[OVERVIEW]
With a pure Fighting typing as well as Thick Fat, Hariyama is one of the best checks to powerful threats like Houndoom and Sneasel in the metagame. This, in combination with its adequate bulk and very high Attack stat, makes Hariyama an effective Assault Vest tank. Hariyama can also use the combination of Flame Orb and Guts to become an extremely powerful wallbreaker with no direct counters. However, an atrocious Speed stat limits what Hariyama can do offensively, making it face massive competition from other Fighting-types like Hitmonlee, Toxicroak, Emboar, Medicham, and Virizion, which are either faster, more versatile, or stronger. Hariyama also faces heavy competition from Incineroar as an Assault Vest tank, as Incineroar checks the same foes Hariyama does as well as additional ones like Whimsicott, Delphox, and Xatu. Hariyama is not as susceptible to Stealth Rock as Incineroar, though, giving it an edge over the competition.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Fake Out / Earthquake / Heavy Slam
item: Assault Vest
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is a powerful and reliable STAB move that inflicts heavy damage on most neutral targets. Knock Off is a mandatory coverage move, hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types like Delphox and Mismagius. Fake Out and Bullet Punch create dual priority, allowing Hariyama to pick off frail or weakened Pokemon like Vivillon and Sneasel. Earthquake is another good option to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Skuntank as well as pressure Golbat when it uses Roost. Heavy Slam is a good alternate move to use over Fake Out as well, as it hits Fairy-types like Aromatisse and Mega Audino. Stone Edge is a good coverage move for Pokemon that would normally deal with Hariyama like Colbur Berry Xatu, Scyther, Vikavolt, and Golbat.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Hariyama to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Special Defense investment is used over maximum HP investment, as Hariyama already has a monstrous HP stat, and the investment also gives a considerably larger boost to Hariyama's Special Defense than maximum HP investment does. Thick Fat allows Hariyama to sponge Ice- and Fire-type hits from Pokemon like Sneasel and Houndoom. Assault Vest allows Hariyama to take hits from special attackers like Sceptile and Mismagius easily.
Usage Tips
========
Feel free to switch into special attackers like Mismagius, Houndoom, and Sceptile, as Hariyama easily takes them on. Hariyama can also switch into Sneasel if needed, although it dislikes losing its Assault Vest. As Hariyama lacks recovery, avoid taking repeated hits. Once Hariyama is in against a special attacker it checks, proceed to hit them hard with either Close Combat or an appropriate coverage move. Knock Off should be used when the opponent has a counter like Golbat or Vileplume to get rid of their item, making it more easy to deal with them later on.
Team Options
========
Dark-types like Sneasel and Skuntank help take on Psychic-types and can potentially trap them with Pursuit. Poison-types like the aformentioned Skuntank as well as Garbodor and Vileplume help deal with Fairy-types. Entry hazard setters such as the aformentioned Garbodor, Steelix, Qwilfish, and Rhydon are useful partners in conjunction with Hariyama's ability to use dual priority to wear down the opposition quickly. Partners that can remove entry hazards are great as well, as they help clear away Spikes and Toxic Spikes that hinder Hariyama from consistently checking Pokemon like Sceptile and Houndoom. Golbat in particular has good synergy with Hariyama, as Hariyama covers its Ice and Rock weaknesses while Golbat is able to check Fairy-types. They do both share a Psychic weakness, however. As Vileplume and Golbat in particular are nuisances for Hariyama, Ice-types like Sneasel, Vanilluxe, and Jynx that can deal with both these Pokemon are useful partners.
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Facade / Heavy Slam
item: Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is a powerful and reliable STAB move that inflicts heavy damage on most neutral targets, especially after Guts is activated. Knock Off provides mandatory coverage against Psychic- and Ghost-types, as well as removing Golbat's Eviolite. Bullet Punch allows Hariyama to dispose of Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Sneasel and allows Hariyama to pick off weakened Pokemon. Facade inflicts heavy damage on Pokemon like Weezing, Garbodor, and Aromatisse after a boost from burn and Guts, scoring a 2HKO on Pokemon that would otherwise be checks to it. Heavy Slam can be used over Facade for a reliable 2HKO on Mega Audino, but the coverage it offers isn't as good as Facade's otherwise.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Hariyama to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed allows Hariyama to outspeed offensive Druddigon, uninvested Garbodor, Vaporeon, and a handful of other defensive Pokemon. It is still outsped by the majority of offensive Pokemon in the tier due to its low base Speed, however. Flame Orb burns Hariyama, which activates Guts, giving Hariyama a massive Attack boost. Guts allows Hariyama to take advantage of the burn from Flame Orb and power up its moves while still being able to switch between them.
Usage Tips
========
Hariyama shouldn't be brought directly into hits, as it should preserve as much health as possible so it can use the boost from Flame Orb for longer. Once Hariyama is in safely, the primary move it should use is Close Combat. However, if the opponent has a Pokemon that resists Close Combat like Golbat or Xatu, fall back to coverage moves to deal with them. Try to predict around the opponent's plays, as Hariyama's time in battle is limited by the residual damage from Flame Orb.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with a slow Volt Switch or U-turn such as Incineroar and Vikavolt can bring in Hariyama safely and activate its Flame Orb. Steel-types like Steelix, Probopass, and Silvally-Steel are all fairly good partners, as they cover all of Hariyama's weaknesses. Entry hazard removers help Hariyama preserve as much health as possible for wallbreaking. Such Pokemon include the aformentioned Sillvally-Steel, Skuntank, and Golbat, as they both deal with Fairy-types and Skuntank even deals with Ghost- and Poison-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band is a feasible option, although Guts is more preferable, as Hariyama can actully switch between coverage moves with Guts, easing prediction. A Belly Drum set consisting of Belly Drum / Close Combat / Knock Off / Bullet Punch is a fun gimmick, although such a set lacks consistency, and Hariyama is generally too slow to pull off a sweep with this set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types like Medicham, Sigilyph, Delphox, and Slowbro resist Close Combat and can KO Hariyama with a super effective STAB move. However, most of them bar Slowbro don't enjoy taking a Knock Off.
**Fairy-types**: Without Heavy Slam, Hariyama has no way to hit Fairy-types like Aromatisse and Granbull, while they can hit it back with a super effective STAB move. Granbull in particular has Intimidate, meaning it can avoid the 2HKO from Heavy Slam as well.
**Poison-types**: Pokemon such as Vileplume, Garbodor, and Golbat resist Hariyama's STAB move and aren't hit super effectively by the common coverage moves it runs. They do dislike losing their items to Knock Off, however, and most of them take a hefty amount from a Guts-boosted Facade.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are quite troublesome for Hariyama, as they resist its main STAB move and can retaliate back with their own super effective STAB attacks. However, most Flying-types can be dealt with if Hariyama uses the proper coverage moves, such as using Facade on Golbat and Knock Off on Xatu.
With a pure Fighting typing as well as Thick Fat, Hariyama is one of the best checks to powerful threats like Houndoom and Sneasel in the metagame. This, in combination with its adequate bulk and very high Attack stat, makes Hariyama an effective Assault Vest tank. Hariyama can also use the combination of Flame Orb and Guts to become an extremely powerful wallbreaker with no direct counters. However, an atrocious Speed stat limits what Hariyama can do offensively, making it face massive competition from other Fighting-types like Hitmonlee, Toxicroak, Emboar, Medicham, and Virizion, which are either faster, more versatile, or stronger. Hariyama also faces heavy competition from Incineroar as an Assault Vest tank, as Incineroar checks the same foes Hariyama does as well as additional ones like Whimsicott, Delphox, and Xatu. Hariyama is not as susceptible to Stealth Rock as Incineroar, though, giving it an edge over the competition.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Fake Out / Earthquake / Heavy Slam
item: Assault Vest
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is a powerful and reliable STAB move that inflicts heavy damage on most neutral targets. Knock Off is a mandatory coverage move, hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types like Delphox and Mismagius. Fake Out and Bullet Punch create dual priority, allowing Hariyama to pick off frail or weakened Pokemon like Vivillon and Sneasel. Earthquake is another good option to hit Poison-types like Garbodor and Skuntank as well as pressure Golbat when it uses Roost. Heavy Slam is a good alternate move to use over Fake Out as well, as it hits Fairy-types like Aromatisse and Mega Audino. Stone Edge is a good coverage move for Pokemon that would normally deal with Hariyama like Colbur Berry Xatu, Scyther, Vikavolt, and Golbat.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Hariyama to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Special Defense investment is used over maximum HP investment, as Hariyama already has a monstrous HP stat, and the investment also gives a considerably larger boost to Hariyama's Special Defense than maximum HP investment does. Thick Fat allows Hariyama to sponge Ice- and Fire-type hits from Pokemon like Sneasel and Houndoom. Assault Vest allows Hariyama to take hits from special attackers like Sceptile and Mismagius easily.
Usage Tips
========
Feel free to switch into special attackers like Mismagius, Houndoom, and Sceptile, as Hariyama easily takes them on. Hariyama can also switch into Sneasel if needed, although it dislikes losing its Assault Vest. As Hariyama lacks recovery, avoid taking repeated hits. Once Hariyama is in against a special attacker it checks, proceed to hit them hard with either Close Combat or an appropriate coverage move. Knock Off should be used when the opponent has a counter like Golbat or Vileplume to get rid of their item, making it more easy to deal with them later on.
Team Options
========
Dark-types like Sneasel and Skuntank help take on Psychic-types and can potentially trap them with Pursuit. Poison-types like the aformentioned Skuntank as well as Garbodor and Vileplume help deal with Fairy-types. Entry hazard setters such as the aformentioned Garbodor, Steelix, Qwilfish, and Rhydon are useful partners in conjunction with Hariyama's ability to use dual priority to wear down the opposition quickly. Partners that can remove entry hazards are great as well, as they help clear away Spikes and Toxic Spikes that hinder Hariyama from consistently checking Pokemon like Sceptile and Houndoom. Golbat in particular has good synergy with Hariyama, as Hariyama covers its Ice and Rock weaknesses while Golbat is able to check Fairy-types. They do both share a Psychic weakness, however. As Vileplume and Golbat in particular are nuisances for Hariyama, Ice-types like Sneasel, Vanilluxe, and Jynx that can deal with both these Pokemon are useful partners.
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Facade / Heavy Slam
item: Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is a powerful and reliable STAB move that inflicts heavy damage on most neutral targets, especially after Guts is activated. Knock Off provides mandatory coverage against Psychic- and Ghost-types, as well as removing Golbat's Eviolite. Bullet Punch allows Hariyama to dispose of Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Sneasel and allows Hariyama to pick off weakened Pokemon. Facade inflicts heavy damage on Pokemon like Weezing, Garbodor, and Aromatisse after a boost from burn and Guts, scoring a 2HKO on Pokemon that would otherwise be checks to it. Heavy Slam can be used over Facade for a reliable 2HKO on Mega Audino, but the coverage it offers isn't as good as Facade's otherwise.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment allows Hariyama to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed allows Hariyama to outspeed offensive Druddigon, uninvested Garbodor, Vaporeon, and a handful of other defensive Pokemon. It is still outsped by the majority of offensive Pokemon in the tier due to its low base Speed, however. Flame Orb burns Hariyama, which activates Guts, giving Hariyama a massive Attack boost. Guts allows Hariyama to take advantage of the burn from Flame Orb and power up its moves while still being able to switch between them.
Usage Tips
========
Hariyama shouldn't be brought directly into hits, as it should preserve as much health as possible so it can use the boost from Flame Orb for longer. Once Hariyama is in safely, the primary move it should use is Close Combat. However, if the opponent has a Pokemon that resists Close Combat like Golbat or Xatu, fall back to coverage moves to deal with them. Try to predict around the opponent's plays, as Hariyama's time in battle is limited by the residual damage from Flame Orb.
Team Options
========
Pokemon with a slow Volt Switch or U-turn such as Incineroar and Vikavolt can bring in Hariyama safely and activate its Flame Orb. Steel-types like Steelix, Probopass, and Silvally-Steel are all fairly good partners, as they cover all of Hariyama's weaknesses. Entry hazard removers help Hariyama preserve as much health as possible for wallbreaking. Such Pokemon include the aformentioned Sillvally-Steel, Skuntank, and Golbat, as they both deal with Fairy-types and Skuntank even deals with Ghost- and Poison-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Band is a feasible option, although Guts is more preferable, as Hariyama can actully switch between coverage moves with Guts, easing prediction. A Belly Drum set consisting of Belly Drum / Close Combat / Knock Off / Bullet Punch is a fun gimmick, although such a set lacks consistency, and Hariyama is generally too slow to pull off a sweep with this set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types like Medicham, Sigilyph, Delphox, and Slowbro resist Close Combat and can KO Hariyama with a super effective STAB move. However, most of them bar Slowbro don't enjoy taking a Knock Off.
**Fairy-types**: Without Heavy Slam, Hariyama has no way to hit Fairy-types like Aromatisse and Granbull, while they can hit it back with a super effective STAB move. Granbull in particular has Intimidate, meaning it can avoid the 2HKO from Heavy Slam as well.
**Poison-types**: Pokemon such as Vileplume, Garbodor, and Golbat resist Hariyama's STAB move and aren't hit super effectively by the common coverage moves it runs. They do dislike losing their items to Knock Off, however, and most of them take a hefty amount from a Guts-boosted Facade.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are quite troublesome for Hariyama, as they resist its main STAB move and can retaliate back with their own super effective STAB attacks. However, most Flying-types can be dealt with if Hariyama uses the proper coverage moves, such as using Facade on Golbat and Knock Off on Xatu.
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