Donphan has superior stats in everything but Speed, so Sandslash has to use the few advantages he has over his fellow spinning Ground type. Night Slash has a good chance to OHKOing Gengar and Mismagius if you have Stealth Rock up, so they won't be blocking your spin attempts for long. The sturdier Ghosts like Dusknoir and Spiritomb are more troublesome, which is where Swords Dance comes in. Neither of the defensive Ghosts are fond of eating a Swords Danced Earthquake, even from Sandslash's rather average Attack stat. You will need to let them take a hit of Stealth Rock to fell them in one hit, or Sandslash is risking a Burn from Will-O-Wisp. However, you can take your chances if Sandstorm is active, as the chances of it landing are reduced, even less if you opt for BrightPowder.
This has more focus on sweeping, and is more suited to UU, as Garchomp outclasses this in OU. Sandslash's good Defense and Rock resist make it quite easy to get in, so if you get a chance to set up a Swords Dance, he can be a rather powerful, if somewhat slow sweeper. X-Scissor covers Grass types, Shadow Claw gets Rotom out of the way if you hit it on the switch, so it can't come back and ruin a potential sweep with a Burn or Trick. Substitute can go in the last slot, with a Salac Berry to grab a Speed boost and increase the chances of a sweep.
No need to set up here, just plug away with your attacks. The choice between Night Slash and Shadow Claw is of minor importance. The only difference is that Fighters resist Night Slash and Normal types are immune to Shadow Claw.
With max HP and Defense, you're guaranteed some survival here, so this can take some hits in UU. Rapid Spin away their Spikes and Stealth Rock, then set up your own. Toxic can be used to wear down Water types if your team already has something to set up Stealth Rock. Shadow Claw is better against Rotom, but Stone Edge does more to Drifblim and Froslass and is generally the superior option for a secondary attack. Other OptionsThere aren't that many other options to be honest. Counter is the best of the bunch, as Sandslash can survive all kinds of powerful assaults (even a CB Outrage from Garchomp, some of the time), so you can net a surprise kill. Flail is better left to Kabutops and the like. Safeguard can be worked into a support set. Focus Punch makes a dent in Bronzong and Skarmory in OU, but is of little use otherwise. Aerial Ace takes out Heracross and Breloom. Rock Slide can replace Stone Edge, if the accuracy bothers you. EVsMost of the time, load up on HP, then decide what you want Sandslash to do. If you want take more hits, invest in Defense, if you want to improve Sandslash's damage output, pour plenty of EVs into Attack. Speed is usually irrelevant, but it is helpful on the Sweeper and Choice Band sets. 108 EVs is enough to outrun most Blastoise, 176 EVs hits 210 Speed, enough to outrun max Speed, neutral natured Omastar and Cacturne. If you're trying Sub + Salac, just max out Speed. Jolly is recommended, as it beats Persian after a Salac boost. OpinionSandslash is a great contender in UU. Swords Dance and STAB Earthquake are very potent, and while his Speed is a let down, his good physical defensive capabilities go some way to compensate for this. UU is loaded with Bugs, Fires and Flying types, so Sandslash's ability to spin away the Stealth Rock that plagues them, makes him a further asset to the team. Although his stats seem a little lacking in OU, he can be an effective spinner there. And who doesn't love a Swords Dancing Ground type with Sand Veil? CountersRegardless of the tier, Water types, as long as they don't have a secondary typing that's weak to Ground or Rock, are great counters for Sandslash. The usual suspects like Suicune, Swampert, Blastoise and Quagsire all do very well against him. Grass types also work, but beware of X-Scissor, especially if you happen to be Celebi, Exeggutor, Shiftry or Cacturne. Take advantage of his low Speed and poor Special Defense. Most super-effective or STAB special attacks will end Sandslash quickly. |
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