Hello everyone! With Series 6 in fill swing, I feel like this has allowed a lot of Pokemon to shine that would otherwise be eclipsed by some of the Pokemon that had been banned for this series. Taking this into mind, I decided to make a Sand/Trick Room team focused around a Pokemon that I think has one of the best shinies in the game and honestly, is just a really cool looking Pokemon: Gigalith. I've done some testing on Showdown and in game and the team performs pretty well but I would love some feedback and maybe some suggestions on how I can improve it even more.
Gigalith @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Heavy Slam
Gigalith, the whole reason this team exists. With Tyranitar out of the picture for now, I think Gigalith has slotted in nicely as a replacement sand setter with a similar way of playing. Weakness Policy allows Gigalith to reach an insane amount of strength, especially when Dynamaxed, and fits really well in a Trick Room core due to it's naturally very low speed. Rock Slide is the STAB option of choice here, being a multi hit move that is basically a OHKO on Talonflame, which I have been seeing everywhere. Earthquake not only pairs well with one of the other teammates later on, but it also gives Gigalith access to Max Quake, which can give a nice boost to the team's Special Defense. Finally, Heavy Slam is for Fairy types, while Protect allows a turn for Trick Room to be set up when I go that route. EV spread is to make Gigalith slow, bulky, and hit hard.
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Trick Room
- Ally Switch
- Night Shade
- Bulldoze
With Porygon2 gone, Dusclops returns as the best support Trick Room setter in the meta. Immune to Fake-Out, Dusclops will normally pair with Gigalith when I am playing hard Trick Room. Ally Switch allows Dusclops to help it's teammates avoid nasty attacks and it's always fun to see your opponent messing up because of your Ally Switch. Nigh Shade is Dusclop's most reliable day to deal damage, dealing an even amount each and every time, allowing it to ignore defensive buffs which can come in handy. Finally we have Bulldoze, which allows Dusclops to proc Gigalith's weakness policy. Unfortunately I've been a little dissapointed with how Dusclops has been performing. With Talonflame so common and almost all of them seemingly running taunt now, it's been hard to actually get Trick Room up.
Stoutland @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Protect
Stoutland is surprisingly powerful under sand. Sand Rush is a great ability as we've seen with Excadrill, and when you aren't Dynamaxing Gigalith, Stoutland is the next best choice on the team. Giga Impact creates a powerful Max Strike that will OHKO many Pokemon that don't resist it and can be used as a last resort nuke by itself. Play rough is a great choice against a number of threats, the biggest being Urshifu while also setting up Misty Terrain to help avoid Status as Max Starfall. Superpower is a great option to deal with Steel types that Stoutland would otherwise struggle again, and while the Atk and Def stat lowering sucks, Life Orb does help mitigate the Atk stat decrease at least, and being so fast under sand does the same for the Def drop. Honestly, Stoutland has been a surprise at just how well it's been performing and has been a huge win condition for the team.
Arcanine @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Snarl
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Arcanine is the Intimidater of the team, and acts as both the Ferrothorn answer and also has the general job of weakening my Opponent's offensive capabilities through a mix of Intimidate, Snarl, and WIll-O-Wisp. This is a specially defensive set here, since I have instant Atk lowering with Intimidate. Heat Wave is a great offensive tool for this set, the main way of dealing with Ferro which otherwise the team struggles with a bit, and being a multi-target move is always great for picking up KOs. Snarl lowers the opposing Pokemon's Special Attack which obviously can help the team survive hits they normally wouldn't and perhaps next a knockout in return. Finally Will-O is the best way to cripple Physical attackers. Aguav Berry I think is great for this set since it can help Arcanine get out of a pinch, especially after having already weakened opposing Pokemon.
Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse
I feel that Rotom-Wash fits pretty well on this team. The Nasty Plot set is a great option for Dynamaxing and thank to Levitate it can easily bypass an EQ from Gigalith while it's setting up, or when paired with the last Pokemon on the team, can set up and then Dynamax and deal some real damage. Hyrdo Pump is required on Wash, but that's fine because it's a powerful (If...inaccurate) water move that can deal a LOT of damage after a Nasty Plot. Thunderbolt is the STAB of choice that can set up Electric Terrain after Dynamaxed to help avoid Sleep. Finally, Dark Pulse is the coverage move of choice, hitting the many Ghost Types that seem to be popping up as well as the few Psychic types around. Over all, I think this move-set is a nice and diverse set for Rotom as an offensive presence on the team.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Clear Smog
- Giga Drain
Amoongus. Oh Amoongus. How your Spore annoys me when I face you. On my team however...you're pretty great! Amoongus is a great partner for Trick Room teams and can be a great Anti-Trick Room tool, making it the perfect choice for this team. Not only does it fit in the Trick Room side of the team, but it can also function really well as general Re-direction as well as sleep support. With Arcanine too, you can also have some Intimidate + Regenerator shenanigans to generally annoy the opponent. Offensive wise, Clear Smog is poison STAB that can re-set stat changes, AKA lower boosts from items/Max Moves, and Giga Drain helps keep Amoongus healthy and hits rock/ground/water types for devent damage. Yeah, Amoongus is pretty annoying to face, but is pretty sweet when it's on your team, and rounds out this team very, very nicely I say.
Gigalith @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Protect
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Heavy Slam
Gigalith, the whole reason this team exists. With Tyranitar out of the picture for now, I think Gigalith has slotted in nicely as a replacement sand setter with a similar way of playing. Weakness Policy allows Gigalith to reach an insane amount of strength, especially when Dynamaxed, and fits really well in a Trick Room core due to it's naturally very low speed. Rock Slide is the STAB option of choice here, being a multi hit move that is basically a OHKO on Talonflame, which I have been seeing everywhere. Earthquake not only pairs well with one of the other teammates later on, but it also gives Gigalith access to Max Quake, which can give a nice boost to the team's Special Defense. Finally, Heavy Slam is for Fairy types, while Protect allows a turn for Trick Room to be set up when I go that route. EV spread is to make Gigalith slow, bulky, and hit hard.
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Trick Room
- Ally Switch
- Night Shade
- Bulldoze
With Porygon2 gone, Dusclops returns as the best support Trick Room setter in the meta. Immune to Fake-Out, Dusclops will normally pair with Gigalith when I am playing hard Trick Room. Ally Switch allows Dusclops to help it's teammates avoid nasty attacks and it's always fun to see your opponent messing up because of your Ally Switch. Nigh Shade is Dusclop's most reliable day to deal damage, dealing an even amount each and every time, allowing it to ignore defensive buffs which can come in handy. Finally we have Bulldoze, which allows Dusclops to proc Gigalith's weakness policy. Unfortunately I've been a little dissapointed with how Dusclops has been performing. With Talonflame so common and almost all of them seemingly running taunt now, it's been hard to actually get Trick Room up.
Stoutland @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Protect
Stoutland is surprisingly powerful under sand. Sand Rush is a great ability as we've seen with Excadrill, and when you aren't Dynamaxing Gigalith, Stoutland is the next best choice on the team. Giga Impact creates a powerful Max Strike that will OHKO many Pokemon that don't resist it and can be used as a last resort nuke by itself. Play rough is a great choice against a number of threats, the biggest being Urshifu while also setting up Misty Terrain to help avoid Status as Max Starfall. Superpower is a great option to deal with Steel types that Stoutland would otherwise struggle again, and while the Atk and Def stat lowering sucks, Life Orb does help mitigate the Atk stat decrease at least, and being so fast under sand does the same for the Def drop. Honestly, Stoutland has been a surprise at just how well it's been performing and has been a huge win condition for the team.
Arcanine @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Snarl
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
Arcanine is the Intimidater of the team, and acts as both the Ferrothorn answer and also has the general job of weakening my Opponent's offensive capabilities through a mix of Intimidate, Snarl, and WIll-O-Wisp. This is a specially defensive set here, since I have instant Atk lowering with Intimidate. Heat Wave is a great offensive tool for this set, the main way of dealing with Ferro which otherwise the team struggles with a bit, and being a multi-target move is always great for picking up KOs. Snarl lowers the opposing Pokemon's Special Attack which obviously can help the team survive hits they normally wouldn't and perhaps next a knockout in return. Finally Will-O is the best way to cripple Physical attackers. Aguav Berry I think is great for this set since it can help Arcanine get out of a pinch, especially after having already weakened opposing Pokemon.
Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse
I feel that Rotom-Wash fits pretty well on this team. The Nasty Plot set is a great option for Dynamaxing and thank to Levitate it can easily bypass an EQ from Gigalith while it's setting up, or when paired with the last Pokemon on the team, can set up and then Dynamax and deal some real damage. Hyrdo Pump is required on Wash, but that's fine because it's a powerful (If...inaccurate) water move that can deal a LOT of damage after a Nasty Plot. Thunderbolt is the STAB of choice that can set up Electric Terrain after Dynamaxed to help avoid Sleep. Finally, Dark Pulse is the coverage move of choice, hitting the many Ghost Types that seem to be popping up as well as the few Psychic types around. Over all, I think this move-set is a nice and diverse set for Rotom as an offensive presence on the team.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Clear Smog
- Giga Drain
Amoongus. Oh Amoongus. How your Spore annoys me when I face you. On my team however...you're pretty great! Amoongus is a great partner for Trick Room teams and can be a great Anti-Trick Room tool, making it the perfect choice for this team. Not only does it fit in the Trick Room side of the team, but it can also function really well as general Re-direction as well as sleep support. With Arcanine too, you can also have some Intimidate + Regenerator shenanigans to generally annoy the opponent. Offensive wise, Clear Smog is poison STAB that can re-set stat changes, AKA lower boosts from items/Max Moves, and Giga Drain helps keep Amoongus healthy and hits rock/ground/water types for devent damage. Yeah, Amoongus is pretty annoying to face, but is pretty sweet when it's on your team, and rounds out this team very, very nicely I say.