Overview
Trick Room Sweeper
Rampardos @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch
- Protect
Set Details
The EVs in Atk let Rampardos hit as hard as possible while the EVs in Def and HP give Rampardos the maximum chance of survival against common priority attacks like Mach Punch and Bullet Punch. Sheer Force and the Life Orb are both requirements to this set as they make Rampardos hit even harder than it already does.
Moves
Rock Slide is the main move of the set, negating the Life Orb recoil and hitting both Pokémon. Rampardos's Rock Slide is so powerful that foes that don't resist it are almost guaranteed to be 2HKOd. Rock Slide also activates Sheer Force which negates the Life Orb recoil.
Zen Headbutt takes the second slot for those Fighting-Types that wrongly assume that they can take on the mighty Rampadros. Zen Headbutt also deals 90% to physical defensive Amoongus, the single most annoying Spore user in the game. Zen Headbutt also OHKOs physically defensive Mega Venusaur as well as anything else that Psychic is strong against.
Fire Punch takes the last coverage slot to nail those Steel-Types that can easily handle a Rock Slide like Metagross and Aegislash. It's also boosted by both Sheer Force and the Life Orb, which means that it hits hard coming off of Rampardos's ginormous base 165 Atk.
Taking the final slot is Protect, an annoyingly common move in Doubles. Protect here will mostly be used to keep Rampardos from being murdered while waiting for its partner to set up Trick Room. Protect can also be used to keep Rampardos alive while its partner takes care of Priority users that Rampardos cannot OHKO like Azumarill.
Usage Tips
Always try to avoid sending Rampardos out first, as your opponent will most likely assume that you have a full-on Trick Room team when they your TR users and have a plan against you. For obvious reasons, its best to avoid switching Rampardos in. Instead wait for one of your Pokémon to faint, then send out Rampardos if Trick Room is up. This gives Rampardos a safe opportunity to be sent in. If your opponent lacks the counter they need to fight Rampardos, its almost certain doom.
Team Options
Any Pokémon that can reliably set up Trick Room is a great teammate. Porygon2, Aromatisse and Trevenant are great examples. Aromatisse can also set up Dual Screens and even use Aromatherapy, which Rampardos will always appreciate.
Additional Options
You may move 40 EVs from Def to Sp.Atk and replace Fire Punch with Ice Beam to nail would-be counters Gliscor and Landorus-T for super effective damage at the cost of some survivability and a lot of coverage against Steel-Types.
Another option is to replace Rock Slide with Stone Edge to secure the OHKO against Mega Kangaskhan, but Rock Slide is preferred since it activates Sheer Force which negates Life Orb recoil damage. At 90% health, Rampardos is almost guaranteed to face certain death at the hands of LO Scizor.
Also, you may replace Fire Punch with Superpower to nail Steel-Types that can handle a Fire Punch like Heatran and Aggron. Superpower also scores the OHKO against Mega Kangaskhan, but Fire Punch is preferred because Rampardos loses coverage against Aegislash and Metagross and many Trick Room users can learn Focus Blast to deal with Aggron.
Checks and Counters
If Rampardos is outside Trick Room, there's not much hope for it, so just attack it with virtually anything and it should do the trick. However, if Trick Room is up, Scrafty is perhaps the best counter to Rampardos there is, as it only falls to the Superpower variants. Aside from Scrafty, the checks and counters depend on what coverage move Rampardos runs.
- Ridiculously high attack
- Powerful STAB moves and plenty of coverage options
- Sheer Force
- Pathetic bulk
- Low Speed
- Weaknesses to Mach Punch and Bullet Punch
Trick Room Sweeper
Rampardos @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch
- Protect
Set Details
The EVs in Atk let Rampardos hit as hard as possible while the EVs in Def and HP give Rampardos the maximum chance of survival against common priority attacks like Mach Punch and Bullet Punch. Sheer Force and the Life Orb are both requirements to this set as they make Rampardos hit even harder than it already does.
Moves
Rock Slide is the main move of the set, negating the Life Orb recoil and hitting both Pokémon. Rampardos's Rock Slide is so powerful that foes that don't resist it are almost guaranteed to be 2HKOd. Rock Slide also activates Sheer Force which negates the Life Orb recoil.
Zen Headbutt takes the second slot for those Fighting-Types that wrongly assume that they can take on the mighty Rampadros. Zen Headbutt also deals 90% to physical defensive Amoongus, the single most annoying Spore user in the game. Zen Headbutt also OHKOs physically defensive Mega Venusaur as well as anything else that Psychic is strong against.
Fire Punch takes the last coverage slot to nail those Steel-Types that can easily handle a Rock Slide like Metagross and Aegislash. It's also boosted by both Sheer Force and the Life Orb, which means that it hits hard coming off of Rampardos's ginormous base 165 Atk.
Taking the final slot is Protect, an annoyingly common move in Doubles. Protect here will mostly be used to keep Rampardos from being murdered while waiting for its partner to set up Trick Room. Protect can also be used to keep Rampardos alive while its partner takes care of Priority users that Rampardos cannot OHKO like Azumarill.
Usage Tips
Always try to avoid sending Rampardos out first, as your opponent will most likely assume that you have a full-on Trick Room team when they your TR users and have a plan against you. For obvious reasons, its best to avoid switching Rampardos in. Instead wait for one of your Pokémon to faint, then send out Rampardos if Trick Room is up. This gives Rampardos a safe opportunity to be sent in. If your opponent lacks the counter they need to fight Rampardos, its almost certain doom.
Team Options
Any Pokémon that can reliably set up Trick Room is a great teammate. Porygon2, Aromatisse and Trevenant are great examples. Aromatisse can also set up Dual Screens and even use Aromatherapy, which Rampardos will always appreciate.
Additional Options
You may move 40 EVs from Def to Sp.Atk and replace Fire Punch with Ice Beam to nail would-be counters Gliscor and Landorus-T for super effective damage at the cost of some survivability and a lot of coverage against Steel-Types.
Another option is to replace Rock Slide with Stone Edge to secure the OHKO against Mega Kangaskhan, but Rock Slide is preferred since it activates Sheer Force which negates Life Orb recoil damage. At 90% health, Rampardos is almost guaranteed to face certain death at the hands of LO Scizor.
Also, you may replace Fire Punch with Superpower to nail Steel-Types that can handle a Fire Punch like Heatran and Aggron. Superpower also scores the OHKO against Mega Kangaskhan, but Fire Punch is preferred because Rampardos loses coverage against Aegislash and Metagross and many Trick Room users can learn Focus Blast to deal with Aggron.
Checks and Counters
If Rampardos is outside Trick Room, there's not much hope for it, so just attack it with virtually anything and it should do the trick. However, if Trick Room is up, Scrafty is perhaps the best counter to Rampardos there is, as it only falls to the Superpower variants. Aside from Scrafty, the checks and counters depend on what coverage move Rampardos runs.
- Fire Punch: Landorus-T and Gliscor are probably the best counters to this set can OHKO with their STAB attacks and take a hit from Rock Slide. Aegislash can serve as a check if it uses Fire Punch while it uses King's Shield, however one wrong move can result in Aegislash's demise.
- Ice Beam: Any bulky Steel-Type that can OHKO Rampardos, like Aegislash and Metagross.
- Superpower: Aegislash makes the best counter to any Superpower variant thanks to its handy resistances. Metagross can take a few hits and OHKO with Meteor Mash.
- Crunch: Bisharp and Mega Mawile can make short work of Rampardos thanks to their typing and powerful priority options. Aegislash can serve as a check if it properly predicts a Crunch. If not, you may lose Aegislash.
