[OVERVIEW]
Rhyperior possesses a unique niche in the UU metagame, most notably for its ability to reliably set Stealth Rock and check key threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Pidgeot, and Moltres. Between its ability Solid Rock and ridiculous physical bulk, Rhyperior provides teams with a fantastic tank. One of Rhyperior's primary advantages over other Stealth Rock users is its huge base 140 Attack stat and fantastic coverage between its STAB moves and Ice Punch, giving it nice offensive presence to complement its defensive prowess. However, its monstrous physical bulk is offset by its horrible base Special Defense, which requires most of Rhyperior's EV investment in order to shore up. Ground / Rock is also a poor defensive typing, leaving Rhyperior with numerous weaknesses and often forcing it to rely on Solid Rock to stomach the many common super effective hits such as Swampert's Scald. Rhyperior is vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, as they wear it down over time and hinder its longevity. Lastly, Rhyperior faces huge competition from other Ground-type Stealth Rock users like Swampert and Hippowdon, only possessing greater offensive presence and the ability to check opposing Flying-types over those two.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Toxic / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is essential on every competitive team, racking up chip damage on foes throughout a match. Earthquake provides Rhyperior with a powerful Ground-type STAB move. Ice Punch offers great coverage alongside Earthquake, most notably allowing Rhyperior to threaten Gliscor. Stone Edge also possesses solid coverage in combination with Earthquake, hitting Ground-immune Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Moltres, and Crobat incredibly hard. Toxic lets Rhyperior cripple bulky foes such as Swampert, Alomomola, and Hippowdon that otherwise do not mind its presence. Rhyperior's fantastic bulk and low Speed make Metal Burst a good option as well, letting it punish foes like Hydreigon, Mega Altaria, and Choice Band Scizor that are unable to KO it in most cases but do not particularly fear any of Rhyperior's attacking moves. Fire Punch allows Rhyperior to act as a solid Scizor check, as Rhyperior can shrug off any of its attacks and deal huge damage in return.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs maximize Rhyperior's overall bulk. Naturally, Leftovers is the preferred item, as its passive recovery helps keep Rhyperior healthy throughout a match. 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature improve Rhyperior's offensive presence while still allowing it to invest most of its EVs into bulk. The remaining EVs are poured into Special Defense, letting Rhyperior check Pokemon like Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Raikou more effectively. Solid Rock is Rhyperior's best ability, shoring up its lackluster defensive typing by reducing the damage from super effective hits.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Rhyperior into on Pokemon it is meant to check such as Mega Manectric and Mega Pidgeot. Once on the field in a safe position, use Rhyperior to set up Stealth Rock or spread Toxic poison on the opposing team. While Rhyperior can stomach many super effective hits due to Solid Rock, gauge how important its health will be for the remainder of the game and play accordingly. Scout for possible 4x effective coverage moves such as Mega Aerodactyl's Aqua Tail and Nihilego's Grass Knot. Rhyperior is worn down over time by Spikes and Toxic Spikes; clear them with a teammate if given the opportunity.
Team Options
========
Dragon-types like Hydreigon, Latias, and Mega Altaria are fantastic partners, as they help cover Rhyperior's weaknesses to Water- and Grass-type moves. Celebi, Serperior, and Breloom can threaten Rhyperior's most prominent answers in Water-types, while Rhyperior can check the Flying-types that threaten them. Scizor and Cobalion appreciate the presence of Rhyperior, as they are Steel-types incapable of handling opposing Flying-types. Sylveon makes for a great partner, as it can cure Rhyperior of any status with Heal Bell and help to keep it healthy through Wish. Defog users such as Mantine and Togekiss can remove entry hazards like Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which wear Rhyperior down over time. Rhyperior can absorb the Electric-type moves that threaten them in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rock Blast allows Rhyperior to better deal with Substitute users like Chandelure, though Stone Edge is usually the superior option. Avalanche is an option that OHKOes Gliscor if Rhyperior stomachs a hit prior to its use, but Ice Punch is much more consistent. Megahorn has high Base Power and hits Pokemon like Latias and Hydreigon super effectively, but it has little use otherwise. Swords Dance allows Rhyperior to beat bulky foes like Hippowdon and Gliscor one-on-one, but it is generally less useful than other options. Protect lets Rhyperior scout Choice item users like Primarina, Scizor, and Hydreigon while getting more Leftovers recovery.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Starmie, Volcanion, and Primarina threaten to OHKO Rhyperior with their STAB moves.
**Grass-types**: Pokemon like Breloom, Rotom-C, Serperior, and Celebi can all deal huge damage to Rhyperior and scare it out.
**Status**: Toxic poison severely hinders Rhyperior's longevity, and burns minimize its offensive presence while cancelling out its Leftovers recovery.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Bulky Pokemon like Mega Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Sylveon fear little from Rhyperior outside of Toxic and can perform their roles in front of it freely.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-type wallbreakers such as Heracross, Kommo-o, and Choice Band Terrakion threaten Rhyperior, though while it can usually stomach their hits, it often leaves Rhyperior too weak to fulfill its role on a team.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types are great answers to Rhyperior. It can only threaten Hippowdon and Swampert with Toxic, while Nidoking can deal huge damage to it.
Rhyperior possesses a unique niche in the UU metagame, most notably for its ability to reliably set Stealth Rock and check key threats such as Mega Manectric, Mega Pidgeot, and Moltres. Between its ability Solid Rock and ridiculous physical bulk, Rhyperior provides teams with a fantastic tank. One of Rhyperior's primary advantages over other Stealth Rock users is its huge base 140 Attack stat and fantastic coverage between its STAB moves and Ice Punch, giving it nice offensive presence to complement its defensive prowess. However, its monstrous physical bulk is offset by its horrible base Special Defense, which requires most of Rhyperior's EV investment in order to shore up. Ground / Rock is also a poor defensive typing, leaving Rhyperior with numerous weaknesses and often forcing it to rely on Solid Rock to stomach the many common super effective hits such as Swampert's Scald. Rhyperior is vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, as they wear it down over time and hinder its longevity. Lastly, Rhyperior faces huge competition from other Ground-type Stealth Rock users like Swampert and Hippowdon, only possessing greater offensive presence and the ability to check opposing Flying-types over those two.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Toxic / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is essential on every competitive team, racking up chip damage on foes throughout a match. Earthquake provides Rhyperior with a powerful Ground-type STAB move. Ice Punch offers great coverage alongside Earthquake, most notably allowing Rhyperior to threaten Gliscor. Stone Edge also possesses solid coverage in combination with Earthquake, hitting Ground-immune Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Moltres, and Crobat incredibly hard. Toxic lets Rhyperior cripple bulky foes such as Swampert, Alomomola, and Hippowdon that otherwise do not mind its presence. Rhyperior's fantastic bulk and low Speed make Metal Burst a good option as well, letting it punish foes like Hydreigon, Mega Altaria, and Choice Band Scizor that are unable to KO it in most cases but do not particularly fear any of Rhyperior's attacking moves. Fire Punch allows Rhyperior to act as a solid Scizor check, as Rhyperior can shrug off any of its attacks and deal huge damage in return.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs maximize Rhyperior's overall bulk. Naturally, Leftovers is the preferred item, as its passive recovery helps keep Rhyperior healthy throughout a match. 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature improve Rhyperior's offensive presence while still allowing it to invest most of its EVs into bulk. The remaining EVs are poured into Special Defense, letting Rhyperior check Pokemon like Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Raikou more effectively. Solid Rock is Rhyperior's best ability, shoring up its lackluster defensive typing by reducing the damage from super effective hits.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Rhyperior into on Pokemon it is meant to check such as Mega Manectric and Mega Pidgeot. Once on the field in a safe position, use Rhyperior to set up Stealth Rock or spread Toxic poison on the opposing team. While Rhyperior can stomach many super effective hits due to Solid Rock, gauge how important its health will be for the remainder of the game and play accordingly. Scout for possible 4x effective coverage moves such as Mega Aerodactyl's Aqua Tail and Nihilego's Grass Knot. Rhyperior is worn down over time by Spikes and Toxic Spikes; clear them with a teammate if given the opportunity.
Team Options
========
Dragon-types like Hydreigon, Latias, and Mega Altaria are fantastic partners, as they help cover Rhyperior's weaknesses to Water- and Grass-type moves. Celebi, Serperior, and Breloom can threaten Rhyperior's most prominent answers in Water-types, while Rhyperior can check the Flying-types that threaten them. Scizor and Cobalion appreciate the presence of Rhyperior, as they are Steel-types incapable of handling opposing Flying-types. Sylveon makes for a great partner, as it can cure Rhyperior of any status with Heal Bell and help to keep it healthy through Wish. Defog users such as Mantine and Togekiss can remove entry hazards like Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which wear Rhyperior down over time. Rhyperior can absorb the Electric-type moves that threaten them in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rock Blast allows Rhyperior to better deal with Substitute users like Chandelure, though Stone Edge is usually the superior option. Avalanche is an option that OHKOes Gliscor if Rhyperior stomachs a hit prior to its use, but Ice Punch is much more consistent. Megahorn has high Base Power and hits Pokemon like Latias and Hydreigon super effectively, but it has little use otherwise. Swords Dance allows Rhyperior to beat bulky foes like Hippowdon and Gliscor one-on-one, but it is generally less useful than other options. Protect lets Rhyperior scout Choice item users like Primarina, Scizor, and Hydreigon while getting more Leftovers recovery.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types such as Starmie, Volcanion, and Primarina threaten to OHKO Rhyperior with their STAB moves.
**Grass-types**: Pokemon like Breloom, Rotom-C, Serperior, and Celebi can all deal huge damage to Rhyperior and scare it out.
**Status**: Toxic poison severely hinders Rhyperior's longevity, and burns minimize its offensive presence while cancelling out its Leftovers recovery.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Bulky Pokemon like Mega Slowbro, Hippowdon, and Sylveon fear little from Rhyperior outside of Toxic and can perform their roles in front of it freely.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-type wallbreakers such as Heracross, Kommo-o, and Choice Band Terrakion threaten Rhyperior, though while it can usually stomach their hits, it often leaves Rhyperior too weak to fulfill its role on a team.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types are great answers to Rhyperior. It can only threaten Hippowdon and Swampert with Toxic, while Nidoking can deal huge damage to it.
Last edited:
