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Intro
Hello, dropping a team I really like as an RMT, but moreso it is to feature the style I think is broken, which is Sand HO. I went 5-2 with it in WCOP and SPL, and I really think I could have went 7-0 with better play. Either way, I think this style is very dominant.
Sand HO
Sand HO is great because it fixes all the problems I find in traditional HO. Suicide leads means that HOs have a very rigid structure and gameplan: Lead the same Pokemon 95% of the time. You can pretty much have an algorithm, not only on lead, but also on entire gameplay, for HO for every single matchup — something impossible to do for any other style. Because traditional HO is just too simple. This causes it to be static: you lead one thing most of the time, you have 1-2 support mons to ensure the team has utility (rocks, screens, healing wish, etc.), and then you hope your 3 or so sweepers can, well, sweep. It's very matchup fishy and way too rigid. There is no fluidity; no dynamic gameplay. The other issue is that it is pretty weak to taunt and reverse sweeps. Reverse sweeps are a big bane to HO as the right Volcarona/Serperior/Dragonite/Bisharp/Cloyster etc. sets can often win games on the spot since HO doesn't run defensive answers and overly relies on momentum.
Sand HO fixes that problem because it provides a couple of things: Sand Rush Excadrill provides incredible speed control. Guarantees spinning almost always, can be useful in setting up rocks faster than taunt, is a great revenge killer, AND can be used to clean games itself versus a weakened team. Tyranitar can give pursuit support which allows some mons to run greedier sets (non ice beam manaphy or non bug buzz volcarona since they can worry less about Latias). Finally, it provides sand chip which can often be very crucial in securing kills or 2HKOs on enemy Pokemon.
RNG Positvity
Most teams are either RNG neutral or negative. Meaning, you have to hit focus blasts, leaf storms, hydro pumps, hurricanes, will-o-wisps, and stone edges. Of course, some of this is unavoidable. But with Sand HO, I try to tip the balances in my favor as much as possible. Iron Head / Rock Slide flinches, paralysis chances which are abused by substitute users, and a mix of both (paraflinch). This gives the team more outs, and can turn bad matchups into winnable ones with a little bit of hax - which the team tries to give you as many chances to get lucky as possible.
Note
I'm far from the originator of this idea or specific team. I merely took what my predecessors gave me and attuned it. Similar versions have been used in the past. I also do not think I have perfected it, but I would like to think I have optimized it quite a bit.
The Team
Doctor Wu @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Atk / 68 Def / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Superpower / Fire Blast (with Brave Nature)
The Calamity starter. Tyranitar provides the team with 8 turns of sand that give Excadrill and Garchomp (and Mega) huge advantage. It provides a valuable dark resist, and provides important pursuit support for troublesome walls such as Cresselia and Mega Latias that give Mega Garchomp a hard time. Brazillian Tyranitar is used because the team in general functions in way to maximize RNG and to take advantage of paralysis.
Moves: There is no Rock Slide or Crunch on this set. This is because Thunder Wave is more useful. Fire Blast can be used and it does help into Skarmory. So can Rock Slide especially for Zapdos. I prefer this the most to guarantee rocks on Excadrill.
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Def allows Tyranitar to live 2 Icicle Crashes from Weavile from full without rocks being up. The rest is put into attack with a jump point to provide good pursuit damage and Superpower chip on steel types. The rest after the jump point is put into speed for Clefable.
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 248 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 169-201 (41.9 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Paisely Park @ Light Clay
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Glare / Taunt
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Leaf Storm
Serperior on this team is screens to allow for the slower-than-normal HO. The team is slower than Weavile and Mega Lopunny without sand up, for example. If Mega Alakazam traces Sand Rush, it can be a big problem. Screens helps mitigate how slow the team is by giving great bulk.
Moves: Glare is used over Taunt once again to spread more paralysis, helping the team with more speed control and potential to abuse paralysis with substitute. However, Taunt can still be used as Defog Zapdos can be quite annoying without Rock Slide Tyranitar.
EVs: Maximizes both bulks while allowing Serperior to live Fake Out + HJK from Jolly Mega Lopunny without Sand chip.
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Fake Out vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Serperior: 70-84 (19.7 - 23.7%) -- possible 5HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Serperior: 229-270 (64.6 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Soft & Wet @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Timid Manaphy is a great tool on teams that do not fear the stall matchup. Outspeeding Excadrill is huge to keep rocks off, and outspeed the recent surge in 303 speed tier makes max speed Manaphy a mon that can outspeed 3-4 Pokemon from the enemy team on average. Everything else is pretty standard. I do not believe this can be substitute, as Energy Ball is really needed for Volcanion (which is very annoying for the team), and Ice Beam is needed for grass types (which also annoy the team).
EVs: 4 SpD instead of Def for Thundurus and Serperior.
Speed King @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 32 HP / 60 Atk / 56 Def / 108 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin / Rock Slide
- Iron Head / Rock Slide
- Earthquake
As mentioned previously, Sand Rush Excadrill is an essential glue to this team. It allows Excadrill to revenge kill even +1 sweepers, gives it an oppurtinity to be a late-game cleaner or an early-game hole puncher, and potentially act as a suicide rapid spinner if the situation demands it. Leftovers is preferred over Air Balloon in this particular team because this Excadrill is not utility, and Leftovers keeps it healthy which is helpful versus spike stack teams, slower fat teams, and also to keep it out of range of certain common moves.
Moves: Rapid Spin to me is slightly preferrable as the team can struggle into spikes and tspikes otherwise. Iron Head is also slightly preferrable as Clefable can be annoying. However, Rock Slide is very legitimate and can always be considered.
EVs: 32 HP provides a Leftovers jump point. 32 HP / 108 SpD live a Focus Blast from Thundurus from full. 32 HP / 56 Def live a Knock Off from Weavile from full. 252 Spe for max speed, and the rest in Attack with an Adamant nature for maximum power. If using Rock Slide over Rapid Spin, can dumb the SpD and Def into Atk.
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 32 HP / 56 Def Excadrill: 312-367 (84.5 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Thundurus Focus Blast vs. 32 HP / 108 SpD Excadrill: 312-368 (84.5 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Wonder of U @ Garchompite
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 192 HP / 92 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide / Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Garchomp is great because it is an absolute stall destroyer. Similar to the recent discovery of Mega Gallade being bulky rather than max attack, I feel like I have achieved the same with Mega Garchomp. Mega Garchomp does not need much attack investment as it is already a huge stat, especially with Swords Dance and Sand. On the other hand, it really needs the speed and bulk, as many Pokemon outspeed it and threaten an OHKO especially with its lost speed when it mega evolves. Note that is often better to keep Garchomp un-mega'd to fish for Sand Veil or to keep the speed up. Alongside substitute and paralysis, Sand Veil has good chances for a free turn.
With improved defenses post mega evolevolution [SpD (85 -> 95), Def (95 -> 115)], Substitute is a great move as not many Pokemon can break it. That is compounded greatly by screens and pre-mega sand veil chances or even mind games (Ex: Mega Lopunny less likely to go for HJK).
Moves: Rock Slide is great in sand. It is used over Stone Edge for more consistency and less volatility. Meaning, less chances to miss and more flinch chances, especially combined with paralysis and sand veil. If sand is up, it turns out most 2HKOs and OHKOs stay the same and the loss of power is not felt. Dragon Claw can be used to hit things like Gliscor, Rotom, and Latias harder, but I prefer Rock Slide for Skarmory.
EVs: 192 HP gives Garchomp 101 subs pre or post mega. 224 Speed with a Jolly nature achieve 303 speed, and 276 with an Adamant nature. Two very important speed benchmarks and both valid for this team. Another valid option is going max speed to reach 311, faster than Jolly Landorus post-mega, and faster than Max speed base 100s pre-mega. The rest is put into attack for breaking power.
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 71-84 (17.5 - 20.7%) -- possible 5HKO
0 SpA Tornadus-Therian Hurricane vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 73-87 (18 - 21.4%) -- possible 5HKO
200 SpA 30 IVs Serperior Leaf Storm vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 80-94 (19.7 - 23.2%) -- possible 5HKO
Chansey Seismic Toss vs. 192 HP Garchomp: 100-100 (24.6 - 24.6%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
252+ Atk Black Glasses Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp through Reflect: 87-103 (21.4 - 25.4%) -- 0.4% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp through Reflect: 90-106 (22.2 - 26.1%) -- 9.5% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp-Mega through Reflect: 91-108 (22.4 - 26.6%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO (Break sub)
252 SpA Volcanion Steam Eruption vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp-Mega through Light Screen: 93-111 (22.9 - 27.4%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable in Sand: 414-487 (105 - 123.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Sand: 135-159 (40.4 - 47.6%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 176+ Def Slowbro in Sand: 339-399 (86 - 101.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Zapdos: 300-354 (78.3 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Zapdos in Sand: 392-462 (102.3 - 120.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire in Sand: 189-223 (47.9 - 56.5%) -- 35.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
King Nothing (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 24 HP / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
Nasty Plot Thundurus is already an insane Pokemon to deal with. Turns out, it can often drop Focus Blast without too much trouble. This is especially true with Screens + Substitute allowing Thundurus to take advantage of certain Pokemon that Focus Blast is needed for usually. For example, Toxic Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and non-Roar SpD Heatran to name a few. With screens, Thundurus can have its Substitute withstand the likes of Clefable, Tornadus, and Serperior, extending its longevity on the field. Defiant was considered over Prankster to bluff something such as Superpower early on, but Prankster Substitute is very useful in many situations, and in fact did come up in my SPL replay. In tests, there were games won because Life Orb recoil or sand chip killing the enemy Pokemon despite being faster.
Moves: Substitute + Nasty Plot is very nasty on Thundurus as it forces many switches. With screens, Substitute can withstand some small moves that typically chip Thundurus like Knock Off, Fake Out, and Volt Switch.
EVs: 24 HP provides a Leftovers jump point. It also achieves some slightly better calcs in certain situations.
16+ Atk Technician Scizor-Mega Bullet Punch vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus: 69-81 (22.6 - 26.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Landorus-Therian Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus through Reflect: 65-76 (21.3 - 24.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO (Break Sub)
0 Atk Gliscor Facade (140 BP) vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus through Reflect: 65-76 (21.3 - 24.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Heatran Lava Plume vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 65-77 (21.3 - 25.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 63-75 (20.6 - 24.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA 30 IVs Venusaur-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 69-81 (22.6 - 26.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Doctor Wu @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Atk / 68 Def / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Superpower / Fire Blast (with Brave Nature)
The Calamity starter. Tyranitar provides the team with 8 turns of sand that give Excadrill and Garchomp (and Mega) huge advantage. It provides a valuable dark resist, and provides important pursuit support for troublesome walls such as Cresselia and Mega Latias that give Mega Garchomp a hard time. Brazillian Tyranitar is used because the team in general functions in way to maximize RNG and to take advantage of paralysis.
Moves: There is no Rock Slide or Crunch on this set. This is because Thunder Wave is more useful. Fire Blast can be used and it does help into Skarmory. So can Rock Slide especially for Zapdos. I prefer this the most to guarantee rocks on Excadrill.
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Def allows Tyranitar to live 2 Icicle Crashes from Weavile from full without rocks being up. The rest is put into attack with a jump point to provide good pursuit damage and Superpower chip on steel types. The rest after the jump point is put into speed for Clefable.
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 248 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 169-201 (41.9 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Paisely Park @ Light Clay
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Glare / Taunt
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Leaf Storm
Serperior on this team is screens to allow for the slower-than-normal HO. The team is slower than Weavile and Mega Lopunny without sand up, for example. If Mega Alakazam traces Sand Rush, it can be a big problem. Screens helps mitigate how slow the team is by giving great bulk.
Moves: Glare is used over Taunt once again to spread more paralysis, helping the team with more speed control and potential to abuse paralysis with substitute. However, Taunt can still be used as Defog Zapdos can be quite annoying without Rock Slide Tyranitar.
EVs: Maximizes both bulks while allowing Serperior to live Fake Out + HJK from Jolly Mega Lopunny without Sand chip.
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Fake Out vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Serperior: 70-84 (19.7 - 23.7%) -- possible 5HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Serperior: 229-270 (64.6 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Soft & Wet @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Timid Manaphy is a great tool on teams that do not fear the stall matchup. Outspeeding Excadrill is huge to keep rocks off, and outspeed the recent surge in 303 speed tier makes max speed Manaphy a mon that can outspeed 3-4 Pokemon from the enemy team on average. Everything else is pretty standard. I do not believe this can be substitute, as Energy Ball is really needed for Volcanion (which is very annoying for the team), and Ice Beam is needed for grass types (which also annoy the team).
EVs: 4 SpD instead of Def for Thundurus and Serperior.
Speed King @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 32 HP / 60 Atk / 56 Def / 108 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin / Rock Slide
- Iron Head / Rock Slide
- Earthquake
As mentioned previously, Sand Rush Excadrill is an essential glue to this team. It allows Excadrill to revenge kill even +1 sweepers, gives it an oppurtinity to be a late-game cleaner or an early-game hole puncher, and potentially act as a suicide rapid spinner if the situation demands it. Leftovers is preferred over Air Balloon in this particular team because this Excadrill is not utility, and Leftovers keeps it healthy which is helpful versus spike stack teams, slower fat teams, and also to keep it out of range of certain common moves.
Moves: Rapid Spin to me is slightly preferrable as the team can struggle into spikes and tspikes otherwise. Iron Head is also slightly preferrable as Clefable can be annoying. However, Rock Slide is very legitimate and can always be considered.
EVs: 32 HP provides a Leftovers jump point. 32 HP / 108 SpD live a Focus Blast from Thundurus from full. 32 HP / 56 Def live a Knock Off from Weavile from full. 252 Spe for max speed, and the rest in Attack with an Adamant nature for maximum power. If using Rock Slide over Rapid Spin, can dumb the SpD and Def into Atk.
252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 32 HP / 56 Def Excadrill: 312-367 (84.5 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Thundurus Focus Blast vs. 32 HP / 108 SpD Excadrill: 312-368 (84.5 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Wonder of U @ Garchompite
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 192 HP / 92 Atk / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Rock Slide / Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Garchomp is great because it is an absolute stall destroyer. Similar to the recent discovery of Mega Gallade being bulky rather than max attack, I feel like I have achieved the same with Mega Garchomp. Mega Garchomp does not need much attack investment as it is already a huge stat, especially with Swords Dance and Sand. On the other hand, it really needs the speed and bulk, as many Pokemon outspeed it and threaten an OHKO especially with its lost speed when it mega evolves. Note that is often better to keep Garchomp un-mega'd to fish for Sand Veil or to keep the speed up. Alongside substitute and paralysis, Sand Veil has good chances for a free turn.
With improved defenses post mega evolevolution [SpD (85 -> 95), Def (95 -> 115)], Substitute is a great move as not many Pokemon can break it. That is compounded greatly by screens and pre-mega sand veil chances or even mind games (Ex: Mega Lopunny less likely to go for HJK).
Moves: Rock Slide is great in sand. It is used over Stone Edge for more consistency and less volatility. Meaning, less chances to miss and more flinch chances, especially combined with paralysis and sand veil. If sand is up, it turns out most 2HKOs and OHKOs stay the same and the loss of power is not felt. Dragon Claw can be used to hit things like Gliscor, Rotom, and Latias harder, but I prefer Rock Slide for Skarmory.
EVs: 192 HP gives Garchomp 101 subs pre or post mega. 224 Speed with a Jolly nature achieve 303 speed, and 276 with an Adamant nature. Two very important speed benchmarks and both valid for this team. Another valid option is going max speed to reach 311, faster than Jolly Landorus post-mega, and faster than Max speed base 100s pre-mega. The rest is put into attack for breaking power.
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 71-84 (17.5 - 20.7%) -- possible 5HKO
0 SpA Tornadus-Therian Hurricane vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 73-87 (18 - 21.4%) -- possible 5HKO
200 SpA 30 IVs Serperior Leaf Storm vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp through Light Screen: 80-94 (19.7 - 23.2%) -- possible 5HKO
Chansey Seismic Toss vs. 192 HP Garchomp: 100-100 (24.6 - 24.6%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
252+ Atk Black Glasses Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp through Reflect: 87-103 (21.4 - 25.4%) -- 0.4% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp through Reflect: 90-106 (22.2 - 26.1%) -- 9.5% chance to 4HKO
+2 0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 192 HP / 0 Def Garchomp-Mega through Reflect: 91-108 (22.4 - 26.6%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO (Break sub)
252 SpA Volcanion Steam Eruption vs. 192 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp-Mega through Light Screen: 93-111 (22.9 - 27.4%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable in Sand: 414-487 (105 - 123.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory in Sand: 135-159 (40.4 - 47.6%) -- 53.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 176+ Def Slowbro in Sand: 339-399 (86 - 101.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Zapdos: 300-354 (78.3 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 216+ Def Zapdos in Sand: 392-462 (102.3 - 120.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
92 Atk Sand Force Garchomp-Mega Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Unaware Quagsire in Sand: 189-223 (47.9 - 56.5%) -- 35.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
King Nothing (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 24 HP / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
Nasty Plot Thundurus is already an insane Pokemon to deal with. Turns out, it can often drop Focus Blast without too much trouble. This is especially true with Screens + Substitute allowing Thundurus to take advantage of certain Pokemon that Focus Blast is needed for usually. For example, Toxic Excadrill, Ferrothorn, and non-Roar SpD Heatran to name a few. With screens, Thundurus can have its Substitute withstand the likes of Clefable, Tornadus, and Serperior, extending its longevity on the field. Defiant was considered over Prankster to bluff something such as Superpower early on, but Prankster Substitute is very useful in many situations, and in fact did come up in my SPL replay. In tests, there were games won because Life Orb recoil or sand chip killing the enemy Pokemon despite being faster.
Moves: Substitute + Nasty Plot is very nasty on Thundurus as it forces many switches. With screens, Substitute can withstand some small moves that typically chip Thundurus like Knock Off, Fake Out, and Volt Switch.
EVs: 24 HP provides a Leftovers jump point. It also achieves some slightly better calcs in certain situations.
16+ Atk Technician Scizor-Mega Bullet Punch vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus: 69-81 (22.6 - 26.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
0 Atk Landorus-Therian Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus through Reflect: 65-76 (21.3 - 24.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO (Break Sub)
0 Atk Gliscor Facade (140 BP) vs. 24 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Thundurus through Reflect: 65-76 (21.3 - 24.9%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Heatran Lava Plume vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 65-77 (21.3 - 25.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 63-75 (20.6 - 24.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA 30 IVs Venusaur-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus through Light Screen: 69-81 (22.6 - 26.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-816313 - RufflesPro vs. Lighthouses, SPL 2025 (W1)
Other Versions (Click for Replay or Post)
- Amir's 2023 Teambuilding Competition submission post (Could not find a replay)Chople Tyranitar, SubQD Volcarona, SubGlare Serperior, Trick Choice Scarf Cresselia, Sub 3 attacks Mega Garchomp, Toxic Excadrill, Crunch Tyranitar.
- PJ vs. Poek, SPL 2025 (W8)Rain Dance Manaphy, CB Tyranitar, Stealth Rock Heatran, and Dragon Claw Mega Garchomp.
- Fade vs. RufflesPro, SPL 2025 (Semi-Finals)Aqua Tail + Stone Edge Mega Garchomp, Rock Slide Excadrill, Trick Choice Scarf Cresselia, Choice Scarf Volcanion, Taunt Lum Berry Serperior.
Threats
- most of these outspeed the team and pose an immedaite threat. I am specifically talking about Swords Dance Sand Rush Excadrill and Choice Scarf Volcanion. Bisharp is another annoying mon.
- Unaware mons, Cofagrigus bringing tspikes + spin block, and whirlwind skarmory are all quite annoying.Note: None of these are auto losses and even combination of these I have won against. The power of Sand HO is that it is both very flexible and RNG positive, so good play and good luck are your two outs.
Conclusion
I love Sand HO. This is probably no longer a surprise to anyone who paid attention to my 2024 ORAS. I discovered this style sometime before WCOP and just abused it since. I did a self scout before SPL, this style got me aroudn 87% WR in tours, including 2 games in WCOP. I'm not sure what the number is now, but it is probably still near that 85-90% range. I think this style is just too OP for many reasons, but it DOES greatly benefit from surprise factor. There's no reason to hide that. Sharing this will be a disservice to me, to my close friends, and to all those who picked up on me spamming this and have recreated some of my teams — we can no longer as easily abuse it. However, IMO it is worth it to advance my beloved ORAS. Oh, and there is another Sand HO in samples, linked in my signature.
Parting Thoughts
I wrote a small poem commemorating this RMT:
The moment you even thought about defeating me,
Something dangerous married your destiny,
Neither good or bad, completely inescapable, and absolutely fatal:
Simply, a calamity.
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