Ubers Excadrill [GP 2/2]

Have you watched Gurren Lagann in order to get the references in this analysis?

  • lolwut ofc I have u stupid fgt

    Votes: 12 30.8%
  • Gurren Lagann? You mean the stuff with the drills?

    Votes: 27 69.2%

  • Total voters
    39
Slash Toxic with (perhaps in front of) Rock Slide instead of Stealth Rock on the bulky set imo. Bulky Exca sets rocks quite well and it'd hate to give that up. Rock Slide on the other hand is only ever hitting Ho-Oh on the switch in because 88 < 90 (most Ho-Oh creep like fuck anyway), so it can be forgone for the always-useful Toxic.

60+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 248-296 (59.7 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
 
I've got some pretty strong opinions on these sets. Quickie: I really preferred Fireburn's slashing as Ho-Oh is OHKO'd after rocks. I also dislike slow bulky Exca, I felt it always really wanted speed to find the turns to spin in the first place cause it's just got so many weakspots and it's not really that bulky so it struggles to find the free turns otherwise.

Be easier if we could get on IRC to talk about this, tough.
 
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Talked with MM2 on IRC (Finally), and we decided to remove the Bulky Spinner set bc Exca usually wants to spin fast, and after an hour and a half of calcing, we figured out that Jolly Exca hits like a wimp. Sand Rush Exca just hits harder and can function as a win condition and supporter at the same time, while Bulky Spinning is kinda hard bc most stuff can just kill you anyway.
 

yohoE

I'm jus Here for da memes r wateva dem shits called
Mention in usage tips how you use it to check GeoXern: wait for the fairy to setup then sack ttar on it so Exca can RK. Also I don't remember seeing a mention of Klefki anywhere which is a big draw to Exca. (could easily have missed it though lol)

A quick mention of Sticky Webs in the teammates section would be nice. They really like the typing Exca has and webs helps resolve it's biggest issue. (although the extra Lando weak sux) In general, I think you should gear the teammates sections towards guys that help deal with the many ways the OP is going to punish Exca. (Kyogre, Groudon, Ray, etc) Cleric support is nice for everything but that's kinda the issue with mentioning it for mons, like Exca, that don't actually have that much of a need / opportunity to profit from it. Also talking about mons that likes Exca's spinning abilities is a good idea, too. (imo, Ho-Oh is a pretty bad pair cause of all the weakness stacking with Exca and Ttar, although Webs Exca is a lot cuter)

Not going to stamp just yet since I'm kinda asking for a bit of a large direction shift.

-MM2
 
Mention in usage tips how you use it to check GeoXern: wait for the fairy to setup then sack ttar on it so Exca can RK. Also I don't remember seeing a mention of Klefki anywhere which is a big draw to Exca. (could easily have missed it though lol)

A quick mention of Sticky Webs in the teammates section would be nice. They really like the typing Exca has and webs helps resolve it's biggest issue. (although the extra Lando weak sux) In general, I think you should gear the teammates sections towards guys that help deal with the many ways the OP is going to punish Exca. (Kyogre, Groudon, Ray, etc) Cleric support is nice for everything but that's kinda the issue with mentioning it for mons, like Exca, that don't actually have that much of a need / opportunity to profit from it. Also talking about mons that likes Exca's spinning abilities is a good idea, too. (imo, Ho-Oh is a pretty bad pair cause of all the weakness stacking with Exca and Ttar, although Webs Exca is a lot cuter)

Not going to stamp just yet since I'm kinda asking for a bit of a large direction shift.

-MM2
OK, I made the above changes, though some of the teammates mentioned can deal with some of the weather trio adequately, like Palk for Ogre, but its not that big of a deal.
 
Slash a Jolly nature on the main set, very useful for speed creeping Xerns, modest Kyogre etc. Must be used with LO.

Remove Air Balloon as a slash altogether. The main reason the item was good last gen was that perma sand in conjunction with Gliscor being very common leads to many set up opportunities. This isn't the case this generation and I think Life Orb is better in almost all cases, since it gets to OHKO Xerneas with it.

In CC section you talk about Air Balloon vs Gliscor and that it Excadrill somehow can't do much to Gliscor even if it has it- this is wrong, it can get as many SDs as it wants, however, as I outlined, no permasand=no sweeping. Move Groudon to #1 counter.

Tbf I don't like the slashing much either. Set should look like:

move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

EQ+Iron Head are mandatory for obvious reasons. Now the slashing gives it combinations of Rock Slide+Swords Dance, Rock Slide+Rapid Spin and Swords Dance+Rapid Spin- which are all viable. Leftovers is mentioned in items as an option if you use SD+spin+adamant nature because it gives it a bit more longevity as a spinner.

make this happen and qc 3/3
 
Slash a Jolly nature on the main set, very useful for speed creeping Xerns, modest Kyogre etc. Must be used with LO.

Remove Air Balloon as a slash altogether. The main reason the item was good last gen was that perma sand in conjunction with Gliscor being very common leads to many set up opportunities. This isn't the case this generation and I think Life Orb is better in almost all cases, since it gets to OHKO Xerneas with it.

In CC section you talk about Air Balloon vs Gliscor and that it Excadrill somehow can't do much to Gliscor even if it has it- this is wrong, it can get as many SDs as it wants, however, as I outlined, no permasand=no sweeping. Move Groudon to #1 counter.

Tbf I don't like the slashing much either. Set should look like:

move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

EQ+Iron Head are mandatory for obvious reasons. Now the slashing gives it combinations of Rock Slide+Swords Dance, Rock Slide+Rapid Spin and Swords Dance+Rapid Spin- which are all viable. Leftovers is mentioned in items as an option if you use SD+spin+adamant nature because it gives it a bit more longevity as a spinner.

make this happen and qc 3/3
Implemented the check. This is now ready for GP.
 

GatoDelFuego

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canman98

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Overview
########

Excadrill still digs in its own niche in the Ubers metagame in the fact that because its utility as a Rapid Spinner cannot be overlooked. This niche is rare, and the typing and stats Excadrill is blessed with does not leave it vulnerable to the entry hazards it removes, (AC) in addition paralysis and Toxic, and lets it hold its own in a fight. Though one may might turn to a Defogger for hazard removal, the overall decrease in spinblocker usage has made Excadrill more effective at spinning in this generation. Add in useful abilities to take advantage of like Mold Breaker and Sand Rush, and you have the recipe for one of the best Rapid Spinners in Ubers. However, Excadrill has lost its resistances to Ghost and Dark, making spinblockers ironically even better against it. Also, its typing isn't too sweet defensively, leaving it vulnerable to common types like Water, Ground, and Fire. In another aspects of its downsides, one of its niches of being a Sand Rush sweeper has been nerfed due to Sand Stream only lasting 5 turns now. Still, Excadrill is an invaluable team supporter, as its niche can smash through both karma and fate, and in turn spin your team to victory!


Sand Rush
########
name: Pierce the Heavens With Your Drill! Sand Rush it should match the title
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
========

When backed by Sand Rush, Excadrill's burning blood will cut through fate, as well as the opposing team. Earthquake is the primary move to spam, and Ground in general is a good STAB type to have when sweeping. Rock Slide completes the psuedo-EdgeQuake combo, and makes Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Yveltal grit their teeth. If you don't care about 5-turn weather, overall vulnerability, or setup-whatevers sweepers, I think you meant this? Not sure Swords Dance can prove deadly provided you find an opportunity to set it up and then sweep behind Sand Rush before sand times out. Iron Head is a necessity when attempting to sweep, as bulky Fairy-types like such as Fairy Arceus or Landorus-T not a fairy type????????? can stop Excadrill that, in addition to being Excadrill's secondary STAB move. However, Rapid Spin can let Excadrill have extra utility outside of a sandstorm, and Rapid Spin is Excadrill's greatest niche, after all.

Set Details
========

Life Orb is the preferred item due to the 30% increase in power and Spiral energy. IMO these references are just falling flat and are not obnoxiously over-the-top enough to theme an entire analysis around, which we wouldn't want for something serious anyway If you are looking for another item option, Air Balloon can provide free switch-ins for Excadrill against to bulky Ground-types like such as Landorus-T and Gliscor that would otherwise take advantage of Excadrill's Ground weakness. An Adamant nature is the best one to choose choice overall as Excadrill's Speed is more than good enough in sand and has the most power, but a Jolly nature is very useful for overall performance in and out of sand with faster Rapid Spins, in addition to outspeeding standard Xerneas and Modest Kyogre variants. However, Excadrill has to hold Life Orb in order to deal consistent damage with a Jolly nature. Leftovers can be another item option if you have an Adamant nature in addition to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as Excadrill can still hit hard without Life Orb and can have more longevity to either set up Swords Dance or use Rapid Spin.

Usage Tips
========

A weird strategy that Excadrill can employ on this set is the ability to check Geomancy Xerneas. If a weakened Xerneas decides to use Geomancy, you can sacrifice your weather setter, (RC) and bring in Excadrill in sand to KO Xerneas with an Iron Head. Keep in mind that Excadrill can extremely pressure Klefki, a common Xerneas check, so use that to your advantage. How is that an advantage? Pressuring a Xerneas check doesn't help you beat that Xerneas, as they wouldn't be on the same team? Unless you meant use Exca and Xerneas together? In which case, mention it (but this isn't team options so????) Excadrill cannot afford to be burned on this set due to it losing practically all of its offensive capabilities, so avoid possible Will-O-Wisp users at all costs. For Excadrill's safety, late-game sweeps are recommended unless spinblockers and bulky Ground-types are not present on the opponent's team. Because this variant of Excadrill thrives in a late-game environment, playing safe or passively with the team's Sand Stream user is the best method until an opportunity to sweep with Sand Rush presents itself.

Team Options
========

Because of Sand Rush's requirements, a Sand Stream user is required. Tyranitar and Hippowdown are the two best users of this, but both have drawbacks. Hippowdown doesn't exert too much offensive pressure, while Tyranitar compounds a Ground-type weakness with Excadrill. But, Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Tyranitar can defeat most spinblockers, and both Tyranitar and Excadrill can overwhelm non-Focus Blast Yveltal variants. Wish passing clerics like such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey can heal Excadrill of possible burns and heal off Life Orb recoil that it has sustained. Yveltal can defeat opposing spinblockers and Skarmory and Bronzong for you, opening a chance for a sweep. Palkia and Grass Arceus can deal with Kyogre and Groudon, 2 two big threats to Excadrill. Ironically, Giratina-O, one of Excadrill's worst enemies, can take the Ground and Fighting weaknesses of Tyranitar and Excadrill on itself and defeat those types, making it a solid ally when choosing Tyranitar as your Sand Stream user. Volt Switch users like such as Zekrom and Thundurus, in addition to U-turn users like such as Landorus-T and Genesect, (AC) can also bring in Excadrill safely to instigate a Sand Rush sweep. Mega Gengar can deal with opposing spinblockers and cripple Skarmory and Bronzong with Taunt. Water Arceus can check the Weather Trio for Excadrill, all 3 three of which can disrupt Excadrill's precious weather conditions. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate Excadrill's Rapid Spins are of course good partners. Yveltal, Rayquaza, Lugia, and Kyurem-W all love the support that Excadrill has and the ability to utilize the entry hazards that Excadrill has already set, such as with Lugia shuffling the opponent, (RC) and Kyurem-W and Rayquaza scoring OHKOs with entry hazards up, etc.

Other Options
########

Unfortunately, Excadrill doesn't have much else to use outside of the above sets. X-Scissor can hit the Grass-types that resist Earthquake and bulky Psychic-types, but it mostly isn't worth the moveslot. Stealth Rock is a good option to let Excadrill remove entry hazards and set hazards of its own, and it can support its team further with this option. Lum Berry can cure burns and possible confusion, but doesn't offer much outside of that, and you could just run a cleric instead. A Choice Band set can show off Excadrill's solid base 135 Attack in terms of wallbreaking, however Excadrill likes to switch moves when supporting its team with Rapid Spin. Assault Vest can capitalize Excadrill's usable special bulk and let it take a lot more hits when spinning, but Excadrill will should I feel this makes more sense? Idk really what "will not focus" says about exca not focus on taking hits. Mold Breaker is an option to deal with Giratina-O, Skarmory, and Bronzong, but Sand Rush offers more offensive utility.

Checks and Counters
########

**Groudon**: Groudon can switch in easily on Excadrill, threaten it with Earthquake, and nullify sand with Drought.

**Gliscor & and Landorus-T**: Excadrill cannot do much to Gliscor and Landorus-T the Ground/Flying duo due to their extreme physical bulk, and they can scare Excadrill out with the threat of Earthquake. But However, Gliscor cannot touch Excadrill if the offensive set carries Air Balloon, and Excadrill can set up Swords Dances in front of it, albeit at a time limit due to turns of sand.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Ghost Arceus, Giratina, and Giratina-O block Rapid Spin and can cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp. Giratina-O easily handles the Sand Rush set but has slight trouble with the bulky set due to Mold Breaker negating Levitate.

**Water Arceus & and Grass Arceus**: Both the mentioned Arceus formes Water and Grass Arceus can burn Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp, plus Grass Arceus resists Earthquake, (RC) and Water Arceus threatens Excadrill with a Water-type Judgment.

**Skarmory**: Though Skarmory can hard wall Excadrill with its typing and recovery, Skarmory cannot harm Excadrill back, and thereby cannot prevent it from Rapid Spinning.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong also walls Sand Rush sets and can threaten Excadrill with a possible Earthquake. However, it loses to the bulky set because of Mold Breaker bypassing Levitate.

**Kyogre**: Though it cannot switch in safely because of Earthquake, Kyogre can revenge kill Excadrill with a STAB Water Spout, Hydro Pump, or Surf, and can remove sand from the field, stopping a Sand Rush sweep cold.

**Rayquaza**: Similarly to Kyogre, Rayquaza cannot switch into a Rock Slide or Iron Head, but it is immune to Earthquake, (RC) and Air Lock ignores Sand Rush, letting Rayquaza easily KO Excadrill with a V-create.

**Revenge Killers**: Though none of these are good switch-ins to the offensive set, especially under sand, revenge killers like Palkia, Mega Gengar, Blaziken, and all formes of Mewtwo can outspeed and KO Excadrill outside of a sandstorm with their coverage moves.

1/2

There's a lot of times you say "the bulky set" in this analysis, but such as set doesn't really...exist? Make sure you would change these to something like "Bronzong loses to bulkier variants"
 
Last edited:
There's a lot of times you say "the bulky set" in this analysis, but such as set doesn't really...exist? Make sure you would change these to something like "Bronzong loses to bulkier variants"
There was originally a bulky Rapid Spin set with Mold Breaker listed, rather than just the Sand Rush set. IIRC, it was removed after canman98 had already written the analysis.
 

Arcueid

nah i'd win nah i'd win nah i'd win
is a Battle Simulator Moderator
canman98

Please Implement the GP checks to your analysises. @.@

You haven't even added them to your Klefki analysis.
 
canman98

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Overview
########

Excadrill still digs in its own niche in the Ubers metagame in the fact that because its utility as a Rapid Spinner cannot be overlooked. This niche is rare, and the typing and stats Excadrill is blessed with does not leave it vulnerable to the entry hazards it removes, (AC) in addition paralysis and Toxic, and lets it hold its own in a fight. Though one may might turn to a Defogger for hazard removal, the overall decrease in spinblocker usage has made Excadrill more effective at spinning in this generation. Add in useful abilities to take advantage of like Mold Breaker and Sand Rush, and you have the recipe for one of the best Rapid Spinners in Ubers. However, Excadrill has lost its resistances to Ghost and Dark, making spinblockers ironically even better against it. Also, its typing isn't too sweet defensively, leaving it vulnerable to common types like Water, Ground, and Fire. In another aspects of its downsides, one of its niches of being a Sand Rush sweeper has been nerfed due to Sand Stream only lasting 5 turns now. Still, Excadrill is an invaluable team supporter, as its niche can smash through both karma and fate, and in turn spin your team to victory!


Sand Rush
########
name: Pierce the Heavens With Your Drill! Sand Rush it should match the title
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
========

When backed by Sand Rush, Excadrill's burning blood will cut through fate, as well as the opposing team. Earthquake is the primary move to spam, and Ground in general is a good STAB type to have when sweeping. Rock Slide completes the psuedo-EdgeQuake combo, and makes Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Yveltal grit their teeth. If you don't care about 5-turn weather, overall vulnerability, or setup-whatevers sweepers, I think you meant this? Not sure Swords Dance can prove deadly provided you find an opportunity to set it up and then sweep behind Sand Rush before sand times out. Iron Head is a necessity when attempting to sweep, as bulky Fairy-types like such as Fairy Arceus or Landorus-T not a fairy type????????? can stop Excadrill that, in addition to being Excadrill's secondary STAB move. However, Rapid Spin can let Excadrill have extra utility outside of a sandstorm, and Rapid Spin is Excadrill's greatest niche, after all.

Set Details
========

Life Orb is the preferred item due to the 30% increase in power and Spiral energy. IMO these references are just falling flat and are not obnoxiously over-the-top enough to theme an entire analysis around, which we wouldn't want for something serious anyway If you are looking for another item option, Air Balloon can provide free switch-ins for Excadrill against to bulky Ground-types like such as Landorus-T and Gliscor that would otherwise take advantage of Excadrill's Ground weakness. An Adamant nature is the best one to choose choice overall as Excadrill's Speed is more than good enough in sand and has the most power, but a Jolly nature is very useful for overall performance in and out of sand with faster Rapid Spins, in addition to outspeeding standard Xerneas and Modest Kyogre variants. However, Excadrill has to hold Life Orb in order to deal consistent damage with a Jolly nature. Leftovers can be another item option if you have an Adamant nature in addition to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as Excadrill can still hit hard without Life Orb and can have more longevity to either set up Swords Dance or use Rapid Spin.

Usage Tips
========

A weird strategy that Excadrill can employ on this set is the ability to check Geomancy Xerneas. If a weakened Xerneas decides to use Geomancy, you can sacrifice your weather setter, (RC) and bring in Excadrill in sand to KO Xerneas with an Iron Head. Keep in mind that Excadrill can extremely pressure Klefki, a common Xerneas check, so use that to your advantage. How is that an advantage? Pressuring a Xerneas check doesn't help you beat that Xerneas, as they wouldn't be on the same team? Unless you meant use Exca and Xerneas together? In which case, mention it (but this isn't team options so????) Excadrill cannot afford to be burned on this set due to it losing practically all of its offensive capabilities, so avoid possible Will-O-Wisp users at all costs. For Excadrill's safety, late-game sweeps are recommended unless spinblockers and bulky Ground-types are not present on the opponent's team. Because this variant of Excadrill thrives in a late-game environment, playing safe or passively with the team's Sand Stream user is the best method until an opportunity to sweep with Sand Rush presents itself.

Team Options
========

Because of Sand Rush's requirements, a Sand Stream user is required. Tyranitar and Hippowdown are the two best users of this, but both have drawbacks. Hippowdown doesn't exert too much offensive pressure, while Tyranitar compounds a Ground-type weakness with Excadrill. But, Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Tyranitar can defeat most spinblockers, and both Tyranitar and Excadrill can overwhelm non-Focus Blast Yveltal variants. Wish passing clerics like such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey can heal Excadrill of possible burns and heal off Life Orb recoil that it has sustained. Yveltal can defeat opposing spinblockers and Skarmory and Bronzong for you, opening a chance for a sweep. Palkia and Grass Arceus can deal with Kyogre and Groudon, 2 two big threats to Excadrill. Ironically, Giratina-O, one of Excadrill's worst enemies, can take the Ground and Fighting weaknesses of Tyranitar and Excadrill on itself and defeat those types, making it a solid ally when choosing Tyranitar as your Sand Stream user. Volt Switch users like such as Zekrom and Thundurus, in addition to U-turn users like such as Landorus-T and Genesect, (AC) can also bring in Excadrill safely to instigate a Sand Rush sweep. Mega Gengar can deal with opposing spinblockers and cripple Skarmory and Bronzong with Taunt. Water Arceus can check the Weather Trio for Excadrill, all 3 three of which can disrupt Excadrill's precious weather conditions. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate Excadrill's Rapid Spins are of course good partners. Yveltal, Rayquaza, Lugia, and Kyurem-W all love the support that Excadrill has and the ability to utilize the entry hazards that Excadrill has already set, such as with Lugia shuffling the opponent, (RC) and Kyurem-W and Rayquaza scoring OHKOs with entry hazards up, etc.

Other Options
########

Unfortunately, Excadrill doesn't have much else to use outside of the above sets. X-Scissor can hit the Grass-types that resist Earthquake and bulky Psychic-types, but it mostly isn't worth the moveslot. Stealth Rock is a good option to let Excadrill remove entry hazards and set hazards of its own, and it can support its team further with this option. Lum Berry can cure burns and possible confusion, but doesn't offer much outside of that, and you could just run a cleric instead. A Choice Band set can show off Excadrill's solid base 135 Attack in terms of wallbreaking, however Excadrill likes to switch moves when supporting its team with Rapid Spin. Assault Vest can capitalize Excadrill's usable special bulk and let it take a lot more hits when spinning, but Excadrill will should I feel this makes more sense? Idk really what "will not focus" says about exca not focus on taking hits. Mold Breaker is an option to deal with Giratina-O, Skarmory, and Bronzong, but Sand Rush offers more offensive utility.

Checks and Counters
########

**Groudon**: Groudon can switch in easily on Excadrill, threaten it with Earthquake, and nullify sand with Drought.

**Gliscor & and Landorus-T**: Excadrill cannot do much to Gliscor and Landorus-T the Ground/Flying duo due to their extreme physical bulk, and they can scare Excadrill out with the threat of Earthquake. But However, Gliscor cannot touch Excadrill if the offensive set carries Air Balloon, and Excadrill can set up Swords Dances in front of it, albeit at a time limit due to turns of sand.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Ghost Arceus, Giratina, and Giratina-O block Rapid Spin and can cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp. Giratina-O easily handles the Sand Rush set but has slight trouble with the bulky set due to Mold Breaker negating Levitate.

**Water Arceus & and Grass Arceus**: Both the mentioned Arceus formes Water and Grass Arceus can burn Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp, plus Grass Arceus resists Earthquake, (RC) and Water Arceus threatens Excadrill with a Water-type Judgment.

**Skarmory**: Though Skarmory can hard wall Excadrill with its typing and recovery, Skarmory cannot harm Excadrill back, and thereby cannot prevent it from Rapid Spinning.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong also walls Sand Rush sets and can threaten Excadrill with a possible Earthquake. However, it loses to the bulky set because of Mold Breaker bypassing Levitate.

**Kyogre**: Though it cannot switch in safely because of Earthquake, Kyogre can revenge kill Excadrill with a STAB Water Spout, Hydro Pump, or Surf, and can remove sand from the field, stopping a Sand Rush sweep cold.

**Rayquaza**: Similarly to Kyogre, Rayquaza cannot switch into a Rock Slide or Iron Head, but it is immune to Earthquake, (RC) and Air Lock ignores Sand Rush, letting Rayquaza easily KO Excadrill with a V-create.

**Revenge Killers**: Though none of these are good switch-ins to the offensive set, especially under sand, revenge killers like Palkia, Mega Gengar, Blaziken, and all formes of Mewtwo can outspeed and KO Excadrill outside of a sandstorm with their coverage moves.

1/2

There's a lot of times you say "the bulky set" in this analysis, but such as set doesn't really...exist? Make sure you would change these to something like "Bronzong loses to bulkier variants"
I'm not dead, ok. But, considering your points on the writing I had:

-I removed the sentence mentioning Klefki in Usage Tips entirely, as it felt redundant to explain since Xerneas doesn't synergize extremely well with Excadrill anyways (at least from my experiences)

-Reworded "will not focus on taking hits" to "Should not be taking hits". Makes more sense too me at least.

Implemented the above check.
 
One last nitpick: in the "should not be taking hits" sentence, it should say "assault vest can capitalize ON".
Fixed.

Edit: Please make the next GP check copypaste for sake of convenience and I will be busy again next week (I dont want another month hiatus pls).
 
Last edited:
Hi there! Remove Change Comments
Note: Most of the edits are in the spoiler tab.

ROW ROW FITE DA POWA
Overview
########

Excadrill still digs in its own niche in the Ubers metagame because its utility as a Rapid Spinner cannot be overlooked. This niche is rare, and the typing and stats Excadrill is blessed with do not leave it vulnerable to the entry hazards it removes, in addition paralysis and Toxic, and lets it hold its own in a fight. Though one might turn to a Defogger for hazard removal, the overall decrease in spinblocker usage has made Excadrill more effective at spinning in this generation. Add in useful abilities to take advantage of, and you have the recipe for one of the best Rapid Spinners in Ubers. However, Excadrill has lost its resistances to Ghost and Dark, making spinblockers ironically even better against it. Also, its typing isn't too sweet defensively, leaving it vulnerable to common types like Water, Ground, and Fire. In other aspects of its downsides, one of its niches of being a Sand Rush sweeper has been nerfed due to Sand Stream only lasting 5 turns now. Still, Excadrill is an invaluable team supporter, as its niche can smash through both karma and fate, and in turn spin your team to victory!


Sand Rush
########
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
========

When backed by Sand Rush, Excadrill's burning blood will cut through fate, as well as the opposing team. Earthquake is the primary move to spam, and Ground in general is a good STAB type to have when sweeping. Rock Slide completes the psuedo-EdgeQuake combo, and makes Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Yveltal grit their teeth. If you don't care about 5-turn weather, overall vulnerability, or setup-sweepers, Swords Dance can prove deadly provided you find an opportunity to set it up and sweep before sand times out. Iron Head is a necessity when attempting to sweep, as bulky Fairy-types such as Fairy Arceus can stop Excadrill. However, Rapid Spin can let Excadrill have extra utility outside of a sandstorm, and Rapid Spin is Excadrill's greatest niche, after all.

Set Details
========

Life Orb is the preferred item due to the 30% increase in power. If you are looking for another item option, Air Balloon can provide free switch-ins for Excadrill against bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor. An Adamant nature is the best choice overall as Excadrill's Speed is more than good enough in sand and has the most power, but a Jolly nature is very useful for overall performance in and out of sand with faster Rapid Spins, in addition to outspeeding standard Xerneas and Modest Kyogre variants. However, Excadrill has to hold Life Orb in order to deal consistent damage with a Jolly nature. Leftovers can be another item option if you have an Adamant nature in addition to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as Excadrill can still hit hard without Life Orb and can have more longevity to either set up Swords Dance or use Rapid Spin.

Usage Tips
========

A weird strategy that Excadrill can employ on this set is the ability to check Geomancy Xerneas. If a weakened Xerneas decides to use Geomancy, you can sacrifice your weather setter and bring in Excadrill in sand to KO Xerneas with an Iron Head. Excadrill cannot afford to be burned on this set due to it losing practically all of its offensive capabilities, so avoid possible Will-O-Wisp users at all costs. For Excadrill's safety, late-game sweeps are recommended. Because this variant of Excadrill thrives in a late-game environment, playing safe or passively with the team's Sand Stream user is the best method until an opportunity to sweep with Sand Rush presents itself.

Team Options
========

Because of Sand Rush's requirements, a Sand Stream user is required. Tyranitar and Hippowdown are the two best users of this, but both have drawbacks. Hippowdown doesn't exert too much offensive pressure, while Tyranitar compounds a Ground-type weakness with Excadrill. But, Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Tyranitar can defeat most spinblockers, and both Tyranitar and Excadrill can overwhelm non-Focus Blast Yveltal variants. Wish passing clerics such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey can heal Excadrill of possible burns and heal off Life Orb recoil that it has sustained. Yveltal can defeat opposing spinblockers and Skarmory and Bronzong for you, opening a chance for a sweep. Palkia and Grass Arceus can deal with Kyogre and Groudon, two big threats to Excadrill. Ironically, Giratina-O, one of Excadrill's worst enemies, can take the Ground and Fighting weaknesses of Tyranitar and Excadrill on itself and defeat those types, making it a solid ally when choosing Tyranitar as your Sand Stream user. Volt Switch users such as Zekrom and Thundurus, in addition to U-turn users such as Landorus-T and Genesect, can also bring in Excadrill safely to instigate a Sand Rush sweep. Mega Gengar can deal with opposing spinblockers and cripple Skarmory and Bronzong with Taunt. Water Arceus can check the Weather Trio for Excadrill, all three of which can disrupt Excadrill's precious weather conditions. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate Excadrill's Rapid Spin are of course good partners. Yveltal, Rayquaza, Lugia, and Kyurem-W all love the support that Excadrill has and the ability to utilize the entry hazards that Excadrill has already set, such as with Lugia shuffling the opponent and Kyurem-W and Rayquaza scoring OHKOs with entry hazards.

Other Options
########

Unfortunately, Excadrill doesn't have much else to use. X-Scissor can hit the Grass-types that resist Earthquake and bulky Psychic-types, but it mostly isn't worth the moveslot. Stealth Rock is a good option to let Excadrill remove entry hazards and set hazards of its own, and can support its team further with this option. Lum Berry can cure burns and possible confusion, but doesn't offer much outside of that, and you could just run a cleric instead. A Choice Band set can show off Excadrill's solid base 135 Attack in terms of wallbreaking, however Excadrill likes to switch moves when supporting its team with Rapid Spin. Assault Vest can capitalize on Excadrill's usable special bulk and let it take a lot more hits when spinning, but Excadrill should not be taking too many hits. Mold Breaker is an option to deal with Giratina-O, Skarmory, and Bronzong, but Sand Rush offers more offensive utility.

Checks and Counters
########

**Groudon**: Groudon can switch in easily on Excadrill, threaten it with Earthquake, and nullify sand with Drought.

**Gliscor and Landorus-T**: Excadrill cannot do much to Gliscor and Landorus-T due to their extreme physical bulk, and they can scare Excadrill out with the threat of Earthquake. However, Gliscor cannot touch Excadrill if the offensive set carries Air Balloon, and Excadrill can set up Swords Dances in front of it, albeit at a time limit due to turns of sand.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Ghost Arceus, Giratina, and Giratina-O block Rapid Spin and can cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp. Giratina-O easily handles the Sand Rush set but has slight trouble with the bulky set due to Mold Breaker negating Levitate.

**Water and Grass Arceus**: Water Arceus and Grass Arceus can burn Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp, plus Grass Arceus resists Earthquake and Water Arceus threatens Excadrill with a Water-type Judgment.

**Skarmory**: Though Skarmory can hard wall Excadrill with its typing and recovery, Skarmory cannot harm Excadrill back, and thereby cannot prevent it from Rapid Spinning.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong also walls Sand Rush sets and can threaten Excadrill with a possible Earthquake. However, it loses to the bulky set because of Mold Breaker bypassing Levitate.

**Kyogre**: Though it cannot switch in safely because of Earthquake, Kyogre can revenge kill Excadrill with a STAB Water Spout, Hydro Pump, or Surf, and can remove sand from the field, stopping a Sand Rush sweep cold.

**Rayquaza**: Similarly to Kyogre, Rayquaza cannot switch into a Rock Slide or Iron Head, but it is immune to Earthquake, and Air Lock ignores Sand Rush, letting Rayquaza easily KO Excadrill with a V-create.

**Revenge Killers**: Though none of these are good switch-ins to the offensive set, especially under sand, revenge killers like Palkia, Mega Gengar, Blaziken, and all formes of Mewtwo can outspeed and KO Excadrill outside of a sandstorm with their coverage moves.


ROW ROW FITE DA POWA
Overview
########

  • One of the best spinners in the Ubers meta
  • Good offensive capabilities; typing does not leave it vulnerable to hazards or most status conditions
  • Spinblocker usage has decreased due to Defog
  • Sweet abilities
  • Lost resistances to Ghost and Dark; spinblockers actually do better against it
  • Typing gives it common type weaknesses; Ground, Water, and Fire being the most notable
  • No more perma-weather prevents Excadrillfrom abusing Sand Rush as much as last gen


Bulky Rapid Spinner
########
name: Use your Spiral Power!
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic
ability: Mold Breaker
item: Leftovers
evs: 176 HP / 60 Atk / 252 SpD / 20 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========


  • Space between the equal sign
  • Rapid Spin = Excadrill's awesomeness in Ubers
  • Earthquake is obligatory STAB; Excadrill can check Klefki, Aegislash, Dialga and Heatran well
  • Rock Slide is unslashed due to rise of Ho-Oh and new threat in Ygod Yveltal
  • Toxic can troll opposing Defoggers, in addition to Ghostceus; Rock Slide does good damage to both
  • Stealth Rock gives Excadrill even more utility, and can pressure Ho-Oh and Ygod Yveltal
  • Iron Head can hit Fairies if you feel like it, and 2HKOs standard GeoXern and OHKOs Sylveon after SR

Set Details
========

  • EVs round out Exca[blue=color]drill[/color]'s special bulk, and 20 Spe[blue=color]ed[/color] can let it outrun uninvested base 90's, most notably Ho-Oh and Kyogre variants
  • Mold Breaker is for being able to at worst damage Giratina-O and Bronzong, and can let Exca set up rocks against Magic Bouncers

Usage Tips
========

  • Don't get burned, dingus
  • Try catching your friend Ghostceus on a possible switch-in and hit it with Toxic
  • Attempt to spin on stuff you force out with this set (i.e. Heatran, Ho-Oh, Klefki, etc.) to avoid taking too much damage

Team Options
========

  • Kyogre
  • SR weak mons (Ygod Yveltal, Lugia, Rayquaza)
  • Dark-types (to beat silly Giratina, Ghostceus and MegaGar Mega Gengar)
  • Pivots and/or tanks [Landorus, Palkia, Zekrom)
  • Klefki (for sweet hazard stacking and can Toxic Defoggers)
  • Clerics (Sylveon, Xern, Bliss etc.)

Sand Rush
########
name: Pierce the Heavens With Your Drill!
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

  • EQ is best STAB
  • Iron Head can OHKO every Fairy in the tier bar Fairyceus, and is your second STAB option
  • Rapid Spin can still give you utility to your team outside of sand
  • Rock Slide can deal with Ho-Oh, Ygod Yveltal, and Lugia
  • Swords Dance is relatively difficult to set up due to vulnerability and few turns of sand, but it can be devastating if sand is in play

Set Details
========

  • LO is for all the sweet powa and Spiral energy, but Air Balloon can give you switch-in opportunities against bulkier Ground-types like Gliscor (except for Donner cuz because Sun is douche)
  • Adamant is more useful if Excadrill is used solely for Sand Rush, but Jolly can be used for faster Rapid Spins and more ability to function outside of Sand

Usage Tips
========

  • Seriously though, don't get burned
  • Aim for late-game sweeps unless Gira-O, MegaGar Mega Gengar, or opposing bulky Ground-types are not present
  • Play safe with your Sand setter until an opportunity to sweep presents itself (like a Taunted Klefki)

Team Options
========

  • Ttar Tyranitar + Hippowdon (duh); Ttar Tyranitar and Excadrill; compound a nasty Ground weakness tho, but it and Excadrill together can really annoy non-Focus Blast Ygod Yveltal variants
  • Clerics like Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey to heal LO residual and burns
  • Ygod Yveltal can defeat Skarmory and Bronzong for you
  • Grassceus
  • Palkia
  • Giratina-O can deal with most Ground and Fighting-types, and should be a recommended team member for those who chose Tyranitar as a sand setter
  • VoltTurn
  • MegaGar Mega Gengar

Other Options
########

  • X-Scissor
  • Lum Berry
  • Choice Band
  • AssVest Assault Vest

Checks and Counters
########
  • Gliscor / Landorus-T
  • Groudon
  • Bulky Ghost-types (Giratina, Gira-O, Ghostceus)
  • Waterceus + Grassceus
  • Skarmory
  • Bronzong (Grouped away from Skarm cuz because Mold Breaker)
  • Kyogre
  • Rayquaza (don't doesn't give a shit bout about Sand Rush, and OHKOs with V-create)
  • Revenge Killers
 

Legitimate Username

mad tales of a bloodthirsty corviknight
is a Top Artist Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Additions
Removals
(Comments)
Overview
########

Excadrill still digs in its own niche in the Ubers metagame because its utility as a Rapid Spinner cannot be overlooked. This niche is rare, and the typing and stats that Excadrill is blessed with do not leave it vulnerable to the entry hazards that it removes, in addition as well as paralysis and Toxic, and lets it hold its own in a fight. Though one might turn to a Defogger for hazard removal, the overall decrease in spinblocker usage has made Excadrill more effective at spinning in this generation. Add in useful abilities to take advantage of, and you have the recipe for one of the best Rapid Spinners in Ubers. However, Excadrill has lost its resistances to Ghost and Dark, ironically making spinblockers ironically even better against it. Also In addition, its typing isn't too sweet defensively, leaving it vulnerable to common types like such as Water, Ground, and Fire. In other aspects of its downsides, one of its niches of being a Sand Rush sweeper has been nerfed due to Sand Stream only lasting 5 turns now. Still, Excadrill is an invaluable team supporter, as its niche can smash through both karma and fate, and in turn spin your team to victory!


Sand Rush
########
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
========

When backed by Sand Rush, Excadrill's burning blood will cut through fate, as well as the opposing team. Earthquake is the primary move to spam, and Ground in general is in general a good STAB type to have when sweeping. Rock Slide completes the psuedo-EdgeQuake combo, and makes Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Yveltal grit their teeth. If you don't care about 5-turn weather, overall vulnerability, or setup-sweepers setup sweepers, Swords Dance can prove to be deadly provided that you can find an opportunity to set it up and sweep before sand times out. Iron Head is a necessity when attempting to sweep, as bulky Fairy-types such as Fairy Arceus can stop Excadrill. However, Rapid Spin can let Excadrill have extra utility outside of a sandstorm, and Rapid Spin is Excadrill's greatest niche, after all.

Set Details
========

Life Orb is the preferred item due to the 30% increase in power. If you are looking for another item option, Air Balloon can provide free switch-ins for Excadrill against bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor. An Adamant nature is the overall best choice, overall as Excadrill's Speed is more than good enough in sand and it has the most more power, but a Jolly nature is very useful for overall performance in and out of sand with faster Rapid Spins, in addition to outspeeding standard Xerneas and Modest Kyogre variants. However, Excadrill has to hold a Life Orb in order to deal consistent damage with a Jolly nature. Leftovers can be another item option if you have an Adamant nature in addition to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as Excadrill can still hit hard without Life Orb and can have more longevity to either set up Swords Dance or use Rapid Spin.

Usage Tips
========

A weird strategy that Excadrill can employ on this set is the to use its ability to check Geomancy Xerneas. If a weakened Xerneas decides to use Geomancy, you can sacrifice your weather setter and bring in Excadrill in sand to KO Xerneas with an Iron Head. Excadrill cannot afford to be burned on this set due to it losing practically all of its offensive capabilities, so avoid possible Will-O-Wisp users at all costs. For Excadrill's safety, late-game sweeps are recommended. Because this variant of Excadrill thrives in a late-game environment, playing safe or passively with the team's Sand Stream user is the best method until an opportunity to sweep with Sand Rush presents itself.

Team Options
========

Because of Sand Rush's requirements, a Sand Stream user is required. Tyranitar and Hippowdown are the two best users of this, but both of them have drawbacks. Hippowdown doesn't exert too much offensive pressure, while Tyranitar compounds a Ground-type weakness with Excadrill. But, Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Tyranitar can defeat most spinblockers, and both Tyranitar and Excadrill can overwhelm non-Focus Blast Yveltal variants. Wish passing Wish-passing clerics such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey can heal Excadrill of possible burns and heal off any Life Orb recoil that it has sustained. Yveltal can defeat opposing spinblockers and as well as Skarmory and Bronzong for you, opening a chance for a sweep. Palkia and Grass Arceus can deal with Kyogre and Groudon, two big threats to Excadrill. Ironically, Giratina-O, one of Excadrill's worst enemies, can take the Ground and Fighting weaknesses of Tyranitar and Excadrill on itself and defeat those types, making it a solid ally when choosing Tyranitar as your Sand Stream user. Volt Switch users such as Zekrom and Thundurus, in addition to U-turn users such as Landorus-T and Genesect, can also bring in Excadrill in safely in order to instigate a Sand Rush sweep. Mega Gengar can deal with opposing spinblockers and cripple Skarmory and Bronzong with Taunt. Water Arceus can check the Weather Trio for Excadrill, all three of which can disrupt Excadrill's precious weather conditions. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate Excadrill's Rapid Spin are of course good partners. Yveltal, Rayquaza, Lugia, and Kyurem-W all love the support that Excadrill has can provide and the ability to utilize the entry hazards that Excadrill has have already been set, such as with Lugia shuffling the opponent and Kyurem-W and Rayquaza scoring extra OHKOs with entry hazards.

Other Options
########

Unfortunately, Excadrill doesn't have much else to use. X-Scissor can hit the Grass-types that resist Earthquake and as well as bulky Psychic-types, but it mostly isn't worth the moveslot. Stealth Rock is a good option to let Excadrill remove entry hazards and set hazards of its own, and it can support its team further with this option. Lum Berry can cure burns and possible confusion, but doesn't offer much outside of that, and you could just run a cleric instead. A Choice Band set can show off Excadrill's solid base 135 Attack in terms of wallbreaking, however, Excadrill likes to switch moves when supporting its team with Rapid Spin. Assault Vest can capitalize on Excadrill's usable special bulk and let it take a lot more hits when spinning, but Excadrill should not be taking too many hits anyway. Mold Breaker is an option to deal for dealing with Giratina-O, Skarmory, and Bronzong, but Sand Rush offers more offensive utility.

Checks and Counters
########

**Groudon**: Groudon can switch in easily on Excadrill, threaten it with Earthquake, and nullify sand with Drought.

**Gliscor and Landorus-T**: Excadrill cannot do much to Gliscor and Landorus-T due to their extreme physical bulk, and they can scare Excadrill out with the threat of an Earthquake. However, Gliscor cannot touch Excadrill if the offensive set carries Air Balloon, and Excadrill can set up Swords Dances in front of it, albeit at a time limit due to the limited turns of sand.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Ghost Arceus, Giratina, and Giratina-O can block Rapid Spin and can cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp. Giratina-O easily handles the Sand Rush set but has slight trouble with the bulky set due to Mold Breaker negating Levitate.

**Water and Grass Arceus**: Water Arceus and Grass Arceus can burn Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp, plus and Grass Arceus resists Earthquake and while Water Arceus threatens can threaten Excadrill with a Water-type Judgment.

**Skarmory**: Though Skarmory can hard wall hard-wall Excadrill with its typing and recovery, Skarmory cannot harm Excadrill back, and thereby cannot prevent it from using Rapid Spinning Spin.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong can also walls wall Sand Rush sets and can threaten Excadrill with a possible Earthquake. However, it loses to the bulky set because of due to Mold Breaker bypassing Levitate.

**Kyogre**: Though it cannot switch in safely because of Earthquake, Kyogre can revenge kill Excadrill with a STAB Water Spout, Hydro Pump, or Surf, and it can remove sand from the field, stopping a Sand Rush sweep cold.

**Rayquaza**: Similarly to Kyogre, Rayquaza cannot switch into a Rock Slide or Iron Head, but it is immune to Earthquake, and Air Lock ignores Sand Rush, letting Rayquaza easily KO Excadrill with a V-create.

**Revenge Killers**: Though none of these are good switch-ins to the offensive set, especially under sand, revenge killers like such as Palkia, Mega Gengar, Blaziken, and all formes of Mewtwo can outspeed and KO Excadrill outside of a sandstorm with their coverage moves.

GP approved 2/2
 
Last edited:
Additions
Removals
(Comments)
Overview
########

Excadrill still digs in its own niche in the Ubers metagame because its utility as a Rapid Spinner cannot be overlooked. This niche is rare, and the typing and stats that Excadrill is blessed with do not leave it vulnerable to the entry hazards that it removes, in addition as well as paralysis and Toxic, and lets it hold its own in a fight. Though one might turn to a Defogger for hazard removal, the overall decrease in spinblocker usage has made Excadrill more effective at spinning in this generation. Add in useful abilities to take advantage of, and you have the recipe for one of the best Rapid Spinners in Ubers. However, Excadrill has lost its resistances to Ghost and Dark, ironically making spinblockers ironically even better against it. Also In addition, its typing isn't too sweet defensively, leaving it vulnerable to common types like such as Water, Ground, and Fire. In other aspects of its downsides, one of its niches of being a Sand Rush sweeper has been nerfed due to Sand Stream only lasting 5 turns now. Still, Excadrill is an invaluable team supporter, as its niche can smash through both karma and fate, and in turn spin your team to victory!


Sand Rush
########
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide / Swords Dance
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin
ability: Sand Rush
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
========

When backed by Sand Rush, Excadrill's burning blood will cut through fate, as well as the opposing team. Earthquake is the primary move to spam, and Ground in general is in general a good STAB type to have when sweeping. Rock Slide completes the psuedo-EdgeQuake combo, and makes Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Yveltal grit their teeth. If you don't care about 5-turn weather, overall vulnerability, or setup-sweepers setup sweepers, Swords Dance can prove to be deadly provided that you can find an opportunity to set it up and sweep before sand times out. Iron Head is a necessity when attempting to sweep, as bulky Fairy-types such as Fairy Arceus can stop Excadrill. However, Rapid Spin can let Excadrill have extra utility outside of a sandstorm, and Rapid Spin is Excadrill's greatest niche, after all.

Set Details
========

Life Orb is the preferred item due to the 30% increase in power. If you are looking for another item option, Air Balloon can provide free switch-ins for Excadrill against bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor. An Adamant nature is the overall best choice, overall as Excadrill's Speed is more than good enough in sand and it has the most more power, but a Jolly nature is very useful for overall performance in and out of sand with faster Rapid Spins, in addition to outspeeding standard Xerneas and Modest Kyogre variants. However, Excadrill has to hold a Life Orb in order to deal consistent damage with a Jolly nature. Leftovers can be another item option if you have an Adamant nature in addition to Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, as Excadrill can still hit hard without Life Orb and can have more longevity to either set up Swords Dance or use Rapid Spin.

Usage Tips
========

A weird strategy that Excadrill can employ on this set is the to use its ability to check Geomancy Xerneas. If a weakened Xerneas decides to use Geomancy, you can sacrifice your weather setter and bring in Excadrill in sand to KO Xerneas with an Iron Head. Excadrill cannot afford to be burned on this set due to it losing practically all of its offensive capabilities, so avoid possible Will-O-Wisp users at all costs. For Excadrill's safety, late-game sweeps are recommended. Because this variant of Excadrill thrives in a late-game environment, playing safe or passively with the team's Sand Stream user is the best method until an opportunity to sweep with Sand Rush presents itself.

Team Options
========

Because of Sand Rush's requirements, a Sand Stream user is required. Tyranitar and Hippowdown are the two best users of this, but both of them have drawbacks. Hippowdown doesn't exert too much offensive pressure, while Tyranitar compounds a Ground-type weakness with Excadrill. But, Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Tyranitar can defeat most spinblockers, and both Tyranitar and Excadrill can overwhelm non-Focus Blast Yveltal variants. Wish passing Wish-passing clerics such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Blissey can heal Excadrill of possible burns and heal off any Life Orb recoil that it has sustained. Yveltal can defeat opposing spinblockers and as well as Skarmory and Bronzong for you, opening a chance for a sweep. Palkia and Grass Arceus can deal with Kyogre and Groudon, two big threats to Excadrill. Ironically, Giratina-O, one of Excadrill's worst enemies, can take the Ground and Fighting weaknesses of Tyranitar and Excadrill on itself and defeat those types, making it a solid ally when choosing Tyranitar as your Sand Stream user. Volt Switch users such as Zekrom and Thundurus, in addition to U-turn users such as Landorus-T and Genesect, can also bring in Excadrill in safely in order to instigate a Sand Rush sweep. Mega Gengar can deal with opposing spinblockers and cripple Skarmory and Bronzong with Taunt. Water Arceus can check the Weather Trio for Excadrill, all three of which can disrupt Excadrill's precious weather conditions. Finally, Pokemon that appreciate Excadrill's Rapid Spin are of course good partners. Yveltal, Rayquaza, Lugia, and Kyurem-W all love the support that Excadrill has can provide and the ability to utilize the entry hazards that Excadrill has have already been set, such as with Lugia shuffling the opponent and Kyurem-W and Rayquaza scoring extra OHKOs with entry hazards.

Other Options
########

Unfortunately, Excadrill doesn't have much else to use. X-Scissor can hit the Grass-types that resist Earthquake and as well as bulky Psychic-types, but it mostly isn't worth the moveslot. Stealth Rock is a good option to let Excadrill remove entry hazards and set hazards of its own, and it can support its team further with this option. Lum Berry can cure burns and possible confusion, but doesn't offer much outside of that, and you could just run a cleric instead. A Choice Band set can show off Excadrill's solid base 135 Attack in terms of wallbreaking, however, Excadrill likes to switch moves when supporting its team with Rapid Spin. Assault Vest can capitalize on Excadrill's usable special bulk and let it take a lot more hits when spinning, but Excadrill should not be taking too many hits anyway. Mold Breaker is an option to deal for dealing with Giratina-O, Skarmory, and Bronzong, but Sand Rush offers more offensive utility.

Checks and Counters
########

**Groudon**: Groudon can switch in easily on Excadrill, threaten it with Earthquake, and nullify sand with Drought.

**Gliscor and Landorus-T**: Excadrill cannot do much to Gliscor and Landorus-T due to their extreme physical bulk, and they can scare Excadrill out with the threat of an Earthquake. However, Gliscor cannot touch Excadrill if the offensive set carries Air Balloon, and Excadrill can set up Swords Dances in front of it, albeit at a time limit due to the limited turns of sand.

**Bulky Ghost-types**: Ghost Arceus, Giratina, and Giratina-O can block Rapid Spin and can cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp. Giratina-O easily handles the Sand Rush set but has slight trouble with the bulky set due to Mold Breaker negating Levitate.

**Water and Grass Arceus**: Water Arceus and Grass Arceus can burn Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp, plus and Grass Arceus resists Earthquake and while Water Arceus threatens can threaten Excadrill with a Water-type Judgment.

**Skarmory**: Though Skarmory can hard wall hard-wall Excadrill with its typing and recovery, Skarmory cannot harm Excadrill back, and thereby cannot prevent it from using Rapid Spinning Spin.

**Bronzong**: Bronzong can also walls wall Sand Rush sets and can threaten Excadrill with a possible Earthquake. However, it loses to the bulky set because of due to Mold Breaker bypassing Levitate.

**Kyogre**: Though it cannot switch in safely because of Earthquake, Kyogre can revenge kill Excadrill with a STAB Water Spout, Hydro Pump, or Surf, and it can remove sand from the field, stopping a Sand Rush sweep cold.

**Rayquaza**: Similarly to Kyogre, Rayquaza cannot switch into a Rock Slide or Iron Head, but it is immune to Earthquake, and Air Lock ignores Sand Rush, letting Rayquaza easily KO Excadrill with a V-create.

**Revenge Killers**: Though none of these are good switch-ins to the offensive set, especially under sand, revenge killers like such as Palkia, Mega Gengar, Blaziken, and all formes of Mewtwo can outspeed and KO Excadrill outside of a sandstorm with their coverage moves.

GP approved 2/2
Added check. This is now done!
 

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