Introduction:
Hello, everybody! After soliciting your help on this (https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/excadrill-never-dies-gen-8-monotype-sand.3695920/) thread, I took this advice, went back to the drawing board, and came up with some changes. Without any further ado, let's get right into it!
I will be highlighting all changes made to the team since last time like this.
The Squad
Big Mama (Hippowdon) (F) @ Eject Button
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
It's back, and it's still fat as fuck. I decided to do some fuck shit with eject button so that I switch it in, it takes a hit and then I go right out into Excadrill, ready to wreak some havoc. As usual, Hippowdon lives far too many hits far too easily, and the whirlwind support is really useful against shit like GMolt trying to set up.
Potential Changes:
- Toxic instead of one of these moves might be a play
- Eject button can backfire a lot especially when I'm trying to switch into a mon that's going to be faster than exca even with sand rush or a mon that exca just can't wallbreak (looking at you fuckers with your steel-flying types)
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- X-Scissor
Back on my bullshit again. Rapid spin is really good to continue sweeps, but x-scissor shits on so many mons (Slowbro, Zarude, basically any psychic type, so on and so forth) that I decided to bite the bullet and change it.
Potential Changes:
- Swords dance is overkill and I love overkill but also I don't want Excadrill to just die because it is still made of paper mind you.
Then Perish (Mamoswine) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off / Superpower
I literally didn't change anything other than the nature and I sometimes run superpower (depends on whether the 6th mon can handle ferro or not)
Potential Changes:
- Freeze-dry is an elusive mistress and I kind of really want it.
- Also, the new version of my team doesn't have the greatest speed control, so it might be a good idea to go scarf.
Tier Whore (Landorus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off / Substitute
- U-turn / Gravity
- Defog / Bulk Up
God, I just don't know. I love the sub/bulk-up/gravity set because it 6-0s steel at lead so often it's not even funny, but I got rid of spin on drill, so I NEED some kind of hazard removal. If I can figure out a way to fit gravity back in there so I can just spam eq and not worry about mfs switching back and forth between balloon heatran and stakataka or some shit that would be great.
Potential Changes:
- I just don't know, dude.
Gastronaut (Gastrodon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastronaut actually knows quite a lot about rolling down in the deep, boasting Storm Drain to make the rain matchup approximately infinity times easier. This mon is my de facto specially defensive tank, and if they send out a special attacker, odds are I'm sending in Gastronaut. This mon walls Hydreigon so hard it's hilarious. I've been having struggles with fucking fairy teams recently with that same old bullshit azu/hat/klefki core and I'm contemplating changing to clear smog to make my life not hell.
Potential Changes
- Is it worth investing in Phys def so I can wall mons like Urshifu-R and Barraskewda? I'm just going to be honest, I've never been swept by Urshifu-R ever in my life and I don't think that the upcoming 6th member of my team will ever let it happen.
Rest in Peace, Robert the Nidoking. May he find a better world to live in.
Welcome to decision paralysis hell.
Literal Dog (Zygarde-10%) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SpAtk)
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic / Glare / Facade
or
Flyg on my balls (Flygon) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+SpDef, -Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain / Bug Buzz / Boomburst
- U-turn / Earth Power
or
Lame Flygon (Garchomp) @ Choice Specs / Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SpDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Earthquake / Earth Power
- Iron Head / Stealth Rock / Toxic
Ok, ok. Here's the deal. My team has some issues with the first 5 mons. Here they are in order of importance:
1. I get bodied by Kyurem lead.
2. Someone has to be able to deal with Ferrothorn
3. Slowbro is hell.
4. (To a lesser extent) Klefki/Azu/Hatterene core is annoying as fuck
Nidoking just couldn't deal with Kyurem on its own. I really wanted to branch out and find someone that could, so I scoured the lands. I tried Krookodile with Outrage or Close Combat, but it can't wallbreak sub roost kyurem while having a scarf on (it needs the scarf because it can't outrun timid Kyurem without it), so goodbye. I tried so much shit you wouldn't even believe me if I told you. I tried Mudsdale, I tried Golurk, I tried so much shit but at the end there's only these 3 that can put up the good work. Let's take a look at their pros and cons:
Flygon (The one I'm using right now):
Pros:
DISGUSTING coverage (like seriously, look at its movepool, you'll be shocked.)
A little bit of sustain with giga drain
Levitate
Cons:
100 speed is good but it's not always good enough (especially on specs)
Even with specs, Flygon can't always ohko Kyurem (it has really good odds at ohkoing most HDB roost kyurems though and once they're weakened I can revenge kill them easily)
Bit on the fragile side
Garchomp:
Pros:
102 speed so it doesn't tie the 328ers
enough attack to run physical attacks even uninvested if I give it a life orb
Generally useful to have a 102 speed mon running around.
Cons:
Not a great movepool for the purposes that I need it for
Can't really do shit to Slowbro other than status it or set up some hazards in its face. Draco doesn't ohko but does decent work.
Gets shit on by good prediction
Zydog:
Pros:
Thousand arrows means air balloon is significantly less of an issue
Really useful utility moves (Glare, haze even, just good stuff all around)
INSANE speed to the point where Jolly band is more than good enough speed (except for dragapult but I can wall that mon so easily)
Strong priority with E Speed
Cons:
Made out of tinfoil paper
Cannot touch ferrothorn (However, I can remedy this significantly because banded Mamo with superpower annihilates Ferro)
Sometimes just does not hit that hard
Has to lock itself into outrage to kill Kyu turn 1
And that's it! A lot less introductions this time around, but a lot more to sink your teeth into. I hope you enjoy reading this and I also hope that my slowbro matchup doesn't stay quite as dogshit.
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