Sandslash Revamp
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so old school
Note: There is a heck of a lot of bold in here. I do ask that you read the two analyses together though. I bolded even the most minor of changes, and a lot of these are just re-wording the current one to be more specific or clear. I mean, I literally bolded something I was saying the exact same thing, just in a different way. That actually accounts for about half of it. Like I said, I like the writing style of the current one, and I wouldn't want to change it too much. It's not as drastic as it first appears.
<p>Sandslash is a Pokemon riddled with very exploitable weaknesses. With pitiful Speed and Special Defense stats, as well as a rather small offensive movepool, it's completely natural to reject the idea of using Sandslash in OU initially. However, with its Dream World ability—Sand Rush—Sandslash becomes a notable threat in the OU metagame. Being a Ground-type, Sandslash has access to a decent movepool, passable bulk on the physical side, and impeccable coverage in the celebrated EdgeQuake combination. Moreover, Sandslash's access to Rapid Spin allows it to serve as a fearsome offensive Rapid Spinner for Sand teams. Sandslash's movepool, notably Swords Dance and Rapid Spin, give it strong reasons to be used over the faster and bulkier Stoutland, who also has access to Sand Rush.</p>
<p>Despite all of its mentioned perks, Sandslash is by no means invincible. There are many, many Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a tight situation, usually through means of harping on its average offenses, feeble Special Defense stat, and / or inability to outpace a few notable threats after a Sand Rush boost. Additionally, Sandslash is much less of a team player than other Pokemon, as changing the weather makes it very slow and vulnerable. Proper team support and, more importantly, patience, are necessary when using Sandslash.</p>
[All I did was change the wording in a couple places for clarity's sake. I gave Stoutland its own sentence, because player should at least get a brief idea of what the advantages of each are.]
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Rapid Spin / X-Scissor
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Sandslash can pull off a Swords Dance set similar in playstyle to Excadrill's to great success. After the activation of Sand Rush, Sandslash can reach a Speed stat as high as 502, giving it the ability to easily outpace and subsequently KO many of the more offensively oriented Pokemon in OU. The above choice of moves is ideal for Sandslash if it's to be used in OU. Swords Dance is the crux of this set, quickly boosting Sandslash's Attack stat to threatening levels. When backed by a Swords Dance boost, Sandslash is even capable of powering through some of OU's premier walls, which is something that Stoutland occasionally struggles with. Earthquake, being Sandslash's strongest STAB option, is capable of blasting through many of OU's grounded inhabitants while Stone Edge nails most of what resists or is immune to Earthquake. Rapid Spin helps Sandslash maintain pressure on more defensive teams and gives it the ability to greatly support its own team; however, X-Scissor lets Sandslash power through bulky Psychic-types that take little or no damage from Earthquake, such as Celebi and Latias. Make the moveset choices which best accommodate your team.</p>
<p>The recommended EV spread is one that aims to simply give Sandslash as much speed and power as possible. With a Jolly nature, Sandslash is able to outpace the majority of the metagame under Sand, everything up to and including Choice Scarf Garchomp. A Jolly nature also enables Sandslash to serve as a potent revenge-killer, KOing threats such as Scarf Thundurus-T, as well as Volcarona after a Quiver Dance, and Salamence, Dragonite, and Gyarados after a Dragon Dance. However, do note that Stealth Rock will be necessary for some of these KOes. Using an Adamant nature on this set is a perfectly acceptable choice, as it allows Sandslash to serve as a superior Rapid Spinner. For example, a +2 Earthquake from Adamant Sandslash will almost always KO Jellicent after Stealth Rock, while Jolly Sandslash will fail to do so most of the time. Just beware that with an Adamant nature, Sandslash's revenge-killing capabilities will be severely handicapped, as it can now be out-sped by Choice Scarf Landorus-T and everything faster.</p>
[I put more emphasis on Sandslash's ability to revenge-kill, because that is it's best role in my experience. I removed Rock Slide, and am going to put it into OO. I have calcs showing why Rock Slide is not a good move for revenge-killing, because it requires a fair bit of prior damage on most of the threats you would use it against. I moved Adamant nature out of the main set, but I think I gave it a fair shake in that it lets Sandslash beat Jellicent. That said, I bet QC will move Adamant back into the main set, and it's you guys' call.]
[Additional Comments]
<p>Life Orb is recommended as the item of choice here as the power it gives to Sandslash is needed to muscle through some of OU's premier defensive Pokemon. Jellicent and 4/0 Breloom, for example, can be OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted +2 Earthquake. If Sandslash's longevity is of more importance than its damage output, then running Leftovers instead can be a viable choice. Leftovers will serve Sandslash well if its role on the team is primarily its ability to Rapid Spin, as it will allow him to come in and Spin more times throughout the match. However, Sandslash's Attack is not superb, and you may find that Sandslash is constantly losing out on KOs without a Life Orb to compensate. If Sandslash's lifespan is truly of great concern, then Wish support may be a better way to keep it healthy. Teammates exist for a reason; make use of the other five slots that Sandslash will be accompanied by.</p>
<p>Due to Sandslash's reliance on sandstorm being up and difficulty getting around physical walls, Tyranitar makes a superb partner for it. Tyranitar, with either a mixed or Choice Band set, can take out most of the Pokemon that give Sandslash problems while setting up a permanent sandstorm. If Sandslash is not using Rapid Spin, then it will attract many common users of Spikes and Stealth Rock, such as Skarmory, Forretress, and Hippowdon. This makes packing another user of Rapid Spin or Magic Bounce a very beneficial move, particularly Xatu for its longevity with Roost and its ability to go toe-to-toe with the Grass-types which can plague Sandslash. Gothitelle can trap and KO pretty much everything that Sandslash normally has trouble with, including Skarmory and Gliscor (which otherwise wall Sandslash hoplelessly), and especially Ninetales and Politoed, preventing them from crippling Sandslash with their respective weather. Another excellent trapping partner is Magnezone, which can easily remove Skarmory, Forretress, or Ferrothorn, all of which are obstacles to a Sandslash sweep. Bulky Pokemon that resist Grass- or Water-type moves, such as Latias, Latios, Kyurem-B, or even Grass-types themselves, make superb partners for Sandslash, freely switching into Sandslash's weaknesses. Sandslash functions very well on offensive sand-based teams for obvious reasons; however, do keep in mind that a non-Choiced revenge-killer with Rapid Spin is also very valuable for bulky offense teams. Generally though, when Sandslash is not Spinning, it should be played rather conservatively in the earlier stages of a match, not going for risky moves until late in the game, when its threats have been snuffed out and planned against. Simply keep up the pressure until a path has been paved for Sandslash to ram through the opposing team. Patience is key to using this Sandslash.</p>
[I removed Lum Berry. Not to quote myself, but Jirachi and Jellicent (being the examples from the old analysis) shouldn't ever get the chance to status you. Jirachi, because you OHKO it anyway and out-speed in Sand. Jellicent, because Scald will straight-up kill your Sandslash, forget the possible burn. I added Leftovers, because if Sandslash is going to be a dedicated Spinner, they help a lot. I know it looks like there is a lot of bold and a lot of changes happening, but read the old analysis. Half of what I'm doing is simply emphasis on certain aspects.]
[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately for Sandslash, its movepool is pretty dry, leaving it very few options to use. Like Excadrill, Sandslash can use Rock Slide over Stone Edge for a more reliable Rock-type attack. But Rock Slide's lower power often means it will fail to KO many of the threats it would be used against. Thundurus-T, for example, is KOed handily by Stone Edge, while Rock Slide requires it to have taken Stealth Rock damage. Dragonite and Salamence, two prominent sweepers, can be KOed by Stone Edge after Stealth Rock, but not by Rock Slide. With access to Stealth Rock, Super Fang, and Rapid Spin, Sandslash is capable of running a defensive set. However, Sandslash's terrible bulk on the special side often makes such a set difficult to run. Additionally, Donphan is able to run almost the same set, but with more bulk, more power, and the utility of Roar. Because of these attributes, Sandslash is poorly suited for such a set.</p>
<p>All of Sandslash's good move options have already been discussed, but its movepool goes on. Night Slash can be used for a super effective hit against Gengar when Sandslash lacks any boosts, but a +2 Stone Edge already does more than enough damage to quickly dispose of it. As far as other items go, Sandslash can use Soft Sand for the purpose of powering up its already strong Earthquake without the recoil of Life Orb. However, Sandslash's middling Attack stat once again rears its ugly head, and Stone Edge will find itself missing KOs without the power boost of Life Orb. Lum Berry is the only other item worth considering. It allows Sandslash to set up a Swords Dance on Jirachi without worrying about paralysis, and it means that Specially Defensive Sableye can no longer beat Sandslash. Unfortunately, most other status-spreaders (such as Jellicent or Specially Defensive Heatran) are still able to defeat Sandslash by harking on its other weaknesses.</p>
[I took out Return from here. It worked for Excadrill because Excadrill didn't need SE coverage: he was a powerhouse. But Sandslash is always going to want to be using a STAB or a super-effective move to account for his relatively low power, so Return just doesn't cut it. Sandslash already has 4MSS, and I honestly can never think of a scenario where Sandstorm would be useful to have. That's why I removed it. Lastly, I took out to SpD mention about Celebi. With X-Scissor, you OHKO Celebi. Without X-Scissor, you can't touch Celebi. So when is Celebi getting a chance to Giga Drain you again?]
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Foremost, changing the weather will effectively neuter Sandslash, quickly changing it into a slow, minor threat. Physical walls and sponges obviously work very well against Sandslash. Gliscor, Skarmory, bulky Rotom-W, and Landorus-T are just some examples of Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a sticky situation. Although it's not particularly bulky, Breloom's resistances to Earthquake and Stone Edge make it a great choice to combat Sandslash, retaliating with Bullet Seed or Spore. Sandslash also has some excellent counters in the lower tiers. Slowbro, Tangrowth, and Bronzong are able to tank hits from Sandslash all day and bring it down. It's also worth noting that Sandslash, while extremely fast in a sandstorm, can still be outpaced by a small portion of OU, namely Choice Scarf Latios and Keldeo, and OHKOed by the appropriate move. Though some physically based Choice Scarf users, such as Terrakion, are able to outspeed Sandslash, they must be careful because Sandslash can survive a hit and OHKO them in return if it is above 70%. Priority attacks are also useful for stopping a Sandslash sweep, but Sandslash's physical bulk means that it can shrug most of them off, the exceptions being those from Mamoswine, Choice Band Scizor or Dragonite, and Azumarill, and even these fail to KO Sandslash from full health. In the end, checking Sandslash will boil down to exploiting its mediocre offensive stats. Don't be intimidated by Sandslash's Speed stat as, with the appropriate Pokemon, it can be swiftly brought down through calm and intelligent play.</p>
[I mostly made this more relevant to what you actually see in OU. ie, Scarf Keldeo > Scarf Starmie, and Tangrowth's friends being mentioned as being in lower tiers.]
[Overview]
<p>Sandslash is a Pokemon riddled with very exploitable weaknesses. With pitiful Speed and Special Defense stats, as well as a rather small offensive movepool, it's completely natural to reject the idea of using Sandslash in OU initially. However, with its Dream World ability—Sand Rush—Sandslash becomes a notable threat in the OU metagame. Being a Ground-type, Sandslash has access to a good physical movepool, passable bulk, and impeccable coverage in the celebrated EdgeQuake combination. Moreover, Sandslash can use Rapid Spin to great success—a feat which gives Sandslash even more of a reason to be used over its Sand Rush rival, Stoutland.</p>
<p>Despite all of its mentioned perks, Sandslash is by no means invincible. There are many, many Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a tight situation, usually through means of harping on its average offenses, feeble Special Defense stat, and / or inability to outpace a few notable threats after a Sand Rush boost. Proper team support and, more importantly, patience, are necessary when using Sandslash.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Rapid Spin / X-Scissor
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Sandslash can pull off a Swords Dance set similar in playstyle to Excadrill's to great success. After the activation of Sand Rush, Sandslash can reach a Speed stat as high as 502, giving it the ability to easily outpace and subsequently KO many of the more offensively oriented Pokemon in OU. The above choice of moves is ideal for Sandslash if it's to be used in OU. Swords Dance is the crux of this set, quickly boosting Sandslash's Attack stat to threatening levels. When backed by a Swords Dance boost, Sandslash is even capable of powering through some of OU's premier walls, which is something that Stoutland occasionally struggles with. Earthquake, being Sandslash's strongest STAB option, is capable of blasting through many of OU's grounded inhabitants while Stone Edge nails most of what resists or is immune to Earthquake. The use of Rock Slide in the place of Stone Edge will give Sandslash more reliable KOs on Volcarona, Salamence, and Thundurus-T, but the drop in power is clearly noticeable. However, the lack of power can be made up for in Rock Slide's flinch rate; very resilient Pokemon, namely Skarmory, will have a tough time getting past the potential flinch hax. Rapid Spin helps Sandslash maintain pressure on more defensive teams and gives it the ability to greatly support its own team; however, X-Scissor lets Sandslash power through bulky Psychic-types that take little or no damage from Earthquake, such as Celebi and Latias. It's important to note that even without Rapid Spin, Sandslash brings a lot of utility to its team due to being a potent revenge killer. Make the moveset choices which best accommodate your team.</p>
<p>The recommended EV spread is one that aims to simply give Sandslash as much speed and power as possible. With a Jolly nature, Sandslash can outpace many threatening Choice Scarf users such as Thundurus-T and KO them with the appropriate attack. A Jolly nature also ensures that Sandslash will be able to revenge kill all variants of Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona if they manage to net a single Speed boost from Dragon Dance or Quiver Dance, respectively. An Adamant nature is still a possibility on this Sandslash set as the power may come to be of use.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Life Orb is recommended as the item of choice here as the power it gives to Sandslash is needed to muscle through some of OU's premier defensive Pokemon. Jellicent and 4/0 Breloom, for example, can be OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted +2 Earthquake (though, keep in mind that said KOs are much easier to attain with an Adamant nature; if Sandslash is using a Jolly nature instead, it will very often fall short). If Sandslash's longevity is of more importance than its damage output, then running a Lum Berry instead of Life Orb could be greatly beneficial. With a Lum Berry, Sandslash can afford to stay in on many defensive Pokemon, such as Jellicent and Jirachi, without much worry of being crippled by status. On a similar note, try to stay away from using Leftovers. Leftovers, while tempting to use alongside Sandslash's fine physical bulk, is nowhere close to being as useful as a Lum Berry or Life Orb. If Sandslash's lifespan is truly that much of a concern, then use Wish support. Teammates exist for a reason; make use of the other five slots that Sandslash will be accompanied by.</p>
<p>Due to Sandslash's reliance on sandstorm being up and difficulty getting around physical walls, Tyranitar makes a superb partner for it. Tyranitar, with either a mixed or Choice Band set, can take out most of the Pokemon that give Sandslash problems while setting up a permanent sandstorm. If Sandslash is not using Rapid Spin, then it will attract many common users of Spikes and Stealth Rock, such as Skarmory, Forretress, and Hippowdon. This makes packing a user of Rapid Spin or Magic Bounce, particularly Xatu for its greater longevity, a very beneficial move. Gothitelle can trap and KO pretty much everything that Sandslash normally has trouble with, making it a fine choice as well if there's room for it on Sandslash's team. Sandslash functions very well on offensive sand-based teams for obvious reasons; however, do keep in mind that a non-Choice item using revenge killer with Rapid Spin is also very valuable for stall and bulky offense teams. Generally though, Sandslash should be played rather conservatively in the earlier stages of a match, not going for risky moves until its threats have been snuffed out and planned against. Simply keep up the pressure until a path has been paved for Sandslash to ram through the opposing team. Patience is key to using this Sandslash.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately for Sandslash, its movepool is pretty dry, leaving it very few options to use. Like Excadrill, Sandslash can use Return for very good neutral coverage; Return also hits Flying-types and Levitating targets much more reliably than Stone Edge. With access to Stealth Rock, potent revenge killing capability granted by Sand Rush, and Super Fang, Sandslash can run a defensive set. However, running such a set will only waste Sandslash's potential, not to mention that other bulky Pokemon, such as Landorus-T, Donphan and Forretress, greatly outclass defensive Sandslash. Night Slash can be used for a similar reason against Gengar, but Stone Edge already does more than enough damage to quickly dispose of it. Sandslash can also make use of the move Sandstorm as a clutch method of maintaining weather control while also setting up a sweep for itself. Don't take this option too seriously though, as Sandslash will have a lot of trouble fitting Sandstorm onto the recommended set. As far as other items go, Sandslash can use Soft Sand for the purpose of powering up its already strong STAB Earthquake without the recoil of Life Orb.</p>
<p>It's possible to adjust the given spread to your liking as Sandslash could potentially benefit from the added bulk. For example, removing 28 EVs from Sandslash's Speed to outpace everything up to and including positive Speed natured Choice Scarf Hydreigon and moving them to Sandslash's Special Defense allows Sandslash to always survive defensive Celebi's Giga Drain. Feel free to experiment with Sandslash's EV spread, but keep note that Sandslash will more often than not be better off with maxed out Speed and Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Foremost, changing the weather will effectively neuter Sandslash, quickly changing it into a slow, minor threat. Physical walls and sponges obviously work very well against Sandslash. Gliscor, Skarmory, bulky Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Tangrowth are just some examples of Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a sticky situation. It's also worth noting that Sandslash, while extremely fast in a sandstorm, can still be outpaced by a good portion of OU, namely Choice Scarf Latios and Starmie, and OHKOed by the appropriate move. Though, physically based Choice Scarf users, such as Terrakion and Mienshao, must be careful because Sandslash, if left healthy, can survive a hit and OHKO them in return. Priority attacks are also useful against stopping a Sandslash sweep, but Sandslash has to have been weakened a bit beforehand before it can be revenge KOed by then. In the end, checking Sandslash will boil down to exploiting its mediocre offensive stats. Don't be intimidated by Sandslash's Speed stat as, with the appropriate Pokemon, it can be swiftly brought down through calm and intelligent play.</p>
<p>Sandslash is a Pokemon riddled with very exploitable weaknesses. With pitiful Speed and Special Defense stats, as well as a rather small offensive movepool, it's completely natural to reject the idea of using Sandslash in OU initially. However, with its Dream World ability—Sand Rush—Sandslash becomes a notable threat in the OU metagame. Being a Ground-type, Sandslash has access to a good physical movepool, passable bulk, and impeccable coverage in the celebrated EdgeQuake combination. Moreover, Sandslash can use Rapid Spin to great success—a feat which gives Sandslash even more of a reason to be used over its Sand Rush rival, Stoutland.</p>
<p>Despite all of its mentioned perks, Sandslash is by no means invincible. There are many, many Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a tight situation, usually through means of harping on its average offenses, feeble Special Defense stat, and / or inability to outpace a few notable threats after a Sand Rush boost. Proper team support and, more importantly, patience, are necessary when using Sandslash.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Rapid Spin / X-Scissor
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Sandslash can pull off a Swords Dance set similar in playstyle to Excadrill's to great success. After the activation of Sand Rush, Sandslash can reach a Speed stat as high as 502, giving it the ability to easily outpace and subsequently KO many of the more offensively oriented Pokemon in OU. The above choice of moves is ideal for Sandslash if it's to be used in OU. Swords Dance is the crux of this set, quickly boosting Sandslash's Attack stat to threatening levels. When backed by a Swords Dance boost, Sandslash is even capable of powering through some of OU's premier walls, which is something that Stoutland occasionally struggles with. Earthquake, being Sandslash's strongest STAB option, is capable of blasting through many of OU's grounded inhabitants while Stone Edge nails most of what resists or is immune to Earthquake. The use of Rock Slide in the place of Stone Edge will give Sandslash more reliable KOs on Volcarona, Salamence, and Thundurus-T, but the drop in power is clearly noticeable. However, the lack of power can be made up for in Rock Slide's flinch rate; very resilient Pokemon, namely Skarmory, will have a tough time getting past the potential flinch hax. Rapid Spin helps Sandslash maintain pressure on more defensive teams and gives it the ability to greatly support its own team; however, X-Scissor lets Sandslash power through bulky Psychic-types that take little or no damage from Earthquake, such as Celebi and Latias. It's important to note that even without Rapid Spin, Sandslash brings a lot of utility to its team due to being a potent revenge killer. Make the moveset choices which best accommodate your team.</p>
<p>The recommended EV spread is one that aims to simply give Sandslash as much speed and power as possible. With a Jolly nature, Sandslash can outpace many threatening Choice Scarf users such as Thundurus-T and KO them with the appropriate attack. A Jolly nature also ensures that Sandslash will be able to revenge kill all variants of Salamence, Haxorus, and Volcarona if they manage to net a single Speed boost from Dragon Dance or Quiver Dance, respectively. An Adamant nature is still a possibility on this Sandslash set as the power may come to be of use.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Life Orb is recommended as the item of choice here as the power it gives to Sandslash is needed to muscle through some of OU's premier defensive Pokemon. Jellicent and 4/0 Breloom, for example, can be OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted +2 Earthquake (though, keep in mind that said KOs are much easier to attain with an Adamant nature; if Sandslash is using a Jolly nature instead, it will very often fall short). If Sandslash's longevity is of more importance than its damage output, then running a Lum Berry instead of Life Orb could be greatly beneficial. With a Lum Berry, Sandslash can afford to stay in on many defensive Pokemon, such as Jellicent and Jirachi, without much worry of being crippled by status. On a similar note, try to stay away from using Leftovers. Leftovers, while tempting to use alongside Sandslash's fine physical bulk, is nowhere close to being as useful as a Lum Berry or Life Orb. If Sandslash's lifespan is truly that much of a concern, then use Wish support. Teammates exist for a reason; make use of the other five slots that Sandslash will be accompanied by.</p>
<p>Due to Sandslash's reliance on sandstorm being up and difficulty getting around physical walls, Tyranitar makes a superb partner for it. Tyranitar, with either a mixed or Choice Band set, can take out most of the Pokemon that give Sandslash problems while setting up a permanent sandstorm. If Sandslash is not using Rapid Spin, then it will attract many common users of Spikes and Stealth Rock, such as Skarmory, Forretress, and Hippowdon. This makes packing a user of Rapid Spin or Magic Bounce, particularly Xatu for its greater longevity, a very beneficial move. Gothitelle can trap and KO pretty much everything that Sandslash normally has trouble with, making it a fine choice as well if there's room for it on Sandslash's team. Sandslash functions very well on offensive sand-based teams for obvious reasons; however, do keep in mind that a non-Choice item using revenge killer with Rapid Spin is also very valuable for stall and bulky offense teams. Generally though, Sandslash should be played rather conservatively in the earlier stages of a match, not going for risky moves until its threats have been snuffed out and planned against. Simply keep up the pressure until a path has been paved for Sandslash to ram through the opposing team. Patience is key to using this Sandslash.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately for Sandslash, its movepool is pretty dry, leaving it very few options to use. Like Excadrill, Sandslash can use Return for very good neutral coverage; Return also hits Flying-types and Levitating targets much more reliably than Stone Edge. With access to Stealth Rock, potent revenge killing capability granted by Sand Rush, and Super Fang, Sandslash can run a defensive set. However, running such a set will only waste Sandslash's potential, not to mention that other bulky Pokemon, such as Landorus-T, Donphan and Forretress, greatly outclass defensive Sandslash. Night Slash can be used for a similar reason against Gengar, but Stone Edge already does more than enough damage to quickly dispose of it. Sandslash can also make use of the move Sandstorm as a clutch method of maintaining weather control while also setting up a sweep for itself. Don't take this option too seriously though, as Sandslash will have a lot of trouble fitting Sandstorm onto the recommended set. As far as other items go, Sandslash can use Soft Sand for the purpose of powering up its already strong STAB Earthquake without the recoil of Life Orb.</p>
<p>It's possible to adjust the given spread to your liking as Sandslash could potentially benefit from the added bulk. For example, removing 28 EVs from Sandslash's Speed to outpace everything up to and including positive Speed natured Choice Scarf Hydreigon and moving them to Sandslash's Special Defense allows Sandslash to always survive defensive Celebi's Giga Drain. Feel free to experiment with Sandslash's EV spread, but keep note that Sandslash will more often than not be better off with maxed out Speed and Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Foremost, changing the weather will effectively neuter Sandslash, quickly changing it into a slow, minor threat. Physical walls and sponges obviously work very well against Sandslash. Gliscor, Skarmory, bulky Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Tangrowth are just some examples of Pokemon that can place Sandslash in a sticky situation. It's also worth noting that Sandslash, while extremely fast in a sandstorm, can still be outpaced by a good portion of OU, namely Choice Scarf Latios and Starmie, and OHKOed by the appropriate move. Though, physically based Choice Scarf users, such as Terrakion and Mienshao, must be careful because Sandslash, if left healthy, can survive a hit and OHKO them in return. Priority attacks are also useful against stopping a Sandslash sweep, but Sandslash has to have been weakened a bit beforehand before it can be revenge KOed by then. In the end, checking Sandslash will boil down to exploiting its mediocre offensive stats. Don't be intimidated by Sandslash's Speed stat as, with the appropriate Pokemon, it can be swiftly brought down through calm and intelligent play.</p>
