Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Best Hippowdown PvP Build

Hippowdon is a Pokemon that originally appeared in Generation IV of the series but can be obtained in Paldea in the Scarlet and Violet titles. A Ground-type species, Hippowdon boasts high Attack and Defense stats that make it a valuable asset in battles, even in PvP.

Like any Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet, trainers will want to optimize Hippowdon for maximum efficiency. With the correct configuration of stats, ability, nature, held items, and moves, Hippowdon can become far more effective in combat. While Hippowdon is already a capable fighter without assistance, the results between any Pokemon trained normally compared to one that's trained with a targeted approach are quite palpable.

For Hippowdon, in particular, trainers will want to take a specific approach to prepare this Pokemon for PvP.

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Building Hippowdon for PvP in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Hippowdon can be both punishing and durable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Image via The Pokemon Company)

By default, Hippowdon has high Defense and an Attack stat that's close to matching it. Unfortunately, it has very little Speed compared to its bulk, so trainers will want to make sure to prepare Hippowdon accordingly, as it won't be attacking first very often depending on its opponent.

Since that's the case, it's best to power up Hippowdon's Defense and Health to ensure it can take some punishment and deal out the same in return, even in a longer battle.

To augment Hippowdon's natural base stats, it's best to give it the Relaxed Nature, which will boost its Defense stat by 10% and reduce its Speed by 10%. Considering Hippowdon's Speed isn't great to begin with, there's really no major loss.

As for abilities, trainers will want to obtain Hippowdon's secret ability, Sand Force, which gives it a 30% increase to Damage from Ground, Rock, and Steel-type moves while a sandstorm's active.

With its ability and nature handled, trainers will need to start EV training this particular Pokemon. Since Hippowdon already has a very respectable Attack stat, it's wise to prioritize Hippowdon's durability, so putting 252 points into HP, 52 points into Defense, and 204 points into Special Defense will ensure that Hippowdon can take a beating while still having quality Attack and Special Attack stats.

Finally, it's on to held items and moves. Since Hippowdon benefits from protracted Pokemon battles, it isn't a bad idea to set it up to deal damage over time and give it the ability to heal in the meantime. Players can give Hippowdon held items like a Sitrus Berry to heal up when its health drops below 50%, or use an item like Leftovers to heal up a small amount every turn.

Hippowdon can work with plenty of different moves in Scarlet and Violet, but it's wise to keep a potent mix of heavy-hitting physical moves like Earthquake as well as damage-over-time ones like Stealth Rock or Sandstorm.

However, if trainers decide to utilize Stealth Rock, picking up a move like Whirlwind will allow Hippowdon to snap opponents in and out of battle and damage them with the traps laid on the battlefield by Stealth Rock.

Finally, it doesn't hurt to utilize a move like Yawn to put enemies to sleep after one turn and hammer away at them with Earthquake once they're incapacitated.

Yawn, in particular, is an extremely useful move for Hippowdon when used with Stealth Rock. The enemy trainer is forced to make a decision: keep their sleeping Pokemon in play where it can be hit with Earthquake or tag it out and damage a different Pokemon when Stealth Rock applies?

Coupled with Hippowdon's high durability, these damage-over-time tactics can damage an indecisive opponent's entire team if they don't think things through.