What it does
Hypnosis puts one target to sleep. Sleeping Pokémon cannot act at all — no attacking, no Protecting, no supporting — for a maximum of three turns in Champions (after which they wake up on their own).
Sleep is the best single-target status condition in doubles. Paralysis full-stop is unreliable. Burns deal chip damage but don't block actions. Confusion can backfire. Sleep is as close to 'that Pokémon doesn't exist for a few turns' as you can get.
The hard tradeoff: accuracy is 60%. More than one in three uses does nothing — the target stays awake, acts normally, and you wasted the turn. This isn't a minor caveat; it fundamentally shapes when you're allowed to rely on Hypnosis for a plan.
In doubles, sleep only hits one target. The other opposing Pokémon is completely unaffected and continues acting normally.
Who runs it
Milotic at 27% uses Hypnosis as its control contribution alongside high Special Defense bulk. Speed 81 isn't fast, but Milotic is built to take hits and stay in — giving it turns to fire off Hypnosis without immediately fainting. High Sp.Def means special attackers have a harder time punishing the miss turns.
Espathra at 19% pairs Speed Boost with Hypnosis — it keeps getting faster each turn, which means it's increasingly likely to move before the target and land Hypnosis before they can do anything. Speed 105 base is already quick, and the escalating boost makes it hard to outrun as the game progresses.
Chimecho at 10% is the dedicated support case. Pure support Pokémon with Hypnosis are gambling on the 60% every time, but when it lands, it can effectively remove a threat for two or three turns, giving the entire team a window to operate.
How to use it
Build your turn plan assuming the miss. If Hypnosis lands — great, use the sleep window aggressively. If it misses, you need a fallback. Don't use Hypnosis in a turn where missing means you lose the game.
The highest-value sleep target in doubles is the one that's hardest to deal with through damage. If the opposing Pokémon has already used Swords Dance and your team can't KO it cleanly, sleeping it lets your partner focus the other slot and reset the situation on the sleeping Pokémon once it's addressed.
After landing sleep, your partner has a free window — no opposing action from that side. Use it to set up Tailwind, deal heavy damage, or bring in a threat safely.
Tips & strategy
Sleep lasts a maximum of three turns in Champions, not indefinitely. Don't structure your next three turns around guaranteed free actions — the target might wake up on turn one or two. Build a plan that still works if they shake it off early.
The other opposing Pokémon keeps acting while one is asleep. This sounds obvious, but it's easy to mentally 'relax' after landing sleep. That other Pokémon is still attacking, still setting up, still threatening. Your partner needs to handle it while you manage the sleeping one.
Against faster Pokémon, Hypnosis is especially risky — they might target the Hypnosis user and KO it on a miss turn. Bring bulk or protection if you're committing to this move in a live game.