Optimizing Sand + Staraptor VGC Teams | Pokémon Champions
Summary
The Pokémon Champions | VGC Battles & Tournaments community is analyzing a unique Sand + Staraptor team composition. This discussion focuses on replacing Sinistcha with Scovillain to disrupt physical attackers and explores optimal item choices for Staraptor. Members are debating team synergy, the necessity of Tailwind support, and potential alternatives to refine this competitive build for the current VGC meta.
this isn't too complicated but I want a second set of eyes. are y'all aware of that sand and staraptor team going around that consists of T-Tar, Excadrill, Milotic, Gholdengo, Staraptor and sinistcha? well I made a simple change; I swapped sinistcha for scovillain. I have been a very big believer in mega scovillain's ability to disrupt the non-megas of the meta considering a large amount of them are physical attackers. I played a couple games on showdown and like I thought I would I really enjoy the way the team feels, except for one component- Staraptor. Because I don't want 3 mega evolutions on the same team, initially I took away staraptor's stone to give it to scovillain, but I'm struggling to find a good item replacement for the bird and that's what I'm here for. If anybody has any obvious answers that I can't think of, lmk. Alternatively, or if no one has a better idea, I might give t-tar a chople and give the bird it's stone back. pokepaste pictured below
Without the mega stone, staraptor doesn't work for the team
yeah that's what I was thinking
You have to pick between big chonky bird or annoying fire plant
yeah either go scarf final gambit or just replace it
Nah I wanted to keep it for the tailwind support, the scarf final gambit isn't as helpful
This team doesn't really need tailwind
Especially if it's the scovillain variant
is there already a variant with scovillain out there in the wild?
If it's the staraptor verison then play whimsicott, but scovillain turns the team into mostly bulky setup except for exca sand
tHERE'S PLENTY
oops caps
depends on how you want to build it
yeah
gholdengo is the only one with a setup move
There's a Staraptor variant that uses non mega tyranitar
There's a Houndstone strategy
There's Gholdengo setup
There's combinations of those
I love houndstone sand unrelated but it rocks
I think that's what I'm going to do I realized after i had already typed it out I could take t-tar's stone away instead
https://metavgc.com/teams/scovillain-mega-staraptor-mega-by-imlikewater-at-tenki-s-cart-weekly-107-reg-mb-place-7th
Could try something like this
lemme take a look
choice scarf t-tar is hilarious
I do kinda like the idea of swapping milo for grim but it makes the gholdengo a little weaker since the idea in the orignal team is to have milo provide haze support to reset make it rain drops (and mess with opposing mega staraptor)
this has given me some options to think on tho
thank you :)
Grimmsnarl lets Ghold stay alive for longer, and you can pivot around it quickly with parting shot
Parting shot also boosts your own staraptor
ye I know that duo I've used it before and quite enjoy it
I'm just worried grim doesn't have as strong synergy with the rest of the team, mainly scovillain and the sand duo
ig if it's scarf t-tar it does
