[OVERVIEW]

* Hippowdon is an amazing physical wall, as well as a great setup support. With fantastic natural bulk and Slack Off, Hippowdon has no problem sponging hits from the strongest physical attackers of the metagame, such as Mega Salamence and Mega Kangaskhan, and spreading chip damage with Sand Stream and Rocky Helmet. In addition, Hippowdon can use Stealth Rock and Yawn to earn a free turn for its teammates and breaks Focus Sashes to enable sweeps. On top of that, Hippowdon is rarely a setup bait thanks to its access to Whirlwind and a strong STAB Earthquake coming from a respectable attack. However, Hippowdon's speed tier is very low and has a poor Special Defense stat combined with weaknesses to common attacking types, making it susceptible to common Special attackers such as Greninja and Tapu Fini.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Ice Fang / Whirlwind
move 4: Yawn / Stealth Rock
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* EQ is an obligatory STAB move required to hurt switch-ins.

* Slack off is necessary to keep Hippowdon as healthy as possible to switch into attacks.

* Ice Fang is a solid coverage option that allows Hippowdon to break Substitutes from Salamence, Landorus-T, and other Pokemon immune to Earthquake.

* Yawn allows Hippowdon to apply pressure and often forces switches. Stealth Rock is used for overall support, breaking Focus Sash and dealing great chip damage in general, especially to Pokemon that harness a Rock-type weakness.

Set Details
========
* If using SR, use Whirlwind with it - use of either Ice Fang OR Whirlwind is obligatory for this set to actually check the likes of Substitute Salamence and Landorus-T.

* Rocky Helmet is the ideal item, dealing chip damage to physical attackers that make contact.

* The given EV spread and nature is ideal for a physically defensive wall, able to sponge as many physical hits as possible.

* Sand Stream does chip damage and disrupts opposing weather.


Usage Tips
========
* Hippowdon should stay in the back, only switching to physical attackers that cannot break through Hippowdon's massive bulk.

* Use Slack Off to keep it healthy enough to take 2 hits on the switch-in.

* Yawn forces switches and can deny generally safe switch-ins such as Gyarados.

* Use Earthquake to limit switch-ins from Pokemon like Tapu Fini, Greninja, and such.

* Watch out for lures such as Grass Knot Metagross designed to circumvent Hippowdon's massive Defense.

Team Options
========
* Hippowdon can concede free turns to Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Greninja. Use a partner such as Snorlax and Ferrothorn in order to absorb Special hits.

* Frail hit-and-run attackers like Charizard-Y and Tapu Lele appreciate Hippowdon's ability to sponge hits from strong attackers.

[SET]
name: Yawn + Stealth Rock
move 1: Yawn
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Whirlwind
item: Figy Berry / Sitrus Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Yawn in combination with Stealth Rock, applies a lot of pressure, earning free turns by forcing a Pokemon to fall asleep unless the opponent has a way to absorb Sleep using Pokemon like Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, or Gliscor.

* Stealth Rocks also break Focus Sash to facilitate sweepers.

* EQ is an obligatory STAB move required to hurt switch-ins, especially Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini.

* Whirlwind is the safest option to deny any potential setup with Substitute.

Set Details
========

* Figy Berry allows Hippowdon to take strong Z-moves and heal back up to high HP, giving Hippowdon a chance to Yawn.

* Sitrus Berry with a Specially Defensive spread allows Hippowdon to avoid a 2HKO from the largest range of damage - 2 turns is what it needs to set up Stealth Rock and get the initial Yawn off.

* Sand Stream does chip damage and disrupts opposing weather.

* The given EV spread and nature maximizes Special Defense to sponge as many hits as possible.

* 228 HP / 140 + Def / 140 SpDef is a mixed bulk spread that allows Hippowdon to live physical attacks like +2 Let's Snuggle Forever from Adamant Mimikyu while still getting a good chance to survive a Devastating Drake from Naganadel - a big threat to classic Hippowdon + Salamence core. As this spread aims to avoid OHKOs from Z-moves, it stands to gain significantly more from Figy Berry as opposed to Sitrus.

* It is possible to use Slack Off instead of Whirlwind for longevity. However, this will leave Hippowdon prone to certain setup Pokemon such as Substitute Salamence and Landorus-T that it should be able to handle.

Usage Tips
========
* This type of Hippowdon is highly threatening if it gets a good lead matchup. However, beware as most opponents will counterlead Hippowdon because it is so threatening to give it a free turn.

* Punish Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko switch-ins by using Earthquake.

* Yawn can still be an acceptable play in Electric Terrain - the threat of Earthquake means that they will have to switch to a levitator like Gyarados or Salamence anyways.

* If your opponent is unable to threaten Hippowdon, set up Stealth Rock first, then Yawn, to guarantee something falls asleep. However, Yawning first is advisable if the opponent take a big advantage of first free turn given as you set up Stealth Rock - Yawn on the other hand will force it to fall asleep or switch out as you set up Stealth Rock.


Team Options
========
* Pair this Pokemon with strong setup Pokemon such as Salamence and Lucario, as they can take advantage of free turns gained by Hippowdon.

* Have multiple Pokemon that are able to threaten Water-type counterleads, such as Tapu Koko and Scarf Kartana.