Excadrill Movesets and Best Builds

This is a guide to movesets and best builds for using Excadrill in competitive play for the games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV). Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, Tera Type, and Held Items to use with Excadrill, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

Excadrill - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Moveset for Ranked Battle	Tera Raid Build

Excadrill Base Stats, Type, Ability and Weakness

Blueberry #100		Type
Excadrill
		Abilities
		Sand Rush Sand Force Mold Breaker (Hidden)
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
	(0.25x)
Immune to:	(0x)

What is Type Effectiveness?

Ability Name		Description
Sand Rush		The user's Speed is doubled during a Sandstorm.
Sand Force		Increases the damage of the user's Ground-type, Rock-type, and Steel-type moves by 30% during a Sandstorm and the user takes no damage from the Sandstorm.
Mold Breaker (Hidden)		The user can use moves without getting affected by the opponent's Abilities.

Base Stats

Best Nature for Excadrill

Best Natures
Adamant （+Atk, -Sp. Atk）	Jolly （+Spe, -Sp. Atk）

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Excadrill

Build Name	Recommendation
Choice Scarf	★★★★★
Offensive Lead	★★★★
Sand Rush	★★★

Choice Scarf Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 186 / Atk 187 / Def 80 / Sp. Def 85 / Spe 154
Ability	Mold Breaker
Tera Type
Held Item	Choice Scarf
Moveset	・ Earthquake ・ Iron Head ・ Rock Blast ・ Tera Blast

Summary

Very high base 135 Attack stat. Can run multiple builds, which can confuse the opponent in team preview. Strong offensive STAB coverage.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Mold Breaker	Choice Scarf

The Ability chosen for this build is Mold Breaker. This lets Excadrill ignore the enemy's ability whenever it uses a move targeted at it.

The item chosen for this build is Choice Scarf. This helps Excadrill outspeed opposing Pokemon that are normally faster than it without having to use its other ability Sand Rush.

Moves Breakdown

Earthquake	Iron Head
Rock Blast	Tera Blast

Earthquake is its strongest Ground-type STAB move with no downsides.

Iron Head is its strongest Steel-type STAB move and has a 30% chance of causing the opponent to flinch.

Rock Blast is its primary coverage move that will hit the target 2-5 times each time it's used.

Tera Blast becomes a Flying-type move once Excadrill Terastallizes into Flying.

Best Tera Type: Flying

Flying Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Flying is the best Tera Type for this build because it turns Excadrill's Fighting and Ground weaknesses into a resist and immunity respectively.

Best Flying (Tera) Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

A full 252 EVs are placed in Excadrill's Attack and Speed to make it hit as hard and fast as possible. The extra 4 EVs are put into its HP to help round out its bulk.

A Jolly nature is preferred to help it outspeed as many Pokemon as possible.

Other Viable Moves

Rock Slide	A more consistent Rock-type move that also has a chance to flinch the target. Does the same damage as if 3 Rock Blasts hit.
Horn Drill	A coverage option used over Tera Blast to help Excadrill deal with Pokemon that wall it.

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Excadrill
87 HP｜95 Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP (Timid) Item: Choice Scarf	Earthquake 186 ~ 218 (114.1 ~ 133.7%) Guaranteed OHKO
80 HP｜80 Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP (Jolly) Item: Focus Sash	Iron Head 168 ~ 200 (107.6 ~ 128.2%) Guaranteed 2HKO after Focus Sash
91 HP｜95 Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP (Adamant) Item: Choice Band	Rock Blast (3 Hits) 96 ~ 114 (48.4 ~ 57.5%) 90.2% Chance to 2HKO
80 HP｜84 Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP (Jolly) Item: Hearthflame Mask	Excadrill Tera: Tera Blast 164 ~ 194 (105.1 ~ 124.3%) Guaranteed OHKO

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

Offensive Lead Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 186 / Atk 187 / Def 80 / Sp. Def 85 / Spe 154
Ability	Mold Breaker
Tera Type
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・ Earthquake ・ Iron Head ・ Rock Tomb ・ Stealth Rock

Summary

Will always survive one hit thanks to Focus Sash. Can run multiple builds, which can confuse the opponent in team preview. Can be an offensive lead or a hazard setter with Stealth Rock.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Mold Breaker	Focus Sash

The Ability chosen for this build is Mold Breaker. This lets Excadrill ignore the enemy's ability whenever it uses a move targeted at it.

The item chosen for this build is a Focus Sash. This will let Excadrill survive on hit, which is important with how frail it is.

Moves Breakdown

Earthquake	Iron Head
Rock Tomb	Stealth Rock

Earthquake is its strongest Ground-type STAB move with no downsides.

Iron Head is its strongest Steel-type STAB move and has a 30% chance of causing the opponent to flinch.

Rock Tomb is its primary coverage move that will reduce the target's Speed by one stage. This is especially useful against Pokemon that would outspeed Excadrill and knock it out in two hits.

Stealth Rock will chip away at the health of any Pokemon that switches in on the opponent's side. This is useful to disable any Focus Sashes, Multiscales, or similar items and abilities the opponent may have.

Best Tera Type: Flying

Flying Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Flying is the best Tera Type for this build because it turns Excadrill's Fighting and Ground weaknesses into a resist and immunity respectively.

Alternatively, you could use a Stellar Tera Type for this build to get an unexpected KO with a Stellar boosted attack. Although as a suicide lead, it would best to save Terastallization for one of its allies instead.

Best Flying (Tera) Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

A full 252 EVs are placed in Excadrill's Attack and Speed to make it hit as hard and fast as possible. The extra 4 EVs are put into its HP to help round out its bulk.

A Jolly nature is preferred to help it outspeed as many Pokemon as possible.

Other Viable Moves

Rock Slide or Rock Blast	More powerful Rock-type moves, but Excadrill won't have any form of speed control.

Sand Rush Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spe, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spe 252
Final Stat Values	HP 186 / Atk 187 / Def 80 / Sp. Def 85 / Spe 154
Ability	Sand Rush
Tera Type
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・ Earthquake ・ Iron Head ・ Rock Blast ・ Swords Dance

Summary

Will always survive one hit thanks to Focus Sash. Can run multiple builds, which can confuse the opponent in team preview. Needs a dedicated Sandstorm setter like Tyranitar to get Sand Rush's Speed boost.

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Sand Rush	Focus Sash

The Ability chosen for this build is Sand Rush. This doubles Excadrill's Speed stat while a Sandstorm is active.

The item chosen for this build is a Focus Sash. This will let Excadrill survive on hit, which is important with how frail it is.

Moves Breakdown

Earthquake	Iron Head
Rock Blast	Swords Dance

Earthquake is its strongest Ground-type STAB move with no downsides.

Iron Head is its strongest Steel-type STAB move and has a 30% chance of causing the opponent to flinch.

Rock Blast is its primary coverage move that will hit the target 2-5 times each time it's used.

Swords Dance can be used to boost Excadrill's Attack by two stages, potentially threatening a knockout on Pokemon that normally wouldn't get OHKO'd.

Best Tera Type: Flying

Flying Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Flying is the best Tera Type for this build because it turns Excadrill's Fighting and Ground weaknesses into a resist and immunity respectively.

Alternatively, it could use a Stellar Tera Type to boost the damage of whatever move it chooses to use.

Best Flying (Tera) Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

A full 252 EVs are placed in Excadrill's Attack and Speed to make it hit as hard and fast as possible. The extra 4 EVs are put into its HP to help round out its bulk.

A Jolly nature is preferred to help it outspeed as many Pokemon as possible. With max Speed investment, Excadrill outspeeds max Speed Booster Flutter Mane under a Sandstorm by one point.

Other Viable Moves

Rock Slide	A more consistent Rock-type move that also has a chance to flinch the target. Does the same damage as if 3 Rock Blasts hit.

Doubles Movesets for Excadrill

Build Name	Recommendation
Sand Rush	★★★★★

Sand Rush Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp. Atk)
EV Spread	HP 44 / Atk 252 / Spe 212
Final Stat Values	HP 191 / Atk 205 / Def 80 / Sp. Def 85 / Spe 212
Ability	Sand Rush
Tera Type
Held Item	Clear Amulet
Moveset	・ High Horsepower ・ Iron Head ・ Rock Slide ・ Protect

Summary

Massive 135 Attack Stat. Difficult to outspeed in Sandstorm. Good coverage in its standard toolkit, covering Ground, Rock, and Steel..

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Sand Rush	Clear Amulet

The Ability chosen for this build is Sand Rush. This doubles Excadrill's Speed stat while a Sandstorm is active.

The item chosen for this build is a Clear Amulet. This will let Excadrill be immune to Intimidates and Parting Shots.

Moves Breakdown

High Horsepower	Iron Head
Rock Slide	Protect

High Horsepower is a powerful Ground-type STAB, that is one of Excadrill's best offensive options.

Iron Head is its strongest Steel-type STAB move and has a 30% chance of causing the opponent to flinch. A solid option against Fairy-types

Rock Slide is its primary spread attack that also comes with a chance of flinching.

Protect is useful for protecting Excadrill from Fake Out without needing to commit to Ghost Tera.

Best Tera Type: Dragon

Dragon Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)

Dragon is the best Tera Type for this build as it can give Excadrill resistances to Grass, Fire, and Water.

Best Dragon Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

An Adamant nature and a maximum 252 EVs are put into Excadrill's Attack Stat, ensuring that it does as much damage as it can. 212 Speed EVs will allow Excadrill to outspeed most threats outside of Tailwind, such as Choice Scarf Rapid-Strike Urshifu, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and non-Booster Energy Flutter Mane.

The remaining 44 EVs are put into Excadrill's HP to increase Excadrill's overall bulk.

Other Viable Moves

Earthquake	A powerful Ground-type STAB option that is also a spread attack. This move synergizes well with Tera Flying Tyranitar.

How to Use Excadrill Effectively

Use Excadrill to Get Quick Knockouts

Excadrill can easily be knocked out because of its abysmal defensive stats. Make sure that Excadrill is put in a position to do big damage or get quick knockouts before your opponent gets to knock it out.

Bring an Ally Who Can Set Up a Sandstorm

For Excadrill to effectively outspeed its enemies with Sand Rush, it will need a Pokemon that can set up a Sandstorm for it. Bring a Pokemon with Sand Stream like Tyranitar, or a support Pokemon like Tornadus who can manually set up Sandstorm for Excadrill.

How to Build a Team with Excadrill

Excadrill can fill a few different roles on a team, but it is best used as an offensive threat to knock out Pokemon that would threaten its allies.

Sample Singles Team

Offensive Lead	Physical Attacker	Special Attacker
Ogerpon (Hearthflame Mask)	Excadrill	Flutter Mane

Excadrill appreciates teammates like Hearthflame Ogerpon and Flutter Mane who can help deal with matchups that Excadrill struggles with.

Ideally you would also want to have a Tyranitar on the team to make the enemy think that it is a Sand Rush Excadrill instead of a Mold Breaker one. It would also incentivize the opponent to bring Pokemon to counter Tyranitar and Excadrill, which Hearthflame Ogerpon would counter.

Sample Doubles Team

Physical Attacker / Sand Setter	Physical Attacker
Tyranitar	Excadrill
Support / Physical Attacker	Support / Disruption
Incineroar	Amoonguss

Tyranitar + Excadrill is a tried and true VGC combo, made even stronger by Terastallization. Incineroar is good to lead with alongside Excadrill if you are not leading with Tyranitar, giving Excadrill Intimidate support, and allowing Tyranitar to switch in and set up Sand, giving Excadrill its Speed boost.

Amoonguss can handily redirect Fighting and Water-type attacks away from all three of its teammates. Amoonguss can also discourage or stop opponents from setting up Trick Room, as the threat of Spore is an effective deterrent.

Counters for Excadrill

Use Pokemon with Multi-Hit Moves

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Tera Water Surging Strikes is a guaranteed OHKO unless Excadrill Terastallizes to resist it. ・Doesn't get OHKO'd by Tera Flying Tera Blast. ▶️ Urshifu Rapid Strike Best Movesets
Rillaboom	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Excadrill's Speed is a non-factor against Priority Grassy Glide. ▶️ Rillaboom Best Movesets
Torterra	Ranking: ★★★★ ・STAB and Rock attacks cover for Excadrill's normal and Tera typings. ・Has Bullet Seed and Rock Blast to bypass Excadrill's Focus Sash. ・Needs 2 Shell Smashes to outspeed Choice Scarf and Sand Rush Excadrills. ▶️ Torterra Best Movesets

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