Overview
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Although Rhyperior is by no means amazing, it has a unique combination of traits that make it usable in the OU metagame. A great base 140 Attack and STABs with near-unresisted coverage give Rhyperior great offensive presence, and an equally impressive base 115 HP and base 130 Defense make it extremely hard to take down from the physical side. Thanks to its Solid Rock ability Solid Rock, Rhyperior can safely take almost any physical super effective attack, establishing its reputation as a Pokemon that can afford to take a hit while overpowering its opponents. With these qualities in mind, Rhyperior makes a great check to Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, Mega Pinsir, Garchomp, Dragonite, Mega Mawile, and even unboosted Excadrill, all extremely dangerous and relevant sweepers.
However, Rhyperior has a few unfortunate downfalls that must be addressed. Without any form of recovery outside of Leftovers, Rhyperior is prone to being worn down, even by the Pokemon it's supposed to check. Rhyperior's slow speed means it often relies on hitting opponents on the switch, and mispredictions can be costly when Rhyperior has an easily exploitable base 55 Special Defense that will quickly force it out. With top metagame threats such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame utilizing moves like Will-O-Wisp, Rhyperior isn't guaranteed a safe switch-in against some of the Pokemon it's supposed to counter. On top of that, Rhyperior is always haunted by its double weakness to both Grass- and Water-type attacks, most of which will swiftly KO it,(AC) even through Solid Rock. Overall, although Rhyperior can be a valuable asset to a team, make sure you're using it for its main draw: checking and countering a large degree of OU threats that can easily overwhelm unprepared teams. Otherwise, its negative attributes can easily turn it into a liability.
Defensive
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name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Rock Blast
move 4: Ice Punch / Toxic
ability: Solid Rock
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
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As a Pokemon with naturally immense bulk that forces many switches, Rhyperior is a prime user of Stealth Rock, usually having an easy time setting up while also deterring Excadrill, Zapdos, and Mandibuzz from switching in and potentially removing the entry hazard. Earthquake is a reliable and strong Ground-type STAB, and together with Rhyperior's Rock-type STAB of choice, Rhyperior gets excellent and powerful neutral coverage. Stone Edge is consistently strong but can be prone to accuracy issues, while Rock Blast is slightly more accurate and can break Substitutes at the cost of a less reliable damage output. In the last slot, Ice Punch is useful for hitting Garchomp and Dragonite, and lets Rhyperior check both of them well. On the other hand, Toxic prevents the likes of Hippowdon from switching in, and aids greatly aids in wearing down other switch-ins such as like Azumarill. Fire Punch and Roar are also options for the last slot, should Toxic or Ice Punch be unnecessary. Fire Punch prevents Scizor from setting up on Rhyperior while also hitting Ferrothorn for hefty damage, whereas Roar allows Rhyperior to beat setup sweepers of any kind, particularly bulkier ones such as Swords Dance Aegislash that may be able to live a hit or two from Rhyperior,(AC) such as Swords Dance Aegislash.
Set Details
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Maximum HP and Defense investment allows Rhyperior to easily tank physical hits from any attacker not in possession of a Water- or Grass-type move. Leftovers is mandatory, as without it, Rhyperior would be worn down far too easily to effectively do its job. Solid Rock is also mandatory, as its effect allows Rhyperior to easily ignore check attackers that may carry super effective coverage moves, such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Charizard X, which commonly carry Earthquake. A specially defensive set is usable, utilizing its increased special bulk to counter common attackers such as Aegislash, Thundurus, and other Electric-types. However, do note that doing so takes away from Rhyperior's valuable ability to handle most physical attackers.
Usage Tips
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At the beginning of the battle, you should assess which of your opponent's Pokemon Rhyperior will be used to counter. Make sure Rhyperior does not attempt to cover too many threats, as it will not last long if subjected to repeated beatings. It's always a good idea to keep Rhyperior healthy for when these Pokemon are sent out, as its lack of recovery outside of Leftovers will severely punish Rhyperior when it is exposed to risky or poor plays. In some cases, scouting will be necessary before Rhyperior can safely come in;— for example, Rhyperior can easily stop Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, but bulky variants with Will-O-Wisp are much harder to deal with, and Mega Charizard Y flat-out destroys Rhyperior with SolarBeam. Therefore, before recklessly switching Rhyperior into threats, it's always a good idea to learn the opponent's sets. Once Rhyperior is safely in, Stealth Rock is great to use against foes that aren't an immediate threat. However, remember to attack when necessary;— allowing an opponent to get a free turn can be extremely dangerous against foes such as Swords Dance Excadrill.
Team Options
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Teammates that can easily take advantage of the Water- and Grass-type moves that Rhyperior lures in are prime candidates as for teammates. Azumarill, Keldeo, Rotom-W, Poison Heal Breloom, and Mega Venusaur,(RC) and Celebi (BOOM REJECTED) are all Pokemon that fit the bill well, although the former three should be used alongside another teammate that can sponge Grass-type attacks, such as Mega Scizor,(AC) (who can easily set up on Mega Venusaur, one of Rhyperior's number one switch-ins). Although it shares several weaknesses with Rhyperior, Tyranitar provides useful sand support for Rhyperior it, allowing Rhyperior to gain an effective special defense boost that allows it to take hits from the likes of Aegislash better. Although Rhyperior doesn't mind entry hazards very much, Rhyperior's teammates will most likely appreciate Rapid Spin or Defog support, seeing as its team will be doing a lot of switching due to Rhyperior being easily forced out. Zapdos shares has decent synergy with Rhyperior, easily absorbing Grass- and Water-type attacks, as does Skarmory, as thanks to Rhyperior will easily covering for its Fire- and Electric-type weaknesses.
Other Options
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Smack Down is a weaker Rock-type STAB attack that forces opponents to be hit by Earthquake, which also fixes a number of issues, including accuracy, prediction, and Pokemon with Levitate. A Rock Polish set utilizing Weakness Policy may sound like an appealing sweeper, but it's not very reliable, seeing as Rhyperior frequently attracts Grass- or Water-type moves that will OHKO right through the Weakness Policy,(AC) (particularly when Rhyperior has no investment in its defenses). Swords Dance gives Rhyperior tremendous power, but Rhyperior's serious drawbacks in speed and typing will almost always cause it to fail prevent it from sweeping effectively. On Trick Room teams, however, Rhyperior can utilize an offensive set to good effect, as its low speed, high bulk, and outstanding Attack stat make it a prime candidate for a Trick Room sweeper. Rhyperior can run a Substitute + 3 attacks set that takes advantage of its ability to force switches; however, it reduces Rhyperior's longevity and doesn't perform its role as well as the standard Physically Defensive variant. Lastly, Assault Vest sets utilizing moves like Dragon Tail are a possibility, but a the lack of Leftovers seriously hurts Rhyperior's ability to consistently switch into threats and makes it far more prone to being worn down. Finally, Megahorn may seem like an appealing move, but most of its targets are also hit by Ice Punch, which has a far greater range of uses.
Checks & Counters
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**Water- and Grass-type Pokemon and Moves:** Most Water- and Grass-type Pokemon are not only bulky enough to repeatedly switch into Rhyperior's attacks, but also almost always threaten a to OHKO with their STAB moves. Because of this, Rhyperior must also be extremely wary of rare but devastating coverage attacks of these types, such as Mega Aerodactyl's Aqua Tail or Infernape's Grass Knot.
**Special Attackers:** Rhyperior's Special Defense stat is quite low, especially when uninvested, allowing most special attackers to do hefty damage to it,(AC) even with neutral attacks. Examples include Thundurus with Focus Blast (change this to something else; the previous sentence implies that you are going to list Pokemon with strong neutral attacks) and Latios. Kyurem-B gets a special mention for having Teravolt, which will make Ice Beam blast right through Solid Rock's damage-lowering effect.
**Bulky Tanks:** Rhyperior is utter set-up bait for bulkier Pokemon that can set up somehow, particularly ones with a reliable form of recovery. Mega Scizor is the best example here, taking little from Rhyperior's attacks and boosting up safely boosting up with Swords Dance. In addition, a lack of reliable recovery on Rhyperior's end means that it can simply be worn down by attackers that don't particularly care about its attacks, such as Poison Heal Breloom.
**Physical Walls:** Most physical walls, particularly ones that don't mind the occasional Toxic, can switch in on Rhyperior all day and then proceed to wall and set up on it. Skarmory in particular is a good example, being immune to Earthquake and being able to Defog Rhyperior's Stealth Rock or set up with its own entry hazards.
