I rewrote the whole thing to reflect UU. I still need to finish team options though....
I also tried to avoid naming the suspects in the analysis, and I'll add them if needed after voting.
Status: Complete - awaiting grammar checks / edits.
www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/rhyperior
[Overview]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most terrifying Pokemon in the metagame due to its excellent coverage and monstrous Attack stat. Rhyperior also boasts one of the most impressive HP stats, as well as excellent physical Defense, making it a great physical check. Rhyperior's ability (Solid Rock) is also quite impressive, as it allows Rhyperior to take some super effective attacks that other Pokemon could only dream of taking, such as Blaziken's Superpower.</p>
<p>Rhyperior's main problem is that it has very low Special Defense and two very common 4x weaknesses. Furthermore, these attacks are common on the more defensive Pokemon that Rhyperior already has trouble with. However, when you give Rhyperior the needed support, it can be a huge asset to your team. If you're looking for a bulky Pokemon who can sweep late game, set up Stealth Rock, or simply just hit hard, try Rhyperior.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 136 HP / 244 Atk / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most fearsome Pokemon in UU with its monstrous Attack stat. This makes it quite easy for Rhyperior to force switches, giving it time to set up Stealth Rock or Substitute. Once Stealth Rock is in play, Rhyperior makes a great check to almost every physical attacker, as long as they don't have a strong super effective STAB attack. Earthquake and Stone Edge provide Rhyperior with nearly perfect coverage. Add Megahorn to that, and there isn't much that can safely switch into Rhyperior. Rock Blast can be used over Stone Edge to deal with pesky Substitute users such as Moltres, Articuno, and Mismagius.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most useful Pokemon in UU because of its immense bulk, strength, and excellent movepool. Since it forces switches, it is great at abusing moves such as Substitute and Stealth Rock. If Stealth Rock is on the field, even the toughest Rapid Spin users have trouble switching into Rhyperior's STAB Earthquake. Stone Edge hits almost everything hard that Earthquake doesn't, and Megahorn will nail the rest.</p>
<p>The EVs are very particular since Rhyperior needs to function in a lot of situations. The 132 Speed EVs give Rhyperior the ability to comfortably outpace base 50s, such as Azumarill and Donphan, while also outrunning minimum Speed base 55s such as Omastar. The 136 HP EVs gives Rhyperior an HP stat of 405, which is a Leftovers number plus another HP so that Rhyperior can create another Substitute. Additionally, Rhyperior makes 101 HP Substitutes so Seismic Toss cannot break them.</p>
<p>This set is great at beating Rapid Spin users who try to come in and Spin away Rhyperior's Stealth Rock. Donphan and Hitmontop are 2HKOed by Earthquake with Spikes support, Cloyster is taken care of by Stone Edge, and Claydol is hit hard by Megahorn. This means Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Cloyster who set up Spikes appreciate Rhyperior's presence on a team. They work especially well since with Spikes support, Rhyperior can 2HKO Blastoise, who is another common Rapid Spinner. Cloyster and Qwilfish can also set up on bulky Water-types such as Milotic who threaten Rhyperior.</p>
<p>Rhyperior is also a stellar physical wall, especially when against Pokemon without a super effective STAB attack. Using a specially defensive Altaria with Rhyperior works as an effective walling duo, since Altaria resists Water-, Fighting-, Ground-, and Grass-type attacks that would normally destroy Rhyperior, while Rhyperior can take Rock-type attacks and any hard-hitting physical attacker. Ice-type is left uncovered, so using something like Azumarill is beneficial as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Rock Polish
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to pull off a sweep by doubling Rhyperior's Speed via Rock Polish. After a Rock Polish, Rhyperior outpaces almost every UU Pokemon, including +1 base 80 Speed Pokemon with a neutral nature. Like most sweeping sets, this set functions best when its counters are weakened; luckily, Rhyperior does a great job of weakening its own counters. After Rhyperior's counters are weakened, it can set up a Rock Polish and likely sweep the opponent's team with its two 100 Base Power STAB attacks and Megahorn backed by its 379 Attack boosted by Life Orb.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is often unable to pull off sweeps because of its horrible Speed; however, Rock Polish attempts to fix that problem. With a Jolly nature, Rhyperior will outrun all unboosted Pokemon in UU minus Electrode. Boasting an Attack stat of 379 (not including Life Orb), Rhyperior will still hit incredibly hard. The premise of this set is to use Rhyperior's incredibly hard-hitting attacks to weaken its counters and then sweep late game with a Rock Polish boost. The biggest difference between the previous set and this set (besides Rock Polish) is that it uses Life Orb. With a Life Orb boost, Earthquake 2HKOes bulky Pokemon such as Blastoise and Milotic as long as Stealth Rock is in play. Megahorn now comes close to OHKOing Claydol, while also 2HKOing Tangrowth and Slowbro.</p>
<p>An alternative item (and strategy) for this Rhyperior set is to use a Passho Berry. Passho Berry allows Rhyperior to take an extra Water-type attack from Pokemon such as Blastoise or Milotic. This means that you don't have to rely on weakening them as much. Passho Berry also protects you from Aqua Jet, which is used by Azumarill, Kabutops, and Feraligatr. However, without a Life Orb, Rhyperior isn't going to have as much of an easy time sweeping, and it also loses important KOs on Milotic, Blastoise, Claydol, and Slowbro.</p>
<p>This Rhyperior set benefits from Stealth Rock and Spikes support more than most of the other sets would, since it's pulling off a late game sweep. Cloyster is a good candidate to set up Spikes, since it can set up on the bulky Water-types that will come in on Rhyperior. Qwilfish is also a good candidate since it possesses neutrality to Grass-type attacks in addition to its Water-type resistance. Rhyperior also appreciates Reflect and Light Screen support since these barriers allow it to set up quite easily while also being able to brush off most priority attacks.</p>
<p>Besides screens, Stealth Rock, and Spikes, Rhyperior really appreciates the removal of certain Choice Scarf and priority users, since they will easily outpace Rhyperior even after a Rock Polish boost. Venusaur is a major threat to Rhyperior since it threatens to OHKO with its STAB Leaf Storm. Having a Pokemon such as Moltres who can easily dispose of these Choice Scarf users is very beneficial for Rhyperior. There are also many Pokemon who carry priority moves that halt Rhyperior's sweep. Vacuum Wave and Aqua Jet in particular cause problems for Rhyperior since they are both super effective, and Vacuum Wave hits Rhyperior's much weaker Special Defense stat, while Rhyperior has a 4x weakness to Aqua Jet. Vacuum Wave is usually only seen on Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Blaziken, and Dugtrio is a perfect candidate to take them out. Aqua Jet is a little tougher, but Moltres is a great candidate again to lure out these Water-types and hit them hard with Hidden Power. Magmortar and Blaziken can also work, hitting the Aqua Jet users hard with Thunderbolt and Superpower respectively.</p>
[SET]
name: Sandstorm Special Wall
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Roar / Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Rhyperior's immense bulk under the effects of sandstorm. With a sandstorm in effect, Rhyperior reaches 312 Special Defense, 432 HP, and 296 Defense. This is backed by Rhyperior's excellent ability, Solid Rock. What makes Rhyperior different from other defensive Pokemon is the fact that it still has a monstrous Attack stat. This makes Rhyperior an excellent tank, unlike other defensive Pokemon such as Registeel.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Rhyperior's most defensive set and focuses on wearing the opponent down and checking prominent threats. With a monstrous HP stat of 432 and Special Defense stat of 312 (with sandstorm active), Rhyperior will be an absolute pain to take down. The EVs are fairly simple: HP is almost maxed until the last obtainable Leftovers number, and then 16 EVs are put into Attack to get the stat jump. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Defense to take special hits better. Rhyperior will be able to take quite a beating from the special side of the attacking spectrum with these EVs and sandstorm.</p>
<p>Earthquake and Stone Edge (or Rock Blast, which can be used to hit Substitute users) give Rhyperior excellent coverage. Megahorn hits everything else that Rock and Ground don't hit, such as Claydol. Even with just 16 Attack EVs, Rhyperior will still hit hard with its 352 Attack stat. The move that works best for your team should be used in the last slot. Rhyperior is a great Stealth Rock user since it forces switches. This also makes it a great entry hazard abuser with Roar, meaning your opponent will take two rounds of residual damage if they switch. If you aren't using (Toxic) Spikes, and if you don't need a Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock, then Rest is a solid choice. Rest allows Rhyperior to heal and rid itself of any status ailments.</p>
<p>This set really only functions with sandstorm support, which means Hippopotas is a necessary evil. With Roar, Rhyperior really benefits from Pokemon who can set up Spikes reliably. Cloyster is an excellent choice for this job since it resists Water-type attacks aimed at Rhyperior. Qwilfish is also an exceptional teammate for Rhyperior since it can set up Spikes and resists Water- and Fighting-type attacks. As a bonus, it also only takes neutral damage from Grass-type attacks. Rhyperior also benefits from Toxic Spikes, which both of the listed Pokemon can provide as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Rock Blast / Aqua Tail
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to break down Rhyperior's usual counters with its Choice Band boosted attacks. Rhyperior can switch into many different attacks because of its impressive bulk, and it can OHKO many common walls such as Omastar and Steelix. Unlike the other sets, this set uses Stone Edge as its main attack. This is because being locked into Earthquake usually ends up being bad, considering there are so many Pokemon that are immune to it. Stone Edge has no immunities, and even Pokemon that resist it take quite a bit of damage from it. Aqua Tail and Rock Blast can be used in the last slot as situational moves. Donphan and other Rhyperior are hit by Aqua Tail harder than STAB Earthquake. Rock Blast is a great move for countering Substitute abusing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With a monstrous Attack stat and an impressive amount of bulk, a Choice Band set is viable on Rhyperior. Rhyperior has some main advantages over other Choice Band users, which are the reasons this set is successful in the first place. The first advantage Rhyperior has is that it gets perfect coverage in three moves that all have 120 Base Power or more, as well as a great Substitute breaker or coverage move to go with them. Another reason to use Rhyperior is its exceptional bulk. Rhyperior has 400 HP with 116 EVs and enough Defense to survive even Absol's Life Orb boosted Superpower. On top of this, Rhyperior has immunity to Thunder Wave and shrugs off Pokemon like Registeel's attacks, unlike Aggron, for example, who is easily 2HKOed by Registeel's Earthquake.</p>
<p>The option of Aqua Tail over Rock Blast is simply personal preference. Rock Blast allows you to absolutely destroy SubRoost variants of Moltres and Articuno, as well as nailing Pokemon such as Substitute Mismagius and even Raikou. Aqua Tail will hit Donphan harder than Earthquake (although Earthquake 2HKOes anyway) and will also do major damage to other Rhyperior.</p>
<p>While you may be tempted to fire off Earthquakes at every given chance, that is not the best plan when using Rhyperior. Rhyperior's main attack on this set is Stone Edge, especially for early in the game before you know your opponent's team. The reasoning behind this is that no Pokemon is immune to Rock-type attacks, and when you are in a metagame with Pokemon such as Nasty Plot Mismagius, Moltres, Swellow, and Scyther, you definitely don't want to be forced to switch out against them. This especially applies for Scyther and Swellow since Rhyperior is likely your team's only Flying-type resistance. Once you've taken out the Pokemon who can set up on Ground-type attacks, you are free to use Earthquake, which is always bad news for your opponent. This isn't to say that you should never use Earthquake before your opponent's Pokemon are fainted because hitting Pokemon that wall Stone Edge on the switch with a STAB Earthquake can turn the tide of the match as it will usually OHKO that Pokemon. Stone Edge is simply meant to be used as your main attack.</p>
<p>This Rhyperior set is an excellent early game hard-hitter since very few Pokemon can stand up to its onslaught of powerful physical attacks. The fact that only a few Pokemon can take a STAB attack from Rhyperior makes it an excellent lure for bulky Pokemon. Rhyperior can also usually OHKO these Pokemon with its other STAB move. For example, Steelix can switch in and shrug off Rhyperior's Stone Edge. However, if it switches into Earthquake, it will be easily OHKOed. This helps Pokemon such as Swellow and Kangaskhan, because without Steelix in their way, they should have a much easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>Rhyperior also greatly benefits from Gravity and paralysis support. With Gravity and paralysis support, Rhyperior can plow through most teams with its powerful STAB Earthquake, since no Pokemon are immune to it. Paralysis support in particular helps Rhyperior sweep late game, since otherwise it will likely be forced out by something faster. Pokemon like Clefable and Porygon2 work quite well with Rhyperior because they have access to both Gravity and Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Rhyperior will also definitely need some defensive support since it is a Choiced Pokemon, meaning it will likely KO something and then be forced out. The two most obvious attack-types that will be used on Rhyperior are Water and Grass. This makes any sort of Grass-type Pokemon an excellent teammate for Rhyperior, especially since as a bonus, they can take Ground-type attacks aimed at Rhyperior as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Swords Dance / Aqua Tail
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Brave
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Rhyperior's horrible Speed, monstrous Attack, and excellent coverage under the effects of Trick Room. After Trick Room is used, Rhyperior will usually be the "fastest" Pokemon on the field, meaning the opponent needs to survive a 100 Base Power STAB attack before counter-attacking. Additionally, since Rhyperior is so bulky, it can set up Swords Dance and boast an Attack stat of 832, OHKOing the entire metagame.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With horrible Speed and an immensely high Attack stat, it is no surprise that Rhyperior is one of the deadliest Trick Room sweepers. The fact that it has perfect coverage from Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Megahorn add to Rhyperior's sweeping capabilities. Swords Dance is a good move to use in the fourth slot since Rhyperior is likely to be bulky enough to pull one off and still have three turns to sweep. After a Swords Dance, Rhyperior will pretty much OHKO the entire tier, and it's no surprise since it will have 832 Attack under its belt. Aqua Tail can be used if you don't like losing a turn of Trick Room to set up Swords Dance, since it hits Donphan and other Rhyperior harder than your other attacks.</p>
<p>248 HP EVs ensures that Rhyperior can get an extra attack out of Life Orb while also giving it significant bulk. Attack is maximized to increase Rhyperior's sweeping potential, and the remaining eight EVs are dumped in Defense. A Brave nature is recommended since with a lower Speed, Rhyperior will be "faster" in Trick Room.</p>
<p>A couple reliable Trick Room set-up Pokemon are needed for this set to function. Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Slowking make great teammates for Rhyperior because of their ability to reliably set up Trick Room. Alakazam is also quite an effective teammate since it can set up Reflect and Light Screen before it uses Trick Room. It can even set up Gravity if you wish. Reflect and Light Screen are important because they allow Rhyperior to almost guarantee itself a Swords Dance, meaning it has up to four turns of straight OHKOing the opponent.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rhyperior is one of those Pokemon who really benefits from residual damage since its attacks are so close to 2HKOs on many Pokemon. For example, with Spikes support, Rhyperior can 2HKO Hitmontop and Donphan without a Choice Band. Rhyperior, especially sets with Substitute or bulky defenses, also benefits greatly from sandstorm support. Sandstorm makes Rhyperior one of the toughest Pokemon to take down, and it's well worth having to use Hippopotas.</p>
<p>Offensively, Rhyperior is great at taking out Rapid Spinners and physical walls with its incredibly powerful STAB attacks. Pokemon who set up Spikes are great with Rhyperior because of its ability to 2HKO most Rapid Spinners as well as lure out bulky Water-types, which Qwilfish and Cloyster have an easy time setting up Spikes on. The fact that Rhyperior destroys physical walls aids Pokemon such as Swellow and Rock Polish variants of Torterra or Aggron. Without Pokemon such as Steelix or Weezing in the way, these physical sweepers will have an easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>Defensively, Rhyperior is going to need Pokemon to fall back on when it needs to switch out due to its 4x weaknesses. Since Rhyperior can take most 2x super effective attacks because of Solid Rock, most opponents will simply send out a Pokemon with a STAB Water or Grass attack to OHKO Rhyperior. This makes Grass-types the best teammates for Rhyperior, as they resist Water- and Grass-type attacks as well as Ground-type attacks as a bonus.</p>
<p>Rhyperior will often want its Grass-type partner to carry Earthquake and something super effective against Grass-types (such as Sludge Bomb) on top of its STAB Grass-type attack because of the fact that Fire, Grass, and Water Pokemon are so commonly seen together. This is relevant because Water and Grass Pokemon will often be coming in on Rhyperior after it KOes something or simply on a good prediction. With Earthquake, you can take out Fire-types; with something like Sludge Bomb, you can take out other Grass-types; and with a STAB Grass-type attack, you can handle Water-types.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Toxic can be used over Stealth Rock or Megahorn on the Sandstorm or Standard set. With Rhyperior's switch-ins never being Steel- or Poison-types, it will be able to spread Toxic quite effectively.</p>
<p>A Rest + Sleep Talk set is also viable if you want to counter Pokemon such as Arcanine who rely on Will-O-Wisp to cripple Rhyperior. With sandstorm support, Rhyperior will be especially hard to take down. However, this is better left to Pokemon such as Regirock or Registeel who don't have those brutal 4x weaknesses and can utilize Curse with more desirable results.</p>
<p>Most Rhyperior sets will want to have maximum Attack or at least close to it. The defensive set is an exception to this since it wants to boost its defenses as high as possible.</p>
<p>Rhyperior needs to run 132 Speed to comfortably outspeed Pokemon such as Omastar, Donphan, and other base 50s or 55s. With max Speed and a Jolly nature, Rhyperior can outpace minimum Speed Blastoise before a Rock Polish. After a Rock Polish, it will outpace the whole metagame minus Electrode, who is hopeless against Rhyperior, anyway. A Brave nature with minimum Speed is ideal for Trick Room teams, however, since Rhyperior will be one of the "fastest" Trick Room sweepers with its Speed that low.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Blastoise can switch into most Rhyperior quite easily and OHKO it with Surf. Defensive Grass-types such as Meganium, Leafeon, and Tangrowth also work quite well, but they need to be wary of Megahorn. Claydol and Torterra are excellent counters as well, since they can easily switch into Rhyperior on any of its STAB attacks. However, similarly to Grass-types, they need to watch out for Megahorn.</p>
<p>After a Rock Polish, lots of would-be revenge killers such as Sceptile are outsped, so carrying a faster revenge killer is a good idea. Pokemon such as Azumarill, Kabutops, Blaziken, and Toxicroak are all viable revenge killers due to their super effective priority attacks. Choice Scarf users with Water- or Grass-type attacks also work quite well, as long as they are faster than neutral base 80 Speed Pokemon.</p>
I also tried to avoid naming the suspects in the analysis, and I'll add them if needed after voting.
Status: Complete - awaiting grammar checks / edits.
www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/rhyperior
[Overview]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most terrifying Pokemon in the metagame due to its excellent coverage and monstrous Attack stat. Rhyperior also boasts one of the most impressive HP stats, as well as excellent physical Defense, making it a great physical check. Rhyperior's ability (Solid Rock) is also quite impressive, as it allows Rhyperior to take some super effective attacks that other Pokemon could only dream of taking, such as Blaziken's Superpower.</p>
<p>Rhyperior's main problem is that it has very low Special Defense and two very common 4x weaknesses. Furthermore, these attacks are common on the more defensive Pokemon that Rhyperior already has trouble with. However, when you give Rhyperior the needed support, it can be a huge asset to your team. If you're looking for a bulky Pokemon who can sweep late game, set up Stealth Rock, or simply just hit hard, try Rhyperior.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 136 HP / 244 Atk / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most fearsome Pokemon in UU with its monstrous Attack stat. This makes it quite easy for Rhyperior to force switches, giving it time to set up Stealth Rock or Substitute. Once Stealth Rock is in play, Rhyperior makes a great check to almost every physical attacker, as long as they don't have a strong super effective STAB attack. Earthquake and Stone Edge provide Rhyperior with nearly perfect coverage. Add Megahorn to that, and there isn't much that can safely switch into Rhyperior. Rock Blast can be used over Stone Edge to deal with pesky Substitute users such as Moltres, Articuno, and Mismagius.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is one of the most useful Pokemon in UU because of its immense bulk, strength, and excellent movepool. Since it forces switches, it is great at abusing moves such as Substitute and Stealth Rock. If Stealth Rock is on the field, even the toughest Rapid Spin users have trouble switching into Rhyperior's STAB Earthquake. Stone Edge hits almost everything hard that Earthquake doesn't, and Megahorn will nail the rest.</p>
<p>The EVs are very particular since Rhyperior needs to function in a lot of situations. The 132 Speed EVs give Rhyperior the ability to comfortably outpace base 50s, such as Azumarill and Donphan, while also outrunning minimum Speed base 55s such as Omastar. The 136 HP EVs gives Rhyperior an HP stat of 405, which is a Leftovers number plus another HP so that Rhyperior can create another Substitute. Additionally, Rhyperior makes 101 HP Substitutes so Seismic Toss cannot break them.</p>
<p>This set is great at beating Rapid Spin users who try to come in and Spin away Rhyperior's Stealth Rock. Donphan and Hitmontop are 2HKOed by Earthquake with Spikes support, Cloyster is taken care of by Stone Edge, and Claydol is hit hard by Megahorn. This means Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Cloyster who set up Spikes appreciate Rhyperior's presence on a team. They work especially well since with Spikes support, Rhyperior can 2HKO Blastoise, who is another common Rapid Spinner. Cloyster and Qwilfish can also set up on bulky Water-types such as Milotic who threaten Rhyperior.</p>
<p>Rhyperior is also a stellar physical wall, especially when against Pokemon without a super effective STAB attack. Using a specially defensive Altaria with Rhyperior works as an effective walling duo, since Altaria resists Water-, Fighting-, Ground-, and Grass-type attacks that would normally destroy Rhyperior, while Rhyperior can take Rock-type attacks and any hard-hitting physical attacker. Ice-type is left uncovered, so using something like Azumarill is beneficial as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Rock Polish
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to pull off a sweep by doubling Rhyperior's Speed via Rock Polish. After a Rock Polish, Rhyperior outpaces almost every UU Pokemon, including +1 base 80 Speed Pokemon with a neutral nature. Like most sweeping sets, this set functions best when its counters are weakened; luckily, Rhyperior does a great job of weakening its own counters. After Rhyperior's counters are weakened, it can set up a Rock Polish and likely sweep the opponent's team with its two 100 Base Power STAB attacks and Megahorn backed by its 379 Attack boosted by Life Orb.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rhyperior is often unable to pull off sweeps because of its horrible Speed; however, Rock Polish attempts to fix that problem. With a Jolly nature, Rhyperior will outrun all unboosted Pokemon in UU minus Electrode. Boasting an Attack stat of 379 (not including Life Orb), Rhyperior will still hit incredibly hard. The premise of this set is to use Rhyperior's incredibly hard-hitting attacks to weaken its counters and then sweep late game with a Rock Polish boost. The biggest difference between the previous set and this set (besides Rock Polish) is that it uses Life Orb. With a Life Orb boost, Earthquake 2HKOes bulky Pokemon such as Blastoise and Milotic as long as Stealth Rock is in play. Megahorn now comes close to OHKOing Claydol, while also 2HKOing Tangrowth and Slowbro.</p>
<p>An alternative item (and strategy) for this Rhyperior set is to use a Passho Berry. Passho Berry allows Rhyperior to take an extra Water-type attack from Pokemon such as Blastoise or Milotic. This means that you don't have to rely on weakening them as much. Passho Berry also protects you from Aqua Jet, which is used by Azumarill, Kabutops, and Feraligatr. However, without a Life Orb, Rhyperior isn't going to have as much of an easy time sweeping, and it also loses important KOs on Milotic, Blastoise, Claydol, and Slowbro.</p>
<p>This Rhyperior set benefits from Stealth Rock and Spikes support more than most of the other sets would, since it's pulling off a late game sweep. Cloyster is a good candidate to set up Spikes, since it can set up on the bulky Water-types that will come in on Rhyperior. Qwilfish is also a good candidate since it possesses neutrality to Grass-type attacks in addition to its Water-type resistance. Rhyperior also appreciates Reflect and Light Screen support since these barriers allow it to set up quite easily while also being able to brush off most priority attacks.</p>
<p>Besides screens, Stealth Rock, and Spikes, Rhyperior really appreciates the removal of certain Choice Scarf and priority users, since they will easily outpace Rhyperior even after a Rock Polish boost. Venusaur is a major threat to Rhyperior since it threatens to OHKO with its STAB Leaf Storm. Having a Pokemon such as Moltres who can easily dispose of these Choice Scarf users is very beneficial for Rhyperior. There are also many Pokemon who carry priority moves that halt Rhyperior's sweep. Vacuum Wave and Aqua Jet in particular cause problems for Rhyperior since they are both super effective, and Vacuum Wave hits Rhyperior's much weaker Special Defense stat, while Rhyperior has a 4x weakness to Aqua Jet. Vacuum Wave is usually only seen on Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Blaziken, and Dugtrio is a perfect candidate to take them out. Aqua Jet is a little tougher, but Moltres is a great candidate again to lure out these Water-types and hit them hard with Hidden Power. Magmortar and Blaziken can also work, hitting the Aqua Jet users hard with Thunderbolt and Superpower respectively.</p>
[SET]
name: Sandstorm Special Wall
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stealth Rock / Roar / Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Rhyperior's immense bulk under the effects of sandstorm. With a sandstorm in effect, Rhyperior reaches 312 Special Defense, 432 HP, and 296 Defense. This is backed by Rhyperior's excellent ability, Solid Rock. What makes Rhyperior different from other defensive Pokemon is the fact that it still has a monstrous Attack stat. This makes Rhyperior an excellent tank, unlike other defensive Pokemon such as Registeel.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Rhyperior's most defensive set and focuses on wearing the opponent down and checking prominent threats. With a monstrous HP stat of 432 and Special Defense stat of 312 (with sandstorm active), Rhyperior will be an absolute pain to take down. The EVs are fairly simple: HP is almost maxed until the last obtainable Leftovers number, and then 16 EVs are put into Attack to get the stat jump. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Defense to take special hits better. Rhyperior will be able to take quite a beating from the special side of the attacking spectrum with these EVs and sandstorm.</p>
<p>Earthquake and Stone Edge (or Rock Blast, which can be used to hit Substitute users) give Rhyperior excellent coverage. Megahorn hits everything else that Rock and Ground don't hit, such as Claydol. Even with just 16 Attack EVs, Rhyperior will still hit hard with its 352 Attack stat. The move that works best for your team should be used in the last slot. Rhyperior is a great Stealth Rock user since it forces switches. This also makes it a great entry hazard abuser with Roar, meaning your opponent will take two rounds of residual damage if they switch. If you aren't using (Toxic) Spikes, and if you don't need a Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock, then Rest is a solid choice. Rest allows Rhyperior to heal and rid itself of any status ailments.</p>
<p>This set really only functions with sandstorm support, which means Hippopotas is a necessary evil. With Roar, Rhyperior really benefits from Pokemon who can set up Spikes reliably. Cloyster is an excellent choice for this job since it resists Water-type attacks aimed at Rhyperior. Qwilfish is also an exceptional teammate for Rhyperior since it can set up Spikes and resists Water- and Fighting-type attacks. As a bonus, it also only takes neutral damage from Grass-type attacks. Rhyperior also benefits from Toxic Spikes, which both of the listed Pokemon can provide as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Rock Blast / Aqua Tail
item: Choice Band
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to break down Rhyperior's usual counters with its Choice Band boosted attacks. Rhyperior can switch into many different attacks because of its impressive bulk, and it can OHKO many common walls such as Omastar and Steelix. Unlike the other sets, this set uses Stone Edge as its main attack. This is because being locked into Earthquake usually ends up being bad, considering there are so many Pokemon that are immune to it. Stone Edge has no immunities, and even Pokemon that resist it take quite a bit of damage from it. Aqua Tail and Rock Blast can be used in the last slot as situational moves. Donphan and other Rhyperior are hit by Aqua Tail harder than STAB Earthquake. Rock Blast is a great move for countering Substitute abusing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With a monstrous Attack stat and an impressive amount of bulk, a Choice Band set is viable on Rhyperior. Rhyperior has some main advantages over other Choice Band users, which are the reasons this set is successful in the first place. The first advantage Rhyperior has is that it gets perfect coverage in three moves that all have 120 Base Power or more, as well as a great Substitute breaker or coverage move to go with them. Another reason to use Rhyperior is its exceptional bulk. Rhyperior has 400 HP with 116 EVs and enough Defense to survive even Absol's Life Orb boosted Superpower. On top of this, Rhyperior has immunity to Thunder Wave and shrugs off Pokemon like Registeel's attacks, unlike Aggron, for example, who is easily 2HKOed by Registeel's Earthquake.</p>
<p>The option of Aqua Tail over Rock Blast is simply personal preference. Rock Blast allows you to absolutely destroy SubRoost variants of Moltres and Articuno, as well as nailing Pokemon such as Substitute Mismagius and even Raikou. Aqua Tail will hit Donphan harder than Earthquake (although Earthquake 2HKOes anyway) and will also do major damage to other Rhyperior.</p>
<p>While you may be tempted to fire off Earthquakes at every given chance, that is not the best plan when using Rhyperior. Rhyperior's main attack on this set is Stone Edge, especially for early in the game before you know your opponent's team. The reasoning behind this is that no Pokemon is immune to Rock-type attacks, and when you are in a metagame with Pokemon such as Nasty Plot Mismagius, Moltres, Swellow, and Scyther, you definitely don't want to be forced to switch out against them. This especially applies for Scyther and Swellow since Rhyperior is likely your team's only Flying-type resistance. Once you've taken out the Pokemon who can set up on Ground-type attacks, you are free to use Earthquake, which is always bad news for your opponent. This isn't to say that you should never use Earthquake before your opponent's Pokemon are fainted because hitting Pokemon that wall Stone Edge on the switch with a STAB Earthquake can turn the tide of the match as it will usually OHKO that Pokemon. Stone Edge is simply meant to be used as your main attack.</p>
<p>This Rhyperior set is an excellent early game hard-hitter since very few Pokemon can stand up to its onslaught of powerful physical attacks. The fact that only a few Pokemon can take a STAB attack from Rhyperior makes it an excellent lure for bulky Pokemon. Rhyperior can also usually OHKO these Pokemon with its other STAB move. For example, Steelix can switch in and shrug off Rhyperior's Stone Edge. However, if it switches into Earthquake, it will be easily OHKOed. This helps Pokemon such as Swellow and Kangaskhan, because without Steelix in their way, they should have a much easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>Rhyperior also greatly benefits from Gravity and paralysis support. With Gravity and paralysis support, Rhyperior can plow through most teams with its powerful STAB Earthquake, since no Pokemon are immune to it. Paralysis support in particular helps Rhyperior sweep late game, since otherwise it will likely be forced out by something faster. Pokemon like Clefable and Porygon2 work quite well with Rhyperior because they have access to both Gravity and Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Rhyperior will also definitely need some defensive support since it is a Choiced Pokemon, meaning it will likely KO something and then be forced out. The two most obvious attack-types that will be used on Rhyperior are Water and Grass. This makes any sort of Grass-type Pokemon an excellent teammate for Rhyperior, especially since as a bonus, they can take Ground-type attacks aimed at Rhyperior as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Swords Dance / Aqua Tail
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Brave
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on abusing Rhyperior's horrible Speed, monstrous Attack, and excellent coverage under the effects of Trick Room. After Trick Room is used, Rhyperior will usually be the "fastest" Pokemon on the field, meaning the opponent needs to survive a 100 Base Power STAB attack before counter-attacking. Additionally, since Rhyperior is so bulky, it can set up Swords Dance and boast an Attack stat of 832, OHKOing the entire metagame.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With horrible Speed and an immensely high Attack stat, it is no surprise that Rhyperior is one of the deadliest Trick Room sweepers. The fact that it has perfect coverage from Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Megahorn add to Rhyperior's sweeping capabilities. Swords Dance is a good move to use in the fourth slot since Rhyperior is likely to be bulky enough to pull one off and still have three turns to sweep. After a Swords Dance, Rhyperior will pretty much OHKO the entire tier, and it's no surprise since it will have 832 Attack under its belt. Aqua Tail can be used if you don't like losing a turn of Trick Room to set up Swords Dance, since it hits Donphan and other Rhyperior harder than your other attacks.</p>
<p>248 HP EVs ensures that Rhyperior can get an extra attack out of Life Orb while also giving it significant bulk. Attack is maximized to increase Rhyperior's sweeping potential, and the remaining eight EVs are dumped in Defense. A Brave nature is recommended since with a lower Speed, Rhyperior will be "faster" in Trick Room.</p>
<p>A couple reliable Trick Room set-up Pokemon are needed for this set to function. Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Slowking make great teammates for Rhyperior because of their ability to reliably set up Trick Room. Alakazam is also quite an effective teammate since it can set up Reflect and Light Screen before it uses Trick Room. It can even set up Gravity if you wish. Reflect and Light Screen are important because they allow Rhyperior to almost guarantee itself a Swords Dance, meaning it has up to four turns of straight OHKOing the opponent.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rhyperior is one of those Pokemon who really benefits from residual damage since its attacks are so close to 2HKOs on many Pokemon. For example, with Spikes support, Rhyperior can 2HKO Hitmontop and Donphan without a Choice Band. Rhyperior, especially sets with Substitute or bulky defenses, also benefits greatly from sandstorm support. Sandstorm makes Rhyperior one of the toughest Pokemon to take down, and it's well worth having to use Hippopotas.</p>
<p>Offensively, Rhyperior is great at taking out Rapid Spinners and physical walls with its incredibly powerful STAB attacks. Pokemon who set up Spikes are great with Rhyperior because of its ability to 2HKO most Rapid Spinners as well as lure out bulky Water-types, which Qwilfish and Cloyster have an easy time setting up Spikes on. The fact that Rhyperior destroys physical walls aids Pokemon such as Swellow and Rock Polish variants of Torterra or Aggron. Without Pokemon such as Steelix or Weezing in the way, these physical sweepers will have an easier time sweeping.</p>
<p>Defensively, Rhyperior is going to need Pokemon to fall back on when it needs to switch out due to its 4x weaknesses. Since Rhyperior can take most 2x super effective attacks because of Solid Rock, most opponents will simply send out a Pokemon with a STAB Water or Grass attack to OHKO Rhyperior. This makes Grass-types the best teammates for Rhyperior, as they resist Water- and Grass-type attacks as well as Ground-type attacks as a bonus.</p>
<p>Rhyperior will often want its Grass-type partner to carry Earthquake and something super effective against Grass-types (such as Sludge Bomb) on top of its STAB Grass-type attack because of the fact that Fire, Grass, and Water Pokemon are so commonly seen together. This is relevant because Water and Grass Pokemon will often be coming in on Rhyperior after it KOes something or simply on a good prediction. With Earthquake, you can take out Fire-types; with something like Sludge Bomb, you can take out other Grass-types; and with a STAB Grass-type attack, you can handle Water-types.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Toxic can be used over Stealth Rock or Megahorn on the Sandstorm or Standard set. With Rhyperior's switch-ins never being Steel- or Poison-types, it will be able to spread Toxic quite effectively.</p>
<p>A Rest + Sleep Talk set is also viable if you want to counter Pokemon such as Arcanine who rely on Will-O-Wisp to cripple Rhyperior. With sandstorm support, Rhyperior will be especially hard to take down. However, this is better left to Pokemon such as Regirock or Registeel who don't have those brutal 4x weaknesses and can utilize Curse with more desirable results.</p>
<p>Most Rhyperior sets will want to have maximum Attack or at least close to it. The defensive set is an exception to this since it wants to boost its defenses as high as possible.</p>
<p>Rhyperior needs to run 132 Speed to comfortably outspeed Pokemon such as Omastar, Donphan, and other base 50s or 55s. With max Speed and a Jolly nature, Rhyperior can outpace minimum Speed Blastoise before a Rock Polish. After a Rock Polish, it will outpace the whole metagame minus Electrode, who is hopeless against Rhyperior, anyway. A Brave nature with minimum Speed is ideal for Trick Room teams, however, since Rhyperior will be one of the "fastest" Trick Room sweepers with its Speed that low.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Blastoise can switch into most Rhyperior quite easily and OHKO it with Surf. Defensive Grass-types such as Meganium, Leafeon, and Tangrowth also work quite well, but they need to be wary of Megahorn. Claydol and Torterra are excellent counters as well, since they can easily switch into Rhyperior on any of its STAB attacks. However, similarly to Grass-types, they need to watch out for Megahorn.</p>
<p>After a Rock Polish, lots of would-be revenge killers such as Sceptile are outsped, so carrying a faster revenge killer is a good idea. Pokemon such as Azumarill, Kabutops, Blaziken, and Toxicroak are all viable revenge killers due to their super effective priority attacks. Choice Scarf users with Water- or Grass-type attacks also work quite well, as long as they are faster than neutral base 80 Speed Pokemon.</p>
