Is Rhydon Good?

Yes, Rhydon is situationally good. In casual playthroughs, its massive physical stats make it an unstoppable tank. In Scarlet and Violet PvP, it thrives in the PU tier as a bulky Stealth Rock setter or Swords Dance sweeper thanks to Eviolite, though crippling quadruple weaknesses to Water and Grass hold it back.

Rhydon trades Special Defense and Speed for raw physical dominance, requiring careful team support to function.

Rating 6.5/10 · Tier PU (Scarlet/Violet Singles) · Role : Physical Sweeper / Stealth Rock Setter

Strengths

• Massive physical Attack and Defense allow it to wall physical threats and hit incredibly hard
• Eviolite compatibility grants it immense artificial bulk
• Lightning Rod provides a crucial Electric immunity and pivot opportunity
• Excellent STAB combination with Ground and Rock typing

Weaknesses

• Abysmal Special Defense and Speed make it setup fodder for fast special attackers
• Crippling quadruple weaknesses to common Water and Grass-type moves
• Heavily reliant on Eviolite, leaving it completely vulnerable to Knock Off
• Completely walled by Ground-immune physical tanks

In the current Scarlet and Violet competitive landscape, Rhydon secures a solid position in the PU tier. It operates primarily as a physical sweeper or a dedicated physical wall, leveraging its massive Attack and Defense.

Rhydon's Ground and Rock typing provides excellent offensive coverage against Electric, Fire, Flying, Bug, and Rock types. Defensively, it resists Normal, Flying, Poison, and Fire, allowing it to switch into physical attackers with ease.

Its viability is heavily tied to its abilities. Lightning Rod grants a crucial immunity to Electric-type moves, turning a common attacking type into a free switch-in opportunity. Alternatively, Rock Head prevents recoil damage, and Reckless boosts moves with recoil, though these are less common in standard PU play.

Rhydon's movepool in Generation 9 allows for several distinct roles. The most effective sets capitalize on its physical bulk and access to boosting moves.

The PU Swords Dance Sweeper

This set turns Rhydon into a terrifying wallbreaker. After a single Swords Dance, its Attack reaches levels that easily break through most of the PU tier.

• Item: Eviolite (mandatory for survival) or occasionally Life Orb for immediate wallbreaking.
• Ability: Lightning Rod to block Electric pivoting.
• Moves: Earthquake, Stone Edge (or Rock Blast to break Substitutes), Swords Dance, and Stealth Rock.

Using Rock Polish instead of Swords Dance is a viable alternative if you need to patch up its terrible Speed. With a Weakness Policy equipped, surviving a super-effective hit can instantly turn Rhydon into a fast, highly boosted sweeper.

The Defensive Utility Setter

If your team needs a reliable hazard setter, Rhydon excels at laying down Stealth Rock. Equipped with an Eviolite or Leftovers, it can repeatedly enter the field to set hazards.

• Moves: Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Roar.
• Utility: Roar prevents opponents from setting up on Rhydon, forcing them out and accumulating hazard damage. A Lum Berry can also be run to absorb a random burn from defensive pivots.

Rhydon cannot function in a vacuum. Its low Speed means it will take hits before attacking, requiring teammates that cover its defensive blind spots.

Synergistic Teammates

Building around Rhydon in PU requires a solid defensive core. Florges is an exceptional partner, acting as a special sponge that easily absorbs the Water, Grass, and Fighting attacks aimed at Rhydon.

• Slowbro-Galar: Provides an excellent Poison typing to handle Grass and Fighting threats, while Rhydon blocks Electric attacks for it.
• Decidueye-Hisui: Forms a potent offensive core, threatening the bulky Water types that Rhydon despises.
• Sandslash-Alola and Cramorant: Offer hazard removal and pivot support, ensuring Rhydon enters the field safely without taking chip damage.

In terms of direct matchups, Rhydon completely walls most physical Flying and Fire types. Any Electric-type locked into an Electric move becomes setup fodder thanks to Lightning Rod.

Despite its physical dominance, Rhydon possesses fatal flaws that prevent it from rising above the PU tier. Its nonexistent Special Defense and Speed make it incredibly vulnerable to special attackers.

Crippling Quadruple Weaknesses

Rhydon's Ground and Rock typing curses it with quadruple weaknesses to Water and Grass. In modern Scarlet and Violet play, even uninvested Water or Grass coverage moves from bulky pivots will instantly knock it out.

• Venusaur and Shaymin: These Grass-types completely outspeed Rhydon and obliterate it with special attacks.
• Tatsugiri: A premier special attacker that easily exploits Rhydon's lack of Special Defense with Water-type STAB.

Physical Walls That Stop It

Even on the physical side, Rhydon faces hard counters. Orthworm completely invalidates Rhydon's dual STAB thanks to its Earth Eater ability absorbing Earthquake and its massive Defense shrugging off Stone Edge.

Similarly, Mudsdale utilizes its Stamina ability to boost its Defense every time Rhydon attacks, eventually winning the one-on-one duel. Decidueye-Hisui, while a good partner, is also a lethal threat on the opposing side, hitting Rhydon with super-effective Fighting or Grass physical damage.

You should absolutely avoid picking Rhydon if the opponent's team is heavily skewed toward fast special attackers. It is dead weight against teams utilizing rain mechanics or fast Grass sweepers.

Furthermore, Rhydon is extremely reliant on Eviolite. If the opposing team features multiple Pokémon with Knock Off, Rhydon will lose its bulk and become a liability.

The Better Alternative

If you cannot guarantee Eviolite's safety, or if you need a Pokémon that can hold a different item like Leftovers or an Assault Vest, you should evolve it into Rhyperior. Rhyperior offers Solid Rock to mitigate super-effective damage and has naturally higher base stats, making it less reliant on a single item.

For a pure Ground-type alternative that avoids the quadruple Water and Grass weaknesses, Mudsdale offers superior physical walling capabilities with Stamina.

Looking ahead to Pokémon Legends: Z-A and back at standard Scarlet and Violet playthroughs, Rhydon remains a top-tier choice for the main story. Its massive Attack stat ensures it can one-shot most NPC Pokémon with Earthquake.

Story Mode Dominance

In casual play, Speed and Special Defense matter less because you can simply overlevel or use healing items. Rhydon's physical bulk allows it to shrug off most neutral hits, making it a reliable anchor for any playthrough team.

Nuzlocke Viability

For Nuzlocke challenges, Rhydon is a double-edged sword. Its Eviolite-boosted bulk makes it an excellent physical pivot.

However, you must play it with extreme caution. A surprise Water Gun or Razor Leaf from a random trainer can instantly end its run due to the quadruple weaknesses. Always pair it with a bulky Water or Flying type in Nuzlockes to bait and switch out of dangerous special attacks.

The question of whether to keep Rhydon unevolved is a classic competitive dilemma. Eviolite Rhydon actually boasts higher raw Defense and Special Defense stats than Rhyperior when the item is held.

Why Choose Rhydon Over Rhyperior?

Rhydon is preferred in lower tiers like PU where Rhyperior is banned or unavailable. Additionally, Lightning Rod provides a hard immunity to Electric attacks, whereas Rhyperior's Solid Rock only reduces damage.

Historically, Rhydon was a dominant force in Generation 1 OU, trading blows with Snorlax and Zapdos. While those glory days are gone, its modern niche as an Eviolite tank keeps it relevant. In spin-offs like Pokémon GO, Rhydon serves as a budget Ground and Rock attacker for Raids, though it is ultimately outclassed by its evolution and Excadrill in higher-level PvP.