Mid-stage Pokemon like Rhyhorn rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Rhydon, which is where the real potential kicks in. Been around since Gen 1. Electric moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat.
Rhyhorn's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Speed trails, 3 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Defense EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
A POKéMON with a one-track mind. Once it charges, it won’t stop running until it falls asleep.
Rhyhorn Weakness
FragileRhyhorn's Ground/Rock typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, and Ground moves. Water and Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Rhyhorn's physical bulk (base 95 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
A Ground/Rock type with 345 stats, Rhyhorn has a chain leading to Rhyperior. Breeding won't work. The evolved forms gain up to 190 total stats over Rhyhorn.
How to Evolve
an ability isn't flashy, but it matters. Combined with an item for extra utility and flexible EVs EVs, Rhyhorn fills the attacker slot reliably. A nature nature finishes the spread.
Best Build
Best Rhyhorn Moveset
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Without TMs, Rhyhorn's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Normal and Fire coverage on top of Earthquake and Dig for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
decent spawn rates across 4 locations for Rhyhorn in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Best Locations
4 walking spots from Lv. 20-52 for Rhyhorn. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
Rhyhorn isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Rhydon to unlock its full potential. At 345 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Watch for Starmie (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Cloyster (Ice) when using Rhyhorn. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting and Ground-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 25 Speed, Rhyhorn won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Rhyhorn fills the trick room role. It's a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. Base 25 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Rhyhorn appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Rhyhorn has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
- 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