[OVERVIEW]
Lycanroc fits on sand offense as a Sand Rush sweeper. Under sand, it easily outspeeds some of the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, including Choice Scarf users like Passimian, Rotom-C, and Heliolisk. Coverage like Close Combat and Psychic Fangs means that Lycanroc beats offensive Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Toxicroak, and it also threatens a good chunk of the defensive metagame like Talonflame, Copperajah, and Xatu with its overall offensive toolkit. However, Lycanroc won't sweep so long as there are physically bulky Pokemon and Ground-types left that can tank its hits, like Mudsdale, Silvally-Ground, and Doublade. Lycanroc's general frailty also makes safely getting it in difficult, as well as its reliance on Gigalith for activating Sand Rush. On top of requiring sand, Lycanroc also relies on Life Orb, Stone Edge, and Swords Dance for sweeping, making it heavily conditional and unreliable in the long term as a sweeper if it misses or lacks setup opportunities.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Psychic Fangs / Accelerock
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Close Combat hits Steel-types like Copperajah and Stakataka and is the strongest neutral attack for most Ground-types. Psychic Fangs nails Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak. Otherwise, Accelerock is great for finishing sweeps even when sand expires. Life Orb is necessary for wallbreaking: with it, Lycanroc OHKOes Copperajah and 2HKOes Vaporeon.
Gigalith and Sandslash complete a sand team core along with Lycanroc. Gigalith also provides Stealth Rock, and Sandslash is used to sweep alongside Lycanroc as they both wear down shared checks like Mudsdale and Vaporeon. Pivots help bring Lycanroc in safely after sand is set, so try the likes of offensive ones like Decidueye and Dragalge as well as defensive examples such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Alolan Exeggutor. Decidueye and Dragalge are also great at breaking holes in the opponent’s defenses so that Lycanroc may sweep, while the other three are necessary for when Lycanroc is forced out by a healthy Ground-type. The former three pivots also help against Fighting-types, as otherwise Lycanroc requires significant chip damage before it can take out Passimian and Sirfetch'd with Psychic Fangs.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Lum Berry facilitates Swords Dance usage against status spreaders like Talonflame and Weezing, but this advantage is less important than the wallbreaking perks of Life Orb. Choice Band forgoes setup for some extra strength, though it is unlikely for Lycanroc to clean if locked into a single attack. Crunch hits Ghost-types like Golurk and Doublade that resist Stone Edge and is used if the team cannot check these threats elsewhere.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Silvally-Ground, Mudsdale, Golurk, and Quagsire all stop Lycanroc sweeps and switch into Stone Edge without an issue.
**Revenge Killers**: If sand is gone, then faster attackers like Starmie and Choice Scarf Passimian will revenge kill Lycanroc. Even with sand present, bulkier attackers like Guzzlord, Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Tsareena are capable of surviving an unboosted hit from full and OHKOing in retaliation.
**Physical Walls**: Outside of Weezing, Doublade, and the prior Ground-types, most physically bulky Pokemon cannot afford switching into Stone Edge. However, walls like Vileplume and Vaporeon still deter Swords Dance usage and can force out Lycanroc given a safe switch in.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Togkey, 400664]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
Lycanroc fits on sand offense as a Sand Rush sweeper. Under sand, it easily outspeeds some of the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, including Choice Scarf users like Passimian, Rotom-C, and Heliolisk. Coverage like Close Combat and Psychic Fangs means that Lycanroc beats offensive Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Toxicroak, and it also threatens a good chunk of the defensive metagame like Talonflame, Copperajah, and Xatu with its overall offensive toolkit. However, Lycanroc won't sweep so long as there are physically bulky Pokemon and Ground-types left that can tank its hits, like Mudsdale, Silvally-Ground, and Doublade. Lycanroc's general frailty also makes safely getting it in difficult, as well as its reliance on Gigalith for activating Sand Rush. On top of requiring sand, Lycanroc also relies on Life Orb, Stone Edge, and Swords Dance for sweeping, making it heavily conditional and unreliable in the long term as a sweeper if it misses or lacks setup opportunities.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Psychic Fangs / Accelerock
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Close Combat hits Steel-types like Copperajah and Stakataka and is the strongest neutral attack for most Ground-types. Psychic Fangs nails Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak. Otherwise, Accelerock is great for finishing sweeps even when sand expires. Life Orb is necessary for wallbreaking: with it, Lycanroc OHKOes Copperajah and 2HKOes Vaporeon.
Gigalith and Sandslash complete a sand team core along with Lycanroc. Gigalith also provides Stealth Rock, and Sandslash is used to sweep alongside Lycanroc as they both wear down shared checks like Mudsdale and Vaporeon. Pivots help bring Lycanroc in safely after sand is set, so try the likes of offensive ones like Decidueye and Dragalge as well as defensive examples such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Alolan Exeggutor. Decidueye and Dragalge are also great at breaking holes in the opponent’s defenses so that Lycanroc may sweep, while the other three are necessary for when Lycanroc is forced out by a healthy Ground-type. The former three pivots also help against Fighting-types, as otherwise Lycanroc requires significant chip damage before it can take out Passimian and Sirfetch'd with Psychic Fangs.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Lum Berry facilitates Swords Dance usage against status spreaders like Talonflame and Weezing, but this advantage is less important than the wallbreaking perks of Life Orb. Choice Band forgoes setup for some extra strength, though it is unlikely for Lycanroc to clean if locked into a single attack. Crunch hits Ghost-types like Golurk and Doublade that resist Stone Edge and is used if the team cannot check these threats elsewhere.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Silvally-Ground, Mudsdale, Golurk, and Quagsire all stop Lycanroc sweeps and switch into Stone Edge without an issue.
**Revenge Killers**: If sand is gone, then faster attackers like Starmie and Choice Scarf Passimian will revenge kill Lycanroc. Even with sand present, bulkier attackers like Guzzlord, Sirfetch'd, Machamp, and Tsareena are capable of surviving an unboosted hit from full and OHKOing in retaliation.
**Physical Walls**: Outside of Weezing, Doublade, and the prior Ground-types, most physically bulky Pokemon cannot afford switching into Stone Edge. However, walls like Vileplume and Vaporeon still deter Swords Dance usage and can force out Lycanroc given a safe switch in.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Togkey, 400664]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
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