Galileo
11-27-2009, 05:59 PM
The old analysis (http://teamuber.net/forum/showthread.php?t=772&highlight=Hippowdon+analysis)
Hippowdon:
http://arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/hippowdon.png
Ground
Sand Stream - sets up permanent sandstorm.
HP: 108
Atk: 112
Def: 118
SpA: 68
SpD: 72
Spe: 47
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Physical Wall
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sand Stream
Impish
252HP / 168Def / 88SDef
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Roar / Ice Fang
Hippowdon is one of the best physical walls in OU, having the best Defense and HP combination out of the walls. It even beats Forretress in terms of defensive stats. Hippowdon is often forgotten in place of Swampert in balanced offense team, but the sand hippo is a Pokemon you still should consider as your defensive glue. Slack Off is without doubt the biggest advantage over Swampert it has, making Hippowdon the best Tyranitar counter, only beaten by the rare Specs and MixTars. It is also the better option than Swampert in terms of stalling, because sandstorm it sets up due to its ability really aids stall teams in wearing the opponent down. Sand Stream is a really unique, almost exclusive ability, Hippowdon only shares it with Tyranitar (and Hippopotas).
The moveset is really self-explanatory. Earthquake is a powerful move, even without any investment in Attack. It 2HKOs most Metagross' and Tyranitars, while OHKOing Heatran and all kinds of Infernape (although Hippowdon shouldn't be used to counter those two). Slack Off has already been mentioned, and is basically a must have for Hippowdon, otherwise it is severely outclassed by Swampert. The recovery moves makes it incredibly bulky and hard to take down. Stealth Rock is a move that fits this Pokemon really well. Disallowing Hippowdon from setting up these is a near impossible task for your opponent. Also, the rocks help it immensely, because they make it harder for opposing Gyarados to switch in on the sand hippo. If you already have a Pokemon that sets up Stealth Rock in your team, then give Hippowdon one of the moves suggested in the last slot. Roar should be used to scout the opponent's team and rack up residual damage in form of Stealth Rock and sandstorm. It can also stop Gyarados from setting up, but Waterfall will deplete half of your HP if the sea serpent uses Life Orb, so prediction is neccessary for pulling this up. If your team is MixMence weak, you can use Ice Fang over Roar to do huge amounts of damage to it. Also, Flygon is 2HKOed by Ice Fang. Don't use it on Gliscor, though, because it can Roost off the damage and maybe even set up. The SDefense investmentin EVs along with 252HP makes TyraniBoah Ice Beam only a 3HKO, so Hippowdon can also counter that variant somewhat. The rest goes to Defense along with an Impish nature to make it's Defense godly-high.
Noteworthy partners for Hippowdon are every Pokemons used in stall. Blissey beats annoying Water types like Starmie, and makes Grass types like Celebi switch out when seeing Blissey come out from the Pokeball. Skarmory is, like Hippowdon, one of the best physical walls, and works really well as a backup when Hippowdon is weakened, or vice versa. Also, the metal bird can set up Spikes to annoy the opponent even more. Rotom-A is an effective Gyarados switch-in and counter in general, and can check Starmie somewhat.
Remember that you have to think wisely when choosing between defensive Swampert and defensive Hippowdon and what they bring to the table. Hippowdon has an instant recovery move, Sand Stream and it's more bulky. Swampert, on the other hand, has an undoubtedly better typing and STAB on Hydro Pump to go mixed and actually wall break. Take of note that sandstorm is truly a godsend for stall teams, but weakens frail offensive teams, especially stuff like Infernape and Gengar, taking out 34% of HP upon switching in on Stealth Rock, then attacking. Simply put, Swampert is a better "glue" for offensive teams, but Hippowdon shines in stall.
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Choice
Hippowdon @ Choice Band
Sand Stream
Adamant
252HP / 252Atk / 4Def
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang
- Crunch / Slack Off / Stealth Rock
Not only that Hippowdon is an undefeatable physical wall, it can also be a very powerful Choice attacker, too! So, what are the advantages of Hippowdon over other choiced Pokemon? First, it's the second most powerful Earthquake in OU. For instance, it has a chance (altough slim, about 40%) of 2HKOing Swampert, not assuming Stealth Rock! Tyranitar and Metagross are both OHKOed, also. Then, the surprise factor. No one expects Hippowdon to hit this hard. For instance, it 2HKOs all Gyarados with Stone Edge, not assuming Stealth Rock and taking Intimidate into account. Salamence is OHKOed. Hippowdon is still very bulky even without extreme Defense investment, and is still an effective Tyranitar counter.
Earthquake is your STAB move, and you will be surprised at how powerful it is! Stone Edge compliments coverage and OHKOes offensive Gyarados on the switch. Ice Fang makes the coverage perfect, OHKOing Flygon and most Breloom. The choice of a move in the last slot is up to you. Crunch 2HKOs all Rotoms, Dusknoirs and most Cresselias. Slack Off might seem like an odd choice, but Hippowdon often causes switches, and what is a better use of the oppopurnity than to heal? Basically, it prolongs the suffering of your opponent. Stealth Rock can be used if nothing in your team can set it up, and like with Slack Off, Hippowdon will have lots of oppopurnities to set up.
The ideal partner here would be Forretress, setting up Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock and Spikes, thus making switching in on Hippowdon much harder. Partners mentioned before are useful as well, especially Skarmory.
This Hippowdon makes a noteworthy anti-lead, especially now when Roserades are beggining to lack usage. The main selling points of a leading Choiced Hippowdon are breaking Focus Sashes with sandstorm and OHKOing or 2HKOing most bulky leads. Remember to use Crunch over Ice Fang, then. Azelf, the most used lead is OHKOed by Crunch. They mostly Taunt against Hippowdon the first turn, so you might end up with killing Azelf and disabling it from setting up Stealth Rock. Metagross is OHKOed by Earthquake. Jirachi is on the same boat as Metagross, and if it Tricks a Scarf on you, it will still end up unsuccessful because it now has a Choice Band, which hurts it more than helps. Swampert is actually defeated most of the time, because Earthquake 2HKOes it and Hydro Pump can't OHKO Hippowdon. It's questionable if you want to sacrifice Hippowdon for this, though. Remember to give the hippo 48Spd EVs to outspeed standard Swampert. Take them out of HP. Infernape and Heatran are both OHKOed, even trough a Shuca (ground-resist) Berry.
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Curse
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sand Stream
Careful
252HP / 252SDef / 4Atk
- Curse
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Ice Fang
If you want to use a very reliable physical wall that can also set up, and has access to a reliable recovery move and great coverage moves, then Hippowdon is made for you. The cycle is incredibly simple yet easy to pull off. Switch in on some physical attacker that can not get past the sand hippopotamus, begin setting up using Curse, recover with Slack Off when needed, and you can sweep. After a Curse, there isn't any physical attacker that can 2HKO, not even Gyarados. This set has a shot at beating even the most powerful of special attackers, such as Gengar, which is KOed by Stone Edge after Stealth Rock, Life Orb and sandstorm damage. Heatran can not OHKO even with Modest Specs Overheat (after a Flash Fire boost it will, though). Other special attackers that can't break trough include Alakazam, Jolteon, Jirachi and Togekiss, if it doesn't get too lucky. This solves the first statement that probably came to your mind when you saw this moveset, which is "his special defense isn't good enough to overcome the special attacking threats, though!".
The moveset is really simple. Curse boosts both your Attack and Defense, making Hippowdon a "sweeping tank". Simply, the Attack boosts are extremely important to make the sand hippopotamus strong enough to sweep, with the Defense boosts helping set up. The Speed lowering is not an issue, because Hippowdon wouldn't outspeed much even without it. Slack Off is really the key of the set, because it completely differentiates this moveset from the famous CroCune or CursePert movesets. The main difference is the obviously more reliable recovery and one free moveslot, allowing Hippowdon to have terrific coverage with only two moves. Earthquake is your STAB move and is also the obvious choice, just because of the coverage with Stone Edge and sheer power. The final slot is limited to moves that support the coverage of Earthquake. These moves include Stone Edge, the preferred option, and Ice Fang, the option you should use if your team really fears Dragons like Latias and Salamence. Take of note that Stone Edge OHKOs Gengar and even more offensive LO Gyarados after a Curse boost, Life Orb, Stealth Rock and sandstorm damage. Ice Fang really should be only if your team can't do anything against Latias. Roar is an option for the last slot, also, if you want to use Hippowdon to shuffle and dont get hurt because of the colossal boost in Defense due to Curse.
This moveset is stopped cold by special attacking Grass types and Water types, ala Bulky Waters. Therefore good partners are very powerful Electric types, the best candidate being Specs Rotom-W. Shadow Ball will KO the only popular bulky Grass type in OU, Celebi, and Thunderbolt just tears through bulky waters, effectively OHKOing standard versions of Vaporeon and some Suicunes. Vaporeon of your own can also be of good use, absorbing Water attacks and taking very little damage from Grass Knot, thanks to its very light weight. In return, it can use Toxic on the opposing Water types, crippling them (in exception of Suicune, which runs Restalk sets most of the time). Roserade is also a very helpful partner, absorbing Toxic Spikes that annoy Hippowdon so much, and set up them on your own, helping to bring down Celebi and Water types. Also, STAB Leaf Storm is only helpful to inflict huge amounts of damage to them, taking down about 80% of health of Bulky Waters. Remember that Azelf isn't OHKOed by Stone Edge like Gengar, so watch out for it, because it can set up with Nasty Plot and KO Hippowdon with a boosted Grass Knot afterwards.
Other Options
Yawn can be used over Stealth Rock on the first set, as Roar + Yawn is a very good combination to rack up entry hazard damage. It can also stop the last Pokemon of the opposing team from setting up. Body Slam can be used for paralysis, but provides mediocre coverage and basically doesn't do anything other than paralyzing. Fire Fang is a good option on the Choice Band set, to 2HKO all Forretress' and hit Bronzong and Skarmory for decent damage. Ice Fang can be used to OHKO Flygon, Salamence and hurt Latias hard. Thunder Fang always 2HKOs (if Choice Band is used OHKOs) all Gyarados switching in on you, so it is usable. If you want Hippowdon to stall out the opposing team, consider using Stockpile. After three boosts, nothing in OU can OHKO the sandy hippopotamus. Toxic should be used with Stockpile, as it just makes the stalling job easier. Also, take of note that Earthquake destroys most Steel types switching in on Toxic.
Opinion
Hippowdon is an underrated, yet very useful Pokemon. On paper, it looks like it is outclassed by Swampert. This is not true, as Hippowdon has a few tricks up his sleeve. Slack Off and Sand Stream are the biggest advantages. Hippowdon is basically the best and sturdiest Bulky Ground, and is the best Tyranitar counter.
Hippowdon:
http://arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/hippowdon.png
Ground
Sand Stream - sets up permanent sandstorm.
HP: 108
Atk: 112
Def: 118
SpA: 68
SpD: 72
Spe: 47
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Physical Wall
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sand Stream
Impish
252HP / 168Def / 88SDef
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Roar / Ice Fang
Hippowdon is one of the best physical walls in OU, having the best Defense and HP combination out of the walls. It even beats Forretress in terms of defensive stats. Hippowdon is often forgotten in place of Swampert in balanced offense team, but the sand hippo is a Pokemon you still should consider as your defensive glue. Slack Off is without doubt the biggest advantage over Swampert it has, making Hippowdon the best Tyranitar counter, only beaten by the rare Specs and MixTars. It is also the better option than Swampert in terms of stalling, because sandstorm it sets up due to its ability really aids stall teams in wearing the opponent down. Sand Stream is a really unique, almost exclusive ability, Hippowdon only shares it with Tyranitar (and Hippopotas).
The moveset is really self-explanatory. Earthquake is a powerful move, even without any investment in Attack. It 2HKOs most Metagross' and Tyranitars, while OHKOing Heatran and all kinds of Infernape (although Hippowdon shouldn't be used to counter those two). Slack Off has already been mentioned, and is basically a must have for Hippowdon, otherwise it is severely outclassed by Swampert. The recovery moves makes it incredibly bulky and hard to take down. Stealth Rock is a move that fits this Pokemon really well. Disallowing Hippowdon from setting up these is a near impossible task for your opponent. Also, the rocks help it immensely, because they make it harder for opposing Gyarados to switch in on the sand hippo. If you already have a Pokemon that sets up Stealth Rock in your team, then give Hippowdon one of the moves suggested in the last slot. Roar should be used to scout the opponent's team and rack up residual damage in form of Stealth Rock and sandstorm. It can also stop Gyarados from setting up, but Waterfall will deplete half of your HP if the sea serpent uses Life Orb, so prediction is neccessary for pulling this up. If your team is MixMence weak, you can use Ice Fang over Roar to do huge amounts of damage to it. Also, Flygon is 2HKOed by Ice Fang. Don't use it on Gliscor, though, because it can Roost off the damage and maybe even set up. The SDefense investmentin EVs along with 252HP makes TyraniBoah Ice Beam only a 3HKO, so Hippowdon can also counter that variant somewhat. The rest goes to Defense along with an Impish nature to make it's Defense godly-high.
Noteworthy partners for Hippowdon are every Pokemons used in stall. Blissey beats annoying Water types like Starmie, and makes Grass types like Celebi switch out when seeing Blissey come out from the Pokeball. Skarmory is, like Hippowdon, one of the best physical walls, and works really well as a backup when Hippowdon is weakened, or vice versa. Also, the metal bird can set up Spikes to annoy the opponent even more. Rotom-A is an effective Gyarados switch-in and counter in general, and can check Starmie somewhat.
Remember that you have to think wisely when choosing between defensive Swampert and defensive Hippowdon and what they bring to the table. Hippowdon has an instant recovery move, Sand Stream and it's more bulky. Swampert, on the other hand, has an undoubtedly better typing and STAB on Hydro Pump to go mixed and actually wall break. Take of note that sandstorm is truly a godsend for stall teams, but weakens frail offensive teams, especially stuff like Infernape and Gengar, taking out 34% of HP upon switching in on Stealth Rock, then attacking. Simply put, Swampert is a better "glue" for offensive teams, but Hippowdon shines in stall.
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Choice
Hippowdon @ Choice Band
Sand Stream
Adamant
252HP / 252Atk / 4Def
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang
- Crunch / Slack Off / Stealth Rock
Not only that Hippowdon is an undefeatable physical wall, it can also be a very powerful Choice attacker, too! So, what are the advantages of Hippowdon over other choiced Pokemon? First, it's the second most powerful Earthquake in OU. For instance, it has a chance (altough slim, about 40%) of 2HKOing Swampert, not assuming Stealth Rock! Tyranitar and Metagross are both OHKOed, also. Then, the surprise factor. No one expects Hippowdon to hit this hard. For instance, it 2HKOs all Gyarados with Stone Edge, not assuming Stealth Rock and taking Intimidate into account. Salamence is OHKOed. Hippowdon is still very bulky even without extreme Defense investment, and is still an effective Tyranitar counter.
Earthquake is your STAB move, and you will be surprised at how powerful it is! Stone Edge compliments coverage and OHKOes offensive Gyarados on the switch. Ice Fang makes the coverage perfect, OHKOing Flygon and most Breloom. The choice of a move in the last slot is up to you. Crunch 2HKOs all Rotoms, Dusknoirs and most Cresselias. Slack Off might seem like an odd choice, but Hippowdon often causes switches, and what is a better use of the oppopurnity than to heal? Basically, it prolongs the suffering of your opponent. Stealth Rock can be used if nothing in your team can set it up, and like with Slack Off, Hippowdon will have lots of oppopurnities to set up.
The ideal partner here would be Forretress, setting up Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock and Spikes, thus making switching in on Hippowdon much harder. Partners mentioned before are useful as well, especially Skarmory.
This Hippowdon makes a noteworthy anti-lead, especially now when Roserades are beggining to lack usage. The main selling points of a leading Choiced Hippowdon are breaking Focus Sashes with sandstorm and OHKOing or 2HKOing most bulky leads. Remember to use Crunch over Ice Fang, then. Azelf, the most used lead is OHKOed by Crunch. They mostly Taunt against Hippowdon the first turn, so you might end up with killing Azelf and disabling it from setting up Stealth Rock. Metagross is OHKOed by Earthquake. Jirachi is on the same boat as Metagross, and if it Tricks a Scarf on you, it will still end up unsuccessful because it now has a Choice Band, which hurts it more than helps. Swampert is actually defeated most of the time, because Earthquake 2HKOes it and Hydro Pump can't OHKO Hippowdon. It's questionable if you want to sacrifice Hippowdon for this, though. Remember to give the hippo 48Spd EVs to outspeed standard Swampert. Take them out of HP. Infernape and Heatran are both OHKOed, even trough a Shuca (ground-resist) Berry.
http://www.pokemonelite2000.com/sprites/plmfa/450.png
Curse
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Sand Stream
Careful
252HP / 252SDef / 4Atk
- Curse
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Ice Fang
If you want to use a very reliable physical wall that can also set up, and has access to a reliable recovery move and great coverage moves, then Hippowdon is made for you. The cycle is incredibly simple yet easy to pull off. Switch in on some physical attacker that can not get past the sand hippopotamus, begin setting up using Curse, recover with Slack Off when needed, and you can sweep. After a Curse, there isn't any physical attacker that can 2HKO, not even Gyarados. This set has a shot at beating even the most powerful of special attackers, such as Gengar, which is KOed by Stone Edge after Stealth Rock, Life Orb and sandstorm damage. Heatran can not OHKO even with Modest Specs Overheat (after a Flash Fire boost it will, though). Other special attackers that can't break trough include Alakazam, Jolteon, Jirachi and Togekiss, if it doesn't get too lucky. This solves the first statement that probably came to your mind when you saw this moveset, which is "his special defense isn't good enough to overcome the special attacking threats, though!".
The moveset is really simple. Curse boosts both your Attack and Defense, making Hippowdon a "sweeping tank". Simply, the Attack boosts are extremely important to make the sand hippopotamus strong enough to sweep, with the Defense boosts helping set up. The Speed lowering is not an issue, because Hippowdon wouldn't outspeed much even without it. Slack Off is really the key of the set, because it completely differentiates this moveset from the famous CroCune or CursePert movesets. The main difference is the obviously more reliable recovery and one free moveslot, allowing Hippowdon to have terrific coverage with only two moves. Earthquake is your STAB move and is also the obvious choice, just because of the coverage with Stone Edge and sheer power. The final slot is limited to moves that support the coverage of Earthquake. These moves include Stone Edge, the preferred option, and Ice Fang, the option you should use if your team really fears Dragons like Latias and Salamence. Take of note that Stone Edge OHKOs Gengar and even more offensive LO Gyarados after a Curse boost, Life Orb, Stealth Rock and sandstorm damage. Ice Fang really should be only if your team can't do anything against Latias. Roar is an option for the last slot, also, if you want to use Hippowdon to shuffle and dont get hurt because of the colossal boost in Defense due to Curse.
This moveset is stopped cold by special attacking Grass types and Water types, ala Bulky Waters. Therefore good partners are very powerful Electric types, the best candidate being Specs Rotom-W. Shadow Ball will KO the only popular bulky Grass type in OU, Celebi, and Thunderbolt just tears through bulky waters, effectively OHKOing standard versions of Vaporeon and some Suicunes. Vaporeon of your own can also be of good use, absorbing Water attacks and taking very little damage from Grass Knot, thanks to its very light weight. In return, it can use Toxic on the opposing Water types, crippling them (in exception of Suicune, which runs Restalk sets most of the time). Roserade is also a very helpful partner, absorbing Toxic Spikes that annoy Hippowdon so much, and set up them on your own, helping to bring down Celebi and Water types. Also, STAB Leaf Storm is only helpful to inflict huge amounts of damage to them, taking down about 80% of health of Bulky Waters. Remember that Azelf isn't OHKOed by Stone Edge like Gengar, so watch out for it, because it can set up with Nasty Plot and KO Hippowdon with a boosted Grass Knot afterwards.
Other Options
Yawn can be used over Stealth Rock on the first set, as Roar + Yawn is a very good combination to rack up entry hazard damage. It can also stop the last Pokemon of the opposing team from setting up. Body Slam can be used for paralysis, but provides mediocre coverage and basically doesn't do anything other than paralyzing. Fire Fang is a good option on the Choice Band set, to 2HKO all Forretress' and hit Bronzong and Skarmory for decent damage. Ice Fang can be used to OHKO Flygon, Salamence and hurt Latias hard. Thunder Fang always 2HKOs (if Choice Band is used OHKOs) all Gyarados switching in on you, so it is usable. If you want Hippowdon to stall out the opposing team, consider using Stockpile. After three boosts, nothing in OU can OHKO the sandy hippopotamus. Toxic should be used with Stockpile, as it just makes the stalling job easier. Also, take of note that Earthquake destroys most Steel types switching in on Toxic.
Opinion
Hippowdon is an underrated, yet very useful Pokemon. On paper, it looks like it is outclassed by Swampert. This is not true, as Hippowdon has a few tricks up his sleeve. Slack Off and Sand Stream are the biggest advantages. Hippowdon is basically the best and sturdiest Bulky Ground, and is the best Tyranitar counter.