Rhydon was practically built for Trick Room teams. Lightning Rod redirects Electric moves and boosts its Sp. Atk, and 130 base Attack gives it real offensive presence. Electric moves can't touch it, which offsets the 6 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Drill Pokemon.
Attack leads and Speed gets almost nothing. That's Rhydon's stat line in a nutshell. 3 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Attack EVs.
Standing on its hind legs freed its forelegs and made it smarter. It is very forgetful, however.
Rhydon Weakness
FragileRhydon is weak to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Ground, and Steel-type moves. Watch out for Water and Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Rhydon's physical bulk (base 120 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Rhyhorn's line splits into 2 evolutions, and Rhydon is the level-up path. Each sibling form needs a different method to obtain. Breed through Rhyhorn to get eggs. Rhyperior has 50 more total stats, but Rhydon makes up for it with a stronger Attack gain (+45 from Rhyhorn).
How to Evolve
Breed with Rhydon to get Rhyhorn eggs easily from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crunch, Crush Claw and 10 more.
Rhydon hasn't fully evolved, but Eviolite's 50% bulk boost makes it viable anyway. Adamant nature with max HP and Attack EVs shapes the defensive spread, and Rockhead adds utility.
Best Build
Best Rhydon Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Megahorn
Recommended Teammates
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 12 types means almost nothing walls Rhydon cleanly, with Stone Edge and Earthquake anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Rhydon isn't available in the wild in Black 2 & White 2. Start by transferring Rhyhorn from Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu. The evolution path from Rhyhorn to Rhydon is covered in the steps below.
Lightning Rod changes the entire equation for Rhydon. The 485 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked A-Tier as a wallbreaker.
Rhydon's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Venusaur (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Gyarados is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Ground, and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 40 Speed, Rhydon won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Lightning Rod is what you want on Rhydon. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Rock Head, Reckless) work on paper but Lightning Rod is what makes Rhydon worth using. On wall sets, Lightning Rod pairs with Rhydon's base 120 Defense to absorb physical hits on the switch.
Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Rhydon is a physical attacker with base 130 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.
Rhydon appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
One of the original 151, Rhydon has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A