The original Rock Wrecker ;) I'm going change the outdated content and some of the writing (edit: actually it seems I'm just rewriting almost everything to add content and condense the existing content). Apparently, eldino did this last time, so I hope he/she doesn't mind!
I'm going to have to ask about the EV spreads here. The main reason for 96 Speed EVs was for Donphan, but Azumarill and Registeel are in that Speed bracket as well. Registeel may not be worth investing the Speed EVs, but is Azumarill? It probably would help to force it to use Aqua Jet.
I also think that it would be beneficial to take a better look at the HP EV allocation and maybe even the Attack EV allocation. Rhyperior's unbalanced stats make it rather silly to just throw EVs into HP and expect to achieve anything specific. I've tried specially defensive spreads as well (the tank set does talk about that but still) and they seem better in a few ways (43% damage reduction from special attacks is pretty big). I'm not really sure, though. Maybe it should just stick to its main job of forcing specific switch-ins.
For what it's worth, absolute statements really aren't going to make sense here. Don't say Rhyperior should concentrate solely on physical Defense unless you actually want the EV spread to have 252 Def. I find this important enough to display 252 SpD spreads to drive in the point I'm making. If there's some attack that Rhyperior could be taking that makes it need more HP/Def (like Steelix in RU), then it should be mentioned because I'm not sure I can think of any offhand.
[Overview]
<p>Rhyperior is a rather bizarre Pokemon, having three awesome stats and three ... not-so-awesome stats. This often makes its EV spreads pretty complicated (this article might help). Its typing has a similar effect, giving it a very threatening STAB "QuakeEdge" combination in exchange for major defensive flaws. Solid Rock cushions the typing weaknesses, however, allowing Rhyperior to take weaker Grass- and Water-type attacks, such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet.</p>
<p>Rhyperior's movepool is large enough for it to have several set possibilities, using such moves as Rock Polish and Rock Blast. Rhyperior's heavily unbalanced stats allow it to force specific opponents out very easily, which allows it to capitalize on its versatility. All in all, while it takes some knowledge of KOs to use Rhyperior effectively, it is a great Pokemon overall, and can find a place on nearly any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior's stats and attacks make it a great choice for fighting "physical-with-physical". The perfect three-attack coverage makes it easy to force an opponent out and use that turn to set up Stealth Rock or a Substitute. Rhyperior can take most neutral physical attacks, as well as some super effective ones, and deliver a devastating blow off its massive base 140 Attack. Earthquake and Stone Edge take a good chunk out of Slowbro (32.2% - 38.3%), while Megahorn 2HKOes it (51.8% - 61.4%). Megahorn also deals over 89.1% to Shaymin, a guaranteed OHKO with Stealth Rock or a layer of Spikes. The Rock typing is a double-edged sword for Rhyperior as a Stealth Rock user, however, since it allows it to threaten Xatu but makes it vulnerable to Blastoise and Hitmontop, two very common users of Rapid Spin.</p>
<p>Rock Blast allows Rhyperior to break Substitutes, and is a remarkably powerful move in its own right. On the other hand, Stone Edge deals damage more consistently and has an increased critical hit ratio, which is perfect for do-or-die moments.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set can be tweaked in several different ways, and it pays to think about maximizing the benefit from the EV spread and making the most of the Special Defense boost from sand if it is being used. To give a taste of the complexity of making an EV spread for Rhyperior, the spread for the absolute optimum benefit from all of Attack, physical bulk, and special bulk would be 88 HP / 168 Atk / 252 SpD Adamant outside of sand, and 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD Adamant in sand. In practice, Attack is typically maximized to land as many KOs as possible, and some EVs are placed in HP to take physical attacks like Darmanitan's Superpower and Flygon's Earthquake without being 2HKOed. The latter spread mentioned is enough to take a Giga Drain from an unboosted 252 SpA Timid Mew, even without sand.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the benefit from investing 252 EVs into Special Defense should not be ignored, providing a 43% boost to Rhyperior's ability to take special attacks. This allows Rhyperior to take attacks like mixed Houndoom's Fire Blast rather comfortably. Yet another possibility is 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 SpD Adamant, so that Rhyperior takes neutral special attacks just as well as it takes super effective physical attacks; most notably, this spread prevents Hidden Power Grass from Zapdos and Raikou from assuredly OHKOing Rhyperior. Speed investment is less rewarding, but for what it's worth, 96 Speed outruns minimum Speed Azumarill, forcing it to use Aqua Jet to outrun Rhyperior, and 160 Speed outruns minimum Speed Empoleon and Porygon2.</p>
<p>Special Grass- and Water-type attacks are Rhyperior's worst nightmares, hitting it for triple damage. Slowbro is nearly perfect for checking Rhyperior, as its huge physical bulk allows it to tank Rhyperior's STABs. Bulky Grass-types, such as Roserade and Shaymin, can also send Rhyperior running. Blastoise and Hitmontop both have super effective STABs and can capitalize on Rhyperior switching out by using Rapid Spin to clear out entry hazards. While Zapdos and Raikou cannot switch in freely on Rhyperior, they commonly carry a super effective Hidden Power, likely forcing Rhyperior out. Nidoking operates similarly, commonly having both Earth Power and Ice Beam to force Nidoking out. Porygon2 can actually take advantage of Rhyperior by Tracing Solid Rock or gaining an easy Special Attack boost with Download.</p>
<p>As far as teammates go, special walls and Pokemon with key resistances are extremely helpful. Snorlax is one of the best options for tanking special attacks through its sheer special bulk, and is especially one of the best answers to Zapdos, Raikou, and Nidoking. Porygon2 and Rotom-H can also deal with Nidoking easily, though both share a weakness with Rhyperior. Grass-types are great teammates in general because they resist both Grass- and Water-type attacks. Roserade is a particularly good option, since it can use Giga Drain or Leaf Storm to make short work of the aforementioned threats to Rhyperior and set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes with ease. It also resists Hitmontop's Fighting-type attacks, and Sludge Bomb will deliver some serious pain to Shaymin. Zapdos is another good choice since it can switch into Ground-, Fighting-, and Grass-type moves and wreak havoc on all of the aforementioned enemies, aided by Rhyperior's Stealth Rock. Guts Heracross runs on a similar theme, and it also does not mind switching into Scald too terribly because of its good Special Defense and the chance of a burn, which activates Guts. Raikou lacks the aforementioned resistances, but its good Special Defense nonetheless make it more than viable, especially with its very threatening offensive prowess.</p>
<p>Due to Rhyperior's vulnerability to common users of Rapid Spin, it may be worthwhile to look into Ghost-types to block it. Mismagius is among the best for this job, especially if it runs Thunderbolt to maim Blastoise. Dusclops is a more defensive possibility, having access to Will-O-Wisp to cripple Hitmontop. Keep in mind that both Blastoise and Hitmontop can use Foresight to force Rapid Spin to hit, making the effort rather useless. The offensive teammates mentioned earlier can be enough of a deterrent against both Blastoise and Hitmontop, though. Another alternative is to use Ferroseed to punish them with damage every time they use Rapid Spin.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch / Rock Blast
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Rhyperior possesses neither the Speed nor the 120 Base Power STABs of fellow UU power-hitters Darmanitan, Heracross, and Arcanine, it continues to hold onto its niche as a Choice Band user by virtue of its enormous physical bulk and impeccable STAB coverage. Once Rhyperior has stood its ground, there are few switch-ins available to the opponent that do not face being massacred by one of Rhyperior's powerful moves. This is what makes Choice Band Rhyperior so effective: just switch in, take a pittance from a physical attack, smack the opponent's response hard, and repeat. Megahorn has a chance of OHKOing Slowbro (77.7% - 91.9%) and Flygon (90.7%+) with Stealth Rock damage, and may 2HKO Bronzong with Stealth Rock damage (43.2% - 51.5%).</p>
<p>For the last slot, Ice Punch can OHKO Gligar with Stealth Rock damage (80.2% - 94.6%) and ensures a OHKO against Flygon and a 2HKO against Hippopotas. It is also a great accurate attack to fall back on in general against some of Stone Edge's usual targets if a hit is absolutely needed. Alternatively, Rock Blast can be used to get past Substitute users. Perhaps this set's greatest weakness is the imperfect accuracy of Stone Edge and Megahorn; a miss renders it extremely vulnerable to an opponent that suddenly has much more HP than it could have had.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The only alternatives that really make sense are Aqua Tail and Avalanche. Aqua Tail is mainly for opposing Rhyperior, though Ice Punch already does a number to it and Aqua Tail misses the aforementioned KOs. Its imperfect accuracy also makes it rather risky. This set does not want to leave more up to chance than it has to. Avalanche is overkill for its unreliability; Ice Punch already hits most of its targets extremely hard.</p>
<p>Maximum Attack is a given on this set to maximize the chances of KOing some of Rhyperior's bulkier checks with the right move. The other EVs have very specific purposes, enabling Rhyperior to take five Seismic Tosses or Night Shades and outrun minimum Speed Machamp, with the rest being put in Defense. Overall, this spread is great for switching into powerful physical attackers such as Darmanitan, Choice Band Stoutland, and various Dragon- and Flying-types carrying Outrage and Brave Bird. A bulkier spread like 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD is also good here, since it maximizes tanking ability in sand. Notably, spending EVs on Special Defense can also be beneficial, since this set can actually beat bulky Water-types, including Blastoise, Milotic, and Suicune, by surviving their Scalds and 2HKOing back. Another spread of 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD preserves Rhyperior's ability to take five Seismic Tosses or Night Shades, while sometimes preventing Zapdos and Raikou from OHKOing Rhyperior with Hidden Power Grass.</p>
<p>Just about every check is wrecked by the correct move, and even sometimes by an incorrect move, so prepare for some prediction wars when using or facing Choice Band Rhyperior. Appropriate teammates should be on hand should Rhyperior make the wrong move. An offensive teammate is preferred here to maintain momentum. Shaymin and Heracross are among the best teammates, since both counter Slowbro and give Deoxys-D and Bronzong some problems. Shaymin also scares off Gligar. Flygon is trickier to deal with since it has U-turn, but it cannot take more than one Stone Edge and may become a liability if it uses U-turn and Rhyperior stays in. Taking into account that Rhyperior only really minds Earthquake and Choice Band Outrage from Flygon, teammates like Heracross, Zapdos, and Rotom-H can be used to force Flygon to think its move through carefully. Just be very wary of Choice Band Flygon, which plays a similar game to Choice Band Rhyperior and can turn that game in its favor.</p>
<p>Rhyperior also needs free switch-ins. This can be achieved rather easily using teammates that attract physical attackers or walls. Roserade and Togekiss are nearly perfect for this thanks to their lower Defense and resistances to many of Rhyperior's weaknesses. Heracross works similarly as far as typing goes. U-turn users, such as Azelf and Flygon, are also good here.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Megahorn
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rock Polish is an attempt to remedy Rhyperior's issues with Speed, allowing it to function as a late-game cleaner. With a Rock Polish boost, Rhyperior is potentially outrun only by Crobat and Choice Scarf users with 70 or higher base Speed. Suddenly, Shaymin cannot just sit by and use Seed Flare anymore, lest it eat a Megahorn and be OHKOed. Thanks to Rhyperior's power, most possible answers from the opponent need only be weakened to facilitate a sweep. Rhyperior's STAB moves alone have great coverage and can cause huge damage to many common Pokemon. Megahorn completes this coverage to score KOs on Shaymin and weakened Slowbro and Flygon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since the fastest common UU Choice Scarf user under 70 base Speed is Machamp, the Speed EVs are tailored to outrun Weavile. Life Orb is crucial to land KOs and make up for the setup turn due to the focus on setting up a Rock Polish and sweeping. Rhyperior has a few other options that it can utilize on this set. First off, Aqua Tail allows Rhyperior to finish off weakened Ground-types, such as Hippopotas and opposing Rhyperior, without taking too much retaliation. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, and it may allow Rhyperior to gain an extra boost, meaning that it can outrun even the faster Choice Scarf users, such as Flygon. Swords Dance can be used for a "Double Dancer" set, but one may find that Rhyperior is simply not fast enough to sustain such a set. Ultimately, Megahorn is usually the best option for the fourth moveslot, as it enables Rhyperior to finish off weakened Slowbro while KOing most common Grass-types. Regarding items, Leftovers can be used over Life Orb to grant Rhyperior more longevity, but the power boost from Life Orb is needed to allow Rhyperior to gain crucial KOs on defensive Shaymin and weakened Slowbro, as well as to make up for the power loss from using a Jolly nature instead of an Adamant one.</p>
<p>This set has trouble with many common Choice Scarf users, as they can revenge kill it when it is at low enough HP. Flygon, Krookodile, and Heracross can revenge kill a weakened Rhyperior with their STABs, while Choice Scarf Shaymin always KOes Rhyperior with Seed Flare. Physically bulky Pokemon, such as Slowbro (who must be on high health due to Megahorn's chance to OHKO), Milotic, Porygon2, Tangrowth, and Gligar, can survive an attack and dish out a knockout blow in return, cutting the sweep short. A team built around Rock Polish Rhyperior should thus be able to wear down and eliminate these threats; in Slowbro's case, this can prove exceedingly difficult due to Regenerator.</p>
<p>For the bulky counters, special attackers with wide coverage are useful to put offensive pressure on the opponent. Grass- and Electric-types, such as Shaymin, Roserade, and Zapdos, are great teammates, since they can wreck the bulky Water-types and use Hidden Power Ice to deal with Gligar and Tangrowth. Roserade can also set up Spikes, which punishes switches, or Toxic Spikes, which will put a timer on bulky Water-, Grass-, and Ground-types as soon as they switch in, but its neutrality to Earthquake leaves it lacking against Flygon and Krookodile. Nidoking and Porygon2 run on a similar theme, though both will struggle against opposing Porygon2. Heracross is an interesting teammate because it can lure in Tangrowth and Slowbro under the right circumstances, only to nail them with Megahorn, but Gligar completely walls it.</p>
<p>More "catch-all" strategies are available as well. Wynaut can trap these Pokemon (though it can still lose if the opponent has a Krookodile on the field, predicts the switch-in, and uses Crunch) and then proceed to KO them with either Counter or Mirror Coat. Wynaut can also use Tickle on Slowbro, so that it is KOed by a Pursuit from a strong physical attacker such as Spiritomb, Escavalier, or Houndoom. Another possibility is to use another physical sweeper, such as Weavile, to lure in the same checks and weaken the team in preparation for Rhyperior's sweep. Weavile also has a Dark-type STAB in Night Slash to hit Slowbro hard, as well as Ice Shard for the Choice Scarf users.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rhyperior does not have many other options. A Swords Dance set can be very threatening, but being slower than even some walls is a fatal flaw, as it means that Rhyperior is easily revenge killed by Water- and Grass-types. It can, however, work well under Trick Room or Tailwind support to fix Rhyperior's abysmal Speed stat, or in conjunction with Rock Polish. Then again, almost every set appreciates Trick Room or Tailwind support.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Grass-, Water-, and Ground-types are key to beating Rhyperior. Gligar is probably the most reliable counter, since it only really has to worry about Choice Band Ice Punch. Slowbro has been listed throughout, as all it really fears is a Megahorn, and even then, Slowbro can just switch out, regain its HP with Regenerator, and force Rhyperior to try Megahorn a second time, giving an easy opportunity for a Pokemon with a Bug-type resistance, such as Zapdos, to switch in. Electric-types in general are particularly threatening to Rhyperior if they manage to switch in, since they often carry Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Water, and even Hidden Power Ice will hit Rhyperior very hard. Shaymin is more or less in the same boat, although again, it is going to be taking a lot from Megahorn. Roserade, Nidoking, and Porygon2 are also very threatening if they manage to switch in. Porygon2 in particular has a fairly easy time with switching in, and it can either Trace Solid Rock or grab a Download boost. Opposing Rhyperior can also work well, but they must be wary of Aqua Tail. If Rock Polish Rhyperior is a cause of worry, most Choice Scarf users with a good super effective attack, such as Krookodile, Heracross, and Flygon, can deal with it, though in many cases, Rhyperior has to be weakened somewhat. Finally, as a user of Stealth Rock, Rhyperior is horribly vulnerable to common Rapid Spin users, such as Blastoise and Hitmontop.</p>
I'm going to have to ask about the EV spreads here. The main reason for 96 Speed EVs was for Donphan, but Azumarill and Registeel are in that Speed bracket as well. Registeel may not be worth investing the Speed EVs, but is Azumarill? It probably would help to force it to use Aqua Jet.
I also think that it would be beneficial to take a better look at the HP EV allocation and maybe even the Attack EV allocation. Rhyperior's unbalanced stats make it rather silly to just throw EVs into HP and expect to achieve anything specific. I've tried specially defensive spreads as well (the tank set does talk about that but still) and they seem better in a few ways (43% damage reduction from special attacks is pretty big). I'm not really sure, though. Maybe it should just stick to its main job of forcing specific switch-ins.
For what it's worth, absolute statements really aren't going to make sense here. Don't say Rhyperior should concentrate solely on physical Defense unless you actually want the EV spread to have 252 Def. I find this important enough to display 252 SpD spreads to drive in the point I'm making. If there's some attack that Rhyperior could be taking that makes it need more HP/Def (like Steelix in RU), then it should be mentioned because I'm not sure I can think of any offhand.
[Overview]
<p>Rhyperior is a rather bizarre Pokemon, having three awesome stats and three ... not-so-awesome stats. This often makes its EV spreads pretty complicated (this article might help). Its typing has a similar effect, giving it a very threatening STAB "QuakeEdge" combination in exchange for major defensive flaws. Solid Rock cushions the typing weaknesses, however, allowing Rhyperior to take weaker Grass- and Water-type attacks, such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet.</p>
<p>Rhyperior's movepool is large enough for it to have several set possibilities, using such moves as Rock Polish and Rock Blast. Rhyperior's heavily unbalanced stats allow it to force specific opponents out very easily, which allows it to capitalize on its versatility. All in all, while it takes some knowledge of KOs to use Rhyperior effectively, it is a great Pokemon overall, and can find a place on nearly any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior's stats and attacks make it a great choice for fighting "physical-with-physical". The perfect three-attack coverage makes it easy to force an opponent out and use that turn to set up Stealth Rock or a Substitute. Rhyperior can take most neutral physical attacks, as well as some super effective ones, and deliver a devastating blow off its massive base 140 Attack. Earthquake and Stone Edge take a good chunk out of Slowbro (32.2% - 38.3%), while Megahorn 2HKOes it (51.8% - 61.4%). Megahorn also deals over 89.1% to Shaymin, a guaranteed OHKO with Stealth Rock or a layer of Spikes. The Rock typing is a double-edged sword for Rhyperior as a Stealth Rock user, however, since it allows it to threaten Xatu but makes it vulnerable to Blastoise and Hitmontop, two very common users of Rapid Spin.</p>
<p>Rock Blast allows Rhyperior to break Substitutes, and is a remarkably powerful move in its own right. On the other hand, Stone Edge deals damage more consistently and has an increased critical hit ratio, which is perfect for do-or-die moments.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set can be tweaked in several different ways, and it pays to think about maximizing the benefit from the EV spread and making the most of the Special Defense boost from sand if it is being used. To give a taste of the complexity of making an EV spread for Rhyperior, the spread for the absolute optimum benefit from all of Attack, physical bulk, and special bulk would be 88 HP / 168 Atk / 252 SpD Adamant outside of sand, and 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD Adamant in sand. In practice, Attack is typically maximized to land as many KOs as possible, and some EVs are placed in HP to take physical attacks like Darmanitan's Superpower and Flygon's Earthquake without being 2HKOed. The latter spread mentioned is enough to take a Giga Drain from an unboosted 252 SpA Timid Mew, even without sand.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the benefit from investing 252 EVs into Special Defense should not be ignored, providing a 43% boost to Rhyperior's ability to take special attacks. This allows Rhyperior to take attacks like mixed Houndoom's Fire Blast rather comfortably. Yet another possibility is 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 SpD Adamant, so that Rhyperior takes neutral special attacks just as well as it takes super effective physical attacks; most notably, this spread prevents Hidden Power Grass from Zapdos and Raikou from assuredly OHKOing Rhyperior. Speed investment is less rewarding, but for what it's worth, 96 Speed outruns minimum Speed Azumarill, forcing it to use Aqua Jet to outrun Rhyperior, and 160 Speed outruns minimum Speed Empoleon and Porygon2.</p>
<p>Special Grass- and Water-type attacks are Rhyperior's worst nightmares, hitting it for triple damage. Slowbro is nearly perfect for checking Rhyperior, as its huge physical bulk allows it to tank Rhyperior's STABs. Bulky Grass-types, such as Roserade and Shaymin, can also send Rhyperior running. Blastoise and Hitmontop both have super effective STABs and can capitalize on Rhyperior switching out by using Rapid Spin to clear out entry hazards. While Zapdos and Raikou cannot switch in freely on Rhyperior, they commonly carry a super effective Hidden Power, likely forcing Rhyperior out. Nidoking operates similarly, commonly having both Earth Power and Ice Beam to force Nidoking out. Porygon2 can actually take advantage of Rhyperior by Tracing Solid Rock or gaining an easy Special Attack boost with Download.</p>
<p>As far as teammates go, special walls and Pokemon with key resistances are extremely helpful. Snorlax is one of the best options for tanking special attacks through its sheer special bulk, and is especially one of the best answers to Zapdos, Raikou, and Nidoking. Porygon2 and Rotom-H can also deal with Nidoking easily, though both share a weakness with Rhyperior. Grass-types are great teammates in general because they resist both Grass- and Water-type attacks. Roserade is a particularly good option, since it can use Giga Drain or Leaf Storm to make short work of the aforementioned threats to Rhyperior and set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes with ease. It also resists Hitmontop's Fighting-type attacks, and Sludge Bomb will deliver some serious pain to Shaymin. Zapdos is another good choice since it can switch into Ground-, Fighting-, and Grass-type moves and wreak havoc on all of the aforementioned enemies, aided by Rhyperior's Stealth Rock. Guts Heracross runs on a similar theme, and it also does not mind switching into Scald too terribly because of its good Special Defense and the chance of a burn, which activates Guts. Raikou lacks the aforementioned resistances, but its good Special Defense nonetheless make it more than viable, especially with its very threatening offensive prowess.</p>
<p>Due to Rhyperior's vulnerability to common users of Rapid Spin, it may be worthwhile to look into Ghost-types to block it. Mismagius is among the best for this job, especially if it runs Thunderbolt to maim Blastoise. Dusclops is a more defensive possibility, having access to Will-O-Wisp to cripple Hitmontop. Keep in mind that both Blastoise and Hitmontop can use Foresight to force Rapid Spin to hit, making the effort rather useless. The offensive teammates mentioned earlier can be enough of a deterrent against both Blastoise and Hitmontop, though. Another alternative is to use Ferroseed to punish them with damage every time they use Rapid Spin.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch / Rock Blast
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Rhyperior possesses neither the Speed nor the 120 Base Power STABs of fellow UU power-hitters Darmanitan, Heracross, and Arcanine, it continues to hold onto its niche as a Choice Band user by virtue of its enormous physical bulk and impeccable STAB coverage. Once Rhyperior has stood its ground, there are few switch-ins available to the opponent that do not face being massacred by one of Rhyperior's powerful moves. This is what makes Choice Band Rhyperior so effective: just switch in, take a pittance from a physical attack, smack the opponent's response hard, and repeat. Megahorn has a chance of OHKOing Slowbro (77.7% - 91.9%) and Flygon (90.7%+) with Stealth Rock damage, and may 2HKO Bronzong with Stealth Rock damage (43.2% - 51.5%).</p>
<p>For the last slot, Ice Punch can OHKO Gligar with Stealth Rock damage (80.2% - 94.6%) and ensures a OHKO against Flygon and a 2HKO against Hippopotas. It is also a great accurate attack to fall back on in general against some of Stone Edge's usual targets if a hit is absolutely needed. Alternatively, Rock Blast can be used to get past Substitute users. Perhaps this set's greatest weakness is the imperfect accuracy of Stone Edge and Megahorn; a miss renders it extremely vulnerable to an opponent that suddenly has much more HP than it could have had.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The only alternatives that really make sense are Aqua Tail and Avalanche. Aqua Tail is mainly for opposing Rhyperior, though Ice Punch already does a number to it and Aqua Tail misses the aforementioned KOs. Its imperfect accuracy also makes it rather risky. This set does not want to leave more up to chance than it has to. Avalanche is overkill for its unreliability; Ice Punch already hits most of its targets extremely hard.</p>
<p>Maximum Attack is a given on this set to maximize the chances of KOing some of Rhyperior's bulkier checks with the right move. The other EVs have very specific purposes, enabling Rhyperior to take five Seismic Tosses or Night Shades and outrun minimum Speed Machamp, with the rest being put in Defense. Overall, this spread is great for switching into powerful physical attackers such as Darmanitan, Choice Band Stoutland, and various Dragon- and Flying-types carrying Outrage and Brave Bird. A bulkier spread like 208 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD is also good here, since it maximizes tanking ability in sand. Notably, spending EVs on Special Defense can also be beneficial, since this set can actually beat bulky Water-types, including Blastoise, Milotic, and Suicune, by surviving their Scalds and 2HKOing back. Another spread of 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD preserves Rhyperior's ability to take five Seismic Tosses or Night Shades, while sometimes preventing Zapdos and Raikou from OHKOing Rhyperior with Hidden Power Grass.</p>
<p>Just about every check is wrecked by the correct move, and even sometimes by an incorrect move, so prepare for some prediction wars when using or facing Choice Band Rhyperior. Appropriate teammates should be on hand should Rhyperior make the wrong move. An offensive teammate is preferred here to maintain momentum. Shaymin and Heracross are among the best teammates, since both counter Slowbro and give Deoxys-D and Bronzong some problems. Shaymin also scares off Gligar. Flygon is trickier to deal with since it has U-turn, but it cannot take more than one Stone Edge and may become a liability if it uses U-turn and Rhyperior stays in. Taking into account that Rhyperior only really minds Earthquake and Choice Band Outrage from Flygon, teammates like Heracross, Zapdos, and Rotom-H can be used to force Flygon to think its move through carefully. Just be very wary of Choice Band Flygon, which plays a similar game to Choice Band Rhyperior and can turn that game in its favor.</p>
<p>Rhyperior also needs free switch-ins. This can be achieved rather easily using teammates that attract physical attackers or walls. Roserade and Togekiss are nearly perfect for this thanks to their lower Defense and resistances to many of Rhyperior's weaknesses. Heracross works similarly as far as typing goes. U-turn users, such as Azelf and Flygon, are also good here.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Megahorn
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 20 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rock Polish is an attempt to remedy Rhyperior's issues with Speed, allowing it to function as a late-game cleaner. With a Rock Polish boost, Rhyperior is potentially outrun only by Crobat and Choice Scarf users with 70 or higher base Speed. Suddenly, Shaymin cannot just sit by and use Seed Flare anymore, lest it eat a Megahorn and be OHKOed. Thanks to Rhyperior's power, most possible answers from the opponent need only be weakened to facilitate a sweep. Rhyperior's STAB moves alone have great coverage and can cause huge damage to many common Pokemon. Megahorn completes this coverage to score KOs on Shaymin and weakened Slowbro and Flygon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since the fastest common UU Choice Scarf user under 70 base Speed is Machamp, the Speed EVs are tailored to outrun Weavile. Life Orb is crucial to land KOs and make up for the setup turn due to the focus on setting up a Rock Polish and sweeping. Rhyperior has a few other options that it can utilize on this set. First off, Aqua Tail allows Rhyperior to finish off weakened Ground-types, such as Hippopotas and opposing Rhyperior, without taking too much retaliation. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, and it may allow Rhyperior to gain an extra boost, meaning that it can outrun even the faster Choice Scarf users, such as Flygon. Swords Dance can be used for a "Double Dancer" set, but one may find that Rhyperior is simply not fast enough to sustain such a set. Ultimately, Megahorn is usually the best option for the fourth moveslot, as it enables Rhyperior to finish off weakened Slowbro while KOing most common Grass-types. Regarding items, Leftovers can be used over Life Orb to grant Rhyperior more longevity, but the power boost from Life Orb is needed to allow Rhyperior to gain crucial KOs on defensive Shaymin and weakened Slowbro, as well as to make up for the power loss from using a Jolly nature instead of an Adamant one.</p>
<p>This set has trouble with many common Choice Scarf users, as they can revenge kill it when it is at low enough HP. Flygon, Krookodile, and Heracross can revenge kill a weakened Rhyperior with their STABs, while Choice Scarf Shaymin always KOes Rhyperior with Seed Flare. Physically bulky Pokemon, such as Slowbro (who must be on high health due to Megahorn's chance to OHKO), Milotic, Porygon2, Tangrowth, and Gligar, can survive an attack and dish out a knockout blow in return, cutting the sweep short. A team built around Rock Polish Rhyperior should thus be able to wear down and eliminate these threats; in Slowbro's case, this can prove exceedingly difficult due to Regenerator.</p>
<p>For the bulky counters, special attackers with wide coverage are useful to put offensive pressure on the opponent. Grass- and Electric-types, such as Shaymin, Roserade, and Zapdos, are great teammates, since they can wreck the bulky Water-types and use Hidden Power Ice to deal with Gligar and Tangrowth. Roserade can also set up Spikes, which punishes switches, or Toxic Spikes, which will put a timer on bulky Water-, Grass-, and Ground-types as soon as they switch in, but its neutrality to Earthquake leaves it lacking against Flygon and Krookodile. Nidoking and Porygon2 run on a similar theme, though both will struggle against opposing Porygon2. Heracross is an interesting teammate because it can lure in Tangrowth and Slowbro under the right circumstances, only to nail them with Megahorn, but Gligar completely walls it.</p>
<p>More "catch-all" strategies are available as well. Wynaut can trap these Pokemon (though it can still lose if the opponent has a Krookodile on the field, predicts the switch-in, and uses Crunch) and then proceed to KO them with either Counter or Mirror Coat. Wynaut can also use Tickle on Slowbro, so that it is KOed by a Pursuit from a strong physical attacker such as Spiritomb, Escavalier, or Houndoom. Another possibility is to use another physical sweeper, such as Weavile, to lure in the same checks and weaken the team in preparation for Rhyperior's sweep. Weavile also has a Dark-type STAB in Night Slash to hit Slowbro hard, as well as Ice Shard for the Choice Scarf users.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rhyperior does not have many other options. A Swords Dance set can be very threatening, but being slower than even some walls is a fatal flaw, as it means that Rhyperior is easily revenge killed by Water- and Grass-types. It can, however, work well under Trick Room or Tailwind support to fix Rhyperior's abysmal Speed stat, or in conjunction with Rock Polish. Then again, almost every set appreciates Trick Room or Tailwind support.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Grass-, Water-, and Ground-types are key to beating Rhyperior. Gligar is probably the most reliable counter, since it only really has to worry about Choice Band Ice Punch. Slowbro has been listed throughout, as all it really fears is a Megahorn, and even then, Slowbro can just switch out, regain its HP with Regenerator, and force Rhyperior to try Megahorn a second time, giving an easy opportunity for a Pokemon with a Bug-type resistance, such as Zapdos, to switch in. Electric-types in general are particularly threatening to Rhyperior if they manage to switch in, since they often carry Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Water, and even Hidden Power Ice will hit Rhyperior very hard. Shaymin is more or less in the same boat, although again, it is going to be taking a lot from Megahorn. Roserade, Nidoking, and Porygon2 are also very threatening if they manage to switch in. Porygon2 in particular has a fairly easy time with switching in, and it can either Trace Solid Rock or grab a Download boost. Opposing Rhyperior can also work well, but they must be wary of Aqua Tail. If Rock Polish Rhyperior is a cause of worry, most Choice Scarf users with a good super effective attack, such as Krookodile, Heracross, and Flygon, can deal with it, though in many cases, Rhyperior has to be weakened somewhat. Finally, as a user of Stealth Rock, Rhyperior is horribly vulnerable to common Rapid Spin users, such as Blastoise and Hitmontop.</p>
