VGC Team Guide

Sand Team Guide

Sand Stream chip damage + Rock-type SpDef boost + Sand Rush speed double — complete Regulation I sand team building guide

Sand StreamSand RushSand Force

Sand Weather Mechanics

End-of-turn chip damage (1/16 HP)

All Pokémon not Rock, Ground, or Steel type take 6.25% HP damage per turn. Passive pressure that forces opponents to use healing items sooner.

Rock-type SpDef +50% in sand

Tyranitar, Rhyperior, and Rock-type Pokémon gain massive special bulk in sand. Makes Tyranitar surprisingly tanky against special attackers.

Sand Rush: Speed × 2 in sand

Excadrill, Stoutland, and Sandaconda double their speed in sand. Excadrill (88 base → 176) outpaces most unrestricted VGC Pokémon.

Sand Force: Ground/Rock/Steel + 30%

Boosts Excadrill’s Earthquake and Iron Head power. Stacks with STAB for devastating Ground-type damage.

Sand Veil: 20% evasion boost

Garchomp gains 20% extra evasion in sand — a secondary benefit for anti-sand teams that use Garchomp.

5 turns base / 8 with Smooth Rock

Tyranitar should almost always carry Smooth Rock to extend sand duration.

Sand Core: Weather Setters

🦖

Tyranitar

Primary Sand Setter

Ability：Sand Stream (auto sand on entry)

Pros：Massive 100 Def / 110 SpDef / 100 Atk. Intimidating threat that forces switches. Can deal damage while setting.

Cons：4× Weakness to Fighting. Slow (61 Speed). Vulnerable to Groudon’s Precipice Blades.

🐊

Hippowdon

Backup Sand Setter

Ability：Sand Stream (auto sand on entry)

Pros：108 HP / 112 Def bulk. Better physical wall than Tyranitar. Slack Off recovery.

Cons：Zero offensive threat. Easier to Taunt. Commonly replaced by Tyranitar at high levels.

Sand Rush Sweepers

🦡

Excadrill

Speed: 88 → 176 (Sand Rush)

Sand Rush + Sand Force. Iron Head + Earthquake STAB coverage. Most common sand sweeper in VGC.

🐺

Stoutland

Speed: 80 → 160 (Sand Rush)

Sand Rush doubler. Return + Crunch + Fire Fang. Less powerful than Excadrill but can be paired as secondary.

🐍

Sandaconda

Speed: 65 → 130 (Sand Rush)

Sand Rush + Glare paralysis support. Primarily support role; Sand Rush helps it move first to use Glare.

Recommended Team Structures

S-Tier

Groudon + Tyranitar Core

Groudon (Restricted)Calyrex-Shadow (Restricted)TyranitarExcadrillIncineroarTornadus

Groudon brings Desolate Land (overrides sand); Tyranitar brings it back on switch-in. Excadrill Sand Rush sweeps while Calyrex-Shadow provides restricted pressure. Incineroar + Tornadus provide Intimidate + Tailwind utility.

A-Tier

Pure Sand Offense

Kyogre (Restricted)TyranitarExcadrillIncineroarGarchompAmoonguss

Semi-room team: Tyranitar sets sand against non-Kyogre leads; Kyogre provides rain fallback. Excadrill threatens Ground damage vs Electric terrain teams. Garchomp in sand gets Sand Veil evasion bonus.

Sand vs Other Weather Teams

Matchup	Result	Key Factor
vs Rain (Kyogre)	不利	Primordial Sea overrides sand. Kyogre resists Ground. Need Groudon or Tyranitar’s strong attacks.
vs Sun (Groudon)	五五開	Both weathers compete. Excadrill threatens Ground; Groudon resists Earthquake. Speed of setup matters.
vs Trick Room	不利	Tyranitar is slow (61), Excadrill is moderate (88 → only 176 in sand). Under TR, both move last.
vs Snow (Kyurem)	有利	Steel-type resists Ice. Sand chips Ice-type Pokémon without immunity. Tyranitar’s Rock SpDef negates Ice.
vs Tailwind Offense	五五開	Sand Rush Excadrill outpaces even Tailwind Pokémon in some cases. Comes down to restricted matchup.

Sand Team Weaknesses

Primordial Sea / Drizzle

Permanent or long-duration rain overrides sand. Kyogre is the single hardest counter to sand teams.

Fighting-type attacks

Tyranitar has ×4 Fighting weakness. Close Combat from Urshifu-Single or Terrakion can OHKO Tyranitar.

Trick Room teams

Sand Rush Excadrill (88 Speed) moves last under Trick Room — loses its primary advantage.

Steel/Rock/Ground immunities

Sand chip doesn’t affect Steel/Ground/Rock types. Many VGC Pokémon are naturally immune to sand damage.