Overview
########
Rhyperior has made its first appearance in RU this generation, and already it had made quite a splash. Boasting a monstrous base 140 Attack and an expansive movepool allows it to severely damage most Pokemon in RU. It also has great physical bulk that allows it to easily take physical hits, even some super effective ones thanks to its ability Solid Rock. Also, it is very versatile, able it to run defensive, wallbreaking, and sweeping sets. It is also one of the most manly Pokemon in RU, which almost always makes a Pokemon cooler.
Sadly, not all is well for Rhyperior. It has an absolutely horrible defensive typing, consisting of sic weaknesses, two of which are 4x weaknesses. It also has lackluster Special Defense if it lacks heavy investment. It is also incredibly slow, unboosted and even with a boost. However, don't let these flaws deter you from using Rhyperior as it is a complete menace in RU.
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Dragon Tail
ability: Solid Rock
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
As Stealth Rock is critical to almost every team, and Rhyperior is arguably the most reliable Stealth Rock setter in the tier, it takes the first slot because of its sheer utility in battle. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that even without very heavy investment hits hard. Rock Blast is good for taking down Pokemon with Sturdy and Focus Sash as well as handling Substitute users such as Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary, but Stone Edge can be used if consistency in power is wanted. Do note, however, that it is less accurate. Dragon Tail is recommended in the last slot for phazing and dealing chip damage, especially when Stealth Rock is up. Roar can be used over Dragon Tail if Substitute users are still an issue, particularly if you opt to run Stone Edge. Finally, Megahorn deserves a mention to smash opposing Psychic-types such as Slowking, Meloetta, and Cresselia.
Set Details
========
The chosen EVs increase Rhyperior's special bulk to acceptable levels while still attaining decent offensive presence, the Attack EVs hitting a jump point with an Adamant nature. Leftovers are an important item on any defensive Pokemon, as it provides residual recovery, allowing you to shrug off hazard, status, and attacking damage with more ease. A more offensive spread of 248 HP / 92 Atk / 168 SpD with an Adamant nature can be used to guarantee an 2HKO on Doublade. Finally, a fully specially defensive set with a Careful nature can be used on full stall teams to check threats such as Calm Mind Meloetta, Swords Dance Drapion, Bulk Up Braviary, and Choice Specs Exploud.
Usage Tips
========
The main focus for this set is to set up Stealth Rock for your team, as it is arguably the single most important entry hazard in competitive Pokemon. After Stealth Rock is set up, spam Dragon Tail as much as possible to rack up as much damage on the opposing team as possible through Dragon Tail and Stealth Rock damage. Only use Earthquake and Rock Blast when absolutely necessary or when you can severely damage or KO an opponent.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with Spikes and Toxic Spikes make awesome partners for Rhyperior. Because Rhyperior should be using Dragon Tail a lot, the more hazard damage it can rack up, the better. Roselia in particular makes an awesome partner because it can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes easily and has good defensive synergy, taking Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type moves for Rhyperior who in turn can take on Fire- and Flying-types. Any Pokemon that can remove Water- and Grass-types is appreciated as Rhyperior has near no hope of taking them on by itself. Late-game cleaners such as Sharpedo and Yanmega make good partners as they can take advantage of the weakening Rhyperior provides through Dragon Tail and entry hazard damage. Slowking can take on Fighting-, Water-, and Ice-types for Rhyperior, who can in turn take on Electric-types for Slowking. Aromatisse resists Fighting-type moves and can provide valuable Wish support. Virizion is a good partner as it can take on Water- and Ground-types that trouble Rhyperior.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Choice band
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that severely damages anything that doesn't resist it, and even some that do. Stone Edge is another powerful STAB move and forms the EdgeQuake combo, a move combination famous for its excellent neutral coverage. Megahorn allows Rhyperior to mash Psychic- and Grass-types on the switch. Ice Punch is Rhyperior's most powerful option against Virizion and Gligar. Though it hits Ground- and Dragon-types super effectively, Earthquake and Stone Edge are equally powerful.
Set Details
========
Choice Band is the chosen item on this set as it allow Rhyperior to hit like a monster truck. The Speed investment allows Rhyperior to outspeed uninvested base 50s such as Tangrowth and Registeel. Attack is maximized with an Adamant nature to ensure that Rhyperior hits as hard as possible; important for a wallbreaker. The rest of the EVs are placed in HP for extra bulk.
Usage Tips
========
This Rhyperior set works best as an early- to mid-game wallbreaker because of its epic Attack stat and good coverage. Try to make effective use of Rhyperior's excellent physical bulk to switch into weak and resisted physical attacks. Don't be afraid to spam your most powerful and reliable STAB move in Earthquake if you have removed opposing Flying-types or you can place enough pressure through the rest of your team. Keep in mind that switching into special attacks is still risky as many can still significantly hurt Rhyperior, even resisted ones.
Team Options
========
Late-game cleaners such as Sharpedo and Yanmega make good partners of Rhyperior as they can take advantage of the damage Rhyperior deals, as it is able to 2HKO or heavily damage most of the tier. Rhyperior also appreciates hazard support so it can turn some 3HKOs into 2HKOs, and 2HKOs into OHKOs. Virizion is a good partner because Rhyperior can KO Amoonguss, bulky Psychic-types, and Doublade, and in return, Virizion can switch in on Water- and Grass-type attacks. Slowking is a good Pokemon to switch in when Rhyperior is forced out as it has good defensive synergy with Rhyperior. Kabutops is great at cleaning up weakened teams, but shares some common weaknesses with Rhyperior. Cobalion can set up Stealth Rock or sweep weakened teams.
Rock Polish
########
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Rock Polish is the main focus of this set, allowing Rhyperior to boost its Speed to respectable levels in order to sweep. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that hurts anything that doesn't resist. Stone Edge is a powerful but less accurate STAB move that has excellent coverage with Earthquake. Ice Punch is a good coverage move that allows you to take on threats such as Gligar and Virizion more easily. Megahorn is an option to hit Psychic-types such as Slowking and Cresselia hard, OHKOing the former after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing the latter.
Set Details
========
The chosen EVs maximize Attack and Speed, the stats Rhyperior should be relying on most as a sweeper. A Jolly nature is preferred over Adamant to outspeed as much as possible. Weakness Policy doubles Rhyperior's Attack when hit by a super effective attack and works well in conjunction with Solid Rock, so it is the recommended item on the set. On the other hand, Life Orb can be used for reliability, but it chips away at HP and misses out on a few KOs.
Usage Tips
========
You must remove opposing Choice Scarf users before attempting to set up with Rhyperior, as even after a boost, many Choice Scarf users can still outspeed and KO. Rhyperior should not be taking unnecessary hits, so it is recommended you bring it in off of a fainted Pokemon, U-turn, or Volt Switch. It should be used as a late game sweeper as it is powerful, but still appreciates some weakening before it attempts a sweep. It is recommended that you bring it in on something you can force out to start setting up to sweep.
Team Options
========
Like most sweepers, Rhyperior appreciates the support of entry hazards to weaken opponents as they switch in. Roselia in particular makes a good partner as the two have good type synergy together and can set Spikes for Rhyperior. Also, the support of Pokemon that can remove opposing Choice Scarf users is appreciated. Rhyperior also likes Pokemon that can switch into its many weaknesses such as Amoonguss, Slowking, and the aforementioned Roselia.
Other Options
########
Protect is a cool option on the Tank set to stall for Leftovers recovery and to play mindgames with Hitmonlee, but it's hard to find a free moveslot for it. A Swords Dance seems like a cool idea, but it is far too slow to sweep and wallbreaking is better done by the Choice Band set. A Double Dancer set consisting of Swords Dance, Rock Polish, Earthquake, and Stone Edge seems good, but it can be hard to set up and missing out on hitting Gligar and Virizion hard really hurts. An Assault Vest set seems like a good idea to patch up Rhyperior's subpar special bulk, but it still isn't that great, even with an Assault Vest equipped. A set including Substitute or Substitute + Swords Dance looks good at first, but Rhyperior has better things to be doing.
Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can come into Rhyperior and threaten it with their 4x effective STAB moves. Virizion is a good example as it can come into any of Rhyperior's STAB moves and threaten it with a STAB Leaf Blade or Giga Drain. Tangrowth can take pretty much any attack from Rhyperior except for a Choice Band Megahorn and retaliate with a STAB move of choice. Amoonguss can come in on the Tank set all day long, but can't really switch in on the Choice Band set or the Rock Polish set if it's boosted or has Life Orb.
**Water-types**: Water-types can come into Rhyperior and deal heavy damage with their 4x effective STAB moves. Slowking is an excellent example as it can come in, OHKO with a little bit of prior damage (or one layer of Spikes), and heal off damage taken through Regenerator. Alomomola can consistently switch in on Rhyperior because of its great physical bulk and access to Regenerator, and can wear it down with Toxic or burns from Scald.
**Gligar**: Gligar has good Defense and access to Roost, making it hard to take down. It only fears Ice Punch from Rhyperior.
**Bronzong**: Bronzong laughs at anything Rhyperior can throw at it except for a Choice Band Megahorn, as it is immune to Earthquake, resistant to Stone Edge, and has decent Defense.
**Status**: Rhyperior hates status as it can wear it down and half its Attack is burned. Gligar, Bronzong, Spiritomb, and Mega Banette can all do this, but they do little in terms of direct damage.
**Cresselia**: Cresselia can switch into all of Rhyperior's attacks except for Megahorn and can wear it down with Toxic.
########
Rhyperior has made its first appearance in RU this generation, and already it had made quite a splash. Boasting a monstrous base 140 Attack and an expansive movepool allows it to severely damage most Pokemon in RU. It also has great physical bulk that allows it to easily take physical hits, even some super effective ones thanks to its ability Solid Rock. Also, it is very versatile, able it to run defensive, wallbreaking, and sweeping sets. It is also one of the most manly Pokemon in RU, which almost always makes a Pokemon cooler.
Sadly, not all is well for Rhyperior. It has an absolutely horrible defensive typing, consisting of sic weaknesses, two of which are 4x weaknesses. It also has lackluster Special Defense if it lacks heavy investment. It is also incredibly slow, unboosted and even with a boost. However, don't let these flaws deter you from using Rhyperior as it is a complete menace in RU.
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Dragon Tail
ability: Solid Rock
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
As Stealth Rock is critical to almost every team, and Rhyperior is arguably the most reliable Stealth Rock setter in the tier, it takes the first slot because of its sheer utility in battle. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that even without very heavy investment hits hard. Rock Blast is good for taking down Pokemon with Sturdy and Focus Sash as well as handling Substitute users such as Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary, but Stone Edge can be used if consistency in power is wanted. Do note, however, that it is less accurate. Dragon Tail is recommended in the last slot for phazing and dealing chip damage, especially when Stealth Rock is up. Roar can be used over Dragon Tail if Substitute users are still an issue, particularly if you opt to run Stone Edge. Finally, Megahorn deserves a mention to smash opposing Psychic-types such as Slowking, Meloetta, and Cresselia.
Set Details
========
The chosen EVs increase Rhyperior's special bulk to acceptable levels while still attaining decent offensive presence, the Attack EVs hitting a jump point with an Adamant nature. Leftovers are an important item on any defensive Pokemon, as it provides residual recovery, allowing you to shrug off hazard, status, and attacking damage with more ease. A more offensive spread of 248 HP / 92 Atk / 168 SpD with an Adamant nature can be used to guarantee an 2HKO on Doublade. Finally, a fully specially defensive set with a Careful nature can be used on full stall teams to check threats such as Calm Mind Meloetta, Swords Dance Drapion, Bulk Up Braviary, and Choice Specs Exploud.
Usage Tips
========
The main focus for this set is to set up Stealth Rock for your team, as it is arguably the single most important entry hazard in competitive Pokemon. After Stealth Rock is set up, spam Dragon Tail as much as possible to rack up as much damage on the opposing team as possible through Dragon Tail and Stealth Rock damage. Only use Earthquake and Rock Blast when absolutely necessary or when you can severely damage or KO an opponent.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with Spikes and Toxic Spikes make awesome partners for Rhyperior. Because Rhyperior should be using Dragon Tail a lot, the more hazard damage it can rack up, the better. Roselia in particular makes an awesome partner because it can set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes easily and has good defensive synergy, taking Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type moves for Rhyperior who in turn can take on Fire- and Flying-types. Any Pokemon that can remove Water- and Grass-types is appreciated as Rhyperior has near no hope of taking them on by itself. Late-game cleaners such as Sharpedo and Yanmega make good partners as they can take advantage of the weakening Rhyperior provides through Dragon Tail and entry hazard damage. Slowking can take on Fighting-, Water-, and Ice-types for Rhyperior, who can in turn take on Electric-types for Slowking. Aromatisse resists Fighting-type moves and can provide valuable Wish support. Virizion is a good partner as it can take on Water- and Ground-types that trouble Rhyperior.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Choice band
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that severely damages anything that doesn't resist it, and even some that do. Stone Edge is another powerful STAB move and forms the EdgeQuake combo, a move combination famous for its excellent neutral coverage. Megahorn allows Rhyperior to mash Psychic- and Grass-types on the switch. Ice Punch is Rhyperior's most powerful option against Virizion and Gligar. Though it hits Ground- and Dragon-types super effectively, Earthquake and Stone Edge are equally powerful.
Set Details
========
Choice Band is the chosen item on this set as it allow Rhyperior to hit like a monster truck. The Speed investment allows Rhyperior to outspeed uninvested base 50s such as Tangrowth and Registeel. Attack is maximized with an Adamant nature to ensure that Rhyperior hits as hard as possible; important for a wallbreaker. The rest of the EVs are placed in HP for extra bulk.
Usage Tips
========
This Rhyperior set works best as an early- to mid-game wallbreaker because of its epic Attack stat and good coverage. Try to make effective use of Rhyperior's excellent physical bulk to switch into weak and resisted physical attacks. Don't be afraid to spam your most powerful and reliable STAB move in Earthquake if you have removed opposing Flying-types or you can place enough pressure through the rest of your team. Keep in mind that switching into special attacks is still risky as many can still significantly hurt Rhyperior, even resisted ones.
Team Options
========
Late-game cleaners such as Sharpedo and Yanmega make good partners of Rhyperior as they can take advantage of the damage Rhyperior deals, as it is able to 2HKO or heavily damage most of the tier. Rhyperior also appreciates hazard support so it can turn some 3HKOs into 2HKOs, and 2HKOs into OHKOs. Virizion is a good partner because Rhyperior can KO Amoonguss, bulky Psychic-types, and Doublade, and in return, Virizion can switch in on Water- and Grass-type attacks. Slowking is a good Pokemon to switch in when Rhyperior is forced out as it has good defensive synergy with Rhyperior. Kabutops is great at cleaning up weakened teams, but shares some common weaknesses with Rhyperior. Cobalion can set up Stealth Rock or sweep weakened teams.
Rock Polish
########
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Rock Polish is the main focus of this set, allowing Rhyperior to boost its Speed to respectable levels in order to sweep. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move that hurts anything that doesn't resist. Stone Edge is a powerful but less accurate STAB move that has excellent coverage with Earthquake. Ice Punch is a good coverage move that allows you to take on threats such as Gligar and Virizion more easily. Megahorn is an option to hit Psychic-types such as Slowking and Cresselia hard, OHKOing the former after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing the latter.
Set Details
========
The chosen EVs maximize Attack and Speed, the stats Rhyperior should be relying on most as a sweeper. A Jolly nature is preferred over Adamant to outspeed as much as possible. Weakness Policy doubles Rhyperior's Attack when hit by a super effective attack and works well in conjunction with Solid Rock, so it is the recommended item on the set. On the other hand, Life Orb can be used for reliability, but it chips away at HP and misses out on a few KOs.
Usage Tips
========
You must remove opposing Choice Scarf users before attempting to set up with Rhyperior, as even after a boost, many Choice Scarf users can still outspeed and KO. Rhyperior should not be taking unnecessary hits, so it is recommended you bring it in off of a fainted Pokemon, U-turn, or Volt Switch. It should be used as a late game sweeper as it is powerful, but still appreciates some weakening before it attempts a sweep. It is recommended that you bring it in on something you can force out to start setting up to sweep.
Team Options
========
Like most sweepers, Rhyperior appreciates the support of entry hazards to weaken opponents as they switch in. Roselia in particular makes a good partner as the two have good type synergy together and can set Spikes for Rhyperior. Also, the support of Pokemon that can remove opposing Choice Scarf users is appreciated. Rhyperior also likes Pokemon that can switch into its many weaknesses such as Amoonguss, Slowking, and the aforementioned Roselia.
Other Options
########
Protect is a cool option on the Tank set to stall for Leftovers recovery and to play mindgames with Hitmonlee, but it's hard to find a free moveslot for it. A Swords Dance seems like a cool idea, but it is far too slow to sweep and wallbreaking is better done by the Choice Band set. A Double Dancer set consisting of Swords Dance, Rock Polish, Earthquake, and Stone Edge seems good, but it can be hard to set up and missing out on hitting Gligar and Virizion hard really hurts. An Assault Vest set seems like a good idea to patch up Rhyperior's subpar special bulk, but it still isn't that great, even with an Assault Vest equipped. A set including Substitute or Substitute + Swords Dance looks good at first, but Rhyperior has better things to be doing.
Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can come into Rhyperior and threaten it with their 4x effective STAB moves. Virizion is a good example as it can come into any of Rhyperior's STAB moves and threaten it with a STAB Leaf Blade or Giga Drain. Tangrowth can take pretty much any attack from Rhyperior except for a Choice Band Megahorn and retaliate with a STAB move of choice. Amoonguss can come in on the Tank set all day long, but can't really switch in on the Choice Band set or the Rock Polish set if it's boosted or has Life Orb.
**Water-types**: Water-types can come into Rhyperior and deal heavy damage with their 4x effective STAB moves. Slowking is an excellent example as it can come in, OHKO with a little bit of prior damage (or one layer of Spikes), and heal off damage taken through Regenerator. Alomomola can consistently switch in on Rhyperior because of its great physical bulk and access to Regenerator, and can wear it down with Toxic or burns from Scald.
**Gligar**: Gligar has good Defense and access to Roost, making it hard to take down. It only fears Ice Punch from Rhyperior.
**Bronzong**: Bronzong laughs at anything Rhyperior can throw at it except for a Choice Band Megahorn, as it is immune to Earthquake, resistant to Stone Edge, and has decent Defense.
**Status**: Rhyperior hates status as it can wear it down and half its Attack is burned. Gligar, Bronzong, Spiritomb, and Mega Banette can all do this, but they do little in terms of direct damage.
**Cresselia**: Cresselia can switch into all of Rhyperior's attacks except for Megahorn and can wear it down with Toxic.
Overview
########
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Dragon Tail
ability: Solid Rock
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Choice band
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Rock Polish
########
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Other Options
########
Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can come into Rhyperior and threaten it with their 4x effective STAB moves. Virizion is a good example as it can come into any of Rhyperior's STAB moves and threaten it with a STAB Leaf Blade or Giga Drain.
**Water-types**: Water-types can come into Rhyperior and deal heavy damage with their 4x effective STAB moves. Slowking is an excellent example as it can come in, OHKO with a little bit of prior damage (or one layer of Spikes), and heal off damage taken through Regenerator.
**Gligar**: Gligar has good Defense and access to Roost, making it hard to take down. It only fears Ice Punch from Rhyperior.
**Bronzong**: Bronzong laughs at anything Rhyperior can throw at it except for a Choice Band Megahorn, as it is immune to Earthquake, resistant to Stone Edge, and has decent Defense.
**Status**: Rhyperior hates status as it can wear it down and half its Attack is burned. Gligar, Bronzong, Spiritomb, and Mega Banette can all do this, but they do little in terms of direct damage.
########
- High Attack
- Good physical bulk
- Great offensive typing
- Good movepool
- Versatile
- Manly
- Bad defensive typing
- Bad special bulk (unless heavily invested)
- Slow
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Dragon Tail
ability: Solid Rock
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Stealth Rock deals damage in the switch in and is pretty much essential to any team
- Earthquake is a powerful and reliable STAB move
- Rock Blast is good for breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy pokemon as well as Substitutes
- Stone Edge can be used for consistent damage, but lacks utility and is less accurate
- Dragon Tail is used for phazing and dealing damage
- Roar can be used if Substitute users are still an issue
- Megahorn is an option to hurt opposing Psychic-types such as Slowking and Meloetta
Set Details
========
- EVs increase special bulk to decent levels
- Leftovers are for residual recovery and allow you to stick around for a while
- A more offensive spread of 252 HP / 92 Atk / 164 SpD with an Adamant Nature can be used to guarantee a 2HKO on Doublade
Usage Tips
========
- Main focus is setting up Stealth Rock
- Spam Dragon Tail when possible to rack up damage from the attack itself and Stealth Rock
Team Options
========
- Spikes users to rack up more damage
- Roselia is particular can set Spikes easily and resists Water and Grass
- Pokemon that can remove Water and Grass types
- Pokemon that can take advantage of the weakening Rhyperior provides via Dragon Tail and entry hazards
- Slowking also has good synergy and can take on Fighting-, Water-, and Ice-types
- Aromatisse resists Fighting and provides Wish support
- Virizion is a good teammate as it can take on Water-types that trouble Rhyperior
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Choice band
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Earthquake is a powerful and reliable STAB move
- Stone Edge is another powerful STAB move that has good coverage with Earthquake
- Megahorn allows you to hit Psychic- and Grass-types on the switch
- Ice Punch hits Ground-types super effectively, though Earthquake equals it in power unless the target is Gligar. It also does the most damage to Virizion out of any other move
Set Details
========
- Choice Band allows Rhyperior to hit like a truck
- Speed EVs allow Rhyperior to outspeed uninvested base 50s such as Tangrowth and Registeel
- Attack is maximized with an Adamant nature to maximize damage output
- Rest is places in HP
Usage Tips
========
- Should be used as an early- and mid-game wallbreaker
- Make effective use of Rhyperior's great physical bulk to switch into weak or resisted physical attacks
- Don't be afraid to spam Earthquake if you have removed opposing Flying-types or you can place enough pressure on them
- Loss of special bulk really hurts Rhyperior
Team Options
========
- Late-game sweepers that appreciate Rhyperior's wallbreaking prowess, as it can 2HKO most of the tier
- Yanmega and Sharpedo are good examples
- A Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock to turn some 3HKOs to 2HKOs
- Virizion is a good partner as Rhyperior can deal with Amoonguss, bulky Psychic-types, and Doublade. It can also switch in on Water- and Grass-type attacks
- Slowking is a good switch-in for when Rhyperior is forced out
- Kabutops is good at cleaning up weakened teams but shares a few weaknesses :(
- Cobalion can set up Stealth Rock or clean up weakened teams
Rock Polish
########
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Solid Rock
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
- Rock Polish allows you too boost your Speed to high levels
- Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move
- Stone Edge is a powerful, albiet less accurate STAB move that has excellent coverage with Earthquake
- Ice Punch is a good coverage move that allows you to take on threats such as Gligar and Virizion more easily
Set Details
========
- EVs maximize Attack and Speed, the stats this Rhyperior should be relying on
- Jolly nature is chosen to outspeed as much as possible
- Weakness Policy doubles Rhyperior's Attack when hit by a super effective attack and works well in conjunction with Solid Rock
- Life Orb can be used for reliability, but chips away at HP and misses out on a few KOs
Usage Tips
========
- Remove opposing Choice Scarf users first
- Try to bring it in off of a fainted Pokemon, U-turn, or Volt Switch
- Used as a late-game sweeper
- Bring it on something it can force out to start boosting
Team Options
========
- Appreciates hazard support like any sweeper
- Fast Scarfers that can remove opposing scarfers
- Pokemon such as Amoonguss that can switch into many of Rhyperior's weaknesses
Other Options
########
- Swords Dance
- Double Dancer
- Assault Vest
- Substitute or Substitute + Swords Dance
- Protect on the Tank set to scout opposing moves, attain more Leftovers recovery, and cause mind games with Hitmonlee that try to use High Jump Kick on it
Checks & Counters
########
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can come into Rhyperior and threaten it with their 4x effective STAB moves. Virizion is a good example as it can come into any of Rhyperior's STAB moves and threaten it with a STAB Leaf Blade or Giga Drain.
**Water-types**: Water-types can come into Rhyperior and deal heavy damage with their 4x effective STAB moves. Slowking is an excellent example as it can come in, OHKO with a little bit of prior damage (or one layer of Spikes), and heal off damage taken through Regenerator.
**Gligar**: Gligar has good Defense and access to Roost, making it hard to take down. It only fears Ice Punch from Rhyperior.
**Bronzong**: Bronzong laughs at anything Rhyperior can throw at it except for a Choice Band Megahorn, as it is immune to Earthquake, resistant to Stone Edge, and has decent Defense.
**Status**: Rhyperior hates status as it can wear it down and half its Attack is burned. Gligar, Bronzong, Spiritomb, and Mega Banette can all do this, but they do little in terms of direct damage.
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