With a solid base 100 Attack and plenty of powerful physical moves, Sudowoodo can be a dangerous offensive force. While its terrible Speed and poor defensive typing prevent it from sweeping teams, it excels as a wallbreaker that very few Pokemon can safely switch in on. Sudowoodo's STAB Stone Edge allows it to immediately threaten the abundant Fire-, Flying-, and Bug-types in UU. Wood Hammer is Sudowoodo's secret weapon that sets it apart from other Rock-types; whereas Rhyperior and Aggron are forced to retreat at the first sign of a bulky Water-type, Wood Hammer gives Sudowoodo a chance to OHKO even Milotic after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick puts a big dent in the heavy Steel-type walls that resist Rock and Grass, while Earthquake hits the same Steel-types nearly as hard and has more consistent power against other targets. In the last slot, Explosion essentially guarantees Sudowoodo will KO at least one opposing Pokemon per match, but the priority Sucker Punch provides can be very useful to overcome Sudowoodo's abysmal Speed.
The EVs are standard for a physical attacker. With 252 Speed EVs, Sudowoodo outspeeds base 60 Speed Pokemon that do not invest in Speed, such as Weezing and Clefable. Since Sudowoodo will mostly be operating as a hit-and-run attacker, Choice Band is the ideal item for this set. With a Choice Band equipped, Sudowoodo has the power to OHKO would-be checks such as Venusaur and Azumarill as they switch in, while common physical walls like Weezing, Slowbro, Steelix, and Donphan are all outsped and 2HKOed by the appropriate move. However, if you opt for Sucker Punch in the last slot, Life Orb becomes the superior item, as locking a Pokemon into Sucker Punch is never wise.
Sudowoodo's wallbreaking ability makes it a great teammate for any physical sweeper that struggles to beat bulky Water- and Ground-types. However, defensive Grass- and Fighting-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Hitmontop counter Sudowoodo very effectively; thus, another Pokemon will be required to deal with them. Blaziken can tear through teams once their Milotic or Slowbro is KOed and easily defeats Grass-types with STAB Fire Blast or Flare Blitz, making it an ideal partner. Moltres and Scyther can also switch in practically freely on Grass- and Fighting-type attacks and force their users out with STAB Flying-type attacks. As an offensive Pokemon, Sudowoodo appreciates entry hazard support; Spikes are particularly effective, weakening Sudowoodo's grounded counters. Omastar and Cloyster are the most reliable Spikers in UU, but both share unfortunate weaknesses to Grass- and Fighting-type attacks with Sudowoodo. Qwilfish and Cacturne have slightly better synergy with Sudowoodo; Qwilfish resists Fighting- and Water-type attacks and can use Explosion to give an offensive team early momentum, while Cacturne resists Grass-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks and thrives in sandstorm, which also boosts Sudowoodo's mediocre Special Defense.