Sandy Shocks Movesets & Competitive Sets

Sandy Shocks is incredibly useful on any Ground team thanks to its ability to threaten common types that Ground struggles against, such as Steel and Water, by targeting Skarmory, Corviknight, and Pelipper and to the Gravity support it provides, which mainly benefits sand variants of Ground teams. With Gravity active, Sandy Shocks can hit popular Air Balloon users such as Heatran, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt super effectively while ensuring Latios cannot switch in freely. Volt Switch coupled with Gravity epitomizes Sandy Shocks's role allowing for as a fast-paced pivot designed to make the opponent suffocating under the constant offensive pressure by safely bringing in wallbreakers like Choice Band Excadrill and Choice Scarf Great Tusk. The last slot leaves room for creativity. Thunderbolt gives Sandy Shocks a more offensive role in the Flying and Water matchups by OHKOing both Skarmory and Corviknight after Stealth Rock, while Power Gem prevents Volcarona from setting up on it. Alternatively, Spikes synergizes well with Gravity and can help chip down bulky foes like Hisuian Goodra. On teams without sand, Gravity can be replaced with any of the aforementioned moves, as these teams lack a fast wallbreaker comparable to Excadrill. An alternative EV spread of 48 HP / 208 SpA / 252 Spe can be used to boost Speed with Protosynthesis, allowing Sandy Shocks to answer sun teams offensively by outspeeding Cinderace, Skeledirge, and Ogerpon-H and 2HKOing them with Earth Power. Sandy Shocks pairs well with most Ground-type wallbreakers, such as Landorus, Excadrill, Mamoswine, and Great Tusk, as they appreciate Gravity support. With Gravity Sandy Shocks as a teammate, Landorus can either run a Choice Scarf set to surprise foes like Air Balloon Iron Treads or stick to Life Orb and run an extra coverage move or double down and keep Gravity. Landorus's versatility and impressive wallbreaking capabilities make it an excellent partner for Sandy Shocks by removing Grass-type threats, like Ogerpon-H and Ogerpon-W, from the field with Sludge Wave and OHKOing Volcarona with Rock Slide. On teams without sand, Choice Scarf Great Tusk synergizes well with Sandy Shocks, as its STAB move combination is nigh-unresisted with Gravity up, which, coupled with its decent Speed tier and great offensive power, ensures troublesome foes like Choice Specs Dragapult, Latios, and Flutter Mane succumb after Stealth Rock damage, making it a key asset in many matchups such as Ghost, Dragon, Fairy, and Flying. Mamoswine and Excadrill are both formidable wallbreakers that can use Gravity to their advantage to break through opposing teams, as Ground STAB is threatening to most of the tier, such as in the Steel, Dragon, Fairy, and Flying matchups. However, they contribute differently to the team, with Mamoswine taking advantage of the Ice- and Ground-type STAB move combination to delete any foe in the Flying and Dragon matchups, while Excadrill crushes opposing teams with Choice Band Earthquake in sand. Defensively, Sandy Shocks appreciates both physical and special walls like Hippowdon and Clodsire, which can tank physical hits from Cinderace and opposing Excadrill or absorb Water-type moves from Keldeo, respectively. They both also come with their own perks; Hippowdon can set up Stealth Rock and phaze opposing Pokemon, while Clodsire provides Toxic Spikes or Toxic support, can deal with special setup sweepers with Haze, and can check Choice Specs Flutter Mane. On teams without sand, Gastrodon, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor make for great defensive teammates: Gastrodon can tank Ice Beam from Choice Specs Latios and Greninja while setting up entry hazards; Ting-Lu can set up both Spikes and Stealth Rock while phazing the enemy to wear down the opposing team thanks to its impressive mixed bulk; Gliscor supplements the defensive core on teams without sand through its Ground immunity, status immunity, and passive recovery.

Sandy Shocks provides immense utility to Electric teams due to it being the premier entry hazard setter of the type, as well as its Ground-type STAB move threatening non-Air Balloon Heatran and Archaludon. Sandy Shocks also gives Electric teams breathing room against Fire teams due to Protosynthesis boosting its Speed, allowing it to outspeed the likes of Cinderace and Choice Scarf Ninetales. Volt Switch allows Sandy Shocks to pivot its teammates in safely. Stealth Rock is what makes Sandy Shocks valuable to Electric teams, as the chip damage wears down foes, potentially breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy from Pokemon like Ceruledge and Ogerpon-C. Sandy Shocks also benefits from Stealth Rock, as it is able to 2HKO Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock damage. In the fourth moveslot, Thunderbolt can be used as Sandy Shocks's primary STAB move in order to net more damage against foes, notably OHKOing Skarmory, which it cannot do with Volt Switch. Power Gem can be run as well to remove the likes of Volcarona, Moltres, and Ogerpon-H, although the latter is only a target when Sandy Shocks's Speed is boosted under sun. Additionally, Spikes can also be run so that Sandy Shocks can set more entry hazards, but running either attacking move in the fourth slot will be much better in the long run, since Spikes can be ignored by Flying-types as well as Levitate and Air Balloon users. The Special Attack EVs allow Sandy Shocks to almost certainly 2HKO Clodsire variants without heavy Special Attack investment. The EVs also make Protosynthesis boost Sandy Shocks's Speed. Sandy Shocks's entry hazard support is appreciated by a multitude of offensive teammates. Choice Specs users such as Zapdos and Magnezone greatly appreciate the hazards Sandy Shocks sets, as they allow them to better wallbreak. Notably, Zapdos takes out Grass- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss, Hydrapple, and Great Tusk, and Magnezone handles Fairy-types like Flutter Mane for Sandy Shocks. Iron Hands and Pawmot are additional beneficiaries of Sandy Shocks's hazards; Iron Hands also appreciates Sandy Shocks being able to remove Moltres, which can cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. In return, Iron Hands and Pawmot can remove threats Sandy Shocks hates such as Weavile and Greninja. Additionally, Shuca Berry Iron Hands is useful in the Ground matchup, and Pawmot has the additional benefit of reviving fallen teammates with Revival Blessing. Raging Bolt benefits from Sandy Shocks being able to remove some Clodsire variants; in return, Raging Bolt revenge kills speedy Water-types like Greninja, Barraskewda, and Keldeo. Rotom-W is another great teammate, as it spreads burns with Will-O-Wisp, provides a Ground immunity, and helps in both the Ground and Fire matchups. Lastly, Regieleki provides valuable hazard removal for the team, and it can spread paralysis via Thunder Wave so that Sandy Shocks outspeeds and threatens would-be faster threats like Greninja and Keldeo.

Thanks to its typing and being one of the few Electric-types with access to Stealth Rock and Spikes, Sandy Shocks establishes a niche on Electric teams as an entry hazard setter that can help ease the Poison matchup. Tectonic Rage allows Sandy Shocks to OHKO Kommo-o and non-Assault Vest Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock chip damage as well as almost KO Hisuian Goodra. Volt Switch enables Sandy Shocks to keep up momentum for its team and bring in teammates that handle checks to it such as Blissey, Mega Latios, Latias, and Mega Venusaur. Stealth Rock provides valuable chip damage, being useful to weaken the Mega Charizard formes, Iron Moth, non-Heavy Duty Boots Cinderace, as well as breaking Ogerpon-C's Sturdy and Ceruledge's Focus Sash. Thunderbolt provides Sandy Shocks with a spammable attack that 2HKOes Galarian Weezing, as well as defensive variants of Mega Scizor if Electric Terrain is up. Alternatively, Spikes is an option to put pressure on defensive Pokemon that can switch into Electric-type attacks, such as Hisuian Goodra, Clodsire, Assault Vest Galarian Slowking, and Mega Venusaur. Power Gem can be used instead of Thunderbolt to OHKO Volcarona. The given EV spread allows Sandy Shocks to gain a Speed boost from Protosynthesis, which lets it outspeed +1 Mega Charizard X and +1 Volcarona. All of Sandy Shocks's teammates appreciate Stealth Rock chipping Pokemon, being useful for Electric Terrain sweepers such as Regieleki and Alolan Raichu as well as wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Zapdos and Swords Dance Iron Hands. Tapu Koko is another teammate Sandy Shocks appreciates, as it can deal with Dragon-types such as Hydreigon, Mega Latios, Latias, and Mega Altaria, with Tapu Koko enjoying Sandy Shocks's ability to threaten Poison-types such as Alolan Muk and Nidoking. Sandy Shocks values Zapdos and Rotom-Wash as teammates due to their Ground immunities. Sandy Shocks appreciates Zapdos demolishing Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu and Mega Venusaur, while Rotom-Wash deals with Ground-types Sandy Shocks can't beat such as Gliscor and the Landorus formes. Rotom-Wash also serves as a switch-in to Mega Swampert and appreciates Sandy Shocks's ability to help take down Fire- and Rock-types. Iron Hands is a useful teammate that deals with Pokemon that check Sandy Shocks such as Blissey, Hydreigon, Kyurem, and Hisuian Goodra, and it can use an Assault Vest set to serve as a switch-in to special attacks for Sandy Shocks.