Is Sandy Shocks viable in Gen 9 UU?

Sandy Shocks is ranked #18 in Gen 9 UU with 11.99% usage according to Smogon Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 data.

What beats Sandy Shocks in Gen 9 UU?

The best counter for Sandy Shocks in Gen 9 UU is Latios with a 85.4% win rate when they meet. Based on Smogon's Apr 2026 - Jun 2026 usage data, the top Pokémon that beat Sandy Shocks include Latios, Hydrapple, Excadrill, Skarmory.

What is the best counter for Sandy Shocks in Gen 9 UU?

Latios is the best counter for Sandy Shocks in Gen 9 UU, KOing or forcing it out in 85.4% of their encounters.

Sandy Shocks counters

Gen 9 UU · Sorted by reliability score · Smogon · Apr 2026 - Jun 2026

#0989 Sandy Shocks

ElectricGround

USAGE 12.0% #18

BASE STATS

HP 85

ATK 81

DEF 97

SPA 121

SPD 85

SPE 101

BST570

TYPE MATCHUPS

2×

WaterGrassIceGround

½×

PoisonFlyingRockSteel

0×

Electric

Moves

Earth Power 99.9% Power Gem 71.7% Volt Switch 68.3% Stealth Rock 66.8% Spikes 54.1% Thunderbolt 19.8% Tera Blast 10.4% Discharge 3.1%

Items

Heavy-Duty Boots 41.4% Booster Energy 38.8% Air Balloon 5.0% Shuca Berry 4.7% Leftovers 3.3% Focus Sash 2.0% Choice Specs 1.4% Choice Scarf 1.2%

Tera Types

Ghost 76.4% Ice 9.4% Water 6.0% Flying 2.2% Electric 1.9% Grass 1.1% Fairy 0.7% Stellar 0.7%

Common Teammates

Browse Gen 9 UU teams using Sandy Shocks →

Teams using Latios 85% Teams using Excadrill 46% Teams using Skarmory 4%

Checks & Counters

Reliability ranks observed matchups; KO rate is how often the checker knocked out or forced out the target. “Checker faints” reports the checker's own observed death rate. Categories use matchup reliability plus offensive and defensive base stats.

How to read this table

Use encounter count to judge sample size. A high-reliability check with a modest KO rate can still be useful when it consistently forces switches or limits the target.

# Checker Encounters Reliability KO Rate

Latios

DragonPsychic OFFENSIVE CHECK

84.087

85.4% checker faints 6.49%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ SpA Soul Dew Latios Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Sandy Shocks: 225-265 (60.1 - 70.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

View Latios counters → Teams with Latios →

Hydrapple

GrassDragon DEFENSIVE COUNTER

62.435

78.0% checker faints 7.28%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ SpA Sandy Shocks Power Gem vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hydrapple: 76-90 (18.2 - 21.6%) -- possible 5HKO

View Hydrapple counters →

Excadrill

GroundSteel SOFT CHECK

27.449

46.2% checker faints 9.52%

DAMAGE CALC

252+ Atk Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sandy Shocks: 378-446 (101 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

View Excadrill counters → Teams with Excadrill →

Skarmory

SteelFlying SOFT CHECK

50.007

4.0% checker faints 3.78%

DAMAGE CALC

0 Def Skarmory Body Press vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Sandy Shocks: 79-94 (21.1 - 25.1%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO

View Skarmory counters → Teams with Skarmory →

Ranked #18 with 11.99% usage. Sorted by reliability score.