Hariyama or Slaking?

Question

For Sapphire.

Comments

Is this for an in-game playthrough or a competitive format?

---

He said Sapphire, so I am guessiing In-game tea m

---

I'd say Slaking (If you hate Traunt too much, you could try a very defensive Hariyama with a little offense). If you choose Hariyama I'd suggest Thick Fat for an ability.

---

If this is for in-game, then Hariyama is definitely better. Fighting is a much better offensive typing. Hariyama is also easier to level up, not stuck with truant until level 18, and learns vital throw when Slaking is still relying on cut.

Answer 1

Hariyama is better.
Deathrider's answer seemed to assume that every opponent only has 1 Pokemon, which is obviously not true. The best Pokemon are the ones that can sweep their opponents, which Slaking can't do because of truant. Additionally, a good Pokemon should be able to sweep opponents for larger portions of the game. While Vigoroth does eventually learn moves like shadow ball and earthquake, both those TMs come very late and can only be obtained once. So Slakoth and Vigoroth will be stuck with cut and strength for more than half the game, or even later if the TM30 shadow ball goes to a teammate or gets hoarded. Slakoth is also annoying to drag through the early game because of truant and slow growth rate. As for Hariyama...

To start off, its experience group makes it so it's extremely easy to level and only drags on during the late-game, to where you should be ready to finish the run at that point. It contributes extremely well to nearly every major battle that exists, and thanks to the accessibility of Bulk Up, can more often than not facilitate its own sweeps. Thick Fat and Guts are also quite handy abilities for these. While "moving last" seems to be a huge issue here, Vital Throw is a really strong STAB move early on and Hariyama isn't too terribly slow to attack normally with Strength/Arm Thrust in the meantime. Its power spike is pretty early and remains relevant even through the late-game.
It is a bit slow but its very tanky and very strong and with Bulk Up it just absolutely trashes basically every major fight in the game except for Tate and Liza and Winona to an extent. Honestly isn't that reliant on Vital Throw, Strength + Arm Thrust is sufficient against the majority of opponents until Brick Break comes along with Vital Throw mostly being saved for major fights or evasion spammers. It will slurp a fair number of potions, but money isn't really tight in this game after Lavaridge (you can always use herbal meds if you're concerned) and the sheer volume of good matchups it has (this mon is fully capable of soloing Emerald E4, just need EQ TM so it can damage Phoebe and you're set) makes it worth it. Availability is fantastic too.

source

Comments

I like your answer more than dethriders. So I am giving it BA. But I will be choosing Slaking. I have changed my decition on my starter and it will be Blaziken. And there is no reason to get 2 fighting type. But thanks any way.

---

Yeah, Slaking is probably better than Hariyama if you're using Blaziken. But there are some normal-types that are even better than Slaking, such as Swellow.

---

Good answer.
But I didn't assume that each opponent has one Pokemon.
I said you can get one KO,  then not have to worry about truant by switching.
This means in a pinch, you can sweep half of your opponent's team using slaking. That's why it's a beast at gym battles and the elite four.

---

And slakoth is also not bad dude...

---

Yes, but when you switch Slaking out of a battle, you have to spend the next turn either switching it back in or not using it, and both of these decrease its opportunities to be useful. In a pinch, Hariyama can sweep the opponent's entire team.
And does Slakoth really have a better type and ability compared to Makuhita?

Answer 2

Slaking.
The reason is quite simple: when making an in-game team, one should always choose Pokemon which can take out the opponent's Pokemon fastest. What is better fitting for the role than slaking?
It gets a plethora of coverage moves, including Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Shadow ball and many others. Its legendary level stats means you are taking out anything not resisting it with Hyper Beam, otherwise Earthquake and Shadow ball. Again, you have the option to switch after every KO. This means, get a KO and then switch, not worrying about truant.
It sure is a little tough to train one, but it shall pay off at the latter half of the game.
Hariyama is also incredibly slow, so may take a lot of hits. It's bulky, but why take hits when you have the option to instantly KO?
In case you need fighting coverage, no need for it now. Hyper Beam-Earthquake-Shadow ball covers everything!
I literally swept through the game with just Blaziken, Slaking and Gardevoir. This trio is amazing.
Hope I helped!