[OVERVIEW]
Rhydon’s massive Attack, STAB Earthquake, 103 HP Substitutes, and Electric immunity give it a powerful role within the Stadium OU metagame. Like in RBY OU, it blanks Zapdos and Jolteon, but it gains more depth in its ability to handle other threats with paralysis support from its team. Its Substitutes can survive a Seismic Toss, which Chansey commonly runs due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes. Additionally, Stadium's Substitute offers Rhydon added utility, most notably blocking Exeggutor’s Stun Spore, and while allowing it to throw off strong attacks or attempt a Body Slam paralysis with little to no drawbacks. Rest is also used by many Pokemon in Stadium, including, Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro, and Cloyster; this further helps Rhydon get on the field and get up a Substitute without risking damage or a status ailment. Rhydon’s defensive typing—while not great—allows it to also be a Thunder Wave and Explosion absorber.
Unfortunately, Rhydon is slower than all OU Pokemon besides Snorlax and Slowbro. Despite its Normal resistance, its poor defensive typing and Special allow common Pokemon such as Chansey, Tauros, and Starmie to outspeed and 2HKO with Ice Beam or Blizzard, which they very commonly carry. This means Rhydon absolutely requires paralysis support to be effective, and while this may seem high-maintenance, with proper team support Rhydon is capable of busting massive holes mid-game or cleaning up late-game.
Rhydon also competes with Golem, which has access to Explosion—and is slightly faster than Rhydon, at base 45 — meaning it wins one-on-one with its own Earthquake. However, what Golem lacks is the ability to create Substitutes that survive Seismic Toss. This makes Golem’s gameplan very prediction reliant because wallbreaking and cleaning up is much less safe. Rhydon also has the edge offensively, as its higher Attack allows it to meet better KO ranges against common Pokemon in the metagame. Finally, while Golem does outspeed Rhydon, they effectively share the same Speed tier, being outsped by Chansey and thus both requiring paralysis support. For these reasons, Rhydon is preferred on most competitive teams.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Rest
move 4: Body Slam
[SET COMMENTS]
Rhydon looks to capitalize on its opportunities and massive Attack stat with its standard Substitute set. Its Earthquake is the strongest physical attack in the game with no drawbacks. It can easily enter the field against Zapdos and Jolteon, as these threats fail to threaten Rhydon with significant damage or status, with it taking less than 20% from the super effective Double Kick seen on Jolteon. If Chansey is revealed to only have Seismic Toss for attacks, it can also act as a point of entry. However, it's still best to not switch into Seismic Toss, as you can switch in on a predicted Thunder Wave or Soft-Boiled for free, keeping Rhydon healthy to create Subsitutes and stay out of range of Starmie’s and Tauros’s Blizzard. Once it gets in, it can get a Substitute up for free—usually forcing a switch—to attack accordingly. Common checks in Starmie and Exeggutor risk Body Slam paralysis as they break your Substitute, which can help tremendously long term, although Exeggutor commonly runs Rest and can remove the paralysis if it manages to get it off. Not only does your team appreciate these checks being paralyzed, but next time they will be unable to beat Rhydon behind a Substitute one-on-one, as Body Slam chip damage means Earthquake 2HKOes Starmie and Rock Slide 3HKOes Exeggutor.
It’s important to note just how devastatingly strong Rhydon is. For reference, with Earthquake it OHKOes Jolteon and the rare Gengar, 2HKOes Alakazam, Chansey, Rhydon, and the uncommon Persian and Golem, has a small chance to 2HKO Starmie, and 3HKOes Tauros and Snorlax. It’s also worth noting These are some of the most common Pokemon in the metagame. Also, if Tauros uses Substitute it will be in 2HKO range, meaning it can no longer switch into Rhydon behind a Substitute. With Rock Slide, it OHKOes Jynx and Articuno, 2HKOes Zapdos, and 3HKOes Cloyster. However, it still loses to all the threats listed above in a one-on-one situation where Rhydon doesn’t have a Substitute and the opposing Pokemon isn’t paralyzed, aside from Zapdos, Jolteon, and Gengar. Additionally, these Pokemon potentially 2HKOing or even OHKOing Rhydon means you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit or mistake is enough to put Rhydon down.
Stadium's Team Preview is a double-edged sword for Rhydon. Knowing if your opponent has Zapdos or Jolteon is important to using Rhydon’s defensive utility most effectively. However, your opponent can plan around Rhydon, meaning a “free switch” can turn bad if your opponent double switches to a Rhydon check such as Starmie or Exeggutor.
Rhydon is capable of fitting Rest, and it is no gimmick. With so many Pokemon often using Rest themselves or paralyzed, Rhydon can usually find a time to use Rest. It also completely walls Seismic Toss Chansey and Snorlax if it lacks Ice Beam, Blizzard, or Earthquake, using Rest to stay healthy in the face of these threats. If Rhydon happens to be behind a Substitute, you gain an extra turn at the minimum to wake up. If you do decide to run Rest, it will most likely be over Rock Slide, but Body Slam is also an option. Replacing Rock Slide gives Rhydon a worse Exeggutor matchup, as it only 5HKOes with Body Slam. However, Earthquake hits enough of your key targets, and Body Slam paralysis is very valuable to punish switch-ins and gain better one-on-one matchups. Leer and Tail Whip are plausible to negate Reflect, which Snorlax and Chansey often use. This isn’t reliable or necessary, as you’d drop a more consistent option in Body Slam, Rock Slide, or Rest.
CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ctown6, 509438]]
- Quality checked by: [[Mikon, 535276], [Oiseau Bleu, 431020]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Rhydon’s massive Attack, STAB Earthquake, 103 HP Substitutes, and Electric immunity give it a powerful role within the Stadium OU metagame. Like in RBY OU, it blanks Zapdos and Jolteon, but it gains more depth in its ability to handle other threats with paralysis support from its team. Its Substitutes can survive a Seismic Toss, which Chansey commonly runs due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes. Additionally, Stadium's Substitute offers Rhydon added utility, most notably blocking Exeggutor’s Stun Spore, and while allowing it to throw off strong attacks or attempt a Body Slam paralysis with little to no drawbacks. Rest is also used by many Pokemon in Stadium, including, Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro, and Cloyster; this further helps Rhydon get on the field and get up a Substitute without risking damage or a status ailment. Rhydon’s defensive typing—while not great—allows it to also be a Thunder Wave and Explosion absorber.
Unfortunately, Rhydon is slower than all OU Pokemon besides Snorlax and Slowbro. Despite its Normal resistance, its poor defensive typing and Special allow common Pokemon such as Chansey, Tauros, and Starmie to outspeed and 2HKO with Ice Beam or Blizzard, which they very commonly carry. This means Rhydon absolutely requires paralysis support to be effective, and while this may seem high-maintenance, with proper team support Rhydon is capable of busting massive holes mid-game or cleaning up late-game.
Rhydon also competes with Golem, which has access to Explosion—and is slightly faster than Rhydon, at base 45 — meaning it wins one-on-one with its own Earthquake. However, what Golem lacks is the ability to create Substitutes that survive Seismic Toss. This makes Golem’s gameplan very prediction reliant because wallbreaking and cleaning up is much less safe. Rhydon also has the edge offensively, as its higher Attack allows it to meet better KO ranges against common Pokemon in the metagame. Finally, while Golem does outspeed Rhydon, they effectively share the same Speed tier, being outsped by Chansey and thus both requiring paralysis support. For these reasons, Rhydon is preferred on most competitive teams.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Rest
move 4: Body Slam
[SET COMMENTS]
Rhydon looks to capitalize on its opportunities and massive Attack stat with its standard Substitute set. Its Earthquake is the strongest physical attack in the game with no drawbacks. It can easily enter the field against Zapdos and Jolteon, as these threats fail to threaten Rhydon with significant damage or status, with it taking less than 20% from the super effective Double Kick seen on Jolteon. If Chansey is revealed to only have Seismic Toss for attacks, it can also act as a point of entry. However, it's still best to not switch into Seismic Toss, as you can switch in on a predicted Thunder Wave or Soft-Boiled for free, keeping Rhydon healthy to create Subsitutes and stay out of range of Starmie’s and Tauros’s Blizzard. Once it gets in, it can get a Substitute up for free—usually forcing a switch—to attack accordingly. Common checks in Starmie and Exeggutor risk Body Slam paralysis as they break your Substitute, which can help tremendously long term, although Exeggutor commonly runs Rest and can remove the paralysis if it manages to get it off. Not only does your team appreciate these checks being paralyzed, but next time they will be unable to beat Rhydon behind a Substitute one-on-one, as Body Slam chip damage means Earthquake 2HKOes Starmie and Rock Slide 3HKOes Exeggutor.
It’s important to note just how devastatingly strong Rhydon is. For reference, with Earthquake it OHKOes Jolteon and the rare Gengar, 2HKOes Alakazam, Chansey, Rhydon, and the uncommon Persian and Golem, has a small chance to 2HKO Starmie, and 3HKOes Tauros and Snorlax. It’s also worth noting These are some of the most common Pokemon in the metagame. Also, if Tauros uses Substitute it will be in 2HKO range, meaning it can no longer switch into Rhydon behind a Substitute. With Rock Slide, it OHKOes Jynx and Articuno, 2HKOes Zapdos, and 3HKOes Cloyster. However, it still loses to all the threats listed above in a one-on-one situation where Rhydon doesn’t have a Substitute and the opposing Pokemon isn’t paralyzed, aside from Zapdos, Jolteon, and Gengar. Additionally, these Pokemon potentially 2HKOing or even OHKOing Rhydon means you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit or mistake is enough to put Rhydon down.
Stadium's Team Preview is a double-edged sword for Rhydon. Knowing if your opponent has Zapdos or Jolteon is important to using Rhydon’s defensive utility most effectively. However, your opponent can plan around Rhydon, meaning a “free switch” can turn bad if your opponent double switches to a Rhydon check such as Starmie or Exeggutor.
Rhydon is capable of fitting Rest, and it is no gimmick. With so many Pokemon often using Rest themselves or paralyzed, Rhydon can usually find a time to use Rest. It also completely walls Seismic Toss Chansey and Snorlax if it lacks Ice Beam, Blizzard, or Earthquake, using Rest to stay healthy in the face of these threats. If Rhydon happens to be behind a Substitute, you gain an extra turn at the minimum to wake up. If you do decide to run Rest, it will most likely be over Rock Slide, but Body Slam is also an option. Replacing Rock Slide gives Rhydon a worse Exeggutor matchup, as it only 5HKOes with Body Slam. However, Earthquake hits enough of your key targets, and Body Slam paralysis is very valuable to punish switch-ins and gain better one-on-one matchups. Leer and Tail Whip are plausible to negate Reflect, which Snorlax and Chansey often use. This isn’t reliable or necessary, as you’d drop a more consistent option in Body Slam, Rock Slide, or Rest.
CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ctown6, 509438]]
- Quality checked by: [[Mikon, 535276], [Oiseau Bleu, 431020]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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