Is Sandshrew Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Ground with AbilitySand Veil. Wild in the desert area after Burgh. Sandslash at level 22 evolves quickly. Clay uses a Sandslash at his gym, so you'll know exactly what yours can do. Ground immunity shuts down Elesa.
Sandshrew resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Roxie's team.
Burgh's team hits Sandshrew's weaknesses hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Elesa's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Clay's team.
Skyla's typing presses Sandslash's defenses.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Caitlin's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Marshal's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Catch Sandshrew on Desert Resort (walking, Lv 19-20, uncommon).
Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Elesa, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Sandshrew in Black 2 & White 2
decent spawn rates across 8 locations for Sandshrew in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Where To Catch Sandshrew in B2W2
The path to Sandshrew starts with Sandshrew at Lv. 19-56 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Sandshrew ✓Relic Castle - 1FLv.19-20FloorRate 20%AnyRelic Castle - B1FLv.19-20FloorRate 20%AnyDesert Resort - DesertLv.19-20GrassRate 10%AnyDesert Resort - EntranceLv.19-20GrassRate 10%Any
Step 2Catch or Evolve into SandslashRelic Castle - B2FLv.28-29FloorRate 20%AnyRelic Castle - B3FLv.28-29FloorRate 20%AnyRelic Castle - B4FLv.28-29FloorRate 20%AnyRelic Castle - B5FLv.28-29FloorRate 20%AnyRoute 15Lv.54-56GrassRate 30%Anyor evolve from Sandshrew (Step 1)
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Grass, Ice |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Rock |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Sandshrew Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Sandshrew
 Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Jellicent builds →Bubble Beam 2x120-141%KO Energy Ball 2x100-118%KO | ||
 Alomomola Water | B | |
 Sewaddle BugGrass | D | |
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Azumarill builds →Bubble Beam 2x94-112%KO | ||
 Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x265-311%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Swanna Water | C | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x249-294%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x257-303%KO | ||
 Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x283-333%KO | ||
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x199-235%KO Blizzard 2x167-197%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x259-305%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Swanna Water | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x279-328%KO | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x194-229%KO Blizzard 2x165-194%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x257-302%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Swanna Water | C | |
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x112-132%KO Ice Fang 2x54-64% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x285-336%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
 Kyurem DragonIce | B | |
Obtain MethodGiant Chasm Interact Encounter | ||
In Black 2 & White 2, Swampert can KO Sandshrew with Scald (146-172%).
 Swampert WaterGround | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureQuiet Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Swampert builds →Earthquake37-44% Scald 2x146-172%KO Ice Beam 2x110-129%KO | ||
Sandshrew Evolutions
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
B2W2 Sandshrew Best Moveset
Speed doubles in sandstorm through AbilitySand Rush as a hidden ability, but 75 Attack behind Ground TermStab at this stage can't threaten anything the sand setter hasn't already handled. The moveset runs physical Ground attacks that need Sandslash's power to actually force switches.
Best Build
Sandshrew best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Chip Away and Counter 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.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It digs deep burrows to live in. When in danger, it rolls up its body to withstand attacks.
Sandshrew Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, 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.
Sandshrew has an Alolan form that swaps the typing and reshuffles the stats. Introduced in Gen 7. Worth checking if the original version doesn't fit your team.
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
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SMAlolan
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves