Hello and welcome to my first OU 6th gen. RMT! Here I introduce a sand-offence team featuring one of the most versatile Pokémon in this game’s history: AV Excadrill. Not only it provides Rapid Spin, but he has a lot of bulk and a surprising amount of power under his belt. Combined with his Sand Rush ability, you have a fast, multi-purpose, hard to beat Pokémon.
Sun (or rather Charizard-Y) is a really predominant playstyle right now, but Excadrill had me fall in love with sand, because it sacrifices a bit of power in favor of a lot more versatility. Also, the raw sweeping power of Mega-Tyranitar is just incredible.
But let’s take a look to the team:
AT A GLANCE:
TEAM BUILDING:
As I saw Excadrill, I wanted to use an AV set for him, because of the reasons listed before.
Mega-Tyranitar is here to set up sand and possibly mid-sweep or lategame sweep with DD.
Landorus-T provides a much-needed Fighting resistance to the team, as well as SR.
RestoChesto Rotom-W is here to deal with Talonflame and other physically offensive threats.
Breloom gives me priority and a possible winning condition.
Togekiss joins the crew as a support special wall.
After a suggestion from Uberlox, I replaced Landorus-T with Landorus-I, a more offensive SRer.
IN-DEPTH SETS:
Mr.Resetti (Excadrill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 216 HP / 248 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
I simply love Excadrill! This thing has literally a doubled set of EVs thanks to two things: AV and Sand Rush. AV lets me deal with defensive Pokémon with a fire move as coverage, as he takes NOTHING from those hits. Sand Rush and the EVs listed let me basically outspeed the entire unboosted tier while in sand. He can work as an offensive check, as well as a defensive pivot, depending on the scenario. I use him as a reliable Rapid Spinner, as he’s easily the best in this job in a Sand team. He can also work as a lategame sweeper, thanks to his awesome STABs, good coverage and a decent amount of power. In my opinion, a must in every respectable Sand team.
MOVESET:
-Rapid Spin: I’m mostly worried about stall teams and TSpikes, and Excadrill is a really reliable spinner;
-Iron Head: STAB Fairy killer, which is enough to be in his moveset. It also has that pesky 30% flinch rate. It could actually save the game sometimes;
-Earthquake: STAB, 100 Base Power, 100% accuracy. A must, period;
-Rock Slide: Sometimes I have to deal (sigh) with Talonflame and birds in general, so I need to have this coverage move against them. It provides Excadrill a nice EdgeQuake combo.
FakeDragon (Tyranitar) @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Oh Tyranitar, you’re so good this gen! This monster has a lot of potential in just one set. Remember the scary RSE DD set? This one is emulating that set, only it’s on steroids. The goal with Mega-Tyranitar is to weaken the opposing team in early game by poking them, then attempt a mid to late game sweep after setting up a DD or let the other team members do the job. This Pokémon is to be played cautiously: it’s also my sand setter, so I don’t want to lose him in the early turns. Not that it’s going to happen so easily, Tyranitar has a more than decent natural bulk, backed up by SpDef boost from sand. I chose Adamant over Jolly because when in Mega form he receives a little boost to his speed, and having max Attack provides nasty OHKOs, even at only +1.
MOVESET:
-Dragon Dance: Imagine a max Attack Banded Mega-Tyranitar also wielding a Choice Scarf, with the option of changing moves. Scary, huh? The move lets me have this abomination just in one turn of setup;
-Crunch: STAB, good starting poke against slow Psychic types, an absolute necessity for a DD sweep;
-Stone Edge: again, I’m really scared of Talonflame. I guess this move could be replaced by Rock Slide, but I like the raw power.
-Earthquake: for EdgeQuake. It lets me deal better with Charizard-X, opposing Tyranitar and some more Steel threats.
Machoman (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Psychic
(Suggested by Uberlox)
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Simply put, this is one of the best offensive Stealth Rockers of the game. At least, the best special offensive among the others that fit in a sand team. The main reasons why I put this Pokémon in the team are because of his troll speed and the raw power of his hits. His coverage moves are fantastic: they give me advantage against so many threats! I was lacking a fast special heavy hitter, and this Djinni fits absurdly well in the team, because he can cover almost anything not covered by the other team members. Fairy? Check. Grass? Check. Poison? You get the idea. Timid max Speed and max SpAtk are pretty standard. I feel that Focus Blast isn’t a necessity, mostly because Dark types are well covered by Breloom and Steel types not named Skarmory and not holding a Balloon are easy preys for Earth Power. Plus, hitting consistently is more important than not hitting, in my opinion.
MOVESET:
-Stealth Rock: Good against some scary things for my team, namely Talonflame and Charizard-Y, as well as Dnite and birds in general;
-Sludge Wave: Coverage against Fairy types and occasional pure Grass types;
-Earth Power: Even if redundant in this team, a necessity against so many threats, like Aegislash, Charizard-X, Excadrill and so on. It’s the most powerful move in Landorus-I’s arsenal;
-Psychic: Coverage move against Mega-Venusaur and Fighting types.
Xanax (Rotom-Wash) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Moving next, we have ChestoResto Rotom-W. He has so much uses he deserves a spot in this team, and an important one. It’s a hard counter for Scarf Keldeo (the thing that could ruin the entire team) as well as an excellent check to Talonflame. The beauty of this set is that, in conjunction with Togekiss’ Heal Bell he can use Rest more than once and not be a sitting duck for two turns of the match. Another cool thing is that I can fake really easily a choice set with Rotom, then cripple a potential switch in with Will-O-Wisp. A powerful defensive Pokémon, really useful at times.
MOVESET:
-Rest: Actually, more useful than Pain Split because of Heal Bell Togekiss and because Rotom-W’s already high SpAtk and useful STABs. The first time you use this in a match, though, is a joy to watch!
-Will-O-Wisp: To cripple physical attackers, obviously;
-Volt Switch: A really nice momentum grabber, it forms a good VoltTurn combo with Landorus-T;
-Hydro Pump: Raw power. A must in my opinion, because of STAB, high power and Rotom-W’s staying capabilities that permits him to miss once.
Champignon (Breloom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Everyone complaints about Talonflame (even me) and prepares his team more than enough to bare his assaults, when there’s something scarier than him in the form of a boxing champignon. Breloom is a freaking monster! He destroys stall like nothing, he gives me a much needed priority user, and he can use Spore to cripple a switch in for the rest of the match. When the opposing team has suffered some damage, Breloom can also SD and sweep with ease, courtesy of his fearsome STAB, Life Orb boosted Technician Mach Punch. He synergizes well offensively with the other team members, because Mega-Tyranitar smashes Ghost and Psychic types, Excadrill plows through Fairy and Poison types and both can deal with Flying types, thus removing the main checks for a potential Breloom sweep. In return, Breloom removes bulky Waters (Unaware Quagsire) with relative ease, thus increasing the staying power of the aforementioned Pokémon.
MOVESET:
-Spore: An opener for a sweep or a problem remover, depending on the situations. The main reason to use Breloom, honestly;
-Bullet Seed: Really consistent in power and in offensive coverage, receives several boosts from the set (Life Orb, Technician, a potential SD);
-Mach Punch: A blessing for Breloom. One of the most powerful priority moves ever, coming from a truck-heavy hitter, with awesome coverage;
-Swords Dance: The scariest of the options Breloom has in his arsenal. This move , along with Spore, turns stall into a joke to face and lets me sweep weakened teams with the just above mentioned win button.
RoadRunner (Togekiss) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SDef / 108 Spd
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Air Slash
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
And there it is, last but not least, the more-than-ever annoying Road Runner, Togekiss! The main purpose of Togekiss is to deal with Specs Keldeo, a massive problem for the team, as well as defensive Mega-Venusaur, which could prove to be a nuisance to take down. Not only that, she can pass huge wishes to his teammates and basically revive them, as well as paralyzing some fast scarfers that could ruin a sweep from Mega-Tyranitar or Excadrill. The 6th gen. has done a huge favor to Togekiss and gave him a Fairy type, so that lead Infernape can’t really touch it and so that he now quad-resists Fighting moves in general. The Speed EVs are there for a reason only: they let me hit 223 Speed, the magic number in my opinion. If you noticed, all of my Pokémon in this team have this Speed value, if not above that. “What’s the purpose on that?”, you may ask. Well, outside of outspeeding some defensive threats, it lets me know exactly what can I outspeed and what I can’t, based purely on what outsped me. And I can judge this (worst case scenario) by sacrificing a Pokémon, which is a fair price to pay, honestly.
Also, that nerve-racking ParaFlinch!
MOVESET:
-Thunder Wave: In combo with Air Slash, a gamebreaker. The more I Paralyze stuff, the more I have a chance to sweep with Mega-Ttar;
-Wish: The stall enhancer, it can be really effective if I have to rely on a specific Pokémon to win. It also allows some free switch-ins, if I can predict correctly;
-Heal Bell: To remove Sleep from Rotom-W once he has consumed his Chesto, and to remove annoying statuses from my main attackers, mainly Burns;
-Air Slash: STAB, 60% flinch rate, enhanced by TWave, with an actually decent SpAtk stat. More than enough reasons to use this move.
THREATS:
-
Specs Keldeo/SubCM Keldeo/Scarf Keldeo: Honestly, who doesn’t have a problem with these three? Scarf Keldeo is more manageable, because he hasn’t that much raw power, but the other two sets are real problems, especially if rain is up and Ttar is down. I usually try to outspeed with Excadrill or TWave it with Togekiss to Air Slash it or let Breloom do the job. SubCM Keldeo can be a major problem, but Togekiss can deal with it. Generally, the more consistent way to deal with Keldeo is to maintain the offensive pressure by my side.
-
Scarf Rotom-W: A pain, because this team is really momentum weak and Scarf Rotom-W is easily one of the best VoltTurn momentum grabber. Generally my response is based on the move he locks himself into, the main check however is Breloom, although he can’t stand more than a couple of Hydro Pumps. Trying to set up SR and sand quickly also helps.
-
SD + 3 attacks Mega-Scizor: The only check is Rotom-W, and if I lose him, it’s gg. WOWing shuts him down, but I have to be really careful when facing one of them, and I must be aware of the coverage move (Superpower is the scariest and the most common one). Excadrill in sand can help, if at high health.
REPLAYS:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-134876022
This is a demonstrative battle on how the team generally works. I don't run Earth Power on Landorus-I, that's the explanation for some of the switches one couldn't understand (I run Stealth Rock/Focus Blast/Sludge Wave/Psychic).
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-135725559
Long and close battle, featuring the current version of the team.
CONCLUSION:
And that’s all. Feel free to leave a comment, rate and use the team. It’s far from perfect, but it can be really fun to use and I enjoy battling with it. Thanks for reading!
Sun (or rather Charizard-Y) is a really predominant playstyle right now, but Excadrill had me fall in love with sand, because it sacrifices a bit of power in favor of a lot more versatility. Also, the raw sweeping power of Mega-Tyranitar is just incredible.
But let’s take a look to the team:
AT A GLANCE:
TEAM BUILDING:
As I saw Excadrill, I wanted to use an AV set for him, because of the reasons listed before.
Mega-Tyranitar is here to set up sand and possibly mid-sweep or lategame sweep with DD.
Landorus-T provides a much-needed Fighting resistance to the team, as well as SR.
RestoChesto Rotom-W is here to deal with Talonflame and other physically offensive threats.
Breloom gives me priority and a possible winning condition.
Togekiss joins the crew as a support special wall.
After a suggestion from Uberlox, I replaced Landorus-T with Landorus-I, a more offensive SRer.
IN-DEPTH SETS:
Mr.Resetti (Excadrill) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 216 HP / 248 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
I simply love Excadrill! This thing has literally a doubled set of EVs thanks to two things: AV and Sand Rush. AV lets me deal with defensive Pokémon with a fire move as coverage, as he takes NOTHING from those hits. Sand Rush and the EVs listed let me basically outspeed the entire unboosted tier while in sand. He can work as an offensive check, as well as a defensive pivot, depending on the scenario. I use him as a reliable Rapid Spinner, as he’s easily the best in this job in a Sand team. He can also work as a lategame sweeper, thanks to his awesome STABs, good coverage and a decent amount of power. In my opinion, a must in every respectable Sand team.
MOVESET:
-Rapid Spin: I’m mostly worried about stall teams and TSpikes, and Excadrill is a really reliable spinner;
-Iron Head: STAB Fairy killer, which is enough to be in his moveset. It also has that pesky 30% flinch rate. It could actually save the game sometimes;
-Earthquake: STAB, 100 Base Power, 100% accuracy. A must, period;
-Rock Slide: Sometimes I have to deal (sigh) with Talonflame and birds in general, so I need to have this coverage move against them. It provides Excadrill a nice EdgeQuake combo.
FakeDragon (Tyranitar) @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Oh Tyranitar, you’re so good this gen! This monster has a lot of potential in just one set. Remember the scary RSE DD set? This one is emulating that set, only it’s on steroids. The goal with Mega-Tyranitar is to weaken the opposing team in early game by poking them, then attempt a mid to late game sweep after setting up a DD or let the other team members do the job. This Pokémon is to be played cautiously: it’s also my sand setter, so I don’t want to lose him in the early turns. Not that it’s going to happen so easily, Tyranitar has a more than decent natural bulk, backed up by SpDef boost from sand. I chose Adamant over Jolly because when in Mega form he receives a little boost to his speed, and having max Attack provides nasty OHKOs, even at only +1.
MOVESET:
-Dragon Dance: Imagine a max Attack Banded Mega-Tyranitar also wielding a Choice Scarf, with the option of changing moves. Scary, huh? The move lets me have this abomination just in one turn of setup;
-Crunch: STAB, good starting poke against slow Psychic types, an absolute necessity for a DD sweep;
-Stone Edge: again, I’m really scared of Talonflame. I guess this move could be replaced by Rock Slide, but I like the raw power.
-Earthquake: for EdgeQuake. It lets me deal better with Charizard-X, opposing Tyranitar and some more Steel threats.
Machoman (Landorus) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Def
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Psychic
(Suggested by Uberlox)
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Simply put, this is one of the best offensive Stealth Rockers of the game. At least, the best special offensive among the others that fit in a sand team. The main reasons why I put this Pokémon in the team are because of his troll speed and the raw power of his hits. His coverage moves are fantastic: they give me advantage against so many threats! I was lacking a fast special heavy hitter, and this Djinni fits absurdly well in the team, because he can cover almost anything not covered by the other team members. Fairy? Check. Grass? Check. Poison? You get the idea. Timid max Speed and max SpAtk are pretty standard. I feel that Focus Blast isn’t a necessity, mostly because Dark types are well covered by Breloom and Steel types not named Skarmory and not holding a Balloon are easy preys for Earth Power. Plus, hitting consistently is more important than not hitting, in my opinion.
MOVESET:
-Stealth Rock: Good against some scary things for my team, namely Talonflame and Charizard-Y, as well as Dnite and birds in general;
-Sludge Wave: Coverage against Fairy types and occasional pure Grass types;
-Earth Power: Even if redundant in this team, a necessity against so many threats, like Aegislash, Charizard-X, Excadrill and so on. It’s the most powerful move in Landorus-I’s arsenal;
-Psychic: Coverage move against Mega-Venusaur and Fighting types.
Xanax (Rotom-Wash) @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Moving next, we have ChestoResto Rotom-W. He has so much uses he deserves a spot in this team, and an important one. It’s a hard counter for Scarf Keldeo (the thing that could ruin the entire team) as well as an excellent check to Talonflame. The beauty of this set is that, in conjunction with Togekiss’ Heal Bell he can use Rest more than once and not be a sitting duck for two turns of the match. Another cool thing is that I can fake really easily a choice set with Rotom, then cripple a potential switch in with Will-O-Wisp. A powerful defensive Pokémon, really useful at times.
MOVESET:
-Rest: Actually, more useful than Pain Split because of Heal Bell Togekiss and because Rotom-W’s already high SpAtk and useful STABs. The first time you use this in a match, though, is a joy to watch!
-Will-O-Wisp: To cripple physical attackers, obviously;
-Volt Switch: A really nice momentum grabber, it forms a good VoltTurn combo with Landorus-T;
-Hydro Pump: Raw power. A must in my opinion, because of STAB, high power and Rotom-W’s staying capabilities that permits him to miss once.
Champignon (Breloom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Swords Dance
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
Everyone complaints about Talonflame (even me) and prepares his team more than enough to bare his assaults, when there’s something scarier than him in the form of a boxing champignon. Breloom is a freaking monster! He destroys stall like nothing, he gives me a much needed priority user, and he can use Spore to cripple a switch in for the rest of the match. When the opposing team has suffered some damage, Breloom can also SD and sweep with ease, courtesy of his fearsome STAB, Life Orb boosted Technician Mach Punch. He synergizes well offensively with the other team members, because Mega-Tyranitar smashes Ghost and Psychic types, Excadrill plows through Fairy and Poison types and both can deal with Flying types, thus removing the main checks for a potential Breloom sweep. In return, Breloom removes bulky Waters (Unaware Quagsire) with relative ease, thus increasing the staying power of the aforementioned Pokémon.
MOVESET:
-Spore: An opener for a sweep or a problem remover, depending on the situations. The main reason to use Breloom, honestly;
-Bullet Seed: Really consistent in power and in offensive coverage, receives several boosts from the set (Life Orb, Technician, a potential SD);
-Mach Punch: A blessing for Breloom. One of the most powerful priority moves ever, coming from a truck-heavy hitter, with awesome coverage;
-Swords Dance: The scariest of the options Breloom has in his arsenal. This move , along with Spore, turns stall into a joke to face and lets me sweep weakened teams with the just above mentioned win button.
RoadRunner (Togekiss) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SDef / 108 Spd
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Air Slash
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
And there it is, last but not least, the more-than-ever annoying Road Runner, Togekiss! The main purpose of Togekiss is to deal with Specs Keldeo, a massive problem for the team, as well as defensive Mega-Venusaur, which could prove to be a nuisance to take down. Not only that, she can pass huge wishes to his teammates and basically revive them, as well as paralyzing some fast scarfers that could ruin a sweep from Mega-Tyranitar or Excadrill. The 6th gen. has done a huge favor to Togekiss and gave him a Fairy type, so that lead Infernape can’t really touch it and so that he now quad-resists Fighting moves in general. The Speed EVs are there for a reason only: they let me hit 223 Speed, the magic number in my opinion. If you noticed, all of my Pokémon in this team have this Speed value, if not above that. “What’s the purpose on that?”, you may ask. Well, outside of outspeeding some defensive threats, it lets me know exactly what can I outspeed and what I can’t, based purely on what outsped me. And I can judge this (worst case scenario) by sacrificing a Pokémon, which is a fair price to pay, honestly.
Also, that nerve-racking ParaFlinch!
MOVESET:
-Thunder Wave: In combo with Air Slash, a gamebreaker. The more I Paralyze stuff, the more I have a chance to sweep with Mega-Ttar;
-Wish: The stall enhancer, it can be really effective if I have to rely on a specific Pokémon to win. It also allows some free switch-ins, if I can predict correctly;
-Heal Bell: To remove Sleep from Rotom-W once he has consumed his Chesto, and to remove annoying statuses from my main attackers, mainly Burns;
-Air Slash: STAB, 60% flinch rate, enhanced by TWave, with an actually decent SpAtk stat. More than enough reasons to use this move.
THREATS:
-
-
-
REPLAYS:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-134876022
This is a demonstrative battle on how the team generally works. I don't run Earth Power on Landorus-I, that's the explanation for some of the switches one couldn't understand (I run Stealth Rock/Focus Blast/Sludge Wave/Psychic).
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-135725559
Long and close battle, featuring the current version of the team.
CONCLUSION:
And that’s all. Feel free to leave a comment, rate and use the team. It’s far from perfect, but it can be really fun to use and I enjoy battling with it. Thanks for reading!
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