Overview
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With a base 140 Attack and a good offensive movepool, Rhyperior is a powerful attacker. Not only that, but Rhyperior's 115 / 130 defenses and Solid Rock make it a bulky physical tank. However, Rhyperior's poor Special Defense as well as its poor defensive typing are easily exploited by common Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Mega Charizard Y, and Grass-types. It is very susceptible to the common Intimidate and burns, which hinder its attacking potential. Lastly, its poor Speed means it needs Trick Room support in order to function.
Bulky Attacker
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name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Protect
ability: Solid Rock
item: Life Orb / Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk /4 SpD
nature: Brave
ivs: 0 Spe
Moves
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Earthquake is Rhyperior's most powerful STAB and spread move. Rock Slide is its secondary STAB and spread move which does not affect its teammates and can hit Pokemon with Levitate and Flying-, Ice-, and Grass-types harder than Earthquake. Stone Edge is a viable option that allows Rhyperior to hit a single target much harder than it would with Rock Slide while avoiding Wide Guard. Ice Punch can cover Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types and should be used with Life Orb in order to OHKO Landorus-T at -1. Protect is a great utility move which increases Rhyperior's longevity out of Trick Room.
Set Details
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Sitrus Berry allows Rhyperior to last longer and avoid being 2HKOed from attacks such as Heatran's Earth Power and Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice. Life Orb greatly boosts Rhyperior's Attack, but can wear it down quickly. Maximum HP and Attack investment allow Rhyperior to be bulky and deal as much damage as possible, while 0 Speed EVs and a Brave nature make Rhyperior as fast as possible in Trick Room.
Usage Tips
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Rhyperior's main goal should be to take advantage of Trick Room and deal a lot of damage with its powerful STAB and spread moves. However, exert caution, as it tends to be worn down easily if left outside of Trick Room due to its poor Speed. Thus, Rhyperior and its Trick Room partner should be preserved until it intends to sweep. Next, Intimidate and Wide Guard users should be weakened or eliminated if possible, as they can stop Rhyperior’s Trick Room rampage cold by cutting down Rhyperior's Attack and preventing it from using its spread moves.
Team Options
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A Trick Room user is a mandatory partner, as Rhyperior finds itself outclassed by other bulky Pokemon without it. Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate are necessary partners as well, as they are immune to Rhyperior's Earthquake. Cresselia is a great choice; besides being a bulky Trick Room setter, it is immune to Earthquake and can boost Rhyperior's attacks with Helping Hand. It can also take down Hitmontop and Landorus-T, two Pokemon that can stop Rhyperior with Intimidate with Psyshock and Ice Beam, respectively. Grass-types are good options, as they synergize well with Rhyperior by soaking up Grass- and Water-type moves that Rhyperior hates. Gourgeist and Trevenant are Trick Room setters that fall into this category, while Ammonguss can redirect attacks away from Rhyperior with Rage Powder. Feint users such as Hitmontop and Mega Pinsir synergize well with Rhyperior, as they can break through Wide Guard and hit Pokemon trying to Protect stall Trick Room turns. Pokemon with the abilities Defiant and Competitive, such as Bisharp and Milotic, capitalize on Intimidate users trying to lower Rhyperior's Attack.
Other Options
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Lightning Rod can be used to redirect Electric-type attacks away from Rhyperior's teammates, but forces Rhyperior to sacrifice the bulk that Solid Rock gives. Megahorn can hit Cresselia and Grass-types that would otherwise be able to switch into Rhyperior. Drill Run can be used, as it bypasses Wide Guard, hits harder than Earthquake on a single target, and does not affect Rhyperior's teammates. Substitute is an option to avoid burns as well as take advantage of Pokemon that use Protect to stall out Trick Room turns. A Swords Dance set can be run to boost Rhyperior's Attack and aid it in sweeping. A Rock Polish set can be run to bypass its poor Speed without the aid of Trick Room; however, this will require significant Speed investment to make it worthwhile, detracting from Rhyperior's bulk. Stealth Rock can be used to cut down the longevity of Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, Rotom-H, Pinsir, and Volcarona. Rindo Berry and Passho Berry weaken Grass- and Water-type attacks that would normally KO Rhyperior, allowing Rhyperior to 2HKO them in return. Lum Berry allows Rhyperior to avoid burns and other statuses once. Assault Vest sacrifices the utility of Protect, but boosts Rhyperior's poor Special Defense to decent levels; it should be used alongside Sandstorm or Light Screen to allow Rhyperior to survive many super effective special attacks. Weakness Policy takes advantage of Rhyperior's many weaknesses and bulk with Solid Rock.
Checks & Counters
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**Speed Control**: Without Trick Room, Rhyperior will be easily worn down and KOed. Thus, cutting off Trick Room support by means of Taunt or Spore will weaken Rhyperior.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Rhyperior, as a physical attacker, does not like the Attack drop Intimidate causes and will thus usually be forced to switch out. Hitmontop and Landorus-T are good users of Intimidate and can switch into Rhyperior's STAB attacks easily. Scrafty has better bulk than Hitmontop and does not have to deal with the defense drop from Close Combat. Good Will-O-Wisp users that check Rhyperior are Mew and Gourgeist.
**Utility Moves**: Wide Guard prevents Rhyperior from using its two STAB spread moves, Rock Slide and Earthquake, but Rhyperior can bypass this by running Stone Edge or Ice Punch. Good examples include Aegislash and Hitmontop, which both resist Stone Edge and can use Wide Guard.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Mega Venusaur, and Ferrothorn can switch into Rhyperior and hurt it with their Grass-type STAB moves. Breloom is not as bulky, but it resists Rhyperior's STAB moves and can Bullet Seed or Spore. Rotom-W in particular can switch into Earthquake due to Levitate, take a Stone Edge, and OHKO Rhyperior with Hydro Pump. Checking Rhyperior is much easier, as its 4x weaknesses to Water and Grass are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Shaymin-S, which can OHKO Rhyperior with Solarbeam and Seed Flare, respectively, although they must avoid Rock Slide. Water-types such as Politoed and Mega Gyarados can knock Rhyperior out with their Water-type STAB moves.
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With a base 140 Attack and a good offensive movepool, Rhyperior is a powerful attacker. Not only that, but Rhyperior's 115 / 130 defenses and Solid Rock make it a bulky physical tank. However, Rhyperior's poor Special Defense as well as its poor defensive typing are easily exploited by common Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Mega Charizard Y, and Grass-types. It is very susceptible to the common Intimidate and burns, which hinder its attacking potential. Lastly, its poor Speed means it needs Trick Room support in order to function.
Bulky Attacker
########
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Stone Edge
move 3: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Protect
ability: Solid Rock
item: Life Orb / Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk /4 SpD
nature: Brave
ivs: 0 Spe
Moves
========
Earthquake is Rhyperior's most powerful STAB and spread move. Rock Slide is its secondary STAB and spread move which does not affect its teammates and can hit Pokemon with Levitate and Flying-, Ice-, and Grass-types harder than Earthquake. Stone Edge is a viable option that allows Rhyperior to hit a single target much harder than it would with Rock Slide while avoiding Wide Guard. Ice Punch can cover Dragon-, Grass-, and Ground-types and should be used with Life Orb in order to OHKO Landorus-T at -1. Protect is a great utility move which increases Rhyperior's longevity out of Trick Room.
Set Details
========
Sitrus Berry allows Rhyperior to last longer and avoid being 2HKOed from attacks such as Heatran's Earth Power and Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice. Life Orb greatly boosts Rhyperior's Attack, but can wear it down quickly. Maximum HP and Attack investment allow Rhyperior to be bulky and deal as much damage as possible, while 0 Speed EVs and a Brave nature make Rhyperior as fast as possible in Trick Room.
Usage Tips
========
Rhyperior's main goal should be to take advantage of Trick Room and deal a lot of damage with its powerful STAB and spread moves. However, exert caution, as it tends to be worn down easily if left outside of Trick Room due to its poor Speed. Thus, Rhyperior and its Trick Room partner should be preserved until it intends to sweep. Next, Intimidate and Wide Guard users should be weakened or eliminated if possible, as they can stop Rhyperior’s Trick Room rampage cold by cutting down Rhyperior's Attack and preventing it from using its spread moves.
Team Options
========
A Trick Room user is a mandatory partner, as Rhyperior finds itself outclassed by other bulky Pokemon without it. Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate are necessary partners as well, as they are immune to Rhyperior's Earthquake. Cresselia is a great choice; besides being a bulky Trick Room setter, it is immune to Earthquake and can boost Rhyperior's attacks with Helping Hand. It can also take down Hitmontop and Landorus-T, two Pokemon that can stop Rhyperior with Intimidate with Psyshock and Ice Beam, respectively. Grass-types are good options, as they synergize well with Rhyperior by soaking up Grass- and Water-type moves that Rhyperior hates. Gourgeist and Trevenant are Trick Room setters that fall into this category, while Ammonguss can redirect attacks away from Rhyperior with Rage Powder. Feint users such as Hitmontop and Mega Pinsir synergize well with Rhyperior, as they can break through Wide Guard and hit Pokemon trying to Protect stall Trick Room turns. Pokemon with the abilities Defiant and Competitive, such as Bisharp and Milotic, capitalize on Intimidate users trying to lower Rhyperior's Attack.
Other Options
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Lightning Rod can be used to redirect Electric-type attacks away from Rhyperior's teammates, but forces Rhyperior to sacrifice the bulk that Solid Rock gives. Megahorn can hit Cresselia and Grass-types that would otherwise be able to switch into Rhyperior. Drill Run can be used, as it bypasses Wide Guard, hits harder than Earthquake on a single target, and does not affect Rhyperior's teammates. Substitute is an option to avoid burns as well as take advantage of Pokemon that use Protect to stall out Trick Room turns. A Swords Dance set can be run to boost Rhyperior's Attack and aid it in sweeping. A Rock Polish set can be run to bypass its poor Speed without the aid of Trick Room; however, this will require significant Speed investment to make it worthwhile, detracting from Rhyperior's bulk. Stealth Rock can be used to cut down the longevity of Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, Rotom-H, Pinsir, and Volcarona. Rindo Berry and Passho Berry weaken Grass- and Water-type attacks that would normally KO Rhyperior, allowing Rhyperior to 2HKO them in return. Lum Berry allows Rhyperior to avoid burns and other statuses once. Assault Vest sacrifices the utility of Protect, but boosts Rhyperior's poor Special Defense to decent levels; it should be used alongside Sandstorm or Light Screen to allow Rhyperior to survive many super effective special attacks. Weakness Policy takes advantage of Rhyperior's many weaknesses and bulk with Solid Rock.
Checks & Counters
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**Speed Control**: Without Trick Room, Rhyperior will be easily worn down and KOed. Thus, cutting off Trick Room support by means of Taunt or Spore will weaken Rhyperior.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Rhyperior, as a physical attacker, does not like the Attack drop Intimidate causes and will thus usually be forced to switch out. Hitmontop and Landorus-T are good users of Intimidate and can switch into Rhyperior's STAB attacks easily. Scrafty has better bulk than Hitmontop and does not have to deal with the defense drop from Close Combat. Good Will-O-Wisp users that check Rhyperior are Mew and Gourgeist.
**Utility Moves**: Wide Guard prevents Rhyperior from using its two STAB spread moves, Rock Slide and Earthquake, but Rhyperior can bypass this by running Stone Edge or Ice Punch. Good examples include Aegislash and Hitmontop, which both resist Stone Edge and can use Wide Guard.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Mega Venusaur, and Ferrothorn can switch into Rhyperior and hurt it with their Grass-type STAB moves. Breloom is not as bulky, but it resists Rhyperior's STAB moves and can Bullet Seed or Spore. Rotom-W in particular can switch into Earthquake due to Levitate, take a Stone Edge, and OHKO Rhyperior with Hydro Pump. Checking Rhyperior is much easier, as its 4x weaknesses to Water and Grass are easily exploited by Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Shaymin-S, which can OHKO Rhyperior with Solarbeam and Seed Flare, respectively, although they must avoid Rock Slide. Water-types such as Politoed and Mega Gyarados can knock Rhyperior out with their Water-type STAB moves.
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