Rhyperior, in short, is an underused Pokemon. For good reasons. I'm gonna list all the pros and cons about it:
Pros:
- It's STAB moves are unresisted.
- It has impressive attack and physical defenses.
- It's low speed makes it a huge threat under Trick Room. Hammer Arm lowers it's speed even more.
- Vast movepool, has several options to choose as coverage, being the evolution of a Gen I Pokemon.
- Solid Rock lowers the damage it receives from super-effective attacks.
- Is pretty bulky with an Assault Vest.
- Alternatively can also run surprise speed sets with Rock Polish.
- Is a reliable Stealth Rock setter in most cases.
- In doubles, it's Lightning Rod ability is a great asset for saving a teammate from electric-type damage.
- It's totally NOT dumb looking :C
Cons:
- It's low special bulk leaves much to be desired, even with Assault Vest.
- Low speed leaves it outsped by almost any Pokemon out there, even after a Rock Polish
- Due to the above point it's mostly Trick Room dependant.
- Rock/Ground is a very bad defensive typing, as it gives a total 6 weaknesses, two of which are quad, and all of which are common.
- Suffers from a four-moveslot syndrome i.e being able to carry only four moves. Weezing has this as well.
- Burn from Will-O-Wisp can completely shut it down (not Scald as it will most likely KO).
- Overall a very demanding Pokemon to run, as it needs proper team building and conditions to do well.
So there it is. Rhyperior's cons somewhat outweigh it's pros, due to the enormous amount of attention and care it requires to slap it onto a team. Here's a set I would recommend if you did intend on using it though:
Rhyperior @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
- Megahorn
Hope I helped!
