National Dex Sand x Grassy Terrain Bulky Offense

[RhythmXcho]

1. Sand x Grassy Terrain Bulky Offense
   [*]Introduction
   [*]Hi everyone! This is my first RMT post on smogon. I’ve been experimenting with National Dex and wanted to build a somewhat unique team. I really like the synergy between Grassy Terrain and Sand, and I’m looking for some feedback on how to optimise my team or if there are any glaring weaknesses I’ve missed.
   [*]Teambuilding Process
   [*]The team began with the core of Rillaboom, Mega Tyranitar, and Primarina, as I wanted to explore how Grassy Terrain’s healing could not only support Mega Tyranitar but also aid my other pokemon from negating chip damage. Rillaboom helps to provide the terrain and revenge kill with Grassy Glide, while Primarina was brought in to check the Fire-types that threaten Rillaboom and provide a much needed special wall. I’ve always wanted to build around Mega Tyranitar since its a potent pokemon makes constant progress with Sand, and the passive recovery from Grassy Terrain helps mitigate its lack of reliable healing while it traps threats with Pursuit and covers Flying-types. To exploit the sand, I added Excadrill as my primary sweeper to ensure I had a high-speed win condition whilst sand was up. I then realised the team needed more reliable speed control and a way to keep hazards up, so I slotted in Choice Scarf Gholdengo as a potent revenge killer and spin-blocker. Finally, I added Moltres to round out the defensive backbone, serving as a dedicated physical wall and providing essential hazard removal via Defog.
   [*]The Team
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   Rillaboom @ Choice Band
   Ability: Grassy Surge
   Tera Type: Grass
   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
   Adamant Nature
   - Grassy Glide
   - U-turn
   - Knock Off
   - Wood Hammer
   [*]Rillaboom serves as the team's grassy terrain setter and a formidable wallbreaker. Choice Band allows it to deal with in common physical walls like Great Tusk, Slowbro, and Landorus-T, while Grassy Glide provides essential priority to revenge kill faster threats. Beyond its offensive pressure, its Grassy Terrain is a cornerstone of the team's defensive strategy; it provides vital passive recovery to Mega Tyranitar and Primarina while halving the damage of Earthquake, effectively shielding Gholdengo and Tyranitar from one of their biggest weaknesses.
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   Primarina @ Leftovers
   Ability: Torrent
   Tera Type: Water
   EVs: 248 HP / 24 Def / 236 SpD
   Calm Nature
   IVs: 0 Atk
   - Calm Mind
   - Scald
   - Draining Kiss
   - Substitute
   [*]Primarina functions as the team's primary special wall and a dangerous snowballing win condition. Its natural bulk and defensive typing allow it to sponge hits from threats like Ash-Greninja, Latios and even Urshifu. By combining Calm Mind with Substitute, it can safely set up on passive defensive Pokémon; once a Substitute is up, the triple recovery from Leftovers, Grassy Terrain, and Draining Kiss makes it incredibly difficult to force out. This allows Primarina to effectively "out-sustain" its opponents, eventually reaching a point where it can beat any special attacker.
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   [*]Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
   Ability: Sand Stream
   Tera Type: Rock
   EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
   Adamant Nature
   - Knock Off
   - Pursuit
   - Stone Edge
   - Stealth Rock
   [*]Mega Tyranitar serves as my Stealth Rock setter and Sand setter, which is essential for enabling Excadrill's sweep. Its Special Defense boost in the sand allows it to safely switch into and check threats like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y. I utilize Pursuit to trap and eliminate problematic Ghost and Psychic-types, such as Slowbro or Gholdengo, clearing the path for my other pokemon. Knock Off provides great utility by removing crucial items like Heavy-Duty Boots, while the passive recovery from Grassy Terrain helps mitigate the damage it takes throughout the match. Stone Edge allows it to kill flying types which Rillaboom struggles with although Moltres can cripple it if it burns it.
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   [*]Excadrill @ Steelium Z
   Ability: Sand Rush
   Tera Type: Ghost
   EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
   Jolly Nature
   - Earthquake
   - Iron Head
   - Rock Slide
   - Swords Dance
   [*]Excadrill is the team's primary win condition, utilizing Sand Rush to outpace almost the entire metagame. I chose Steelium Z to give it a high-powered nuke in Corkscrew Crash, which allows it to blast through bulky mons like Gliscor and Landorous after a Swords Dance boost. Earthquake is weakened during Grassy Terrain, so I may potentially replace Equake for High Horsepower. Rockslide allows me to hit flying types but mainly helps with Charizard Y which is an extremly dangerous threat for this team.
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   [*]Gholdengo @ Choice Scarf
   Ability: Good as Gold
   Tera Type: Fighting
   EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
   Timid Nature
   IVs: 0 Atk
   - Shadow Ball
   - Make It Rain
   - Trick
   - Focus Blast
   [*]Choice Scarf Gholdengo provides the team with critical speed control and serves as a reliable revenge killer. Its typing helps to check fighting moves aimed ato ttar and excadrill along with supporting my other members. Trick is my primary weapon against stall and balance cores, allowing me to shut down passive walls like Toxapex or Chansey.
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   [*]Moltres @ Heavy-Duty Boots
   Ability: Flame Body
   Tera Type: Fire
   EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
   Bold Nature
   - Roost
   - Defog
   - Flamethrower
   - U-turn
   [*]Moltres acts as the team's dedicated physical pivot and main response to threats like Mega Scizor and Kingambit. Its ability, Flame Body, is crucial for punishing contact moves and crippling physical attackers with burns. It provides essential hazard control via Defog, ensuring the rest of the team isn't worn down by spikes or rocks, while U-turn allows it to safely bring in other members after it has tanked a hit.
   [*]Conclusion
   [*] Overall, this team aims to leverage the unique synergy between Grassy Terrain and Sand to create a resilient offensive core that is difficult to wear down. By combining the passive recovery of the terrain with the raw power of Mega Tyranitar and the cleaning potential of Sand Rush Excadrill, the team can outlast many standard offensive builds. However, I am still looking for ways to improve my matchups. This team is threatened by Ogerpon-W, Charizard, Kyreum and more. I am also very curious to hear your thoughts on whether High Horsepower is worth the accuracy drop over Earthquake to avoid the terrain nerf. Any feedback on the EV spreads or potential item changes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading my first RMT!​

 

[RhythmXcho]

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