Hey guys, TRC. with Magnemite here bringing everyone the next Pokemon of the Week!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
Art by The (phenomenal)Mega Lotad.
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream / Sand ForceIntroduction
Hippowdon is one of the best walls in OU. It is almost impossible to break through physically, but it also is decently specially bulky with investment. This makes Hippowdon as effective a special wall as it is a mixed wall. It has reliable recovery in the form of Slack Off, and this in combination with its bulk allows it to check some of the most common Pokemon in the game, including Mega Charizard Y, Garchomp, Excadrill, and Talonflame. It also has the rare Sand Stream ability, which is excellent as the sand wears down the opponents team, benefits teammates such as Excadrill and Mega Garchomp, and boosts the Special Defense of Rock-types by 50%. It has has a decent Attack stat, which means it is not total Taunt bait.
Its Speed is very low though, at a sluggish base 47. It also has weaknesses to the common Ice- and Water-types, which plague OU as offensive coverage, especially on special attacker which aim to prey on Hippowdon's weaker defensive stat. Without a specific move in the final slot, Hippowdon has trouble with a different amount of Pokemon, which means there will always be a group of Pokemon that it can't deal with. If it chooses to run Rock Slide, then it has no way of preventing opponents from setting up on it, if they resist its attacking moves. With Toxic, Poison- and Steel-types can setup on Hippowdon. With Whirlwind, it can't wear down attackers as easily.
What to try:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Toxic / Rock Slide / Whirlwind
Hippowdon has a great Defense stat, so when it invests in Special Defense, it becomes an excellent mixed wall. It can wall a variety of special threats, most notably Mega Charizard Y, which has no form of offense against it aside from Solarbeam, which leaves it vulnerable to Rock Slide from Hippowdon during the charge turn which is created when Hippowdon switches in and generates the sand. Hippowdon uses Earthquake to give it some sort of offensive presence, which is actually quite powerful coming from Hippowdon's decent Attack stat. It is especially useful for Aegislash, which makes Hippowdon one of the best Aegislash checks. Hippowdon can learn Stealth Rock, which is an essential move for every team, so it is no surprise that it is on the set. Slack Off is great, as it allows Hippowdon to recover lost health, which often makes it impossible to be broken by some attackers. Toxic is the most preferable option in the final slot, as it allows Hippowdon to wear down Pokemon through passive damage. Rock Slide is an option to take down Mega Charizard Y without resorting to Toxic stalling. Finally, you can use Whirlwind to phaze out setup sweepers and rack up entry hazard damage on the foes team. The EVs are quite simple: they make Hippowdon as specially defensive as possible, the Careful nature serves the same purpose.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force / Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic / Whirlwind
While the other set is a great mixed wall, this set is purely physically defensive, which allows it wall a variety of common Pokemon including Garchomp, Talonflame, and Excadrill. The choices of moves are very similar to the first set: Earthquake is a STAB move and hits Excadrill hard, Stealth Rock is obligatory support for any team, and works well with Whirlwind, Slack Off allows Hippowdon to actually be used as a wall, as it can recover off lost damage chipped away by physical attackers, and then the final slot is a toss-up between Toxic and Whirlwind. Toxic cripples defensive Pokemon and allows Hippowdon to stall out foes, while Whirlwind allows Hippowdon to phaze setup sweepers and rack up Stealth Rock damage. The EV spread and nature maximize physical defense as would be expected, and Leftovers provides passive recovery. Unlike the first set which requires Sand Stream to check Mega Charizard Y, Sand Force is an option here, as it means that Hippowdon can still wall foes, but teammates don't suffer from sandstorm damage.
What else can you try?
There are few other options for Hippowdon. One could use an offensive Sand Force set with support from Tyranitar, but it sacrifices Hippowdon's natural walling capabilities, and Hippowdon is slow enough to be revenge killed by a multitude of attackers. Ice Fang allows Hippowdon to KO Garchomp easier, but it really isn't necessary with the combination of Toxic + Slack Off. Finally, Hippowdon can use a Smooth Rock so that its and lasts longer; this lets it support Pokemon that use sand for an offensive benefit, such as Excadrill, Stoutland, or Mega Garchomp.
Good Partners for this Pokemon:
On stall teams, great teammates are ones that fit into the standard stall mold, such as Mega Venusaur, Clefable, Quagsire, and Blissey. A combination of defensive threats like this allow the team as a whole to wall a variety of attackers in the OU metagame. On balanced teams, Pokemon such as Mega Garchomp and Excadrill benefit from the sand to sweep foes. Latias is a good partner as it takes on Keldeo, which can be a thorn in the side of Hippowdon. Rotom-W can switch into the Water- and Ice-attacks that trouble Hippowdon and maintain momentum with Volt Switch.
Playing against Hippowdon: Checks and Counters
The best counter for Hippowdon is Xatu, as it can bounce back all of Hippowdon's supportive moves and it is immune to Earthquake. Toxic and Taunt users such as Gliscor, Chansey, and Thundurus can either cripple Hippowdon or limit it from using its essential moves. Special attackers such as Keldeo, Greninja, Rotom-W, Starmie, and Celebi can all hit Hippowdon with their powerful super effective STAB attacks. Mega Venusaur walls it and can use Leech Seed, while Gyarados and Breloom can set up and beat it 1v1.
There we go, that's the fifth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Hippowdon sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Hippowdon or POTW itself. Go out there and try Hippowdon now, and we'll see you next time!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Remember, in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL), based on the new 1760 stats.
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Hippowdon.
Art by The (phenomenal)Mega Lotad.
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream / Sand Force
Hippowdon is one of the best walls in OU. It is almost impossible to break through physically, but it also is decently specially bulky with investment. This makes Hippowdon as effective a special wall as it is a mixed wall. It has reliable recovery in the form of Slack Off, and this in combination with its bulk allows it to check some of the most common Pokemon in the game, including Mega Charizard Y, Garchomp, Excadrill, and Talonflame. It also has the rare Sand Stream ability, which is excellent as the sand wears down the opponents team, benefits teammates such as Excadrill and Mega Garchomp, and boosts the Special Defense of Rock-types by 50%. It has has a decent Attack stat, which means it is not total Taunt bait.
Its Speed is very low though, at a sluggish base 47. It also has weaknesses to the common Ice- and Water-types, which plague OU as offensive coverage, especially on special attacker which aim to prey on Hippowdon's weaker defensive stat. Without a specific move in the final slot, Hippowdon has trouble with a different amount of Pokemon, which means there will always be a group of Pokemon that it can't deal with. If it chooses to run Rock Slide, then it has no way of preventing opponents from setting up on it, if they resist its attacking moves. With Toxic, Poison- and Steel-types can setup on Hippowdon. With Whirlwind, it can't wear down attackers as easily.
What to try:
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Toxic / Rock Slide / Whirlwind
Hippowdon has a great Defense stat, so when it invests in Special Defense, it becomes an excellent mixed wall. It can wall a variety of special threats, most notably Mega Charizard Y, which has no form of offense against it aside from Solarbeam, which leaves it vulnerable to Rock Slide from Hippowdon during the charge turn which is created when Hippowdon switches in and generates the sand. Hippowdon uses Earthquake to give it some sort of offensive presence, which is actually quite powerful coming from Hippowdon's decent Attack stat. It is especially useful for Aegislash, which makes Hippowdon one of the best Aegislash checks. Hippowdon can learn Stealth Rock, which is an essential move for every team, so it is no surprise that it is on the set. Slack Off is great, as it allows Hippowdon to recover lost health, which often makes it impossible to be broken by some attackers. Toxic is the most preferable option in the final slot, as it allows Hippowdon to wear down Pokemon through passive damage. Rock Slide is an option to take down Mega Charizard Y without resorting to Toxic stalling. Finally, you can use Whirlwind to phaze out setup sweepers and rack up entry hazard damage on the foes team. The EVs are quite simple: they make Hippowdon as specially defensive as possible, the Careful nature serves the same purpose.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force / Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic / Whirlwind
While the other set is a great mixed wall, this set is purely physically defensive, which allows it wall a variety of common Pokemon including Garchomp, Talonflame, and Excadrill. The choices of moves are very similar to the first set: Earthquake is a STAB move and hits Excadrill hard, Stealth Rock is obligatory support for any team, and works well with Whirlwind, Slack Off allows Hippowdon to actually be used as a wall, as it can recover off lost damage chipped away by physical attackers, and then the final slot is a toss-up between Toxic and Whirlwind. Toxic cripples defensive Pokemon and allows Hippowdon to stall out foes, while Whirlwind allows Hippowdon to phaze setup sweepers and rack up Stealth Rock damage. The EV spread and nature maximize physical defense as would be expected, and Leftovers provides passive recovery. Unlike the first set which requires Sand Stream to check Mega Charizard Y, Sand Force is an option here, as it means that Hippowdon can still wall foes, but teammates don't suffer from sandstorm damage.
What else can you try?
There are few other options for Hippowdon. One could use an offensive Sand Force set with support from Tyranitar, but it sacrifices Hippowdon's natural walling capabilities, and Hippowdon is slow enough to be revenge killed by a multitude of attackers. Ice Fang allows Hippowdon to KO Garchomp easier, but it really isn't necessary with the combination of Toxic + Slack Off. Finally, Hippowdon can use a Smooth Rock so that its and lasts longer; this lets it support Pokemon that use sand for an offensive benefit, such as Excadrill, Stoutland, or Mega Garchomp.
Good Partners for this Pokemon:
On stall teams, great teammates are ones that fit into the standard stall mold, such as Mega Venusaur, Clefable, Quagsire, and Blissey. A combination of defensive threats like this allow the team as a whole to wall a variety of attackers in the OU metagame. On balanced teams, Pokemon such as Mega Garchomp and Excadrill benefit from the sand to sweep foes. Latias is a good partner as it takes on Keldeo, which can be a thorn in the side of Hippowdon. Rotom-W can switch into the Water- and Ice-attacks that trouble Hippowdon and maintain momentum with Volt Switch.
Playing against Hippowdon: Checks and Counters
The best counter for Hippowdon is Xatu, as it can bounce back all of Hippowdon's supportive moves and it is immune to Earthquake. Toxic and Taunt users such as Gliscor, Chansey, and Thundurus can either cripple Hippowdon or limit it from using its essential moves. Special attackers such as Keldeo, Greninja, Rotom-W, Starmie, and Celebi can all hit Hippowdon with their powerful super effective STAB attacks. Mega Venusaur walls it and can use Leech Seed, while Gyarados and Breloom can set up and beat it 1v1.
There we go, that's the fifth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Hippowdon sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Hippowdon or POTW itself. Go out there and try Hippowdon now, and we'll see you next time!
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