Rabia
GP & NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]
Rhydon excels as a Stealth Rock setter thanks to the combination of its solid Eviolite-complemented bulk and typing, as well as its great offensive presence, letting it pressure common forms of entry hazard prevention in Xatu, Dhelmise, Rotom, and Blastoise while serving as an effective stop to Pokemon like Incineroar and Braviary. Additionally, Rhydon's great Attack stat combined with Swords Dance and its passable Speed tier lets it function as a strong wallbreaker capable of dismantling walls like Vaporeon, specially defensive Vileplume, and Druddigon at +2. However, Rhydon's reliance on Eviolite for bulk makes it susceptible to Knock Off, and its resulting lack of recovery makes it easy to wear down. Additionally, Rhydon is vulnerable to the plethora of Water- and Grass-type Pokemon in the tier, as well as common coverage options such as Delphox's Grass Knot, Heliolisk's Surf, and Vivillon's Energy Ball, which harms its reliability as a standalone check to these Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Eviolite
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is mandatory for essentially any competitive team, and Rhydon is a great user of the move thanks to its ability to threaten common forms of entry hazard prevention, such as Xatu, Rotom, and Decidueye, with heavy damage. Earthquake hits other Stealth Rock setters in Steelix and opposing Rhydon and is Rhydon's best form of damage against neutral targets like Vaporeon, Slowking, Druddigon, and Blastoise. Stone Edge lets Rhydon always OHKO Xatu as it switches in and lets Rhydon take down Braviary and Golbat. Rock Blast is an alternative to Stone Edge that lets Rhydon better deal with Substitute Braviary and Focus Sash Vivillon, although Stone Edge's greater power is more appreciated. Swords Dance enables Rhydon to better take on Pokemon like Dhelmise and Bulk Up Braviary with its coverage options. Ice Punch can be run to let Rhydon lure in and take out Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Torterra.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature bolster Rhydon's offensive capabilities and let it outspeed Pokemon such as Incineroar, Vileplume, and Slowking. An Eviolite helps Rhydon better check Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Braviary. Rhydon can opt for a bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 52 Atk / 120 Def / 84 SpD with an Impish nature, which notably lets it survive two Close Combats from Passimian and lets it better take on Pokemon like Magmortar and Braviary. However, such a set is much more easily walled by bulky Pokemon like Vileplume, Dhelmise, and Blastoise, even with the help of Swords Dance.
Usage Tips
========
Rhydon can gain opportunities to set Stealth Rock by switching into Pokemon it checks such as Incineroar, Braviary, and Garbodor. However, if the opponent has a Xatu, it is often worthwhile to predict it switching in by using Stone Edge or Rock Blast to dent it. From there, you can use Swords Dance to help ease Roost mind games. Similarly, predicting other forms of entry hazard control such as Dhelmise and Decidueye to switch in and using Ice Punch to hit them can open up the opportunity to keep Stealth Rock up. Once Stealth Rock is set, simply firing off attacks to take advantage of Rhydon's great Attack stat can open up holes in the opponent's team. While Rhydon is generally a solid check to Fire- and Flying-types like Incineroar and Braviary, be wary of super effective coverage options from them; Rhydon can be taken down by moves like Incineroar's boosted Tectonic Rage and Braviary's boosted All-Out Pummeling. Although Rhydon looks like a solid Heliolisk check due to its resistance or immunity to Heliolisk's STAB attacks, it must be extremely wary of Surf as well as Hyper Voice, which reliably 3HKOes it. Similarly, while Rhydon does a great job of checking Incineroar, be wary of switching into Knock Off, as losing Eviolite severely compromises Rhydon's bulk.
Team Options
========
Grass-types like Vileplume, Sceptile, and Dhelmise have great defensive synergy with Rhydon; they appreciate Rhydon switching into Flying- and Fire-type attacks for them, while they can take on opposing Water-, Ground-, and Grass-types. Similarly, Fire-types like Incineroar, Delphox, and Magmortar appreciate Rhydon drawing in Grass-types for them. Weezing and Garbodor can form an entry hazard stacking core with Rhydon and appreciate its effectiveness at pressuring Pokemon like Xatu, Rotom, and Golbat. In return, these Pokemon can switch into Fighting- and Grass-type attacks for Rhydon. Because Rhydon lacks any form of recovery, Wish support from Vaporeon and Delphox helps keep it healthy enough to switch into Pokemon like Incineroar and Rotom several times. Vaporeon can also provide Heal Bell support, which helps prevent Rhydon from being worn down by poison and burn from the likes of Weezing and Rotom.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rhydon can opt to run Groundium Z or Rockium Z to OHKO Vileplume as well as heavily damage other common switch-ins, such as Slowking and Vaporeon, although forgoing Eviolite makes Rhydon a significantly worse check to Pokemon like Incineroar and Aerodactyl. Megahorn is an option that lets Rhydon more easily deal with Slowking while providing super effective coverage for certain Grass-types like Sceptile and Alolan Exeggutor. However, it forces Rhydon to drop Swords Dance, harming its ability to check Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Pursuit can be run to target Delphox and non-Colbur Berry Rotom, although Grass Knot is very commonly run on Delphox, while Rotom runs Will-O-Wisp often, making them difficult to successfully trap.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Dhelmise, Sceptile, Alolan Exeggutor, and Decidueye can easily switch into anything from Rhydon bar Ice Punch and OHKO it in return with their Grass-type STAB attacks. Dhelmise and Decidueye can also clear Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin and Defog.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon, defensive Slowking, and Blastoise can easily switch into anything from Rhydon and KO it with Scald. Pyukumuku and Quagsire are special cases, as they are not threatened even by a boosted Rhydon thanks to Unaware. Samurott cannot switch in easily, although it can revenge kill Rhydon.
**Fighting-types**: Although they struggle to switch in, Pangoro and Medicham can easily OHKO Rhydon with Hammer Arm and High Jump Kick, while Passimian can revenge kill Rhydon with Close Combat.
**Faster Attackers with Super Effective Coverage**: Pokemon like Heliolisk, Delphox, Magmortar, and Sigilyph cannot switch into Rhydon safely, but they all outspeed and can OHKO it with super effective coverage moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Earlier versions by: [[AJB, 302550], [Eternally, 295647], [quziel, 297859]]
- Quality checked by: [[Espeonage., 395065], [quziel, 297859], [Eternally, 295647]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [JockeMS, 53214]]
Rhydon excels as a Stealth Rock setter thanks to the combination of its solid Eviolite-complemented bulk and typing, as well as its great offensive presence, letting it pressure common forms of entry hazard prevention in Xatu, Dhelmise, Rotom, and Blastoise while serving as an effective stop to Pokemon like Incineroar and Braviary. Additionally, Rhydon's great Attack stat combined with Swords Dance and its passable Speed tier lets it function as a strong wallbreaker capable of dismantling walls like Vaporeon, specially defensive Vileplume, and Druddigon at +2. However, Rhydon's reliance on Eviolite for bulk makes it susceptible to Knock Off, and its resulting lack of recovery makes it easy to wear down. Additionally, Rhydon is vulnerable to the plethora of Water- and Grass-type Pokemon in the tier, as well as common coverage options such as Delphox's Grass Knot, Heliolisk's Surf, and Vivillon's Energy Ball, which harms its reliability as a standalone check to these Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Eviolite
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is mandatory for essentially any competitive team, and Rhydon is a great user of the move thanks to its ability to threaten common forms of entry hazard prevention, such as Xatu, Rotom, and Decidueye, with heavy damage. Earthquake hits other Stealth Rock setters in Steelix and opposing Rhydon and is Rhydon's best form of damage against neutral targets like Vaporeon, Slowking, Druddigon, and Blastoise. Stone Edge lets Rhydon always OHKO Xatu as it switches in and lets Rhydon take down Braviary and Golbat. Rock Blast is an alternative to Stone Edge that lets Rhydon better deal with Substitute Braviary and Focus Sash Vivillon, although Stone Edge's greater power is more appreciated. Swords Dance enables Rhydon to better take on Pokemon like Dhelmise and Bulk Up Braviary with its coverage options. Ice Punch can be run to let Rhydon lure in and take out Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Torterra.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature bolster Rhydon's offensive capabilities and let it outspeed Pokemon such as Incineroar, Vileplume, and Slowking. An Eviolite helps Rhydon better check Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Braviary. Rhydon can opt for a bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 52 Atk / 120 Def / 84 SpD with an Impish nature, which notably lets it survive two Close Combats from Passimian and lets it better take on Pokemon like Magmortar and Braviary. However, such a set is much more easily walled by bulky Pokemon like Vileplume, Dhelmise, and Blastoise, even with the help of Swords Dance.
Usage Tips
========
Rhydon can gain opportunities to set Stealth Rock by switching into Pokemon it checks such as Incineroar, Braviary, and Garbodor. However, if the opponent has a Xatu, it is often worthwhile to predict it switching in by using Stone Edge or Rock Blast to dent it. From there, you can use Swords Dance to help ease Roost mind games. Similarly, predicting other forms of entry hazard control such as Dhelmise and Decidueye to switch in and using Ice Punch to hit them can open up the opportunity to keep Stealth Rock up. Once Stealth Rock is set, simply firing off attacks to take advantage of Rhydon's great Attack stat can open up holes in the opponent's team. While Rhydon is generally a solid check to Fire- and Flying-types like Incineroar and Braviary, be wary of super effective coverage options from them; Rhydon can be taken down by moves like Incineroar's boosted Tectonic Rage and Braviary's boosted All-Out Pummeling. Although Rhydon looks like a solid Heliolisk check due to its resistance or immunity to Heliolisk's STAB attacks, it must be extremely wary of Surf as well as Hyper Voice, which reliably 3HKOes it. Similarly, while Rhydon does a great job of checking Incineroar, be wary of switching into Knock Off, as losing Eviolite severely compromises Rhydon's bulk.
Team Options
========
Grass-types like Vileplume, Sceptile, and Dhelmise have great defensive synergy with Rhydon; they appreciate Rhydon switching into Flying- and Fire-type attacks for them, while they can take on opposing Water-, Ground-, and Grass-types. Similarly, Fire-types like Incineroar, Delphox, and Magmortar appreciate Rhydon drawing in Grass-types for them. Weezing and Garbodor can form an entry hazard stacking core with Rhydon and appreciate its effectiveness at pressuring Pokemon like Xatu, Rotom, and Golbat. In return, these Pokemon can switch into Fighting- and Grass-type attacks for Rhydon. Because Rhydon lacks any form of recovery, Wish support from Vaporeon and Delphox helps keep it healthy enough to switch into Pokemon like Incineroar and Rotom several times. Vaporeon can also provide Heal Bell support, which helps prevent Rhydon from being worn down by poison and burn from the likes of Weezing and Rotom.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rhydon can opt to run Groundium Z or Rockium Z to OHKO Vileplume as well as heavily damage other common switch-ins, such as Slowking and Vaporeon, although forgoing Eviolite makes Rhydon a significantly worse check to Pokemon like Incineroar and Aerodactyl. Megahorn is an option that lets Rhydon more easily deal with Slowking while providing super effective coverage for certain Grass-types like Sceptile and Alolan Exeggutor. However, it forces Rhydon to drop Swords Dance, harming its ability to check Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Pursuit can be run to target Delphox and non-Colbur Berry Rotom, although Grass Knot is very commonly run on Delphox, while Rotom runs Will-O-Wisp often, making them difficult to successfully trap.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Dhelmise, Sceptile, Alolan Exeggutor, and Decidueye can easily switch into anything from Rhydon bar Ice Punch and OHKO it in return with their Grass-type STAB attacks. Dhelmise and Decidueye can also clear Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin and Defog.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon, defensive Slowking, and Blastoise can easily switch into anything from Rhydon and KO it with Scald. Pyukumuku and Quagsire are special cases, as they are not threatened even by a boosted Rhydon thanks to Unaware. Samurott cannot switch in easily, although it can revenge kill Rhydon.
**Fighting-types**: Although they struggle to switch in, Pangoro and Medicham can easily OHKO Rhydon with Hammer Arm and High Jump Kick, while Passimian can revenge kill Rhydon with Close Combat.
**Faster Attackers with Super Effective Coverage**: Pokemon like Heliolisk, Delphox, Magmortar, and Sigilyph cannot switch into Rhydon safely, but they all outspeed and can OHKO it with super effective coverage moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Earlier versions by: [[AJB, 302550], [Eternally, 295647], [quziel, 297859]]
- Quality checked by: [[Espeonage., 395065], [quziel, 297859], [Eternally, 295647]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [JockeMS, 53214]]
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