[OVERVIEW]
With its ability to deal with many of the metagame's common threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Landorus-T, and Thundurus, as well as its high Attack and low Speed, Rhyperior is an excellent option for many Trick Room teams. Its high Defense also takes advantage of its access to Solid Rock, allowing Rhyperior to function outside of its preferred field condition on semi-Trick Room teams. With that said, however, it faces too much competition as both a Rock- and a Ground-type to be viable on teams without a Trick Room setter. Its pair of 4x weaknesses and low Special Defense can also often give it polarizing team matchups, as it will either carry a team or be a dead weight destined for the bench.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake / Drill Run
move 3: Ice Punch / Drill Run / Hammer Arm
move 4: Protect
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 180 Atk / 28 Def / 132 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide combines great spread damage with a high chance to make the foe flinch. Earthquake pairs well with Rock Slide due to its complementary coverage alongside it. Drill Run is an option either in place of or alongside Earthquake, as it deals more damage to a single target, isn't blocked by Wide Guard, and doesn't require Rhyperior's teammate to be immune to Ground or use Protect. Ice Punch deals heavy damage to common metagame threats such as Landorus-T and Mega Salamence. Hammer Arm OHKOes Mega Kangaskhan after Rhyperior's Weakness Policy has been activated and further lowers Rhyperior's Speed, making it faster under Trick Room. Protect shields Rhyperior against its foes' attacks for a turn, allowing a teammate to deal with threats to Rhyperior more safely.
Set Details
========
The given HP and Defense EVs allow Rhyperior to survive two Earthquakes from Adamant Landorus-T, and the given Special Defense EVs let it survive one Scald from 76 Special Attack Suicune not factoring in potential burn damage. A Brave nature with the remaining EVs invested into Attack increases Rhyperior's Attack stat as much as possible. 0 Speed IVs are used to make Rhyperior as quick as possible under Trick Room. Using an Adamant nature, 31 Speed IVs, and 4 Speed EVs is an option for semi-Trick Room teams to make Rhyperior outspeed minimum Speed Aegislash. Weakness Policy takes advantage of Solid Rock, which reduces the damage of super effective hits, by doubling Rhyperior's Attack when it gets hit by one, allowing it to sweep more easily. Life Orb is an alternative that grants more immediate damage and makes Rhyperior less reliant on its item activating. When using Life Orb, an EV spread of 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 SpD should be used to minimize Life Orb recoil.
Usage Tips
========
Rhyperior's aim is to deal as much spread damage as possible with the combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake. Try to bring Rhyperior onto the field in the mid-game when Trick Room has already been set up and the opponent's lead Pokemon have already activated their potential Intimidate. Avoid taking excessive neutral damage, as Rhyperior will want to stay as healthy as possible to survive the super effective hits that activate Weakness Policy. Don't take chances when potential Wide Guard users are on the opponent's side of the field; either use Drill Run if running it or switch out to maintain the momentum that's important to take advantage of during Trick Room's limited turns. Finally, it's possible to bluff Lightningrod by pairing Rhyperior with a partner weak to Electric to get the best of both abilities when the foes avoid using Electric-type attacks to prevent wasting turns.
Team Options
========
A Trick Room setter is mandatory to take advantage of Rhyperior's low Speed. Cresselia is a notable user, as its access to Levitate allows Rhyperior to use Earthquake freely alongside it. Fake Out users can help Rhyperior's teammate set up Trick Room as well. Scrafty is good option, as its access to Intimidate further capitalizes on Rhyperior's excellent physical bulk. Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Heatran beat the Grass-types that Rhyperior struggles against, and in return, Rhyperior handles the Pokemon that threaten them, such as Landorus-T and, in Mega Charizard Y's case, Electric-types. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also weakens the Water-type attacks that Rhyperior is weak to. Grass-types such as Venusaur and Abomasnow beat Water-types directly with their super effective STAB moves, and Rhyperior can beat Talonflame for them in return. Electric-types, particularly Thundurus, can also beat Water-types. Thundurus can also use Taunt to shut down opposing Wide Guard users. Crobat is another fast Taunt user and can beat Grass-types for Rhyperior. Sylveon makes for a great pivot for Rhyperior, as it's able to take the special attacks aimed at it thanks to its high Special Defense and can threaten more physically defensive foes, while Rhyperior can take physical attacks aimed at Sylveon and beat more specially defensive foes in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Megahorn hits Psychic and Grass-types hard, notably 2HKOing Cresselia and OHKOing Ludicolo. Rock Blast and Stone Edge are alternatives to Rock Slide that deal more damage to single targets and aren't blocked by Wide Guard. Superpower improves Rhyperior's chance of OHKOing Mega Kangaskhan but lowers both of Rhyperior's best stats. Lightningrod is a good ability, but Rhydon outclasses Rhyperior as a Lightningrod user because of its superior bulk with Eviolite. Assault Vest patches up Rhyperior's Special Defense, allowing it to survive attacks such as bulky Rotom-W's Hydro Pump. Lum Berry prevents burns from neutering Rhyperior's offense.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types can hit Rhyperior with their super effective STAB moves. Rotom-W is notable due to Levitate granting it an immunity to Ground-type attacks. Physically defensive Water-types such as Milotic and Suicune take Rhyperior's hits well and can KO it back with Scald or Hydro Pump. Jellicent has the option of crippling Rhyperior with Will-O-Wisp or KOing it with its Water-type STAB moves. Politoed's rain-boosted STAB attacks easily KO Rhyperior as well.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types, although most are weak to Ice Punch, deal super effective damage to Rhyperior with their STAB moves, and most of them also resist Earthquake. Ludicolo can OHKO Rhyperior with both Scald and Giga Drain. Breloom and Virizion resist both Rock Slide and Earthquake. Even the more supportive Amoonguss and Whimsicott can 2HKO Rhyperior with Giga Drain.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers target Rhyperior's much weaker Special Defense stat. Hydreigon can OHKO Rhyperior with a Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor. Mega Camerupt outspeeds Rhyperior under Trick Room and OHKOes it with Earth Power. Cresselia deals more damage to Rhyperior with Psychic than it takes from Rock Slide.
**Intimidate and Burns**: As a physical attacker, Rhyperior doesn't appreciate having to handle Pokemon with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp, as they reduce Rhyperior's damage output and impair its sweeping potential.
**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard blocks Rock Slide and Earthquake, shutting down Rhyperior's sweep. Swampert is a great user of the move, as it resists Rock Slide and deals super effective damage to Rhyperior with both its STAB moves. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr also resist Rock Slide and have access to Wide Guard, while Hitmontop's Intimidate lowers Rhyperior's Attack as well.
With its ability to deal with many of the metagame's common threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Landorus-T, and Thundurus, as well as its high Attack and low Speed, Rhyperior is an excellent option for many Trick Room teams. Its high Defense also takes advantage of its access to Solid Rock, allowing Rhyperior to function outside of its preferred field condition on semi-Trick Room teams. With that said, however, it faces too much competition as both a Rock- and a Ground-type to be viable on teams without a Trick Room setter. Its pair of 4x weaknesses and low Special Defense can also often give it polarizing team matchups, as it will either carry a team or be a dead weight destined for the bench.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake / Drill Run
move 3: Ice Punch / Drill Run / Hammer Arm
move 4: Protect
item: Weakness Policy / Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 180 Atk / 28 Def / 132 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide combines great spread damage with a high chance to make the foe flinch. Earthquake pairs well with Rock Slide due to its complementary coverage alongside it. Drill Run is an option either in place of or alongside Earthquake, as it deals more damage to a single target, isn't blocked by Wide Guard, and doesn't require Rhyperior's teammate to be immune to Ground or use Protect. Ice Punch deals heavy damage to common metagame threats such as Landorus-T and Mega Salamence. Hammer Arm OHKOes Mega Kangaskhan after Rhyperior's Weakness Policy has been activated and further lowers Rhyperior's Speed, making it faster under Trick Room. Protect shields Rhyperior against its foes' attacks for a turn, allowing a teammate to deal with threats to Rhyperior more safely.
Set Details
========
The given HP and Defense EVs allow Rhyperior to survive two Earthquakes from Adamant Landorus-T, and the given Special Defense EVs let it survive one Scald from 76 Special Attack Suicune not factoring in potential burn damage. A Brave nature with the remaining EVs invested into Attack increases Rhyperior's Attack stat as much as possible. 0 Speed IVs are used to make Rhyperior as quick as possible under Trick Room. Using an Adamant nature, 31 Speed IVs, and 4 Speed EVs is an option for semi-Trick Room teams to make Rhyperior outspeed minimum Speed Aegislash. Weakness Policy takes advantage of Solid Rock, which reduces the damage of super effective hits, by doubling Rhyperior's Attack when it gets hit by one, allowing it to sweep more easily. Life Orb is an alternative that grants more immediate damage and makes Rhyperior less reliant on its item activating. When using Life Orb, an EV spread of 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 SpD should be used to minimize Life Orb recoil.
Usage Tips
========
Rhyperior's aim is to deal as much spread damage as possible with the combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake. Try to bring Rhyperior onto the field in the mid-game when Trick Room has already been set up and the opponent's lead Pokemon have already activated their potential Intimidate. Avoid taking excessive neutral damage, as Rhyperior will want to stay as healthy as possible to survive the super effective hits that activate Weakness Policy. Don't take chances when potential Wide Guard users are on the opponent's side of the field; either use Drill Run if running it or switch out to maintain the momentum that's important to take advantage of during Trick Room's limited turns. Finally, it's possible to bluff Lightningrod by pairing Rhyperior with a partner weak to Electric to get the best of both abilities when the foes avoid using Electric-type attacks to prevent wasting turns.
Team Options
========
A Trick Room setter is mandatory to take advantage of Rhyperior's low Speed. Cresselia is a notable user, as its access to Levitate allows Rhyperior to use Earthquake freely alongside it. Fake Out users can help Rhyperior's teammate set up Trick Room as well. Scrafty is good option, as its access to Intimidate further capitalizes on Rhyperior's excellent physical bulk. Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Heatran beat the Grass-types that Rhyperior struggles against, and in return, Rhyperior handles the Pokemon that threaten them, such as Landorus-T and, in Mega Charizard Y's case, Electric-types. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also weakens the Water-type attacks that Rhyperior is weak to. Grass-types such as Venusaur and Abomasnow beat Water-types directly with their super effective STAB moves, and Rhyperior can beat Talonflame for them in return. Electric-types, particularly Thundurus, can also beat Water-types. Thundurus can also use Taunt to shut down opposing Wide Guard users. Crobat is another fast Taunt user and can beat Grass-types for Rhyperior. Sylveon makes for a great pivot for Rhyperior, as it's able to take the special attacks aimed at it thanks to its high Special Defense and can threaten more physically defensive foes, while Rhyperior can take physical attacks aimed at Sylveon and beat more specially defensive foes in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Megahorn hits Psychic and Grass-types hard, notably 2HKOing Cresselia and OHKOing Ludicolo. Rock Blast and Stone Edge are alternatives to Rock Slide that deal more damage to single targets and aren't blocked by Wide Guard. Superpower improves Rhyperior's chance of OHKOing Mega Kangaskhan but lowers both of Rhyperior's best stats. Lightningrod is a good ability, but Rhydon outclasses Rhyperior as a Lightningrod user because of its superior bulk with Eviolite. Assault Vest patches up Rhyperior's Special Defense, allowing it to survive attacks such as bulky Rotom-W's Hydro Pump. Lum Berry prevents burns from neutering Rhyperior's offense.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types can hit Rhyperior with their super effective STAB moves. Rotom-W is notable due to Levitate granting it an immunity to Ground-type attacks. Physically defensive Water-types such as Milotic and Suicune take Rhyperior's hits well and can KO it back with Scald or Hydro Pump. Jellicent has the option of crippling Rhyperior with Will-O-Wisp or KOing it with its Water-type STAB moves. Politoed's rain-boosted STAB attacks easily KO Rhyperior as well.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types, although most are weak to Ice Punch, deal super effective damage to Rhyperior with their STAB moves, and most of them also resist Earthquake. Ludicolo can OHKO Rhyperior with both Scald and Giga Drain. Breloom and Virizion resist both Rock Slide and Earthquake. Even the more supportive Amoonguss and Whimsicott can 2HKO Rhyperior with Giga Drain.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers target Rhyperior's much weaker Special Defense stat. Hydreigon can OHKO Rhyperior with a Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor. Mega Camerupt outspeeds Rhyperior under Trick Room and OHKOes it with Earth Power. Cresselia deals more damage to Rhyperior with Psychic than it takes from Rock Slide.
**Intimidate and Burns**: As a physical attacker, Rhyperior doesn't appreciate having to handle Pokemon with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp, as they reduce Rhyperior's damage output and impair its sweeping potential.
**Wide Guard**: Wide Guard blocks Rock Slide and Earthquake, shutting down Rhyperior's sweep. Swampert is a great user of the move, as it resists Rock Slide and deals super effective damage to Rhyperior with both its STAB moves. Hitmontop and Conkeldurr also resist Rock Slide and have access to Wide Guard, while Hitmontop's Intimidate lowers Rhyperior's Attack as well.
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