Name Item Ability Nature
Choice Band
Choice Band Solid Rock Adamant
Moveset EVs
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Aqua Tail
~ Megahorn / Fire Punch
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Rhyperior has one of the highest Attack stats in the game combined with two extremely useful STABs. Not many things will enjoy taking an Earthquake or Stone Edge from 624 Attack. The attacking combination of Ground and Rock is only resisted by a handful of Pokemon in OU, including Bronzong, Claydol, Breloom, and Flygon. The remaining two slots are used to deal with these Pokemon. Aqua Tail deals a minimum of 59% damage to 252 HP / 152 Def Impish Hippowdon, a guaranteed 2HKO even when factoring in Leftovers recovery. Megahorn is Rhyperior's best option against enemy Celebi, easily OHKOing even the most defensive variants. Fire Punch allows Rhyperior to net a guaranteed 2HKO against 252 HP / 80 Def Sassy Bronzong.
Maximum Attack EVs are a given on a Pokemon with such an astoundingly high Attack stat. 252 Spe EVs allow Rhyperior to reach a stat of 177, just outspeeding Skarmory that sit at a stat of 176. Rhyperior is now able to 2HKO Skarmory with a Stone Edge before it has the chance to shed its Flying-type with Roost. As an alternative, Rhyperior can run 192 HP / 100 Atk / 156 SpD / 60 Spd in order to always survive 236 SpA Grass Knot from Celebi and 405 Attack Meteor Mash from Metagross. It is recommended that you run both Megahorn and Fire Punch when using this defensive spread.
Name Item Ability Nature
Rock Polish
Life Orb / Liechi Berry Solid Rock Jolly
Moveset EVs
~ Rock Polish
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Megahorn / Aqua Tail / Substitute
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Rock Polish solves the problem of Rhyperior's abysmal Speed. With max Attack and Life Orb, Rhyperior will be firing off attacks with an Attack stat of roughly 492. Earthquake and Stone Edge give the set the basis of its coverage, while the fourth moveslot is used to cover specific threats. Aqua Tail seriously dents Claydol and Hippowdon while Megahorn quickly disposes of Celebi. Substitute can be used in tandem with Rock Polish in order to protect Rhyperior from status and aid in getting a boost off successfully. On this set, Fire Punch lacks the raw power to successfully deal with Bronzong, so Fire Punch is not used.
With a Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs, Rhyperior reaches a Speed stat of 196. Therefore, Rhyperior's Speed stat is 392 after a single Rock Polish. This means that Rhyperior outspeeds even Shaymin-s, who packs a deadly 4x super effective Grass-type move, and can OHKO it with Stone Edge. An Adamant nature can be used, but Rhyperior will outspeed Gengar at most, losing to Starmie, an opponent that is relatively vital to outspeed.
Name Item Ability Nature
Swords Dance
Life Orb Solid Rock Adamant
Moveset EVs
~ Swords Dance
~ Stone Edge
~ Earthquake
~ Megahorn / Fire Punch
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
A Pokemon such as Rhyperior is an excellent candidate for Swords Dance. Being aided by its somewhat impressive defensive capabilities, its massive Attack stat, and very powerful STAB attacks make Rhyperior perfect for this type of set, if it wasn't for his Speed. Thankfully max Speed is adequate to outpace most Skarmory, so using Stone Edge will be of little concern for Rhyperior. Speaking of Stone Edge, following a Swords Dance it OHKOes Gliscor if Rhyperior is using an Adamant nature; a true feat for this set. Earthquake deals massive damage even to Hippowdon, doing roughly 85% damage on average. Megahorn is an excellent choice because it OHKOs Claydol and 2HKOs Bronzong. Fire Punch is capable of beating down Bronzong; however, that will be the only time it will be useful.
This set works best with Pokemon that can Baton Pass Speed to it. Zapdos is one of the best Agility Passing Pokemon to combine with Rhyperior, as the only real problem is Ice attacks, and quite a few of them are physical anyway. This set also functions equally well under Trick Room conditions by reversing Speed and allowing Rhyperior to attack first the majority of the time. If Rhyperior opts to use Fire Punch, it can lower its speed to 164 EVs, just outspeeding Swampert. The remaining EVs can be invested in HP.
Name Item Ability Nature
Su(b)perior
Leftovers Solid Rock Adamant
Moveset EVs
~ Substitute
~ Swords Dance / Megahorn
~ Stone Edge
~ Earthquake
132 HP / 192 Atk / 16 SpD / 168 Spe
Rhyperior's ability to conjure 101 HP Substitutes, the ability Solid Rock cutting Super Effective moves to x1.5 damage instead of x2, and the x1.5 boost to his Special Defense thanks to the presence of Sandstorm make this Rhyperior a threat when played correctly. Substitute is the key move on this set. With the given EVs, Blissey is not able to Break Rhyperior's Substitutes with Seismic Toss or Ice Beam. Cresselia also suffers this same scenario, provided she didn't get a Special Attack boost from Charge Beam or has Psychic in her move pool. After the Substitute is set up, Rhyperior can act accordingly by either boosting its 400 Attack stat to an impressive 800 with Swords Dance or simply using its powerful STABs to attack.
The Speed EVs outpace Swampert, Porygon2, and Machamp provided they don't invest heavily in Speed. Don't worry about being walled by Bronzong because Gyro Ball is doing pitiful damage and after a couple of Swords Dances even Bronzong won't enjoy a boosted Stone Edge. If Celebi and other bulky Psychic-types become a problem, Megahorn fits nicely over Swords Dance.
Name Item Ability Nature
Supporting Tank
Leftovers Solid Rock Impish
Moveset EVs
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Megahorn / Avalanche
~ Stealth Rock / Roar
244 HP / 184 Def / 80 SpD
The idea is pretty simple—switch into physical attackers with Rhyperior's amazing defenses and strike back with 316 Attack and great STAB moves. Megahorn provides coverage against Grass-types and makes a big dent in Cresselia and Celebi, while Avalanche hits Gliscor hard and can also bring down a Dragon Dancing Salamence or Dragonite, if you don't want to rely on Stone Edge's shaky accuracy. Stealth Rock is always useful due to its ability to shave off a portion of any opponent's HP. Roar helps phaze Dragon Dancing Salamence and other possible threats.
With 244 HP and 80 SpD EVs in a sandstorm, Timid Heatran's Earth Power will never 2HKO Rhyperior. With an HP stat of 432, Rhyperior also receives an extra point of Leftovers recovery. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense.
Name Item Ability Nature
RestTalk
Leftovers Solid Rock Impish
Moveset EVs
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ Sleep Talk
~ Rest
244 HP / 184 Def / 80 SpD
This set is similar to the above set, but Rhyperior now has recovery in the form of Rest and Sleep Talk. Rest allows Rhyperior to snooze away any damage it has taken during the course of the battle while removing any hindering status effects. Sleep Talk allows Rhyperior to continue attacking even while asleep. However, Rhyperior is not the most effective absorber of sleep, due to the opponents who commonly use the status, such as Gengar, Breloom, and Milotic. The specifications of the EVs are mentioned in the above set's comments.
Other Options
Rock Blast can be used to break Substitutes and destroys any Ninjask that dare to try and set up on Rhyperior. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if the low PP and accuracy concern you, although the flinch rate is of no real consequence on anything but the Rock Polish set. Focus Punch isn't generally much use due to a STAB Earthquake or Stone Edge having the same power and Fire Punch being just as powerful against Bronzong. Toxic works decently on the more defensive sets if bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon prove to be a large problem. Counter can be used to launch back things such as Flygon's Earthquake and unboosted Gyarados' Waterfall. Endeavor can work on the Rock Polish set if you are low on health. The only thing to say about Rhyperior's signature attack, Rock Wrecker, is don't use it.
EVs
Despite the apparently obvious base stat bias towards Rhyperior's Defense, Sand Stream and some investment into Special Defense can make Rhyperior a formidable tank if you choose to take that route. With 244 HP / 184 Def / 80 SpD, Rhyperior is never 2HKOed by Timid Heatran Earth Power, meaning Rhyperior can switch in and OHKO with Earthquake. A Rhyperior with some EVs invested in SpD in a sandstorm can even handle potent special-based threats like Togekiss, Yanmega, and Gengar.
Rhyperior's great Defense lets it serve as a physical tank very well, and its EV spread should reflect this. Its monstrous 115 base HP and 130 base Defense combined with its damage reducing trait, Solid Rock, give Rhyperior extremely uncommon bulk which tends to be underrated. Even though it sports weaknesses to both Close Combat and Earthquake, physically defensive Rhyperior can usually take these assaults and live long enough to get that crucial KO. 244 HP EVs are recommended because they allow Rhyperior to reach a number that yields an extra point of Leftovers recovery. Sandstorm boosts Rhyperior's lackluster Special Defense to decent levels, so EVs can always be pumped into Special Defense to take advantage of this fact. With Sandstorm support and a spread of 252 HP / 12 Atk / 16 Def / 230 SpD and an Adamant nature, Rhyperior attains incredible defenses of 434 HP / 300 Def / 304 SpD, with an amazing 350 Atk stat to back it up. With this spread, Rhyperior is even capable of taking Starmie Surfs.
The Choice Band set utilizes maximum Attack in order to achieve the highest damage potential. Max Speed with an Adamant nature allows Rhyperior to outspeed Skarmory. After maxing Attack, the remaining 4 EVs are placed into Rhyperior's lower defensive stat, Special Defense. A bulkier spread, as seen in the Substitute / Swords Dance set, can be utilized in order to give Rhyperior some bulk while taking advantage of sandstorm. The 128 Speed EVs allow Rhyperior to outspeed Blissey and Machamp that do not invest EVs in Speed.
Maximum Attack and Speed, along with a Jolly nature, are used on the Rock Polish set in order to outspeed the largest possible number of enemies after a single Rock Polish while still retaining the ability to hit hard. The remaining 4 EVs are placed into Special Defense in order to minimize the effects of Hail and Stealth Rock. The Swords Dance set uses the same principle, but with an Adamant nature to make the most out of Rhyperior's gigantic Attack stat. Adamant can be used, but Rhyperior will only reach a stat of 358 after a single Rock Polish.
The EVs of the Subsitute + Swords Dance set focus on the ability of Rhyperior's Substitute to take a minimum Special Attack Blissey's Ice Beam in sandstorm without breaking. The Speed EVs allow Rhyperior to outspeed said Blissey, as well as Swampert.
Rhyperior can use max SpD and a Careful nature to more effectively take special hits in the sand. This also allows Rhyperior to survive unboosted Starmie's Surf and unboosted Celebi's Grass Knot.
Opinion
Rhyperior's biggest problem is the competition it faces for a team slot. Although it possesses greater defensive stats than any of its fellow Ground-types, its lack of instant recovery is a let down, something Gliscor and Hippowdon both have access to. Swampert's offensive and defensive stats seem poor compared to Rhyperior, but the mudfish has superior defensive typing and can use special attacks effectively.
When considering Rhyperior for a slot as an offensive Pokémon, its low Speed means it requires support to effectively use Swords Dance to sweep with. Metagross provides stiff competition for the Rock Polish variants because it is able to reach much higher speeds.
However, this does not take away from the fact that Rhyperior is a very powerful Pokémon. 434 HP and 394 Defense are very hard to break when paired with Solid Rock and the potential for a free Special Defense buff from Sandstorm. Rhyperior is not to be underestimated and is a good choice on most teams if you can play to its strengths.
Counters
Barring boosted Megahorns and Focus Punches, Bronzong can shake off pretty much anything Rhyperior can throw its way and hit back with Grass Knot. Skarmory can't hurt Rhyperior, but can stall Rhyperior out—especially the Choice Band set—provided it is faster by wasting Stone Edge's PP with Roost and simply Whirlwinding Rhyperior away.
Swampert handles Rhyperior decently and can bring him down with STAB Water attacks. Surf or Hydro Pump are more effective than Waterfall because they hit the weaker of Rhyperior's defensive stats. Suicune also fares well if it can avoid a critical hit from Stone Edge.
Hippowdon can wear Rhyperior down by alternating between Earthquake and Slack Off. Beware of Choice Banded or Swords Danced Avalanches or Aqua Tails though.
If you can get them in on either of Rhyperior's STAB moves, Breloom and Torterra handle Rhyperior well. Both can fire off Seed Bomb, while the latter can also use the more powerful Wood Hammer. Flygon can also work somewhat, although like the previously mentioned Grass-types, be sure to avoid Ice attacks and repeated hits from Megahorn. Defensive Celebi also works well as a counter; however, it must avoid a predicted Megahorn. STAB Grass Knot, with 120 base power due to Rhyperior's girth, will OHKO the rocky beast as long as Rhyperior does not invest heavily in Special Defense and a sandstorm is not raging.
![[Image: 464rhyperior.png]](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/835/464rhyperior.png)
