[OVERVIEW]
- astronomical base 135 atk along with great coverage and an Speed that lets it get the jump on most of the metagame makes it a premiere threat in DOU
- is one of the metagame's most dangerous threats by far with sand rush, the combination of instant speed and raw power making it very adept at seizing initiative, wreaking havoc, and even cleaning up weakened teams
- mold breaker variants, though not as overwhelming, are great at picking apart opposing teams, especially considering a common check to in rotom formes now get sMASHED
- its bulk isn't half bad either, with 110 HP lifting its paltry defenses to give it passable bulk
- is arguably the best pokemon in taking advantage of dynamax
- power = helps get kills
- boosts = help defensively, specifically handy for letting exca go ham for longer
- subsceptible to speed control, can be a bit reliant on its speed (sand rush variant to a lesser degree ofc)
- though Rock Slide in tandem with a spread attacking partner can stop a set, it really does have to watch out for TR
- intimidate, burns, and drops from common-enough dragons can be aNNOYING ;_;
- def has to watch out for bulky waters as well as Corv cuz they hella annoyin
name: Sand Rush Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: High Horsepower / Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
- Iron Head and HH are STAB, EQ if you have enough ground resists on your team to get away with it is an option
- Rock Slide to cover and potentially even hit harder some Steel resists that float like Rotom formes, Zard, and Gyara
- Protect.
- Max Max, Adamant maximizes offenses while still working well in conjunction with sand rush; Jolly can be handy for guaranteeing that, in even conditions, you outrun stuff like Rotom formes and Gyarados + helps vs Adamant Arcs and possibly the mirror
- LO = power, Sash for some more conservative playing
Usage Tips
========
- its ability to provide easy speed in sand, paired with its destructive power, makes it a great way of applying instant pressure to opposing teams
- great lead early-game to quickly seize the initiative, the strength of its attacks being handy in breaking
- by mid- to late-game, with checks weakened or removed, excadrill in sand can become a nasty cleaner
- don't overestimate Exca's bulk with its HP stat, it's actually quite frail
- utilizing offensive pressure and nabbing KOs is ultimately how Exca can protect itself and continue to do its job
- don't squander its potential by being overly ambitious and overextending, switch out when necessary
- be wary of opposing speed control options; whimsicott is often a key target in matchups against (sunny day, tailwind) it as well as pelipper (preserving Tar can be a key element)
- dynamaxing Excadrill can provide great returns as it pushes for KOs as well as preserves Exca thx to the doubled HP and boosts from Max Quake and Max Steelspike
- can be useful when just pushing for devastating chip as it functions as a defensive option for teammates as well
========
- Tyranitar; sets sands and checks flyings (kind of), a half decent tr check; u need this 100% or dont even bother
- things that can beat intim guys arc and gyara; rotom-w, pult can do it, among others
- anti-waters / anti-rain: rotom-w, rotom-c, gyarados can get it poppin with whip
- corviknight checks: arcanine, rotoms, puly
- check to opposing excadrill because sand is inherently weak to itself lmao; corv, rotom-w
- Things that float if u want to use EQ; Braviary in particular is cool because it has Defiant
name: Mold Breaker Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: High Horsepower / Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
- Iron Head and HH are STAB, EQ if you have enough ground resists on your team to get away with it is an option
- rock slide to smash Flying-types like zard, brav, and gyara
- Protect!
- Max Max to maximize offensive potential
- Jolly lets outrun as much as you can, getting the jump on Gyarados and non-Scarf Rotoms
- Adamant can be used to for more power, but losing out on the aforementioned threats can be quite fatal, with this set's ability to check Rotoms being a key point to running it in the first place
- Focus Sash is handy for letting exca stay in and push its value in situations where it'd be otherwise put out such as against faster foes, though LO is also quite valuable for the sheer power that it can bring
========
- This Excadrill variant is more of a nuanced pick, aiming to utilize its powerful attacking coverage to break down opposing squads in a more subdued role in its team
- fits best on teams that would really appreciate the added firepower without having to resort to a dedicated Sand build
- Make sure to give Exca as much safe attacking chances as it can
- position Excadrill well to break opposing teams down; its above average speed that lets it get the jump on a handy majority of the meta should prove quite useful for this
- still, it can still get blown up by the likes of Arcanine and Pult, and opposing speed control can also stifle any attempts to be on the offensive; make sure to pack speed control to give Exca both a safety net as well as a way to comfortably break down faster threats
- when using Sash, don't be afraid to leverage it; Exca can be useful as a panic check to threatening foes should u be on the backfoot, its innate power making it often capable of KOing in retaliation and abating a possible offensive
- dynamaxing this guy can be a good idea when going on the offensive to push for KOs lol, though defensive intentions for the boosts from Max Quake and Max Steelspike are also ok
========
- Speed Control is v imp
- Tailwind from the likes of Whims, Brav, and Corv
- Max Airstream: Gyara, Brav
- Thunder Wave from Grimmsnarl ig
- Things that can beat Intimdiators, with Arc in particular also capable of smashing Exca; Rotom-W, Pult
- Corv checks: Rotoms and Pult
- find a way to check sand because opposing exca is a menace: corv, gyara, rotoms
- floaters if u want to EQ (rotoms dont count)
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- AV; can have satanic bulk if dynamaxed
- X-Scissor, Max Flutterby
- WP lmao
- Choice Scarf
- Lum
- SD
===================
**Attack Reduction**: Arcanine, Gyarados / Rotom formes if not MB / Pult and Hydrei can Wyrmwind Exca into irrelevance ;_;
**Corviknight**: Walled lol, it's a strong mon vs sand in general
**Water-types**: obvious reasons... Dracovish, Gyarados, Rotom-W if not MB
**Ground-types**: Rhyp devours, Exca vs Exca is always funny, and Gastro can tank and then some.
**Faster Attackers**: exca can easily have its average bulk exposed by faster attackers; the likes of Arc, Pult, and Hydrei can give it the business. opposing attackers boosted by airstream or tailwind from cott can also prove to be problematic.
**Trick Room**: Exca values its speed in particular so yeah; can get obliterated by Torkoal and Rhyp which are typically present in these dedicated TR builds as well
**Opposing Weather**: Sand Rush Exca loses some of its luster in particular vs Sunny Day Whims and Rain, missing out on the speed boost as well as having a bad matchup against the typical attackers of the styles that utilize opposing weather
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Memoric, 215000]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
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