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 HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver. 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 RushHANot in game

Doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe

Defense training source

Pokedex Entries

If it fell from a great height, this Pokémon could save itself by rolling into a ball and bouncing.

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

Gen IV Type Chart

Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)

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 HeartGold & SoulSilver (Best Counters)

Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Vine Whip 2x 48-59% Bullet Seed 2x 33-39% View Carnivine builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Bullet Seed 2x 22-26% View Hoppip builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Bullet Seed 2x 22-26% Absorb 2x 37-46% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 6 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Razor Leaf 2x 37-46% Bullet Seed 2x 22-26% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Vine Whip 2x 43-52% Bullet Seed 2x 26-33% View Bellsprout builds →

HeartGold & SoulSilver 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 131 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Counter, Crush Claw, Flail and 7 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

10moves

Breed With (best first)

HeartGold & SoulSilver Sandshrew Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.

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

Moves

You'll want to breed for Counter and Crush Claw 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

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 3

Defense Curl

———40Normal

Lv 7

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 9

Poison Sting

—1510035Poison

Lv 13

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Lv 15

Swift

—60—20Normal

Lv 19

Fury Swipes

—188015Normal

Lv 21

Rollout

—309020Rock

Lv 25

Fury Cutter

—109520Bug

Lv 27

Sand Tomb

—358515Ground

Lv 31

Slash

—7010020Normal

Lv 33

Gyro Ball

D—1005Steel

Lv 37

Sandstorm

———10Rock

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

D60—20Flying

TM45

Attract

——10015Normal

TM31

Brick Break

D7510015Fighting

TM78

Captivate

——10020Normal

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

TM28

Dig

C8010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM26

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TM58

Endure+4

———10Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM56

Fling

——10010Dark

TM01

Focus Punch-3

C15010020Fighting

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM74

Gyro Ball

D—1005Steel

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM23

Iron Tail

D1007515Steel

TM83

Natural Gift

D—10015Normal

TM84

Poison Jab

C8010020Poison

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

HM08

Rock Climb

—908520Normal

TM80

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

HM06

Rock Smash

D4010015Fighting

TM39

Rock Tomb

D609510Rock

TM37

Sandstorm

———10Rock

TM43

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

TM65

Shadow Claw

D7010015Ghost

TM82

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM76

Stealth Rock

C——20Rock

HM04

Strength

C8010015Normal

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM87

Swagger

——9015Normal

TM75

Swords Dance

C——30Normal

TM46

Thief

—6010025Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

TM81

X-Scissor

C8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Egg

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

Egg

Crush Claw

—759510Normal

Egg

Flail

——10015Normal

Egg

Metal Claw

—509535Steel

Egg

Mud Shot

—559515Ground

Egg

Night Slash

D7010015Dark

Egg

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Egg

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

Egg

Safeguard

D——25Normal

Egg

Swords Dance

C——30Normal

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Earth Power

D9010010Ground

Tutor

Fury Cutter

—109520Bug

Tutor

Headbutt

D7010015Normal

Tutor

Knock Off

D6510020Dark

Tutor

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Tutor

Rollout

—309020Rock

Tutor

Snore

D4010015Normal

Tutor

Super Fang

D—9010Normal

Tutor

Swift

—60—20Normal

Transfer Moves

Gen

Gen 3

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

Gen 3

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

Gen 3

Dynamic Punch

D100505Fighting

Gen 3

Mimic

———10Normal

Gen 3

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

HeartGold & SoulSilver Sandshrew Locations

Easy grab on Sandshrew with high spawn rates across 5 locations in early-game routes. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Best Locations to Catch Sandshrew in HeartGold & SoulSilver

Which version you're playing matters for Sandshrew. 5 walking and gift spots at Lv. 6-15 spread across HeartGold and SoulSilver, and some routes only appear in one cartridge. Check the version badges below.

Union Cave - 1F

HeartGoldGrass Lv.6 Cave

CommonEarly

Union Cave - B1F

HeartGoldGrass Lv.8 Cave

CommonEarly

Mt. Moon - 1F

HeartGoldGrass Lv.8 Cave

UncommonEarly

Mt. Moon - 2F

HeartGoldGrass Lv.8 Cave

UncommonEarly

Goldenrod City - Game Corner

SoulSilverGift from NPC Lv.15 City

LimitedEarly

Purchase: 700 coins

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 HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver. 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

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Buizel Water	C
Available Move Moves Water GunLv. 6 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Gun 2x 57-70% View Buizel builds →
Whiscash WaterGround	C
Upcoming Move Moves Water GunLv. 10 Learns Water Gun at Level 10 View Whiscash builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 6 Damage vs Sandshrew Razor Leaf 2x 40-50% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandshrew Vine Whip 2x 50-60% View Bellsprout builds →
Totodile Water	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Water GunLv. 6 Damage vs Sandshrew Water Gun 2x 50-60% View Totodile builds →

Gyarados WaterFlying	A
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 SurfHM03 Ice FangLv. 32 Damage vs Sandshrew Blizzard 2x 103-123%KO Ice Beam 2x 86-102%KO Surf 2x 130-153%KO Ice Fang 2x 53-64% View Gyarados builds →
Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 232-273%KO Energy Ball 2x 174-205%KO Vine Whip 2x 49-58% Bullet Seed 2x 28-34% View Carnivine builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Mega DrainLv. 25 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 122-143%KO Energy Ball 2x 92-109%KO Mega Drain 2x 43-51% Bullet Seed 2x 17-20% View Hoppip builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Mega DrainLv. 21 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 199-235%KO Energy Ball 2x 150-177%KO Mega Drain 2x 69-82% Bullet Seed 2x 19-24% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Magical LeafLv. 20 Razor LeafLv. 6 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 148-174%KO Energy Ball 2x 113-133%KO Magical Leaf 2x 75-89% Razor Leaf 2x 34-41% View Chikorita builds →

Gyarados WaterFlying	A
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Aqua TailLv. 35 Ice BeamTM13 SurfHM03 Damage vs Sandshrew Blizzard 2x 106-125%KO Aqua Tail 2x 115-135%KO Ice Beam 2x 88-104%KO Surf 2x 132-156%KO View Gyarados builds →
Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 237-279%KO Energy Ball 2x 179-212%KO Vine Whip 2x 50-59% Bullet Seed 2x 29-35% View Carnivine builds →
Tangela Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Vine WhipLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 26 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 260-306%KO Energy Ball 2x 194-229%KO Vine Whip 2x 32-38% Mega Drain 2x 89-106%KO View Tangela builds →
Delibird IceFlying	D
Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice BeamTM13 AvalancheTM72 Damage vs Sandshrew Blizzard 2x 170-200%KO Ice Beam 2x 139-165%KO Avalanche 2x 42-50% View Delibird builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainLv. 37 Mega DrainLv. 25 Damage vs Sandshrew Solar Beam 2x 122-144%KO Energy Ball 2x 92-109%KO Giga Drain 2x 77-91% Mega Drain 2x 42-50% View Hoppip builds →

Empoleon WaterSteel	B
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemFocus Sash NatureModest Moves Ice Beam Hydro Pump Grass Knot Aqua Jet Damage vs Sandshrew Ice Beam 2x 197-232%KO Hydro Pump 2x 361-424%KO Aqua Jet 2x 34-40% View Empoleon builds →
Roserade GrassPoison	B
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves Toxic Spikes Hidden Power Fire SpikesHazard Sleep Powder View Roserade builds →
Weavile DarkIce	B
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemExpert Belt NatureJolly Moves Ice Shard Night Slash Low Kick PursuitSTAB Damage vs Sandshrew Ice Shard 2x 60-71% Pursuit 30-35% View Weavile builds →
Swampert WaterGround	B
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureRelaxed Moves EarthquakeSTAB Stealth Rock Ice Beam WaterfallSTAB Damage vs Sandshrew Earthquake 56-66% Ice Beam 2x 115-136%KO Waterfall 2x 90-106%KO View Swampert builds →