Is Sandshrew Good in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Playthrough?
Alolan Sandshrew is an Ultra Sun exclusive catch with Ice/Steel typing. Strong defensive profile with only two real weaknesses. Slow, but the typing gives it an edge in the Dragon trial and against Kahili's Flying E4.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Ilima's team.
Hala's team hits Sandshrew's weaknesses hard.
Lana's team hits Sandshrew's weaknesses hard.
ElectricSteelReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Moon only)
BugElectricReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GrassReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GhostFairyReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou...
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Kiawe's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Mallow's team.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Sophocles's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Nanu's team.
Mina's Pokemon outpace and outclass Sandshrew here.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Hapu's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Molayne's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Kahili's team hits Sandslash's weaknesses hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Catch Sandshrew on Tapu Village (walking, Lv 30-33).
Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Molayne, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Alolan Sandshrew in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
A handful of locations for Alolan Sandshrew with high spawn rates across mid-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Where To Catch Sandshrew in USUM
To get Sandshrew, start by catching Sandshrew through walking encounters at Lv. 30-50. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Sandshrew ✓Mount Lanakila - BaseLv.30-33CaveUltra MoonRate 30%Route 14Lv.30-33GrassUltra MoonRate 10%Tapu VillageLv.30-33GrassUltra MoonRate 10%Mount Lanakila - OutsideLv.47-50CaveUltra MoonRate 30%
Step 2Evolve into Sandslash
Sandshrew Weakness
Sandshrew's Ice/Steel typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Fighting, and Ground. Fire and Fighting hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Poison-type attacks completely. 8 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Sandshrew's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fire, Fighting |
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Grass, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Dragon, Fairy |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Ice |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
What is Sandshrew Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Sandshrew
 Hawlucha Fighting | A | |
 Crabrawler Fighting | C | |
 Machop Fighting | C | |
 Charmeleon Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Charmeleon builds →Ember 4x133-157%KO Brick Break 4x80-96% | ||
 Mankey Fighting | C | |
 Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Hawlucha Fighting | A | |
 Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Magmar builds →Flame Burst 4x255-300%KO Brick Break 4x95-113%KO | ||
 Torracat Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Litten (Route 1 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Torracat builds →Fire Fang 4x118-140%KO Double Kick 4x38-47% | ||
Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) | ||
Arcanine Fire | B | |
Hawlucha Fighting | A | |
Torracat Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Litten (Route 1 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Torracat builds →Fire Fang 4x127-150%KO Double Kick 4x41-50% | ||
Crabrawler Fighting | C | |
 Poliwrath WaterFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Poliwrath builds →Brick Break 4x151-178%KO Bulldoze 2x41-49% | ||
 Bewear NormalFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodHauoli City Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Bewear builds →Brick Break 4x185-219%KO Bulldoze 2x50-59% | ||
 Passimian Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Passimian builds →Brick Break 4x178-211%KO Bulldoze 2x47-57% | ||
 Gallade PsychicFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Gallade builds →Brick Break 4x185-219%KO Bulldoze 2x50-59% | ||
 Hariyama Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Hariyama builds →Brick Break 4x178-211%KO Bulldoze 2x47-57% | ||
 Salazzle PoisonFire | B | |
Obtain MethodHeahea Beach Gift | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | C | |
 Incineroar FireDark | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Litten (Route 1 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Incineroar builds →Overheat 4x424-500%KO Brick Break 4x117-138%KO Bulldoze 2x47-56% | ||
Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) | ||
Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Arcanine builds →Overheat 4x510-600%KO Bulldoze 2x44-53% | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
 Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Blaziken builds →High Jump Kick 4x298-351%KO Overheat 4x537-632%KO Bulldoze 2x47-56% | ||
Passimian Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Passimian builds →Close Combat 4x276-324%KO Bulldoze 2x47-56% | ||
 Infernape FireFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Infernape builds →Close Combat 4x243-286%KO Flare Blitz 4x243-286%KO Bulldoze 2x41-49% | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Blaziken builds →High Jump Kick 4x296-349%KO Overheat 4x544-640%KO Bulldoze 2x46-55% | ||
Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Flareon builds →Flare Blitz 4x293-345%KO | ||
Passimian Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Passimian builds →Close Combat 4x274-322%KO Bulldoze 2x46-55% | ||
Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Incineroar FireDark | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Litten (Route 1 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Incineroar builds →Flare Blitz 4x268-315%KO Brick Break 4x113-133%KO Earthquake 2x74-88% | ||
 Cobalion SteelFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodUltra Space Wilds Interact Encounter Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Cobalion builds →Close Combat 4x219-259%KO | ||
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Blaziken builds →Flare Blitz 4x277-326%KO High Jump Kick 4x299-353%KO Earthquake 2x78-91% | ||
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Mienfoo threatens a KO with High Jump Kick (116-136%).
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemBerryjuice NatureHardy Moves View Onix builds →
| ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Mienfoo builds →U Turn8-9% High Jump Kick 4x116-136%KO Stone Edge22-26% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityOvercoat ItemEviolite NatureBold Moves View Vullaby builds →
| ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Abra builds →Psychic23-27% Dazzling Gleam20-24% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemEviolite NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Staryu builds →Rapid Spin2-3% Scald24-28% | ||
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
USUM Sandshrew Best Moveset
Ground at 75 Attack and 85 Defense with AbilitySand Veil raising evasion in sand and AbilitySand Rush doubling Speed in sand as a hidden ability. The Alolan form shifts to Ice/Steel with AbilitySlush Rush. The moveset at pre-evolution stats serves neither form. Sandslash one evolution away adds 100 Attack.
Best Build
Sandshrew best EVs are Speed and Attack
Utility Moveset
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Amnesia and Chip Away on Sandshrew. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Blizzard and Iron Tail, 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
Base Stats
After fleeing a volcanic eruption, it ended up moving to an area of snowy mountains. Its ice shell is as hard as steel.
The skin on its back is as hard as steel. Predators go after its soft belly, so it clings to the ground desperately.
Sandshrew Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Guide
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Sandshrew does the job early-game if you need a Ice/Steel 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