QC 3/3 GP 0/1

Hippowdon
[OVERVIEW]
* Hippowdon's colossal physical bulk combined with a solid defensive typing and an access to Stealth Rock and Slack Off allow it to act as great wall, walling notable Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Mega Metagross, Alolan Marowak and Mega Pinsir.
* Sand Stream can support sand-oriented teams and spread chip damage to help its teammates achieve KOes.
* Hippowdon has just enough Special bulk to check Electric and Poison types with little EV investment, namely Tapu Koko and Nihilego.
* However, Water, Ice, and Grass are pretty common offensively; Greninja, Kyurem-B, and Tapu Bulu are notable examples.
* Hippowdon is one of the most passive Stealth Rock setters in the tier, and can end up being setup fodder if not running Whirlwind.
[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock is amazing for wearing the opponent's team down; it's almost always a must on Hippowdon.
* Earthquake is a very solid STAB move and allows Hippowdon to not be passive, stopping opponents trying to set up on it, as well as hitting Tapu Koko and Nihilego which Hippowdon can check.
* Slack Off is essential for keeping Hippowdon healthy and it allows Hippowdon to not get worn down during the battle.
* Whirlwind can phaze setup sweepers and help wear down the opponents team with Stealth Rock and sandstorm.
* Stone Edge hits most of the Flying-types Hippowdon walls, namely Mega Pinsir, Zapdos, and even Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus to an extent.
* Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge for more accuracy, and while it still picks up the OHKO on Zard-Y it fails to KO Mega Pinsir from full HP and has a chance not 2HKO Pheromosa.
* Toxic can be used over Whirlwind to wear down foes, such as defensive Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and Mantine.
* Ice Fang can be used to surprise Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Garchomp, which would otherwise love to set up on Hippowdon, but it leaves Hippowdon with a unreliable move to hit Flying-types in general, since Ice Fang is very weak.
Set Details
========
* 252 HP EVs coupled with 16 Special Defense EVs ensure that Hidden Power Ice from Life Orb Koko is not a 2HKO after Stealth Rock and that Life Orb Latios's Draco Meteor cannot OHKO, meaning that Hippowdon can Recover stall the latter, since Draco Meteor drops Latios's Special Attack stat.
* The remaining 240 EVs are placed into Defence, allowing Hippowdon to deal with physical attackers better, such as Mega Metagross, Alolan Marowak, Mega Pinsir, and Terrakion.
* Leftovers are essential on Hippowdon, as it gives Hippowdon passive recovery.
* If additional support for Excadrill and Mega Garchomp is needed, Smooth Rock can be used to increase the sandstorm turns.
* Sand Stream summons sandstorm, which deals chip damage and breaks Focus Sash. It can also support Excadrill, a very common teammate for Hippowdon, however if Mega Venusaur is one of Hippowdon's teammates, be sure to use Sand Force instead, so that Mega Venusaur's Synthesis won't recover less health under sandstorm.
* Running an EV spread of 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD can ensure Hidden Power Ice from Life Orb Thundurus isn't a 2HKO and that Close Combat from +2 Terrakion won't OHKO.
Usage Tips
========
* Hippowdon can check most physical attackers that don't have a super effective move for it, so feel free to switch Hippowdon in on those Pokémon, namely Mega Metagross, Terrakion, Mega Pinsir, and Alolan Marowak, though be aware that the latter can threaten Hippowdon with Will-O-Wisp. The same applies for certain Special Attackers such as Tapu Koko and Nihilego, which also get walled by Hippowdon.
* In the other hand, due to Hippowdon's low speed it may have few opportunities to Slack Off, so be sure to keep it healthy if it still checks an opponent's Pokémon.
* Hippowdon can pivot into Mega Charizard Y or Mega Venusaur to weaken its Solar Beam and Mega Venusaur to reduce the amount of HP it recovers from Synthesis. In case Hippowdon misses a Stone Edge or a Rock Slide against Mega Charizard Y, it should switch out, since Fire Blast can still 2HKO even without sun. In Mega Venusaur's case, Giga Drain is a 2HKO so it should just pivot to disrupt Mega Venusaur's Synthesis recovery and then switch back out not to take damage from its Giga Drain.
* Since Hippowdon has multiple opportunities to set up Stealth Rock throughout a match, there's not much need to worry about Defog and Rapid Spin, and unless setting up Stealth Rock is vital for the match to be won, there isn't usually much need to sacrifice Hippowdon just to get Stealth Rock up.
* Try to keep Hippowdon safe from status ailments at all costs, as they reduce its defensive capabilities.
* Also, be careful against Magic Bounce users such as Mega Sableye, since they can stop Hippowdon from using Stealth Rock.
Team Options
========
* Excadrill is a great partner for Hippowdon, as it provides sandstorm for Excadrill to gain a Speed boost, and under sand, Excadrill can deal with faster Pokemon that threaten Hippowdon, such as Weavile, Tapu Lele, and Greninja. Excadrill also provides Rapid Spin support, which is important for Hippowdon, since Spikes and Toxic Spikes on its field can help wear down Hippowdon.
* Other notable Pokemon that can remove entry hazards include Tapu Fini and Skarmory, with Tapu Fini providing Misty Terrain support to protect Hippowdon from status and Skarmory appreciating Hippowdon's immunity to Electric-type moves.
* Hippowdon really appreciates partners that can take Water, Ice, and Grass moves; notable examples include Heatran, which can lure in Water-types and then surprise them with Bloom Doom, Ferrothorn, Celesteela, Tangrowth, Amoongus, and Mega Venusaur, but if you're running the latter be sure to change Hippowdon's ability to Sand Force.
* Mega Garchomp and Rock-types in general benefit from sandstorm, but they do share some weaknesses with Hippowdon, so be sure to cover them if you choose any of these Pokemon as partners.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Running a fully specially defensive set with a Careful Nature allows Hippowdon to check special attackers such as Charizard-Y, Magnezone and Gengar better, but other Pokemon can fulfill this role better most of time, and Hippowdon would have a tougher time against physical attackers if such a set is chosen. However, the selling point of this set is the ability to counter Mega Charizard-Y, since Fire Blast won't 2HKO Hippowdon in sandstorm if running maximum Special Defense.
* Rocky Helmet allows Hippowdon to punish physical attackers; however having Leftovers's passive recovery is generally prefered.
* A fully offensive set may sound appealing, but investment in Hippowdon's bulk is mandatory, as it won't be able to check what it should otherwise, and many Pokémon can perform this role better, such as Garchomp or Landorus-T.
Checks and Counters [WIP]
===================
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Powerful special attackers such as Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, Mega Charizard Y, Hoopa-U, Gengar, Choice Specs Magearna, and Giga Drain Volcarona all threaten Hippowdon and can easily OHKO or 2HKO it.
**Water-types**: Greninja, Tapu Fini, Manaphy, and Keldeo can easily take Hippowdon down with their super effective STAB moves, but most of these are scared of Earthquake, though.
**Grass-types**: Tapu Bulu, Mega Venusaur, Serperior, and Tangrowth can threaten Hippowdon with their super effective STAB moves. They also resist Earthquake, so Hippowdon can't do anything to them in return.
**Ice-types**: Weavile, Kyurem-B, and Mamoswine can outspeed Hippowdon and easily OHKO or 2HKO it, though they don't appreciate Stone Edge.
**Status**: Getting burned or hit by Toxic means Hippowdon will be get worn down, reducing its defensive capabilities.
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