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Set Details Stone Edge offers more consistent power for 2HKOing Alolan Exeggutor and Dhelmise, but Rock Blast is an alternate with better accuracy and the ability to break through Substitute Braviary and Salazzle. Swords Dance lets Rhydon 2HKO physically defensive Pokemon like Mudsdale, Guzzlord, and Weezing. Alternatively, Heat Crash allows Rhydon to lure in and nail Grass-types, OHKOing Rotom-C and Tsareena and 2HKOing Vileplume. The latter is an especially important target, as it is capable of surviving an Earthquake at +2. Offensive EVs let Rhydon consistently outrun and OHKO defensive foes like Vaporeon, Sylveon, and Weezing after a Swords Dance boost. Due to Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery, Wish support from the likes of Sylveon and Togedemaru makes it a more consistent check towards Pokemon like Snorlax. The former has access to Heal Bell to prevent status from Pokemon like Mudsdale, Talonflame, and Weezing from wearing it down, while the latter is able to check Rotom-C and Heliolisk. Grass-types like Rotom-C, Dhelmise, Decidueye, and Tsareena can handle the Water-, Ground-, and Grass-type attacks that Rhydon can't handle while appreciating it coming in on Flying- and Fire-type coverage attacks. Late-game cleaners like Salazzle and Toxicroak appreciate Rhydon weakening or KOing checks like Quagsire and Weezing.

Moves Stealth Rock is mandatory for essentially any competitive team, and Rhydon is a great user of the move thanks to its ability to threaten common forms of entry hazard prevention, such as Xatu, Rotom, and Decidueye, with heavy damage. Earthquake hits other Stealth Rock setters in Steelix and opposing Rhydon and is Rhydon's best form of damage against neutral targets like Vaporeon, Slowking, Druddigon, and Blastoise. Stone Edge lets Rhydon always OHKO Xatu as it switches in and lets Rhydon take down Braviary and Golbat. Rock Blast is an alternative to Stone Edge that lets Rhydon better deal with Substitute Braviary and Focus Sash Vivillon, although Stone Edge's greater power is more appreciated. Swords Dance enables Rhydon to better take on Pokemon like Dhelmise and Bulk Up Braviary with its coverage options. Ice Punch can be run to let Rhydon lure in and take out Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Torterra. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature bolster Rhydon's offensive capabilities and let it outspeed Pokemon such as Incineroar, Dhelmise, and Slowking. An Eviolite helps Rhydon better check Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Braviary. Rhydon can opt for a bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 52 Atk / 120 Def / 84 SpD with an Impish nature, which notably lets it survive two Close Combats from Passimian and lets it better take on Pokemon like Magmortar and Braviary. However, such a set is much more easily walled by bulky Pokemon like Dhelmise and Blastoise, even with the help of Swords Dance. Usage Tips Rhydon can gain opportunities to set Stealth Rock by switching into Pokemon it checks such as Incineroar, Braviary, and Garbodor. However, if the opponent has a Xatu, it is often worthwhile to predict it switching in by using Stone Edge or Rock Blast to dent it. From there, you can use Swords Dance to help ease Roost mind games. Similarly, predicting other forms of entry hazard control such as Dhelmise and Decidueye to switch in and using Ice Punch to hit them can open up the opportunity to keep Stealth Rock up. Once Stealth Rock is set, simply firing off attacks to take advantage of Rhydon's great Attack stat can open up holes in the opponent's team. While Rhydon is generally a solid check to Fire- and Flying-types like Incineroar and Braviary, be wary of super effective coverage options from them; Rhydon can be taken down by moves like Incineroar's boosted Tectonic Rage and Braviary's boosted All-Out Pummeling. Although Rhydon looks like a solid Heliolisk check due to its resistance or immunity to Heliolisk's STAB attacks, it must be extremely wary of Surf as well as Hyper Voice, which reliably 3HKOes it. Similarly, while Rhydon does a great job of checking Incineroar, be wary of switching into Knock Off, as losing Eviolite severely compromises Rhydon's bulk. Team Options Grass-types like Decidueye, Sceptile, and Dhelmise have great defensive synergy with Rhydon; they appreciate Rhydon switching into Flying- and Fire-type attacks for them, while they can take on opposing Water-, Ground-, and Grass-types. Similarly, Fire-types like Incineroar, Delphox, and Magmortar appreciate Rhydon drawing in Grass-types for them. Weezing and Garbodor can form an entry hazard stacking core with Rhydon and appreciate its effectiveness at pressuring Pokemon like Xatu, Rotom, and Golbat. In return, these Pokemon can switch into Fighting- and Grass-type attacks for Rhydon. Because Rhydon lacks any form of recovery, Wish support from Vaporeon and Delphox helps keep it healthy enough to switch into Pokemon like Incineroar and Rotom several times. Vaporeon can also provide Heal Bell support, which helps prevent Rhydon from being worn down by poison and burn from the likes of Weezing and Rotom.

Moves Rhydon is a great user of Stealth Rock thanks to its good bulk and favorable matchup against Xatu. Earthquake is Rhydon's most reliable STAB move and hits a good majority of Pokemon hard even with minimal Attack investment. Rock Blast is more accurate than Stone Edge, making it more reliable against Pokemon such as Scyther and Xatu. It also breaks Sturdy and Focus Sash, which gives Rhydon a better matchup against lead Archeops. If the inconsistent Base Power proves to be an issue, however, Stone Edge can be used instead. Megahorn hits Pokemon that resist Ground / Rock coverage such as Torterra and Claydol while also hitting Mesprit, Musharna, and Malamar. Swords Dance is another option to allow Rhydon to break through bulkier Pokemon such as Musharna, Mega Audino, and Miltank. Roar is also useful to phaze setup sweepers as well as Water- and Grass-type switch-ins, allowing Rhydon to wear them down with repeated entry hazard damage. Set Details Maximum HP EVs increase Rhydon's overall bulk, while 240 EVs go into Special Defense, allowing Rhydon to take Fire-type attacks much more comfortably; investing in Special Defense is generally the better option, as Rhydon's Defense is already high enough when boosted with Eviolite. The remaining EVs plus an Adamant nature allow Rhydon to hit a jump point in Attack, giving its attacks a little more power. Eviolite boosts Rhydon's bulk substantially, allowing it to switch into many Pokemon throughout the match. Usage Tips This set plays as a bulky tank; it should be switching in against Pokemon that cannot do much back, such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Archeops, and setting up Stealth Rock to support its teammates. Once Stealth Rock is up, use Rhydon's typing to switch in on many Pokemon and weaken the opposing team, as even without heavy Attack investment, Rhydon's attacks still deal great amounts of damage. If the opponent has a Pokemon that resists the combination of Ground / Rock, predict their switch in by using Megahorn. Swords Dance is best used to break down bulkier Pokemon mid-game, allowing a teammate to clean late-game with ease. Before switching Rhydon in against the Pokemon it checks, try to scout for moves such as Hidden Power Grass from Pyroar and Aqua Tail from Archeops and Kangaskhan. Team Options Bulky Grass- and Water-types switch into this set with ease, so teammates such as Vileplume and Roselia pair well with Rhydon, with both covering these Pokemon in addition to Rhydon's Fighting-type weakness while Rhydon threatens Fire-types that give Vileplume and Roselia issues. Roselia in particular switches into Lilligant and Ludicolo with ease. Cacturne and Lilligant are good teammates for Rhydon for their ability to switch into Scald and threaten bulky Water-types such as Prinplup and Lanturn. Garbodor can switch into Fighting-types while also wearing them down with Rocky Helmet damage, as well as providing Spikes and Toxic Spikes support, which pairs well with the number of switches Rhydon forces. Though Rhydon does check Fire-types, it still fears the coverage moves they carry, so Lanturn in particular is recommended, as it is able to heal any status inflicted with Heal Bell and bring in Rhydon safely with Volt Switch. Poliwrath is a good partner, as Water Absorb allows it to gain back HP from Water-type moves aimed at Rhydon. Poliwrath is also a good switch-in to Knock Off, which Rhydon does not appreciate losing its Eviolite to, despite taking the move very well otherwise.

Moves Rock Polish boosts Rhydon's Speed, allowing it to outspeed many unboosted offensive Pokemon. Earthquake and Stone Edge together have great coverage, hitting a good majority of Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Swords Dance boosts Rhydon's Attack to frightening levels, making it very difficult for opposing Pokemon to safely switch into. Megahorn is an alternative move that rounds out Rhydon's coverage by hitting Pokemon that resist both Earthquake and Stone Edge, such as Torterra and Claydol, as well as nailing Ludicolo, Lilligant, Musharna, Mesprit, and Malamar. Rock Slide is another option over Stone Edge if the accuracy proves to be an issue, but the damage output is significantly lower. Stealth Rock can also be used to have Rhydon act as both a team supporter and a late-game cleaner. Set Details Maximum Attack EVs allow Rhydon to hit as hard as possible, while maximum Speed EVs plus a Jolly nature ensure it outspeeds defensive Lanturn, uninvested Malamar, and Jolly Carracosta before a boost, as well as Floatzel and Modest Choice Scarf Mesprit after a Rock Polish. Eviolite increases Rhydon's bulk significantly, giving it many opportunities to set up throughout the match. Usage Tips Try to set up on Pokemon that cannot do much in return, such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Pyroar locked into Fire Blast or Hyper Voice, or on forced switches. Do not bring in Rhydon recklessly, as it needs to stay healthy to be able to set up without being KOed. In addition, watch out for Pokemon that try to lure in Rhydon, such as Archeops running Hidden Power Grass or Aqua Tail. Rhydon can be used as a mid-game wallbreaker by setting up Swords Dance, tearing apart slower teams. Once Rhydon's checks have been weakened, set up Rock Polish to clean late-game. Team Options Mesprit is a good partner, as it covers Rhydon's Fighting and Ground weaknesses, provides Stealth Rock support, and can give Rhydon a second shot at sweeping the opposing team with Healing Wish. Garbodor pairs well with Rhydon due to its Fighting-type resistance and provides Spikes and Toxic Spikes support, weakening Pokemon so Rhydon is able to clean late-game with more ease. Bulky Grass-types such as Torterra, Gourgeist-XL, and Tangela give this set issues, as all of them are able to take a hit and OHKO with their respective Grass-type STAB moves, so Flying-types such as Scyther and Archeops all pair well with Rhydon. Similarly, Ice-types, most notably Freeze-Dry users such as Vanilluxe and Articuno, are good teammates, as they appreciate Rhydon's ability to threaten Fire-types while in return they threaten Grass- and Water-types that are able to put Rhydon's sweep to a halt. Cacturne is a good partner thanks to its resistance to Grass and immunity to Water, Spikes support, and ability to break down many Pokemon, paving the way for Rhydon to sweep late-game. Swords Dance Samurott does a great job wallbreaking early- and mid-game and provides a secondary check to Fire-types, as despite Rhydon's resistance, it is still threatened by Fire-types due to most of them have a coverage move or secondary STAB move to hit Rhydon with.

Rhydon is most often seen using its combination of incredible bulk and power in a tanking role. It has a niche as being a physical tank that can set up Stealth Rock, with its ability to switch into most Entei separating it from Steelix. Stealth Rock is a must for every team in a tier filled with behemoths such as Moltres, Scyther, and Entei, and Rhydon is a fine choice to set it up if you require its talents. Rhydon appreciates the reliable STAB of Earthquake in its arsenal, and it is especially important when facing Taunt + Swords Dance Drapion because Rhydon hard counters it. When considering Rhydon's Rock-type STAB move, there are two viable choices. Rock Blast is the preferred choice to break through Focus Sash users such as Aerodactyl, Accelgor, and Scolipede, as well as Crustle. As such, Rhydon makes a fine lead when using Rock Blast as it can set up Stealth Rock on turn one while also being able to dispose of other hazard leads. However, another option that should be considered is Stone Edge. While Stone Edge is strangely more reliable, Rock Blast has a good chance to hit at least as hard as the former while also reaping the benefits of being a multi-hit move. Megahorn is a great move for Rhydon that enables it to hit bulky Grass- and Psychic-types, such as Tangrowth and Uxie, that would otherwise be able to tank its hits and retaliate. It is also essential for breaking down the Regenerator core of Slowking and Tangrowth which plagues most teams. Another option that can go in place of Stealth Rock is Substitute. While Stealth Rock is the recommended choice in nearly all aspects, Rhydon has a free moveslot when Stealth Rock is covered by another member of your team. The only thing holding Rhydon back from destroying most teams is its abysmal Speed, which leaves it forced out by many threats, so Substitute attempts to remedy this by creating a buffer that Rhydon can safely hide behind while it dispatches the opposing Pokemon with the appropriate move. However, when using Substitute, Eviolite becomes a liability and Rhydon will be worn down immensely due to entry hazard damage and Substitute. Leftovers is the primary item choice when using Substitute, as is an alternate EV spread of 72 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Def / 84 Spe. Not only does this mitigate the health lost from creating Substitutes, it also allows Rhydon to create five Substitutes when at full health, as well as survive uninvested Qwilfish's Waterfall after one layer of Spikes. However, Eviolite can still be used with Substitute to increase special bulk tremendously and stand a better chance of countering Drapion. When creating EV spreads for Rhydon, especially bulkier ones, they tend to be complicated due to Eviolite and the imbalance of Rhydon's stat spread. This set is no exception. Maximum investment along with an Adamant nature allows Rhydon to hit as hard as possible, maximizing its effectiveness as an offensively-oriented tank. 84 Speed EVs are required to outspeed minimum Speed Tangrowth and hit it with Megahorn, although 124 Speed EVs aren't that big of a step up and can be used to outspeed minimum Speed Omastar. The HP and Special Defense EVs are used to avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Rotom's Shadow Ball after Stealth Rock, making Rhydon an effective counter to sets that lack Will-O-Wisp by breaking their Substitutes with Rock Blast. It is worth noting that should you choose to use enough Speed to beat minimum Speed Omastar, Rhydon will no longer be able to avoid being 2HKOed by Life Orb Rotom if Stealth Rock is in play. Eviolite is really the only item choice that you should ever consider if not using Substitute due to Rhydon's low Speed and NFE status. Keep in mind that a fully-evolved Pokemon using a similar set would only consider Leftovers, and Eviolite is much better than Leftovers for Rhydon in almost every way. The choice of ability is negligible when using this set; don't even bother changing it on the teambuilder. All three of Rhydon's abilities are completely useless and it doesn't matter which one you decide to use. That being said, don't use Reckless because its illegality with Stealth Rock isn't worth losing over Reckless's, uh, cool name I guess. While the options listed take advantage of Rhydon's offensive potential, a more defensive set can be used effectively thanks to Rhydon's great defensive prowess. An EV spread of 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD and an Impish nature should be used to take on foes such as Choice Scarf Primeape, defensive Qwilfish, and Choice Band Bouffalant. With this spread, Rhydon can avoid the 2HKO from all of these Pokemon. There are moves in Rhydon's movepool that don't find use on offensive sets but are instead useful on defensive sets, such as Toxic and Roar. These moves should replace Megahorn and Rhydon's Rock-type STAB move, as they are the less reliable, and won't do as much damage without investment, than Earthquake. Another role that Rhydon can play while filling a more defensive role is to utilize RestTalk to become a mono-attacking phazer. This has its pros and cons, as while Rhydon is so immensely bulky on the physical side that it can avoid the 2HKO from even STAB super effective attacks, it is also forced out by so many specially based Pokemon and can be quickly worn down by entry hazards in this manner. A spread with much heavier physical bias isn't recommended because Rhydon is extremely hard to kill with basically any physical attack in the first place, and extra investment would leave it even more prone to hits on its weaker Special Defense. If Stealth Rock is already covered by another teammate and Substitute doesn't float your boat, then Swords Dance is an interesting option to boost Rhydon's Attack to extremely threatening levels and destroy stall with its awesome STABs and Megahorn. To give an example of Rhydon's power at +2, Earthquake stands a good chance of OHKOing standard 252/96+ Steelix after it has taken Stealth Rock damage! However, with the listed spread, Rhydon will be outsped and OHKOed by stall stalwarts such as Lanturn, Roselia, and Omastar. This more offensive Rhydon should use a speedier spread--namely 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe--to outspeed uninvested Lanturn and Roselia as it can OHKO the former two very hard. Another good choice over Substitute is Double-Edge, as it is very useful for finishing off weakened Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake without risking the accuracy of Stone Edge or Rock Blast. If using Double-Edge, then the ability choice becomes important, as either Rock Head or Reckless can be used to make better use of Double-Edge. Due to its easily exploitable weaknesses, Rhydon needs a lot of team support to function to the best of its ability. Paralysis support is required when using Rhydon as it is slower than most of the metagame and needs to be able to outspeed most special attackers. Luckily for Rhydon, there are several special walls that are happy to provide paralysis support for it. Slowking is a wonderful special pivot that can take on Fighting-, Water-, and Ice-type attackers while also spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave. Rhydon appreciates Spikes to complement its own Stealth Rock, and Pokemon such as Roselia and Ferroseed can offer both Spikes and paralysis support, which makes them ideal partners. On the opposite side of the field, Toxic Spikes are the bane of Rhydon's existence and shorten its longevity greatly. Therefore, when using Rhydon, you should be sure to pack a spinner, a Toxic Spikes absorber, or both. Qwilfish is a good partner that can set up Spikes while also absorbing Toxic Spikes as it switches in, and can soften blows even further with Intimidate. When considering a spinner to aid Rhydon, look no further than Cryogonal. Cryogonal can take on many of the specially-based Water- and Grass-type foes that eat Rhydon for breakfast, and Rhydon takes on powerful physical attackers that Cryogonal easily falls to, such as Aggron and Entei. Last but not least, Clefable is probably one of the best partners for Rhydon defensively as it can not only pass Wishes to compensate for Rhydon's complete lack of healing, but it can also act as a cleric with Heal Bell and take on most special attackers.

Although Rhydon often capitalizes on its bulk to attack, a more offensive set is also effective. When holding a Choice Band, Rhydon can pulverize anything not named Poliwrath with its incredible power. Due to the loss of bulk that comes from the loss of Eviolite and a reduced defensive investment, Rhydon must be treated as more of a wallbreaker than something that can take hits. Its resistances still allow it to take attacks such as Flare Blitz and Head Smash with ease, but the loss of bulk is noticeable when tanking the likes of Earthquake and Close Combat. In fact, Rhydon is best brought in on double switches to Pokemon who can't hurt it, such as Slowking, Lanturn, and Mandibuzz, before firing off one of its incredibly powerful moves. This set functions as an excellent Tangrowth lure, as Rhydon will always win if Tangrowth decides to switch in on it. Defensive versions of Tangrowth are outsped and always 2HKOed by Megahorn, while offensive variants are OHKOed by that same Megahorn. As such, this set finds a home on balanced and offensive teams, particularly bulky offense. Rhydon is unique in that it is a powerful Choice Band user that can switch into many of its competitors, while Entei and Aggron can't say the same. Many users of either Choice Band or Choice Specs have their so-called "spam attack," their most powerful move that can destroy most of the metagame; your opponent will typically switch in a Pokemon that resists this move as there is a large chance that you will use it. Rhydon is no exception to this. Earthquake is powerful, reliable, and it gets the job done, so it is the move that Rhydon should be using most of the time. Stone Edge completes Rhydon's wonderful STAB combination, and is used to hit Flying- and Bug-type foes as well as Levitate users, as Moltres, Accelgor, and Rotom will all look to come in for free and they are all disposed of by Stone Edge. Complementing Rhydon's wonderful STAB coverage is Megahorn, which hits Psychic- and Grass-types, such as Uxie and Torterra, right where it hurts. Double-Edge is the primary option in the last slot as Rhydon doesn't need additional coverage, and Double-Edge is useful for hitting Pokemon that don't take much damage from Earthquake, such as Flying- and Bug-types in addition to Levitate users, without risking Stone Edge's accuracy. However, Rock Blast can go in that spot as well; although Rhydon shouldn't set up Stealth Rock with a Choice Band, it still makes a fine anti-lead that can destroy common leads such as Aerodactyl, Scolipede, Accelgor, and Crustle, while limiting them to only one layer of hazards. This EV spread is a lot less complicated than most of Rhydon's sets. As always, maximum investment in Attack in conjunction with an Adamant nature allows Rhydon to hit as hard as possible. 220 Speed EVs enable it to outrun defensive versions of Lanturn and Roselia as they usually won't run any Speed themselves. The remaining EVs are placed in HP to slightly increase bulk both physically and specially, whatever difference that may make. However, you can also use a slightly bulkier spread of 32 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Def / 124 Spe to increase Rhydon's longevity. Specifically, the Speed is dropped to outspeed uninvested Omastar, while the HP and Defense EVs allow Rhydon to survive defensive Qwilfish's Waterfall after one layer of Spikes. In this case though, you're usually better off sticking to the listed spread as Lanturn and Roselia are threats too important to pass up on. Rock Head is the preferred ability as it allows Rhydon to use Double-Edge without receiving the recoil from it. This is a great asset for Rhydon, but feel free to use Reckless as well, as there aren't any illegality issues with the slashed moves, and a Reckless-boosted Double-Edge is almost as powerful as Rhydon's STAB moves! Of course, if you're using Rock Blast or some other move, the choice of ability really doesn't matter. If you have no use for Double-Edge or Rock Blast, Rhydon has many coverage moves at its disposal that can be used to hit specific threats harder than the listed moves. However, all of these moves are situational at best, as they usually only turn 2HKOs into OHKOs against certain Pokemon. First and foremost on the list is Aqua Tail, which is useful for doing more damage to opposing Rhydon as well as the odd Air Balloon Aggron. Fire Punch hits Ferroseed harder, but Rhydon already outspeeds and 2HKOes Ferroseed. Crunch is an option if you want Rhydon to have a more consistent option to hit Misdreavus with, but do note that a super effective Crunch is only slightly more powerful than a neutral Earthquake or Stone Edge, making it a lesser option in most cases. Lastly, Rhydon has a couple of powerful Fighting-type attacks that it can use to hit Normal-type walls such as Clefable and Miltank harder than Earthquake or Stone Edge. Superpower is the better option most of the time, but Focus Punch is a move for those feeling ballsy and who can predict well. Focus Punch's main draw is that it is as powerful as both Earthquake and Stone Edge, even factoring in STAB! All in all, as the last moveslot is truly filler, Stealth Rock can even be used to fill your team's needs. However, note that all of the moves mentioned in this paragraph bar Crunch are illegal with Reckless, although you shouldn't be considering it anyway if you're not using Double-Edge. As with any Rhydon set, paralysis support is crucial when trying to do damage to your opponent's team. Both Ferroseed and Roselia can offer paralysis support, as well as crucial resistances to Grass- and Water-type attacks. They can also lay down Spikes to aid in Rhydon's attempt to break down your opponent's defensive core. Slowking offers resistances to Ice-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks and also offers paralysis support. Likewise, Sigilyph can paralyze foes while being able to cover Rhydon's weaknesses to Fighting-, Grass-, and Ground-type attacks. Rhydon, just like any other offensive Pokemon, enjoys entry hazards support to break through its checks. When considering Pokemon to set up hazards, Rhydon prefers offensive partners that can aid it in its path of destruction. As such, powerful suicide hazard leads that also have an offensive presence such as Smeargle, Scolipede, and Accelgor are all great partners for Rhydon. As said before, this set is a fine Tangrowth lure, so Pokemon that can take advantage of its absence, such as the aforementioned Aerodactyl, as well as Feraligatr, Rotom-C, and Golurk, are all great partners that can benefit a lot from having Rhydon on their team.

While Rhydon's other sets focus on being bulky and powerful at the same time while sacrificing the need for Speed, this set aims to singlehandedly fix Rhydon's poor Speed with one move: Rock Polish. After only one Rock Polish, Rhydon outspeeds Sceptile as well as Choice Scarf base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Magneton. To make sure that Rhydon can sweep, a few things must occur. Firstly, defensive walls that can counter this set such as Steelix, Poliwrath, and Tangrowth must be removed from play entirely as they will jeopardize the success of this set. Secondly, Aqua Jet users such as Feraligatr and Kabutops, as well as common Choice Scarf users over base 70 Speed, such as Rotom-C, Manectric, Primeape, and Medicham, must be nowhere to be found. The idea of this set is to wear down its counters over time with hazards and offensive pressure, then use Rock Polish for the final attempt at a sweep. As such, this set prefers to be on offensive teams that can take advantage of its powerful coverage and ability to take a hit while softening each other's checks so that one Pokemon can sweep with the help of its teammates. The rest of the move choices are fairly obvious and take advantage of Rhydon's unique assets. Earthquake is Rhydon's most reliable STAB move, and should be used more than anything else, especially when there is no need to predict. Next, "the worst move in the game" finds major use on this set, completing Rhydon's STAB EdgeQuake combination, and hitting the Flying- and Bug-types as well as Levitate users that like to come in on a predicted Earthquake. It is less of a risk to take than other users of the move as, even if you predict incorrectly, it will still have the same Base Power as Earthquake. Rounding out the set is Megahorn, which is essential for hitting the Grass-types that resist Earthquake, as well as bulky Psychic-types such as Slowking. It is worth noting that a Life Orb-boosted Megahorn will always OHKO Slowking after Stealth Rock, and it is a 2HKO on Tangrowth after Stealth Rock as well. The recommended EV spread places maximum emphasis on Attack, and uses enough Speed to outrun Sceptile as well as Choice Scarf Magneton after a Rock Polish. The leftover EVs are placed in HP to slightly increase bulk. A Jolly nature is mainly used to outspeed Sceptile, but if you aren't too worried about that, then an Adamant nature can be used instead for more power. If using Adamant, an EV spread of 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe should be used to outspeed Scolipede. The main benefit of using Adamant is the ability to 2HKO all variants of Tangrowth without Stealth Rock, in addition to added power against every other foe that Rhydon faces. Life Orb is the item of choice for this set as it provides a sizable boost to all of Rhydon's moves while allowing it to switch between them. Eviolite can be used, but the drop in power is too great to make up for added bulk while setting up. Swords Dance is an interesting option over Megahorn to form a double dance set, and is usable thanks to Rhydon's amazing STAB combination and incredible power. However, it's generally not advised because of Rhydon's frequent lack of opportunities to set up, due to its multitude of common weaknesses as well as its pathetic Speed. In addition, the coverage provided by Megahorn is too good to pass up most of the time in a tier where Psychic and Grass are two prominent defensive types. As with any offensive Pokemon, Rhydon appreciates entry hazards to do its job better. Specifically, Stealth Rock alone enables Jolly Rhydon to 2HKO Tangrowth with Megahorn all of the time. Good partners that can set up hazards include Scolipede, Roselia, and Ferroseed, as they all either provide crucial resistances or added offensive pressure. Also, this set appreciates a cleric as it tends to get hit with status. Both Clefable and Lanturn are excellent choices, with the former taking a slight edge thanks to its access to Wish. Although Megahorn has a good chance to 2HKO Tangrowth, it can simply switch out again and take Rhydon on again due to Regenerator. As such, Magmortar is a fantastic partner that can switch into Tangrowth with impunity and OHKO with Fire Blast. Rhydon fulfills its side of the bargain by taking out Slowking with Megahorn. Bulky Ghost-types, such as Misdreavus, Dusknoir, and Spiritomb, can take Rhydon's attacks and burn it with Will-O-Wisp. As such, a Pursuit user is helpful to tame these beasts, and Spiritomb is the superior choice thanks to its immunity to Fighting-type attacks. Another thing that Rhydon asks of its teammates is the ability to remove Toxic Spikes from the field of play. Qwilfish and Drapion are both excellent choices as the former can set up Spikes for Rhydon to take advantage of, and the latter can provide the aforementioned Pursuit support.

Set Description Rhydon can take advantage of its limited entry on Regirock, Skuntank, and Choice-locked Tauros and Manectric by wielding a setup move to break open holes in the opposing team with Swords Dance or clean up late-game with Rock Polish. Swords Dance lets Rhydon cleave through physically defensive switch-ins such as Slowking and Vileplume with enough chip damage. Rock Polish flips Rhydon's poor Speed on its head, outspeeding anything not carrying a Choice Scarf while having great enough power to pick off frailer teams. Rock Blast is a strong multi-hit move against most Earthquake-resistant or -immune Pokemon, notably covering Substitute Charizard, Drifblim, and Haunter. Megahorn allows Rhydon to hit Grass-types such as Meganium, Cacturne, and Shiftry while also hitting Slowking hard without boosts. Swords Dance + Rock Polish can potentially work together to devastating effect, but the chances of getting both boosts in a single game is unlikely. Custap Berry makes up for Rhydon's lacking Speed on Swords Dance sets by turning the tides on potential revenge kills and picking off frailer late-game sweepers such as Tauros and Drifblim after Unburden. Endure can also let Rhydon get into Custap Berry range more consistently and against threats that might OHKO it. Chople Berry lets Rhydon survive even Life Orb Hitmonchan's Close Combat as well as Charizard's Focus Blast and Drifblim's boosted Hidden Power Fighting while also enabling Rock Polish Rhydon to check some means of speed control from Hitmonchan's Mach Punch as well as Choice Scarf Hitmonchan, Medicham, and Gardevoir. Shuca Berry helps Rhydon take Tauros's Earthquake, Haunter's Hidden Power Ground, and Nidoqueen's Earth Power to increase its setup opportunity with Rock Polish and countersweep some of these Pokemon. An Adamant nature is useful on Swords Dance sets to OHKO some Slowking variants after Stealth Rock with +2 Earthquake, while a Jolly nature is mandated with Rock Polish to outspeed Floatzel at +2. Team Options Rhydon appreciates teammates that can lure its common entry points such as Regirock, Skuntank, Tauros, and Manectric. Pokemon like Tauros, Charizard, Haunter, and Jynx are able to accomplish this to create offensive momentum for Rhydon. Pokemon with sleep moves such as Jynx, Vileplume, and Venomoth are able to generate free turns for Rhydon to find setup opportunities. Swords Dance Rhydon takes advantage of paralysis spam, so it appreciates Pokemon that are good at paralysis spreading such as Regirock and Slowking, which can also set up Stealth Rock in the former's case or switch into Hitmonchan and Water-types in the latter's. Ampharos is also a good lead choice with Rhydon that can spread paralysis, match up well against Water-types, Tauros, and offensive Charizard, and deal early damage to Grass- and Ground-types that Rhydon can capitalize on. An alternative method of making Rhydon faster than the opposing team while also sweeping with Swords Dance is by using it on Trick Room teams, making Trick Room setters such as Slowking, Solrock, and Porygon2 good partners. To make Rhydon less reliant on Swords Dance boosts or its raw power in Rock Polish's case, it likes entry hazard support from Spikes setters such as Cacturne and Glalie that provide beneficial chip damage to push foes into range of Rhydon's attacks late-game. Because Rock Polish Rhydon is weak to most forms of priority, it appreciates lures to the Pokemon that carry them like Hitmonchan, Medicham, Sharpedo, and Floatzel, making Chople Berry Regirock and Colbur Berry Slowking solid teammates to support a Rhydon sweep. Rhydon appreciates additional late-game cleaners that can take advantage of teams weakened by its mid- to late-game wreckage, such as Tauros, Manectric, and Floatzel.

Set Description While Rhydon's general bulk is inferior to Regirock, it makes for an effective bulky Stealth Rock setter with a more offensive edge over other Ground-types such as Nidoqueen, Sandslash, and Gligar. If another Stealth Rock user is already being used, Rhydon can also use Substitute to scout switch-ins and generate momentum, which works well in tandem with Swords Dance to aid in setup and break through bulky structures. Rock Blast is the chosen Rock-type STAB option on this set for handling Substitute Charizard, Drifblim, and Haunter while having the potential for great power with five hits. Megahorn allows Rhydon to hit Grass-types such as Cacturne, Shiftry, Meganium, and Cradily in addition to hitting Slowking quite hard. However, Swords Dance can be used in its place to set up on Regirock and Skuntank and pose a sweeping threat mid- to late-game. Custap Berry pairs well with Rhydon's solid bulk, giving it an opportunity to land a strong hit against faster foes such as Tauros and Manectric and check Unburden Drifblim in a pinch. Leftovers is the best item on Substitute sets to increase Rhydon's longevity and set multiple Substitutes throughout the match. Rindo Berry allows Rhydon to consistently survive Hidden Power Grass from Charizard, Typhlosion, and Manectric, and it can survive Grass-type moves from Vileplume, Cradily, Meganium, and Cacturne to lure in and KO them with Megahorn. However, this will not work on Shiftry due to Life Orb Leaf Storm still OHKOing Rhydon even with Rindo Berry. Similarly, Chople Berry allows Rhydon to survive a hit from Life Orb Hitmonchan's Close Combat, Medicham's High Jump Kick, and Charizard's and Magmortar's Focus Blasts to sneak a surprise hit on them. WIth a bulky EV spread, Rhydon takes on the likes of Drifblim, SubToxic Charizard, and Tauros with ease while also being able to win one-on-one versus Gardevoir, Haunter, Articuno, and Leftovers Hitmonchan. The given EV spread allows Rhydon to survive a 2HKO from Drifblim's Hidden Power Fighting while outspeeding uninvested Regirock and Vileplume, but more HP can be used to consistently survive Magneton's Flash Cannon, Ampharos's Focus Blast, and Cacturne's Energy Ball with Rindo Berry. 216 HP EVs allow Rhydon to set 101 HP Substitutes versus Seismic Toss users like Dusclops and Lickilicky while also setting the maximum amount of Substitutes from full health. Team Options Rhydon's main form of entry comes from switching in on Regirock, so it appreciates Pokemon that force Regirock in early such as Skuntank, Tauros, and Charizard. After Rhydon has set Stealth Rock, it appreciates spinblockers like Drifblim and Haunter that can switch in on Hitmonchan and Sandslash to maintain Rhydon's entry hazards while also baiting Medicham into taking High Jump Kick's recoil damage. Sleep users such as Vileplume, Jynx, and Venomoth can give Rhydon potential entry points to set up Substitute or Swords Dance. Substitute Rhydon can be used alongside heavy paralysis support to mitigate its slow Speed, take advantage of full paralysis turns, and threaten to sweep. Thunder Wave Regirock is a good partner to spread paralysis, luring shared checks such as Hitmonchan, Poliwrath, and Meganium, while also using Explosion on bulky Ground-types that are immune to Thunder Wave and check Rhydon. Slowking can also spread paralysis decently by threatening out Ground-types and drawing in Skuntank, one of Rhydon's common entry points. Substitute Rhydon also takes advantage of bulky Water- and Grass-types taking Toxic, as it can stall for Toxic damage and can potentially bring them in range of its attacks. Therefore, Rhydon pairs well with Toxic users such as Regirock, Slowking, and Floatzel, which draw in bulky Water- and Grass-types like Slowking and Meganium. Since Rhydon is generally forced out by Fighting- and Water-types, it appreciates Pokemon that can switch into them while maintaining momentum such as Slowking and Vileplume. Rhydon setting Stealth Rock and making good mid-game progress is appreciated by late-game cleaners such as Tauros, Manectric, and Drifblim.

Rhydon's high HP stat enables it to create 101 HP Substitutes, which Blissey and Miltank can't break with Seismic Toss--watch out for Ice Beam or the occasional Earthquake, though. With the given Speed EVs, Rhydon can also outspeed Weezing and put up a Substitute to block Will-O-Wisp; neither Weezing nor Dusclops can take Rhydon down with their attacks. Megahorn destroys Claydol and Celebi, but Swords Dance boosts Rock Slide to the point where it 2HKOes Skarmory.

While hard to use, this Rhydon has the potential to be amazing. With accurate prediction, it will do a lot of damage. However, if you need Rhydon for its resistances, use a different set, as this one lacks Leftovers recovery. Focus Punch hurts Skarmory and Double-Edge provides a 100% accurate option against Weezing. Hidden Power Rock can reliably take down Flying-types; it actually does more damage on average than either Rock Blast or Rock Slide do. Furthermore, Rhydon can't take much advantage of Rock Slide's flinch chance due to its low Speed; it doesn't even much mind being phazed out by Skarmory, so even that benefit is lost. Choice Band is a good item for Rhydon because most of its switch-ins are Pokemon such as Suicune and Zapdos, who are faster and can easily OHKO it. Rhydon therefore often plays as a hit-and-run Pokemon, so it rarely notices the locking effect of the Choice Band.

Set Description With this set, Rhydon threatens to break walls and can even function as a late-game sweeper. Earthquake and Rock Slide form an unresisted combination of moves that, when both are backed by STAB and Rhydon's high Attack stat, deals high damage to most Pokemon in the tier. Rhydon can boost its Attack stat even further with Curse, which can help it to break particularly resilient physical walls such as Skarmory. With Roar, Rhydon can guarantee that no foe will be slower than it after a Curse, meaning as long as Rhydon uses Roar, it won't be phazed out by Pokemon such as Skarmory. In addition, it can prevent opposing Curse users such as Snorlax from setting up, in fact even allowing Rhydon to threaten to counter-sweep if an opposing Snorlax foolishly engages in a Curse war. The Defense boosts coupled with Rhydon's naturally high physical bulk can even make Rhydon effective against Earthquake variants of Snorlax, provided Snorlax is switching into Rhydon and not the other way around. In addition, Roar allows Rhydon to perform vital defensive duties such as phazing Mean Look Umbreon and Misdreavus. Team Options Rhydon fits well on teams that want an offensive phazer that can at least temporarily check opposing Snorlax. Paralysis support is very effective alongside Rhydon, as it allows Rhydon to outspeed checks such as Umbreon, Miltank, Suicune, Vaporeon, Starmie, Exeggutor, and Skarmory then threaten them with boosted Earthquake or Rock Slide. Paralysis also makes it more difficult for Pokemon such as Zapdos, Raikou, and Snorlax to make Rhydon's job complicated with the appropriate coverage moves. Pokemon such as Snorlax, Exeggutor, Zapdos, Starmie, and Porygon2 can use Body Slam, Stun Spore, and Thunder Wave toward this end. Note, however, that paralyzing Skarmory renders it slower than Rhydon even after a Curse and, therefore, able to phaze. However, Rhydon is compensated by the damage output and flinch potential of boosted Rock Slide coupled with the chance of full paralysis, which together affords Rhydon a decent chance to KO Skarmory should it attempt to phaze. Starmie is a particularly potent teammate, as it also carries Rapid Spin, which can be useful because Rhydon tends to get worn down pretty quickly by Spikes; its numerous special weaknesses often force it to switch out before it can heal too much damage with Leftovers, and its defensive role as a check against Snorlax will force it to switch in and take chip damage quite frequently. Other spinners whose typings do not overlap with Rhydon's, such as Cloyster, are also effective teammates for this reason. Spikes and Toxic from Pokemon such as Cloyster can help Rhydon use Roar to whittle down an opposing team. Cloyster can also use Explosion to remove a Rhydon check, such as Starmie, Exeggutor, Zapdos, Vaporeon, Suicune, Umbreon, or even opposing Cloyster. Machamp can chip down Exeggutor with Hidden Power Bug and Skarmory with Fire Blast or a critical hit Cross Chop. Tentacruel can take advantage of some of Rhydon's Water-type checks, such as Cloyster and Suicune, to help it put pressure on Zapdos and Raikou. Vaporeon can similarly help Rhydon apply pressure to the aforementioned Electric-types and can handle threats like Jynx. An effective team with Rhydon also needs teammates that can absorb hits typically aimed at its numerous weaknesses. For instance, Electric-types are good teammates that can handle Water-types. In particular, Raikou, by virtue of its Ice-type neutrality, also offers insurance against opposing Electric-types and Gengar, which can be important because Rhydon takes a lot of damage from their coverage moves. Snorlax works similarly, and, as with all Ground-types, it synergizes well with Rhydon against Zapdos and Raikou; Rhydon goads the Electric-types into using Hidden Power, thereby allowing Snorlax more opportunities to switch into the low-damage coverage move rather than the high-damage STAB move. In addition, Water-types, Exeggutor, and Heracross are good teammates for Rhydon, as they cover the Ground-types to which Rhydon itself is weak. Exeggutor and Starmie are also solid checks to Machamp, whose Cross Chop targets another of Rhydon's physical weaknesses. The additional offensive synergy of Exeggutor and Starmie has been discussed earlier, whereas Heracross can use Seismic Toss to bait Skarmory into taking chip damage, or even a potential 4HKO if either Rhydon or Heracross has forced it to Rest. Additionally, Skarmory itself can check threats such as Exeggutor, Machamp, and Marowak and counters Snorlax with Earthquake coverage to complement Rhydon's ability to check Snorlax with Fire-type coverage. Pokemon that use Heal Bell, such as Blissey and Miltank, are also welcomed teammates, as they allow Rhydon to risk taking a potential Toxic without being put on an inevitable timer. Blissey additionally offers a more reliable Electric-type check to use alongside Rhydon, thereby relieving it of its duty to dissuade Thunder usage so that Snorlax can switch in safely. However, both Heal Bell users are weak to Fighting-type moves, which can often make it difficult to build the rest of the team in a manner that is not too weak to Machamp.

Set Description Rhydon's Earthquake is the strongest physical move in the game with no drawbacks, hitting anything that doesn't resist it extremely hard. Rock Slide covers Zapdos and hits Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Cloyster, and Lapras harder. Body Slam is extremely valuable, allowing Rhydon to generate its own paralysis support against the likes of Exeggutor, Starmie, Alakazam, and Lapras. Rhydon's Substitute is hard for inexperienced players to understand the true potential of, but it can single-handedly win games. Its Substitute tanking one Seismic Toss gives Rhydon the edge one-on-one against Chansey, though Ice Beam still stings. Also, Rhydon can create Substitutes versus Pokemon that can't significantly damage it, such as Zapdos and Jolteon, giving it a free hit against whatever comes in afterwards. This can instantly win the game or impart a huge chunk of damage to a replacement like Tauros. Substitute is also extremely helpful against paralyzed Starmie, letting Rhydon fish for full paralysis to stay in. Rhydon can then go for the uncommon 2HKO with Earthquake or even a possible OHKO with a critical hit. Despite being slow, Rhydon is very hard to switch into if you lack Exeggutor, making it one of the key reasons for Exeggutor's success in RBY OU. It's an absolute nightmare for paralyzed teams, easily rampaging through them. It's very viable to build a team around Rhydon, providing it the paralysis support it needs to clean up. Its key immunity to Electric-type moves, namely Thunder Wave, means it's very hard to reliably paralyze and gives it switch-in opportunities on Pokemon such as Alakazam and Chansey. It is also the premier counter to Zapdos and Jolteon, two Pokemon that can be very dangerous in its absence—especially Zapdos—due to the few Electric-resistant Pokemon in RBY OU. Rhydon also resists Normal, which means it can switch into a predicted Explosion or Hyper Beam. Despite all of the advantages, Rhydon is heavily reliant on opposing Pokemon being paralyzed to get in safely. It has very poor Special; this and its typing can make it easy prey for almost every special attacker in the tier. As a result, Rhydon tends to struggle one-on-one against non-paralyzed threats, notably Tauros, Starmie, and Exeggutor.