Sandaconda Movesets & Competitive Sets

Sandaconda serves as a deadly late-game threat with the powerful combination of Coil, Rest, and Shed Skin. Earthquake hits most of the tier for at least neutral damage, while Sandaconda's other attacking move hits Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake like Charizard and Dodrio. Scale Shot allows Sandaconda to boost its Speed, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame except for common Choice Scarf users like Typhlosion at +2. Alternatively, Stone Edge doesn't drop Sandaconda's Defense and has more immediate potential to threaten Flying-types like Minior, Articuno, and Charizard. Rest acts as excellent recovery to keep Sandaconda healthy and combines well with Shed Skin to make it more reliable and help it serve as a wall in early- and mid-game scenarios, especially when combined with Tera Dragon to flip matchups on common Water- and Grass-types like Poliwrath and Venusaur. Coil Sandaconda can opt to run less Speed in exchange for more bulk, with 224 Speed EVs and a neutral nature being enough to outpace base 110 Speed Pokemon at +1. Sandaconda can also opt to run Attack investment instead of HP, but this makes it more difficult to wall the foes it's tasked with setting up on late-game. Levitate users such as Mesprit and Rotom serve as potentially problematic Pokemon, since they are immune to Earthquake and can become fully immune to Sandaconda's moves, if it's running Scale Shot, with Tera Fairy, so specially bulky teammates like Naclstack and Mesprit can be extremely helpful to counteract them. Orthworm poses similar issues due to Earth Eater and Iron Defense, so wallbreakers that threaten it like Charizard and Typhlosion are invaluable as teammates. These two as well as Dodrio and Beartic also threaten Grass-types, which cause problems for Sandaconda pre-Terastallization. Water-types pose similar issues while also often carrying super effective coverage for Terastallized Sandaconda, so teammates like Poliwrath and Virizion benefit it greatly. In return for all of these potential partners' help, Sandaconda turns many physical attackers into setup fodder. Some common examples of Pokemon completely walled by it late-game include Primeape, Muk, and Regirock; after Terastallization, this list expands to include other threats like Poliwrath and Brute Bonnet.

Sandaconda is a great wall thanks to its natural bulk, Shed Skin, and Ground typing. Common physical attackers like Muk, Primeape, and Regirock struggle to break through Sandaconda, and its great defensive profile enables it to consistently set up Stealth Rock. Rock Blast lets Sandaconda strike foes such as Articuno, Charizard, and Mesprit that it cannot touch with Earthquake. Alternatively, Glare lets Sandaconda spread paralysis and punish Pokemon like Dipplin, Orthworm, and Virizion that it would deal little damage to anyway. Rest and Shed Skin can keep Sandaconda healthy, although the inconsistency of Shed Skin can leave it out to dry. Rocky Helmet helps Sandaconda further wear down physical attackers like Muk and Regirock trying to break through it, and it enables Sandaconda to punish U-turn from pivots like Mesprit and Primeape. Tera Poison makes Sandaconda a more reliable wall to physical attackers like Primeape, Brute Bonnet, and Virizion. Tera Ghost makes Sandaconda an even more sturdy wall to physical setup sweepers like Toxicroak and Regirock, improves its matchups against Fighting-types like Primeape and Hisuian Sneasel, and lets it spinblock Sandslash and Hitmontop. Tera Water helps Sandaconda handle physically offensive Ice-types like Sneasel, Beartic, and Froslass. Sandaconda is a good physical wall for balanced teams looking to compress entry hazard setting on a teammate that isn't bothered as much by residual damage and status compared to Regirock, Orthworm, and Sandslash. Bulkier offensive teams also benefit from the utility and bulk Sandaconda offers in Glare and absorbing status from Weezing and Muk for offensive teammates. Sandaconda's Water weakness makes special walls like Cryogonal, Whimsicott, and Eelektross helpful for managing Clawitzer. Sandaconda is not offensively threatening to walls like Dipplin and Articuno, so teammates like Magneton and Charizard can compensate for Sandaconda's poor matchup against them and have an easier time against said targets if Sandaconda has paralyzed them with Glare. Sandaconda invites in hazard setters like Mesprit and Orthworm due to its passivity, so teamamates that can remove hazards like Lurantis and Hitmontop make good partners for Sandaconda.