[OVERVIEW]
Sandslash falls into a strange spot in RBY PU. Since Nidoqueen is very common mandatory, it can be difficult to envision where Sandslash fits on a team, but its excellent Attack, physical bulk, and superior typing give it a distinct role and matchup spread. While Sandslash isn't a replacement for Nidoqueen, it can check foes that take advantage of Nidoqueen's lower damage output or hit it super effectively due to its terrible Poison typing, like Gastly, Porygon, Machamp, Graveler, Abra, and Drowzee. The Porygon matchup is notable, as Sandslash will always bring Porygon down to low HP at worst and will often win outright, but Sandslash's ability to check physical attackers and Psychic-types is valuable too. Would def take a moment to talk about Gastly here a bit more since it's by far the most relavant mon that Sandslash has a notable advantage over compared to Nidoqueen. Sandslash's superior bulk also allows it to fight Fearow and Scyther more effectively than Nidoqueen can. I don't think this is true, especially for Fearow, Dedge x2 into Hyper Beam is still very favorable on Sandslash, and Slide never 2HKOes without recoil, and even then Sandslash has to his a 90% acc RS while Queen can go for the 100% acc tbolt. Sandslash also counters Magneton, of course, letting it fill in for several of Nidoqueen's roles while improving matchups against foes with Psychic- and Ground-type moves. Slash can also set up on mag, + the extra bulk means Mag can't break sub with HB, which can happen for Queen. This isn't super relavant tho since mag doesn't HB queen's sub often so u can leave this out if u want.
Unfortunately for Sandslash, most of the foes it checks effectively are somewhat niche or rarely-seen, making its unique matchup spread wasted in most matches. Against typical foes, Sandslash's main flaws are its mediocre Speed and Special. It unfortunately struggles against Nidoqueen and Pinsir due to the Speed disadvantage, and many Water-types, such as Staryu and Seaking, also outrun it and threaten painful super effective attacks. Its Attack, while excellent, falls just short of some crucial benchmarks like 2HKOing Fearow, Porygon, and Dragonair, so a sweep is extremely unlikely without immense paralysis support and multiple turns of setup. It also struggles against unparalyzed Fire-types since they outspeed it and threaten heavy damage and burn. That said, Sandslash does not need to set up to deal effective damage, and its combination of wallbreaking potential and ability to punish passivity with Swords Dance can create difficult games for the opponent. This might be a personal preference kind of thing but I'm heavily against using two ground-types on the same team because of how bad of a weakness to waters you stack, so if anything I would only use Sandslash over Nidoqueen, not alongside it. Also if you go by my "don't use two grounds" rule sandslash is also competing with grav to an extent.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Earthquake is Sandslash's main attacking option, as the only Pokemon that don't mind it—Fearow, Scyther, and Pinsir—are vulnerable to Rock Slide. After a Swords Dance, Sandslash deals immense damage, notably OHKOing every Fire- and Rock-type as well as Nidoqueen, Scyther, Staryu, and Drowzee; in fact, Sandslash 2HKOes every single Pokemon in the tier after a boost. Swords Dance also helps in some rare scenarios by reapplying Speed and Attack drops from paralysis and burn, respectively, as well as cancelling out burn on Sandslash if it happens to get burned. Substitute helps to facilitate setup and exploit switches or full paralysis, permitting Sandslash to use Swords Dance or begin attacking; since Sandslash is immune to Thunder Wave and deals heavy damage to common sleep inducers, it becomes extremely difficult to stop once safely behind a Substitute. If Sandslash is able to set up both Swords Dance and Substitute, it becomes nearly impossible to stop.
Sandslash generally functions as a mid-game attacker, exploiting Thunder Wave attempts from Drowzee, Abra, and Porygon to find entry then following up with Earthquake. Would def mention how free entry on Magneton is here. Sandslash reliably beats both Psychic-types one-on-one, and Porygon cannot afford to trade hits with Sandslash, as its best case scenario still leaves it too chipped to avoid a revenge kill. This matchup has become even better now that Pory has started to use Psychic as its main attacking move as opposed to Blizz. Since Pinsir is rare and neither Fearow nor Scyther cannot beat Sandslash one-on-one, it can afford to simply use Earthquake and expect to make decent progress. Sandslash can also duel Fearow late-game to clear the way for teammates to finish the game. Sandslash therefore benefits from teammates that can spread paralysis and incentivize opposing Thunder Wave, such as Staryu and Porygon. It also appreciates allies that can chip down faster checks for it; Nidoqueen and Seaking, for example, can help to weaken Fearow and Fire-types for Sandslash to finish off later. Dragonair is notable for its combination of Thunder Wave and Wrap, which can paralyze checks on entry then grant Sandslash a free switch-in.
Since this was written during the porygon/drowzee meta there is very little mention of Gastly anywhere here, which I would defnitely talk about, since to me the Gastly matchup due to lack of a psy weakness is one of the big reasons to use Sandslash over Nidoqueen.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sandslash generally lacks other move choices. Slash can be used to cover for pivot attempts and can be used over Swords Dance or Substitute. Body Slam can be used instead of Substitute to fish for paralysis, but it deals relatively poor damage. Hyper Beam initially seems appealing, but Ground-resistant foes like Pinsir and Fearow are weak to Rock Slide anyway, so Sandslash has no reason to take this risk.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Sandslash is outsped by Staryu, Seaking, and the rare Poliwag, which all nearly OHKO it and can survive an Earthquake. Seaking can even set up Agility in front of Sandslash and still win the matchup. Staryu and Poliwag are frail, however, and cannot switch into a healthy Sandslash and win. While Omanyte cannot beat Sandslash one-on-one, it still deals heavy damage and can easily put Sandslash in range of any revenge killer. Is wag even worth mentioning?
**Nidoqueen**: Nidoqueen outspeeds and 2HKOes Sandslash, which cannot OHKO Nidoqueen without a critical hit. Sandslash is capable of winning the matchup if it sets up Substitute or Swords Dance, however.
**Dragonair**: Dragonair outspeeds Sandslash and can chip it into range of other threats quickly with Wrap; two or three cycles of Wrap is generally enough to put it in range of Water-types, and a few more cycles put it in range of various Blizzard users, including Dragonair itself. Wrap also allows Dragonair to incentivize a set-up Sandslash to switch out to preserve its health, frustrating its attempt to make progress.
**Grass-types**: Vileplume can narrowly defeat Sandslash with Mega Drain, but Sandslash actually wins one-on-one if it uses Swords Dance rather than immediately attacking. Weepinbell has a tiny chance to OHKO Sandslash with Razor Leaf, but Sandslash is faster and 2HKOes it with Earthquake 87.2% of the time. Both are able to put Sandslash to sleep or paralyze it, and this allows Weepinbell to use Wrap to chip Sandslash into range of its attacks; Sandslash detests paralysis, as even if it manages to beat these foes, it becomes useless for the rest of the match. Since most vileplumes are now sleep stun sd beam and weep is nonexistent not sure how this paragraph holds up.
**Faster Foes**: Sandslash struggles with most faster foes, as it only tenuously wins these matchups and is vulnerable to critical hits or burns. Arcanine and Rapidash both have a 38.2% chance to 2HKO Sandslash, which is exacerbated by their high critical hit chances and Fire Blast's burn chance. Magmar fares better with a 76.2% chance to 2HKO Sandslash, but Sandslash has a 43.6% chance to OHKO it in return; while this is a little better for Sandslash, it's still favorable for Magmar overall. Pinsir has a 53% chance to 3HKO Sandslash with Slash, and it can potentially use Bind or Hyper Beam to boost its odds; Sandslash can only 3HKO it in return with Rock Slide. Fearow cannot 3HKO Sandslash outright, but its excellent critical hit rate gives it passable odds to get lucky and win anyway, since Sandslash can only 3HKO it.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/volk.530877/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
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