[QC: 0/3] x / x / x
[GP: 0/2] x / x
**Steel**
~ Excadrill acts as one of the best revenge killers for steel, with its high base attack and decent speed when equipped with a choice scarf, allowing it to outspeed and check multiple threats to the team, such as infernape, Volcanion, Mega Charizard Y, and choice scarf Magnezone.
+ It sports a fantastic ground/steel typing for monotype steel, allowing it to check various attackers that threaten the team. The typing also allows it to have multiple resistances to most moves due to it part steel. For example, it resists powerful hits such as Draco meteor from Life Orb Latios and Hyper Voice from Mega Gardevoir. Most importantly, however, it is immune to electric type moves, which can threaten other steel types.
+ When equipped with a choice scarf, it can outspeed almost the entire portion of the unboosted metagame, outpacing even mega alakazam.
+ Mold Breaker also allows it to hit Pokemon through levitate and sturdy, such as Rotom-W, which would otherwise wall it.
+ Excadrill helps immensely in the steel vs fire and steel vs electric matchup.
+ Excadrill is an excellent rapid spinner, allowing it to remove hazards such as spikes and sticky web for the team. Most importantly, it's ground/steel typing means it is barely affected by stealth rock, as it only takes 3% from it, further boosting Excadrill's reliability in this role.
+ Excadrill also has a high HP stat, allowing it to take most neutral hits.
~ However, Excadrill is not without its drawbacks.
- It is weak to the ground, fire, and fighting type attacks that threaten steel, and also has relatively low bulk outside of its HP stat.
- Furthermore, it can be easily revenge killed by faster choice scarf users, such as victini's v-create and terrakion's close combat, all which have a higher base speed stat.
- It's weakness to the common scald that haunts physical attackers do not help it either.
- Excadrill's weakness to common priority moves such as Breloom's Mach Punch and Azumarill's Aqua Jet do not help it out, as they will threaten it.
- It also is crippled by common Will-o-Wisp users such as mew and sableye, and gets walled by common bulky water and flying type pokemon like slowbro and skarmory.
~ All in all, Excadrill is still a fantastic asset to a monotype steel team, as it can check the threats that steel types hate, and serve as a great revenge killer in the monotype metagame.
[SET]
name: The Mole (Choice Scarf)
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
~ Earthquake allows Excadrill to hit electric and fire types such as Mega Manectric and Entei.
~ Iron Head is mainly to hit fairy types such as clefable, and also has a decent 30% chance to flinch.
~ Rock Slide is used for coverage, hitting flying types such as Mega Charizard(Y) and Zapdos, and also has a decent 30% chance to flinch.
~ Rapid Spin provides a way to remove pesky entry hazards such as sticky web and spikes for the team without removing your own hazards.
Set Details
========
~ Max investment into attack and speed allow Excadrill to be as fast and strong as possible.
~ A jolly nature is used to outspeed positive natured base 80 choice scarf users such as Gardevoir and Hoopa-Unbound.
~ Choice Scarf allows Excadrill to outspeed key threats such as mega charizard y and infernape and revenge kill them, as well as outspeed almost all of the unboosted metagame up to Mega Alakazam.
~ Mold Breaker is used to ignore abilities such as levitate, allowing it to hit Weezing and Rotom-Wash with Earthquake.
Usage Tips
========
~ Excadrill is best used as a revenge killer against Pokemon it threatens, so it is best to sack a teammate or bring it in via volt switch or u-turn from another Pokemon, such as Magnezone and Jirachi, since it has relatively low bulk when uninvested defensively.
~ It can also be brought in against a predicted volt switch, or against Pokemon it walls, like support cobalion and toxic zapdos, two sets that don't hit Excadrill with sufficient coverage.
~ Excadrill should not be staying in against Pokemon that outspeed and OHKO it, such as choice scarf victini and choice scarf terrakion.
~ Excadrill should also switch out against Pokemon that wall it such as slowbro and Skarmory.
~ Excadrill should not stay in against super effective priority moves such as Azumarill's Aqua jet and breloom's Mach punch(only exception is infernape).
~ Be careful only to use rapid spin when your is threatened by spikes or sticky web, as locking your choice scarf Excadrill into rapid spin is almost equivalent to doing no damage at all.
~ Only use rapid spin on a Pokemon Excadrill threatens, such as toxic Zapdos, and if the hazards present on your side of the field are detrimental to your team(ex: sticky web, spikes).
~ Due Excadrill's high HP stat it can take one or two neutral hits, but be wary as these moves can wear it down quickly.
~ Be careful not to let Excadrill take too much damage if the opponent has an infernape, since infernape's mach punch can kill a weakened Excadrill, which is one of the best checks to infernape.
~ Do not use Excadrill to check infernape if it's sash is still intact, use another Pokemon on your team to break its focus sash(if it isn't already broken), then revenge kill with Excadrill.
~ Excadrill can sweep through certain teams that are weak to its stab moves once it's checks and counters have been weakened. For example, it can sweep electric type teams once Zapdos and thundurus have been removed.
~ When facing the fire and electric type matchup, be wary of spamming earthquake, as both types have Pokemon immune to the attack. Rather, if you predict correctly with rock slide, you can nab an OHKO on Mega Charizard(Y) or a 2HKO on Zapdos.
Team Options
========
~ Excadrill best fits on balance and hyper-offensive steel archetypes.
~ It appreciates Pokemon that can switch in on the weaknesses it has, and ones that gets rid of its checks and counters.
~ Specially defensive Heatran can absorb fire type attacks, especially will-o-wisp, aimed at Excadrill, while defensive Skarmory can take on ground type and fighting type attacks, which it is immune to the former if not under gravity. Heatran cripples fire types with earth power, stone edge, or toxic. Skarmory can brave bird, roost stall, or even set up hazards on fighting and ground types.
~ Heatran and Skarmory can set up stealth rock, and Skarmory can even set spikes, helping Excadrill revenge kill Pokemon easier since they will be weakened from the hazards.
~ Doublade and jirachi can also be used to check fighting type attackers due to their typing. Doublade in particular is immune to fighting types moves.
~ Doublade can set up with swords dance on most fighting types that threaten Excadrill like Mega Medicham or hit them with a stab shadow claw/iron head, while jirachi can threaten them with a stab psychic attack, such as heart stamp.
~ Jirachi can also help bring Excadrill on the field with a u-turn, especially if it's a slow supportive set.
~ Ferrothorn and magnezone are also good partners, dismantling the water types that threaten Excadrill with either power whip or volt switch. Ferrothorn can also weaken opponents with the combo of leech seed and protect.
~ Magnezone in particular has good synergy with Excadrill, able to volt switch it in safely as well as hit the physical side of the spectrum, and bulky flying and water types. Excadrill is able to threaten the bulky electric types that wall Magnezone like Zapdos and special walls such as chansey.
~ Mega Scizor and Bisharp appreciate Excadrill's ability to weaken teams, so that they can sweep later with a combo of swords dance + bullet punch or swords dance + sucker punch.
~ Mega Scizor in particular appreciates Excadrill since Excadrill gets rid of the fire and electric types that threaten it. It can also check certain fighting and ground Pokemon such as mega lopunny and gliscor, although a bit less reliable at this job than Skarmory.
~ Excadrill helps all of these Pokemon in turn by threatening electric and fire types with its stab earthquake.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
~ X-Scissor can be used on Excadrill, but it doesn't hit the Pokemon it targets, such as slowbro, for any significant damage without a power boosting item.
~ Choice Band and Life Orb are options as an item, but then Excadrill loses its ability to outspeed a large portion of the unboosted metagame, and also loses the ability to check certain threats a steel team faces, such as Mega Charizard(Y) and Infernape.
~ Swords Dance is an option to boost Excadrill's attack, but without choice scarf it will be outspeeded and revenge killed quite easily.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Water Pokemon**: Bulky water pokemon such as slowbro and alomomola completely wall Excadrill, not taking much from any of its attacks and hitting it back with scald.
**Bulky Flying Pokemon**: Bulky flying Pokemon such as Mandibuzz and Skarmory are immune to earthquake and don't take much from rock slide or iron head. Gliscor and Lando-T also counter Excadrill, as the former heals off any damage with poison heal, while the latter lowers its attack so it can tank it's moves. Mandibuzz can then use foul play, Skarmory can stall out Excadrill or set up hazards, and gliscor and Landorus-T can hit with earthquake. Landorus-T in particular can use Excadrill as a way to gain momentum with u-turn.
**Ground types**: Ground type Pokemon such as Hippowdon and defensive Garchomp counter Excadrill, as they don't take much damage from its stab attacks, while other ground types check it by living a hit then retaliating with a super-effective attack.
**Fighting type Pokemon**: Fighting type Pokemon like Mega Gallade check Excadrill by living a hit and then hitting it with a super effective STAB move.
**Extremely Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon with immense amounts of defense, such as Eviolite Porygon-2 can switch into an attack and heal off the damage, then retaliate with foul play.
**Faster Choice Scarf Users**: Faster choice scarf Pokemon such as victini and terrakion can revenge kill Excadrill with a super-effective move, like v-create and close combat.
**Priority Moves**: Priority moves such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Breloom's Mach Punch target the water and fighting weakness Excadrill has, and can hit it before Excadrill can do anything in return.
**Lures**: Excadrill has to watch out for lures from the types it threatens, such as Shuca Berry nidoqueen and heat wave Zapdos. Shuca Berry nidoqueen will be able to live an earthquake and KO a weakened Excadrill in turn with earth power, and Zapdos can hit Excadrill on the switch with a heat wave, 2HKOing it.
**Burns**: Will-O-Wisp from the likes of mew and sableye will significantly reduce Excadrill's damage output, leaving it little offensive presence. Scald is also notorious for this, as it can hit Excadrill for both super effective damage and a chance to burn.
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