http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/rhydon
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(Rhydon obviously doesn't have a DP analysis, so that's why it's a DP update)
The analysis is writen in a UU perspective even though Rhydon missed standard UU (by only 6 battles mind you).
Wrote this myself, and it's my first analysis ever so excuse anything I might have missed that's standard in writing these things up. Also, sorry if the format looks wierd, removing font tags might have done that >.<
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[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Megahorn
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With one of the highest Attack stats in UU and with Rock Polish to boost its poor Speed, Rhydon can be an extremely threatening sweeper if let set up.</p>
<p>Rock Polish is the key to this set, and Rhydon's physical bulkiness and good resistances to Flying and Normal along with an immunity to Electric make it easy enough to get a boost on common Pokemon like Crobat and Chansey. With the 218 Speed EVs you'll end up at 187 Speed, leaving you just ahead of minimum Speed Claydol without a boost. After just one Rock Polish, you end up with a great Speed stat of 374. That leaves you ahead of max Speed Sceptile and Floatzel (the most threatening Pokemon to your sweep) and ahead of Scarf base 60s and under like Rampardos. Earthquake and Stone Edge are Rhydon's STAB moves, completing the classic “EdgeQuake” combo that gives you nearly unresisted coverage in UU. Earthquake decimates common physical walls like Registeel, and Stone Edge hits Fliers and most of the Levitators in the tier. Megahorn hits Claydol super effectively who resists Rhydon's STAB, and also scores the strongest hit on the likes of Shaymin, Uxie, and Slowbro.</p>
<p> 252 Atk EVs are nessesary for maximum power, and 40 HP EVs give a bit of bulk. An Adamant nature is useable and will give you more power, but that puts you under Sceptile, Floatzel, Ambipom, and Persian, who could all hit you with a super effective attack or Hypnosis to end your sweep </p>
<p>There are a few more options for the last slot. Superpower and Hammer Arm are Fighting attacks to easily OHKO bulkier Normal-types like Miltank, Clefable, and Tauros after an Intimidate. Unfortunately, both moves come with a negative stat drop hindering the sweep. Rhydon has access to the elemental punches, but either STAB will hit just as hard on everything besides the uncommon 4x weak Pokemon.</p>
<p>The biggest obstacles to Rhydon's sweep are the common bulky Waters besides Slowbro, so you will want a good Grass- or Electric-type to rid of them. Shaymin is known for its great ability to come in on bulky Waters and fire off powerful Seed Flares. Roserade also has a similar ability, with the added bonus of being able to set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which along with Stealth Rock, will greatly help Rhydon sweep. Scarfed and bulky Fighting-types also pose a threat to Rhydon's sweep, as all Scarfed ones as fast as Blaziken will outspeed you and bulky ones with EV investment in Defense can tank a Stone Edge and hit back hard. Crobat is a great switch in to Fighting-type attacks with its 4x resistance and can KO many Fighting-types with its STAB Brave Bird. Crobat will also help against faster Grass-types like Scarf Roserade. Rhydon in turn can come in on Rock- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Crobat and use it as an opportunity to set up. Most priority attacks hit Rhydon super effectively, but fortunately they'll be taken easily by Crobat or your Grass-type</p>
<p>The choice between Life Orb and Leftovers is a debate between power and longevity, but an Expert Belt is a good medium between the two and works well with Rhydon's great coverage and bulk.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Hammer Arm / Double Edge / Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> With a Choice Band attached and an Adamant nature, Rhydon reaches a fearsome 588 attack stat, 2HKOing nearly every possible switch-in with the right move.</p>
<p>Earthquake and Stone Edge once again make up Rhydon's STAB moves and are also the moves you'll be firing off the most. Megahorn compliments your STAB moves well, taking out Psychic-types like Claydol and Uxie in one shot. A well placed Megahorn will also one hit Shaymin on the switch in, eliminating the threat. Rhydon's remaining physical moves that can hit harder than the main three moves are limited. Hammer Arm is a decently powered Fighting attack to take out Normal-types easily, and the Speed drop won't matter as much as on the Rock Polish set since you're already very slow. Double Edge is a powerful move that gets great type coverage and is a good move to throw out when you're not sure what's coming in, since most people wouldn't risk switching in the Rock- and Steel-types that resist the move under the threat of a powerful Earthquake. There's also the benefit of no recoil with Rhydon's Rock Head ability. Lastly, Toxic will cripple the bulky Waters that love to switch into Rhydon's attacks, making it easier to sweep later on.</p>
<p>Max Attack is a given on a Pokemon with such a high Attack stat and lowSpeed. The 84 Speed EVs are necessary to outrun base 50 Speed Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth and OHKO with the proper move. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP to bolster Rhydon's defenses. Of course, if you feel no need to outspeed those Pokemon, you could go for a simple 252HP/ 252 Atk /6 Spe spread.</p>
<p>The team options for the Choice Band set are pretty similar to the Rock Polish set. You'll of course still want a Pokemon to take out bulky Waters, but it'll now be substantially easier to take them out if you use Toxic. In addition, Wish support is useful on this Rhydon to help it stay alive longer and continue to switch in and out.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance / Megahorn
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 132 Atk / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Taking the idea right from big brother Rhyperior, Rhydon can also become extremely threatening behind a Substitute. The goal of the set is to get yourself behind a Substitute, which isn’t that difficult. Rhydon can come in on Flying and Normal-type attacks like Brave Bird and Facade from the common Crobat and Swellow, typically walling their entire moveset, and then causing them to U-turn out. It can also come into Honchkrow, but it’ll have to be choice locked into Drill Peck or Sucker Punch so Superpower doesn’t hit you.</p>
<p>The HP EVs give you 404 HP, which will make 101 HP Substitutesthat make setting up on Chansey and Clefable very easy since Seismic Toss will not break it. Substitute is also good for blocking status and Pain Split from Weezing, who walls the other two sets. Once behind a Substitute, you can choose to bolster your high Attack with Swords Dance, or fire off attacks behind your Substitute. Megahorn is a great attack to hit a Shaymin switch in behind a Substitute, having a 20% chance of OHKOing with the given EVs and Stealth Rock. And once again, Earthquake and Stone Edge make up your STAB options. You can mix and match two moves along with Swords Dance; Earthquake and Megahorn will let you hit Grass-types but is walled by Flying-types, especially Crobat, and Stone Edge and Megahorn suffer from poor accuracy and PP along with being walled by Steels. </p>
<p>The Speed EVs put you just above Chansey, Registeel, Regirock, and Weezing allowing you to put up a Substitute before they attack or attempt to status you. The rest is put into Attack to put some more sting into your attacks. </p>
<p>For this Rhydon to sweep, you’ll probably want some paralysis support to bolster your Speed. Slowbro, Chansey, and Clefable are all great for spreading out paralysis. Slowbro can also increase Rhydon’s Speed with Trick Room, and Chansey and Clefable can help Rhydon stay alive with some Wish support. </p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rhydon really despises bulky Water-type, especially Milotic, as they can come in on his STAB attacks without being OHKOed and threaten an OHKO on Rhydon. Shaymin is the premier Pokemon for taking out Water-types with Seed Flare, which will really hit everything hard. A switch into a Water-type can also give Shaymin a chance to set up a Sub-Seed chain, something other good Sub-Seeders like Sceptile, Roserade, and Jumpluff can do. Roserade deserves a special mention among the Grass-types also for being able to set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes that could really help a sweep. Grass types tend to bring in Flying and Fire-types like Crobat, Moltres, and Blaziken, and Rhydon is one of the best counters them, particularly Crobat and Moltres. He can intercept attacks from them and set up on those Pokemon (except Blaziken). </p>
<p>Crobat is a great Pokemon to pair up with Rhydon. Crobat can switch into all of Rhydon’s weaknesses (Grass, Water, Ground, Fighting, and Steel) fairly easily, boasting 4x resistances to Fighting and Grass and an immunity to Ground, while being bulky enough to usually combat the Pokemon using Steel-type attacks. In return, Rhydon is immune to Electric and takes Rock-type attacks easily, creating great synergy between the two. Slowbro has similar synergy, taking Water attacks and Fighting attacks while Rhydon takes Electric and Bug attacks, but shares a weakness to Grass with Rhydon. </p>
<p>The Substitute set is a bulkier set that appreciates some Wish support to be able to stick around longer and create more Substitutes. Clefable, Umbreon, and Chansey are reliable Wish passers that fit easily into most teams. Gardevoir is probably the best choice for a Wish passer with Rhydon, though, as they don’t share a Fighting-type weakness and Rhydon can handle Bug-type attackers. </p>
<p>Lastly, a strong Psychic type is recommended to take out Rhydon’s best counters, Weezing along with bulky Fighting-types like Hitmontop. Espeon is an excellent choice for this job, as it’ll come in on the probable Will-O-Wisp or fighting attack aimed at Rhydon with indifference. Espeon will easily dispose of Weezing or Hitmontop, or get a chance to set up a Calm Mind since they will probably switch out.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rhydon has a large physical movepool, but most attacks don’t help much because of the great coverage offered by Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Megahorn. Double Edge gives some neutral coverage and takes advantage of Rock Head preventing recoil. Rock Slide is a usable option over Stone Edge if you’re not impressed by Stone Edge’s lackluster accuracy, and the Rock Polish set take advantage of the flinch rate. Rock Blast is also similar, but it takes out Substitutes especially well (and especially wrecks Moltres). Like mentioned in the Rock Polish set, Rhydon can use Fire, Ice, and Thunder Punch/Fang, but your STAB move will generally do just as much damage as a super effective elemental punch/fang, with the only exception being Wormadam-S. Chances are Rhydon will be moving last, so Avalanche is a usable option as it'll typically have 120 base power. Endeavor is an option to take a sturdy opponent like Weezing down to low health on the Rock Polish set. Rhydon has curse, but he has too many common weaknesses and his special defense is too horrible even in sandstorm to stick around for too long.</p>
<p>Superpower, Brick Break, Hammer Arm, and Reversal are your Fighting type attack choices. While not bad moves themselves, their coverage with Earthquake is very redundant. Both Superpower and Hammer Arm have negative power drops that aren’t much worth it, especially to the Rock Polish set. Lack of Speed and STAB make Reversal a poor choice. Brick Break is just too weak to be a viable choice, although it does take out screens.</p>
<p>Since Rhydon has good HP and Defense stats, and with access to Stealth Rock and Roar, you could try a bulky tank set. This set though will usually be inferior to Steelix, Regirock, and even Golem since they have higher Defense stats and better typing, along with Explosion.</p>
<p>Rhydon also has a myriad of special attacks like Surf, Blizzard, Fire Blast, Thunder, and Focus Blast, but has horrible Special Attack so don’t use them.</p>
[EVs]
<p>You’ll always want to make use of Rhydon’s most redeeming stat: Attack. 252 is the best to use on every set except the Substitute one, in which you’ll need the bulk over power.</p>
<p>On the Choice Band set you can aim for a higher Speed. 124 EVs outruns no Speed Omastar, 164 EVs outruns no Speed base 60s (Weezing, Porygon2, Clefable), 204 EVs outruns base 65s (Umbreon, Walrein), and 220 EVs outruns Lanturn. You could go for a Jolly nature to outrun Claydol and Nidoqueen, but the power tradeoff isn’t usually worth it.</p>
<p>On the Substitute set it's perfectly fine to go the 252 Attack/ 252 Speed route if you find no need for the bulk. 80 Special Defense EVs ensure your Substitute will never be broken by unboosted Psychics, Dark Pulses, and Shadow Balls from 0 EV Uxie and Spiritomb in a sandstorm.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>When you look at Rhydon on paper it's easy to toss it aside becuase of all it's flaws, namely it's horrible speed, it's glaring weaknesses to very common attacks and horrible special defense. While those are crippling weaknesses, Rhydon also has alot of redeeming qualities like it's key resistances to Normal, Rock, Bug and Poison along with high physical defense which make boosting it's huge Attack or it's poor Speed easy on common Pokemon like Swellow, Crobat and Ambipom. So while it has obvious problems, Rhydon is a viable and often forgotten threat.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Like mentioned throughout the entire analysis, Rhydon absolutely hates bulky Waters (except Slowbro, and to a lesser extent Lanturn). Milotic is probably your best bet to take out Rhydon, being able to switch in safely and outspeed to OHKO with Surf. Poliwrath resists Stone Edge and outspeeds with a little EV investment, but Waterfall may not always OHKO a bulky CB set and it will take a huge hit from Earthquake. Azumarill can immediately threaten Rhydon with Aqua Jet, bypassing any speed boosts, but will find trouble switching in without being KO'd.</p>
<p>Claydol and Torterra are the two Pokemon in UU that resist Rhydon’s EdgeQuake combo, so they have a safe switch in typically. Claydol can hit Rhydon with an Earth Power, but will need some Speed investment or a Choice Scarf to outspeed an unboosted Rhydon and not take a Megahorn to the face. Torterra also has to fear getting hit by a Megahorn, but will outspeed most Rhydon without a Rock Polish boost and OHKO with Wood Hammer. Weezing is undoubtedly the best non-Substitute Rhydon counter in UU, switching in easily on all of Rhydon’s attacks and taking at best a 3HKO from Stone Edge, and can cripple Rhydon with Will-O-Wisp. The Substitute set though can beat Weezing, subbing on Will-O-Wisp and blocking out Pain Split.</p>
<p>Most Grass-types are usually bulky enough to switch in on Rhydon’s Earthquake and fast enough to OHKO with their STAB attacks. Probably the best option for a Grass-type counter to Rhydon is a bulky Venusaur, taking a 3HKO from Earthquake and KOing back with a Grass Knot. Shaymin and Sceptile are decent options, but have to watch for Megahorn on the switch in or from being outsped after a Rock Polish. </p>
<p>Lastly, bulky Fighting-types work as checks to all of the sets. Hitmontop and Hariyama stand out with Intimidate and a beefy HP stat respectively, allowing them to switch into a resisted Stone Edge easily and also being able to take an Earthquake. They can then hit Rhydon with Mach Punch, Close Combat, or Revenge and put huge dents into it. </p>
