Rampardos (GP 2/2)

MoltenKyurem said:

[Overview]

<p>Rampardos comes from a time period where the norm was "Kill or be Killed", (Decapitalize) and that's exactly how Rampardos plays when it enters the battlefield. This prehistoric beast has an incredible base 165 Attack, second to only to Deoxys-A. (< Period) this This alone makes Rampardos stressful scary/frightening/terrifying to face once it finds a time to come in. Secondly, (< Comma) it has an extremely powerful move to abuse in the form of Head Smash to abuse, which straight up OHKOing OHKOes any Pokemon that doesn't outright resist it with sheer brute force, but at the cost of a large chunk of Rampardos's health. Along with this, Rampardos also gets various coverage moves to destroy all that resist Head Smash, including Earthquake, Fire Punch, and even Ice Beam!</p>

<p>While it may seem that Rampardos is an unstoppable monster, it has some fatal flaws that keep it in the RU tier. After you look at Rampardos's Attack, you will notice that other than its above average HP, you will notice that all of its other stats are, in short, terrible. With only base 60 Defense and base 50 Special Defense, along with the curse of being a Rock-type, Rampardos will not be taking surviving any hits anytime soon. Its speed Speed is an abysmal base 58, leaving Rampardos with little time to decimate the opponent's team which is far too low for sweeping. However, if you play Rampardos to his its advantages, and with a fair amount of team support, he it can be an invaluable member to a team in much need of power.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Head Smash / Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>If you are thinking of Rampardos, this is most likely the first set that comes to mind. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Rampardos outruns all Pokemon up to base 110 Speed, —effectively (< Remove comma and space, add em dash) the entire unboosted tier. This allows Rampardos to finally wield its awesome power. Head Smash works hand in hand hand-in-hand with Rampardos's base 165 Attack to crush the bones of the opposing Pokemon, at the very least 2HKOing anything that doesn't outright resist it. Stone Edge is an option over Head Smash if the recoil is unappealing, but Rampardos loses a considerable amount of power, making Head Smash the better option most of the time. Earthquake gives Rampardos coverage against Steel-types such as Steelix and Klinklang, who can tank a Head Smash from Rampardos easily and KO back with Earthquake or Gear Grind, respectively. Thanks to Mold Breaker, Rampardos can bypass abilities and hit the likes of Rotom with Earthquake, or break through Sturdy. Fire Punch decimates Ferroseed, who would wall Rampardos otherwise. Zen Headbutt cripples bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Throh.(Remove Space)</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>This set, while very powerful, is walled by Gligar; this is where Ice Beam comes into play. Ice Beam hits Gligar for 4x super effective damage, with Naive Rampardos 2HKOing it. This Rampardos set is meant to revenge kill and break walls, and Pokemon that benefit from having key threats weakened make excellent teammates for Rampardos. For example, Durant benefits from having Qwilfish removed from the match, and early game, Rampardos can weaken Qwilfish with a Head Smash, allowing Durant to sweep late game more easily. Pokemon such as Cofagrigus and Quagsire give Rampardos trouble, and therefore should be paired with Pokemon that can easily beat these threats. Calm Mind Spiritomb makes short work of Cofagrigus, while most Grass-types easily take care of Quagsire, . (< Period) Spiritomb can also take on bulky Fighting-types for Rampardos, burning them with Will-O-Wisp while being immune to their STAB moves. An Adamant nature is an option over Jolly, but Rampardos is powerful enough anyway, and Rampardos loses the ability to outrun key threats..(Remove extra period)</p>

[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>If there were a way to describe this set, it would be "high risk, high reward". While almost nothing stands in its way once it sets up, it can be hard to find a time to set up in the first place. After a Rock Polish, Rampardos outruns the entire unboosted tier, meaning that outside of priority, Rampardos is very hard to revenge kill. Stone Edge is Rampardos's strongest STAB move that lacks drawbacks, and usually at least 2HKOs 2HKOes all threats that don't outright resist it at least. Head Smash can be used in this slot for more power, and the ability to completely destroy all who stand before you, but if you do this, (< Remove comma) Rampardos will rarely last more than three turns, making it an inferior option in this case. Earthquake hits bulky Steel-types, who would easily be able to tank a Stone Edge, for super effective damage; examples are Steelix and Klinklang. Earthquake also hits Stunfisk, who resists Stone Edge and can tank anything else Rampardos has to throw at it. Fire Punch nails Ferroseed and Durant hard, OHKOing them. Ice Beam may sound strange on a purely physical set, but it is Rampardos's most efficient way of beating Gligar, 2HKOing it even off of Rampardos's pathetic base 65 Special Attack stat. If using Ice Beam, a Naughty nature is preferred so Special Attack isn't lowered.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Rampardos needs a lot of support to sweep, even with the immense power it packs. first First of all, Rampardos needs entry hazard support to score certain KOs against bulkier Pokemon. Smeargle is a good teammate, because it can cripple an opponent with spore Spore, and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes for Rampardos, . (< Period) Ferroseed is also a good partner, because it can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes for Rampardos, while also making an excellent defensive pivot for your team. Crustle is also reliable as a hazard setter with access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, while also having Sturdy to make sure at least one layer of entry hazards can be set. No matter which move you run in the last slot, either Ferroseed or Gligar will completely wall you Rampardos. If running Fire Punch, Cryogonal is a good partner, who as it is immune to Gligar's Earthquake and can retaliate with an Ice Beam, as well as spin away Stealth Rock. If using Ice beam Beam, Magneton is a great partner, being able to set up on Ferroseed and take out several opponents from behind a Substitute, . (< Period) Moltres is also a great teammate as it can smash the face of both Ferroseed and Gligar, while also breaking walls for Rampardos. Zen Headbutt is also an option over Ice Beam or Fire Punch to hit bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Throh, who would wall this set badly otherwise. Although Rampardos can be very hard to stop once you set up, it needs some support to set up. Wynaut works well, (< Comma) as Encoring setup sweepers and status inducers can give Rampardos a free turn to set up, and Wynaut can also get rid of things that threaten Rampardos, such as Gligar.(Remove Space)</p>

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Head Smash / Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Substitute / Fire Punch
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
ivs: 0 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With one of the highest attack Attack stats in the game and a terrible speed Speed stat, Rampardos makes an ideal Trick Room attacker. Head Smash is truly a force under Trick Room, crushing all but the bulkiest Pokemon and bringing them to their knees. Stone Edge can be used over Head Smash if you don't like the recoil, but Rampardos will lose a noticeable amount of power, and Rampardos wont be living for more than three turns anyway. Earthquake allows Rampardos to hit those pesky Steel-types, such as Steelix and Aggron. Take note that a resisted head smash Head Smash is stronger than a neutral Earthquake. Substitute is there to avoid sucker punchers Sucker Punch from foes such as Honchkrow and Absol, and also to take advantage of the switches Rampardos forces, . (< Period) Fire Punch can also be used in this slot to take care of Ferroseed, . (< Period) Ice Beam is there simply to 2HKO Gligar, who walls all of Rampardos's other moves while it Rampardos kills KOes itself with a combination of Head Smash and Life Orb recoil. If you don't feel the need to kill KO Gligar, Rampardos can run Hammer Arm, which lowers its speed Speed so only Ferroseed outruns it in Trick Room. Swords Dance is another option to take advantage of the switches Rampardos causes with its absolutely massive Attack stat, which makes it literally nearly impossible to wall.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs make Rampardos as strong and bulky as possible, while also reducing recoil from Head Smash. a Brave nature is chosen to lower Rampardos's speed Speed even further, while not lowering either attacking stat. As the set name suggests, this set is made to work under Trick Room, and needs Trick Room users to accommodate that. Slowking is an excellent partner to set up Trick Room multiple times per match, (< Remove comma) thanks to its excellent special bulk and its ability Regenerator ability. Uxie is also a good partner to set up Trick Room, as uxie can utilize U-turn to get Rampardos in unscathed. Mesprit is also an excellent partner as it can use Healing Wish late game to heal Rampardos up to full health. Cofagrigus is immune to Fighting-type moves and can easily sweep itself thanks to access to Nasty Plot. Smeargle can set up entry hazards and Spore a Pokemon to sleep to give Rampardos a free switch in. Since Rampardos will most likely only be on the battlefield for three turns, other Trick Room sweepers are a good idea to sweep late game. Aggron is an excellent partner for Rampardos, because the two can form a double dragon core, ; (< Semicolon) Rampardos can break down Aggron's counters, allowing Aggron to sweep in the under Trick Room late game. Marowak is also a good partner, (< Remove comma) for the same reason as Aggron, ; (< Semicolon) once walls are broken Marowak can sweep rather easily without anything to stop it. Slowking can deal with bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama, as can Mesprit and Beheeyem. They also can set up Trick Room for Rampardos, Boosting boosting its speed Speed once again.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Rampardos has a few other options that it can utilize, although it is outclassed in most of these roles. Rampardos can use Stealth Rock with its ability to force switches, but Rampardos is better off simply attacking to outright KO any threat that stands in its way. Assurance is another move that can be used, and seems quite useful, (< Remove comma) until you figure out realize that Head Smash is almost twice as powerful. Rampardos can use SubPunch a Substitute + Focus Punch set quite effectively to smash anything that resists Head Smash and resists Earthquake, but Aggron is usually better at this role do due to the various resistances it can set up on. Dragon Tail can be used to phaze out threats, but Rampardos is so frail that it can't survive attacks often enough to phaze them out do so. Outrage, Double Edge Double-Edge, and Superpower are all options, but Head Smash is stronger than all three, and the three moves provide no further coverage for the most part. Curse is an interesting option in Trick Room, but there are better abusers outside of Trick Room, and it loses a precious turn in Trick Room Rampardos can be using to crush the opponent. Combined with Focus Sash, Endeavor can be used to lower a Pokemon down to 1 HP combined with Focus Sash, but Rampardos can usually simply OHKO the opposing Pokemon anyway.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>With the second highest attack Attack stat in the game, there is nearly nothing that can switch in on Rampardos safely. There are a few that can do the job though, . (< Period) Quagsire can switch into anything Rampardos does, ignore all boosts with Unaware, and easily KO Rampardos with an Earthquake or Scald. Cofagrigus can come in on Rampardos and burn it with Will-O-Wisp, while also removing its ability, Mold Breaker with Mummy. Bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama can switch in on Head Smash and quickly dispatch it Rampardos with powerful STAB super effective moves. Gligar can tank anything except an Ice Beam from Rampardos and KO it with an Earthquake, Likewise, Ferroseed can take on Rampardos lacking Fire Punch easily, Leech Seeding it, setting up hazards on it, or simply killing KOing it with Gyro Ball. Stunfisk can tank anything that Rampardos has to throw at it except an Earthquake, and promptly cripple it with Thunder Wave. Steelix can easily take a Head Smash from Rampardos and KO it with Gyro Ball. If you don't have a wall that can easily take on Rampardos, revenge killing it is the best option. Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can Mach Punch Rampardos into oblivion, while Honchkrow and Absol can Sucker Punch variants lacking Substitute. Feraligatr can Aqua jet Rampardos back to the prehistoric ages. While Sceptile and Aerodactyl are faster than even Choice Scarf Rampardos and can promptly KO it with their attacks.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>(Remove Space)Rampardos's Hidden Ability is Sheer Force, Which which will be useful once it is released, giving it Rampardos a more reliable STAB move in Rock Slide, while also boosting the power of Zen Headbutt and Ice Beam, sadly it will most likely be illegal with Fire Punch.</p>

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