What does Sandshrew evolve into?

Get Sandshrew to Sandslash at level 22. At 300 BST, Sandshrew is just the starting point.

At what level does Sandshrew evolve?

Level 22 gets you Sandslash . Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.

Should I use Sandshrew?

In Sword & Shield, Sandshrew does the job early-game if you need a Ground type on your team. Evolve it into Sandslash before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Where can you catch Sandshrew?

You can find Sandshrew in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.

Sandshrew - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

DTier

40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Sandshrew's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Atk trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Defense EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Avg

HP50

Attack75

Defense85

Sp. Atk20

Sp. Def30

Speed40

Total300

Details

Catch Rate

Guaranteed255 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.6 m

Weight12.0 kg

Base XP60

Abilities

Sand Veil

Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Sand RushHA

Doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe

Defense training source

Pokedex Entries

Life on mountains covered with deep snow has granted this Pokémon a body of ice that’s as hard as steel.

Sandshrew Weakness

Sandshrew's Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, and Ice. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. Sandshrew's physical bulk (base 85 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Sandshrew Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Water, Grass, Ice
0.5x (Resist)	Poison, Rock
0x (Immune)	Electric

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score-1

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Grass Ice

½xResist

Poison Rock

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Electric

STAB (5)

Fire Electric Poison Rock Steel

How to Beat Sandshrew in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Icy WindTM27 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 128-150%KO Icy Wind 2x 78-92% Water Gun 2x 85-100%KO Whirlpool 2x 74-88% View Pelipper builds →
Golisopod BugWater	B
Available Moves Moves LiquidationLv. 44 DiveTM45 Razor ShellLv. 32 Icy WindTM27 Damage vs Sandshrew Liquidation 2x 108-128%KO Dive 2x 102-120%KO Razor Shell 2x 95-113%KO Icy Wind 2x 55-65% View Golisopod builds →
Mantine WaterFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Hydro PumpLv. 48 DiveTM45 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water PulseLv. 12 Damage vs Sandshrew Hydro Pump 2x 199-235%KO Dive 2x 44-53% Bubble Beam 2x 118-140%KO Water Pulse 2x 110-130%KO View Mantine builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveTM45 Icy WindTM27 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Dive 2x 74-88% Icy Wind 2x 71-83% Water Gun 2x 78-93% Whirlpool 2x 68-80% View Cramorant builds →
Delibird IceFlying	C
Available Moves Moves AvalancheTM64 Icy WindTM27 Icicle SpearTM51 Damage vs Sandshrew Avalanche 2x 40-48% Icy Wind 2x 87-103%KO Icicle Spear 2x 18-23% View Delibird builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 150 total stats over Sandshrew. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#027Sandshrew

Level 22

#028Sandslash

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Sandshrew

Ground

Sandslash

Ground

75+25

ATK

100+25

DEF

110+25

SP.ATK

45+25

SP.DEF

55+25

SPE

65+25

BST

300C-Tier

450A-Tier+150

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Sandshrew easily with 152 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Counter, Flail, Hone Claws and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

Ground

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

6moves

Breed With (best first)

Sword & Shield Sandshrew Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

You'll want to breed for Counter and Flail on Sandshrew. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Earthquake and Earth Power, they expand what Sandshrew can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 3

Poison Sting

—1510035Poison

Lv 6

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 9

Rollout

—309020Rock

Lv 12

Fury Cutter

—409520Bug

Lv 15

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Lv 18

Bulldoze

C6010020Ground

Lv 21

Swift

D60—20Normal

Lv 24

Fury Swipes

—188015Normal

Lv 27

Agility

C——30Psychic

Lv 30

Slash

D7010020Normal

Lv 33

Dig

C8010010Ground

Lv 36

Gyro Ball

D—1005Steel

Lv 39

Swords Dance

C——20Normal

Lv 42

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

Lv 45

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TM Moves

TR12

Agility

C——30Psychic

TR17

Amnesia

C——20Psychic

TM31

Attract

C—10015Normal

TR01

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

TM43

Brick Break

D7510015Fighting

TM81

Bulldoze

C6010020Ground

TM15

Dig

C8010010Ground

TR67

Earth Power

D9010010Ground

TR10

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TR26

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM39

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM59

Fling

——10010Dark

TR52

Gyro Ball

D—1005Steel

TR31

Iron Tail

D1007515Steel

TR18

Leech Life

C8010010Bug

TM53

Mud Shot

D559515Ground

TR57

Poison Jab

C8010020Poison

TM25

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM21

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM22

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

TM48

Rock Tomb

D609515Rock

TM76

Round

D6010015Normal

TM19

Safeguard

C——25Normal

TM49

Sand Tomb

D358515Ground

TM32

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM65

Shadow Claw

D7010015Ghost

TR27

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM24

Snore

—5010015Normal

TR76

Stealth Rock

C——20Rock

TM98

Stomping Tantrum

C7510010Ground

TR20

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM34

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM40

Swift

D60—20Normal

Swords Dance

C——20Normal

TM23

Thief

D6010025Dark

TR95

Throat Chop

C8010015Dark

TR85

Work Up

D——30Normal

TR60

X-Scissor

C8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Egg

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

Egg

Flail

D—10015Normal

Egg

Hone Claws

C——15Dark

Egg

Metal Claw

D509535Steel

Egg

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Egg

Night Slash

D7010015Dark

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Scorching Sands

D7010010Ground

Tutor

Steel Roller

C1301005Steel

Sword & Shield Sandshrew Locations

Sandshrew is available from mid-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 18 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Best Locations to Catch Sandshrew in Sword & Shield

Sandshrew's encounter pool splits between Shield and Sword. You've got 18 walking spots at Lv. 16-21 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Normal Weather

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Overcast

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Snowstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Normal Weather

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Snowstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Thunderstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Intense Sun

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Thunderstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Snowing

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Intense Sun

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Sandstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Snowing

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Raining

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Sandstorm

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Heavy Fog

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Raining

Warm-Up Tunnel

ShieldOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Overcast

Warm-Up Tunnel

SwordOverworld Lv.16-21 Cave

56%Mid

Heavy Fog

Sandshrew Guide

Get Sandshrew to Sandslash at level 22. At 300 BST, Sandshrew is just the starting point.
Level 22 gets you Sandslash. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
In Sword & Shield, Sandshrew does the job early-game if you need a Ground type on your team. Evolve it into Sandslash before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
You can find Sandshrew in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Sandshrew first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 20 games across 10 generations. It later gained an Alolan form in Generation 7, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Want to tell us more?

What was most useful?

About:

What could be improved?

About:

Thanks for your feedback

Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 218-257%KO Giga Drain 2x 141-166%KO Mega Drain 2x 77-91% Absorb 2x 39-48% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 86-102%KO Water Gun 2x 59-70% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 250-295%KO Magical Leaf 2x 127-150%KO Mega Drain 2x 86-102%KO Absorb 2x 45-54% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 171-204%KO Water Gun 2x 63-75% Mega Drain 2x 63-75% Absorb 2x 36-43% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 171-204%KO Razor Leaf 2x 50-59% Mega Drain 2x 63-75% Absorb 2x 36-43% View Nuzleaf builds →

Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 215-254%KO Giga Drain 2x 137-162%KO Mega Drain 2x 74-88% Absorb 2x 38-46% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 82-97% Water Gun 2x 54-65% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 243-286%KO Magical Leaf 2x 125-148%KO Mega Drain 2x 86-102%KO Absorb 2x 46-55% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 168-198%KO Bubble Beam 2x 94-111%KO Water Gun 2x 58-69% Mega Drain 2x 58-69% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 168-198%KO Razor Leaf 2x 46-55% Mega Drain 2x 58-69% Absorb 2x 31-37% View Nuzleaf builds →

Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 213-250%KO Giga Drain 2x 133-158%KO Mega Drain 2x 74-88% Absorb 2x 39-46% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 81-96% Water Gun 2x 56-67% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 240-283%KO Magical Leaf 2x 124-146%KO Mega Drain 2x 85-100%KO Absorb 2x 46-54% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 163-192%KO Bubble Beam 2x 92-108%KO Water Gun 2x 56-67% Mega Drain 2x 56-67% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 163-192%KO Razor Leaf 2x 46-54% Mega Drain 2x 56-67% Absorb 2x 31-38% View Nuzleaf builds →

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 123-145%KO Water Gun 2x 85-100%KO Whirlpool 2x 73-87% View Pelipper builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveLv. 28 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Dive 2x 73-87% Water Gun 2x 76-90% Whirlpool 2x 68-81% View Cramorant builds →
Maractus Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Petal BlizzardLv. 36 Giga DrainLv. 24 Mega DrainLv. 8 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 266-313%KO Petal Blizzard 2x 85-100%KO Giga Drain 2x 167-197%KO Mega Drain 2x 90-106%KO View Maractus builds →
Eldegoss Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Leaf TornadoLv. 23 Magical LeafTM10 Razor LeafLv. 12 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 211-248%KO Leaf Tornado 2x 117-139%KO Magical Leaf 2x 106-126%KO Razor Leaf 2x 35-42% View Eldegoss builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 30 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 255-300%KO Giga Drain 2x 161-190%KO Magical Leaf 2x 128-152%KO Mega Drain 2x 87-103%KO View Roselia builds →

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Pulse 2x 126-148%KO Water Gun 2x 84-99% Whirlpool 2x 73-87% View Pelipper builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveLv. 28 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Sandshrew Dive 2x 75-90% Water Gun 2x 78-93% Whirlpool 2x 68-80% View Cramorant builds →
Maractus Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Petal BlizzardLv. 36 Giga DrainLv. 24 Mega DrainLv. 8 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 270-319%KO Petal Blizzard 2x 84-99% Giga Drain 2x 170-201%KO Mega Drain 2x 92-108%KO View Maractus builds →
Eldegoss Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Leaf TornadoLv. 23 Magical LeafTM10 Razor LeafLv. 12 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 215-254%KO Leaf Tornado 2x 118-139%KO Magical Leaf 2x 110-130%KO Razor Leaf 2x 36-43% View Eldegoss builds →
Shiinotic GrassFairy	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 32 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 236-278%KO Giga Drain 2x 149-176%KO Mega Drain 2x 81-96% Absorb 2x 41-49% View Shiinotic builds →