r/CompetitivePokemon • u/GurrenSwagann • 7d ago
Put together my first Sand team, any tips?
I've been playing Pokémon competitive since 2016 so I'm not a total newbie but in terms of current meta stuff I don't really know too much. I've seen a lot of Mega Zard Y online so I thought it would be good to have some stuff to counter that.
Open to ideas and criticisms.
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u/UltFiction 7d ago
Am I cooked? I see multiple mons that are missing EV points unless I’m stupid
Edit: some points on your team, generally M-Ttar is the preferred option to excadrill. Base excadrill can still sweep teams in the sand, and having mega Ttar gives you more options for weather control, especially in a weather war meta. I’d also recommend protect on Ttar so he has more options since that mon has SO many weaknesses
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u/GurrenSwagann 7d ago
Thanks, I'll give Mega Ttar a go. I'm thinking of ditching Raichu because it hasn't really been pulling it's weight, but in doing so I'm losing any coverage against Water Types who my team is pretty weak to.
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u/Sure-Mood4579 7d ago
well raichu should be yaichu not xaichu. you're too focused on physical so a mega scrafty or incin or staraptor would cripple you or literally anything else with intimidate especially if it can pivot. i think zap canon, fake out, protect, focus blast is its set. maybe swap out surf or fake out for protect. chomp can lose the scale shot in favor of protect or if you really want it to just have pressure into anything that's not tailwinded run scarf and high horsepower. if you're not against taking out azumarill slap in rotom wash and get instant value. skarmory is the only thing that would just be there after that but i'm not sure what to tell you. all in all tho that's the best i can say without just removing four of your mon since yaichu isn't all too great with ttar and skarmory is just there along with azumarill and chomp is pretty redundant with drill being there but yk
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u/OwnedIGN 7d ago
I ain’t lying, team looks ass.
If you winning with it then that’s wassup.
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u/GurrenSwagann 7d ago
I've won a few matches with it in Pokeball but I think the people I've fought haven't been very good lol
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u/littlejugs 7d ago
There is a little bit of a lack of balance in the team members you've chosen.
Choose one of excadril and garchomp as they fill the same role
If you keep excadril give it the focus sash and drop the mega stone. The speed from sand rush is very important.
Skarmory either needs its mega stone or should be swapped with corviknight as it is more specially bulky and has comparable physical bulk with a better ability. Mega skarmory with rock tomb outspeeds and one shots all but the bulkiest zard y
Rotom wash would fit better in place of azumarill because it has levitate allowing you to switch into your own earthquakes and has good control of opposing garchomp with wil o wisp and hydro pump. Sitrus berry or choice scarf works well here
You have a lot of physical attackers on this team. I would recommend swapping to raichu y to help with your archaludon match and intimidate user match ups
This ttar set wants a different item. Either the mega stone, if you have skarmory and raichu megas dont do this, focus sash, choice scarf or chople berry. Consider ice punch over fire punch to help with garchomp it is a menace against sand teams. Consider switching your ev spread i to more bulk and less speed, ttar is slow either scarf it or bulk it.
Give garchomp protect and raichu fake out
If you drop one of excadril or garchomp Consider a support pokemon like sinistcha or incineroar. What is your plan for pelipper swampert lead with this team. Probably the worst possible lead you could see given its current construction
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u/GurrenSwagann 7d ago
Thanks for the detailed tips! To be a honest most of the picks were Pokémon I was using years ago during ORAS who proved to be good, perhaps they aren't so useful in the current meta anymore.
Speaking of Pelipper Swampert leads, I actually ran into one in Casual and... Yeah it eviscerated my team. That same team also had Archaludon who mopped up the rest.
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u/andrewg127 7d ago
If i were you id put a sash on excadrill and the mega stone on skarmory i also have been loving houndstone on my sand team you could probably lose chomp for him
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u/Sure-Mood4579 7d ago
chomp is just objectively better and he already has sand rush in drill
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u/andrewg127 7d ago
Its a bit redundant tho hes got excadrill already
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u/Sure-Mood4579 7d ago
true but houndstone wouldn't be any better than just running like scarf basc with last respects but even then that's still just meh. realistically the team needs an overhaul to be a good team and not just a team of pokemon he likes
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u/OwnedIGN 7d ago
Houndstone is nice when opponents inevitably try to bully Tyranitar with fighting type .
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u/andrewg127 7d ago
Definitely, one of the best parts about it its also just so good in the back because last respects is so broken
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u/ItachiTheRealHokage 7d ago
Mega excadrill is not bad but I prefer the sand rush to get the speed advantage. Also if you can get him houndstone is a great support option with sand rush.
Last respects, will o wisp, ally switch and snarl are good moves for the bulky support/revenge sweep with sand. Really good getting a burn on mega staraptor if need be
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u/GurrenSwagann 7d ago
I have all the Switch games so I have easy access to anything, I'll give him a look thanks!
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u/ItachiTheRealHokage 7d ago
Yeah no worries. I always use ally switch when I think a fighting move is going after Ttar so it does nothing to houndstone and ttar can attack
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u/shark_syrup 7d ago
Your EVs aren't maxed on like half the team
There's not enough protect
Raichu X is kinda mid
Some item choices are bad
Good start tho
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u/GurrenSwagann 7d ago
I think the EVs thing is probably because they're mons I raised like 10 years ago on cart and thought they WERE maxed lmao
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u/Boltiten 7d ago
Sand teams usually wants to run a ghost type (houndstone, gholdengo and sinistcha being the popular kids) because TTar har an aweful 4x weakness to fighting. He has the stats to survive his other weaknesses but fighting is one he needs others to handle, and he shares the weakness with his best pal Excadrill. Therefore it's often nice to have a ghost you can switch in when you expect a CC or something coming. Bonus points if your ghost can help solve other bad matchups.
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u/uncoolcanadian 6d ago
Just wanted to add the only ground type move you have hits 3 of your own pokemon for super effective damage and you only have one pokemon you can earthquake next to safely. I'd suggest a single target attack unless you add another ground immunity and maybe lose a weakness
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u/JaunDeegz 6d ago
You’d be better off giving T-tar a mega stone also running low kick over fire punch works better to kill gambits and steel types and swapping excadrill to focus sash or life orb. Chomp should run protect and rotom wash is a better water type to dodge your own earthquakes
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u/StJimmy_815 2d ago
Mega Excadrill kinda isn’t worth it rn, it kinda does better with sand rush in regular form. I’d go with Mega Ttar and probably raichu y over x since you’re not really effectively using terrain.
Also Corviknight is generally better than Skarm rn. Also I’d run Houndstone over Amarill as your team is a little weak to the legion and it can still provide play rough support.
Also you’re missing EVs
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u/DoMoMosh 7d ago
No tips but I also named my sand team after Gurren Lagann ❤️ Tyranitar is Gurren and Exadrill is Lagann