In the metagame of DPP, it is hard to find a Pokémon who is as physically bulky as Hippowdon is. Hippowdon boasts an immunity to Electric-type attacks, and is resistant to Rock-type moves, which are two very common attacking types. Hippowdon is also proud to say that it holds 10% more physical defense than the old standard physical wall, Skarmory. On top of all these things, Lucario can never OHKO a Hippowdon, even if it has used Swords Dance. In fact, most unboosted physical moves, outside of Explosion and Selfdestruct, will never OHKO Hippowdon. With an overall Defense that can only be bested by very few Pokémon, and a rather handy support movepool, Hippowdon is a very good choice for a Pokémon to set down Stealth Rock. Hippowdon can take a hit, while comfortably setting Stealth Rock down, and then recover off any damage which it has taken by using Slack Off. In addition to laying down Stealth Rock, Hippowdon can shuffle Pokémon around with Roar, scouting your opponent’s team and dealing passive damage through sandstorm and Stealth Rock. Ice Fang may seem like a move that would fit well in Hippowdon’s moveset, but the only notable Pokémon that it would hit are Salamence and Flygon. Salamence frightens Hippowdon away with STAB Draco Meteor, and Flygon cannot harm Hippowdon anyway with its average Attack stat. Stone Edge is a good attacking move, as it can hit both Salamence switch-ins, along with Gyarados, who often sees Hippowdon as set up bait. Finally, Toxic is also a noteworthy option, which goes hand-in-hand with Hippowdon’s stalling ability, but if you run into the occasional Taunt Pokémon, then Hippowdon becomes almost useless. If for some reason you are carrying Hippowdon without Stealth Rock because another one of your Pokémon is already carrying it, then replacing Stealth Rock with any one of the aforementioned suggested fourth slot moves is ideal. Pokémon such as Vaporeon, Suicune and Celebi all often laugh at Hippowdon’s attacks, and can hit back with their STAB Water- and Grass-type attacks. For the most part, Tentacruel can switch in and often scare the opposing Pokémon away with Hidden Power Electric or Sludge Bomb, along with helping out Hippowdon’s stalling ability by removing Toxic Spikes from your side of the field and setting its own Toxic Spikes down. Along with that, Abomasnow resists both Grass- and Water-type attacks and can hit both types with super effective STAB moves. Latias and Blissey are both fine choices to have paired with Hippowdon. Latias, who doesn’t care about taking a Grass Knot or Surf, can set up in the faces of Vaporeon, Celebi, and Suicune, when they are without Ice Beam, by using with Calm Mind and Refresh. Blissey can take most special attacks aimed at Hippowdon and hit back with a crippling status move, such as Toxic or Thunder Wave. Skarmory is another Pokémon who works well when paired with Hippowdon. Both Pokémon are physically defensive, meaning that when one is in a weakened state, the other can fill in the role until an opportunity arises where the other can heal itself. Skarmory also works well as it can lay down Spikes, making Hippowdon’s shuffling ability that much more deadly and annoying. Of course, setting down all of these entry hazards would be a waste if a Pokémon just came in and used Rapid Spin, removing them from the field. Using a Ghost-type, such as the Rotom formes would be extremely helpful, as they block Rapid Spin from removing them.
Hippowdon carries a rather impressive 112 base Attack stat, along with one of the best physical defenses in the game, and because of its already horrendous Speed stat, Hippowdon makes great use of the move Curse. As Curse boosts Hippowdon’s Attack stat even higher, Ice Fang becomes the better move, allowing you to score KOes on many Flying-type Pokémon. However, if Gyarados still worries you, then Stone Edge is the better attacking choice. The given EVs allow Hippowdon to survive a Choice Specs Draco Meteor coming from Salamence or Latias. Furthermore, Hippowdon will now also survive a Choice Specs Heatran’s Fire Blast. The rest of the EVs were divided up between Defense and Attack, allowing Hippowdon to take advantage of the Impish nature that it is running. Life Orb can be an item to use with Hippowdon, if your opponent doesn’t run a special wall that can take boosted hits. Hippowdon can then easily clear the way for your special sweepers. This set falls to the same opponents that the previous set does, except this set is even more vulnerable to Toxic, as it aims to stay in for longer periods of time than the Standard Wall. It would be very helpful to run a Tentacruel along side this set, as Tentacruel can absorb Toxic Spikes and take the special attacks that Hippowdon would normally fear. Along side with that, Tentacruel can also use Rapid Spin, removing all entry hazards and allowing Hippowdon to come in with a bit more flexibility. Heal Bell Celebi and Aromatherapy Blissey can also remove status from Hippowdon, which can greatly help it survive for a longer period of time.
Choice Band Hippowon, though seemingly inferior to the Curse set, can actually cause your opponent quite a headache once you have figured out the Pokémon on their team. The final move is more a matter of preference than anything else. When given Fire Fang Hippowdon can do reasonable damage to Forretress, as well OHKO as Scizor. Slack Off has merit as the last move, allowing Hippowdon to heal off any damage which it has taken during the match and allow itself the chance to try to sweep again. However, since Hippowdon is holding a Choice Band, it is required to switch out and in again before it can attack. Toxic can also be used, but as Celebi and Skarmory are common switch-ins to Hippowdon, it will do no more than allow your opponent a few free turns of setup. The EVs may seem a bit spread thin, but they do have a purpose for being there. With the given EVs, Hippowdon will never be OHKOed by a Dragon Dance Life Orb Salamence’s Outrage, or a Swords Dance Life Orb Lucario’s Close Combat; Hippowdon will OHKO both with Stone Edge and Earthquake, respectively. Gyarados may seem to set up on this set, but if you know that it will switch in, then Gyarados is KOed with Stone Edge, even when factoring in Intimidate. Crunch is necessary on this set, hitting common switch-ins like Celebi and the Rotom formes for a 2HKO. This Hippowdon set dislikes Skarmory quite a bit; even when using Fire Fang, Skarmory can easily Roost off the damage making anything you do outside of switching null; because of this, running a Magnezone to trap Skarmory is a good idea, removing the physical wall that is halting Hippowdon’s sweep. Celebi can still cause Hippowdon issues with its STAB Grass-type moves, so Scizor can help remove Celebi thanks to its 4x weakness to Bug-type attacks, though you must be careful of Hidden Power Fire. If you decide to not run Slack Off on this set, then having a Pokémon which can pass Wish to Hippowdon for healing would be extremely helpful. On top of that, a Pokémon such as Forretress or Skarmory, who can set down Spikes, can make sweeping with Hippowdon that much easier, as it severely hurts the opponents switch-ins to Hippowdon. Of course, Forretress can also use Rapid Spin, removing anything that could harm Hippowdon, but with the current infestation of the Rotom formes, using Rapid Spin successfully does not seem likely. If you are set on using Rapid Spin on Forretress, then also giving it Payback to hurt the Ghost-type switch-ins for super effective damage would be helpful.
Hippowdon is probably the only Pokémon in the game who can make good use of the Defense boosts granted by Stockpile. After a single Stockpile, Hippowdon becomes incredibly difficult to KO without Toxic, as it is survive a Grass Knot from Celebi, even when it has 40 Special Attack EVs (probably the highest you will encounter on the common defensive sets), and a Waterfall from Adamant Life Orb Gyarados and Roar them away with over half of its health left, factoring in Leftovers. Half health may seem low, but the only other even remotely common things that could subsequently KO Hippowdon are offensive Life Orb Suicune, Choice Specs Salamence or Latias, and Choice Specs Heatran, so it is likely that Hippowdon will be able to Slack Off afterwards. After a second Stockpile there are few things in OU which can even 3HKO the sandy Hippopotamus. This set is designed for use with entry hazards, preferably Stealth Rock and at least one layer of Spikes. You will likely find that it is incredibly easy to get multiple defense boosts via Stockpile, and with its then huge Defenses, Hippowdon can spam Roar and Slack Off when needed. Since the main things that it fears are Toxic and faster Phazers, this set is mainly recommended as a countermeasure against offensive teams. Since their members rarely have a way to heal and almost never use Toxic, their only option is to hope for a critical hit, which even then might not deal the damage necessary to take down Hippowdon. Even if your opponent is not running offense an offensive team, then this set is still useful; however you should pack a cleric if you can, and try to get it out early in the match to scout your opponent's team and movesets to at least gain an advantage in knowledge. Earthquake is the recommended move in the last slot, in order to give Hippowdon an attacking option in case there is something that needs to be taken out immediately (such as a Blissey that was just Roared into entry hazards), and especially since it is likely that Hippowdon will be used on a stall team which is already using Toxic Spikes. It is also useful to KO an opposing Pokémon immediately instead of waiting for Roar to do the job, since Hippowdon unfortunately cannot avoid critical hits forever. However, if you are not worried about these things, or simply want some poison damage on your team, Toxic is just as good of a choice. Since you have Roar anyway you don't really have to worry about Substitutes, so everything that isn't immune on your opponent's team is likely going to be taking poison damage before long. Taunt is hardly an issue since all the common Taunters - Azelf, Gyarados, and Gliscor - are immune to Earthquake anyway. Stockpile on Hippowdon is a very risky set; many things can go wrong, which can spell doom for it. Toxic and Taunt are the main issues when using this set. Pokémon that run Taunt sometimes, such as Azelf, can cause you harm by setting up in your face while you are unable to Roar away. Toxic is also another issue, making Hippowdon only able to stay in for a few turns. Once again, Tentacruel does not mind taking a Toxic for Hippowdon, nor does it care for switching into Toxic Spikes. Taunt may cause Tentacruel some grief, but with STAB Surf not many non-resistant Pokémon will stay in. Having a Pokémon who can Rapid Spin is vital for Stockpile Hippowdon, so having a Pokémon which can remove Ghost-type Pokémon is also vital. Choice Band Tyranitar comes into play to stop the Ghost-types from block your Rapid Spin with its STAB Dark-type moves and Pursuit, effectively trapping the Ghost-type Pokémon. Team OptionsHippowdon has amazing defensive and stalling capabilities; because of this, using it on a stall team where it can effectively use its traits is key. Pokémon such as Skamory and Tentacruel work extremely well with Hippowdon, as they can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes respectively to help Hippowdon stall out your opponent’s team. Blissey also works well with Hippowdon, absorbing most special attacks fired at it, and healing it with Wish. As an offensive Pokémon, Hippowdon needs Steel-type Pokémon removed before it can effectively sweep. Normally it can take them out on its own, but Levitating and Flying-type Pokémon, such as Bronzong and Skarmory, will cause problems, as they avoid Ground-type attacks. Magnezone can switch in on these two Pokémon with no harm to itself and take them out, only needing to fear Earthquake off of Bronzong, but that can be avoided with Magnet Rise. On the defensive, Hippowdon needs a partner who can take special attacks for it, as it lacks the Special Defense to take them on its own. Blissey and Tentacruel do a fine job of switching into common special attackers and helping Hippowdon out. Along with that, Pokémon who that can absorb Water-type moves, such as Vaporeon, do wonders alongside Hippowdon, who attracts Water-type moves like a magnet. Though Hippowdon seems like a key defensive role on any team, using it does come with drawbacks. Hippowdon’s ability, Sand Stream, may cause it to nullify the Leftovers on your non Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-type Pokémon. Along with that, using Hippowdon on a team with any Life Orb users may prove risky, as they will take 16% damage every turn that they decide to attack. However, using Hippowdon isn’t all downside; Pokémon with the Sand Veil ability, such as Gliscor, can take advantage of the sandstorm Hippowdon summons and raises its own evasion by 20%. Other OptionsAlthough Hippowdon has a disappointingly shallow movepool, so there are a few other useful moves it can employ. Yawn is an alternative to Roar. It will never miss, even if a Pokémon’s evasion is raised (due to Sand Veil or Snow Cloak, for example), and is useful for creating switches to rack up more entry damage and to make well-informed double switches. However, it makes Hippowdon extremely vulnerable to Substitute users, and it becomes worthless once Sleep Clause is in effect. If you feel like going for paralysis, Body Slam can be used in the fourth moveslot of any set. This can provide vital support for a slow- to medium-speed team, but with a mediocre 85 Base Power, poor coverage, and only a 30% chance to paralyze, there are usually better options. If you really do not like Blissey then Superpower is also an option, but its coverage is almost pointless against every other Pokémon, and if you fail to take down the pink blob in one shot she can easily Softboiled the damage away while taking less and less damage from Superpower. The Defense drop is also a huge blow to Hippowdon’s walling capabilities, and it will likely be forced to switch out afterwards. EVsMaximum HP and a heavy investment in Defense is needed to effectively counter Tyranitar and to have a chance to survive two STAB 120 power attacks from high attack Pokémon holding a Choice Band, such as Salamence. If you choose to run Curse, you may want to add some Special Defense EVs, and if you are running Stockpile then you should be applying Special Defense in bulk. No matter what set you run, you should remember that maximum HP and 88 Special Defense EVs will cause Hippowdon to be only 3HKOed by Sub / Punch Tyranitar's Ice Beam, making it an almost guaranteed counter to any Tyranitar set (beware, though, as some CB Tyranitars carry Aqua Tail to 2HKO Hippowdon). OpinionHippowdon is arguably the best starter there is for a stall team, with its Sand Stream ability, Stealth Rock to start residual damage early, and Roar to stop set-up attempts. Outside of stall, it is restricted by its low Special Defense and Speed stats, its base Attack is 112, (that's pretty good, though), but it is still useful, especially when running a Curse set. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a physically bulky Pokémon or a phazer, then Hippowdon is a sure bet, but if you have another role to fill then you should probably look elsewhere. CountersDefensive Hippowdon's lack of attacking power hurts it here. Any special attacker with moderate Defense and no Ground-type weakness will switch in happily. Special mention goes to both Bronzong, who resists all of Hippowdon's attacks, is immune to Toxic, and will almost certainly 2HKO with Grass Knot, and Skarmory, who takes negligible damage from everything Hippowdon runs, can use Spikes after it switches in, and has Whirlwind, which makes Hippowdon’s Roar useless. Gyarados will happily set up on any set without Stone Edge. Celebi and bulky Water-types switch in on just about anything and force it out with a STAB Grass Knot or Surf, and, depending on the set, they may be able to set up as well. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
