[OVERVIEW]
* Hippowdon's access to Sand Stream makes it a reliable choice on sand-based Ground teams with Sand Rush Excadrill.
* Hippodown is one of the best Ground-type walls thanks to its high defensive stats and access to reliable recovery in Slack Off.
* It’s also a great support Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock, making it a must-have on any balanced Ground-type team. It also has access to some utility moves including Whirlwind, which prevents Hippowdon from being complete setup bait, especially to threats that resist its STAB move.
* Sand Stream is very useful for easing the matchup against rain and sun teams.
* Hippowdon's average special bulk makes it easily beat down by powerful special wallbreakers such as Mega Charizard Y and Landorus.
* Hippowdon's low Speed tier makes it harder for it to set up Stealth Rock and leaves it weak to fast Taunt users such as Mew.
* It should also avoid facing Toxic users such as Porygon-2 and Zapdos, as it can’t do much back if it doesn’t carry a status-inflicting move.
* Hippowdon's Ground typing makes it weak to Water, Grass, and Ice, which are common offensive types and commonly used as coverage moves, making it harder for Hippowdown to perform well as a defensive Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Leftovers / Eject Button
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock is great move, as it helps against Fire, Flying and Bug teams, breaks Focus Sashes, and deal chip damage. Hippowdon can easily set it up thanks to its great bulk.
* Earthquake is Hippowdon's main way to deal damage, wearing down frail sweepers and ensuring that Hippowdown won't be complete Taunt fodder.
* Slack Off helps keep Hippowdon healthy, making it able to pivot throughout the battle.
* Whirlwind is nice for phazing setup sweepers such as Landorus-T and Mimikyu, and works very well in tandem with Stealth Rock and Sand Stream to wear the opposing team down.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Defense and HP EVs are used to maximize Hippowdon's physical bulk, allowing it to take on strong physical attackers such as Bisharp and Mega Scizor.
* A Relaxed nature allows Hippowdon to be slower than both Pelipper and Politoed, allowing it to always get its own weather up in a lead situation.
* Leftovers is a better option on Hippowdon if you want passive recovery.
* Eject Button can be used on more offensive teams to keep momentum.
* Rocky Helmet is also an option to deal chip damage to contact attack users, but using Leftovers or Eject Button is often preferred.
* A mixed EV spread such as 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpD can be used to more easily tank special attacks; 116 Special Defense EVs let Hippowdon take a Fire Blast or Solar Beam from Mega Charizard Y, a Draco Meteor from Latios, and one Grass Knot or two Hidden Power Ices from Choice Specs Tapu Koko.
* Sand Stream is mandatory, as it allows Excadrill to sweep with Sand Rush, boosts Mega Garchomp's Attack, and deals chip damage to break Focus Sashes and Multiscale.
Usage Tips
========
* Hippowdon's main feature is Stealth Rock, so set it up early and try to keep it up throughout the battle to pressure the opponent.
* Hippowdon has to avoid special Attackers such as Latios and Xurkitree as much as possible; it should be used only to check physical Attackers such as Dragonite and Staraptor.
* Sand Stream is helpful when it comes to checking other weather teams; for example, Hippowdon can set up sand against rain water teams to ensure that Kingdra won't sweep your team.
* Hippowdon makes a good lead because it has the advantage in some matchups such as Electric, Fairy, and Bug, breaks Focus Sashes with sand, and has enough bulk to tank hits and set Stealth Rock, but don't lead with it against anti-leads, Taunt users such as Mew and Heatran, or lead Jirachi, which often runs Toxic.
* Don't lead against Torkoal or Mega Charizard-Y, which underspeed or Mega Evolve to set up sun after Hippowdon.
* Hippowdon should be kept healthy throughout the match with Slack Off and used often to pivot and set up sand for Excadrill or wall threats.
* To maintain its staying power, avoid Toxic and Will-O-Wisp whenever possible.
* If using Eject Button, bring it in on an attack to switch out to the appropriate teammate to pressure opposing Pokémon and keep up momentum; don't bring Hippowdon if sand is still up unless you need the aforementioned momentum. Don't keep Hippowdon on a hit, it will waste the Eject button and a turn if it does.
* When switching Hippowdon into physical setup sweepers, immediately phaze them with Whirlwind; despite its great bulk, Hippowdon can't take strong boosted attacks.
Team Options
========
* Excadrill benefits immensely from the sand that Hippowdon sets, doubling its Speed to easily sweep; Excadrill can also come on Toxic for Hippowdon.
* Water Absorb users such as Gastrodon and Seismitoad have an immunity to Water and can easily come on most special attackers if running EVs in Special Defense or holding Assault Vest.
* Mega Garchomp also profits from sand, which boosts its Ground- and Rock-type attacks, making more threatening to the opposing team.
* Dugtrio is a good teammate that can trap some threats such as Xurkitree and Magearna as well as set up Stealth Rock to free up a moveslot on Hippowdon.
* Hippowdon sets up Stealth Rock and can create setup opportunities for Landorus-T, which threatens opposing Flying, Grass, and offensive teams with its Rockium Z double dance set. Landorus-T's Intimidate can also help Hippowdon take physical hits more easily.
* Landorus can easily beat Grass-type teams thanks to its Life Orb- and Sheer Power-boosted Earth Power and Sludge Wave, and can also set up Gravity, which allows it to easily threaten and wear down Flying teams.
* Nidoking is an option over Landorus for its ability to threaten Grass-, Flying-, and Water-type teams as well as set up Toxic Spikes to pressure the opponent’s team.
* Choice Band Mamoswine is a nice teammate that can help against Grass- and Flying-type teams and switch in on Ice-type attacks thanks to its typing and Thick Fat.
* Gliscor is a stallbreaker that can absorb status and take on most of the walls that force Hippowdon out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Rock Slide is a good alternative to Earthquake, serving to hit Flying-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos. Stone Edge is usable to OHKO Mega Pinsir, but is less accurate.
* Toxic is a move that can be run if you want to cripple walls and stall with Hippowdon.
* A support set with Slack Off / Toxic / Earthquake / Whirlwind is also an option, but only if you already run Stealth Rock on a teammate.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Hippowdon can't take hits from strong Water-type attackers such as Keldeo and Greninja, and usually takes huge damage from bulky Water-types' Scald, which Hippowdon can't do much back to.
**Grass-types**: Pokemon such as Breloom and Mega Venusaur can easily switch on Earthquake and do heavy damage to Hippowdon with their STAB moves. Bulky Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Cradily can easily set up Spikes or Stealth Rock on it.
**Stallbreakers**: Pokémon such as Mega Sableye, Mew, and Gliscor can shut Hippowdon down thanks to Taunt, making it unable to set up Stealth Rock or recover with Slack Off and leaving it vulnerable to an incoming wallbreaker or bulky setup sweeper.
**Weather Setters**: Mega Charizard Y, Pelipper, and Politoed can all come on Hippowdon to disable sand for their respective weather and deal huge damage to Hippowdon with their STAB moves. Z-Rain Dance users such as Manaphy can set up rain and Tail Glow by forcing Hippowdon out.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Strong special attackers such as Meloetta and Choice Specs Hydreigon can easily break through Hippowdon.
**Status**: Toxic poison weakens Hippowdon and makes it unable to check threats. Burn also annoys Hippowdon, as it can no longer deal big damage with Earthquake or Rock Slide.
* Hippowdon's access to Sand Stream makes it a reliable choice on sand-based Ground teams with Sand Rush Excadrill.
* Hippodown is one of the best Ground-type walls thanks to its high defensive stats and access to reliable recovery in Slack Off.
* It’s also a great support Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock, making it a must-have on any balanced Ground-type team. It also has access to some utility moves including Whirlwind, which prevents Hippowdon from being complete setup bait, especially to threats that resist its STAB move.
* Sand Stream is very useful for easing the matchup against rain and sun teams.
* Hippowdon's average special bulk makes it easily beat down by powerful special wallbreakers such as Mega Charizard Y and Landorus.
* Hippowdon's low Speed tier makes it harder for it to set up Stealth Rock and leaves it weak to fast Taunt users such as Mew.
* It should also avoid facing Toxic users such as Porygon-2 and Zapdos, as it can’t do much back if it doesn’t carry a status-inflicting move.
* Hippowdon's Ground typing makes it weak to Water, Grass, and Ice, which are common offensive types and commonly used as coverage moves, making it harder for Hippowdown to perform well as a defensive Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Leftovers / Eject Button
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock is great move, as it helps against Fire, Flying and Bug teams, breaks Focus Sashes, and deal chip damage. Hippowdon can easily set it up thanks to its great bulk.
* Earthquake is Hippowdon's main way to deal damage, wearing down frail sweepers and ensuring that Hippowdown won't be complete Taunt fodder.
* Slack Off helps keep Hippowdon healthy, making it able to pivot throughout the battle.
* Whirlwind is nice for phazing setup sweepers such as Landorus-T and Mimikyu, and works very well in tandem with Stealth Rock and Sand Stream to wear the opposing team down.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Defense and HP EVs are used to maximize Hippowdon's physical bulk, allowing it to take on strong physical attackers such as Bisharp and Mega Scizor.
* A Relaxed nature allows Hippowdon to be slower than both Pelipper and Politoed, allowing it to always get its own weather up in a lead situation.
* Leftovers is a better option on Hippowdon if you want passive recovery.
* Eject Button can be used on more offensive teams to keep momentum.
* Rocky Helmet is also an option to deal chip damage to contact attack users, but using Leftovers or Eject Button is often preferred.
* A mixed EV spread such as 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpD can be used to more easily tank special attacks; 116 Special Defense EVs let Hippowdon take a Fire Blast or Solar Beam from Mega Charizard Y, a Draco Meteor from Latios, and one Grass Knot or two Hidden Power Ices from Choice Specs Tapu Koko.
* Sand Stream is mandatory, as it allows Excadrill to sweep with Sand Rush, boosts Mega Garchomp's Attack, and deals chip damage to break Focus Sashes and Multiscale.
Usage Tips
========
* Hippowdon's main feature is Stealth Rock, so set it up early and try to keep it up throughout the battle to pressure the opponent.
* Hippowdon has to avoid special Attackers such as Latios and Xurkitree as much as possible; it should be used only to check physical Attackers such as Dragonite and Staraptor.
* Sand Stream is helpful when it comes to checking other weather teams; for example, Hippowdon can set up sand against rain water teams to ensure that Kingdra won't sweep your team.
* Hippowdon makes a good lead because it has the advantage in some matchups such as Electric, Fairy, and Bug, breaks Focus Sashes with sand, and has enough bulk to tank hits and set Stealth Rock, but don't lead with it against anti-leads, Taunt users such as Mew and Heatran, or lead Jirachi, which often runs Toxic.
* Don't lead against Torkoal or Mega Charizard-Y, which underspeed or Mega Evolve to set up sun after Hippowdon.
* Hippowdon should be kept healthy throughout the match with Slack Off and used often to pivot and set up sand for Excadrill or wall threats.
* To maintain its staying power, avoid Toxic and Will-O-Wisp whenever possible.
* If using Eject Button, bring it in on an attack to switch out to the appropriate teammate to pressure opposing Pokémon and keep up momentum; don't bring Hippowdon if sand is still up unless you need the aforementioned momentum. Don't keep Hippowdon on a hit, it will waste the Eject button and a turn if it does.
* When switching Hippowdon into physical setup sweepers, immediately phaze them with Whirlwind; despite its great bulk, Hippowdon can't take strong boosted attacks.
Team Options
========
* Excadrill benefits immensely from the sand that Hippowdon sets, doubling its Speed to easily sweep; Excadrill can also come on Toxic for Hippowdon.
* Water Absorb users such as Gastrodon and Seismitoad have an immunity to Water and can easily come on most special attackers if running EVs in Special Defense or holding Assault Vest.
* Mega Garchomp also profits from sand, which boosts its Ground- and Rock-type attacks, making more threatening to the opposing team.
* Dugtrio is a good teammate that can trap some threats such as Xurkitree and Magearna as well as set up Stealth Rock to free up a moveslot on Hippowdon.
* Hippowdon sets up Stealth Rock and can create setup opportunities for Landorus-T, which threatens opposing Flying, Grass, and offensive teams with its Rockium Z double dance set. Landorus-T's Intimidate can also help Hippowdon take physical hits more easily.
* Landorus can easily beat Grass-type teams thanks to its Life Orb- and Sheer Power-boosted Earth Power and Sludge Wave, and can also set up Gravity, which allows it to easily threaten and wear down Flying teams.
* Nidoking is an option over Landorus for its ability to threaten Grass-, Flying-, and Water-type teams as well as set up Toxic Spikes to pressure the opponent’s team.
* Choice Band Mamoswine is a nice teammate that can help against Grass- and Flying-type teams and switch in on Ice-type attacks thanks to its typing and Thick Fat.
* Gliscor is a stallbreaker that can absorb status and take on most of the walls that force Hippowdon out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Rock Slide is a good alternative to Earthquake, serving to hit Flying-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos. Stone Edge is usable to OHKO Mega Pinsir, but is less accurate.
* Toxic is a move that can be run if you want to cripple walls and stall with Hippowdon.
* A support set with Slack Off / Toxic / Earthquake / Whirlwind is also an option, but only if you already run Stealth Rock on a teammate.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Hippowdon can't take hits from strong Water-type attackers such as Keldeo and Greninja, and usually takes huge damage from bulky Water-types' Scald, which Hippowdon can't do much back to.
**Grass-types**: Pokemon such as Breloom and Mega Venusaur can easily switch on Earthquake and do heavy damage to Hippowdon with their STAB moves. Bulky Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Cradily can easily set up Spikes or Stealth Rock on it.
**Stallbreakers**: Pokémon such as Mega Sableye, Mew, and Gliscor can shut Hippowdon down thanks to Taunt, making it unable to set up Stealth Rock or recover with Slack Off and leaving it vulnerable to an incoming wallbreaker or bulky setup sweeper.
**Weather Setters**: Mega Charizard Y, Pelipper, and Politoed can all come on Hippowdon to disable sand for their respective weather and deal huge damage to Hippowdon with their STAB moves. Z-Rain Dance users such as Manaphy can set up rain and Tail Glow by forcing Hippowdon out.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Strong special attackers such as Meloetta and Choice Specs Hydreigon can easily break through Hippowdon.
**Status**: Toxic poison weakens Hippowdon and makes it unable to check threats. Burn also annoys Hippowdon, as it can no longer deal big damage with Earthquake or Rock Slide.
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