What is a good moveset for Hippowdon?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Hippowdon, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some explanation, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Hippowdon Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Yawn / Stealth Rock / Slack Off / Body Slam

Earthquake offers reliable STAB.
Crunch is also reliable, has a chance of lowering the opponents Def stat.
Stone Edge gives some eh coverage, it's still a good move though with a nice chance of critical hit.
Yawn can be used to force a switch or put your opponent to sleep, Stealth Rock is annoying hazards making the game less fun and of course with your sand rush excadrill your opponent might as well rage quit.
Slack Off provides healing, Body Slam has a chance of paralyzing your foe and gives good neutral coverage.

Answer 2

Hippowdon (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature

• Stockpile
• Slack Off
• Earthquake
• Stone Edge

Role: Oh Darn, I already am using Tyranitar!

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With Sand support.

Stock Pile beefs up your defenses, Slack off regains Health, and Stone Edge and Earthquake get sand Force bonus.

Answer 3

Role: Mixed Wall

Hippowdon @ Leftovers / Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind / Stone Edge
- Slack Off

Explanation

Hippowdon's niche in OU is that it can serve as one of the best mixed walls in the game! It is a great check for some of the most powerful Physical Sweepers in OU (Talonflame, Terrakion, and Garchomp are prime examples). It also boasts good defensive stats with 108 HP / 118 Def / 72 Sp. Def. To top it off, it can reliably set up sandstorm for defensively-oriented sandstorm teams.

Earthquake is good STAB and beats most frail sweepers.

Stealth Rock is a great support move and Hippowdown can set it up reliably.

Whirlwind is a good phazing move and stops set-up sweepers, while Stone Edge, along Earthquake, provides good coverage (the Edge-Quake combo).

Slack Off is a reliable healing move, so that Hippowdon does not get worn down by sweepers.

EVs are meant to give Hippowdon good defensive bulk. The EVs in Sp. Def allow it to tank a super-effective Hidden Power fairly well, but it does not prevent Hippowdon from being OHKOed by a STAB Water-type or Ice-type move (both of which are quite common).

Comments

Yeah, okay but why smooth stone? It has sand stream, not the move sandstorm. Why does it need smooth stone?

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Smooth Stone makes Sandstorm last a bit longer.

Answer 4

Mini-hippo

Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Stockpile
- Toxic

Stealth-rock makes an annoying entry hazard. Slack-off is for healing. Stockpile gives defensive boosts. Toxic gives status problem. This is a great UU sand-stream activator.

Comments

4 hp evs not 6

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It doesn't matter, 2 EVs doesn't make a point.

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technically 6 hp evs are completely legal, but only 4 of them do anything

Answer 5

Hippowdawn (Hippowdon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 55 Atk / 255 Def / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Naive Nature
- Water Pulse
- Earth Power
- Fire Fang
- Stealth Rock

Water Pulse gives confusing stat and also covers your ground & rock buddies

Earth Power I think you guys should try out Earth Power then Earthquake, it's pretty powerful and also doesn't hurt your allies in Double or Triple Battles

Fire Fang coverage and it gives flinching

Stealth Rock good for starting out a battle

I hope you guys like this Moveset for Hippowdon <3

P.S. If your wondering why Hippowdon has Water Pulse, it's because she can learn it in HG/SS and Diamond & Pearl/Platinum via TM.

Answer 6

Hippowdon @ Assualt Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
- Stone Edge
- Crunch / Thunder Fang

Hippowdon is a great Pokémon, not to mention very underused, being in the UU tier, thanks to the weather being nerfed. It has great attack, higher than the OU Lucario and Infernape, and fellow UU Pokemon, Arcanine. It's defense and HP isn't lacking either, being higher than popular walls, like Slowbro, Heatran, and the ever-so popular Tyranitar. Along with a movepool and ability just screaming TANK, I wonder why it's not more used, then I remember Tyranitar, with a much higher attack, special defense, and a mega evo. Speaking of SPD, Hippowdon suffers the same problem as Conkeldurr, has it's stats high in all the right places, but suffers from special attackers, keeping it in UU, with it's threats, like Suicune, Vapereon, Celebi, Roserade, etc. And unless it gets a boost in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it will stay there. But I try to give underused Pokémon power, along with unique movesets, just try to wreck OU Pokémon with NU. This is one of those sets, being an Assault Vest Hippowdon. Unless you are new to Gen 6, I bet you know what it does, but allow me to say for those who don't. Assault Vest gives the Pokemon holding it a 1.5x boost in special defense, but only allows attacking moves. Conkeldurr comes back into play with this, being it's main held item now, with the major buff to Knock Off, along with it's popular Drain, Mach, and Ice punches, it uses the Assault Vest to perfection. Hippowdon can't really utilize it as well, but it still gives it the bulk it needs in SPD.

Earthquake: You MUST be new to competitive if you question why a Pokémon would carry Earthquake, especially since it gets STAB as well.

Fire Fang: To deal with Grass and Ice Types, along with pesky Scizor and Skarmory, and maybe get a burn.

Stone Edge: High crit rate, great power, and coverage for Flying and Ice types.

Crunch/Thunder Fang: Crunch for coverage or Thunder Fang for chance to para and cover Water and Flying Types.

Answer 7

Mixed Wall

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Slack Off
- Yawn / Toxic
- Earthquake / Protect
- Stockpile

Use stockpile to get superb defenses, then Slack off the damage, and Toxic Stall them or put them to sleep and attack with Earthquake.

Answer 8

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 200 HP / 200 Atk / 108 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Slack Off
- Fire Fang
- Thunder Fang
- Earthquake

The two Fangs cover all weaknesses, Earthquake is a great STAB move and leftovers restore health over time and Slack Off for big heal. He could become king of the world! or at least be a prized sweeper.

Hope I helped

Answer 9

Hippowdon @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang / Thunder Fang / Stone Edge

Item: Maranga berry so you gain the needed special defense when hit since you have no way of boosting special def.

Nature: careful so you will have as much special defense as possible to endure even your weak hits to trigger maranga bery and still able to slack off afterwards

this is a very versatile moveset I have swept teams with this set I use thunder fang over fire fang and stone edge simply because it kills all the threatening flyers such as talonflame or gyarodos.

Answer 10

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 8 Def / 248 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Body Press/Roar

Hippowdon is a really good ground type, and probably the best sand setter out there. 248 Special Defense and a Careful nature let it tank special hits pretty well. 248 HP is obviously so it can last long. Earthquake is a STAB move and is good when taunted. Stealth Rock because it's got the defenses to set it up, and Sandstorm+Rocks wears enemies down very quickly. Slack Off to recover, mandatory if you want to cut enemies down to low HP efficiently. Body Press because it has good defenses, while Roar phazes set-up sweepers and chains stealth rock damage.

Answer 11

This Hippowdon is mainly for to start the sand team, I'm also a bit new to this set making stuff so pardon if anything is bad, just tell me if you have any changes you would do.

Hippowdon (M) @Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 128 Def / 124 SpD
Impish Nature
- Fire Fang / Earthquake
- Roar
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock

Now for the explanation:
Fire fang is to counter both his grass and ice weakness and can be used to "try" to kill skarmory. Then if you prefer a STAB move instead, you should go with Earthquake. Roar is to get rid of Pokemon who try to set up on Hippowdown. Slack off is for healing and Stealth rocks for entry hazards.

Answer 12

Gen 9 NU Sand Setter

Hippopotas @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind

A sand setter set for NU. NU has some sand abusers such as Houndstone, Lycanroc, and Sandslash, so if you want a sand setter, Hippopotas is your best bet for an automatic sand setter. Stealth Rock helps put opposing Pokemon into range of your teammates' attacks. Earthquake is used for a Ground STAB and is used to prevent Hippopotas from being Taunt bait. Slack Off lets Hippoptas to recover HP. Whirlwind is used to force opposing Pokemon off of the field, which is useful to prevent it from becoming setup fodder. You shouldn't really be using a Tera Type on this set since it is mainly used to setup sand, but Tera Rock could be an option so it can gain a Special Defense boost from the sand.