QC: [Minority] - [Nayrz] - [Fireburn]
GP: [Mr. Uncompetitive]
[OVERVIEW]
* Excadrill is one of the few Pokemon that are able to learn Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin and is the only one viable in Ubers.
* Ground / Steel typing is quite interesting in Ubers, resisting 7 types (including Normal and Fairy) while being immune to 2. Alas, Excadrill does not boast good defenses to really abuse it.
* Sand can be hard to maintain sometimes, as both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre can override it.
* Excadrill can act as an emergency check to Xerneas if sand is up because it's able to outspeed all of its standard sets at +2 or +3.
* While Excadrill can play around Solgaleo, Magearna, Toxapex and Lunala, the addition of Zygarde-Complete and Celesteela hurts the Sand Rush set's viability quite a bit, as Excadrill cannot really touch them without boosts.
[SET]
name: Suicide Lead
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Toxic / Rock Tomb
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Focus Sash
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is the only STAB move this set should run, being able to hit the best Pokemon in the tier (Primal Groudon) for super effective damage while also getting neutral coverage versus almost the whole tier.
* Stealth Rock is very appealing for a Mold Breaker Pokemon, as can set it up almost every game. The residual damage is very important to pressure the opposing team throughout the match.
* Toxic punish common answers to Excadrill, such as Giratina-O, Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Dragon if they try to come into it.
* Rock Tomb, however, makes for a valid spot, as it can make Pokemon such as Cloyster, Mega Salamence, and Xerneas easier to deal with if they are trying to set up while still 2HKOing Ho-Oh.
* Rapid Spin is used to get rid of entry hazards.
Set Details
========
* 252 Attack and Speed EVs paired with a Jolly nature are used for maximum power and Speed, outspeeding most support Arceus and anything up to neutral nature base 100 Speed, such as Adamant Rayquaza.
* Focus Sash is used to guarantee that Excadrill is able to, at the very least, use Stealth Rock, as its bulk is rather low.
* Mold Breaker allows Excadrill to completely ignore opposing Pokemon's abilities (bar Lunala's), thus enabling Excadrill to set up Stealth Rock versus Magic Bounce users and hit Levitate users with Earthquake.
Usage Tips
========
* Excadrill should be used as your lead most of the time, setting up Stealth Rock and possibly pressuring the opposing Pokemon with Toxic or just hitting it with Earthquake. It shouldn't, however, be used as a lead against every team archetype, as Pokemon such as Cloyster, Mega Kangaskhan, and Darkrai could all anti-lead it.
* Unlike other suicide leads, Excadrill can still be usable mid-game, as most Steel-types in the tier cannot touch Excadrill. Pokemon such as Klefki, Magearna, Bronzong, and Arceus-Steel (without Fire or Ground-type coverage) cannot 2HKO Excadrill and are all hit super effectively by Earthquake. This can ease the pressure from Xerneas, as all of those can deal with it.
* Toxic and Rock Tomb should be spammed if given the chance, as they can cripple important Pokemon on your opponent's team. For example, common defoggers are all crippled by Toxic while Rock Tomb can hit for super effective damage on most Flying-type Pokemon in the tier, severely cripping Mega Salamence, Ho-Oh, and offensive Yveltal just to name a few.
* If running Toxic, keep in mind that Mega Salamence will be able to use Excadrill as a setup fodder (specifically Refresh variants) so, therefore, answers to the Pokemon should be in the back.
Team Options
========
* Excadrill lead should be used on hyper offense archetypes, as you can save up a moveslot on important Pokemon such as Deoxys-A and Primal Groudon to run more offensive sets.
* Excadrill needs teammates that can pressure Defog users such as Giratina-O and support Arceus formes, so Pokemon such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Rayquaza are nice partners, as they can all force a 50/50 and punish the opposing teams for the wrong choice. Mega Gengar is also great, as it can be used against Mega Kangaskhan and Arceus-Normal, which Excadrill hates to play against.
* Dark-types such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark are good partners because they can take care of spinblockers such as Arceus-Ghost and Lunala.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush Drill
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide / Rapid Spin
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake hits Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Magearna, Arceus-Steel, and Solgaleo super effectively while also denting neutral targets such as Primal Kyogre and offensive Arceus formes.
* Iron Head rounds out the coverage, hitting Fairy types (specifically Xerneas) for super effective damage and still dealing nice amounts of damage to targets immune to Earthquake such as Giratina-O and Rayquaza; and the 30% flinch chance is also a plus.
* Rock Slide allows Excadrill to hit Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Mega Salamance decently hard, straight up OHKOing the former while denting the latter two. It also has a useful 30% flinch rate, which could be very gamechanging.
* Swords Dance should only be used sparingly but turns Excadrill into a sweeping machine that can even break dedicated walls with a boosted Earthquake or Iron Head.
* Rapid Spin can be used as an emergency way to clear hazards out of your field, and Excadrill does find some nice opportunities to use it, as it forces many switches.
* Substitute is great to avoid status and, more importantly, will allow Excadrill to win 1v1 versus some Celesteela's sets and non-Power Whip Ferrothorn, as they won't be able to Leech Seed it and they lack recovery outside of Leftovers but you will need to run Rock Slide in your third slot. However, Excadrill will miss either the ability to boost and possibly sweep or support your teammates with Rapid Spin, and the damage taken from Substitute, Life Orb, and hazards can wear Excadrill down very fast.
Set Details
========
* 252 Attack and Speed EVs just like the lead set as you always need to make the best out of Excadrill's respectable Speed and Attack. Jolly should be the nature of choice so that it can outspeed neutral nature base 100 Speed Pokemon outside of the sand, but Adamant gives it the raw power to 2HKO important Pokemon such as defensive Primal Kyogre, Ferrothorn, and Lunala after Stealth Rock.
* Life Orb is the preferred item, as it allows Excadrill to hit most of the tier for good damage.
* Air Balloon can be a niche option when paired with Swords Dance because Excadrill is then able to potentially use Primal Groudon (without a Fire-type move) and Arceus-Ground as setup fodder and it will not wear itself down as that fast as it would with Life Orb.
* Sand Rush turns Excadrill into a deadly sweeper with sand support, as it has a respectable base Attack and Speed and is still able to boost its Attack with Swords Dance.
Usage Tips
========
* This Excadrill, unlike the lead set, is intended to be a potential late-game sweeper, as it can muscle through and, because of Sand Rush, outspeed most of its checks in the sand; examples of note being Arceus-Normal, Xerneas, Mewtwo, Mega Gengar, and Primal Kyogre.
* However, be careful not to wear Excadrill down too fast if running Life Orb, so try to play as safe as possible, as some Pokemon may just recover the damage taken.
* If Excadrill isn't running Rock Slide, keep in mind that Ho-Oh will be able to wall it, so you need to focus on weakening it throughout the game.
* Tyranitar and Excadrill stack weaknesses to Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, although Excadrill can hit both for decent damage, so it is able to weaken them throughout the match, as they lack reliable recovery. Notwithstanding, you should have teammates that are able to deal with them.
Team Options
========
* Tyranitar is mandatory with this set, as it's the only reliable sand setter in the metagame, so this set cannot work without it. Conveniently, Tyranitar is a decent check to Ghost-types that can possibly spinblock Excadrill.
* Good answers to both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are very helpful, as even though Excadrill is able to hurt both it can't straight up OHKO them, while they both OHKO in return. Pokemon such as Giratina-O, Primal Groudon, and Arceus-Water can deal with one or both of these.
* Ho-Oh, Xerneas, and Mega Salamence are offensive options that appreciate not only the Rapid Spin support but also Excadrill's ability to get rid of Arceus-Rock, Magearna, and Klefki, while in turn they weaken some of Excadrill's checks in defensive Arceus formes, Skarmory, and Lugia. Arceus-Water also likes Rapid Spin support, as it's then able to run both Judgment and Ice Beam.
* Pokemon with a Ground immunity, such as Giratina-O and Skarmory, are nice partners, as they can all take care of Tyranitar's and Excadrill's glaring weakness to Ground-type attacks. Giratina-O is also able to emergency check Fighting-type Pokemon such as Mega Lucario and Pheromosa, which are faster than and may OHKO both Tyranitar and Excadrill
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Groundium Z is a rather nice addition to the Sand Rush set, as a 180 Base Power (before STAB) Tectonic Rage can be used to surprise most of its checks. Tectonic Rage, however, is a one-time hit and forces Excadrill to run Adamant to make up for the Life Orb loss and it would still need a boost to OHKO Pokemon such as Arceus-Water.
* Iron Head may be used in the lead set, but you are trading hitting most of the tier neutrally for hitting Fairy and Ice-types super effectively, so it's not really a good trade.
* Choice Band may be used in the Sand Rush set, but Excadrill won't be able to switch moves so Pokemon such as Flying-types could all abuse that. Choice Scarf shouldn't ever be considered because it's too weak.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Zygarde-Complete**: Physically Defensive Zygarde does not care for any of Excadrill's moves and threatens it with an OHKO, while even a Swords Dance boosted Earthquake gets only 25% chance to 2OHKO Zygarde. However, Zygarde must watch out for Tectonic Rage.
**Physical walls**: Celeestela, Lugia, defensive Yveltal, and Skarmory can take most of the damage from Excadrill and just recover the damage off, as their physical bulk is rather impressive, but both Lugia and Yveltal can be played around if Stealth Rock is up.
**Support Arceus formes**: Pokemon such as defensive Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Dragon can tank any unboosted hits from Excadrill with ease while recovering the damage taken or just threatening it with a powerful Judgment. However, they all hate Toxic and should be wary Tectonic Rage.
**Giratina-O**: As Giratina-O has access to great bulk paired with Levitate, it's able to tank some hits from and possibly cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp or deal massive damage with its STAB moves or Earthquake. However, it lacks recovery and can be worn down quickly.
**Primal Kyogre**: Defensive Primal Kyogre can take most of Excadrill's moves without a lot of effort while also overriding sand and OHKOing Excadrill with Scald. However, +2 Excadrill can muscle its way past it with little prior damage.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon faster than Excadrill can all potentially revenge kill it if sand is off; examples include, but are not limited to, Pheromosa, Jolly Primal Kyogre and Groudon, Mega Gengar, offensive Arceus formes, and Mewtwo. Pheromosa gets a special mention because it's able to outspeed Excadrill in sand with a Choice Scarf or a Beast Boost boost.
**Rayquaza**: Air Lock ignores Sand, allowing Timid Rayquaza to just outspeed and OHKO Excadrill with its coverage options, but Adamant Rayquaza is actually slower and can potentially be taken care off if it's weakened.
**Anti-leads**: Pokemon such as Cloyster, Rapid Spin Pheromosa, Mega Kangaskhan, and Darkrai can work their way versus Excadrill by either setting up, spinning its entry hazards, ignoring its sash, or putting it to sleep; therefore, second options are always necessary.
GP: [Mr. Uncompetitive]
[OVERVIEW]
* Excadrill is one of the few Pokemon that are able to learn Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin and is the only one viable in Ubers.
* Ground / Steel typing is quite interesting in Ubers, resisting 7 types (including Normal and Fairy) while being immune to 2. Alas, Excadrill does not boast good defenses to really abuse it.
* Sand can be hard to maintain sometimes, as both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre can override it.
* Excadrill can act as an emergency check to Xerneas if sand is up because it's able to outspeed all of its standard sets at +2 or +3.
* While Excadrill can play around Solgaleo, Magearna, Toxapex and Lunala, the addition of Zygarde-Complete and Celesteela hurts the Sand Rush set's viability quite a bit, as Excadrill cannot really touch them without boosts.
[SET]
name: Suicide Lead
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Toxic / Rock Tomb
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Focus Sash
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is the only STAB move this set should run, being able to hit the best Pokemon in the tier (Primal Groudon) for super effective damage while also getting neutral coverage versus almost the whole tier.
* Stealth Rock is very appealing for a Mold Breaker Pokemon, as can set it up almost every game. The residual damage is very important to pressure the opposing team throughout the match.
* Toxic punish common answers to Excadrill, such as Giratina-O, Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Dragon if they try to come into it.
* Rock Tomb, however, makes for a valid spot, as it can make Pokemon such as Cloyster, Mega Salamence, and Xerneas easier to deal with if they are trying to set up while still 2HKOing Ho-Oh.
* Rapid Spin is used to get rid of entry hazards.
Set Details
========
* 252 Attack and Speed EVs paired with a Jolly nature are used for maximum power and Speed, outspeeding most support Arceus and anything up to neutral nature base 100 Speed, such as Adamant Rayquaza.
* Focus Sash is used to guarantee that Excadrill is able to, at the very least, use Stealth Rock, as its bulk is rather low.
* Mold Breaker allows Excadrill to completely ignore opposing Pokemon's abilities (bar Lunala's), thus enabling Excadrill to set up Stealth Rock versus Magic Bounce users and hit Levitate users with Earthquake.
Usage Tips
========
* Excadrill should be used as your lead most of the time, setting up Stealth Rock and possibly pressuring the opposing Pokemon with Toxic or just hitting it with Earthquake. It shouldn't, however, be used as a lead against every team archetype, as Pokemon such as Cloyster, Mega Kangaskhan, and Darkrai could all anti-lead it.
* Unlike other suicide leads, Excadrill can still be usable mid-game, as most Steel-types in the tier cannot touch Excadrill. Pokemon such as Klefki, Magearna, Bronzong, and Arceus-Steel (without Fire or Ground-type coverage) cannot 2HKO Excadrill and are all hit super effectively by Earthquake. This can ease the pressure from Xerneas, as all of those can deal with it.
* Toxic and Rock Tomb should be spammed if given the chance, as they can cripple important Pokemon on your opponent's team. For example, common defoggers are all crippled by Toxic while Rock Tomb can hit for super effective damage on most Flying-type Pokemon in the tier, severely cripping Mega Salamence, Ho-Oh, and offensive Yveltal just to name a few.
* If running Toxic, keep in mind that Mega Salamence will be able to use Excadrill as a setup fodder (specifically Refresh variants) so, therefore, answers to the Pokemon should be in the back.
Team Options
========
* Excadrill lead should be used on hyper offense archetypes, as you can save up a moveslot on important Pokemon such as Deoxys-A and Primal Groudon to run more offensive sets.
* Excadrill needs teammates that can pressure Defog users such as Giratina-O and support Arceus formes, so Pokemon such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Rayquaza are nice partners, as they can all force a 50/50 and punish the opposing teams for the wrong choice. Mega Gengar is also great, as it can be used against Mega Kangaskhan and Arceus-Normal, which Excadrill hates to play against.
* Dark-types such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark are good partners because they can take care of spinblockers such as Arceus-Ghost and Lunala.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush Drill
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide / Rapid Spin
move 4: Swords Dance / Rapid Spin / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake hits Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Magearna, Arceus-Steel, and Solgaleo super effectively while also denting neutral targets such as Primal Kyogre and offensive Arceus formes.
* Iron Head rounds out the coverage, hitting Fairy types (specifically Xerneas) for super effective damage and still dealing nice amounts of damage to targets immune to Earthquake such as Giratina-O and Rayquaza; and the 30% flinch chance is also a plus.
* Rock Slide allows Excadrill to hit Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Mega Salamance decently hard, straight up OHKOing the former while denting the latter two. It also has a useful 30% flinch rate, which could be very gamechanging.
* Swords Dance should only be used sparingly but turns Excadrill into a sweeping machine that can even break dedicated walls with a boosted Earthquake or Iron Head.
* Rapid Spin can be used as an emergency way to clear hazards out of your field, and Excadrill does find some nice opportunities to use it, as it forces many switches.
* Substitute is great to avoid status and, more importantly, will allow Excadrill to win 1v1 versus some Celesteela's sets and non-Power Whip Ferrothorn, as they won't be able to Leech Seed it and they lack recovery outside of Leftovers but you will need to run Rock Slide in your third slot. However, Excadrill will miss either the ability to boost and possibly sweep or support your teammates with Rapid Spin, and the damage taken from Substitute, Life Orb, and hazards can wear Excadrill down very fast.
Set Details
========
* 252 Attack and Speed EVs just like the lead set as you always need to make the best out of Excadrill's respectable Speed and Attack. Jolly should be the nature of choice so that it can outspeed neutral nature base 100 Speed Pokemon outside of the sand, but Adamant gives it the raw power to 2HKO important Pokemon such as defensive Primal Kyogre, Ferrothorn, and Lunala after Stealth Rock.
* Life Orb is the preferred item, as it allows Excadrill to hit most of the tier for good damage.
* Air Balloon can be a niche option when paired with Swords Dance because Excadrill is then able to potentially use Primal Groudon (without a Fire-type move) and Arceus-Ground as setup fodder and it will not wear itself down as that fast as it would with Life Orb.
* Sand Rush turns Excadrill into a deadly sweeper with sand support, as it has a respectable base Attack and Speed and is still able to boost its Attack with Swords Dance.
Usage Tips
========
* This Excadrill, unlike the lead set, is intended to be a potential late-game sweeper, as it can muscle through and, because of Sand Rush, outspeed most of its checks in the sand; examples of note being Arceus-Normal, Xerneas, Mewtwo, Mega Gengar, and Primal Kyogre.
* However, be careful not to wear Excadrill down too fast if running Life Orb, so try to play as safe as possible, as some Pokemon may just recover the damage taken.
* If Excadrill isn't running Rock Slide, keep in mind that Ho-Oh will be able to wall it, so you need to focus on weakening it throughout the game.
* Tyranitar and Excadrill stack weaknesses to Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, although Excadrill can hit both for decent damage, so it is able to weaken them throughout the match, as they lack reliable recovery. Notwithstanding, you should have teammates that are able to deal with them.
Team Options
========
* Tyranitar is mandatory with this set, as it's the only reliable sand setter in the metagame, so this set cannot work without it. Conveniently, Tyranitar is a decent check to Ghost-types that can possibly spinblock Excadrill.
* Good answers to both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are very helpful, as even though Excadrill is able to hurt both it can't straight up OHKO them, while they both OHKO in return. Pokemon such as Giratina-O, Primal Groudon, and Arceus-Water can deal with one or both of these.
* Ho-Oh, Xerneas, and Mega Salamence are offensive options that appreciate not only the Rapid Spin support but also Excadrill's ability to get rid of Arceus-Rock, Magearna, and Klefki, while in turn they weaken some of Excadrill's checks in defensive Arceus formes, Skarmory, and Lugia. Arceus-Water also likes Rapid Spin support, as it's then able to run both Judgment and Ice Beam.
* Pokemon with a Ground immunity, such as Giratina-O and Skarmory, are nice partners, as they can all take care of Tyranitar's and Excadrill's glaring weakness to Ground-type attacks. Giratina-O is also able to emergency check Fighting-type Pokemon such as Mega Lucario and Pheromosa, which are faster than and may OHKO both Tyranitar and Excadrill
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Groundium Z is a rather nice addition to the Sand Rush set, as a 180 Base Power (before STAB) Tectonic Rage can be used to surprise most of its checks. Tectonic Rage, however, is a one-time hit and forces Excadrill to run Adamant to make up for the Life Orb loss and it would still need a boost to OHKO Pokemon such as Arceus-Water.
* Iron Head may be used in the lead set, but you are trading hitting most of the tier neutrally for hitting Fairy and Ice-types super effectively, so it's not really a good trade.
* Choice Band may be used in the Sand Rush set, but Excadrill won't be able to switch moves so Pokemon such as Flying-types could all abuse that. Choice Scarf shouldn't ever be considered because it's too weak.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Zygarde-Complete**: Physically Defensive Zygarde does not care for any of Excadrill's moves and threatens it with an OHKO, while even a Swords Dance boosted Earthquake gets only 25% chance to 2OHKO Zygarde. However, Zygarde must watch out for Tectonic Rage.
**Physical walls**: Celeestela, Lugia, defensive Yveltal, and Skarmory can take most of the damage from Excadrill and just recover the damage off, as their physical bulk is rather impressive, but both Lugia and Yveltal can be played around if Stealth Rock is up.
**Support Arceus formes**: Pokemon such as defensive Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Dragon can tank any unboosted hits from Excadrill with ease while recovering the damage taken or just threatening it with a powerful Judgment. However, they all hate Toxic and should be wary Tectonic Rage.
**Giratina-O**: As Giratina-O has access to great bulk paired with Levitate, it's able to tank some hits from and possibly cripple Excadrill with Will-O-Wisp or deal massive damage with its STAB moves or Earthquake. However, it lacks recovery and can be worn down quickly.
**Primal Kyogre**: Defensive Primal Kyogre can take most of Excadrill's moves without a lot of effort while also overriding sand and OHKOing Excadrill with Scald. However, +2 Excadrill can muscle its way past it with little prior damage.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon faster than Excadrill can all potentially revenge kill it if sand is off; examples include, but are not limited to, Pheromosa, Jolly Primal Kyogre and Groudon, Mega Gengar, offensive Arceus formes, and Mewtwo. Pheromosa gets a special mention because it's able to outspeed Excadrill in sand with a Choice Scarf or a Beast Boost boost.
**Rayquaza**: Air Lock ignores Sand, allowing Timid Rayquaza to just outspeed and OHKO Excadrill with its coverage options, but Adamant Rayquaza is actually slower and can potentially be taken care off if it's weakened.
**Anti-leads**: Pokemon such as Cloyster, Rapid Spin Pheromosa, Mega Kangaskhan, and Darkrai can work their way versus Excadrill by either setting up, spinning its entry hazards, ignoring its sash, or putting it to sleep; therefore, second options are always necessary.
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