Rampardos

Rampardos’s stats are impressive, with Attack only 5 points shy of Mewtwo. It’s a glass cannon, but nothing as extreme as Gengar or Deoxys; its durability is comparable to that of Espeon or Alakazam instead.

What makes its offensive potential skyrocket, however, is the combination of Smack Down and Rock Slide. They’re the best STAB pair it could have asked for, and they allow it to reach neutral DPS heights that tread into the lofty realm of Shadow Pokemon. Although considerably bulkier, Tyranitar and Rhyperior are almost 30% slower than Rampardos. Rampardos is definitely a fantastic rock-type attacker, though careful dodging is definitely recommended in order to keep up its massive DPS for as long as possible.

Best PvE Offensive Moveset

• Smack Down and Rock Slide put Rampardos head and shoulders above the competition for Rock-type DPS.

• There’s really no reason to use Zen Headbutt on offense.

• Rampardos is a viable Dragon-type attacker with Outrage.

• Flamethrower is poor despite synergy with Smack Down.

Best PvE Defensive Moveset

• Zen Headbutt is weaker than Smack Down, but it nails Fighting-types effectively.

• Outrage is easier to dodge than Rock Slide, but it has superior coverage and power.

• Flamethrower is overall a slightly worse Rock Slide on defense.

Smack Down sits at 4 DPT (Damage Per Turn) and 2.66 EPT (Energy Per Turn). Coming off of Rampardos' sky-high attack stat and STAB, this can cause some real pain. However, it's slow to charge. Fortunately, Rock Slide charges reasonably fast. It pairs fairly well with Flamethrower for coverage. Outrage (110 Power/60 Energy) is a good attack on paper, but it doesn't net Rampardos too many notable counters and takes longer than Rampardos' other attacks to charge, meaning you'll probably only get it off once without heavy shield investment.