Hey folks! It's Giyu with another Monotype team I've been working on. It's a pretty basic Ground-type team but it's been really good on ladder and is easy to use. As always I appreciate any feedback and criticism on the team so without further ado, I present Lost in the Desert.
Hippowdon is an indispensable part of Ground-type teams, it's ability to set sand is very beneficial for weather control against rain and in particular greatly supports Excadrill. It has also has very nice bulk and utility options making it a very valuable part of this team.
As mentioned earlier, Hippowdon's ability to set sand aids Excadrill's ability to revenge kill possible threats to the team. Being part Steel-type allows it take neutral damage from Grass- and Ice-type attacks which are otherwise potent against Ground.
Gastrodon's ability provides a crucial Water-type immunity for the team and it's solid bulk allows it to take hits on switch in. Access to proper recovery and the move Toxic, it's able to wall some noteworthy sweepers.
Nidoking is an excellent wallbreaker that checks troublesome physical walls with its amazing coverage. The ability to remove Toxic Spikes is also very nice so locking into Rapid Spin on Excadrill isn't necessary.
Ground-type teams have an obvious Ice-type weakness which Mamoswine is there for, Thick Fat is extremely useful on this team as it allows Mamoswine to be a switch in for Ice- and Fire-type moves. Mamoswine is wallbreaks special walls with ease and has access to priority.
Ground-type teams often struggle with Grass-types which Landorus-Therians has a neutrality to. Landorus-T being part Flying-type can be a reliable switch in against Ground-type attacks for Excadrill and Nidoking. I specifically chose the Bulk Up set due to it being incredibly hard to break with physical attackers.
Hippowdon @ Eject Button
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
Hippowdon primarily serves as a sand setter for Excadrill and and a bulky utility Pokemon. Stealth Rock is great for waring down Pokemon getting switched in to ease wallbreaking with Nidoking and Mamoswine. Earthquake is a powerful option for STAB to wear down Pokemon with the help of sand tick. Slack Off is Hippowdon's most viable recovery move which allows it to set sand more in the game. Whirlwind is able to force Pokemon that setup to switch and it works great in conjunction with Stealth Rock and sand. 252 HP and 128 Defense EV investments and Impish nature allow Hippowdon to take on phsyical attackers with minor effort and 128 Special Defense allows Hippowdon survive Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and Grass Knot from Tapu Koko. Eject Button is a great way to pivot into Excadrill by swapping in Hippowdon first to setup sand and get some cheeky revenge kills.
Excadrill @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
- Rapid Spin
Excadrill is an extremely potent revenge killer in sand and with it's incredibly high attack stat it's even able to wallbreak. Iron Head gives the team coverage for Ice- and Fairy-types, it's also good for neutral damage since it's STAB. Earthquake is what makes Excadrill extremely dangerous because of the high base power and STAB. X-Scissor is primarily for coverage against Grass-types but it can also check Dark- and Psychic-types. Rapid Spin is the team's only method hazard control except Nidoking's ability to absorb Toxic Spikes. The EV investments chosen make sure Excadrill is the fastest and strongest it can be with Adamant nature.
Gastrodon-East @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastrodon is this teams Water-type immunity. It provides decent bulk so it's a reliable switch in for sponging hits. Earth Power is primarily there so Gastrodon isn't that passive and can do consistent damage. Toxic allows Gastrodon to stall out Pokemon with Recover and Leftovers recovery. Scald fishes for burns making physical attackers less threatening towards the team. Recover is for consistent recovery and Toxic stall when needed. I chose these EV investments to balance out Gastrodon's high Special Defense and slightly lower Defense. Leftovers provide consistent recovery throughout the turns, this can preserve the PP on Recover throughout the game.
Nidoking @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
Nidoking is this team's Special wallbreaker, with it's superb coverage and sheer power it's able to check many Defensive walls that Mamoswine and Excadrill struggle with. Ice Beam is great for predicting switches into Ice- and Grass-types. Flamethrower is primarily for Ferrothorn and other Steel-types that are immune or neutral to Earth Power. Earth Power is Nidoking's STAB move which does a lot of damage, it even has a chance of lowering Special Defense for easier wallbreaking. Thunderbolt is for Water-types mainly but can also be used for Flying-types when needed. The EVs chosen maximize Nidokings wallbreaking potential by maximizing Speed and Special Attack with a Timid nature. Life Orb is the most common held item for Nidoking as it provides amazing damage boosts but also allows Nidoking to switch between its 4 coverage moves.
Mamoswine @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Superpower
Mamoswine is an excellent Physical wallbreaker, especially with access to almost unresisted coverage and incredibly high Attack. Earthquake is Mamoswine's most powerful STAB move which just does a lot of damage in general whether it's super effective or not. Superpower is primarily for opposing Ice-types and Ferrothorn. Icicle Crash has a chance of flinching the target and hits Flying-types which Earthquake can't. Ice Shard is Mamoswine's priority move which can be really useful in situations. 252 Attack and 252 Speed allows Mamoswine to be the fastest and strongest it can be with Jolly nature. Choice Band makes it an even better wallbreaker and powers up Ice Shard which is pretty weak without it.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 60 SpD / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Bulk Up
- Earthquake
- Gravity
- Substitute
Bulk Up Landorus-T is a powerful setup sweeper that's really hard to break with Physical attackers. Bulk Up increases Landorus-T's Attack but also its Defensive bulk which is why it's really hard to check after some setup. Earthquake is pretty self explanatory as it's the most powerful STAB move it has access to. Substitute prevents Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Amoonguss from using Leech Seed and Spore, it also allows Landorus-T to use them as setup fodder. Gravity is very important because it permits Earthquake hitting Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate. The EV spread allows Landorus-T's Substitute to not be broken by Amoonguss' Giga Drain or Foul Play, and it also outspeeds Choice Band Victini at -1 speed after using V-Create, Scizor, and Aegislash. Leftovers is Landorus-T's only way of recovery so it's required to recover from the Substitute recoil.
I've had huge success with this team and I believe it's worth using. I definitely appreciate any feedback whatsoever so I can keep improving with my teambuilding, if anyone has any comments about the team please share!
Gastrodon is this team's only Water-type immunity meaning that when it gets checked, this team can't do anything against Water-types specifically Urshifu-R which pressures Gastrodon with Fighting-type moves. Keeping Gastrodon alive is also pretty hard, especially if the opposing team is Water-type there is going to be a Pokemon with coverage for Gastrodon.
Ice-types specifically Kyurem is incredibly dangerous due to Freeze-Dry being 4x super effective against Gastrodon. Mamoswine and sand rush Excadrill are Kyurem's only really good counters due to Excadrill being too slow out of sand and everything else being weak to Ice-type moves.
Powerful Grass-type attackers such as Zarude, Rillaboom, and Tapu Bulu can also pressure the team greatly because Landorus-T and Nidoking can't withstand their hits throughout the match. Rillaboom is especially scary due to Grassy Glide's priority. Setup sets are even worse due to nothing being able to cancel out the terrain.
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