Question

How to get Excadrill with iron head sun and moon?

If you can't or it requires pokebank $ $$: what are some good strategies for an Excadrill without iron head
competitively?

Thinking about using Metal Claw to revenge kill and then hope I have a 10% chance to raise attack and make metal claw the next iron head? Cause Swords Dance doesn't work, unless your bulky to begin with.

Comments

In which format do you want to use Excadrill? The best moveset depends on the format.

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Format? its adamant with sand-rush ability.

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Singles or doubles? Local battles, Battle Spot, or VGC?

Answer 1

As general-purpose move tutors don't exist in Sun and Moon (nor does any way of getting Drilbur or Excadrill for that matter, other than hatching one), the only way Excadrill can learn the move is if it already learned it in a previous game and was then sent forward, via Pokemon Bank.

The highest-power Steel attack it has access to from those games is actually Smart Strike, from TM67. It has lower power than Iron Head, and of course no flinch chance, but at least it's higher powered than Metal Claw, and lacks that slight chance to miss (in fact, it shakes off any chance to miss, including evasion boosts or Brightpowder).

Comments

basically its worthless? to its steel stab capabilities.

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When iron head isn't available, isn't it usually better to not use steel attacks at all? Like running earthquake/rapid spin/stealth rock/toxic?