#111 - #112, #464: Rhyhorn, Rhydon & Rhyperior

Early concept sketch of Capsule Monsters. Depicted are Rhydon
and its Trainer. 

I don't care about Rhyhorn. I really don't. I mean, I don't think it's a bad Pokémon by any means and I definitely don't hate it, but I just consider it pre-evolution number something. Add to that its uninteresting flavor (it's stupid, starts running in one direction due to its short legs, forgets why and keeps running like a headless chicken until it falls asleep or crashes into something and remembers why it had started dashing off in the first place) and you make me want to start talking about its evolution Rhydon. Why? Well, you'd expect the first Pokémon to have ever been created to be Bulbasaur or Pikachu, right? Well, no. Bulbasaur might be number one in the Kanto and National Pokédexes, but it is not the first Pokémon that Satoshi Tajiri has come up with. Neither was Pikachu, as the notorious yellow mouse wasn't even meant to be Ash's sidekick in the first place (Clefairy was), let alone the mascot of the entire damn franchise. No, according to interviews with Ken Sugimori - who creates the official Pokémon artworks - and early drafts of Capsule Monsters, as Pokémon was initially called when Satoshi Tajiri proposed its design concept to Nintendo, Rhydon was the first Pokémon to have ever been created.

Another concept sketch of Capsule Monsters. At the bottom left corner, you can
see a Rhydon standing or sitting at a fountain, together with its Trainer.

Yup, the whole hype started with Rhydon, a rhinoceros Pokémon that doesn't have any special role in the games, anime or manga whatsoever. This theory is further supported as Rhydon was the first Pokémon coded into Red and Blue, and as a result its index number in Gen. I is 001. It's actually too bad that its characteristics are a little bland and just don't meet up to the excitement of Rhydon being the first ever Pokémon to have been created. It is physically strong and has an armor-like hide that can withstand heat and physical blows, according to the Pokédex. Well yeah, that's quite apparent when you take a look at it. It has also been seen toppling over buildings with a sweep from its tail, which strongly reminds me of a certain trait of Nidoking's. Okay, Rhydon was probably the first one to have received that trait from Game Freak, but still... And mentioning that standing on its hind legs made it smarter only to say that it is still very forgetful in the very same Pokédex entry is a little bit contradictory, isn't it? RIGHT, Game Freak? The only interesting thing is that the horn Rhydon uses as a drill can crush uncut diamonds. Seriously, it takes some power to crush a diamond.

Little figurines of Rhyhorn (front) and Rhydon (back).

But then along came Rhyperior. Introduced in Gen. IV, along with some other - often horrendous - evolutions of Pokémon that already existed before that, Rhyperior is indeed superior. Having Rhydon a Protector to hold then trading it off is the method to evolve it; this method is a little tedious, but it pays off, because Rhyperior is an awesome-looking powerhouse! It even has cannon things as arms, which it uses to launch Geodude with. Like, what? Well, it actually fires ordinary rocks from its arms by tightening then expanding its muscles instantly, hence it is able to learn Rock Wrecker, a rock-type Hyper Beam. Remember Geodude, Graveler and Golem's entry, when I said that Geodude are often mistaken for ordinary rocks? Well, I guess Rhyperior is facing the same problem when it's looking for rocks it can shoot from its missile launchers to its heart's content. Also, its carapace can withstand any actual volcanic eruption, which is even more impressive than Rhydon being able to live in molten lava of 3,600°F.

Now, can you SEE how awesome Rhyperior is?

In the competitive scene, though, Rhyperior can't withstand many special hits, as its special defense is close to terrible and most fire-type moves are special-based. However, there are several ways to make use of Rhyperior. With its excellent HP, attack and defense, being 115, 140 and 130 respectively, it is already a physical tank and powerhouse, which allows you to invest in its HP and subpar special defense to create an all-out defensive tank with quite some offensive power left, too. Leftovers for a little recovery every turn completes the set. Another way: the move Rock Polish raises Rhyperior's speed stat by two stages and is great in conjunction with a Jolly nature and speed investment, which allows Rhyperior to take an attempt at sweeping, especially when it manages to get a Swords Dance off as well. This is completely optional, although you should give it a Life Orb for some extra power. Of course, the best way to make use of Rhyperior is to max out its monstrous attack stat by rocking (pun intended) a Choice Band Rhyperior with an Adamant nature. Murder guaranteed. Just make sure you're always using one with Solid Rock as its ability, as this reduces super-effective damage by ¼. That might come in handy when it gets hit by a water- or grass-type move, to which it normally has quadruple weaknesses. Lightning Rod is absolutely garbage, because it draws in electric-type attacks to which Rhyperior is immune to due to its primary ground typing, anyway. Its immunity takes precedence over its ability anyway, so the special attack boost from Lightning Rod won't even occur, unless it is holding a Ring Target. You don't want a special attack boost anyway, because its special attack is abysmal. Lastly, the ability Reckless powers up moves from which Rhyperior takes recoil damage. It seems nice at first glance, but you're not going to use Take Down by any means, so leave that ability be.

AAAAAAAHHH, LOOK AT HIM GOOOOO!!! :D

Naturally, almost every set should contain the moves Stone Edge and Earthquake, a combination that is often infamously referred to as EdgeQuake, but Rock Blast can be considered to break through substitutes and punish Focus Sash users. Fortunately, Rhyperior is blessed with a crazy diverse movepool to fill in some loose spots. Megahorn is commonly used in competitive play, as are Ice Punch and Aqua Tail. Hammer Arm, Poison Jab, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Crunch, Dragon Rush, Outrage, Iron Tail, Iron Head, the elemental fangs and Superpower are viable options for type coverage, while Dragon Tail is a somewhat weak move that makes Rhyperior go last but forces the opponent to switch out. You can even give Stealth Rock to it if you take the defensive approach. However, which combination of moves and item you use depends heavily on which tier you're fighting in and which Pokémon you're facing. And if Rhyperior falls short for you, you can just use a Rhydon with an Eviolite attached to it, so it is guaranteed to tank hits.

On my previous blog, I placed Rhydon at number 48 on my list of favorite Pokémon, just because it is the first drafted Pokémon. Yeah, I might have exaggerated a little bit with that. Since then, its evolution Rhyperior has grown a lot on me and I have come to absolutely adore this Pokémon. Of all the Gen. IV evolutions of already existing Pokémon, Rhyperior is BY FAR THE BEST. It probably won't surprise you I'm giving it a perfect rating!

Rating: 5/5