POTW Pokémon of the Week #95: Sandygast and Palossand

MegaPod · Jul 8, 2018

In the World of Pokémon, there lives a vast number and variety of amazing creatures to befriend and collect. Every week, we will be focusing on a single one of these Pokémon or evolutionary lines and talking about what makes it special. This week's Pokémon of choice are Sandygast and its evolved form, Palossand!

Sandygast and Palossand are a Ghost/Ground Pokémon family introduced in Generation VII. A Pokémon native to Alola, Sandygast is a possessed lump of sand with a mouth like a tunnel and a shovel stuck in its head. Sandygast will fight any children trying to take its shovel, and will relentlessly search for this shovel if it’s lost, even if Sandygast must replace it with another object. In Alolan culture, it would seem that sticking one’s hand into the mouth of a Sandygast is a test of courage — a rather foolish one, however, as putting a hand in Sandygast’s mouth (or touching its shovel) will render one susceptible to possession. Once a Sandygast has a person under its control, it will force them to add sand to its own body, making it stronger. It is in this way that Sandygast is eventually built up into its evolved form, Palossand. In the games, though, you simply level Sandygast up to 42 or higher to evolve it — unless that’s just what Sandygast has you think?? As a Palossand, this Pokémon is more detailed in design, taking the shape of a sand castle with turret-like arms and an arrangement of colored seashells for decoration. Palossand’s shovel, now sticking blade-up out of its roof, is thought to function as a radar as Palossand seeks out prey. The Sand Castle Pokémon subsists on the life essence it drains from small Pokémon that it traps in a sand sinkhole, and according to the Pokédex, keeps the bones of its victims buried beneath it. If just the idea of this isn’t quite creepy enough, there’s even official artwork of Palossand trapping a Pikachu who doesn’t seem to be enjoying the experience — or surviving it, for that matter. It’s rumored that the grudges left behind by Palossand’s victims seep into the sand and spawn more Sandygast, starting this Pokémon’s life cycle anew.

This Pokémon’s most prominent role in the anime was in the episode A Shivering Shovel Search! in which Ash’s Pokémon discover a wild Sandygast on the beach. Kiawe warns Ash and friends that Sandygast are dangerous, recounting a disturbing incident from his childhood when he’d fallen under a Sandygast’s influence, gathered sand for it until the next morning, and was left with no memory of his own that this had occurred. The Sandygast advances on the protagonists, but loses its shovel into the ocean when Ash’s Rockruff retaliates, greatly upsetting the Sand Heap Pokémon. In an effort to assuage the wild Sandygast’s discomfort until its real shovel can be recovered, Ash sticks Rotom Dex into Sandygast’s head, something you regrettably cannot do in the video games. Unfortunately, this only further outrages Sandygast, spurring its evolution into a gigantic Palossand. The grainy goliath soon traps Ash Ketchum inside of its own body, leaving his friends to figure out how to find Palossand’s shovel and return it to the Pokémon without touching it.

In the video games, Palossand is geared towards physical Defense and Special Attack, with poor Speed characteristic of most Ground-types and overall mediocre stats. Palossand’s signature ability, Water Compaction, sharply raises its Defense if hit with a Water attack. However, Palossand will still take full damage from Water moves, and considering Palossand’s weakness to Water, it’s generally not an ability reliable for building a strategy around, although it gives Palossand the option to switch into weaker Aqua Jet users. Its hidden ability, Sand Veil, instead boosts Palossand’s evasion in a sandstorm, which can be useful in sandstorm teams. Even more useful is Palossand’s signature move Shore Up, already a reliable recovery move that restores half of its maximum HP by default, but restores two thirds instead in a sandstorm. Palossand’s typing gives it immunities to Normal, Fighting, and Electric type moves, so among other things, it can set up Stealth Rock and prevent the opponent from clearing it with Rapid Spin. In the way of attack moves, Palossand has good STAB attacks in Earth Power and Shadow Ball, plus interesting coverage options in Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, and Giga Drain.

Here are some questions to consider to get conversation rolling. You don't have to answer all of them or any of them in your post as long as you're staying on topic and within global forum rules.

◦ Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
◦ How is this Pokémon in-game?
◦ How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
◦ Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
◦ How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
◦ If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
◦ Should Water Compaction be buffed to reduce or negate the damage Sandygast and Palossand take from Water type moves?
◦ How spoopy is the lore behind Sandygast and Palossand? Is that a good thing?

Thanks to @Zeb for suggesting this Pokémon of the Week!

If you have any suggestions for Pokémon you'd like to discuss in the future just leave your ideas at the bottom of your post. Make sure you give your thoughts about the current Pokémon first!

Previous Pokémon of the Week:

Maniacal Engineer · Jul 8, 2018

I call BS! How did Ash survive being buried in a Palossand?

MegaPod · Jul 8, 2018

Well, to answer your question concisely...

colours · Jul 14, 2018

^ ngl that's massively creepy LOL

But upon the reveal of Palossand, I loved it! For the most part I think it got a bit of flack at first for being Another One of those inanimate object-esque Pokemon, but I actually don't mind the origin of it at all. It's rather dark to boot, giving it a fair creative twist not only to its design but its mannerisms as well.

Now that I'm thinking about it, it's kind of a shame that I don't really have one on my SM nor my SM team, actually. Should really get to work on that at some point.

Rainami · Jul 18, 2018

palossand's rather creepy, but it also has a lovable air of silliness which is somewhat rare among ghost-types. It is amazing, especially in its shiny form.

Camille · Jul 28, 2018

The Sandygast line is sadly my least favourite Ghost-type line. They look creepy and uninspired (despite the fact I don't actually mind Pokemon based on inanimate objects), and their Abilities leave much to be desired. Not sure if I'd like to change anything about this line, but Water Compaction should at least make them resistant to Water attacks, since currently it isn't even that helpful.

POTW Pokémon of the Week #95: Sandygast and Palossand

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MegaPod

Ancient Arrow Avian

Maniacal Engineer

Mushy Emotionalist

MegaPod

Ancient Arrow Avian

colours

ɢʀᴀᴄɪᴅᴇᴀ ꜰᴏʀᴇsᴛ ✿

Rainami

beseech the stars

Camille

Call of Fate

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