sleep, poison, or freeze. Without a status, the base power is unremarkable. The entire move is built around that conditional.
Two mechanical details worth knowing: Hex is non-contact and single-target. Non-contact means it doesn't proc Rough Skin or Iron Barbs on the opponent. Single-target means in doubles you pick one opponent — this is a focused finisher, not a spread move.
Of all the status types, burn from Will-O-Wisp is the most consistent setup in Champions. Burn reliably sticks, also cuts physical attack, and a dedicated Will-O-Wisp user is easy to slot onto a Hex team. Paralysis is functional but the full-stop rate dropped to 12.5% in Champions. Sleep via Spore hits hard but the available Spore users are few and the number of sleep turns is variable, making the window harder to predict.
Who runs it
Cofagrigus (31%) is the primary Hex user in Champions. It runs the burn-then-Hex loop more reliably than anyone else — its Mummy ability punishes physical contact, which nudges opponents toward special moves or staying out entirely, and its 105 Special Defense lets it survive long enough to operate. The classic doubles pattern: partner throws Will-O-Wisp on turn one while Cofagrigus uses Protect, then Hex on turn two into the freshly burned target.
Skeledirge (8%) pairs Hex with Unaware and Torch Song for a build that ignores the opponent's stat boosts while steadily climbing its own Special Attack. A Skeledirge that has thrown one or two Torch Songs hits very hard with a doubled Hex.
Polteageist (5%) is slow but has 134 base Special Attack. It operates under Trick Room, where that Speed liability flips into an advantage. Doubled Hex off that Special Attack is a genuine one-shot threat.
How to use it
The sequence has one shape: status first, Hex second.
In doubles: turn one, your partner uses Will-O-Wisp on the target while Cofagrigus clicks Protect. Turn two, Cofagrigus uses Hex into the burned target for double power. This requires the status-setter to not get knocked out on turn one, and it requires the opponent to either stay in the burned slot or switch in something else that might already carry a status.
One thing that helps: burn persists through switching out. If the opponent switches away the burned Pokémon to avoid doubled Hex, that Pokémon still comes back burned later. The threat follows them, unless they brought a Lum Berry or have a way to cure it. You don't have to commit to finishing the burned target immediately — sometimes the pressure of the burn staying on a benched Pokémon is enough to limit the opponent's options.
Tips & strategy
Don't build around Hex without a status source. Without a partner who can reliably apply Will-O-Wisp, Spore, or Thunder Wave in the same slot, Hex is just a below-average Ghost attack. The whole move depends on the setup.
Opponents will figure out the pattern after one or two turns. Once they see that your partner applies status and Cofagrigus follows with Hex, they'll start targeting the partner directly instead of trying to play around the Hex. That's when you adapt: have Cofagrigus carry its own Will-O-Wisp so it doesn't depend entirely on the partner, or bring a partner who can do more than just inflict status so the opponent can't simply remove the status-setter and shut the whole thing down.
Hex is single-target and doesn't bypass Protect. In a doubles situation where both opponents carry status conditions, you choose one each turn. Plan the priority: which one is the bigger immediate threat? Take that one first.