Gen 1 Rhydon (Stadium OU Mini) [QC 2/2] [GP 1/1]

[Ctown6]

[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]]

 

[Plague von Karma]

Some stuff to consider bringing up to get you started;

• Rhydon has a much, much better Exeggutor matchup in Stadium. With it running Rest a ton, plus Substitute's buffs, it generally punishes it really hard. Not being able to be slept or para'd behind Substitute is just really helpful.
• Rest Rhydon is very legit in this format, many areas for it to wake up, I'd even wager for it to be slashed with Body Slam or Rock Slide. In terms of OO, I'd hazard Leer / Tail Whip, as well as Rest if you don't want it on the main set (which is reasonable). Double-Edge can be nice for busting Substitutes without recoil as well, though that's pushing it when you have Earthquake...
• Note the usual suspects for benefits; Substitute is funny against SToss Chansey, defensive typing makes it funny against Explosion and Thunder Wave, support with paralysis yourself for best results. Rhydon's STAB Earthquake is also the strongest physical attack in the game with no drawback.
• Usual suspects for drawbacks; imagine being weak to ice in OU, poor special, really wants para support cus it's slow as shit, tends to struggle in 1v1s.
• May be best to call the set "Standard" to be consistent with every other article on the dex. It is the set we've been using for 20+ years, I suppose.

Probably a lot of obvious info, but hey, can never be too careful.

 

[Ctown6]

Thanks pvk! It’s nice to have the info right here, more of it will be up tonight/tomorrow

 

[Mikon]

Some things to go over here.

read

Rhydon’s massive Attack, STAB Earthquake, 101 HP Substitutes

This is nitpicky, but Rhydon has 103 HP subs.

Its huge HP of stat giving it 101 HP substitutes is absolutely incredible for surviving Seismic Toss, most importantly Chansey’s Seismic Toss, which is even more common in Stadium due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes.

I would reword this to something like "Its Substitutes survive a Seismic Toss hit, which Chansey commonly uses in Stadium due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes", as you've already pointed out its subs have more than 100 HP and there is some repetition here.

Additionally Rhydon gains a boost from Substitute...

Add a comma after additionally here.

offering it added utility. Most notably...

Use comma instead after utility

Rest is also quite common in Stadium. Including but not limited to Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro and Cloyster; further increasing Rhydon’s ability to get on the field...

I would reword this to "Rest is used by many Pokemon, including, but not limited to Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro, and Cloyster; this further increases Rhydon's ability to get on the field..." to fix grammar mistakes

Unfortunately Rhydon has some major flaws.

Comma after unfortunately

It’s defensive typing leaves much to be desired...

Remove apostrophe from It's

...These factors means...

Change to "mean"

[SET]

name: Standard Don
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide / Rest
move 4: Body Slam

Call the set "Standard" for consistency with the other articles on the dex.

Its Earthquake is the strongest physical attack in the game with no drawbacks, as it doesn’t cause recoil damage to the user (Double Edge), force a recharge turn (Hyper Beam), or cause the user to faint (Self Destruct / Explosion).

I would remove the part in bold as it isn't necessary, and there are other drawbacks a move can have regardless (awful accuracy, 2-turn moves)

...it can switch into a Zapdos or Jolteon. As these threats fail to...

Use comma instead after Jolteon

...thanks to Rhydons Thunder Wave immunity and huge physical bulk. Easily stomaching Zapdos Drill Peck and taking less than 20% from the super effective Double Kick seen on Jolteon.

...thanks to Rhydon's Thunder Wave immunity and huge physical bulk that allows it to easily stomach Zapdos' Drill Peck and take less than 20% from the super effective Double Kick seen on Jolteon.

If Chansey is revealed to be mono- Seismic Toss it can also act as a point of entry.

Add comma after Seismic Toss

Once it gets in it can get a Substitute up

Add comma after "in"

Also, I would specify not to switch Rhydon into Seismic Toss, especially if it lacks Rest. After Seismic Toss and the damage from Substitute, Rhydon is low enough for plenty of things to KO it, like Tauros, Starmie, other Rhydon, and Alakazam. It'd be better to switch into something like Soft-Boiled instead.

Common checks in Starmie and Exeggutor are at risk of being paralyzed by Body Slam as they break your sub which can help tremendously long term.

It might be worth adding that Exeggutor is capable of wiping the paralysis off with Rest, though it's true it's easier to pressure with Rhydon when it's paralysed.

Not only does your team appreciate this, but next time they will be unable to beat you one on one behind a sub, as Starmie is 2HKO’d by Earthquake

It's a 17.7% chance, assuming full health. I would note that a little prior chip damage is required for a reliable 2HKO.

It’s important to note just how devastatingly strong Rhydon is. For reference it OHKO’s Jolteon, Gengar, Jynx, and Articuno. 2HKO’s Zapdos, Alakazam, Starmie, Persian, Chansey and opposing Rhydon and Golem. And 3HKO’s Tauros, Cloyster, and Snorlax (97% of the time). These are some of the most common Pokemon in the meta.

• I would separate the Earthquake and Rock Slide calcs, since Rock Slide isn't mandatory
• It might be worth noting that Tauros is 2HKOed by Rhydon's Earthquake after it uses Substitute. This means it can't switch in afterwards if it can't KO with Blizzard, though obviously it doesn't want to switch into attacks in the first place if it can avoid it
• *OHKOes, 2HKOes, 3HKOes

Additionaly these Pokemon posses the power to potentially 2HKO or even OHKO Rhydon. Meaning you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit is enough to put Rhydon down.

Additionally*, these Pokemon possess* the power to potentially 2HKO or even OHKO Rhydon, meaning you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit is enough to put Rhydon down.

...to help you game plan...

Change to "your"

...will also be able to game plan around Rhydon. Meaning what would be a “free switch”...

Use comma instead after Rhydon

Stadium mechanics however buffed Rhydon’s critical hit ratio from cartridge RBY. In stadium it sits at 11.3% much better than its former 7.8%

I don't think this is worth noting - it makes a difference less than 4% of the time, and Rhydon's crit rate is still poor.

Also while more rare, Golem is faster than Rhydon and wins in a one on one scenario, as it 2HKO’s with its own Earthquake. This isn’t enough to give Golem the edge overall, as Rhydon’s Seismic Toss-surviving Substitutes and superior damage output make up for the slightly lower Speed and lack of access to Explosion, as they both require paralysis support to be most effective anyways.

*2HKOes

Since Golem is competing with Rhydon it might be best to put the comparison in the overview so readers can understand what sets them apart without reading the entire analysis.

Rhydon is capable of slotting in Rest over either Body Slam or Rock Slide, and it is no gimmick. Withso many Pokemon often resting themselves or paralyzed, Rhydon can usually find a time to Rest. If it happens to be behind a Substitute that’s even better as you gain an extra turn at the minimum to shake off the 3 turns required to Rest, wake up, and make a move. Leer and Tail Whip are plausible in an attempt to negate Chansey or Snorlax Reflect. This isn’t reliable or necessary usually, as you’d be dropping more consistent options in Body Slam, Rock Slide, or Rest.

• It would be good to note that Rhydon gets back its Speed if it was paralysed before it used Rest.
• Also, Rhydon has a more difficult time with Exeggutor if it drops Rock Slide, as Body Slam only 5HKOes. That's not to say it should drop Body Slam instead, though.

Withso many Pokemon often resting themselves

...With so* many Pokemon often resting themselves...

If it happens to be behind a Substitute that’s even better as you gain an extra turn at the minimum to shake off the 3 turns required to Rest, wake up, and make a move.

I'd remove the part in bold and add a comma after Substitute.

-

Let me know when you've made changes and I'll take another look.

 

[Mikon]

Round 2.

read

Its Substitutes survive Seismic Toss, which Chansey Seismic Toss, which it commonly runs due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes.

Again, I'd reword this to "Its Substitutes can survive a Seismic Toss, which Chansey commonly uses in Stadium due to its 32 PP and ability to break weaker Substitutes" as there are now grammar mistakes

Rest is also used by many Pokemon in Stadium, including but not limited to Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro and Cloyster; this further increases Rhydon’s ability to get on the field and get up a Substitute without risking damage or a status ailment.

Add commas after "including" and "Slowbro"

The former it’s immune to, and the latter it takes minimal damage from...

I'd reword this to "It's immune to the former, and takes minimal damage from the latter" for grammar reasons

They have a similar stat spread and move pool,

Movepool is one word

Golem has access to Explosion — and is Slightly faster than Rhydon at base 45 — meaning it wins one on one with its own Earthquake.

Decapitalise "Slightly"

but both being 2HKOd by metagame staples Chansey, Starmie, And Tauros just to name a few.

Decapitalise "And"

Offensively they also share many similar calcs, but Rhydon’s higher Attack gives it the edge in this department.

Rhydon has a lot of important calcs over Golem. It 2HKOes Chansey, Tauros (after it uses Substitute), and has a chance to 2HKO Starmie, 3HKOes Snorlax and has a high chance to 3HKO Slowbro too. Golem either has a much smaller chance of doing the same or is completely incapable. It's another major reason why Rhydon is better.

Finally while Golem does outspeed Rhydon they effectively share the same Speed tier,

Add comma after "Finally"

thanks to Rhydons Thunder Wave immunity and huge physical bulk. Easily stomaching Zapdos’ Drill Peck and taking less than 20%

Change to Rhydon's
Get rid of the fullstop/period after bulk and reword to "huge physical bulk that allows it to easily stomach Zapdos' Drill Peck and take less than 20%"...

If Chansey is revealed to be mono- Seismic Toss, it can also act as a point of entry. Once it gets in, it can get a Substitute up for free — usually forcing your opponent out of said Pokemon — and allowing you to attack accordingly.

Again, I would specify to switch Rhydon in on a recovery turn or another status move that doesn't affect it, as taking damage from both Seismic Toss and Substitute puts it low enough for plenty of things to knock it out, whereas at 75% it's a lot harder to KO.

...although Exeggutor commonly runs Rest and can remove the paralysis of it manages to get it off.

change "of" to "if"

...as Starmie is 2HKO’d by Earthquake and Exeggutor is 3HKO’d by Rock Slide if Body Slam chip damage is present respectively.

*2HKOed, 3HKOed

For reference with Earthquake it OHKOes Jolteon and Gengar. 2HKO’s Alakazam, Persian, Chansey, opposing Rhydon and Golem and has a chance to 2HKO Starmie. 3HKOes Tauros, and Snorlax (97% of the time).

I've tried to clean this part up a bit; it's still not great, but it should be an improvement. It also states precisely which Pokemon are rare.

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 if Tauros uses Substitute it will be in 2HKO range, meaning it can no longer switch into Rhydon behind a Sub. With Rock Slide it OHKOes Jynx and Articuno. 2HKOes Zapdos and 3HKOes Cloyster.

Add commas after Rock Slide and Zapdos
Use comma instead after Articuno

it loses to all the threats listed above in a one an one situation where Rhydon doesn’t have a Substitute

Change "an" to "on"

and the opposing Pokemon isn’t paralyzed, aside from Zapdos and Jolteon.

It beats Gengar as well (even if it has Mega Drain as long as it doesn't switch in on it), though that's admittedly rare.

Additionaly, these Pokemon possess the power to potentially 2HKO or even OHKO Rhydon. Meaning you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit is enough to put Rhydon down.

Change Additionaly to Additionally
Use comma instead after "OHKO Rhydon"

Stadium also brings with it team preview.

Capitalise Team Preview

Stadium mechanics however buffed Rhydon’s critical hit ratio from cartridge RBY. Sitting 4% higher at 11% now.

If you're sure you want to keep this in:
Add commas after "mechanics" and "however"
Reword to "buffed Rhydon's critical hit ratio to 11.3%" to fix grammar

If it happens to be behind a Substitute you gain an extra turn at the minimum to shake off the 3 turns required to Rest, wake up, and make a move.

Add comma after "Substitute"

Also Rest now removes the paralysis Speed drop without requiring you to switch out, unlike cartridge RBY.

Add comma after "Also"

If you do decide to run Rest it will most likely be over Rock Slide.

Add comma after "Rest"

However other than this, Earthquake hits enough of your key targets...

Add comma after "However"

Leer and Tail Whip are plausible in an attempt to negate Chansey or Snorlax Reflect.

I would reword this to "negate the Defense boost provided by Reflect, which is often used by Chansey and Snorlax" unless the current wording is fine by Smogon standards.

This isn’t reliable or necessary usually, as you’d be dropping more consistent options in Body Slam, Rock Slide, or Rest.

Remove "usually"

Implement this and I'll see if it's ready for a QC.

 

[Ctown6]

Implemented all changes.

ready for whenever you can

 

[Mikon]

Grammar fixes:

However you should enter carefully, as you can switch in on a predicted Thunder Wave or Softboiled for free, keeping Rhydon healthy to create Subs and stay out of range of Chansey’s Ice Beam and Tauros’ Blizzard.

Add comma after "However"
Change to "Soft-Boiled"

Additionaly, these Pokemon possess the power to potentially 2HKO or even OHKO Rhydon, Meaning you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit is enough to put Rhydon down.

*Additionally
Decapitalise "Meaning"

Content fixes:

Rhydon shares many traits competes with Golem, a fellow Rock / Ground type. They have a similar stat spread and movepool, so it’s important to go over their differences and understand why Rhydon is the superior choice on most competitive teams. Golem who 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 is a big hinderance as it makes Golem’s game plan very prediction reliant and heavily impacts its ability to wall break or clean up without the safety of a Sub. Other than this, they are very similar. Having nearly identical defensive use walling Zapdos and Jolteon, but both being 2HKOd by metagame staples Chansey, Starmie, and Tauros just to name a few. Offensively Rhydon also has the edge offensively, as its higher Attack gives it superior results allows it to meet better ranges against common Pokemon in the meta. Notably, Rhydon is guaranteed to 2HKO Chansey from full and Tauros after a Sub while Golem has very slim odds to accomplish the same. Also, Golem can never 2HKO Starmie from full or 3HKO Snorlax (0.5% chance to 3HKO) and Slowbro, while Rhydon Virtually always gets the 3HKO on Snorlax, has a 70% chance to 3HKO Slowbro, and a decent 17% chance to 2HKO Starmie. 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, most importantly Rhydon’s Substitute, it Rhydon is preferred on most competitive teams.

I'd remove all the parts in red, and add the parts in green. Remember that this is the overview; you don't want to go into too much detail, and when comparing Rhydon and Golem you only need to state the differences between them and why Rhydon is better. You have most of the calcs later on in the analysis regardless so it suffices to say that Rhydon meets important ranges that Golem cannot. Apologies for not making this clearer before.

I'll give this a QC 1/2 after the changes above are implemented.

 

[Ctown6]

Thanks! Changes implemented, ready for QC 2

 

[Oiseau Bleu]

Rhydon is capable of slotting in Rest over either Body Slam or Rock Slide, and it is no gimmick. With so many Pokemon often resting themselves or paralyzed, Rhydon can usually find a time to Rest. If it happens to be behind a Substitute, you gain an extra turn at the minimum to shake off the 3 turns required to Rest, wake up, and make a move. Also, Rest now removes the paralysis Speed drop without requiring you to switch out, unlike cartridge RBY. If you do decide to run Rest, it will most likely be over Rock Slide. This gives Rhydon a worse Exeggutor matchup, as it only 5HKOes with Body Slam. However, other than this, Earthquake hits enough of your key targets and Body Slam is very valuable thanks to its 30% Paralysis chance on non- Normal types, heavily helping Rhydon punish switch ins and gain better one on one matchups. Leer and Tail Whip are plausible in an attempt to negate the Defense boost provided by Reflect, which is often used by Snorlax and Chansey. This isn’t reliable or necessary, as you’d be dropping more consistent options in Body Slam, Rock Slide, or Rest.

You should precise that Rest Rhydon totally walls Reflect + Seismic Toss Chansey and Snorlax without Ice Beam, Blizzard and EQ.

Nothing else to say :) well done
QC 2/2

 

[Ctown6]

Implemented, thank you!!

Ready for GP!

 

[Adeleine]

Add/Fix Remove Comment
(AC)/(RC): Add/Remove Comma

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[OVERVIEW]

Rhydon’s massive Attack, STAB Earthquake, 103 HP Substitutes, and Electric immunity give it a powerful role within the Stadium OU metagame. It returns in its cartridge role of blanking 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, Rhydon gains a boost from Substitute now blocking status in Stadium, offering it Stadium's Substitute offers Rhydon added utility, most notably blocking Exeggutor’s Stun Spore, (AC) 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, but not limited to Exeggutor, Snorlax, Slowbro, and Cloyster; this further increases Rhydon’s ability to helps Rhydon get on the field and get up a Substitute without risking damage or a status ailment. Rhydon’s defensive typing of Rock / Ground — while not great — allows typing—while not great—allows it to also be a Thunder Wave and Explosion absorber. It’s immune to the former and takes minimal damage from the latter thanks to its great HP, fantastic base 125 Defense, and a resistance to the move. (based on "while minor" and qc comment, i removed the "critcial hit rate higher at 11%" part in set details, but if you or someone else wants to keep it, it should be in the overview and not where it was in set details)

Unfortunately, Rhydon has some major flaws. Its atrocious Speed of base 40 means the only OU Pokemon it naturally outspeeds is the aforementioned is slower than all OU Pokemon besides Snorlax and Slowbro. Its defensive typing leaves much to be desired, as despite being a Normal resist and the best Explosion absorber not named Gengar, it has a horrible Special and is weak to the extremely common Ice coverage options of Ice Beam / Blizzard. This allows common OU pokemon Despite its Normal resistance, its poor defensive typing and Special allow common Pokemon such as Chansey, Tauros, and Starmie to outspeed and 2HKO if they carry said coverage, with Ice Beam or Blizzard, which they very commonly do. These factors mean 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 a massive hole in the opponent’s team mid game, or cleaning up late game. massive holes mid-game or cleaning up late-game.

Rhydon also competes with Golem, who which has access to Explosion — and Explosion—and is slightly faster than Rhydon, (AC) 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 is a big hinderance as it makes Golem’s gameplan (was "game plan") very prediction reliant and heavily impacts its ability to wall break or clean up without the safety of a Sub. because wallbreaking and cleaning up is much less safe. (I imagine this makes sense? "and makes wallbreaking and cleaning up much less safe" is another option) 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, (AC) 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, as it doesn’t cause harm to the user or require a recharge turn. It finds an easy way on the field if it can switch into a Zapdos or Jolteon, drawbacks. It can easily enter the field against Zapdos and Jolteon, as these threats fail to threaten Rhydon with significant damage or status, thanks to Rhydon’s Thunder Wave immunity and huge physical bulk allowing it to easily stomach Zapdos’ Drill Peck and take with it taking less than 20% from the super effective Double Kick seen on Jolteon. If Chansey is revealed to be mono- Seismic Toss, only have Seismic Toss for attacks, it can also act as a point of entry. However, you should enter carefully, it's still best to not switch into Seismic Toss, (I assume this is what you mean?) 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 Chansey’s Ice Beam (assuming i was correct that we were still talking about stoss-only chansey, ice beam chansey isn't a possibility. pls either give a different example or do eg "attacks like Tauros's Blizzard") and Tauros’s Blizzard. Once it gets in, it can get a Substitute up for free — usually forcing your opponent out of said Pokemon — and allowing you free—usually forcing a switch—to attack accordingly. Common checks in Starmie and Exeggutor are at risk of being paralyzed by Body Slam risk Body Slam paralysis as they break your sub 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 this, these checks being paralyzed, but next time they will be unable to beat you one on one behind a sub, as Starmie is 2HKOed by Earthquake and Exeggutor is 3HKOed by Rock Slide if Body Slam chip damage is present respectively. Rhydon behind a Substitute one-on-one, as Body Slam chip damage means Earthquake 2HKOes Starmie and Rock Slide 3HKOes Exeggutor. (damage calc suggested body slam chip damage applying to both benchmarks makes sense, but putting this note here in case i missed something)

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, (the "some of the most common" sentence was a bit ambiguous where placed, and stadium poster VR says all of jynx/art/zap/cloyster are D rank or below, so i just moved the sentence up by the truly most common Pokemon for clarity. Lmk if something was missed or a change is wanted) 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. These are some of the most common Pokemon in the meta. However, despite the fact it has the ability to do immense damage, it still loses to all the threats listed above in a one-on-one (added hyphen) situation where Rhydon doesn’t have a Substitute and the opposing Pokemon isn’t paralyzed, aside from Zapdos, Jolteon, and Gengar as long as it doesn’t switch in to the rare Mega Drain. Additionally, these Pokemon possess the power to potentially 2HKOing or even OHKOing Rhydon (RC) meaning means you must be very careful, as a stray critical hit or mistake is enough to put Rhydon down.

Stadium also brings with it Team Preview. This Stadium's Team Preview is a double-edged (added hyphen) sword for Rhydon. Knowing if your opponent has Zapdos or Jolteon is important information to help your game plan and use to using Rhydon’s defensive utility most effectively. But on the opposite side, your opponent will also be able to game However, your opponent can plan around Rhydon, meaning what would be a “free switch” can turn bad for it should if your opponent double switches to a Rhydon check such as Starmie or Exeggutor. While a minor change, Stadium’s mechanics buffed Rhydon’s critical hit ratio to 11.3%.

Rhydon is capable of slotting in Rest over either Body Slam or Rock Slide, fitting Rest, and it is no gimmick. With so many Pokemon often resting using Rest themselves or being 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, and uses 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 shake off the 3 turns required to Rest, wake up, and make a move. Also, Rest now removes the paralysis Speed drop without requiring you to switch out, unlike cartridge RBY. wake up. If you do decide to run Rest, it will most likely be over Rock Slide. This 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, other than this, Earthquake hits enough of your key targets, (AC) and Body Slam paralysis is very valuable thanks to its 30% Paralysis chance on non- Normal types, heavily helping Rhydon to punish switch-ins (added hyphen) and gain better one-on-one (added hyphens) matchups. Leer and Tail Whip are plausible in an attempt to negate the Defense boost provided by to negate Reflect, which is often used by Snorlax and Chansey often use. This isn’t reliable or necessary, though, as you’d be dropping more consistent options 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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[Ctown6]

Thank you!! Implemented all changes, this is ready to upload

 

[Plague von Karma]

This is up! Thanks for your hard work!