Darnell
Respected.
QC: Magnemite / galbia / scorpdestroyer
GP: frenzyplant / Legitimate Username
Overview
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Physically Defensive
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name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Whirlwind / Toxic
ability: Sand Stream
item: Smooth Rock
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
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**Water Types**: Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Mantine don't like to take a Toxic but they can come in on an Earthquake easily and send a super effective Scald to Hippopotas; doing a decent amount of damage and potentially crippling it with a burn too.
**Grass Types**: Pokemon such as Roselia, Serperior and Tangela can take an Earthquake with ease(Roselia can even take a Toxic) and hit Hippopotas with a super effective Giga Drain which means they also recover the health lost from switching in.
**Ice Types**: Avalugg and Glaceon can take take hits and fire back with super effective special Ice types moves however you'll have to be more cautious when using Ice types due towards the Stealth Rock damage.
**Haunter**: Due to Haunter being a Poison Type and having the ability Levitate, Hippopotas can't touch it with Earthquake or Toxic; basically giving it a free switch-in to fire of Shadow Ball against it or another member of your team.
**Faster Taunt users**: Pokemon such as Misdreavus which cripple Hippopotas by stopping it from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic and then proceeding to fire of their own attacks.
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- Is a cute Hippo ◕‿‿◕
- It has decent Defensive, Attack and HP stat
- Its ability makes a Sandstorm slowly withering down Pokemon besides Ground, Rock and Steel types. Also great partner with Stoutland due to Sand Rush
- Has access to tons of support moves (Toxic, Stealth Rock, Whirlwind and Yawn)
- Not fully evolved so can use Eviolite to raise Defenses
- Has reliable recovery
- Has poor Special Defense and Speed
- Has a lack of offensive moves and coverage
- Very predictable
- Dislikes Knock Off as it relies on Smooth Rock for longer Sand or Eviolite for the much needed bulk
Physically Defensive
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name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Whirlwind / Toxic
ability: Sand Stream
item: Smooth Rock
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
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- Stealth Rock is always something that can be useful on the opposing side. Making sure the opposing Pokemon are withering down in health every time they switch in.
- Slack Off is reliable recovery and makes sure that Hippopotas is kept at a good amount of HP so it can be useful later/stall out opponents.
- Earthquake is the only attack that Hippopotas needs; with its power of 100 and STAB for Hippopotas it can easily finish of opponents rather than wasting PP trying to stall.
- Whirlwind is another option incase you want to avoid Pokemon trying to set up against you and is also effective with hazards on the opposing side forcing the opponent to keep switching.
- Toxic is prefect with Hippopotas' defenses allowing it to take hits and recover of the damage with Slack Off while your opponents Pokemon dies from being badly poisoned.
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- Smooth Rock is for the extra turns of Sand which can be beneficial when buffeting Pokemon or supporting the rest of the team such as Stoutland.
- Impish and 252 Def EVs are to maximize the Defensive stat to take those Physical hits.
- 252 HP is to ensure that the bulk has risen even more and take more hits both physically and specially.
- Sand Stream is to support the team(Stoutland) and help in starting to wear out the opponents health from entry hazard and sand damage.
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- It isn't too useful on its own. Hippopotas acts as support from getting up Sand and Stealth Rock and switching out to bring in Sand later on; sacking it end game is fine for cleaning up
- You want to tank hits and set up Stealth Rock to support your team and cripple the opponents when they switch in.
- Stall them by getting up hazards and proceed to Whirlwind while using Slack Off from time to time
- The combination of Sand and Entry hazards and still being able to hit with Earthquake from time to time should be enough to eventually wear down the opponent.
- You want to keep it healthy when switching out so you can bring it in again later on.
- It can take special hits but to a certain extent; be smart when bringing it in against certain Pokemon.
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- Stoutland is a great team mate; pretty much mandatory. Without it Hippopotas is pretty much pointless and outclassed by other Pokemon. Hippopotas automatically brings in Sand on the switch allowing Sand Rush to be activated and proving to be a great late game cleaner.
- Grass type Pokemon such as Roselia can resist Water type moves and hit Grass type Pokemon with their super effective poison type moves. Roselia can set up hazards such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes; unfortunately they still have a problem with Ice types.
- Toxic Spikes users such as Garbodor and Roselia incase you went with Whirlwind over Toxic and you need some some of status to wear down the opponent
- Spin-blockers such as Misdreavus can avoid Rapid Spin from Avalugg and the hazards being cleared, not to mention Frillish is a Water type so it can resist Ice and Water; two weaknesses which threaten Hippopotas
- Water types such as Poliwrath can take Water and Ice type attacks and fire back with by either attacking them or stalling them out.
- Specially Defensive Pokemon like Lickilicky and Regice can take hits from the special attacking side which Hippopotas lacks and fire back with their own moves. Lickilicky has access to Heal Bell being able to cure Hippopotas incase it may have taken a status earlier on in the battle.
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- Specially Defensive
- Yawn
- Eviolite
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**Water Types**: Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Mantine don't like to take a Toxic but they can come in on an Earthquake easily and send a super effective Scald to Hippopotas; doing a decent amount of damage and potentially crippling it with a burn too.
**Grass Types**: Pokemon such as Roselia, Serperior and Tangela can take an Earthquake with ease(Roselia can even take a Toxic) and hit Hippopotas with a super effective Giga Drain which means they also recover the health lost from switching in.
**Ice Types**: Avalugg and Glaceon can take take hits and fire back with super effective special Ice types moves however you'll have to be more cautious when using Ice types due towards the Stealth Rock damage.
**Haunter**: Due to Haunter being a Poison Type and having the ability Levitate, Hippopotas can't touch it with Earthquake or Toxic; basically giving it a free switch-in to fire of Shadow Ball against it or another member of your team.
**Faster Taunt users**: Pokemon such as Misdreavus which cripple Hippopotas by stopping it from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic and then proceeding to fire of their own attacks.
Overview
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Hippopotas has access to a wide range of support moves, including reliable recovery in Slack Off, and works as a great setter and support Pokemon for sand teams due to its ability Sand Stream. The unfortunate thing about using Hippopotas is that sand teams rely on it too much, and it is very predictable in which set it is running due to its lack of versatility, so the opponent is most likely going to know what attacks are coming and be able to play around that. It doesn't enjoy taking a Knock Off, as it lacks bulk due to relying on Smooth Rock for the extra sand turns. Hippopotas lacks good Special Defense and Speed stats, so it can't take hits from the special side.
Physically Defensive
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name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Whirlwind
ability: Sand Stream
item: Smooth Rock
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
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Stealth Rock is a standard entry hazard, which, when combined with the sand, can slowly wear down opposing Pokemon when they switch in. Slack Off provides reliable recovery in order to ensure that Hippopotas is kept at a reasonable amount of health so that it can come in to set up sand later on in the battle. Earthquake is the only attack that Hippopotas needs; it can wear down Pokemon such as Carracosta, Bastiodon, and Metang with Earthquake as well as hit frail Pokemon such as Sneasel and Kadabra on the switch. Whirlwind is used to prevent Pokemon from setting up on Hippopotas. Toxic is an option over Whirlwind if you don't find Pokemon trying to set up too much of an issue and would rather wear down bulky opponents such as Tangela and Misdreavus.
Set Details
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Smooth Rock is the ideal item for Hippopotas because although it is built for taking hits, its main objective is to get up sand in order to support sweepers such as Stoutland, and the extra turns of sand can allow Stoutland to stay in longer rather than be forced to switch. An Impish nature and EVs in HP and Defense ensure that Hippopotas has got as much physical bulk as possible. Sand Stream's sand is used to support the team and to wear down opposing Pokemon to the point where sweepers such as Stoutland can perform a late-game sweep.
Usage Tips
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Hippopotas isn't very useful on its own. It supports its team by getting up sand and then switching out in order to bring the sand back later on in the battle. Sacrificing Hippopotas near the end of a battle is fine if you're certain that last amount of sand is enough for a Pokemon to clean up. Hippopotas should only use support moves when necessary, such as when predicting a switch; switch out otherwise. Use Stealth Rock to cripple foes as they switch in; however, you should also try to outplay the opponent and double switch so as to not waste sand turns. Hippopotas can take special hits but only to a certain extent; play around the opposing team and be smart when bringing it in on certain Pokemon. Hippopotas should be switched out as soon as possible, as this allows you to get the maximum number of sand turns for your teammates. Earthquake should only be used to finish off weakened opponents and to hit frail Pokemon as they switch in.
Whirlwind is used for threatening opponents that plan on setting up, and Slack Off is for when Hippopotas is low on HP and you need it to set up sand later in the battle. Keeping Hippopotas healthy is essential so that it can be brought in later on to take a hit and get sand up again.
Team Options
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Having Stoutland as a teammate is pretty much mandatory, as without it, Hippopotas is outclassed by other Pokemon. Grass-type Pokemon such as Roselia resist Water- and Grass type moves. Roselia can also hit Grass-types with Sludge Bomb and set up entry hazards such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Garbodor works as another great partner for getting up hazards, which can be beneficial later on for stalling. Spinblockers such as Misdreavus can prevent your team's hazards from getting removed by Rapid Spin users such as Avalugg.
Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath can take Water- and Ice-type attacks and force foes to either switch out or take a hard hit. Lickilicky is a great specially defensive partner, as it can take hits from the special side, something that Hippopotas can't do, as well as deal damage on its own with Body Slam, Knock Off, or even Dragon Tail, forcing more switches. Lickilicky also has access to Heal Bell and Wish, which can be used for supporting the whole team rather than just Hippopotas.
Other Options
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A specially defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def is an option for Hippopotas due to it already having a decent Defense stat. This spread allows Hippopotas to survive a special hit or two before fainting rather than just getting OHKOed like it normally would. Yawn is another option for preventing opposing Pokemon from setting up and forcing the opponent to switch, allowing you to gain momentum by double switching. You can use an Eviolite as the item instead of Smooth Rock, as while the extra turns of sand are nice you might decide that you would rather it have the extra bulk in order for it to better take hits and stall.
Checks & Counters
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**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Mantine don't like to take a Toxic, but they can easily come in on an Earthquake and hit back with Scald, doing a decent amount of damage and potentially crippling Hippopotas with a burn.
**Grass-types**: Grass-type Pokemon such as Roselia, Serperior, and Tangela can take an Earthquake with ease, while Roselia can take a Toxic too due to its Poison typing. They can also KO Hippopotas with a super effective Giga Drain, which means they will also gain back any damage that was taken upon switching in. Since Hippopotas can't even touch it, Roselia can set up hazards too.
**Ice-types**: Ice-type Pokemon such as Avalugg and Glaceon can take an Earthquake and fire back with super effective STAB moves; Avalugg has access to Rapid Spin for removing Stealth Rock, while Glaceon has access to Heal Bell for removing status. However, Ice-types have to be more cautious when switching in due to their weakness to Stealth Rock.
**Haunter**: Due to Haunter being a Poison-type and having the ability Levitate, Hippopotas can't touch it with either Earthquake or Toxic and gives it a free switch-in to fire off a Shadow Ball. The only way Haunter is taking damage from Hippopotas is from Stealth Rock or the sand.
**Faster Taunt users**: Pokemon such as Misdreavus can cripple Hippopotas by stopping it from setting up Stealth Rock or using Toxic with Taunt and then proceeding to fire off their own attacks, eventually making it faint.
**Knock Off users**: Pokemon with access to Knock Off, such as Scyther, Lickilicky, and Purugly can Knock Off Hippopotas's Smooth Rock, lowering the number of sand turns that Hippopotas's teammates have to sweep before Hippopotas needs to be brought in again.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards limit the number of times that Hippopotas can switch in to set up sand and come back in later on.
**Other Weather Teams**: Other weather teams can stop Hippopotas from supporting its own team with sand. When facing Hippopotas, try to preserve your own weather setter until Hippopotas has fainted.
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