INTRO
SnarfBoyWonder here, with a team I've been having fun with on PO and PS. It seems sand teams have almost disappeared lately, especially more offensive ones. In this rain and sun dominated meta game, sand is almost as scarce as hail. So I decided to make a sand team to combat these other weathers. I won't bore you with the whole team building section(I know I skip most of them) so let's get right into the sets.
THE SQUAD
Iago (Hippowdon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Roar/Ice Fang
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
Hippowdon may seem like a weird choice over Tyranitar on a more offensive team, but I needed a pokemon that could bring sand, rocks, and enough physical bulk to take on threats like Terrakion and Scizor. Hippowdown fits the bill perfectly. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB move and hits Terrakion and Tyranitar hard. The choice between Roar and Ice Fang is tough. Roar let's me take a hit and phaze out threats I can't beat, like Gyrados. Ice Fang, on the other hand lets the hippo take down 4x weak threats, like Dragonite. Stealth Rock is the best move in the game and needs no real explanation. Slack Off is one of the main reasons to every use Hippowdon over Tyranitar. It let's him stick around longer and makes winning the weather wars so much easier.
Jasmine (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Chesto Berry
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 168 SDef / 252 HP / 88 Def
Careful Nature
- Power Whip
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Rest
Ferrothorn is here to take the ever present Water and Dragon attacks aimed at my team. The ChestoRest set is a lot of fun, essentially giving her 2 health bars and a one time immunity to status. Power Whip is a strong move, even uninvested. It puts dents into the Water, Rock and Ground types in the tier. Spikes is for even more residual damage. Thunder Wave cripples sweepers who might switch in, giving my other pokemon an easier time. Rest is for a one time recovery and improves her longevity.
Genie (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 144 Spd / 112 HP
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch/Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Rotom W helps combat rain threats like Politoed, Gyrados, and Tornadus. His great typing gives me my only flying resist, as well as a another water resist. Hydro Pump is the main move to spam and is reasonably strong. It also gets a boost from all the rain teams. Volt Switch helps keep momentum, while dealing damage to the water and flying types. It also gives me a VoltTurn core witn Landorus. There are times I find myself wanting Tbot though, to secure 2HKOs without having to switch out. WoW is for crippling any physical attackers that might switch in. Pain Split gives me a form of semi recovery.
Alladin (Landorus) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Landorus is often overlooked for his new Therian form, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. The main reason to use him over Landy T is his trollish 101 base speed. It let's him revenge things like +1 Volcarona and Salamence. He retains basically the same power as Landy T while in the sand, thanks to Sand Force. Landorus usually comes in after Terrakion and Alakazam blast holes in the opponents team. Earthqauke and Stone Edge form the EdgeQuake combo, giving him solid coverage. U-Turn is for scouting and retaining momentum. HP Ice hits Gliscor harder than anything else on the set.
Abu (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Quick Attack
Terrakion has one job and one job only. To smash everything in it's path. Nothing is safe from the sheer power of this moster. Not even Skarmory, one of the best physical walls in the game can come in safely. Close Combat and Stone Edge are the main STAB moves and have excellent coverage together. X-Scissor is for those times when I don't want to miss a Stone Edge but need to hit a Psychic type. Quick Attack lets me pick off severely weakened, faster threats like Latios.
Jafar (Alakazam) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
Alakazam is great to use on a sand team as he takes no passive damage thanks to his great ability. Alakazam acts as a decent revenge killer to some of the faster threats in the game, like Latios, Gengar and Starmie. Life Orb gives his some much needed power, letting him open holes for other teammates or just sweep late game himself. Psychic is used over Psyshock for the higher base power. Focus Blast nails steel Types like Ferrothorn. Shadow ball is for the threats mentioned earlier and completes his solid coverage. Sub let's me scout for moves or switches, and is extremely useful. I have thought about Calm Mind, but I never seem to find the time to use it
Any rates and criticisms are always appreciated, thanks in advanced!
