It’s been almost a year since my first approach to this Tier and in this year (approximately) I’ve managed to accumulate a good knowledge of the Tier, playing, but above all listening a lot.
In my constant and continuous “desire to experiment with new concepts”, driven by a strong curiosity (a prominent characteristic of my personality), I have tried (and still try) to innovate and improve myself. Let’s be clear: it’s not easy to “innovate” and at the same time be “effective”, especially because straying too far from what makes a Pokemon effective can make it ineffective.
I specify that what I have chosen to explore I did not discover, but I firmly believe that in the past more experienced players have been able to discuss and test its effect.
My “merit”, if we really want to define it as such, has been to appreciate its effectiveness, bring it back to light and deepen its use, trying to apply it effectively to a tier that is much more dynamic than in the past.
Thinking is essential for winning in Pokemon, especially in GSC, or at least for maintaining a consistent score of victories, and this is where the importance of “mindgaming” rather than simply “making predictions” comes from. The purpose of a mindgame is clearly to win the match, and this can be achieved by “shortening” the number of turns that separate us from victory, so as to leave less space for the opponent for their own strategies / mindgame / predict. When I mention “leaving less space for the opponent” it was precisely this aspect that struck me most about Sandstorm.
Having control of the game and managing its pace becomes a condition that very often leads to victory, without having to make unnecessary predictions or dangerous switchbacks.
But before we can talk about its effectiveness and how in my view it can be a determining factor, it is necessary to introduce its characteristics and effects:
Entering into the more competitive aspect of the game and especially considering the importance of passive damage, Sand becomes therefore a factor that cannot, in my view, not be considered.
Inhibiting the opponent's Leftovers turns is a considerable advantage that leads the user to manage the pace, favoring victory without having to take risks, and forcing the opponent to have to take damage that in the long term can prove decisive forcing their plays.
Sandstorm has definitely been used in GSC stall(Omastar capitalizes on this best) before with good results but attempting Sandstorm on offense is a mostly untouched concept in the gen.
In theory, you used could use it to help put things in KO range along with spikes support. For example, one of the pokemon that I think is exceptional in its use is Nidoking because it exerts a lot of pressure on its most common checks (Snorlax -3HKed with sand and spikes)
There are several offensive and defensive strategies that make the most of Sandstorm.
Pokemon like Tyranitar or the Nidoking mentioned above are able to exert considerable pressure, thanks to their wide movepool and their offensive statistics.
Again, in a more defensive approach the Spam of Toxic, with Sand and Spikes turns into a real nightmare for the opponent who helpless will try to switch/force plays/consume pp. Not to be underestimated.
It’s definitely not easy to use; it needs to be contextualized. I use "x" to favor "y" (as in my case above > I want to kill the electric / damage Snorlax with Sandstorm/Counter) to favor Vaporeon.
With this, I hope I have been able to give an input on its use and how effective this move can be in certain circumstances.
Maybe it can be a starting point for discussion, to hear the opinion of those who are more experienced.
I conclude by saying that in my personal opinion there is still room for improvement in this game and in this tier, and that player growth can still continue for a long time, perhaps improving the current state of the tier.
Thanks for reading!
In my constant and continuous “desire to experiment with new concepts”, driven by a strong curiosity (a prominent characteristic of my personality), I have tried (and still try) to innovate and improve myself. Let’s be clear: it’s not easy to “innovate” and at the same time be “effective”, especially because straying too far from what makes a Pokemon effective can make it ineffective.
I specify that what I have chosen to explore I did not discover, but I firmly believe that in the past more experienced players have been able to discuss and test its effect.
My “merit”, if we really want to define it as such, has been to appreciate its effectiveness, bring it back to light and deepen its use, trying to apply it effectively to a tier that is much more dynamic than in the past.
So, after this short premise, I am here to talk about Sandstorm
Thinking is essential for winning in Pokemon, especially in GSC, or at least for maintaining a consistent score of victories, and this is where the importance of “mindgaming” rather than simply “making predictions” comes from. The purpose of a mindgame is clearly to win the match, and this can be achieved by “shortening” the number of turns that separate us from victory, so as to leave less space for the opponent for their own strategies / mindgame / predict. When I mention “leaving less space for the opponent” it was precisely this aspect that struck me most about Sandstorm.
Having control of the game and managing its pace becomes a condition that very often leads to victory, without having to make unnecessary predictions or dangerous switchbacks.
But before we can talk about its effectiveness and how in my view it can be a determining factor, it is necessary to introduce its characteristics and effects:
- 16PP
- all active Pokemon lose 1/8 of their maximum HP unless they are a Ground, Rock, or Steel type. Fails if the current weather is Sandstorm. This means that you will not be able to reset the Sand as for Rain and Sun
- all active Pokemon lose 1/8 of their maximum HP unless they are a Ground, Rock, or Steel type. Fails if the current weather is Sandstorm. This means that you will not be able to reset the Sand as for Rain and Sun
Entering into the more competitive aspect of the game and especially considering the importance of passive damage, Sand becomes therefore a factor that cannot, in my view, not be considered.
Inhibiting the opponent's Leftovers turns is a considerable advantage that leads the user to manage the pace, favoring victory without having to take risks, and forcing the opponent to have to take damage that in the long term can prove decisive forcing their plays.
Sandstorm has definitely been used in GSC stall(Omastar capitalizes on this best) before with good results but attempting Sandstorm on offense is a mostly untouched concept in the gen.
In theory, you used could use it to help put things in KO range along with spikes support. For example, one of the pokemon that I think is exceptional in its use is Nidoking because it exerts a lot of pressure on its most common checks (Snorlax -3HKed with sand and spikes)
There are several offensive and defensive strategies that make the most of Sandstorm.
Pokemon like Tyranitar or the Nidoking mentioned above are able to exert considerable pressure, thanks to their wide movepool and their offensive statistics.
Again, in a more defensive approach the Spam of Toxic, with Sand and Spikes turns into a real nightmare for the opponent who helpless will try to switch/force plays/consume pp. Not to be underestimated.
It’s definitely not easy to use; it needs to be contextualized. I use "x" to favor "y" (as in my case above > I want to kill the electric / damage Snorlax with Sandstorm/Counter) to favor Vaporeon.
With this, I hope I have been able to give an input on its use and how effective this move can be in certain circumstances.
Maybe it can be a starting point for discussion, to hear the opinion of those who are more experienced.
I conclude by saying that in my personal opinion there is still room for improvement in this game and in this tier, and that player growth can still continue for a long time, perhaps improving the current state of the tier.
Thanks for reading!
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