Excadrill - Moveset & Best Build | Pokemon Sword Shield

Find out how to breed Excadrill in Pokemon Sword and Shield! Learn about Excadrill's best competitive movesets, best builds, best nature, counters, hidden ability and breeding!!!

Table of Contents

Best Movesets & Builds
Best Moves
Best Items
Best Nature And EVs
Counters
Competitive Breeding Process

Excadrill Related Articles

Location & Stats

Competitive Build

Excadrill Moveset & Best Build

Total Base Stats	508
Type

#1 - Sand Rush Life Orb Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Jolly (Speed ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Life Orb
Best Ability
Sand Rush Increases speed during Sandstorms.
Best Moveset
Earthquake / Iron Head / Rock Slide / Swords Dance ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
Attack 252, Speed 252, HP 4

Dynamax And Set Up Sand

Thanks to Max Rockfall, you do not need to have a Sandstorm supporter to set up your attack. Simply Dynamax and set it up yourself. You'll most likely survive one move while Dynamaxed, allowing you to go first the next turn and take out your opponent.

Three Item Choices

Although we recommend the Life Orb here, you could also choose the Weakness Policy or a Focus Sash. Weakness Policy will work well with Dynamax, while Focus Sash lets you survive against Pokemon who have a favorable matchup against you.

Regarding Move Choice

Iron Head, Earthquake, and Rock Slide (or Rock Tomb) are practically mandatory for this build. The last slot, however, is up to you. We recommend Swords Dance, but you can also run a 1HKO move.

#2 - (Hidden Ability) Mold Breaker Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Jolly (Speed ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Choice Scarf
Best Ability
Mold Breaker Ignores the effects of opponents' abilities.
Best Moveset
Earthquake / Iron Head / Rock Slide / Horn Drill ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
Attack 252, Speed 252, HP 4

Scarf Is Necessary

This build is mainly intended to take out Mimikyu. Since Excadrill is slower than Mimikyu, a Choice Scarf is absolutely necessary. 252 EVs in Attack and Speed are also a must.

Jolly Scarf Outspeeds Dragapult

Even without Sand Rush, this version of Excadrill is able to outspeed non-Choice Scarf Dragapults!

Breaks Through Disguise

With Mold Breaker, you can hit past Mimikyu's Disguise and one shot it with Iron Head. This is the absolute easiest way to deal with Mimikyu out there. Additionally, you'll be able to hit the entire Rotom family with Earthquake.

Horn Drill Or Fissure

OHKO moves are here to help you deal with bulky tanks who you would otherwise struggle against, such as Ferrothorn. You can choose which of the two moves you wish, as Horn Drill is ineffective vs. Ghost types, while Fissure doesn't work against Flying types.

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Excadrill - Best Moves

Press the buttons below to toggle between different builds!

Life Orb Build Mold Breaker Build

Build #1 - Sand Rush Life Orb

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Earthquake	Absolute must on all builds, 100 power STAB move with good coverage. Two shots Ferrothorn.
Iron Head	Great stab move, wipes out Mimikyu in one shot (provided its ability is down)
Rock Slide	Deals AOE damage so it's quite useful for double battles. Good coverage for Flying types.
Swords Dance	Raises attack two stages. Try using a Focus Sash build (with sandstorm up) to take one hit while setting up and then sweep.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Rapid Spin	Clears away hazards like Earthquake and Stealth Rock.
Rock Tomb	Lowers opponent's speed. Less damage than Rock Slide, but it could be useful.
Horn Drill	Very low accuracy, but one-shots the target if it lands. Useful VS. tanks who stall you out.
Fissure	Same effect as Horn Drill, but a different type. Should be chosen at your discretion.

Build #2 - Mold Breaker

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Earthquake	Absolute must on all builds, 100 power STAB move with good coverage. Two shots Ferrothorn.
Iron Head	Great stab move, wipes out Mimikyu in one shot (provided its ability is down)
Rock Slide	Deals AOE damage so it's quite useful for double battles. Good coverage for Flying types.
Horn Drill	Very low accuracy, but one-shots the target if it lands. Useful VS. tanks who stall you out.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Fissure	Same effect as Horn Drill, but a different type. Should be chosen at your discretion.
Rock Tomb	Lowers opponent's speed. Less damage than Rock Slide, but it could be useful.

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Excadrill - Best Item to Hold

Item	Traits
Choice Band	Allows only a single move to be used, but boosts Special Attack by 150% Boosts damage significantly but is risky. Allows you to outspeed and one-hit KO Dragapult.
Life Orb	Boosts Move Power by 130% but uses 10% of health per use. Can boost damage output while still allowing you to Swords Dance.
Focus Sash	Useful to get 1 turn to set up Swords Dance. Provided you have Sandstorm up, you should be able to sweep.
Weakness Policy	Requires Dynamaxing to pull off. Can massively sweep teams teams if it procs.

Click To Learn Where To Find Items For Battle

Excadrill - Best Nature And EVs

Excadrill - Recommended Natures

Nature	Traits
Adamant	Attack↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Recommended if you're constantly going to have a Sandstorm up.
Jolly	Speed↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Maximizes speed to further improve the effect of Sand Rush.

Which Nature Would You Recommend?

Recommended Base Point (EV) Allocation

Offensive Variant

Stat	Base Point
Attack	252 points (max)
Speed	252 points (max)
HP	4 points

Maximizing speed will be key in going first and taking out major threats. In a sandstorm with a Choice Band, you'll be able to 1 shot a max speed (non-defensive) Dragapult.

Check Out The EV (Base Point) Guide Here!

Excadrill Counters

Recommended Pokemon To Counter Excadrill

Pokemon	Explanation
Corviknight	Pros - Walls Excadrill completely, even without Def EVs - Can Bulk Up/Iron Defense to set up easily Cons - Takes a long time to actually knock out Excadrill (without Bulk Up)
Heat Rotom	Pros - Can one shot with Overheat Cons - Dangerous vs. Rock Slide (/Max Rockfall)
Dragapult	Pros - Can one shot with Fire Blast Cons - Can't outspeed during a Sandstorm.

How To Play Against Excadrill

Hit It Fast

Take Excadrill out before it has a chance to Dynamax and start a Sandstorm. Without a Choice Scarf, it is generally rather slow and you can expect to be able to get the first hit off.

Be Aware Of Its Ability

Make sure to pay attention when Excadrill appears. A text will pop up and alert you that it has the Mold Breaker ability, so take note!

Bring Out A Physical Tank

If you anticipate that it's holding a Choice Scarf, immediately switch in a physical wall like Ferrothorn. If it's running Fissure or Horn Drill, start praying.

Excadrill - Competitive Breeding Process

Breeding Process Flow Chart

1	Catch a Drilbur in the Galar Mine
2	Hatch Eggs until you get a High IV Drilbur
3	Breed that Drilbur until you get one with a Jolly Nature
4	Put 252 EVs in Attack and Speed
5	Max out its Dynamax Level
6	Teach it Earthquake, Iron Head, Rapid Spin, and Swords Dance
7	Equip a Life Orb

>> Check Out Our Breeding Guide For More Info!

How To Get Drilbur

The first step to Breeding Excadrill will be to catch one. You can easily find a Drilbur in the Galar Mine early on in the game. You can also find Excadrill in the Wild Area at the Lake of Outrage during Sandstorms.

Check Out Wild Area Guide Here!

Hidden Ability Mold Breaker

Mold Breaker is a Hidden Ability, which means regular Excadrills won't have it. You'll have to catch an Excadrill from a Max Raid Battle or get it from another player.

Find Out More About Hidden Abilities Here