Taking over from Foxy Grandpa here. Also, new to this, so all contributions / suggestions / opinions welcome!
big yama in de haus
[Overview]
<p>Life has not been kind to this old-time sumo wrestler. No Guard DynamicPunch Machamp severely limited Hariyama's OU usage in the DPP era; a generation later, the sheer number of Fighting-types introduced in BW has left it scrambling to hold its own, even in BW UU. When trying to abuse Guts, Hariyama faces competition from none other than the mighty Heracross, which boasts marginally higher Attack, an excellent secondary STAB, as well as significantly greater Speed, while Gallade and Gurdurr also make for excellent Bulk Up users thanks to their access to Drain Punch and priority. Hitmontop's utility in the form of Intimidate and Rapid Spin, Machamp's ability to inflict confusion, as well as Cobalion's superb set of resistances may also be preferred by certain teams. Nonetheless, Hariyama has two outstanding stats, Attack and HP, as well as two excellent abilities, namely Guts and Thick Fat. While the former grants it immense power and the ability to break through all bar the most dedicated of walls, the latter lets it comfortably check the users of powerful Ice- and Fire-type moves that pervade the tier, especially when utilizing Rest or Bulk Up to make itself virtually impossible to take down. As should be obvious, this wrestler is far from a washed-up has-been; whether you're looking for a parashuffler, a defensive pivot, or a wallbreaker on steroids, be sure to keep Hariyama in mind.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Fake Out / Ice Punch
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 172 Def / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting a stellar base 120 Attack and the Guts ability, it should come as no surprise that Hariyama pulls off an offensive set best. Its execution couldn't be simpler: use Fake Out on Hariyama's first turn to activate Toxic Orb, and proceed to KO foes with STAB Guts Close Combat, an attack so powerful it 2HKOes even bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Blastoise, Suicune, and physically defensive Quagsire. Stone Edge provides powerful super effective coverage on the Flying-types that resist Close Combat, while Bullet Punch enables Hariyama to bypass its low Speed, allowing it to shave about a third of health off Choice Scarf revenge killers such as Flygon and Krookodile. Although the coverage Hariyama gains through the combination of Fighting- and Rock-type moves is by no means shabby, it admittedly isn't that great in the UU tier, where Claydol and Nidoqueen, which resist both moves, abound. Ice Punch is therefore an excellent alternative; not only does it give Hariyama perfect neutral coverage, it hits the aforementioned Claydol and Nidoqueen super effectively, and with Stealth Rock support and minor prior damage, achieves the OHKO on Eviolite Gligar. However, one ought to note that due to the STAB boost, Close Combat is more than twice as powerful as Ice Punch; therefore, Ice Punch is only the better option against Pokemon that both resist Fighting-type moves and are weak to Ice-type moves, such as Roserade and Nidoking, or that are doubly weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Flygon and the aforementioned Gligar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As is standard for an offensive Pokemon, Attack investment is maximized, with an Adamant nature taking full advantage of Hariyama's huge Attack stat. 84 Speed EVs allow Hariyama to outpace uninvested base 60 Speed Pokemon, such as Empoleon, Abomasnow, Clefable, and Weezing, and the rest are invested into Defense for maximum bulk. The only other item worth considering is Flame Orb, which does less damage than Toxic Orb if Hariyama stays in for 4 turns or more. However, especially without investment, Hariyama isn't the bulkiest Pokemon around, and due to its mediocre Speed, it tends to function as more of a hit-and-run attacker.</p>
<p>While most other bulky Water-types are 2HKOed by Close Combat, Slowbro is the bane of this set; it resists Close Combat and takes a pittance from Stone Edge, is not easily worn down due to Slack Off and Regenerator, and can pick off Hariyama with STAB Psychic. Roserade packs a powerful STAB Leaf Storm and can also lay Toxic Spikes, which drastically reduce Slowbro's walling capability. If their shared weakness to Psychic-type moves is problematic, however, Shaymin and Rotom-C are alternative sources of strong Grass-type attacks, and the latter can also pose a terrible annoyance with Volt Switch. Heracross is another excellent switch-in to Slowbro. It can take advantage of the opportunity to fire off a powerful Close Combat or Megahorn, and it can furthermore work in tandem with Hariyama to wear down their common counters, opening the way for one of them to sweep. While they are less common, bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Uxie, Cresselia, Deoxys-D, Dusclops, and Spiritomb can also prove problematic to take down. Strong Ghost- or Dark-type attackers can easily patch up this weakness; Weavile, Spiritomb, Krookodile, and Honchkrow pack powerful Pursuits, while Mismagius and Houndoom can take advantage of the forced switch to set up a Nasty Plot boost and wreak havoc.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Whirlwind
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Force Palm
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 12 HP / 244 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If the previous set aimed to make full use of Hariyama's base 120 Attack, this set strives to do the same for its highest stat, HP, by turning Hariyama into an immense thorn in the opponent's side. Hariyama's immense bulk means it is not easily knocked out. In fact, with the listed spread, Hariyama is never 2HKOed by Life Orb Alakazam's Psychic. Its Thick Fat ability also makes it an excellent check to hail teams as well as Fire-type attackers. Force Palm's lovely secondary effect enables Hariyama to spread paralysis, while Whirlwind prevents foes boosting up on it and shuffles the opponent's team around, racking up entry hazard damage. Rest, while not the ultimate recovery move, is the best form of regaining health Hariyama can muster. It's far from terrible, though; Sleep Talk bypasses Whirlwind's negative priority, allowing it to phaze out slower foes without taking damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike most other walls, EV investment in Hariyama's HP is minimal—just enough to give it a Leftovers number—because its HP stat is enormous relative to its Defense and Special Defense stats. Its Special Defense is maximized as most attackers it will be walling, namely Blizzard users, Chandelure, and Houndoom, are specially based. Nonetheless, a physically defensive nature can be utilized in order to better counter Darmanitan. This also ensures that Life Orb Mamoswine will never 2HKO with Earthquake and Choice Scarf Flygon 3HKO with either Outrage or Earthquake; otherwise, with a neutral naturel, all would be guaranteed KOs. Moreover, if the aforementioned Ice- and Fire-type attacks aren't a concern, the Guts ability is an option; it activates while Hariyama is asleep, giving Force Palm a nice boost. Alternatively, if one isn't worried about Hariyama being a sitting duck while asleep, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Payback can be used over Sleep Talk for coverage. Knock Off makes Hariyama an even greater nuisance; although it has the bulk to pull this off, it is hard-pressed to free up a moveslot.</p>
<p>Above all, this variant of Hariyama must be used with entry hazard support. Of the three, Stealth Rock has the greatest distribution, so there are many options; Registeel and Empoleon resist both Hariyama's weaknesses, while in return, Hariyama resists the weaknesses of Psychic-types such as Uxie, Azelf, and Mew. Deoxys-D and Roserade are among the most reliable Spikes users in the tier, and the latter can provide cleric support as well. Alternatives for this extremely useful but specific form of support include Altaria, Togekiss, and of course, Chansey.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Force Palm
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Combining the offense of the first set with the bulk of the second, this set capitalizes on Hariyama's access to the move Bulk Up. A single use of the move gives Hariyama the equivalent of a Guts boost, while also buffing its Defense, making it ridiculously difficult to take down. While Gallade and Gurdurr may appear to be superior Bulk Up users thanks to receiving Drain Punch, Force Palm's secondary effect is useful as well, patching up Hariyama's low Speed and ensuring that it moves first; the paralysis support it provides also makes Hariyama much more of a team player. As always, Stone Edge hits Flying-types such as Zapdos and Tornadus that resist Hariyama's STAB, while Ice Punch rounds out coverage nicely, hitting Gligar, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and Golurk for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As the three attacks listed give Hariyama perfect neutral coverage, there aren't very many other options. Payback isn't slashed because it tends to work against Force Palm; an unboosted Payback does as much damage to Ghost- and Psychic-types as a neutral Stone Edge does, and even without paralysis, these bulky walls rarely outspeed Hariyama. However, if hitting Uxie and Deoxys-D is important, or if you want a guaranteed OHKO on Alakazam at +0, and all Mismagius and Azelf, as well as uninvested Mew after a Bulk Up, Payback is worthy of consideration.</p>
<p>The EVs are straightforward: maximum Attack investment and a boosting nature allow Hariyama to hit hard, while the rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense as Bulk Up boosts Hariyama's Defense. Feel free to shift Attack investment to Defense in order to set up on relatively weak physical attackers such as Claydol, Spiritomb, Registeel, and Donphan, but Hariyama must still watch out for Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Roar respectively. While the power boost won't go unnoticed, Hariyama generally can't afford to forgo its only form of recovery by using Life Orb. Guts, on the other hand, is definitely viable. In particular, it will be useful against the aforementioned status users, as well as bulky Ghost-types such as Dusclops, who will likely attempt to burn a boosting Hariyama.</p>
<p>Strong Psychic- and Flying-type attackers fare well against this set. Slowbro, Mew, and Uxie can all sponge hits well and retaliate with Psychic or Psyshock, and although Alakazam must watch out for Force Palm's paralysis chance, it can take even a +2 Force Palm and retaliate with Psychic. However, the OHKO is not guaranteed, even with Life Orb. Tornadus's Hurricane will OHKO, but its Flying Gem Acrobatics may not. With some luck, Togekiss can break through with Air Slash, and Choice Band Crobat will OHKO Hariyama even after the latter has gained a Bulk Up boost. Rhyperior and Empoleon are excellent counters to the aforementioned Flying-types, and can conveniently set up Stealth Rock to punish them for switching in; similarly, powerful Pursuit users such as Spiritomb, Weavile, and Krookodile can help to remove bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bulk Up / Payback
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set adopts a different tack in order to combine Hariyama's offensive and defensive capabilities. Focus Punch is so monstrously powerful that a neutral hit outdamages a super effective Stone Edge, as is the case for a resisted hit and a neutral Stone Edge. Hariyama's Substitutes are no pushovers either; among the attacks they can sponge include Scald from bulky Water-types such as Blastoise, Milotic, and Suicune, Seismic Toss and Night Shade from foes such as Registeel, Deoxys-D, and Dusclops, as well as Choice Scarf Darmanitan's U-turn. Thanks to Thick Fat, neutral-natured Froslass and Houndoom will also more often than not fail to break Hariyama's Substitutes with Blizzard and Fire Blast respectively. This surprising bulk often provides Hariyama with an additional turn of Leftovers recovery, and allows it to fire off yet another mighty Focus Punch.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, Stone Edge is the stronger attack only against Pokemon both weak to Rock-type attacks and resistant or immune to Fighting-type moves, such as Zapdos, Sigilyph, Xatu, and of course, all Ghost-types. However, Focus Punch will fail if Hariyama is hit the turn it is used, making Stone Edge the superior move if Hariyama isn't protected by a Substitute. In the last slot, Bulk Up and Payback both have their merits; the former comes in handy against opponents that Stone Edge just barely fails to OHKO, such as Crobat and Victini, as well as some variants of Zapdos and Mismagius, while the latter gains OHKOes on Alakazam, Azelf, and Mismagius.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There isn't much need for a complicated EV spread; 252 Attack EVs along with a boosting nature maximizes Hariyama's damage output, while the rest buffer it against the previously mentioned special attacks. Again, some EVs can be reallocated into Defense, but doing so is not recommended, as most attacks Hariyama will be setting up on are specially based. Additionally, Hariyama will need all the power it can get, especially if you elect to forgo Bulk Up for Payback. Ice Punch is a more reliable option against Flying-types that wall Close Combat, but it is not listed for a few good reasons. Firstly, it is significantly weaker; in contrast to Stone Edge, with which the KO is guaranteed, Ice Punch may not 2HKO Zapdos after Stealth Rock damage. Secondly, it does not even come close to 2HKOing its main target, Nidoqueen—Gligar and Golurk are rare, while Nidoking is frail—who has no problems breaking its Substitute with Earth Power. Guts is less of an option on this set than on the previous one because Substitute protects Hariyama against status, and also drains away its HP, which may cause it to die a premature death should it get burned or poisoned.</p>
<p>Bulky Psychic-types pose the biggest issues to this variant; Uxie, Mew, Slowbro, and Deoxys-D are barely scratched by either Focus Punch or Stone Edge, and can swiftly eliminate Hariyama with Psychic or Taunt it and set up on it, respectively. As with the first set, powerful Pursuit users such as Weavile and Spiritomb can severely punish these Psychic-types for coming in, Mismagius and Houndoom can take superb advantage of the free set-up opportunity, and so can Heracross, making them excellent choices.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Scroll through Hariyama's list of moves, and one that will likely catch your eye is Belly Drum. However, Hariyama entirely lacks the Speed to pull this off; while Bullet Punch mitigates this somewhat, it has extremely poor coverage, and bulky Water-types—Unaware Quagsire in particular—will easily throw a monkey wrench into Hariyama's work. Wherever you see Force Palm, you can consider Brick Break, Cross Chop, as well as Low Kick, but their disadvantages are: a less useful secondary effect, far worse accuracy, and greatly reduced reliability, respectively. Rock Slide can also replace Stone Edge if accuracy is a concern, but it's worth noting that the latter's main draw over Ice Punch is its higher Base Power. The Normal-type attack SmellingSalt, Hariyama's signature move, has 120 Base Power against a paralyzed target and can be utilized alongside Force Palm, but is gimmicky and largely ineffective. Other competitively viable moves in its moveset include Knock Off, Seismic Toss, and Toxic, but Hariyama's base 120 Attack is superb even without investment, so the listed options are generally superior. Perhaps the most feasible option not given a set is one that utilizes Hariyama's released Dream World ability, Sheer Force. However, Hariyama's most powerful attacks, Close Combat and Stone Edge, do not gain the 30% power boost, and moves that Hariyama must forgo include ThunderPunch and Fire Punch, which are Platinum-only tutor moves. Ice Punch, on the other hand, is legal on Sheer Force Hariyama, making a set of Close Combat / Ice Punch / Rock Slide / filler worthy of consideration.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Thanks to their immense bulk, usually augmented by access to reliable recovery, resistance to Fighting-type attacks, as well as super effective STAB moves, bulky Psychic-types are generally the best counters to Hariyama. While there are a multitude of these, including Cresselia and Uxie, Slowbro can be especially problematic as Regenerator makes it much harder to wear down over the course of a match. Mew and Deoxys-D also receive Taunt, which plays havoc with more defensive Hariyama variants by preventing them from using Sleep Talk, Bulk Up, or Substitute. Nidoqueen and Claydol are common Pokemon that resist both parts of Hariyama's standard attacking combination: Fighting- and Rock-type attacks; this duo and Gligar wall all Hariyama that do not run Ice Punch, and even some that do. Physically defensive behemoths such as Tangrowth and Zapdos can suffice in a pinch, with the latter being able to remove its weaknesses to Ice- and Rock-type moves by using a faster Roost. On the offensive side, Choice Band Crobat annihilates Hariyama with Brave Bird; however, it takes a massive amount of damage in doing so, and can only switch in on Close Combat. Tornadus does a number on Hariyama with its STAB Hurricane and Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics, while Togekiss can break through Hariyama if it gets lucky with Air Slash flinches. Due to its rather underwhelming Speed, Hariyama is also not too difficult to revenge kill; Choice Band Victini's V-create, Guts Swellow's Brave Bird, Alakazam's Psychic, and Choice Scarf Medicham's Psycho Cut are just a few of the attacks that will either OHKO Hariyama from full health, or with a little prior damage.</p>
big yama in de haus
[Overview]
<p>Life has not been kind to this old-time sumo wrestler. No Guard DynamicPunch Machamp severely limited Hariyama's OU usage in the DPP era; a generation later, the sheer number of Fighting-types introduced in BW has left it scrambling to hold its own, even in BW UU. When trying to abuse Guts, Hariyama faces competition from none other than the mighty Heracross, which boasts marginally higher Attack, an excellent secondary STAB, as well as significantly greater Speed, while Gallade and Gurdurr also make for excellent Bulk Up users thanks to their access to Drain Punch and priority. Hitmontop's utility in the form of Intimidate and Rapid Spin, Machamp's ability to inflict confusion, as well as Cobalion's superb set of resistances may also be preferred by certain teams. Nonetheless, Hariyama has two outstanding stats, Attack and HP, as well as two excellent abilities, namely Guts and Thick Fat. While the former grants it immense power and the ability to break through all bar the most dedicated of walls, the latter lets it comfortably check the users of powerful Ice- and Fire-type moves that pervade the tier, especially when utilizing Rest or Bulk Up to make itself virtually impossible to take down. As should be obvious, this wrestler is far from a washed-up has-been; whether you're looking for a parashuffler, a defensive pivot, or a wallbreaker on steroids, be sure to keep Hariyama in mind.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Fake Out / Ice Punch
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 172 Def / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Boasting a stellar base 120 Attack and the Guts ability, it should come as no surprise that Hariyama pulls off an offensive set best. Its execution couldn't be simpler: use Fake Out on Hariyama's first turn to activate Toxic Orb, and proceed to KO foes with STAB Guts Close Combat, an attack so powerful it 2HKOes even bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Blastoise, Suicune, and physically defensive Quagsire. Stone Edge provides powerful super effective coverage on the Flying-types that resist Close Combat, while Bullet Punch enables Hariyama to bypass its low Speed, allowing it to shave about a third of health off Choice Scarf revenge killers such as Flygon and Krookodile. Although the coverage Hariyama gains through the combination of Fighting- and Rock-type moves is by no means shabby, it admittedly isn't that great in the UU tier, where Claydol and Nidoqueen, which resist both moves, abound. Ice Punch is therefore an excellent alternative; not only does it give Hariyama perfect neutral coverage, it hits the aforementioned Claydol and Nidoqueen super effectively, and with Stealth Rock support and minor prior damage, achieves the OHKO on Eviolite Gligar. However, one ought to note that due to the STAB boost, Close Combat is more than twice as powerful as Ice Punch; therefore, Ice Punch is only the better option against Pokemon that both resist Fighting-type moves and are weak to Ice-type moves, such as Roserade and Nidoking, or that are doubly weak to Ice-type attacks, such as Flygon and the aforementioned Gligar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As is standard for an offensive Pokemon, Attack investment is maximized, with an Adamant nature taking full advantage of Hariyama's huge Attack stat. 84 Speed EVs allow Hariyama to outpace uninvested base 60 Speed Pokemon, such as Empoleon, Abomasnow, Clefable, and Weezing, and the rest are invested into Defense for maximum bulk. The only other item worth considering is Flame Orb, which does less damage than Toxic Orb if Hariyama stays in for 4 turns or more. However, especially without investment, Hariyama isn't the bulkiest Pokemon around, and due to its mediocre Speed, it tends to function as more of a hit-and-run attacker.</p>
<p>While most other bulky Water-types are 2HKOed by Close Combat, Slowbro is the bane of this set; it resists Close Combat and takes a pittance from Stone Edge, is not easily worn down due to Slack Off and Regenerator, and can pick off Hariyama with STAB Psychic. Roserade packs a powerful STAB Leaf Storm and can also lay Toxic Spikes, which drastically reduce Slowbro's walling capability. If their shared weakness to Psychic-type moves is problematic, however, Shaymin and Rotom-C are alternative sources of strong Grass-type attacks, and the latter can also pose a terrible annoyance with Volt Switch. Heracross is another excellent switch-in to Slowbro. It can take advantage of the opportunity to fire off a powerful Close Combat or Megahorn, and it can furthermore work in tandem with Hariyama to wear down their common counters, opening the way for one of them to sweep. While they are less common, bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Uxie, Cresselia, Deoxys-D, Dusclops, and Spiritomb can also prove problematic to take down. Strong Ghost- or Dark-type attackers can easily patch up this weakness; Weavile, Spiritomb, Krookodile, and Honchkrow pack powerful Pursuits, while Mismagius and Houndoom can take advantage of the forced switch to set up a Nasty Plot boost and wreak havoc.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Whirlwind
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Force Palm
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 12 HP / 244 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If the previous set aimed to make full use of Hariyama's base 120 Attack, this set strives to do the same for its highest stat, HP, by turning Hariyama into an immense thorn in the opponent's side. Hariyama's immense bulk means it is not easily knocked out. In fact, with the listed spread, Hariyama is never 2HKOed by Life Orb Alakazam's Psychic. Its Thick Fat ability also makes it an excellent check to hail teams as well as Fire-type attackers. Force Palm's lovely secondary effect enables Hariyama to spread paralysis, while Whirlwind prevents foes boosting up on it and shuffles the opponent's team around, racking up entry hazard damage. Rest, while not the ultimate recovery move, is the best form of regaining health Hariyama can muster. It's far from terrible, though; Sleep Talk bypasses Whirlwind's negative priority, allowing it to phaze out slower foes without taking damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike most other walls, EV investment in Hariyama's HP is minimal—just enough to give it a Leftovers number—because its HP stat is enormous relative to its Defense and Special Defense stats. Its Special Defense is maximized as most attackers it will be walling, namely Blizzard users, Chandelure, and Houndoom, are specially based. Nonetheless, a physically defensive nature can be utilized in order to better counter Darmanitan. This also ensures that Life Orb Mamoswine will never 2HKO with Earthquake and Choice Scarf Flygon 3HKO with either Outrage or Earthquake; otherwise, with a neutral naturel, all would be guaranteed KOs. Moreover, if the aforementioned Ice- and Fire-type attacks aren't a concern, the Guts ability is an option; it activates while Hariyama is asleep, giving Force Palm a nice boost. Alternatively, if one isn't worried about Hariyama being a sitting duck while asleep, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Payback can be used over Sleep Talk for coverage. Knock Off makes Hariyama an even greater nuisance; although it has the bulk to pull this off, it is hard-pressed to free up a moveslot.</p>
<p>Above all, this variant of Hariyama must be used with entry hazard support. Of the three, Stealth Rock has the greatest distribution, so there are many options; Registeel and Empoleon resist both Hariyama's weaknesses, while in return, Hariyama resists the weaknesses of Psychic-types such as Uxie, Azelf, and Mew. Deoxys-D and Roserade are among the most reliable Spikes users in the tier, and the latter can provide cleric support as well. Alternatives for this extremely useful but specific form of support include Altaria, Togekiss, and of course, Chansey.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Force Palm
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Combining the offense of the first set with the bulk of the second, this set capitalizes on Hariyama's access to the move Bulk Up. A single use of the move gives Hariyama the equivalent of a Guts boost, while also buffing its Defense, making it ridiculously difficult to take down. While Gallade and Gurdurr may appear to be superior Bulk Up users thanks to receiving Drain Punch, Force Palm's secondary effect is useful as well, patching up Hariyama's low Speed and ensuring that it moves first; the paralysis support it provides also makes Hariyama much more of a team player. As always, Stone Edge hits Flying-types such as Zapdos and Tornadus that resist Hariyama's STAB, while Ice Punch rounds out coverage nicely, hitting Gligar, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and Golurk for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As the three attacks listed give Hariyama perfect neutral coverage, there aren't very many other options. Payback isn't slashed because it tends to work against Force Palm; an unboosted Payback does as much damage to Ghost- and Psychic-types as a neutral Stone Edge does, and even without paralysis, these bulky walls rarely outspeed Hariyama. However, if hitting Uxie and Deoxys-D is important, or if you want a guaranteed OHKO on Alakazam at +0, and all Mismagius and Azelf, as well as uninvested Mew after a Bulk Up, Payback is worthy of consideration.</p>
<p>The EVs are straightforward: maximum Attack investment and a boosting nature allow Hariyama to hit hard, while the rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense as Bulk Up boosts Hariyama's Defense. Feel free to shift Attack investment to Defense in order to set up on relatively weak physical attackers such as Claydol, Spiritomb, Registeel, and Donphan, but Hariyama must still watch out for Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Roar respectively. While the power boost won't go unnoticed, Hariyama generally can't afford to forgo its only form of recovery by using Life Orb. Guts, on the other hand, is definitely viable. In particular, it will be useful against the aforementioned status users, as well as bulky Ghost-types such as Dusclops, who will likely attempt to burn a boosting Hariyama.</p>
<p>Strong Psychic- and Flying-type attackers fare well against this set. Slowbro, Mew, and Uxie can all sponge hits well and retaliate with Psychic or Psyshock, and although Alakazam must watch out for Force Palm's paralysis chance, it can take even a +2 Force Palm and retaliate with Psychic. However, the OHKO is not guaranteed, even with Life Orb. Tornadus's Hurricane will OHKO, but its Flying Gem Acrobatics may not. With some luck, Togekiss can break through with Air Slash, and Choice Band Crobat will OHKO Hariyama even after the latter has gained a Bulk Up boost. Rhyperior and Empoleon are excellent counters to the aforementioned Flying-types, and can conveniently set up Stealth Rock to punish them for switching in; similarly, powerful Pursuit users such as Spiritomb, Weavile, and Krookodile can help to remove bulky Psychic- and Ghost-types.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bulk Up / Payback
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set adopts a different tack in order to combine Hariyama's offensive and defensive capabilities. Focus Punch is so monstrously powerful that a neutral hit outdamages a super effective Stone Edge, as is the case for a resisted hit and a neutral Stone Edge. Hariyama's Substitutes are no pushovers either; among the attacks they can sponge include Scald from bulky Water-types such as Blastoise, Milotic, and Suicune, Seismic Toss and Night Shade from foes such as Registeel, Deoxys-D, and Dusclops, as well as Choice Scarf Darmanitan's U-turn. Thanks to Thick Fat, neutral-natured Froslass and Houndoom will also more often than not fail to break Hariyama's Substitutes with Blizzard and Fire Blast respectively. This surprising bulk often provides Hariyama with an additional turn of Leftovers recovery, and allows it to fire off yet another mighty Focus Punch.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, Stone Edge is the stronger attack only against Pokemon both weak to Rock-type attacks and resistant or immune to Fighting-type moves, such as Zapdos, Sigilyph, Xatu, and of course, all Ghost-types. However, Focus Punch will fail if Hariyama is hit the turn it is used, making Stone Edge the superior move if Hariyama isn't protected by a Substitute. In the last slot, Bulk Up and Payback both have their merits; the former comes in handy against opponents that Stone Edge just barely fails to OHKO, such as Crobat and Victini, as well as some variants of Zapdos and Mismagius, while the latter gains OHKOes on Alakazam, Azelf, and Mismagius.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There isn't much need for a complicated EV spread; 252 Attack EVs along with a boosting nature maximizes Hariyama's damage output, while the rest buffer it against the previously mentioned special attacks. Again, some EVs can be reallocated into Defense, but doing so is not recommended, as most attacks Hariyama will be setting up on are specially based. Additionally, Hariyama will need all the power it can get, especially if you elect to forgo Bulk Up for Payback. Ice Punch is a more reliable option against Flying-types that wall Close Combat, but it is not listed for a few good reasons. Firstly, it is significantly weaker; in contrast to Stone Edge, with which the KO is guaranteed, Ice Punch may not 2HKO Zapdos after Stealth Rock damage. Secondly, it does not even come close to 2HKOing its main target, Nidoqueen—Gligar and Golurk are rare, while Nidoking is frail—who has no problems breaking its Substitute with Earth Power. Guts is less of an option on this set than on the previous one because Substitute protects Hariyama against status, and also drains away its HP, which may cause it to die a premature death should it get burned or poisoned.</p>
<p>Bulky Psychic-types pose the biggest issues to this variant; Uxie, Mew, Slowbro, and Deoxys-D are barely scratched by either Focus Punch or Stone Edge, and can swiftly eliminate Hariyama with Psychic or Taunt it and set up on it, respectively. As with the first set, powerful Pursuit users such as Weavile and Spiritomb can severely punish these Psychic-types for coming in, Mismagius and Houndoom can take superb advantage of the free set-up opportunity, and so can Heracross, making them excellent choices.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Scroll through Hariyama's list of moves, and one that will likely catch your eye is Belly Drum. However, Hariyama entirely lacks the Speed to pull this off; while Bullet Punch mitigates this somewhat, it has extremely poor coverage, and bulky Water-types—Unaware Quagsire in particular—will easily throw a monkey wrench into Hariyama's work. Wherever you see Force Palm, you can consider Brick Break, Cross Chop, as well as Low Kick, but their disadvantages are: a less useful secondary effect, far worse accuracy, and greatly reduced reliability, respectively. Rock Slide can also replace Stone Edge if accuracy is a concern, but it's worth noting that the latter's main draw over Ice Punch is its higher Base Power. The Normal-type attack SmellingSalt, Hariyama's signature move, has 120 Base Power against a paralyzed target and can be utilized alongside Force Palm, but is gimmicky and largely ineffective. Other competitively viable moves in its moveset include Knock Off, Seismic Toss, and Toxic, but Hariyama's base 120 Attack is superb even without investment, so the listed options are generally superior. Perhaps the most feasible option not given a set is one that utilizes Hariyama's released Dream World ability, Sheer Force. However, Hariyama's most powerful attacks, Close Combat and Stone Edge, do not gain the 30% power boost, and moves that Hariyama must forgo include ThunderPunch and Fire Punch, which are Platinum-only tutor moves. Ice Punch, on the other hand, is legal on Sheer Force Hariyama, making a set of Close Combat / Ice Punch / Rock Slide / filler worthy of consideration.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Thanks to their immense bulk, usually augmented by access to reliable recovery, resistance to Fighting-type attacks, as well as super effective STAB moves, bulky Psychic-types are generally the best counters to Hariyama. While there are a multitude of these, including Cresselia and Uxie, Slowbro can be especially problematic as Regenerator makes it much harder to wear down over the course of a match. Mew and Deoxys-D also receive Taunt, which plays havoc with more defensive Hariyama variants by preventing them from using Sleep Talk, Bulk Up, or Substitute. Nidoqueen and Claydol are common Pokemon that resist both parts of Hariyama's standard attacking combination: Fighting- and Rock-type attacks; this duo and Gligar wall all Hariyama that do not run Ice Punch, and even some that do. Physically defensive behemoths such as Tangrowth and Zapdos can suffice in a pinch, with the latter being able to remove its weaknesses to Ice- and Rock-type moves by using a faster Roost. On the offensive side, Choice Band Crobat annihilates Hariyama with Brave Bird; however, it takes a massive amount of damage in doing so, and can only switch in on Close Combat. Tornadus does a number on Hariyama with its STAB Hurricane and Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics, while Togekiss can break through Hariyama if it gets lucky with Air Slash flinches. Due to its rather underwhelming Speed, Hariyama is also not too difficult to revenge kill; Choice Band Victini's V-create, Guts Swellow's Brave Bird, Alakazam's Psychic, and Choice Scarf Medicham's Psycho Cut are just a few of the attacks that will either OHKO Hariyama from full health, or with a little prior damage.</p>
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Guts Sweeper
move 1: Fake Out / Ice Punch
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Flame Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 172 Def / 84 Spe
ability: Guts
[SET COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Whirlwind
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Force Palm
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 12 HP / 252 Def / 244 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Force Palm
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bulk Up / Payback
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Other Options]
[Checks and Counters]
- bulky-ass Fighting-type
- monstrous HP stat
- base 120 Attack not *that* outstanding considering its competition, but Guts is big
- Fake Out, Bullet Punch
- Thick Fat helps vs Darmanitan, Chandelure, hail teams
- Hitmontop has Intimidate + Spin, Machamp has confusion, also Cobalion and Heracross and Hitmonlee and Gallade
[SET]
name: Guts Sweeper
move 1: Fake Out / Ice Punch
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Flame Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 172 Def / 84 Spe
ability: Guts
[SET COMMENTS]
- Fake Out activates Toxic Orb
- STAB Guts Close Combat is insane
- Stone Edge hits Flyers
- Bullet Punch bypasses Hariyama's low speed
- max max attack
- 84 Spe EVs outspeeds base 60s Aboma / Clefable / Empoleon / Weezing
- rest in Def because Hariyama already has mucho hp
- Ice Punch is an option to deal heavy damage to Gligar
- Flame Orb
- Roserade deals with Slowbro and bulky Waters and can set up Spikes
- a bulky Water-type of your own deals with Gligar and Nidoqueen
- strong Ghost- or Dark-type attacks force out bulky Psychics and Ghosts: Houndoom, Weavile, Krookodile, Honchkrow, Mismagius
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Whirlwind
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Force Palm
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 12 HP / 252 Def / 244 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
- huge pain in the ass
- Force Palm spreads paralysis
- in conjunction with Whirlwind racks up major entry hazard damage
- counters Darmanitan, Chandelure, hail teams
- EVs give enormous overall bulk
- Careful preferable because most stuff you wall are special attackers, but Impish can be used for Darmanitan
- Guts activates on sleep
- Brick Break, Cross Chop, Low Kick
- Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Payback can be used over Sleep Talk
- Knock Off could be used somewhere to be even more annoying
- use with hazards! for SR support, Registeel and Empoleon resist Hariyama's weaknesses, while Hariyama resists weaknesses of Psychic-types Uxie, Azelf, Mew; Deoxys-D, Roserade are good Spikers
- cleric support - Chansey, Togekiss, Roserade
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Force Palm
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Payback
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bulk Up / Payback
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
ability: Thick Fat
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Ice Punch
[Other Options]
- Belly Drum
- other STAB options: Brick Break, Cross Chop, Revenge, Low Kick
- Rock Slide over Stone Edge
- Knock Off, Seismic Toss, Toxic
- SmellingSalt with Force Palm
- Sheer Force set with CC / Ice Punch / Rock Slide
- Close Combat and Stone Edge not boosted; has been released with Ice Punch but must forgo ThunderPunch and Fire Punch
[Checks and Counters]
- bulky Psychic-types such as Mew, Deoxys-D, Uxie, Slowbro
- Nidoqueen, Claydol resist Rock+Fighting; these and Gligar wall non-Ice Punch variants
- physical walls such as Tangrowth and Hippowdon can do in a pinch
- Crobat kills with Brave Bird but takes a crap ton of damage and can only really come in on CC
- Togekiss takes it with some flinches
