What it does
High Horsepower is a Ground-type physical move that deals damage with no secondary effect. Its value is the Ground type itself: super-effective against Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, and Steel.
The real advantage over Earthquake in doubles is that High Horsepower hits only one target. Earthquake hits both opponents and both allies simultaneously, which limits team composition and forces you to either bench Ground-weak partners or accept the self-damage. High Horsepower removes that entirely. You click it freely without worrying about clipping your own Pokémon.
The tradeoff: you lose the spread pressure. Earthquake can sometimes net two hits for the price of one. High Horsepower is single-target only. Most teams find the flexibility worth it.
Who runs it
Rhyperior at 74% has massive Attack investment on top of a high base stat. Its Ground-type STAB via High Horsepower is genuinely threatening — not just chip damage.
Excadrill at 62% combines Ground STAB with Sand Rush, which doubles Speed in sandstorm. Fast, hard-hitting Ground attacks under sand pressure are a clean win condition.
Mamoswine at 58% adds Ground coverage alongside Ice-type attacks, covering Dragon, Flying, and Ground targets from two angles.
Snorlax at 35%, Heracross at 31%, Hippowdon at 28%, and Torterra at 27% all use High Horsepower to cover Steel and Poison targets that their primary types can't efficiently handle.
How to use it
Choose High Horsepower over Earthquake when your partner is on the field and isn't Flying or Levitate-immune to Ground. It's a clean swap that gives you identical type coverage with zero collateral risk.
Steel-type opponents are the primary targets. They're common, take super-effective damage, and rarely threaten back hard through the physical Ground hit.
Flying-types and Pokémon with Levitate are completely immune. Identify these in team preview.
Tips & strategy
Excadrill under Sand Rush in sandstorm is one of the fastest offensive threats available. The combo doesn't need setup — it just goes, and High Horsepower is part of why it's so hard to contain.
If the opponent's team is heavy on Flying-types, your Ground-type attacker may struggle. Factor that in when selecting your team of four.