Hippowdon Best Moveset and Build

Hippowdon's massive defenses allow it to be one of the most resilient tanks in the game. Read on to find out the best build, the best moveset, basic information, stats and recommended partners for Hippowdon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP).

Hippowdon - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Build for Ranked Battle

Hippowdon Best Builds and Movesets

Mixed Wall

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Hippowdon	Sand Stream	Leftovers	・Earthquake ・Yawn ・Stealth Rock ・Ice Fang
Nature / EVs	Impish 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
Final Stats	215 HP / 132 Atk / 167 Def / 111 SpD / 67 Spe

Hippowdon's impressive defenses makes it one of the best Pokemon to tank hits. With reliable recovery in Sitrus Berry, this Pokemon becomes very difficult to take down.

Its naturally high Attack stat allows it to trade blows with more focused attackers. Ice Fang lets it hit Gliscor, Garchomp, Dragonite, Salamence, and other Pokemon that are 4x weak to Ice for super-effective damage.

Yawn also has great synergy with Stealth Rock, because a drowzy opponent will want to switch out, letting Hippowdon set up Stealth Rock or force the opponent to fall asleep by staying active. Using Yawn repeatedly is also not a bad option because it forces the opponent to make the tough decision of whether or not they want the active Pokemon to stay in and get an attack off, switch out and take Stealth Rock chip damage, or have another Pokemon switch into another Yawn.

This Hippowdon set can comfortably take Draco Meteors and Ice Beams, being 2HKO'd by a Latios with Choice Specs. It can also take a Waterfall from Azumarill, as well as a +5 Aqua Jet after a Belly Drum.

Physical Wall

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Hippowdon	Sand Stream	Sitrus Berry	・Earthquake ・Ice Fang ・Yawn ・Slack Off
Nature / EVs	Impish 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Final Stats	215 HP / 132 Atk / 187 Def / 93 SpD / 67 Spe

This set bolsters Hippowdon's already impressive defenses even further with maxed out HP and Defense EVs.

A Physically defensive Hippowdon can more effectively go one-on-one with other focused Physical attackers like the aforementioned Gliscor, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Salamence and trade damage favorably with its Ice Fang.

Using Hippowdon

Being one of the best tanks available, it is important to keep Hippowdon as healthy as possible. Its Sand Stream Ability paired with its amazing defenses and recovery lets it wear down and outlast opposing Pokemon. Hippowdon appreciates teammates that can deal with the likes of Breloom, Gyarados, and Mamoswine.

Hippowdon is a great choice to send out against Physical Attackers because of Yawn and Ice Fang. By using Yawn when anticipating a switch, Hippowdon can afford to stay in the Active spot even if it is in a disadvantageous matchup.

Deciding which coverage move to pick between Ice Fang and Thunder Fang depends on your team composition and if Hippowdon's teammates can deal with specific threats.

Other Viable Moves

Thunder Fang	Thunder Fang allows Hippowdon hit Water Pokemon that it might not be able to damage meaningfully.
Fire Fang	Fire Fang allows Hippowdon hit Steel-type Pokemon like Bronzong who might be immune to Ground-type attacks if it is running Levitate as its Ability.
Whirlwind	Whirlwind forcibly switches an opponent out of the active spot. This is good for denying an opponent's set up move.

Hippowdon Basic Information

Hippowdon - Type

Hippowdon Heavyweight Pokémon
Type 1	Type 2
	-

Hippowdon Weaknesses and Resistances

	Type
Takes 4x damage	-
Takes 2x damage
Takes 0.5x damage
Takes 1/4x damage	-
Takes 0x damage

Hippowdon Abilities

Name	Description
Sand Stream	The Pokemon summons a sandstorm in battle.

Hippowdon Hidden Ability

Name	Description
Sand Force	Boosts certain moves'power in sandstorm.

Hippowdon Base Stats

HP	108
Atk	112
Def	118
Sp. Atk	68
Sp. Def	72
Speed	47
Total Base Stats	525

Hippowdon Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
✔︎ Huge HP and Defense stats. ✔︎ Can boost its own Special Defense and deal chip damage in a Sandstorm. ✔︎ Reliable recovery move in Slack Off.	✖︎ Very weak to offensive Water or Grass-type Pokemon. ✖︎ Horrible Speed stat.

Hippowdon's Massive Defenses

Hippowdon's Defense stat, coupled with the Special Defense boost it gets from the Sandstorm it naturally sets up with Sand Stream lets it tank most unboosted hits. This makes Hippowdon an excellent option for defensive switches.

Its defenses also lets it switch in and support its team by setting up Stealth Rock.

Wear Down Opponents with Hippowdon

Because of its defenses, it is able to take full advantage of Slack Off and Leftovers. Its Sand Stream Ability deals chip damage to Pokemon who are not Ground, Rock, or Steel-types, and can even break Focus Sashes. Hippowdon can wear down most opponents especially if they cannot hit it for super-effective damage.

Counter Hippowdon with Status Conditions

Pokemon	Description
Breloom	Ranking：★★★★★ ・Can threaten Hippowdon with a super-effective Grass-type move. ・Can Spore Hippowdon and then either set up or switch out.

Overwhelm Hippowdon with Damage

Suicune	Ranking：★★★★★ ・Can shrug off Hippowdon's damage output barring a Thunder Fang. ・Can set up Calm Minds with little resistance from Hippowdon.
Gyarados	Ranking：★★★★★ ・Is not afraid of Hippowdon's offense, besides Thunder Fang. ・Can set up Dragon Dance and threaten Hippowdon with massive damage.

Best Natures for Hippowdon

Best Natures
Impish (Def↑ Sp. Atk↓)	Careful (Sp. Def↑ Sp. Atk↓)

What are Natures?

Best Partners for Hippowdon

Clefable

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Clefable	Unaware	Babiri Berry	・Moonblast ・Calm Mind ・Flamethrower ・Moonlight
Nature / EVs	Bold 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Final Stats	202 HP / 137 Def / 115 SpA / 111 SpD / 80 Spe

Hippowdon struggles against set-up sweepers that can eventually overcome its great defenses such as Garchomp and Suicune, with the latter threatening Hippowdon with STAB Water-type moves.

This makes Unaware Clefable a great partner since its Ability lets it ignore an opponent's stat boosts while boosting its own stats with Calm Mind. It also has a great recovery move in Moonlight, as well as Fire and Fairy coverage in Flamethrower and Moonblast.

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Clefable	Magic Guard	Life Orb	・Moonblast ・Ice Beam ・Flamethrower ・Moonlight
Nature / EVs	Modest 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Final Stats	202 HP / 93 Def / 161 SpA / 111 SpD / 80 Spe

Hippowdown doesn't appreciate status conditions that deal residual damage, such as burns from Will-O-Wisp or Poison from Toxic since the damage hampers its healing.

This makes Magic Guard Clefable a great partner since its Ability ignores the residual damage from these moves, as well as Life Orb's recoil damage. An offensive Clefable can also surprise Hippowdon's usual counters with its great selection of coverage moves.

Scizor

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Scizor	Technician	Lum Berry	・Bullet Punch ・X-Scissor ・Swords Dance ・Roost
Nature / EVs	Adamant 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Final Stats	177 HP / 200 Atk / 120 Def / 101 SpD / 85 Spe

Scizor is a great offensive Pokemon to pair with Hippowdon. Its respectable bulk and immunity to Sandstorm lets it comfortably wear down opposing Pokemon with its Technician-boosted Attacks while healing with Roost when necessary.

Lum Berry lets it soak up a Spore from Breloom and it can retaliate with Bullet Punch, which can 2HKO it if it decides to stay in battle.

Latios

Pokemon	Ability	Item	Moves
Latios	Levitate	Life Orb	・Draco Meteor ・Ice Beam ・Psychic ・Energy Ball
Nature / EVs	Timid 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Final Stats	154 HP / 101 Def / 182 SpA / 130 SpD / 178 Spe

Latios is another great offensive Pokemon, with its typing and respectable Special Defense stat letting it easily shrug off Water and Grass-type moves that Hippowdon is weak to.

The Eon Pokemon also has a positive matchup against Garchomp and Gliscor. Not only is Latios faster, it can potentially knock them out with STAB Draco Meteor or Ice Beam.

Pokemon BDSP Related Guides

Tier List and Movesets for Competitive Battle

Strategies for Individual Pokemon

Competitive Pokemon Builds
Gyarados	Breloom	Gliscor
Scizor	Suicune	Latios
Garchomp	Gengar	Azumarill
Hippowdon	Mamoswine	Latias
Heatran	Blaziken	Wash Rotom
Metagross	Tyranitar	Dragonite
Togekiss	Cloyster	Salamence
Cresselia