Set Details
Mismagius @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
I started this team with Mismagius wanting to have a fast "anti-lead" Pokemon. Mismagius can get a fair amount of mileage as a lead thanks to Taunt. Being able to stop hazard leads like Uxie, Registeel, and Omastar is extremely useful since Sand cannot easily fit hazard removal. Will-O-Wisp is a great supporting tool for potentially securing Cradily a Curse win. With Mismagius as the lead, people will not be conscious of the potential Sand and are more likely to let Registeel or Steelix be burned. In general, Mismagius forcing switches by being an uncommon lead gathers more information and can allow for better judgment on when to fish for Sand Veil misses with the sweepers. Mismagius's coverage with Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt is quite nice and can be worth saving for late game, especially against offense where Cradily likely will not have the time to build up Curse. Its natural speed and the sandstorm chip can be hard to contest late game.
Hippopotas @ Focus Sash / Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Def / 164 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 13 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Protect
Hippopotas is a necessity for Sand but can make a fair amount of progress on its own despite the poor stats. It can get the essential Stealth Rock up and annoy shit with Yawn + Protect. I have been most fond of Leftovers with bulk given the amount of defensive Arcanine usage I've seen, but Focus Sash is more consistent given the prominence of Venusaur and the other 2834092 Pokemon that can OHKO the baby Hippo without much effort. Earthquake does not do much damage but is alright wearing stuff down, especially when the opponent is expecting a Protect. Hippopotas is really just here to vibe at the end of the day. The set boils down to personal preference to me.
Gligar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
Gligar has pretty nice defensive typing and alright stats, but it definitely shines the best on Sand teams that can support the Swords Dance Sand Veil shenanigans. Swords Dance is able to make Gligar immediately threatening and EdgeQuake covers the entire tier. Substitute is necessary to safely fish for dodges and avoids Toxic from Pokemon like Registeel. Gligar is able to set up on passive Pokemon like Uxie with ease, as well as weaker Pokemon Mismagius has burnt like Spiritomba and Registeel. Of course, Gligar can also set up on Pokemon that already have a miss chance like Rhyperior and Moltres quite often too. Without Sand Veil, this Pokemon will definitely fall off the face of the earth, but until action is taken on that front Gligar is able to break teams apart on its own, even post-Baton Pass.
Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Suction Cups
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Recover
- Curse
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Cradily is ridiculously bulky with Sand Stream support. Not even Life Orb Alakazam can 2HKO with Focus Blast once Sand is set; thus making physically offensive Pokemon a greater worry. Registeel is the biggest common obstacle for Cradily, but it can still set up Curse as long as Registeel does not boost alongside it, or outright flinches it down. Ideally, Mismagius can Taunt and Will-O-Wisp the bulky Stealth Rock users like Steelix and Rhyperior that can muscle past Cradily in addition to crippling Registeel. Cradily's natural bulk allows it to set up on plenty of special attackers such as Milotic without Toxic and Mespirt. When Milotic is lacking Toxic (and more likely to be running Haze) it can be optimal to fish against Milotic with Gligar to reduce Haze pp. Against Toxic teams, Cradily can attempt to get itself paralyzed or burnt but often it can wind up just being a specially defensive sponge. This happens frequently in DPP UU's offensive metagame but Cradily's bulk is still valuable against Pokemon like special Venusaur variants.
Cacturne (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
Substitute + Focus Punch Cacturne is incredibly fun and can be rather effective against common BO structures with a bit of luck. Swords Dance makes it even more brutal and opens the door to cleaning up with Sucker Punch. The Dark/Fighting coverage is great, and the raw power behind Focus Punch makes it easier to finish the job with Sucker Punch. However, this combination leaves Cacturne vulnerable to Substitute Ghost-types like Mismagius and Rotom. Cacturne with this set can be rather hit or miss, since it can really struggle to get the momentum (read: dodge) to set up a Substitute. It's naturally frail and the premier passive Pokemon, Uxie, can U-turn and do a million. Registeel can be statused by either Mismagius or Clefable and becomes setup fodder. Cacturne is a fair answer to Curse Registeel which can give this team a few issues. It requires fishing for misses a bit, but it's a safe victory against Toxic Curse variants (no Sleep Talk). If Cacturne is unable to get itself a full sweep, it can typically at least pick off an offensive threat with Sucker Punch that Mismagius and Clefable have worn down.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 100 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
Clefable belongs on all Sand teams imo, similar to how it finds a spot on most Hail teams. It has great defensive utility and having Magic Guard is incredible to avoid being chipped down by your own weather. Clefable versatility can have offensive CM, wish support, etc. I opted for a mixed bulk spread at the cost of being weaker toward Life Orb Leaf Storm Venusaur overall. The physical bulk is able to help greatly against Power Whip Venusaur though, otherwise, the counterplay would pretty much be dodging with Gligar. Ice Beam coverage is rather solid, and given the lack of Special Attack investment Seismic Toss's consistent damage seemed more appealing than Thunderbolt. Thunder Wave is able to cripple plenty of Pokemon and is simply good support for Sand Veil cheese and patches up the lack of speed the team has outside of Mismagius. Clefable is an amazing glue for this team and in tandem with Mismagius can "stall" revealing Hippopotas to surprise and get a "._." reaction as they make a new gameplan.
Replays
This game against Highways is a prime example of how much of a pain Sand Veil can be and shows off the Cacturne SD SubPunch nicely. The game also highlights the benefit of having lead Mismagius, having Moltres U-turn out rather than Fire Blasting Hippopotas.
Heysup's semi rain is normally a terror against Sand teams. Leading Hippopotas would make the Sand significantly easier to play around but thankfully lead Mismagius is able to bait in and burn Spiritomb for a safe Sand setup + Stealth Rock. To set up Rain he's forced to give up half of his team, and ultimately cannot outpace Mismagius without it.
Scyther is one of the most annoying Pokemon for Sand; I totally blanked on Aerial Ace not being able to miss vs Lilburr. I should have lost this game after being so careless but Gligar is able to cheese through. Clefable really shines here stopping the Venusaur rampage and greatly assisting Gligar by letting it fish for paralysis in addition to dodges.
This game against Laurel was for DPP PL and definitely a Pokemon game-- Sand Veil shenanigans, and Freezes galore. Leftovers Hippopotas comes in handy, having a safe sack against Venusaur. Cradily drawing in Toxic was helpful for Clefable, and defensively Clefable + Gligar was surprisingly potent against the Rotom.
Thanks for reading
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