[OVERVIEW]
Ground
========
* Excadrill is the premier Sand Rush sweeper on Ground teams thanks to its amazing Attack stat. Sand Rush doubles its semi-decent Speed, allowing it to make full use of its wallbreaking potential and makes it nearly impossible to revenge kill in sand.
* Excadrill can also choose to run Choice Scarf sets on teams not utilizing sand, taking on the role of a fast revenge killer.
* Its other viable ability, Mold Breaker, lets it bypass most abilities, notably Sturdy and Levitate. This lets it hit Rotom-W, which is a huge threat to Ground teams.
* It gets two strong attacks in Earthquake and Iron Head as STAB moves while also having access to moves like X-Scissor and Rock Slide as coverage moves, forming the EdgeQuake combination.
* Furthermore, it gets Rapid Spin, making it the only viable Pokemon that can remove entry hazards on Ground teams.
* Excadrill's Steel typing makes it an excellent offensive check to Ice-types while also taking neutral damage from Grass-type moves.
* However, after getting up sand, the player is sometimes forced to make necessary sacrifices in order to bring Excadrill in, sometimes resulting in a huge loss of momentum.
* Furthermore, Excadrill's Speed isn't amazing outside of sand, leaving it prone to revenge killers.
* Its typing leaves it weak to quite a few priority moves such as Mach Punch and Aqua Jet.
* With that being said, however, Excadrill is a necessity on any offensive sand team and performs the role of a revenge killer on non-sand teams effectively too.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Rapid Spin / X-Scissor
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is the strongest and most spammable move on this set, with a high Base Power and few reliable switch-ins bar Flying-types.
* Iron Head is its other STAB move, allowing it to nab important KOs on threatening Ice- and Fairy-types like Avalugg and Tapu Bulu while also being a more reliable move to lock itself into compared to its coverage moves when locking in on Earthquake isn't safe.
* Rock Slide rounds off its coverage by allowing Excadrill to hit Flying-types that can safely switch in on its other moves such as Zapdos, Mantine, and Mega Charizard Y.
* Rapid Spin allows Excadrill to provide entry hazard control for Ground-types, something they usually lack, and become an fast, offensive Rapid Spin user under sand.
* X-Scissor can alternatively be used, as locking Excadrill in Rapid Spin can sometimes be a horrible idea. X-Scissor gives Excadrill a reliable move to use against Psychic teams, freeing the user from mind games between Slowbro and Latios, as the former takes Iron Head and the latter is immune to Earthquake.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed EVs along with an Adamant nature maximize Excadrill's wallbreaking potential by letting it hit as hard as possible.
* Choice Band further increases its sheer strength and limits the number of Pokemon that can switch in on it.
* Life Orb can alternatively be used to allow Excadrill to switch moves while sweeping, but this results in a loss of power and inflicts recoil per attack, letting it get worn down too easily. It notably fails to nab a 2HKO on Slowbro.
* Sand Rush patches up Excadrill's mediocre Speed stat under sand.
Usage Tips
========
* Using Excadrill out of sand can be extremely risky due to its mediocre Speed. Try to take advantage of its wallbreaking potential to the fullest by always using it when sand is up.
* Try to remove Excadrill's checks and counters like Skarmory before sending it in the battlefield, as bringing it in when its counters are still present can result in a huge loss of momentum and sand turns.
* After setting up sand through Hippowdon, don't switch Excadrill straight in on strong attackers like Tapu Bulu, as Excadrill's bulk isn't amazing.
* On the contrary, switching it in on a predicted Toxic or a weak resisted hit is perfectly fine.
* Try to keep Excadrill healthy throughout the match if you plan on sweeping with it. Once it has taken even a bit of chip damage, it becomes a very easy task to KO it through priority moves.
* Choice Band Excadrill is an excellent wallbreaker and can be used early-game to break the opponent's defensive cores before letting a cleaner come in and sweep.
* Using Life Orb on Excadrill requires a completely different mindset. Life Orb Excadrill can use more accurate moves to pick off a KO even though it fails to do much to the foe's teammates, something Choice Band Excadrill cannot.
* Only go for Rapid Spin if it is absolutely necessary or if the opponent can do very little damage to Excadrill, as it hates taking strong hits. Fo example, removing Sticky Web is usually a top priority due to how threatening it is against offensive Ground teams. If Excadrill's sweeping potential is unneeded, feel free to use Rapid Spin while sacrificing Excadrill.
* Don't prioritize clearing away entry hazards, however, if the opponent can use Excadrill as setup bait.
Team Options
========
* Hippowdon is the most important partner for Excadrill, providing sand support through Sand Stream, activating Sand Rush. It can also take physical priority moves that threaten Excadrill such as Mach Punch and Aqua Jet while providing Stealth Rock support. Excadrill, on the other hand, can beat threatening Ice- and Grass-types like Kyurem-B and Tapu Bulu.
* Gastrodon and Seismitoad's immunities to Water-type moves make them almost guaranteed partners to take on threats like Kingdra and Greninja. Seismitoad has a better offensive presence, being able to take on threats like Belly Drum Azumarill, while Gastrodon has reliable recovery.
* Landorus forms an amazing offensive core with Excadrill, providing a special wallbreaker to complement Excadrill's physical offense. It greatly appreciates Excadrill's ability to take out Ice-types as well.
* Dugtrio excels at trapping and removing annoyances like Keldeo while Excadrill's Rapid Spin can help preserve its Focus Sash.
* Mamoswine is another physical wallbreaker that supports Excadrill by wearing down their shared checks. It also provides priority, Ice-type coverage to break bulky Flying-types like Gliscor, and Knock Off support to break through annoyances like Porygon2.
* Garchomp provides a Fire-type neutrality and the ability to nuke walls with strong Z-Moves.
* Choice Scarf Krookodile can be used to clean up after Excadrill wallbreaks early-game. It can also Pursuit trap threats like Latios.
* Finally, Nidoking forms a mixed wallbreaking core and Toxic Spikes support to make it easier for Excadrill to sweep.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is Excadrill's primary STAB move that hits the hardest and has few reliable switch-ins besides Flying-types. It benefits from Mold Breaker, letting it hit Levitate users.
* Iron Head is its other STAB move to hit Grass-, Fairy-, and Flying-types like Tapu Bulu, Clefable, and Togekiss for more damage.
* Rock Slide complements the other two really well, forming an EdgeQuake combination with Earthquake and letting it hit Flying-types like Mantine for super effective damage.
* Rapid Spin turns Excadrill into a fast entry hazard remover, outspeeding most of the metagame and almost guaranteeing to get rid of hazards.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed investments along with a Jolly nature maximize Excadrill's revenge killing potential.
* Mold Breaker allows Excadrill to hit Levitate users like Rotom-W with Earthquake while also bypassing other abilities like Sturdy.
* A Choice Scarf lets Excadrill outspeed and revenge kill threats to Ground teams like Mega Charizard Y.
Usage Tips
========
* This set can afford to take hits. Although it still takes hefty damage from strong hits, switching it in to revenge kill threats like Grass Knot Tapu Koko or Solarbeam Mega Charizard Y is a good play.
* That still doesn't justify being reckless with it, though; Excadrill's bulk is awful, and it hates coming on strong hits repeatedly. Try switching it on on a predicted Toxic or a weak resisted hit.
* Use Excadrill primarily for revenge killing threats like Tapu Bulu early-game.
* Locking Excadrill into Rapid Spin is a dangerous play and can cause in a huge loss of momentum or can lead to the opponent getting a free turn to set up. Only go for Rapid Spin if neither of those situations are likely to happen and getting rid of entry hazards is extremely important.
* Although this set's main role is to get rid of threats early-game, it can still be used as a late-game cleaner once its checks and counters are eliminated.
* Be careful what to lock Excadrill into, as it isn't very strong and can end up being complete setup bait against Pokemon that resist the move it's locked in.
Team Options
========
* Choice Scarf Excadrill fits best on non-sand teams, as there is little reason to not use Sand Rush Excadrill on teams with Hippowdon.
* Gastrodon and Seismitoad are excellent switch-ins to Water-type moves that Excadrill fears. Furthermore, Excadrill can eliminate Pokemon with Grass-type coverage like Mega Charizard Y and can also switch in on a predicted Toxic. Seismitoad has a better offensive presence as well as access to Stealth Rock, but Gastrodon has reliable recovery that helps it take on Water-types better.
* Landorus can easily eliminate physically defensive walls like Skarmory that Excadrill struggles against and can switch in on threatening Ground-type moves.
* Dugtrio can trap and remove checks to Excadrill like Keldeo while Excadrill can preserve Dugtrio's Focus Sash by clearing hazards.
* Mamoswine is an option to break through Grass-, Ground-, and Flying-types like Breloom, Hippowdon, and Gliscor that Excadrill hates.
* Garchomp and its Mega Evolution excel at luring physically defensive walls like Skarmory to support Excadrill.
* Choice Band Krookodile is an excellent wallbreaker that can wear down their shared checks.
* Landorus-T is an excellent setup sweeper that can appreciate Excadrill's ability to revenge kill threatening Ice-types.
* Finally, Nidoking can break bulky Flying-types like Celesteela and Gliscor with its coverage moves and can set up Toxic Spikes to help Excadrill clean up late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ground
--------
* Swords Dance can be used on Life Orb sets to set up on passive Pokemon like Chansey in order to break through bulkier Pokemon like Porygon2, but it isn't as viable due to the limited turns of sand.
* Steelium Z can also be used on Swords Dance variants to fire off a strong nuke to lure and KO threats like Gliscor once per game.
* A Jolly nature can be run on the Sand Rush set as well in order to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja under sand and Adamant Mega Medicham outside of sand, but this lacks the immediate power of Adamant variants.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ground
--------
**Skarmory*: Skarmory walls every single Excadrill set and can phaze out the rare Swords Dance set as well, preventing it from setting up.
**Bulky Flying-types**: Bulky Flying-types that aren't weak to Rock Slide such as Celesteela and Gliscor completely shut down Excadrill.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Although Excadrill is an excellent physical wallbreaker, it fails to break through certain physically defensive walls like Mega Slowbro and Porygon2.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Swampert can take a few hits from Excadrill and can proceed to threaten it with Scald burns. Offensive Water-types like Keldeo and Manaphy are much more easily manageable under sand but can outspeed and threaten to KO it outside of sand.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Hippowdon and Garchomp can take a hit and KO Excadrill with their STAB moves.
**Weather Setters**: Weather setters like Pelipper can override sand and allow naturally faster Pokemon to outspeed and revenge kill Excadrill.
**Revenge Killers**: Although it is nearly impossible to revenge kill Excadrill under sand, fast revenge killers like Victini and Gengar can threaten Excadrill with super effective moves outside of sand.
Ground
========
* Excadrill is the premier Sand Rush sweeper on Ground teams thanks to its amazing Attack stat. Sand Rush doubles its semi-decent Speed, allowing it to make full use of its wallbreaking potential and makes it nearly impossible to revenge kill in sand.
* Excadrill can also choose to run Choice Scarf sets on teams not utilizing sand, taking on the role of a fast revenge killer.
* Its other viable ability, Mold Breaker, lets it bypass most abilities, notably Sturdy and Levitate. This lets it hit Rotom-W, which is a huge threat to Ground teams.
* It gets two strong attacks in Earthquake and Iron Head as STAB moves while also having access to moves like X-Scissor and Rock Slide as coverage moves, forming the EdgeQuake combination.
* Furthermore, it gets Rapid Spin, making it the only viable Pokemon that can remove entry hazards on Ground teams.
* Excadrill's Steel typing makes it an excellent offensive check to Ice-types while also taking neutral damage from Grass-type moves.
* However, after getting up sand, the player is sometimes forced to make necessary sacrifices in order to bring Excadrill in, sometimes resulting in a huge loss of momentum.
* Furthermore, Excadrill's Speed isn't amazing outside of sand, leaving it prone to revenge killers.
* Its typing leaves it weak to quite a few priority moves such as Mach Punch and Aqua Jet.
* With that being said, however, Excadrill is a necessity on any offensive sand team and performs the role of a revenge killer on non-sand teams effectively too.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Rapid Spin / X-Scissor
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is the strongest and most spammable move on this set, with a high Base Power and few reliable switch-ins bar Flying-types.
* Iron Head is its other STAB move, allowing it to nab important KOs on threatening Ice- and Fairy-types like Avalugg and Tapu Bulu while also being a more reliable move to lock itself into compared to its coverage moves when locking in on Earthquake isn't safe.
* Rock Slide rounds off its coverage by allowing Excadrill to hit Flying-types that can safely switch in on its other moves such as Zapdos, Mantine, and Mega Charizard Y.
* Rapid Spin allows Excadrill to provide entry hazard control for Ground-types, something they usually lack, and become an fast, offensive Rapid Spin user under sand.
* X-Scissor can alternatively be used, as locking Excadrill in Rapid Spin can sometimes be a horrible idea. X-Scissor gives Excadrill a reliable move to use against Psychic teams, freeing the user from mind games between Slowbro and Latios, as the former takes Iron Head and the latter is immune to Earthquake.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed EVs along with an Adamant nature maximize Excadrill's wallbreaking potential by letting it hit as hard as possible.
* Choice Band further increases its sheer strength and limits the number of Pokemon that can switch in on it.
* Life Orb can alternatively be used to allow Excadrill to switch moves while sweeping, but this results in a loss of power and inflicts recoil per attack, letting it get worn down too easily. It notably fails to nab a 2HKO on Slowbro.
* Sand Rush patches up Excadrill's mediocre Speed stat under sand.
Usage Tips
========
* Using Excadrill out of sand can be extremely risky due to its mediocre Speed. Try to take advantage of its wallbreaking potential to the fullest by always using it when sand is up.
* Try to remove Excadrill's checks and counters like Skarmory before sending it in the battlefield, as bringing it in when its counters are still present can result in a huge loss of momentum and sand turns.
* After setting up sand through Hippowdon, don't switch Excadrill straight in on strong attackers like Tapu Bulu, as Excadrill's bulk isn't amazing.
* On the contrary, switching it in on a predicted Toxic or a weak resisted hit is perfectly fine.
* Try to keep Excadrill healthy throughout the match if you plan on sweeping with it. Once it has taken even a bit of chip damage, it becomes a very easy task to KO it through priority moves.
* Choice Band Excadrill is an excellent wallbreaker and can be used early-game to break the opponent's defensive cores before letting a cleaner come in and sweep.
* Using Life Orb on Excadrill requires a completely different mindset. Life Orb Excadrill can use more accurate moves to pick off a KO even though it fails to do much to the foe's teammates, something Choice Band Excadrill cannot.
* Only go for Rapid Spin if it is absolutely necessary or if the opponent can do very little damage to Excadrill, as it hates taking strong hits. Fo example, removing Sticky Web is usually a top priority due to how threatening it is against offensive Ground teams. If Excadrill's sweeping potential is unneeded, feel free to use Rapid Spin while sacrificing Excadrill.
* Don't prioritize clearing away entry hazards, however, if the opponent can use Excadrill as setup bait.
Team Options
========
* Hippowdon is the most important partner for Excadrill, providing sand support through Sand Stream, activating Sand Rush. It can also take physical priority moves that threaten Excadrill such as Mach Punch and Aqua Jet while providing Stealth Rock support. Excadrill, on the other hand, can beat threatening Ice- and Grass-types like Kyurem-B and Tapu Bulu.
* Gastrodon and Seismitoad's immunities to Water-type moves make them almost guaranteed partners to take on threats like Kingdra and Greninja. Seismitoad has a better offensive presence, being able to take on threats like Belly Drum Azumarill, while Gastrodon has reliable recovery.
* Landorus forms an amazing offensive core with Excadrill, providing a special wallbreaker to complement Excadrill's physical offense. It greatly appreciates Excadrill's ability to take out Ice-types as well.
* Dugtrio excels at trapping and removing annoyances like Keldeo while Excadrill's Rapid Spin can help preserve its Focus Sash.
* Mamoswine is another physical wallbreaker that supports Excadrill by wearing down their shared checks. It also provides priority, Ice-type coverage to break bulky Flying-types like Gliscor, and Knock Off support to break through annoyances like Porygon2.
* Garchomp provides a Fire-type neutrality and the ability to nuke walls with strong Z-Moves.
* Choice Scarf Krookodile can be used to clean up after Excadrill wallbreaks early-game. It can also Pursuit trap threats like Latios.
* Finally, Nidoking forms a mixed wallbreaking core and Toxic Spikes support to make it easier for Excadrill to sweep.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is Excadrill's primary STAB move that hits the hardest and has few reliable switch-ins besides Flying-types. It benefits from Mold Breaker, letting it hit Levitate users.
* Iron Head is its other STAB move to hit Grass-, Fairy-, and Flying-types like Tapu Bulu, Clefable, and Togekiss for more damage.
* Rock Slide complements the other two really well, forming an EdgeQuake combination with Earthquake and letting it hit Flying-types like Mantine for super effective damage.
* Rapid Spin turns Excadrill into a fast entry hazard remover, outspeeding most of the metagame and almost guaranteeing to get rid of hazards.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed investments along with a Jolly nature maximize Excadrill's revenge killing potential.
* Mold Breaker allows Excadrill to hit Levitate users like Rotom-W with Earthquake while also bypassing other abilities like Sturdy.
* A Choice Scarf lets Excadrill outspeed and revenge kill threats to Ground teams like Mega Charizard Y.
Usage Tips
========
* This set can afford to take hits. Although it still takes hefty damage from strong hits, switching it in to revenge kill threats like Grass Knot Tapu Koko or Solarbeam Mega Charizard Y is a good play.
* That still doesn't justify being reckless with it, though; Excadrill's bulk is awful, and it hates coming on strong hits repeatedly. Try switching it on on a predicted Toxic or a weak resisted hit.
* Use Excadrill primarily for revenge killing threats like Tapu Bulu early-game.
* Locking Excadrill into Rapid Spin is a dangerous play and can cause in a huge loss of momentum or can lead to the opponent getting a free turn to set up. Only go for Rapid Spin if neither of those situations are likely to happen and getting rid of entry hazards is extremely important.
* Although this set's main role is to get rid of threats early-game, it can still be used as a late-game cleaner once its checks and counters are eliminated.
* Be careful what to lock Excadrill into, as it isn't very strong and can end up being complete setup bait against Pokemon that resist the move it's locked in.
Team Options
========
* Choice Scarf Excadrill fits best on non-sand teams, as there is little reason to not use Sand Rush Excadrill on teams with Hippowdon.
* Gastrodon and Seismitoad are excellent switch-ins to Water-type moves that Excadrill fears. Furthermore, Excadrill can eliminate Pokemon with Grass-type coverage like Mega Charizard Y and can also switch in on a predicted Toxic. Seismitoad has a better offensive presence as well as access to Stealth Rock, but Gastrodon has reliable recovery that helps it take on Water-types better.
* Landorus can easily eliminate physically defensive walls like Skarmory that Excadrill struggles against and can switch in on threatening Ground-type moves.
* Dugtrio can trap and remove checks to Excadrill like Keldeo while Excadrill can preserve Dugtrio's Focus Sash by clearing hazards.
* Mamoswine is an option to break through Grass-, Ground-, and Flying-types like Breloom, Hippowdon, and Gliscor that Excadrill hates.
* Garchomp and its Mega Evolution excel at luring physically defensive walls like Skarmory to support Excadrill.
* Choice Band Krookodile is an excellent wallbreaker that can wear down their shared checks.
* Landorus-T is an excellent setup sweeper that can appreciate Excadrill's ability to revenge kill threatening Ice-types.
* Finally, Nidoking can break bulky Flying-types like Celesteela and Gliscor with its coverage moves and can set up Toxic Spikes to help Excadrill clean up late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ground
--------
* Swords Dance can be used on Life Orb sets to set up on passive Pokemon like Chansey in order to break through bulkier Pokemon like Porygon2, but it isn't as viable due to the limited turns of sand.
* Steelium Z can also be used on Swords Dance variants to fire off a strong nuke to lure and KO threats like Gliscor once per game.
* A Jolly nature can be run on the Sand Rush set as well in order to outspeed Choice Scarf Greninja under sand and Adamant Mega Medicham outside of sand, but this lacks the immediate power of Adamant variants.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ground
--------
**Skarmory*: Skarmory walls every single Excadrill set and can phaze out the rare Swords Dance set as well, preventing it from setting up.
**Bulky Flying-types**: Bulky Flying-types that aren't weak to Rock Slide such as Celesteela and Gliscor completely shut down Excadrill.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Although Excadrill is an excellent physical wallbreaker, it fails to break through certain physically defensive walls like Mega Slowbro and Porygon2.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Swampert can take a few hits from Excadrill and can proceed to threaten it with Scald burns. Offensive Water-types like Keldeo and Manaphy are much more easily manageable under sand but can outspeed and threaten to KO it outside of sand.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Hippowdon and Garchomp can take a hit and KO Excadrill with their STAB moves.
**Weather Setters**: Weather setters like Pelipper can override sand and allow naturally faster Pokemon to outspeed and revenge kill Excadrill.
**Revenge Killers**: Although it is nearly impossible to revenge kill Excadrill under sand, fast revenge killers like Victini and Gengar can threaten Excadrill with super effective moves outside of sand.
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