[Pros]
<ul>
<li>Hippowdon is one of the few weather inducers that can perform well outside of its weather.</li>
<li>It's one of the best physical walls in OU, walling threats such as Talonflame, Dragonite, Salamence, and Swords Dance Aegislash.</li>
<li>It has access to phazing and recovery.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>Hippowdon has a low speed stat.</li>
<li>It has below average Special Defense and weaknesses to common special attackers such as Rotom-W and Greninja.</li>
<li>It's entry hazard bait for a lot of Spikes users in the metagame.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>name: Physical Wall<br />
move 1: Earthquake<br />
move 2: Rock Slide<br />
move 3: Slack Off<br />
move 4: Whirlwind<br />
ability: Sand Stream<br />
item: Leftovers / Smooth Rock<br />
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD<br />
nature: Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)</p>
<p>This set takes advantage of Hippowdon's naturally high physical bulk to make it one of the premier physical walls in the OU metagame. Hippowdon's utility comes in its ability to wall troublesome new threats such as Swords Dance Aegislash and Talonflame, while still checking age old threats like Dragonite, Scizor, and Salamence. Rock Slide, most importantly, allows Hippowdon to hit Talonflame super effectively, while also damaging dangerous threats such as Dragonite and Salamence. Whirlwind prevents Hippowdon from being used for setup. Smooth Rock can be used over Leftovers, boosting sandstorm to eight turns, making Hippowdon a much more reliable partner for Excadrill. However, it is important to note that a lack of Leftovers recovery will seriously dampen Hippowdon's longevity.</p>
<p>Bulky special walls such as Goodra and Florges serve as excellent partners for this Hippowdon set. They are able to comfortably come in on Hippowdon's weaknesses, and in Sylveon's case, is able to even pass Wishes or Heal Bell to Hippowdon. Sylveon does particularly well, taking neutral or resisted damage from many popular specially attacking types, most notably its ease in handling Greninja's and Rotom-W's STABs. It is also important to note how Hippowdon is setup bait for many Spikers in this metagame, making spinners such as Starmie and Excadrill great partners as well. Excadrill also benefits from Hippowdon's ability Sand Stream, making it a very reliable spinner in this metagame. Starmie serves as a Water-type resist for Hippowdon, while also beating Skarmory which is something Excadrill struggles at, making it an almost equally appealing candidate in some situations.</p>
<p>name: Mixed Wall<br />
move 1: Earthquake<br />
move 2: Rock Slide<br />
move 3: Slack Off<br />
move 4: Whirlwind<br />
ability: Sand Stream<br />
item: Leftovers / Smooth Rock<br />
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD<br />
nature: Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)</p>
<p>Hippowdon's naturally high physical defense allows it to invest heavily in Special Defense, becoming a fearsome mixed wall. The differences in bulk can be seen in this set's slight struggle to counter Pokemon such as Talonflame, but newfound ease in handling mixed Aegislash. Due to this set's increased weakness to Talonflame and boosters such as Dragonite, Rock Slide is very valuable, working well with Whirlwind to prevent boosters from using Hippowdon as setup bait. The choice between Smooth Rock and Leftovers is dependent on Hippowdon's role in your team, as the loss of Leftovers recovery will hurt Hippowdon's potential to wall threats on both sides of the spectrum.</p>
<p>Bulky Fairy-type Pokemon with access to Wish serve as great partners for this Hippowdon set, especially if Smooth Rock is opted for over Leftovers. Florges is able to reliably check strong Water-type Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Greninja, due to its typing, while also being able to pass Wishes to Hippowdon relatively easily due to their synergy. Rapid Spin or Defog support is also greatly appreciated, making Scizor, Excadrill, and Starmie excellent partners. Scizor and Excadrill are both Steel-Type, easing the team's reliance on Hippowdon for handling strong physical Dragon-type Pokemon, while also removing hazards that may have been set up on Hippowdon. It is important to note that Smooth Rock is used almost exclusively for Excadrill, and as such is a necessity if Smooth Rock is used. Starmie is able to reliably spin away hazards, while being a reliable Water-resist and checking strong physical threats through coverage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hippowdon is hard walled by any form of Rotom-W, as it can easily switch in on Hippowdon and threaten it out with a STAB Hydro Pump. Greninja and Starmie can similarly threaten Hippowdon out, while at the same time setting hazards of their own. Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Gourgeist, and Breloom are able to safely switch in as well, forcing Hippowdon out with their STAB Grass-type attacks. For any Hippowdon lacking Rock Slide, Xatu serves as a perfect counter, using its ability Magic Bounce to reflect Whirlwind, while being immune to Earthquake. Similarly, Gliscor serves as an excellent counter to Hippowdon, as it can shrug off Rock Slide and is immune to Earthquake, while threatening Hippowdon with status.</p>
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