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Excadrill is a Ground & Steel Pokémon which evolves from Drilbur. It is vulnerable to Fighting, Ground, Fire and Water moves. Excadrill's strongest moveset is Mud-Slap & Earthquake and it has a Max CP of 3,244.
"More than 300 feet below the surface, they build mazelike nests. Their activity can be destructive to subway tunnels."
Mud Shot is generally preferred over Mud Slap due to superior energy generation; the latter is more preferable for niche situations that specifically favor Ground-type coverage. Metal Claw is an underwhelming move for PvP, and Steel-type coverage is typically not as valuable.
Rock Slide ties for the least amount of energy, and provides wide coverage. Drill Run is an efficient move that is recommended over Earthquake due to significantly less energy costs. Iron Head is typically not used due to other charge moves being more valuable.
After receiving Mud Shot as an addition to its move pool, Excadrill has notably improved performance in PvP. As a Ground/Steel Pokemon, Excadrill competes very similarly to the popular Galarian Stunfisk, with very similar movesets as well. Excadrill's higher ATK stat results in considerably lesser bulk, but access to Drill Run lets it access its Ground-type charge move sooner. While the matchup between Excadrill and Galarian Stunfisk is IV-dependent, Excadrill tends to fall behind against the rest of the meta due to poor survivability despite its long list of resistances.
Excadrill once again competes with Galarian Stunfisk for its role, though due to the limitations of XL candy, Excadrill is a much cheaper option. Unfortunately Excadrill's poor bulk holds it back and makes it the inferior choice of the two, with notable performance differences against Articuno, Giratina, Gallade, Registeel, and Abomasnow, to name a few. Overall Excadrill isn't the most impressive Pokemon, but can return some success if the player is on a budget.
Excadrill cements its role in the Master League as the supreme counter to the omnipresent Dialga, resisting all of its moves and striking back with lightning fast, super effective Drill Run. It also preys on other common picks such as Togekiss, Metagross, and Zekrom. Excadrill's nearly unresisted coverage, almost unrivaled charging speed, and very high ATK stat makes it an excellent Pokemon to clean up games with.
Outside of its high ATK, Excadrill is very fragile and possesses the lowest stat product out of all Pokemon commonly seen in the Master League. Excadrill relies on its resistances to make up for its low stats, and struggles taking even neutral hits. Giratina-O can defeat it a shield down, despite having a slower moveset and sharing the same type effectiveness. Lugia is an even matchup, despite Excadrill resisting everything and hitting back with super effective Rock Slide. Many common Pokemon pressure Excadrill, such as Kyogre, Groudon, Zacian, and Zarude. Finally, it competes with Melmetal as a Steel-type option due to Melmetal's superior bulk and similar moveset.
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