Pokemon of the Week - Rhydon

Rhydon

Haha, I've wanted to do a post for this guy since I started, kinda. While he may not be one of my top favorite of all Pokemon, I still respect this guy. He's also one of a select few Unevolved Pokemon that I really like (others being Scyther and a couple more). But my real reason for this guy's inclusion to the Pokemon of the Week is... kinda special. As many of you may not know already, Rhydon is actually the very first Pokemon ever created! Not Bulbasaur, not Mew, not even Pikachu! It was all Rhydon~ That would also explain why the Gym Statues and the beast-type Pokemon from Red, Blue, and Yellow resemble Rhydon. It's a tribute~! :3

 Serebii.net - Rhydon Pokedex Entry
or the Original

Overview:

Do note that my review here is on an unevolved Pokemon, so my sets and info are most going to revolve on the RSE games, to an extent (before Rhyperior existed).
Anyway, Rhydon is actually not the worst Pokemon, overall. While its typing leaves it heavily vulnerable to Grass and Water (both of which were all Special and would almost always destroy him), it gives him very useful STAB. This, along with his sky-high Attack and Defense, and an great HP stat, he can take almost anything physical and sweep if used right. Not only that, but Rhydon actually has a pretty nice movepool, boasting Megahorn, Earthquake, Focus Punch, and a lot more! If you can hit during a switch, it will be well worth it.

Base Stats:

Hp -  105
Atk - 130
Def - 120
Sp.Atk - 45
Sp.Def - 45
Spd - 40

Movesets:

Rhydon @ Choice Band

Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Megahorn
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Earthquake
- Double-Edge

This is actually not that bad of a build for a Rhydon in RSE. Megahorn hits Grass users, and is somewhat of a filler. Hidden Power [Rock] gives STAB, and hits many Pokemon powerfully (and offers a more reliable accuracy and power than Rock Slide or Rock Blast). Earthquake is another great move that works nicely in combo with Hidden Power [Rock]. Finally, Double-Edge hits Pokemon hard and with 100% accuracy, specifically Weezing. After this, your main worry is a Skarmory. Other than this, simply use hit-and-run tactics, and make sure you predict a switch well. Have fun!

Rhyperior @ Leftovers

Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 140 HP, 252 Atk, 32 Def, 84 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Well, I thought I'd post up a more currently usable set, for those of you interested. Rhyperior here is sadly hurt by a lot of others in the competition, but can fare in OU, to an extent or UU. Stone Edge is your power attack, with STAB, which hits many Pokemon in both tiers very hard, especially with his monstrous Attack. Earthquake gets incredible coverage with it, and Megahorn makes it so almost nothing can switch in on you without being burned by a good prediction. Plus, Earthquake's STAB is another useful bonus. Rock Blast can be used over Stone Edge, especially in UU, where Substitute users can be very tricky. For the last slot, I chose Stealth Rock as it can be useful, and Rhyperior can kill almost all of the UU Rapid Spinners with ease. If you wish to use Rhyperior as a defensive wall instead, replace Stealth Rock with your own Substitute instead, and you're good to go! Anyway, besides the even more massive Attack, Defense, and HP, not a whole lot is changed from 3rd Gen, but Rhyperior still stands out as a nice threat if used well!

Well, there you have it! My own little tribute to Rhydon, the very first Pokemon~! I hope you all had fun reading, and got a bit of fun trivia from this post! Not much else to say here really, except to have fun, and keep playing~! Remember: You are not too old for Pokemon!! >8U Hehe... So I'll talk to you all later!

Battle on! Guten tag, und ja ne! :3

Pokemon of the Week - Gyarados

Gyarados

Credit for image goes to Delthero (he's on deviantART).

So to start off this week's posts, we have the Atrocious Pokemon, Gyarados! Gyarados has always been another favorite of mine, ever since the first generation games, and has continued to be everyone's favorite Water-Type powerhouse since then. A huge leviathan coming from a single, small, harmless carp, you have #130 in the Kanto and National Dex, Gyarados!

 Serebii.net - Gyarados Pokedex Entry

Overview:

Gyarados is, as I said, an offensive powerhouse. This large sea serpent can take down almost any Pokemon that doesn't resist it. With an incredible Attack stat of 125, and overall well-off defenses, not only will this thing be taking down the enemy, but he'll be surviving them as well! As a Water/Flying dual type, he has resistances against some of the most common metagame move typings, and only has a few key flaws. Also due to his typing, any bulky or fast Pokemon with an Electric attack will be sending Gyarados a blow to be watched for, and the obsession with Stealth Rock nowadays doesn't really help him either. But despite these downsides, Gyarados still manages to be one of the most powerful Pokemon out there. If you use him, he will not disappoint! Just... not against a Starmie or Jolteon, please...

Base Stats:

Hp -  95
Atk - 125
Def - 79
Sp.Atk - 60
Sp.Def - 100
Spd - 81

Movesets:

Gyarados @ Life Orb

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

This is a favorite set of mine. With this EV spread and nature, along with Life Orb, Gyarados is already a strong hitter. Right? Well, after a Dragon Dance or two, not much will be able to take down this guy, let alone outspeed or survive him! Waterfall is the standard move here, as it's Gyarados's powerful STAB attack. It can hit anything not resistant very, very hard! Along with this, you have Stone Edge for the Flyers and Birds, along with other Gyarados that may try and counter you. Plus it offers nice coverage with Waterfall. To complete a good line of coverage with the other two attacks, we have the everpresent Earthquake! Besides coverage, it allows you to hit those resisting Steel-Types like Metagross and Empoleon. Some people it seems like to use Bounce in the final slot, as it is more powerful that even Waterfall, but you will need to be more lenient with the coverage overall. Just use what best fits the team you are making! And have fun~!

Gyarados @ Choice Band

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP, 252 Atk, 184 Spd
Nature: Adamant
- Waterfall
- Payback
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

For this set (the only alternative that I kinda liked), Gyarados is played a bit differently from usual. It still has a boosting item, and Waterfall to maintain the prowess we all know and love. Payback is a nice surprise for enemies, as it can be used to counter what usually counters it like Celebi, or even Starmie and others. Stone Edge is the usual coverage aid with Waterfall, and kills anything airborne, almost. I chose Earthquake again over other options, as it seems more viable to me. Again it takes down Steels that would resist the other attacks. Your only problem will be Brellom that can wall this set otherwise (you can use Ice Fang for him) and... that's basically it, I think? Plus Ice Fang is a more accurate Flyer-killer, but still keeps a role.

Okay, guys! I hope you liked this next Pokemon of the Week! I know it's a bit late again, but I still had Senior Project to work on in school, and it drained my energy lately... But good news! I finished it (besides the presentation), so I have more time and energy! Yay! Wai~! Hehe... Anyway, be looking forward to next time, ok~?! Haha, I'll be writing!

Battle on! And guten tag~ Ja ne~