Rhyperior
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Rhydon already had great stats, but its brand new evolution has superior ones, plus STAB movesets of both its types.
Initially very similar to Tyranitar as a Rock Type attacker, this quickly changed with the release of Rock Wrecker. This move skyrocketed Rhyperior's viability and made it a staple attacker for many players. And on top of that, Rhyperior is also very viable as a Ground Type attacker, adding more value. It's a great candidate for dual Charged Moves, as a simple Fast TM will then allow it to switch from one type to another with ease.
Offense
- Smack Down should be paired with Rock Wrecker for high-tier Rock DPS.
- Mud Slap should go with Earthquake for similarly high-tier Ground DPS.
- Stone Edge is a step down, but still decent if Elite TMs are lacking.
- Surf really doesn't have much of a place on an offensive Rhyperior.
- Superpower has no STAB or synergy with Rhyperior's movesets.
- Breaking Swipe is great, but it's not useful on Rhyperior.
- Skull Bash is the least useful move in Rhyperior's repertoire.
Defense
- Mud Slap is a bit better than Smack Down, but both are defensively solid
- Rock Wrecker is a hard-hitting 2 bar move, and a great defensive choice
- Superpower offers pervasive coverage and good power, making it a good pick on defense. No meta-relevant Pokemon resits Fighting and Rock.
- Surf is a great 2 bar move, but it’s weak vs. the Water and Grass types that counter Rhyperior very hard.
- Breaking Swipe is great on offense, but its low base power makes it a bit iffier on defense. Still, it comes out frequently enough to make it worth considering.
- Stone Edge has an early damage window, but being one-bar is a liability on a Pokemon with two 2x weaknesses
- Skull Bash is strong and has solid neutral coverage, but it's ultimately inferior.
- Earthquake is slow and easy to dodge.
Mud Slap grants both more damage and energy generation than Smack Down and is clearly the superior move.
Rock Wrecker is a Community Day exclusive move, and is highly recommended for its incredible damage output and very high DPE value. Stone Edge is a direct downgrade in both power and energy cost. Breaking Swipe is definitely the preferred second move, as it sports great power, very low energy cost, and a 50% chance to -1 Attack when utilized.
Among the lesser options, Surf costs the second lowest amount of energy to use among Rhyperior's moves, and deals respectable damage with good coverage. Superpower provides wide coverage, however its self-debuff effects makes it more difficult to use. Earthquake and Skull Bash demand too much energy to use, given Rhyperior's slow energy gains.
Rhyperior as a Ground/Rock Pokemon is difficult to use in Great League with the ubiquity of Water and Grass-type Pokemon. While its charge moves are very favorable and its stat distribution relatively average, the major liability of being doubly weak to Water and Grass makes it way too risky to use, especially when considering other competitors in its role. As a Mud Slap user, Pokemon like Marowak and Gastrodon are superior options.
