Movesets et sets compétitifs de Cranidos

Moves Rock Slide hits very hard when boosted by Sheer Force and Life Orb. Superpower causes Rampardos to take Life Orb damage and lowers its stats, but has good coverage against Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem, Probopass, and Pawniard as well as Audino and Lickilicky. Zen Headbutt hits Fighting-types such as Monferno, which would otherwise be solid checks to Rampardos. In the fourth moveslot, Ice Beam is preferred because it allows Rampardos to break through some physical walls such as Tangela and Gourgeist-XL; however, Fire Blast generally hits all Grass-types harder. Head Smash can be used over Rock Slide as Rampardos's STAB move because it hits much harder, but it makes Rampardos even easier to revenge kill and makes it faint very fast due to recoil. Set Details Maximized Speed EVs allow Rampardos to outspeed all walls in the tier as well as some slower offensive Pokemon such as Marowak and Golem. Maximized Attack investment makes Rampardos hit as hard as possible, and the leftover 4 EVs go into Special Attack to make Ice Beam or Fire Blast hit slightly harder. A Naive nature is preferred to outspeed Adamant Pawniard and Flareon. A Naughty nature is, however, definitely viable because this set is primarily a wallbreaker. The lower Speed with a Naughty nature can be troublesome, though, because it makes Rampardos slower than almost all offensive Pokemon in the tier, most notably Pawniard. This, when combined with its low bulk, means Rampardos does not like moving last and taking a hit every time it attacks. Life Orb makes Rampardos hit harder and works great with Sheer Force because the recoil is negated when Rampardos uses moves with secondary effects. Sheer Force increases the power of attacks with secondary effects, increasing Rampardos's wallbreaking potential. Usage Tips Rampardos is best used early- or mid-game to break through walls for teammates such as Leafeon and Pawniard so that they can clean up. This set often lures in physical walls such as Tangela and Gourgeist-XL, which can be beaten by Ice Beam or Fire Blast. Predicting the switch is crucial because Rampardos fails to OHKO them and thus needs to 2HKO on the switch. Rampardos is quite slow and frail, so avoid taking unnecessary damage by switching into attacks because it will often end up moving last. Coupled with Life Orb recoil and its bad defensive typing, Rampardos can find it hard lasting long against offensive teams. Team Options Stealth Rock or Spikes support is appreciated to break Golem and Avalugg's Sturdy and help get easier OHKOs overall. Pokemon that can provide this support include Stunfisk, Roselia, and Probopass, among others. Sticky Web support from Smeargle or Leavanny is useful to allow Rampardos to outspeed many more Pokemon and actually be useful against offensive teams. Physical sweepers that appreciate physical walls getting weakened or removed, such as Pawniard, Leafeon, and Stoutland, can clean up after Rampardos has done its job. Pokemon such as Basculin, Raichu, and Kingler also appreciate Rampardos luring in Grass-types and defeating them with Ice Beam or Fire Blast. Because of its low Speed and bulk, Rampardos appreciates free switches provided by Volt Switch from Raichu, Zebstrika, or Rotom-F, and U-turn from Ninjask and Monferno. It can also be brought in after a teammate has fainted.

Moves Stealth Rock is a useful entry hazard that breaks Focus Sash and Sturdy and forces the foe to take damage every time they switch. Superpower defeats Probopass, preventing the opponent from getting up their own Stealth Rock. Head Smash hits incredibly hard coming from a base 165 Attack stat and prevents Rapid Spin and Defog if recoil causes Rampardos to faint. With Mold Breaker and 112 Special Attack EVs, Surf OHKOes the standard lead Golem, which is quite useful for preventing the opponent from getting up Stealth Rock and can also get around Sturdy + Weakness Policy combinations. Endeavor can be used together with Focus Sash to bring the foe down to 1 HP, but most of the time Rampardos should just use Head Smash because it does a lot of damage while stopping entry hazard removal and providing momentum for Rampardos's team. Set Details Maximized Speed EVs make Rampardos outspeed Adamant Pawniard and Flareon. 112 Special Attack EVs guarantee the OHKO with Surf on standard Golem, and the leftover EVs go into Attack to make Head Smash and Superpower hit harder. A Naive nature is used to boost Rampardos's Speed stat without lowering its Special Attack. Focus Sash ensures that Rampardos lives one attack and can get up Stealth Rock. Usage Tips This set is a suicide lead, which means Rampardos can faint as long as it has done its job. Having Stealth Rock up for consistent residual damage is worth losing Rampardos for. If the opponent leads with a Marowak, it is advised to just go for Stealth Rock instead of going for the 2HKO with Surf, because if you predict wrongly, Bonemerang makes quick work of Rampardos. The same applies if the opponent leads with Floatzel or Basculin, because both can bring Rampardos down to its Focus Sash and easily finish it off with Aqua Jet. Take full advantage of Mold Breaker to defeat opposing Golem on the first turn, as Golem can be a very annoying Pokemon to play against for offensive teams with suicide leads. Team Options Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Dusknoir are good teammates because they can prevent Stealth Rock from being removed by Rapid Spin from Cryogonal, Avalugg, or Armaldo. Similarly, Pokemon with the ability Defiant such as Purugly and Pawniard can discourage the foe from using Defog, as it would give them a +2 Attack boost. This set should only be used as a lead for offensive teams. Strong sweepers such as Leafeon, Pawniard, Kingler, and Huntail are good teammates. They appreciate Rampardos's ability to lay down Stealth Rock and deal a great deal of damage with Head Smash while giving you momentum so they can set up or attack. They can also provide a large amount of offensive pressure, which means Rampardos's foes will have a hard time getting rid of Stealth Rock.

Stealth Rock gives Rampardos's teammates strong early-game momentum via entry hazard damage. Head Smash and Stone Edge both work as good STAB options, with Head Smash being the stronger of the two. Its recoil damage breaks Focus Sash early, but it can be used to KO Rampardos after Focus Sash is used to freely switch in a teammate while also being significantly stronger than Stone Edge. Earthquake hits plenty of threats such as Bronzor, Tentacool, and Mawile for incredible damage. Ice Beam is chosen specifically for Torterra as it is 2HKOed even without further investment. Rampardos is most at home on offense and hyper offense teams where its use as a suicide lead is heavily appreciated. It does not need much support as a suicide lead, since its role is to set up Stealth Rock and then do as much damage as possible before fainting. However, it is excellent at drawing in Ground-types and other bulky physical walls like Stunfisk, Bronzor, and Torterra, so partners like Monferno and Gabite heavily appreciate their counters being worn down. Another good option for a partner is Maractus, since it can absorb the Water- and Grass-type attacks thrown at Rampardos and set up Spikes to complement the Stealth Rock that Rampardos sets up.

While Rampardos would normally be thought of as a one-dimensional wallbreaker, pummeling through the tier with its massive Attack, it also has the ability to go mixed due to access to Sheer Force and an expansive special movepool. The purpose of this set is to lure in Rampardos's checks and counters and destroy them with the appropriate coverage move. Head Smash is Rampardos's signature move for good reason; coming off base 165 Attack, it can OHKO relatively bulky threats such as Amoonguss and Slowking even with minimal investment. However, the massive recoil it takes means that Head Smash should only be used when you are not sure of a switch-in or where its coverage moves would otherwise not OHKO the target. When using Head Smash, Rampardos will usually not survive for long enough to KO more than one or two Pokemon on a given team. Rock Slide is an alternative option, and while it does not hit nearly as hard as Head Smash does, it comes with the benefit of negating Life Orb damage, does not make Rampardos take additional recoil, and hits quite hard when boosted by Sheer Force, although it misses out on the OHKOs mentioned earlier. Thunderbolt OHKOes Qwilfish, OHKOes Alomomola after Stealth Rock, and hits Poliwrath hard, letting Rampardos hit three important targets that would give it trouble; although Rampardos can 2HKO the former two with Head Smash, the recoil it would take makes this less than ideal. Focus Blast is yet another Sheer Force-boosted coverage move that lets Rampardos deal with important threats that would otherwise wall it: Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon. Ice Beam is in the last slot as it lets Rampardos hit Druddigon and Torterra hard, as well as get an accurate hit on Rhydon. In addition, it forms a BoltBeam combo with Thunderbolt, granting near-flawless reliable coverage. The given EV spread lets Rampardos outspeed Adamant Torterra (which Rampardos can then proceed to destroy with Ice Beam), while Special Attack is maximized to let Rampardos hit hard with its coverage moves and guarantee the OHKO on Rhydon, Steelix, and Alomomola after Stealth Rock. The rest of the EVs go into Attack to power up its STAB move. Rash is suggested for the nature as a Speed- or Attack-boosting nature does not let Rampardos outspeed or KO anything significant, and the extra special power is helpful to net the previously mentioned OHKOs, and while Mild seems like a viable alternative, the extra Defense gained can prove to be handy against priority attacks. Zen Headbutt is an option to hit Fighting-types, which Rampardos despises, most notably Hariyama, but the moves on the set offer more coverage against more threats to Rampardos in general. While this set is able to rip through common stall cores, offense is a playstyle Rampardos struggles with a lot because of its horrible defensive typing, average bulk, and the fact that most offensive Pokemon outspeed it and can easily OHKO. As far as partners go, Uxie, Slowking, and Qwilfish make for good partners as they can provide paralysis support; some of these Pokemon help it in more than one way (Qwilfish provides Spikes support while Uxie can bring Rampardos in with U-turn). Swellow also makes for a good partner as it can clean through weakened teams while Rampardos can break through stall cores that give it trouble. In addition, it also provides a fast hitter, which makes up for Rampardos's poor Speed. Choice Scarf Rotom-C can outspeed and KO Pokemon such as Poliwrath that give this set trouble and appreciates Rampardos's ability to destroy more defensively-oriented Pokemon.

While Rampardos's most effective set is that of a mixed wallbreaker, this set takes a more straightforward approach to said role, although with more prediction required. Head Smash is the main move on this set and hits most of the tier for good damage. Superpower is run in the second slot to hit Pokemon that would otherwise easily stomach a Head Smash, such as Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon (and it OHKOes Aggron). Fire Punch gets the Sheer Force boost and OHKOes threats such as Ferroseed and Escavalier without the stat drops from Superpower in the former's case or taking the massive recoil from Head Smash in the latter's case. It also hits the previously mentioned Steelix hard, albeit a lot less hard than Superpower. In the last slot, Thunder Punch hits problematic Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Alomomola, and Qwilfish for good damage, 2HKOing all of them. Alternatively, Rock Slide is a reliable STAB move that is boosted by Sheer Force, is more accurate, and doesn't force Rampardos to take massive recoil. Sheer Force is the preferred ability as it gives Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and Rock Slide a much-needed boost. Alternatively, Mold Breaker can be used to allow Rampardos to screw over Custap Berry Crustle leads. Stone Edge can be used as an alternative STAB, but Head Smash is generally better and Rock Slide with a Sheer Force boost hits about as hard. Ice Punch can be used on the set to hit Ground-types such as Golurk and Torterra harder, but Rampardos generally cannot spare a moveslot for it. This set especially loves having paralysis support due to its poor Speed; Uxie, Qwilfish, and Slowking make for excellent candidates to spread paralysis. Swellow and Accelgor make for a good cleaners that can wreck the opposing team after their checks are gone and clean up after Rampardos has done its job. Mesprit can cover up Rampardos's Fighting weakness and learns Healing Wish, which can heal Rampardos up to full health and get rid of pesky status. Magneton can trap and get rid of the Steel-types that Rampardos despises. Fast, powerful Pokemon such as Sceptile and Aerodactyl can form a potent offensive core with Rampardos and appreciate its ability to break through defensive Pokemon.

Rampardos packs a preposterous amount of power and sports a low Speed stat, making him an ideal candidate for a Trick Room sweeper. Head Smash is the perfect STAB attack here; since Rampardos doesn't have to set up anything, he can handle the recoil, and appreciates the massive boost in power to make the most of Trick Room's short timer. Earthquake is here again as that good ol' reliable coverage move. But note that a resisted STAB Head Smash is still more powerful than a neutral Earthquake, which is useful to know should you require the extra kick. Substitute is incredibly useful because opponents will often try to stall out Trick Room's timer with creative switching and hit Rampardos when he's down; with a Substitute up, Rampardos can take advantage of said switches and stay threatening even after Trick Room has ended. Finally, Fire Punch and Ice Beam can be used to hit Torterra, who would otherwise wall the moveset. Since this set is meant to function on a Trick Room, Speed is obviously minimized. The EVs are instead shifted into HP to cushion Head Smash's recoil a little. Attack is maximized as Rampardos wants to hit as hard as possible, and the remainder can go into either a defensive stat or Special Attack, depending on whether or not you opt for Ice Beam. Life Orb is recommended for the power boost it gives, which can be crucial in securing a KO. Even with Life Orb and Head Smash recoil, in addition to the occasional Substitute, he will usually still be able to survive for the entire duration of Trick Room. However, if you wish to preserve Rampardos, and keep him around for a second round of carnage, then Leftovers is an option. Slowbro, Slowking, and Uxie are tried-and-true reliable Trick Room users that always manage to find their way onto Trick Room teams thanks in no small part to the their valuable resistances to many common Trick Room Pokemon weaknesses. Rampardos is no exception, and it appreciates being able to fall back on Slowbro / Slowking for Fighting- and Water-type attacks, or Uxie for Fighting- and Ground-type attacks. Uxie can also set up the ever-useful entry hazard that is Stealth Rock.

Rock Polish Rampardos throws the idea of revenge killing out the window, and goes in for a more direct late-game sweep. With a Rock Polish under his belt, Rampardos reaches 430 Speed, which outspeeds every unboosted Pokemon in UU, and then some. Combine this with his Life Orb-boosted base 165 Attack stat, and Rampardos becomes more than capable of sweeping through unprepared teams. Stone Edge is the STAB move of choice, packing astonishing power, while Earthquake is here to hit what Stone Edge doesn't for at least neutral damage (bar Shedinja). In the last slot, Rampardos has two equally promising options to nail Torterra with in Fire Punch and Ice Beam. While the first comes off Rampardos's insane Attack stat, Ice Beam is also surprisingly useful because it 2HKOes many problem Pokemon that will usually wall Rampardos, namely Donphan and Tangrowth, as well as OHKOing offensive Torterra. If you decide to run Ice Beam, a Naughty nature is preferred, so as not to lower Rampardos's Special Attack. Lum Berry is an option over Life Orb to stop a one-time status attempt from ruining Rampardos's sweep, and it also allows him to set up on status-carrying support Pokemon such as Chansey and Registeel. It is worth noting, however, that without Life Orb's power boost, Ice Beam will miss out on many of its intended KOs, and thus become a far less appealing option. In general, the lack of power will also make Rampardos that much easier to wall. Zen Headbutt can be used in the final slot, but once again thanks to Life Orb, Rampardos doesn't need it to OHKO frailer Fighting-types. Since Rampardos is trying to sweep, entry hazard support is much more appreciated here than anywhere else. Cloyster and Qwilfish are both able to set up Spikes, and are both solid options for the lead position. Dual screens from teammates, such as Uxie and Claydol, will be helpful for cushioning the blow from attacks while Rampardos sets up, and will also shelter Rampardos from priority moves while he sweeps. A brewing sandstorm will boost Rampardos's Special Defense, and make it easier for him to set up as well. Unfortunately, only Hippopotas can provide this kind of support in UU. Certain Choice Scarf users, such as Primeape, who are still faster than Rampardos even after he has set up, can also put a sudden halt to his fun. Running a Choice Scarf Moltres of your own is a good idea, as it can deal with such nuisances with its STAB Air Slash. Finally, a bulky Water-type, such as Milotic or Slowbro, to take the priority moves that Rampardos attracts would be good.

With a beastly Attack stat, and below average Speed, it would seem that Rampardos was born to use a Choice Scarf. Thanks to his unholy combination of Speed and power, he's more than capable of revenge killing early- to mid-game, and sweeping through a weakened team late-game. Stone Edge is a powerful STAB move coming off Rampardos's base 165 Attack, and Earthquake is used with it to form the excellent "EdgeQuake" combo. Thanks to Mold Breaker, Rampardos is able to use Earthquake to hit common Levitators such as Rotom and Weezing super effectively, which is a massive plus in anyone's book. Fire Punch is for Torterra, which walls the rest of the set, while also being a more reliable move to use against defensive Grass-types. Finally, Zen Headbutt is in the last slot as it 2HKOes Hariyama and Hitmontop (without Intimidate). Head Smash is an option over Stone Edge, as its massive Base Power can be most useful in the direst of situations, and as a bonus it has the same shoddy accuracy as Stone Edge. The recoil, on the other hand, is utterly crippling. Ice Beam is not recommended here as it is really, really bad to get locked into a move running off Rampardos's uninvested Special Attack. Pursuit is not listed for the same reason, but it can be useful in trapping weakened foes. A Jolly nature is recommended because it is necessary for Rampardos to outspeed base 105s such as Scyther and Mismagius (he actually outspeeds up to base 110s, but those are practically non-existent in UU), whereas an Adamant nature will only outspeed up to base 95s. Still, the extra power can be useful, but keep in mind that revenge killers generally always want as much Speed as they can get. Due to the fact that Rampardos will be switching in and out fairly often, Rapid Spin support would actually not be a bad idea. Since Rampardos will also be causing a lot of switches (to an offensive team at least), setting up entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field will also be good. Lots of Pokemon are capable of providing either form of support. Blastoise is one Pokemon who can pull off the Foresight + Rapid Spin trick, ensuring a successful Rapid Spin unless the opponent has two Ghost-types, while Torterra's good bulk makes it a reliable Stealth Rock user. A spinblocker of your own, such as Rotom or Mismagius, will also help keep those hazards where they should be. Rampardos is stopped cold by two main Pokemon, Tangrowth (even with Fire Punch) and Donphan. Because of this, Houndoom and Milotic make incredible offensive partners to use alongside Rampardos, the former being able to fry Tangrowth and the latter being able to swamp Donphan.

Despite all of Rampardos's raw power, he still has trouble busting through some of the bulkier Pokemon in UU. While the Rock Polish set aims for a clean sweep, this set plays like a wallbreaker; essentially, anything slower than a +2 Attack Rampardos is pretty much mincemeat. EdgeQuake forms the core of Rampardos's moveset once again, and in the last slot, the choice comes down to whether you want Rampardos to hit Grass- or Fighting-types harder. Life Orb gives Rampardos the largest immediate boost in power without locking it into a single move, making it the item of choice. Since all Pokemon slower than Rampardos after his set-up is essentially dead, maximum Speed with a boosting nature is the way to go. Attack is maximized for obvious reasons and the remainder go into bulk. Paralysis support would be ideal, and there are many options to provide it. Venusaur is an interesting choice, as it can pull off a double status set with both Sleep Powder and Stun Spore surprisingly well. Slowbro and Uxie are other fantastic Pokemon to spread paralysis round the other team. Uxie can easily switch into the Ground-type attacks aimed at Rampardos, while Slowbro can take any Fighting-, Water-, and Steel-type attacks. Of course, entry hazard support from teammates such as Omastar and Cloyster is always welcome to help Rampardos secure KOs on bulkier Pokemon, while sandstorm or dual screen support will help him immensely when attempting to set up.

Rampardos's massive Attack will certainly cause many switches, and he can take advantage of this with Substitute. Substitute will not only give the frail Rampardos what is effectively a second life, but also ease prediction greatly and block status. Stone Edge is a powerful STAB attack, and Head Smash even more so, and is able to outright OHKO even Physically Defensive Milotic with Life Orb. Unfortunately, the combination of Life Orb, Head Smash, and Substitute means that Rampardos is going to be losing health insanely fast, even if he isn't being attacked. Leftovers can remedy this somewhat, but not by much, given the damage output of Head Smash. Earthquake is the usual coverage move that hits almost every other Pokemon, while the final move takes care of the pesky Torterra. The EVs are self-explanatory for a Substitute set; maximum Speed caps out the number of Pokemon that Rampardos will be able to set up on, and maximum Attack makes sure that the set-up is worth it. Focus Punch can be used here in conjunction with Substitute, being much more powerful than Earthquake and giving extremely similar coverage, but it will leave Rampardos with no good "safe" attack. Since this set will usually be forcing a lot of switches, entry hazards are easily worth their weight in gold with Substitute Rampardos on your team. Spikes in particular are a good option, especially considering that most of Rampardos's typical switch-ins are Ground-types. You'll also want Pokemon that will help lure out the things Rampardos can set up on, specifically Pokemon that'll switch out in fear of one of his moves. Paralysis support will also be useful in helping Rampardos set up on Pokemon that usually outspeed him, such as Ambipom and Sceptile. Finally, Wish users can help compensate for the immense residual damage that Rampardos will be taking; Leafeon is a good example of such a Pokemon.