[OVERVIEW]
Hippowdon is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the metagame. With its gargantuan HP and Defense and Ground typing, Hippowdon is one of the best defensive answers to Tyranitar, which can almost never 2HKO Hippowdon without a way to boost its damage output like Choice Band, Expert Belt, or Dragon Dance. In addition, depending on whether it's physically or specially defensive, Hippowdon can wall a large portion of the metagame. Its ability, Sand Stream, is extremely desirable, as it forces constant chip damage on almost all Pokemon that are not Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-types. Thanks to Hippowdon's access to an instant recovery move in Slack Off coupled with its bulk, its longevity is near unrivaled. With access to great utility in Stealth Rock and Roar, Hippowdon functions as a fantastic, consistent support option.
However, Hippowdon is extremely slow and can be passive even with its STAB-boosted Earthquake, so it's not difficult to offensively pressure it. Water- and Grass-types give Hippowdon an extremely hard time, especially the latter, which resist its Earthquake. Setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Calm Mind Suicune can put tremendous pressure on Hippowdon, as staying in to phaze them, whether by choice or by necessity, can result in sustaining a ton of damage. Skarmory can use Hippowdon to set up Spikes, which Hippowdon detests. There are very few Pokemon that despise status more than Hippowdon, as poison and burn make it significantly worse at doing its job.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roar / Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hippowdon has the most physical bulk of any Pokemon in OU, and this set takes that to its highest potential. With unparalleled Defense, Hippowdon can shrug off attacks from some of the strongest physical attackers in the tier, like Tyranitar, Infernape, Metagross, and Machamp. In addition, it completely shuts down physical variants of Jirachi, taking very little damage even from a fully invested Iron Head. Hippowdon is a great Stealth Rock user, being able to set it up against a large range of Pokemon, like the aforementioned strong physical attackers. Slack Off gives Hippowdon instant recovery that takes its longevity to great heights, enabling it to wall a large portion of the metagame. Earthquake is its strongest STAB move, which is great because Ground-type STAB moves are desirable in the metagame. Roar is a fantastic option because Hippowdon is capable of phazing a large range of Pokemon due to its supreme bulk. Roar can also compensate for Hippowdon's passivity by wearing down foes with chip damage from Stealth Rock and sand, and it can be used in a pinch to stop dangerous setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Gyarados and even Breloom from setting up. As an alternative, Ice Fang gives Hippowdon great coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting important targets like Dragon-types and Gliscor and even doing a decent job at wearing down Gengar as it switches in.
If another Pokemon on your team has Stealth Rock, you could opt for both Roar and Ice Fang or even a move like Toxic, which can be extremely useful against foes like opposing Hippowdon, Zapdos, Gyarados, and Milotic. You'll likely find that this is a rare occurrence, however, because even if a Pokemon like Clefable already has Stealth Rock on a defensive team, it can be useful to use Stealth Rock on Hippowdon as well to cover the physical attackers that Clefable cannot set it up on; Clefable in turn can cover the special attackers that prevent Hippowdon from setting Stealth Rock, like Starmie and Empoleon.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Defense are necessary to shut down Tyranitar, Machamp, and Iron Head Jirachi as well as possible. There is definitely potential for some Special Defense EVs, which may improve Hippowdon's durability versus surprise special attacks like Tyranitar's Ice Beam and Jirachi's Grass Knot; however, sacrificing physical bulk will make a significant difference, as in practice Hippowdon will switch into a large range of physical attackers. Also, with maximum physical bulk, Hippowdon can sometimes survive some of the most devastating physical attacks, like +2 Lucario's Close Combat and even Metagross's Explosion.
Usage Tips
========
It can be beneficial to conceal Roar or Ice Fang for as long as possible, as revealing it later can catch a Pokemon like Dragonite, mixed Flygon, or Dragon Dance Gyarados off guard. Many Ground-immune Pokemon can offensively pressure Hippowdon due to its inability to hit them with a strong attack, so keeping it healthy throughout a battle with Slack Off is essential in case of a surprise like a critical hit. Conserve Earthquake PP if possible, as it can be valuable in pressuring Clefable and Jirachi in a matchup against a defensive team. Using Roar aggressively can be very rewarding and compensate for Hippowdon enabling Pokemon to set up on it and even catch aggressive double switches from your opponent. Try to keep Hippowdon unstatused for as long as possible, as a burn from the likes of Gengar and Rotom-A, poison from Toxic Spikes, or Toxic from Zapdos and Bronzong can make Hippowdon significantly less effective.
Team Options
========
Hippowdon definitely requires some support to function well. Counterplay against Spikes and Toxic Spikes is very appreciated. Bulkier variants of Starmie can take on Swampert and Gyarados and also provide crucial Rapid Spin support. Magnezone is great to trap and remove Skarmory, which is one of the Pokemon that can exploit Hippowdon the most. In addition, Magnezone can paralyze Jirachi, which can dampen its ability to potentially take Hippowdon down through flinches, and also remove Bronzong with a Magnet Rise set. Latias has fantastic type synergy with Hippowdon with its Water and Grass resistances and can bring a lot of support to the table. A Sleep Talk set can absorb sleep from Breloom and Roserade, while bulkier utility sets can provide Thunder Wave, Reflect, and even Toxic support. Wish + Protect Jirachi, with a Careful nature in particular, can spread paralysis with Body Slam and take on annoyances like Gengar and special attacking Water-types. Roserade takes on Water-types like Kingdra, Empoleon, and Suicune, can set up entry hazards, clears Toxic Spikes with its Poison typing, and absorbs status. Clefable has fantastic defensive synergy with Hippowdon; it can absorb any Will-O-Wisp or Toxic that is thrown at Hippowdon, which makes the combination of the two incredibly difficult to break. Hippowdon also takes on physical attackers like Tyranitar, Infernape, and even Dragonite, while Clefable handles special attackers like Starmie, Empoleon, and Roserade. Both Hippowdon and Clefable are weak to Breloom, however, so a Breloom check works very well with these two. Zapdos is a great teammate for Hippowdon in general, as its defensive utility to answer Gyarados and Swampert is valuable. Skarmory also combines very well defensively with Hippowdon, helping to handle dangerous setup sweepers like Gyarados and Dragonite. In addition, it can set up Spikes to support Hippowdon wearing down foes with Roar. Gliscor surprisingly works very well with Hippowdon despite compounding Water- and Ice-type weaknesses. It doubles down on Tyranitar, Lucario, and Flygon while providing great utility in Taunt, Knock Off, and even Ice Fang.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Fang / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Specially defensive Hippowdon is a behemoth capable of shrugging off some of the most powerful special attacks in the metagame, such as Dragonite's Draco Meteor, Gengar's Shadow Ball, and Infernape's Fire Blast. Stealth Rock fits well on Hippowdon, as it can use its monstrous bulk to set it up against a number of Pokemon, such as Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Infernape. In addition, Hippowdon can use its enhanced Special Defense to wear down bulky Starmie with Earthquake, as an uninvested Surf does not do that much damage. This can be essential in an entry hazard war against a Starmie team. Slack Off enables Hippowdon to maximize its capabilities against Dragonite, Flygon, and Infernape while also maximizing its longevity. Ice Fang is preferred to take advantage of its matchup against mixed Dragon-types while also hitting Gliscor. Roar is a fantastic alternative option; however, it is more risky to use it against a foe like Dragon Dance Gyarados or Dragonite because of this set's lack of investment in Defense.
Set Details
========
Hippowdon wants as much Special Defense as possible to take Draco Meteor from the likes of Dragonite, Flygon, and Latias as well as possible. In addition, it can take advantage of maximum investment in bulk to take on Choice Specs Heatran's Overheat from the lead position. There is potential to use a bit of Defense with an Impish nature while still heavily investing in Special Defense to improve Hippowdon's matchup versus Dragon Dance Dragonite; however, it will lose out on a significant amount of special bulk by changing from a Careful to an Impish nature.
Usage Tips
========
Make sure to keep Hippowdon as healthy as possible, especially when facing foes like mixed Flygon, Dragonite, and Gengar. Avoid status from the likes of Will-O-Wisp Gengar, Toxic Zapdos, and even Body Slam Jirachi when trying to answer these Pokemon. If your team cannot clear Toxic Spikes, try to send Hippowdon in before two layers have gone up. Although it detests even regular poison, being badly poisoned means Hippowdon is dead weight a large majority of the time. Keep Ice Fang concealed until the right moment to increase your likelihood of confirming a hit on a key target. Once Ice Fang has been revealed, liberally using it in more slow-paced matchups to fish for a freeze can be a good idea.
Team Options
========
Physically defensive Skarmory is a great teammate, as these two walls have fantastic synergy, and Spikes support is helpful to compensate for Hippowdon's passiveness against Pokemon with a resistance or immunity to Ground. Gliscor can help with Choice Band Tyranitar, which can be a bit overwhelming for specially defensive Hippowdon; in return, Hippowdon can use its enhanced Special Defense to take on Ice Beam variants of mixed Tyranitar. Calm Mind Clefable can work wonderfully to patch up stall weaknesses that may be incurred with Hippowdon while also checking Dragon Dance Gyarados. Celebi and Roserade are useful teammates to combat Water-types like Swampert and Empoleon. Roserade's ability to lay down entry hazards and absorb Toxic Spikes also greatly benefits Hippowdon. Magnezone's ability to trap and remove Skarmory is great to prevent too many Spikes from making Hippowdon's job more difficult. Latias, especially with some Defense, can support Hippowdon very well. Alternatively, a Sleep Talk set can help to compensate for Hippowdon's Breloom weakness.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hippowdon can utilize Curse to be a potent defensive setup sweeper alongside Earthquake, Ice Fang, and Slack Off. Crunch can be used to maim Gengar and take it by surprise, as well as perhaps fish for Defense drops on foes like Clefable and Blissey, but its use is quite limited, and it's still risky to stay in versus Gengar and take a Will-O-Wisp. Fire Fang can be used to hit Scizor and Forretress, while Thunder Fang can hit Gyarados, but there are much better checks available for these Pokemon. A more offensive set with Stone Edge can take Zapdos and Gyarados by surprise, but Zapdos can likely survive Stone Edge regardless of how offensive the Hippowdon is. Protect has potential to scout Choice item users and gain health over time, but there isn't usually room to fit this move, and Slack Off is better overall. Superpower can be used to surprise Blissey and Clefable, which can do serious damage with some offensive investment. Hippowdon can create greater than 100 HP Substitutes to set up on Blissey and Clefable, but it usually doesn't gain enough mileage off of Substitute to justify it. Stockpile can make Hippowdon nearly impossible to KO without a critical hit, but sets with this move are so passive that the opponent gets many opportunities to find a critical hit or set up Spikes, Calm Mind, or even Dragon Dance. Yawn can function as a pseudo-phazing move that forces foes out with the threat of sleep, but Roar is generally better.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types like Swampert, Suicune, Starmie, Empoleon, Milotic, and Kingdra can deal devastating damage to any Hippowdon, while Hippowdon doesn't strongly threaten these Pokemon back outside of Earthquake against Empoleon, which it likely won't get an opportunity to use anyway due to Empoleon's powerful Water-type attacks.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Celebi, Breloom, Roserade, and Shaymin can use Hippowdon to set up with the threat of their strong STAB or utility moves. Hippowdon can't deal significant damage to these Pokemon outside of Roserade and Breloom with Ice Fang. In Breloom's case, depending on its bulk, the damage may not even be that significant.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Ground-immune Pokemon can often take advantage of Hippowdon's passiveness to set up. Gliscor can use Knock Off or set up Swords Dance without minding Ice Fang that much in many cases. Gengar doesn't take too much from Ice Fang and can fire off Shadow Ball repeatedly, which Hippowdon may have difficulty combating. Gyarados can set up Dragon Dance and fire off a powerful STAB-boosted Waterfall. Dragonite can find its way in and terrorize Hippowdon with Outrage and Draco Meteor depending on how much defensive investment it has. Latias doesn't mind Ice Fang too much and can use Surf to deal significant damage to Hippowdon.
**Status**: Status is especially effective versus Hippowdon, and a large number of Pokemon can take advantage of this to cripple it, often by surprise. Zapdos and Flygon can use Toxic to prevent Hippowdon from walling them. Gengar and Rotom-A can use Will-O-Wisp to put Hippowdon on a timer. Toxic Spikes users like Roserade and Nidoqueen can also force Hippowdon to take poison.
**Knock Off and Trick users**: Clefable and Gliscor can use Knock Off to remove Hippowdon's Leftovers, which dampens its ability to defensively answer Tyranitar, Dragonite, Infernape, and especially Jirachi. Trick can accomplish the same feat but can cripple it even further by giving it a Choice item, which makes it near impossible to defensively answer anything reliably.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Excal, 456373]]
- Quality checked by: [[DeepBlueC, 307789], [Emeral, 72767]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
Hippowdon is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the metagame. With its gargantuan HP and Defense and Ground typing, Hippowdon is one of the best defensive answers to Tyranitar, which can almost never 2HKO Hippowdon without a way to boost its damage output like Choice Band, Expert Belt, or Dragon Dance. In addition, depending on whether it's physically or specially defensive, Hippowdon can wall a large portion of the metagame. Its ability, Sand Stream, is extremely desirable, as it forces constant chip damage on almost all Pokemon that are not Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-types. Thanks to Hippowdon's access to an instant recovery move in Slack Off coupled with its bulk, its longevity is near unrivaled. With access to great utility in Stealth Rock and Roar, Hippowdon functions as a fantastic, consistent support option.
However, Hippowdon is extremely slow and can be passive even with its STAB-boosted Earthquake, so it's not difficult to offensively pressure it. Water- and Grass-types give Hippowdon an extremely hard time, especially the latter, which resist its Earthquake. Setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Calm Mind Suicune can put tremendous pressure on Hippowdon, as staying in to phaze them, whether by choice or by necessity, can result in sustaining a ton of damage. Skarmory can use Hippowdon to set up Spikes, which Hippowdon detests. There are very few Pokemon that despise status more than Hippowdon, as poison and burn make it significantly worse at doing its job.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roar / Ice Fang
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hippowdon has the most physical bulk of any Pokemon in OU, and this set takes that to its highest potential. With unparalleled Defense, Hippowdon can shrug off attacks from some of the strongest physical attackers in the tier, like Tyranitar, Infernape, Metagross, and Machamp. In addition, it completely shuts down physical variants of Jirachi, taking very little damage even from a fully invested Iron Head. Hippowdon is a great Stealth Rock user, being able to set it up against a large range of Pokemon, like the aforementioned strong physical attackers. Slack Off gives Hippowdon instant recovery that takes its longevity to great heights, enabling it to wall a large portion of the metagame. Earthquake is its strongest STAB move, which is great because Ground-type STAB moves are desirable in the metagame. Roar is a fantastic option because Hippowdon is capable of phazing a large range of Pokemon due to its supreme bulk. Roar can also compensate for Hippowdon's passivity by wearing down foes with chip damage from Stealth Rock and sand, and it can be used in a pinch to stop dangerous setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Gyarados and even Breloom from setting up. As an alternative, Ice Fang gives Hippowdon great coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting important targets like Dragon-types and Gliscor and even doing a decent job at wearing down Gengar as it switches in.
If another Pokemon on your team has Stealth Rock, you could opt for both Roar and Ice Fang or even a move like Toxic, which can be extremely useful against foes like opposing Hippowdon, Zapdos, Gyarados, and Milotic. You'll likely find that this is a rare occurrence, however, because even if a Pokemon like Clefable already has Stealth Rock on a defensive team, it can be useful to use Stealth Rock on Hippowdon as well to cover the physical attackers that Clefable cannot set it up on; Clefable in turn can cover the special attackers that prevent Hippowdon from setting Stealth Rock, like Starmie and Empoleon.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Defense are necessary to shut down Tyranitar, Machamp, and Iron Head Jirachi as well as possible. There is definitely potential for some Special Defense EVs, which may improve Hippowdon's durability versus surprise special attacks like Tyranitar's Ice Beam and Jirachi's Grass Knot; however, sacrificing physical bulk will make a significant difference, as in practice Hippowdon will switch into a large range of physical attackers. Also, with maximum physical bulk, Hippowdon can sometimes survive some of the most devastating physical attacks, like +2 Lucario's Close Combat and even Metagross's Explosion.
Usage Tips
========
It can be beneficial to conceal Roar or Ice Fang for as long as possible, as revealing it later can catch a Pokemon like Dragonite, mixed Flygon, or Dragon Dance Gyarados off guard. Many Ground-immune Pokemon can offensively pressure Hippowdon due to its inability to hit them with a strong attack, so keeping it healthy throughout a battle with Slack Off is essential in case of a surprise like a critical hit. Conserve Earthquake PP if possible, as it can be valuable in pressuring Clefable and Jirachi in a matchup against a defensive team. Using Roar aggressively can be very rewarding and compensate for Hippowdon enabling Pokemon to set up on it and even catch aggressive double switches from your opponent. Try to keep Hippowdon unstatused for as long as possible, as a burn from the likes of Gengar and Rotom-A, poison from Toxic Spikes, or Toxic from Zapdos and Bronzong can make Hippowdon significantly less effective.
Team Options
========
Hippowdon definitely requires some support to function well. Counterplay against Spikes and Toxic Spikes is very appreciated. Bulkier variants of Starmie can take on Swampert and Gyarados and also provide crucial Rapid Spin support. Magnezone is great to trap and remove Skarmory, which is one of the Pokemon that can exploit Hippowdon the most. In addition, Magnezone can paralyze Jirachi, which can dampen its ability to potentially take Hippowdon down through flinches, and also remove Bronzong with a Magnet Rise set. Latias has fantastic type synergy with Hippowdon with its Water and Grass resistances and can bring a lot of support to the table. A Sleep Talk set can absorb sleep from Breloom and Roserade, while bulkier utility sets can provide Thunder Wave, Reflect, and even Toxic support. Wish + Protect Jirachi, with a Careful nature in particular, can spread paralysis with Body Slam and take on annoyances like Gengar and special attacking Water-types. Roserade takes on Water-types like Kingdra, Empoleon, and Suicune, can set up entry hazards, clears Toxic Spikes with its Poison typing, and absorbs status. Clefable has fantastic defensive synergy with Hippowdon; it can absorb any Will-O-Wisp or Toxic that is thrown at Hippowdon, which makes the combination of the two incredibly difficult to break. Hippowdon also takes on physical attackers like Tyranitar, Infernape, and even Dragonite, while Clefable handles special attackers like Starmie, Empoleon, and Roserade. Both Hippowdon and Clefable are weak to Breloom, however, so a Breloom check works very well with these two. Zapdos is a great teammate for Hippowdon in general, as its defensive utility to answer Gyarados and Swampert is valuable. Skarmory also combines very well defensively with Hippowdon, helping to handle dangerous setup sweepers like Gyarados and Dragonite. In addition, it can set up Spikes to support Hippowdon wearing down foes with Roar. Gliscor surprisingly works very well with Hippowdon despite compounding Water- and Ice-type weaknesses. It doubles down on Tyranitar, Lucario, and Flygon while providing great utility in Taunt, Knock Off, and even Ice Fang.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Fang / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Specially defensive Hippowdon is a behemoth capable of shrugging off some of the most powerful special attacks in the metagame, such as Dragonite's Draco Meteor, Gengar's Shadow Ball, and Infernape's Fire Blast. Stealth Rock fits well on Hippowdon, as it can use its monstrous bulk to set it up against a number of Pokemon, such as Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Infernape. In addition, Hippowdon can use its enhanced Special Defense to wear down bulky Starmie with Earthquake, as an uninvested Surf does not do that much damage. This can be essential in an entry hazard war against a Starmie team. Slack Off enables Hippowdon to maximize its capabilities against Dragonite, Flygon, and Infernape while also maximizing its longevity. Ice Fang is preferred to take advantage of its matchup against mixed Dragon-types while also hitting Gliscor. Roar is a fantastic alternative option; however, it is more risky to use it against a foe like Dragon Dance Gyarados or Dragonite because of this set's lack of investment in Defense.
Set Details
========
Hippowdon wants as much Special Defense as possible to take Draco Meteor from the likes of Dragonite, Flygon, and Latias as well as possible. In addition, it can take advantage of maximum investment in bulk to take on Choice Specs Heatran's Overheat from the lead position. There is potential to use a bit of Defense with an Impish nature while still heavily investing in Special Defense to improve Hippowdon's matchup versus Dragon Dance Dragonite; however, it will lose out on a significant amount of special bulk by changing from a Careful to an Impish nature.
Usage Tips
========
Make sure to keep Hippowdon as healthy as possible, especially when facing foes like mixed Flygon, Dragonite, and Gengar. Avoid status from the likes of Will-O-Wisp Gengar, Toxic Zapdos, and even Body Slam Jirachi when trying to answer these Pokemon. If your team cannot clear Toxic Spikes, try to send Hippowdon in before two layers have gone up. Although it detests even regular poison, being badly poisoned means Hippowdon is dead weight a large majority of the time. Keep Ice Fang concealed until the right moment to increase your likelihood of confirming a hit on a key target. Once Ice Fang has been revealed, liberally using it in more slow-paced matchups to fish for a freeze can be a good idea.
Team Options
========
Physically defensive Skarmory is a great teammate, as these two walls have fantastic synergy, and Spikes support is helpful to compensate for Hippowdon's passiveness against Pokemon with a resistance or immunity to Ground. Gliscor can help with Choice Band Tyranitar, which can be a bit overwhelming for specially defensive Hippowdon; in return, Hippowdon can use its enhanced Special Defense to take on Ice Beam variants of mixed Tyranitar. Calm Mind Clefable can work wonderfully to patch up stall weaknesses that may be incurred with Hippowdon while also checking Dragon Dance Gyarados. Celebi and Roserade are useful teammates to combat Water-types like Swampert and Empoleon. Roserade's ability to lay down entry hazards and absorb Toxic Spikes also greatly benefits Hippowdon. Magnezone's ability to trap and remove Skarmory is great to prevent too many Spikes from making Hippowdon's job more difficult. Latias, especially with some Defense, can support Hippowdon very well. Alternatively, a Sleep Talk set can help to compensate for Hippowdon's Breloom weakness.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hippowdon can utilize Curse to be a potent defensive setup sweeper alongside Earthquake, Ice Fang, and Slack Off. Crunch can be used to maim Gengar and take it by surprise, as well as perhaps fish for Defense drops on foes like Clefable and Blissey, but its use is quite limited, and it's still risky to stay in versus Gengar and take a Will-O-Wisp. Fire Fang can be used to hit Scizor and Forretress, while Thunder Fang can hit Gyarados, but there are much better checks available for these Pokemon. A more offensive set with Stone Edge can take Zapdos and Gyarados by surprise, but Zapdos can likely survive Stone Edge regardless of how offensive the Hippowdon is. Protect has potential to scout Choice item users and gain health over time, but there isn't usually room to fit this move, and Slack Off is better overall. Superpower can be used to surprise Blissey and Clefable, which can do serious damage with some offensive investment. Hippowdon can create greater than 100 HP Substitutes to set up on Blissey and Clefable, but it usually doesn't gain enough mileage off of Substitute to justify it. Stockpile can make Hippowdon nearly impossible to KO without a critical hit, but sets with this move are so passive that the opponent gets many opportunities to find a critical hit or set up Spikes, Calm Mind, or even Dragon Dance. Yawn can function as a pseudo-phazing move that forces foes out with the threat of sleep, but Roar is generally better.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types like Swampert, Suicune, Starmie, Empoleon, Milotic, and Kingdra can deal devastating damage to any Hippowdon, while Hippowdon doesn't strongly threaten these Pokemon back outside of Earthquake against Empoleon, which it likely won't get an opportunity to use anyway due to Empoleon's powerful Water-type attacks.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Celebi, Breloom, Roserade, and Shaymin can use Hippowdon to set up with the threat of their strong STAB or utility moves. Hippowdon can't deal significant damage to these Pokemon outside of Roserade and Breloom with Ice Fang. In Breloom's case, depending on its bulk, the damage may not even be that significant.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Ground-immune Pokemon can often take advantage of Hippowdon's passiveness to set up. Gliscor can use Knock Off or set up Swords Dance without minding Ice Fang that much in many cases. Gengar doesn't take too much from Ice Fang and can fire off Shadow Ball repeatedly, which Hippowdon may have difficulty combating. Gyarados can set up Dragon Dance and fire off a powerful STAB-boosted Waterfall. Dragonite can find its way in and terrorize Hippowdon with Outrage and Draco Meteor depending on how much defensive investment it has. Latias doesn't mind Ice Fang too much and can use Surf to deal significant damage to Hippowdon.
**Status**: Status is especially effective versus Hippowdon, and a large number of Pokemon can take advantage of this to cripple it, often by surprise. Zapdos and Flygon can use Toxic to prevent Hippowdon from walling them. Gengar and Rotom-A can use Will-O-Wisp to put Hippowdon on a timer. Toxic Spikes users like Roserade and Nidoqueen can also force Hippowdon to take poison.
**Knock Off and Trick users**: Clefable and Gliscor can use Knock Off to remove Hippowdon's Leftovers, which dampens its ability to defensively answer Tyranitar, Dragonite, Infernape, and especially Jirachi. Trick can accomplish the same feat but can cripple it even further by giving it a Choice item, which makes it near impossible to defensively answer anything reliably.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Excal, 456373]]
- Quality checked by: [[DeepBlueC, 307789], [Emeral, 72767]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
Last edited:
