Drilbur

Using Drilbur in a Playthrough

Drilbur evolves into Excadrill at level 31, producing one of Unova's strongest non-legendary physical attackers with base 135 Attack, 110 HP, and Ground/Steel typing. Earthquake and Iron Head form excellent physical STAB, while Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, and other coverage or utility let Excadrill act as a sweeper and team supporter at the same time. Sand Rush doubles Speed in sand, turning base 88 Speed into an enormous advantage; Sand Force instead boosts Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type attacks in sand, while the Hidden Ability Mold Breaker lets Excadrill ignore abilities such as Levitate when attacking. Ground/Steel gives Electric and Poison immunities plus numerous resistances, but base 60 Defense and 65 Special Defense are much less impressive than the 110 HP suggests, and Water, Fire, Fighting, and Ground attacks remain dangerous. Adamant maximizes the already exceptional Attack, while Jolly improves important Speed thresholds outside sand. Mega Excadrill, introduced in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, remains Ground/Steel but rises to base 165 Attack, 100 Defense, and 103 Speed; in ability-enabled data its signature Ability Piercing Drill allows contact moves to strike through protection for reduced damage, making the Mega form far stronger and more physically durable without changing the line's core weaknesses.

Drilbur in Competitive Pokémon

Excadrill has one of the most important competitive histories of any Generation V Pokemon. During BW's original active metagame, Sand Rush doubled its Speed under permanent sand while base 135 Attack, Swords Dance, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Rapid Spin let the same Pokemon function as both a devastating sweeper and one of the game's best hazard removers; it was banned from OU in October 2011 after that combination proved overwhelming. Excadrill later returned to BW OU under weather-speed restrictions that prevent the original Sand Stream plus Sand Rush abuse, and current BW sets instead make extensive use of Sand Force or Mold Breaker, where it remains one of the tier's best Pokemon and arguably its best Rapid Spinner. In later generations Sand Rush Excadrill became legal again under normal temporary sand and repeatedly returned as a major OU sand sweeper, while Mold Breaker sets provided Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin support and could Earthquake Levitate users such as Rotom-W. Mega Excadrill is far newer than standard Excadrill, so it does not yet have the same mature historical singles résumé; confirmed competitive data gives it 165 Attack, 100 Defense, 103 Speed, and Piercing Drill, but long-term tier conclusions should remain separate from the established history of the base form.

Drilbur in Nuzlockes

Excadrill is excellent in Nuzlockes because base 135 Attack frequently secures one-hit knockouts, Ground/Steel provides two immunities and numerous resistances, and it evolves at the manageable level 31 without requiring an item or trade. Mold Breaker is particularly useful for removing uncertainty around defensive abilities such as Levitate, while Sand Rush can make Excadrill nearly impossible for ordinary opponents to outspeed when sand is available. Its bulk is uneven, however: 110 HP is good but 60 Defense and 65 Special Defense mean strong Water, Fire, Fighting, or Ground attacks can kill it much faster than its Steel typing may suggest. Swords Dance is powerful but often unnecessary when a direct Earthquake already wins safely, and Rock Slide's imperfect accuracy can be avoided when reliable STAB is sufficient. Mega Excadrill improves physical bulk and Speed enormously where available, but it retains the same four type weaknesses, so Mega Evolution does not make blind switching safe.

Drilbur joins the claws on its forelimbs together and spins its body like a drill, allowing it to burrow through the ground at roughly 30 miles per hour. Its digging is fast enough to compete with a car traveling aboveground. Farmers often dislike the species because its underground tunneling can damage vegetable fields and other crops.