Bloody (Sand) Stream: a Sand Rush HO team
Welcome to my first RMT. After several tries managed to get a team that actually got me past 1450 consistently and that actually aspires achieving even bigger goals, so I decided to share it with you guys and see if I can make an even stronger team. So let's go!
Introduction
HO is clearly the dominant force right now there's next to no other playstyle that is as consistent and prominent right now (well, BP is there but f*ck BP). Its cornerstone is DeoSharp, I used it for a while but it gets boring to play and is kinda formulaic, it also doesn't leave much room for teambuilding because Deoxys, Bisharp and Aegislash are of too much useful to ignore. Then sand rush teams started to pop in the high level play and I wasn't disappointed. It's the most fun I had playing this game in a while and it sure is overwhelming for your opponent.
Overview
Step by step analysis
Star Platinum (Excadrill) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
The star of the show, Excadrill is a natural born killer, he hits hard and fast, he's able to tear down almost any mon that isn't a dedicated physical wall and even those don't leave unscathed. My go to sweeper for this team. But he wouldn't be as threatening without his trustful companion Tyranitar.
Crazy Diamond (Tyranitar) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stealth Rock/Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
The sand setter. It can also run an Assault Vest but I found more success by using Smooth Rock, this way it can stay in longer without hindering too much Excadrill's sweeping capabilities under sandstorm. It also carries Stealth Rock if you're in need because, e.g. there's a Char or a Pinsir in the other team and you couldn't get to set those valuable rocks before, but Pursuit is also advised, specially against Talonflame one of the most typical situations when you'll be switching in Tyranitar. It hits hard and it can even tank a Scald from Keldeo, one of the most valuable in the team.
The World (Deoxys-Speed) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Superpower
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Psycho Boost
Mah nigg* Deo-S (please don't ban, he's a cool kid D:), He's a pretty straightforward revenge killer, while not being extremely OP as its DualScreens counterpart he's pretty good at its job, and I wouldn't pick someone else but him, its insane coverage and speed is what does the trick, and I think this team wouldn't be as half as good as it is without him, he's a bro. Superpower allows him to revenge kill damaged TTar and even though he's pretty good at being offensive people don't expect it to do damage netting easy kills on unexpecting foes.
Sticky Fingers (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind
- Secret Sword
For cleaning purposes, Keldeo is your man, or pony. Does a fantastic job at cleaning lategame and nails foes that otherwise would be great issues for the team such as Ferrothorn or Gliscor. Nukes so hard with specs that not much can switch into it safely. It can also take a Scald from other Keldeos which is really handy knowing how weak to water this team naturally is.
King Crimson (Landorus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
My go to lead, it can take care of Hazard Deoxys-S quite nicely by U-turning to Ttar. And U-turn Intimidate has so much synergy it isn't even funny. Being able to wear down and force out incredibly dangerous threats such as Char-X is really helpful and he makes a beautiful volt-turn core with the next mon in the team. I pick rocky helmet so it becomes easier to handle dangerous hard hitting threats, and it works quite nicely with Intimidate. Key at keeping up momentum which is a maximum priority when playing this team.
Gold Experience (Manectric) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower/Overheat
- Hidden Power [Ice]
It seems weird in a team that has many prominent OU threats to use what it is believed to be one of the weaker megas. But good ol' super fighting robot MegaMan holds a great use in this team. As I mentioned before this team is clearly weak to water so having an electric type is always of use and Intimidate is a great ability netting me -2 atk on a physical attaker in a single turn thanks to the amazing synergy he has with Lando-T. Its offensive prevalence and speed also work greatly with this team and I couldn't think of a better mon to hold this spot.
Strategy
This team has all the tools needed to apply insane pressure from turn 1. The plan is to go full rambo from the early game even if sacrificing a pokemon is needed you need to have the upper hand at the offense, at all costs. Also search every room possible to get the sandstorm going. The objective is straightforward, overwhelm your foe quickly and get the win.
This team has little to no weakness to stealth rocks, so spinning out those hazards with Excadrill will most of the time not be worth doing, and considering how important every turn is, you won't have time to do that most of the time.
Common weaknesses and threats
It's not really common, but Jellicent wrecks your shit mercilessly, pray not to find this guy when laddering, the same goes with Crocune since you have no phazers, they aren't exactly common so you're fine. Rotom-W is also an issue because he easily spreads burn and there is no real way to force him to switch in this team, specially if it's SpDef invested. Gliscor or Ferrothorn can be an issue in mid game if Deo-S or Keldeo are down, watch out for those. You also need to quickly identify setup sweepers, most are manageable but the difference between a win or a loss is one turn away with scary DDers, stay sharp when fighting those. Baloon Aegislashes and Excadrills can also give you a big headache if you don't play around them properly.
That's all as this team goes, nothing would make me happier than recieving criticism for this, I also hope this was of use for those trying to build a Sand Rush team.
Have a nice day!
Importable
http://pastebin.com/WwGxAukx
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