[Overview]
<p>As weather plays a dominant role in the Little Cup metagame, weather-starters like Hippopotas are extremely important, as they are able to both set up the field for a teammate to sweep and shut down an opponent's sweep. Being the only Pokemon in Little Cup to automatically start sandstorm, Hippopotas plays a crucial role in the metagame, balancing other forms of weather while simultaneously assisting Pokemon like Drilbur in sweeping. Aside from providing sandstorm support, Hippopotas is also capable of many other things such as providing Stealth Rock support as well as becoming a notable defensive threat by utilizing moves such as Toxic, Protect, Slack Off
, (comma) and Roar.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Roar / Crunch
move 4: Rock Slide / Protect / Slack Off
nature: Impish
item:
Evolite Eviolite / Leftovers
evs: 212 HP / 36 Atk / 212 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Just like in Generation 4, Hippopotas will continue to be a "Staple Lead" for any Little Cup team revolving around strategies, offensive or defensive, associated with the effects of sandstorm. Hippopotas
, (no comma) is also able to provide Stealth Rock support, thus making a more useful lead. Earthquake is used mainly because it provides Hippopotas with a strong and reliable STAB attack, while Crunch and/or Rock Slide can be used for coverage reasons. However, aside from these attacking options, there are a couple of other moves that also work nicely on this set: Roar can be used to deal with troublesome match-ups or simply to scout the opponent's team and deal a bit of residual damage; Protect can be used against Fake
Out leads and can be used to gain some Leftovers recovery while also dishing out a bit of
sandstorm damage; and Slack off can be used to increase Hippopotas's longevity in a battle.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Impish
nature combined with the given EVs maximizes Hippopotas's defensive prowess while also supplementing its rather average offensive power. An
Evolite Eviolite is recommended on this particular set as it helps Hippopotas to survive for a much longer period of time in a battle, to restart sandstorm or lay down Stealth Rock. Leftovers can be used alternatively for similar reasons, although Leftovers will only be useful in the majority of scenarios if you have opted not to use Slack Off on the set. Lastly, Roar is an exceptional move which can be used on the set to deal with unfavorable match-ups and/or in conjunction with additional entry hazards provided by Pokemon like Ferroseed.</p>
<p>Being the only Pokemon in Little Cup which can start sandstorm automatically, Hippopotas can be a valuable asset to many sandstorm-orientated sweepers, one of the more notable ones being Drilbur. Also, as it is able to provide Stealth Rock support, non-sandstorm sweepers like Totodile and Dratini, which need Stealth Rock support to get certain KOs and eliminate
Focus Sashes, are also great teammates for the baby sand-hippo. Also, packing Pokemon on your team which can handle Pokemon like Chinchou and Mantyke would go a long way in keeping Hippopotas healthy throughout a battle as the aforementioned Pokemon can easily take down Hippopotas with their STAB, super effective attacks, hitting Hippopotas's lackluster Special Defense.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock / Protect / Roar
nature: Impish
item:
Evolite Eviolite
evs: 212 HP / 36 Atk / 212 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the last set (which look very similar to this one), the Defensive set attempts to use Hippopotas's physical bulk to try and "stall-out" opponents through a combination of Toxic and Slack Off, slowly wearing them down as the turns of a battle progress. Earthquake is used mainly on this set as an attacking option as it helps Hippopotas to defeat
already weakened Pokemon
already weakened without having to stall them out with Slack Off. Stealth Rock gives this set a supporting aspect as in addition to helping Hippopotas weaken opponents' Pokemon, it also assists Hippopotas's teammates when they are attempting a sweep. However, Protect can be used to enhance the stalling strategy associated with this set, while Roar can be used in conjunction with entry hazard support to rack up damage additional damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV Spread and
nature used here maximize Hippopotas's defensive capabilities while also slightly increasing Hippopotas's power output. An
Evolite Eviolite is highly recommended as it increases the hippo Pokemon's durability and longevity in a battle, making it more effective in slowly wearing down an opponent. Pokemon like Ferroseed make excellent partners for Hippopotas as the entry hazards they are able to provide are invaluable, hastening the process of stalling an
opponent's Pokemon out. Also, as with the Lead set, Pokemon like Chinchou and Mantyke are huge problems for Hippopotas as they are able to land STAB, super effective attacks on Hippopotas's weaker defensive side. However, it should be noted that this set is a lot harder to take down as it is significantly more defensively inclined than the Lead set.</p>
[Optional Changes] [Other Options]
<p>If necessary, the EVs can be invested more into Special Defense, although even with maximum Special Defense, Hippopotas will still have trouble with the likes of Mantyke and Chinchou. Aside from the recommended sets, Hippopotas doesn't have many other options, offensively or defensively
. orientated: A Curse set can be used but is not recommended as even with boosts from Curse, Hippopotas's Special Defense remains static, meaning the Pokemon will still be easily exploited by
special attackers.
Similarly, A Stockpile set can
also be run although it is not recommended for similar reasoning. A Choice Band set can be used to some success but due to Hippopotas's meager offensive
-stats
(no hyphen), Choice Band Hippopotas will almost always find itself being outclassed. In terms of other moves Hippopotas can use, Ice Fang can be used to better deal with Gligar, a common switch-in to Hippopotas, while Superpower can be used to deal with Ferroseed, expecting to set up a couple of free layers of entry hazards on Hippopotas.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Pokemon such as Chinchou and Mantyke, which can super effectively hit Hippopotas on its weaker defensive side with their STAB attacks, are the biggest threats Hippopotas has to deal with in the Little Cup metagame, as if the aforementioned are able to get in on anything but a super effective attack, Hippopotas will be forced to switch or fall to an OHKO. While also being a great teammate for Hippopotas, Gligar is also one of its worst nightmares as not only does it benefit from the permanent sandstorm Hippopotas brings, but it can also set up without fear of any of Hippopotas's moves (except Roar) due to its massive base Defense stat. Lastly,
Pokemon like Snover and Vulpix which can alter the weather prove to be challenges for Hippopotas; although Vulpix must be wary of switching into a super effective Earthquake, Snover, the only other Pokemon in Little Cup able to alter the weather, can be a challenge for Hippopotas. Snover
doesn't fear Hippopotas in the slightest and can easily dispatch of Hippopotas through either of its super effective STABs.</p>
