etern
NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]
With a tremendous Attack stat and frightening STAB coverage in Earthquake and Stone Edge, Rhydon is a very potent offensive threat in the NU metagame. Alongside its offensive prowess, Rhydon is also an excellent user of Stealth Rock, as it can pressure common Defog users such as Golbat and Skuntank as well as another prominent entry hazard controller in Magic Bounce Xatu. With a Rock / Ground typing in conjunction with tremendous bulk when boosted by Eviolite, Rhydon can easily check Normal-, Flying-, and Fire-type Pokemon such as Tauros, Braviary, and Delphox. However, while its typing does grant it a myriad of useful resistances, Rhydon is also rather exploitable with crippling 4x weaknesses to both Water- and Grass-type attacks. Therefore, Rhydon must beware of coverage moves such as Grass Knot from Delphox and Bullet Seed from Cinncino. Rhydon is also incredibly slow, still being outsped by Accelgor and most Choice Scarf users even after a Rock Polish boost. Rhydon's subpar Speed can often put it in an awkward position after KOing an opposing Pokemon, as most wallbreakers outspeed it before a Rock Polish and can force it out. Finally, Rhydon lacks reliable recovery and is susceptible to all forms of hazards, making it rather easy to wear down throughout a battle especially when it is tasked with checking multiple foes.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Swords Dance / Megahorn
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is needed on all competitive teams, and Rhydon is an excellent user due to its ability to pressure Xatu and common Defog users with its Rock-type STAB attacks. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable Ground-type STAB attack that hits neutral targets for solid damage. Rock Blast complements Earthquake very well, and it is also useful for breaking Substitutes from the likes of Vivillon and Braviary as well as bypassing the Focus Sashes of Pokemon like Sigilyph and Archeops. Stone Edge is also a viable option that is usually more powerful than Rock Blast, but it has much shakier accuracy and does not have the aforementioned added benefits of Rock Blast. Swords Dance allows Rhydon to break through very bulky teams as well as deal with Bulk Up Braviary, which could otherwise potentially win this matchup. Megahorn is useful for nailing Psychic-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, and Mesprit for super effective damage, and it also prevents Xatu from stalling Rhydon with Roost. Megahorn also OHKOes Grass-type Pokemon like Rotom-C and Sceptile that threaten Rhydon. Toxic is another decent option for this last slot, mostly targeting bulky Water-types such as Seismitoad, Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Jellicent that typically switch in on Rhydon. Lastly, Protect is a viable choice that allows Rhydon to scout Choice-locked Pokemon such as Emboar and Rotom-Mow and ease prediction.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs along with 240 SpD EVs allow Rhydon to better check powerful special attackers such as Vivillon and Houndoom, while 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature give it good offensive presence. Eviolite boosts Rhydon's bulk significantly, making it one of the sturdiest defensive Pokemon in the tier due to its massive Defense stat and high HP. Rhydon's ability is largely irrelevant; however, in the case Rhydon's ability is Traced, it will usually be better for the opposing Pokemon to gain Rock Head over Lightning Rod or Reckless.
Usage Tips
========
Send Rhydon out against Pokemon that it can naturally check such as Tauros and Garbodor. Beware of coverage moves like Jump Kick from Dodrio and Bloom Doom from Delphox, however. Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery means it can be worn down with chip damage rather easily; with this considered, it is usually suboptimal to task Rhydon with checking too many foes over the course of a battle. Rhydon can also prevent Volt Switch users such as Rotom-C and Lanturn from gaining momentum, but this will always come at the risk of fainting to a 4x super effective Leaf Storm or Scald, so only make this play when absolutely necessary or when you are sure the opponent is using an Electric-type attack. Rhydon's impressive bulk even when uninvested grants it setup opportunities versus many prominent NU Pokemon, with some good examples being Garbodor, Emboar locked into Flare Blitz, and most variants of Braviary.
Team Options
========
Grass-type Pokemon like Vileplume, Whimsicott, and Virizion make for great partners alongside Rhydon, as they can combat opposing Grass- and Water-types that naturally threaten Rhydon. Conversely, Rhydon does a good job at taking on the Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon that threaten its Grass-type partners. Water-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, Jellicent, and Vaporeon also pair well with Rhydon, as they can similarly combat opposing Water-types that threaten it. These bulky Water-types also ease the load from Rhydon's shoulders by checking Fire-types as well. Slowbro and Jellicent have particularly nice synergy with Rhydon, as they also stop Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee and Sawk cold. Vaporeon, on the other hand, is able to pass Wishes, making it an excellent choice as well. Spikers such as Garbodor and Qwilfish form solid hazard stacking cores with Rhydon and can also absorb Toxic Spikes. Golbat is also a very solid partner, as it can stomach or ignore Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks while also clearing away entry hazards with Defog. Lastly, Wish users such as Audino, Aromatisse, and Vaporeon can all restore Rhydon's HP with their large Wishes, extending its longevity greatly over the course of a battle.
[SET]
name: Dancing Dino
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Swords Dance / Megahorn
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Polish allows Rhydon to clean up weakened teams in the later stages of a battle. Earthquake is Rhydon's main STAB attack and does very solid damage to any neutral target. Stone Edge complements Earthquake well because the two moves have near-perfect coverage together. Swords Dance is useful for breaking through bulkier teams, though Megahorn is also an option to do more damage to Grass- and Psychic-type Pokemon such as Virizion and Uxie.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Rhydon to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Without a Jolly nature, Rhydon cannot outspeed threatening Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Sceptile. Eviolite boosts Rhydon's defenses tremendously, making it difficult to revenge kill even with super effective priority attacks. Rhydon's ability is unimportant, but in the rare case an opposing Pokemon copies Rhydon's ability, it is usually less problematic to deal with Rock Head than Lightning Rod or Reckless.
Usage Tips
========
This variant of Rhydon is less adept at checking powerful Normal- and Fire-type Pokemon than the tank set, but it can still do so in a pinch. When up against slower bulky teams, try to break through the opponent's defensive core with Swords Dance. When up against faster offensive teams, try to sweep in the late-game with Rock Polish after Rhydon's checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened or removed. It should be noted that even at +2 Speed Rhydon is still outrun by Pokemon such as Accelgor and base 70 Speed Choice Scarf users and above, so do not attempt to sweep until they have been removed.
Team Options
========
Rhydon greatly appreciates Stealth Rock and Spikes support from Pokemon such as Uxie, Garbodor, and Accelgor. Grass-type Pokemon such as Sceptile and Virizion are extremely valuable teammates for Rhydon both offensively and defensively, as they can smack bulky Water-types in the way of Rhydon's sweep and can also check opposing Grass-types. Machamp works very well with Rhydon, as the two can easily pressure common defensive cores such as Golbat + Steelix + Slowbro and pave the way for a cleaner to sweep late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon Tail can also be used in this slot to phaze the opposing Pokemon. This is especially effective when paired with a Spiker like Garbodor. Rhydon can make use of a Choice Band to increase the already solid damage output of its spammable STAB moves, but the loss of bulk from Eviolite hinders it greatly in checking Pokemon like Meloetta, Drapion, and Tauros. Rhydon can also opt for a Rest + Sleep Talk set in order to extend its longevity, but this means dropping Stealth Rock, which will often result in stacking weaknesses in order to fit another Stealth Rock user when teambuilding. Double-Edge may seem like an appealing option in conjunction with Rock Head, but it provides almost no notable coverage over other options like Megahorn.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-type Pokemon such as Sceptile, Whimsicott, Virizion, and Rotom-C resist Rhydon's Ground-type STAB attacks and can OHKO it with their powerful Grass-type attacks. Choice Scarf Rotom-C can also outrun Rhydon even at +2 and is immune to Earthquake, making it particularly annoying to deal with. However, they must all be cautious of switching into Megahorn, particularly Sceptile and Rotom-C.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, Jellicent, Vaporeon, and Seismitoad can all survive multiple attacks from Rhydon and threaten it with a 4x super effective STAB Water-type attack.
**Lures**: Rhydon's 4x weaknesses to Grass- and Water-type attacks make it a very easy target to lure with coverage moves. Pokemon such as Grass Knot Delphox, Energy Ball Sigilyph, and Bloom Doom Rotom-C are all examples of effective and somewhat common lures for Rhydon. As a general note, the possibility of Bloom Doom makes Rhydon a fairly shaky check to Fire-types, as most are able to easily adapt their moveset to add it.
**Wallbreakers**: Powerful wallbreakers like Choice Band Emboar and Guts Machamp are very threatening to Rhydon, as they can outspeed it and threaten it out with their powerful STAB attacks. Special wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Sceptile and Guzzlord are especially difficult for Rhydon to deal with, as they target its significantly lower Special Defense stat.
With a tremendous Attack stat and frightening STAB coverage in Earthquake and Stone Edge, Rhydon is a very potent offensive threat in the NU metagame. Alongside its offensive prowess, Rhydon is also an excellent user of Stealth Rock, as it can pressure common Defog users such as Golbat and Skuntank as well as another prominent entry hazard controller in Magic Bounce Xatu. With a Rock / Ground typing in conjunction with tremendous bulk when boosted by Eviolite, Rhydon can easily check Normal-, Flying-, and Fire-type Pokemon such as Tauros, Braviary, and Delphox. However, while its typing does grant it a myriad of useful resistances, Rhydon is also rather exploitable with crippling 4x weaknesses to both Water- and Grass-type attacks. Therefore, Rhydon must beware of coverage moves such as Grass Knot from Delphox and Bullet Seed from Cinncino. Rhydon is also incredibly slow, still being outsped by Accelgor and most Choice Scarf users even after a Rock Polish boost. Rhydon's subpar Speed can often put it in an awkward position after KOing an opposing Pokemon, as most wallbreakers outspeed it before a Rock Polish and can force it out. Finally, Rhydon lacks reliable recovery and is susceptible to all forms of hazards, making it rather easy to wear down throughout a battle especially when it is tasked with checking multiple foes.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 4: Swords Dance / Megahorn
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is needed on all competitive teams, and Rhydon is an excellent user due to its ability to pressure Xatu and common Defog users with its Rock-type STAB attacks. Earthquake is a powerful, reliable Ground-type STAB attack that hits neutral targets for solid damage. Rock Blast complements Earthquake very well, and it is also useful for breaking Substitutes from the likes of Vivillon and Braviary as well as bypassing the Focus Sashes of Pokemon like Sigilyph and Archeops. Stone Edge is also a viable option that is usually more powerful than Rock Blast, but it has much shakier accuracy and does not have the aforementioned added benefits of Rock Blast. Swords Dance allows Rhydon to break through very bulky teams as well as deal with Bulk Up Braviary, which could otherwise potentially win this matchup. Megahorn is useful for nailing Psychic-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, and Mesprit for super effective damage, and it also prevents Xatu from stalling Rhydon with Roost. Megahorn also OHKOes Grass-type Pokemon like Rotom-C and Sceptile that threaten Rhydon. Toxic is another decent option for this last slot, mostly targeting bulky Water-types such as Seismitoad, Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Jellicent that typically switch in on Rhydon. Lastly, Protect is a viable choice that allows Rhydon to scout Choice-locked Pokemon such as Emboar and Rotom-Mow and ease prediction.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs along with 240 SpD EVs allow Rhydon to better check powerful special attackers such as Vivillon and Houndoom, while 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature give it good offensive presence. Eviolite boosts Rhydon's bulk significantly, making it one of the sturdiest defensive Pokemon in the tier due to its massive Defense stat and high HP. Rhydon's ability is largely irrelevant; however, in the case Rhydon's ability is Traced, it will usually be better for the opposing Pokemon to gain Rock Head over Lightning Rod or Reckless.
Usage Tips
========
Send Rhydon out against Pokemon that it can naturally check such as Tauros and Garbodor. Beware of coverage moves like Jump Kick from Dodrio and Bloom Doom from Delphox, however. Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery means it can be worn down with chip damage rather easily; with this considered, it is usually suboptimal to task Rhydon with checking too many foes over the course of a battle. Rhydon can also prevent Volt Switch users such as Rotom-C and Lanturn from gaining momentum, but this will always come at the risk of fainting to a 4x super effective Leaf Storm or Scald, so only make this play when absolutely necessary or when you are sure the opponent is using an Electric-type attack. Rhydon's impressive bulk even when uninvested grants it setup opportunities versus many prominent NU Pokemon, with some good examples being Garbodor, Emboar locked into Flare Blitz, and most variants of Braviary.
Team Options
========
Grass-type Pokemon like Vileplume, Whimsicott, and Virizion make for great partners alongside Rhydon, as they can combat opposing Grass- and Water-types that naturally threaten Rhydon. Conversely, Rhydon does a good job at taking on the Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon that threaten its Grass-type partners. Water-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, Jellicent, and Vaporeon also pair well with Rhydon, as they can similarly combat opposing Water-types that threaten it. These bulky Water-types also ease the load from Rhydon's shoulders by checking Fire-types as well. Slowbro and Jellicent have particularly nice synergy with Rhydon, as they also stop Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee and Sawk cold. Vaporeon, on the other hand, is able to pass Wishes, making it an excellent choice as well. Spikers such as Garbodor and Qwilfish form solid hazard stacking cores with Rhydon and can also absorb Toxic Spikes. Golbat is also a very solid partner, as it can stomach or ignore Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks while also clearing away entry hazards with Defog. Lastly, Wish users such as Audino, Aromatisse, and Vaporeon can all restore Rhydon's HP with their large Wishes, extending its longevity greatly over the course of a battle.
[SET]
name: Dancing Dino
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Swords Dance / Megahorn
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Polish allows Rhydon to clean up weakened teams in the later stages of a battle. Earthquake is Rhydon's main STAB attack and does very solid damage to any neutral target. Stone Edge complements Earthquake well because the two moves have near-perfect coverage together. Swords Dance is useful for breaking through bulkier teams, though Megahorn is also an option to do more damage to Grass- and Psychic-type Pokemon such as Virizion and Uxie.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Rhydon to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Without a Jolly nature, Rhydon cannot outspeed threatening Pokemon such as Whimsicott and Sceptile. Eviolite boosts Rhydon's defenses tremendously, making it difficult to revenge kill even with super effective priority attacks. Rhydon's ability is unimportant, but in the rare case an opposing Pokemon copies Rhydon's ability, it is usually less problematic to deal with Rock Head than Lightning Rod or Reckless.
Usage Tips
========
This variant of Rhydon is less adept at checking powerful Normal- and Fire-type Pokemon than the tank set, but it can still do so in a pinch. When up against slower bulky teams, try to break through the opponent's defensive core with Swords Dance. When up against faster offensive teams, try to sweep in the late-game with Rock Polish after Rhydon's checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened or removed. It should be noted that even at +2 Speed Rhydon is still outrun by Pokemon such as Accelgor and base 70 Speed Choice Scarf users and above, so do not attempt to sweep until they have been removed.
Team Options
========
Rhydon greatly appreciates Stealth Rock and Spikes support from Pokemon such as Uxie, Garbodor, and Accelgor. Grass-type Pokemon such as Sceptile and Virizion are extremely valuable teammates for Rhydon both offensively and defensively, as they can smack bulky Water-types in the way of Rhydon's sweep and can also check opposing Grass-types. Machamp works very well with Rhydon, as the two can easily pressure common defensive cores such as Golbat + Steelix + Slowbro and pave the way for a cleaner to sweep late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon Tail can also be used in this slot to phaze the opposing Pokemon. This is especially effective when paired with a Spiker like Garbodor. Rhydon can make use of a Choice Band to increase the already solid damage output of its spammable STAB moves, but the loss of bulk from Eviolite hinders it greatly in checking Pokemon like Meloetta, Drapion, and Tauros. Rhydon can also opt for a Rest + Sleep Talk set in order to extend its longevity, but this means dropping Stealth Rock, which will often result in stacking weaknesses in order to fit another Stealth Rock user when teambuilding. Double-Edge may seem like an appealing option in conjunction with Rock Head, but it provides almost no notable coverage over other options like Megahorn.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-type Pokemon such as Sceptile, Whimsicott, Virizion, and Rotom-C resist Rhydon's Ground-type STAB attacks and can OHKO it with their powerful Grass-type attacks. Choice Scarf Rotom-C can also outrun Rhydon even at +2 and is immune to Earthquake, making it particularly annoying to deal with. However, they must all be cautious of switching into Megahorn, particularly Sceptile and Rotom-C.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Slowbro, Jellicent, Vaporeon, and Seismitoad can all survive multiple attacks from Rhydon and threaten it with a 4x super effective STAB Water-type attack.
**Lures**: Rhydon's 4x weaknesses to Grass- and Water-type attacks make it a very easy target to lure with coverage moves. Pokemon such as Grass Knot Delphox, Energy Ball Sigilyph, and Bloom Doom Rotom-C are all examples of effective and somewhat common lures for Rhydon. As a general note, the possibility of Bloom Doom makes Rhydon a fairly shaky check to Fire-types, as most are able to easily adapt their moveset to add it.
**Wallbreakers**: Powerful wallbreakers like Choice Band Emboar and Guts Machamp are very threatening to Rhydon, as they can outspeed it and threaten it out with their powerful STAB attacks. Special wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Sceptile and Guzzlord are especially difficult for Rhydon to deal with, as they target its significantly lower Special Defense stat.
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