Stats & Training
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.
Its horn, which rotates like a drill, destroys tall buildings with one strike. It stands on its hind legs, and its brain is well developed.
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 |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
In Emerald, Aerodactyl deals 67-79% with Earthquake.
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilitySerenegrace ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Jirachi builds →
| ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagnetpull ItemMagnet NatureModest Moves View Magneton builds →
| ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityRockhead ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Aerodactyl builds →Earthquake 2x67-79% Rock Slide19-22% Double Edge20-24% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Forretress builds →Rapid Spin4-5% Explosion19-23% Earthquake 2x31-37% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Rhydon View Gyarados builds →Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Emerald Evolution
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 102 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crunch, Crush Claw and 5 more.
Emerald Rhydon Best Moveset
Bulk and offense in one package. Rhydon runs Leftovers for passive recovery each turn with a Adamant nature, so it survives long enough to threaten with Earthquake. Flexible EVs and Bug coverage make it hard to safely switch into.
Best Build
Rhydon best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Megahorn
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Breeding opens up real options for Rhydon. Counter and Crunch come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Dig and coverage across 9 types.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Rhydon in Emerald
Rhydon doesn't appear wild. Catch Rhyhorn instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it at level 42 to get Rhydon. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.
How to Obtain Rhydon in Emerald
Step 1Catch RhyhornSafari Zone - NorthwestGrass Lv.27-29 Facility30%Mid
Step 2Rhydon ✓
Rhydon Guide
Rhydon is meant to evolve into Rhyperior. At 485 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
In Emerald, 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.
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 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves