rapidash

Rapidash

Intro

In my last video about Golurk, I talked about how it was banned from PU (one of the lowest tiers) and in the thumbnail included info from smogon show that it was banned at the same time as Galarian Rapidash which prompted a number of people to request a video about this most majestic of ponies. So here we are! Let's discuss the surprising reasons Galarian Rapidash got banned and take a look at how it can be used competitively, both in singles and doubles!

The design of this distinguished Pokemon is great - a lot of people wanted it to have wings, but unicorns of European folklore are simply wild horses with horns so imho that makes sense. Being so beautiful, it is very tempting to want to use this Pokemon, but is it any good?

It has the decent Psychic/Fairy typing which is quite strong, but is becoming increasingly common giving Rapidash a lot of competition in its role. However, its stats somewhat differentiate it from other Pokemon - it's relatively fast with a decent attack stat. Physical fairy type attackers are not common, and Galarian Rapidash is pretty much the fastest of them all (Zacian is banned from most formats and Tapu Koko does not get a fairy type move). However, it is very frail which is a significant drawback, and there are stronger Psychic/Fairy types that hit on the special side (Lele, Gardevoir).

In terms of abilities, Rapidash has 1 useless ability in Run Away and 2 mediocre abilities in Anticipation and Pastel Veil. None of these particularly help Rapidash in its role. I really think that Rapidash should have got Misty Surge instead of Galarian Weezing - this would have given it a little more utility. But alas, Pastel Veil will have to suffice in most situations.

So lets consider its movepool and this is where Rapidash does get some decent options. First, let's conider the more obvious things - It has great coverage - decent STABs in Play Rough and Zen or Psycho. Ground coverage in High Horsepower pairs beautifully with fairy moves. Then it has some interesting options like Wild Charge which allows it to hit Pokemon like Charizard or Corviknight, Smart Strike which turns into Max Steelspike which can boost defense in D-max formats, Low Kick which can be nice for hitting steel types and can give Max Knuckle attack boosts, Bounce which importantly gives it access to Max Airstream speed boosts as well as some more niche options like Megahorn and Throat Chop. Combining all of this coverage with access to Swords Dance for a huge damage boost can turn Rapidash into a sweeper in a match with the right set up

So this Pokemon was banned from the PU tier because it was a physical cleaner right? THAT's where the surprise comes in.

In the PU tier, it turns out the Rapidash's SPECIAL ATTACKING options was what really made it a threat. Though it has a mediocre special attack stat, its dual STAB plus Mystical Fire hit everything for good damage. Rapidash also has access to Calm Mind to boost its power enough to make it a threat. DUe to special sets being viable, it was hard to predict what an opponent's Rapidash was going to do - should you keep your special wall or your physical wall healthy to prevent a late game Rapidash sweep? I was shocked to hear that this versatility was what made Rapidash strong.

But there's more. Rapidash also gets access to recovery in Morning Sun. Combining this with Calm Mind SpD boosts and a defense boosting item like Grassy Seed or Kee Berry meant that Rapidash could become bulky enough to stack CM boosts then sweep with Stored Power. I never saw this coming - using Rapidash's "bulk" to clean up games seems so farfetch'd, but also very cool for this mythical beast. The idea is that you come in, get a defense boost immediately, set up a CM, recover off damage, and keep getting defense boosts. Pastel Veil comes into play with this set too because the opponent cannot Toxic you - this is one of the ways that walls can wear down bulky sweepers and its cool to see that Pastel Veil does actually have some utility.

So now we have a fast physical sweeper, a fast special sweeper, and a bulky set up sweeper all in one. And you will never know what flavour your opponent's Rapidash is until it's there in front of you causing havoc.

It's important to note that Rapidash was banned from a low tier in a singles format, and actually since the Crown Tundra DLC had a huge impact on tiers, Rapidash was actually unbanned. Objectively, Rapidash is not a particularly strong Pokemon when faced against the best of the best. So what is the best way to use it in singles and doubles?

IMO its niche is its fast physical attacking set - no other Pokemon can do this quite as well as Rapidash, and fairy/ground coverage is as rare as it is effective. In singles, try a SD set with these moves and PLENTY of support - setting up Light Screen and Reflect will great help Rapidash in taking a hit while setting up, and using lots of U-Turn and Volt Switch will find you more opportunities to get Rapidash in safely. Setting up hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes to chip away at your opponents health will be a great help too and may allow you to sweep without having to set up.

In doubles, generally the best way to use niche attackers like Rapidash is to dynamax them and use Weakness Policy. Again, a physical set will probably work best due to its higher stat and its great physical coverage. A cool duo to try is pairing Rapidash with Dugtrio - Dugtrio is fast and has a weak Sludge Wave which hits all Pokemon so it cannot be redirected. This will activate Rapidash's Weakness Policy while Pastel Veil prevents you from accidentally poisoning Rapidash. It can also help to potentially break your opponent's Focus Sash. Dugtrio also has access to the controversial Ally Switch - this can be helpful to take targeting away from your frail Rapidash. Alternatively, you could try to use a Pokemon like Sableye which can activate Weakness Policy with Shadow Sneak and cannot be Faked Out due to its ghost typing. It also has great speed control with Prankster Quash, and can help burn opponents to reduce their damage output with Will-o-Wisp. Sableye usually hates going up against Dark types because they are immune to its Prankster moves, but Rapidash's fairy typing means that you do not have to worry about them. Also, Sableye offers a Fake Out option which could give Rapidash an opportunity to set up Swords Dances.

Even with this support, Rapidash may struggle in the doubles format because it is more likely to have to take attacks when facing off against 2 opponents - in singles it can try to KO Pokemon before it even takes damage which is not as likely in doubles. One more nich option to mention before we finish is that Rapidash does get access to Trick Room and Imprison, which can prevent an opponent from setting up Trick Rooom themselves. While Rapidash is not as reliable as some ghost types like chandelure and gengar as they cannot be faked out, it is seen so rarely that most opponents will not predict this strategy from Galarian Rapidash.

So that's why Rapidash got banned