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This set allows Bastiodon to be a suboptimal lead by stopping opposing entry hazard setters with Magic Coat and getting Stealth Rock up or nuking the opposing threat with Metal Burst. However, this set is outclassed by Bronzor on stall builds, which has a far superior defensive typing and ability. It also suffers from competition from Aggron and Probopass, with one being a strong wallbreaker and the other being a Steel-type trapper.

Moves Stealth Rock can offer chip damage to foes on the switch, break Focus Sashes, and severely injure some Pokemon upon switching in, such as Ninjask and Articuno. Toxic is Bastiodon's only way to inflict damage, and it can be very effective in either breaking down walls or weakening a foe to the point where a teammate can revenge kill it. Roar is very useful for phazing Pokemon that are attempting to set up as well as for switching the active foe out, forcing the opponent to send in a more favorable match up. Magic Coat allows Bastiodon to bounce back status moves, such as Will-O-Wisp and Taunt. Set Details Maximum investment in Special Defense and HP with a Careful nature allows Bastiodon to take on dangerous threats such as Ninetales, Zebstrika, Rotom-F, Tangela, Roselia, and other special attackers. A physically defensive set with a Bold nature could be used, but it has more special weaknesses, while investment in Defense doesn't help it as much. Leftovers gives Bastiodon a bit of health back each turn, which is important, as it doesn't receive a recovery move. Sturdy allows Bastiodon to survive a singular hit from full health, which can be key in situations when it is trying to get Stealth Rock up or when it needs to Roar out a Pokemon that is trying to sweep. Usage Tips Just because Bastiodon has Stealth Rock doesn't mean it will always be the Pokemon you will lead with. Don't solely rely on Bastiodon to take on a lot of threats to your team, because it can get weakened quickly. Because it lacks a recovery move, you shouldn't consistently switch it into attacks. In addition, Bastiodon needs to fear coverage moves on foes such as Mr. Mime and Misdreavus. If you can, attempt to preserve Sturdy for late-game as a last resort against setup sweepers. Use Magic Coat only when you are certain the foe is going to use a status move. Attempt to set up Stealth Rock early-game to allow it to have the largest impact on the opposing team as possible, and Toxic can be spammed early-game to weaken foes as well. Team Options Bastiodon works best on balanced or stall teams in which its teammates can counteract foes that beat it; these teams also appreciate Bastiodon's entry hazard support. Bastiodon works well with Pokemon that can counteract Fighting- and Ground-type moves, such as Clefairy, Arbok, and Jumpluff. Bastiodon also appreciates Pokemon that can deal with Steel-types, such as Monferno, Ninetales, and Rapidash. Ghost-type Pokemon such as Dusknoir, Gourgeist-XL, and Misdreavus can block incoming Rapid Spins and keep Bastiodon's Stealth Rock up; their immunity to Fighting-type moves is also beneficial. Bulky Grass-types such as Roselia, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL can take both Water- and Ground-type moves. Wish passers such as Audino allow Bastiodon to recover HP and stay on the field longer. Spikes setters such as Roselia and Quilladin can set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes, and they allow Bastiodon to get more damage on a foe when using Roar. Pawniard and Purugly, while both sharing Bastiodon's Fighting-type weakness, are very good partners, as they can discourage the use of Defog from the foe and maintain Bastiodon's entry hazard with Defiant. In addition, Pokemon who use Stealth Rock to their advantage, such as Mr. Mime, Sawsbuck, Arbok, Kingler, Articuno, and Ursaring, appreciate Bastiodon on their team to deal with the opponent's team better.

Bastiodon will start off most games by switching in on a defensive Pokemon or a Pokemon with ineffective attacks to set up Stealth Rock to support the team. Magic Coat will bounce back Taunt or harmful statuses, ensuring Bastiodon's longevity; it can also reflect any incoming Spikes or Toxic Spikes, saving the team time for setting up while the opponent has to lay down entry hazards. One of Bastiodon's redeeming qualities is its treasured ability to safely counter the antics of Pokemon with the Prankster ability, such as Swagger and Foul Play Liepard and Copycat and Roar Riolu, as Magic Coat has a higher priority than what Prankster gives their moves. Once enough entry hazards are on the opponent's side of the field, Bastiodon can begin phazing with Roar, racking up as much damage as possible. Toxic is in the last slot as it is the only significant source of damage Bastiodon can offer, and it can neuter some important Pokemon such as Alomomola and Audino who have the Regenerator ability, which minimizes entry hazard damage. It also badly poisons Flying-type and levitating Pokemon, who avoid Toxic Spikes. Sturdy is the better ability because it nearly guarantees that Bastiodon will set up Stealth Rock, ensuring only Bonemerang Marowak and Pokemon with the ability Mold Breaker can stop it. Against more offensive teams, this will most likely be all that Bastiodon is able to accomplish, as its typing leaves it open to many common moves, such as Earthquake, Close Combat, and Hidden Power Ground. Its EVs can be switched from Special Defense to Defense depending on the team, but Bastiodon's Defense is much more exploitable due to its typing. If Toxic damage is really important to the team, Protect can be used instead of Magic Coat to rack it up, gain Leftovers recovery, and scout for Pokemon with Trick or with super effective coverage. Metal Burst can also be used in place of Magic Coat for decent damage, but Magic Coat will generally provide more utility to the team as Protect is only a safe option and Metal Burst is situational at best. Because of Bastiodon's lack of reliable recovery, Wish support is recommended to keep it alive. Alomomola is a good partner, as it can take Water-type attacks aimed at Bastiodon. Misdreavus also patches up both of Bastiodon's 4x weaknesses with its immunity to Fighting- and Ground-type attacks; Misdreavus is also one of the tier's best spinblockers and can help ensure Bastiodon's phazing deals optimal damage. Bastiodon also covers Misdreavus's weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks, so they have great synergy with each other. As Spikes and Toxic Spikes support is necessary for a stall team, Roselia and Garbodor make excellent partners.

With its amazing base defenses and access to an array of supporting moves, it seems as though Bastiodon was designed to play the role of a supporting Pokemon on a UU team. Not only can the prehistoric Pokemon set up the always-valuable Stealth Rock, it can also provide stall or balanced teams with Toxic support, maximizing the effectiveness of the team's strategy, as well as being an efficient phazer. Rest is an alternative to Stealth Rock which can be used in conjunction with sandstorm support, making Bastiodon quite durable. Taunt is another valuable asset, as it prevents many bulky foes, like Miltank, from simply healing off Toxic damage, as well as stopping common foes, most notably Venusaur, from putting Bastiodon to sleep and setting up. Roar can be used to slowly chip away at an opponent's health with residual damage when entry hazards are up; it is also useful if you find yourself facing an opponent who has already set up. The final moveslot will hold Bastiodon's only attacking move and the decision of which one to use is based upon your preference; both Iron Head and Stone Edge are great STAB attacks, but since the latter is not very accurate, Rock Slide can be used instead of for better accuracy in exchange for less Base Power. Leftovers and an Impish nature are used in tandem to increase Bastiodon's overall bulk and longevity in the battle as it will often be switching in repeatedly to check certain Pokemon. The EVs are used for a similar function as the nature: to increase Bastiodon's bulk while focusing on its special durability, as its physical defense is already very impressive. It should be noted, however, that you can alter the EVs to make Bastiodon slightly more offensive, as it may need the extra Attack investment due to its mediocre base 52 Attack stat.

With excellent bulk, Bastiodon's massive base defenses, and access to moves such as Protect and Roar, Bastiodon can be turned into a fierce Torment user when given the proper support. The strategy of this set is simple; Torment an opponent to block their STAB or super effective move, follow up with a cycle of the other moves mentioned in the set, repeat until the foe's HP bar reaches 0%. The decision between using Substitute or Toxic comes down to your personal preference. Although Substitute can act as a reliable barrier when one foe has fainted and another switches in, Toxic makes the entire Torment stall process faster by increasing residual damage. Protect is a staple on the set as it allows Bastiodon to regain health every turn through Leftovers while also being able to stack up more and more residual damage on the opposing Pokemon. The last move slot is given to Roar, which can be effectively used alongside entry hazards or simply for phazing; Toxic can also be fitted into this slot if you prefer its stalling capabilities over Roar's phazing ones. The nature and EVs have been chosen to make Bastiodon as bulky as possible on both the physical and the special side, while also retaining a huge amount of HP. The EV spread and nature are malleable, allowing you to make Bastiodon more physically bulky if you so desire. Also, it should be noted that any user of Taunt will completely shut down this Bastiodon set as it relies solely on defeating enemies through the use of indirect damage.

Aside from Aggron and Dialga, Bastiodon is the only Pokemon who can learn the fearsome move Metal Burst, which is the equivalent of Mirror Coat and Counter except for both physical and special attacks. Bastiodon's natural defenses and awful Speed make it ideal for utilizing Metal Burst to take out opposing threats. Taunt and Metal Burst are staples on the set as their combination forces the opposition to attack, which means Bastiodon can use Metal Burst to inflict 1.5x the damage caused by the incoming attack. Stealth Rock is mainly mentioned for support purposes. If you feel like Stealth Rock is unnecessary, an attacking move can be used instead. Since this set focuses primarily on the combination of Taunt and Metal Burst, it is very susceptible to users of Taunt. For this reason, the final moveslot is best filled by a move that causes direct damage. Earthquake can be a valuable asset as it hits many common threats in UU for super effective damage, while Stone Edge is also viable as it is boosted by STAB and hits Flying-types. Iron Head is another option, but compared to the two aforementioned moves, it is not recommended due to the low Base Power, even after STAB. Leftovers along with a Sassy nature help increase Bastiodon's durability, allowing it to survive a wider array of attacks from more Pokemon and retaliate with Metal Burst, although it can use Focus Sash to defeat foes like Choice Band Hariyama and offensive Hitmontop who otherwise beat Bastiodon. The EVs are designed to maximize Bastiodon's bulk and make it more specially defensive, as it will need the extra EV investment when facing foes like Milotic and Houndoom. 0 Speed IVs and the Speed-reducing nature ensure that the opponent always gets to attack first, before Bastiodon uses Metal Burst.