Is Rhydon Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Rhyhorn evolves at level 42. Ground/Rock with AbilityRock Head. HGSS gives Rhydon a Gen 4 evolution into Rhyperior through Protector trade, adding massive Attack and bulk. Even without the trade, Rhydon handles the E4 and most Kanto gyms.
Rhyhorn trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Rhyhorn resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Rhyhorn has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Rhyhorn trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's team hits Rhyhorn's weaknesses hard.
Rhyhorn has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Rhyhorn trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Rhyhorn trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Rhyperior trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Rhyperior resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Rhyperior trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Rhyperior resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Rhyperior resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Rhyperior resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Rhyperior trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Rhyperior has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Rhyhorn
Catch Rhyhorn in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 17, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 45RockStone EdgePower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 49GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 57BugMegahornPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 10
Evolve Rhyhorn to Rhyperior
Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Brock.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- LV 45RockStone EdgePower 150Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 49GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 57BugMegahornPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 10
- LV 61RockRock WreckerPower 225Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Rhydon in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Rhydon has no grass form of its own. Start with a Rhyhorn from the wild or the traded one in Diglett's Cave, then level it to 42.
1 location to catch Rhydon3 locations to catch Rhyhorn
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Rhyhorn at any of the 3 locations below, then level it up to 42 — it evolves into Rhydon.
Badge 6
Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Rhydon in HGSS
The only way to get Rhydon during the story is evolving Rhyhorn (Lv 42).
Bring the right balls: check Rhydon catch odds in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Rhydon in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Rhydon evolves from Rhyhorn, so breed the base form Masuda-style and raise it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Rhydon odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Rhydon Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Rhydon in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Rhydon Weakness
Rhydon is weak to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Water, Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Fighting, Ground, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Rhydon Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Rhydon
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 4x297-350%KO Focus Blast 2x99-117%KO | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Cacturne builds →Solar Beam 4x311-366%KO Focus Punch 2x61-72% | ||
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Vileplume builds →Solar Beam 4x297-350%KO Drain Punch 2x19-23% | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Meganium builds →Solar Beam 4x240-282%KO Iron Tail 2x32-38% Rock Smash 2x13-16% | ||
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Shiftry builds →Solar Beam 4x253-298%KO Dig 2x30-35% Focus Blast 2x84-99% | ||
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Ludicolo builds →Solar Beam 4x253-298%KO Surf 4x201-238%KO Focus Punch 2x41-48% Ice Beam 2x67-79% | ||
 Carnivine Grass | C | |
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Feraligatr builds →Waterfall 4x92-109%KO Focus Punch 2x56-66% Dig 2x30-36% Iron Tail 2x38-44% | ||
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Hariyama builds →Focus Punch 2x95-113%KO Dig 2x34-40% Surf 4x75-89% | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Bronzong builds →Solar Beam 4x152-180%KO Flash Cannon 2x77-91% Rock Smash 2x15-17% | ||
 Suicune Water | A | |
Obtain MethodBurned Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Suicune builds →Surf 4x201-238%KO Ice Beam 2x67-79% Dig 2x23-28% Iron Tail 2x30-35% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Slowbro builds →Surf 4x219-258%KO Focus Punch 2x43-51% Ice Beam 2x72-86% Dig 2x23-28% | ||
 Leafeon Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Leafeon builds →Solar Beam 4x185-217%KO Dig 2x32-38% Iron Tail 2x40-47% Rock Smash 2x17-20% | ||
Rhydon Evolutions
Sitting between Rhyhorn and Rhyperior, Rhydon is part of a chain that requires a trade. Not your typical level-up setup. Attack has grown the most so far (+45), but there's still another 50 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Rhydon to get Rhyhorn eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crunch, Crush Claw and 10 more.
HGSS Rhydon Best Moveset
Massive physical stats at 130 Attack and 120 Defense behind Ground/Rock typing. AbilityRock Head allows recoil-free MoveDouble-Edge alongside MoveEarthquake. The moveset dominates physical exchanges but collapses to Water or Grass (both 4x). 40 Speed.
Best Build
Rhydon best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Revenge Killer Moveset
- Earthquake
- Double Edge
- Stone Edge
- Poison Jab
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 11 types means almost nothing walls Rhydon cleanly, with Stone Edge and Earthquake anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 39 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its rugged hide protects it from even the heat of lava. However, the hide also makes it insensitive.
Its brain developed when it began walking on hind legs. Its thick hide protects it even in magma.
Rhydon HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Rhydon in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Rhydon in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Rhydon from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Rhydon easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior via trade. The Protector must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Rhydon through the first few routes without issues. 485 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Rhyperior as fast as you can.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Rhydon plays as a wallbreaker. It's slow, so Trick Room or priority moves are key. so pick your spots carefully. Earthquake is the primary attack.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Adamant is the go-to nature for Rhydon. That's +Attack / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 252 Atk / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the wallbreaker role.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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