Is Sandslash Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Sandshrew evolves at level 22. Ground with AbilitySand Veil. Handles Elesa through Ground immunity and contributes against Shauntal through physical bulk. Clay's ace Excadrill is the better Ground-type, but Sandslash stays useful through the E4.
Sandshrew resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Roxie's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Burgh's team.
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 Sandslash on Relic Castle (walking, Lv 28-29, uncommon).
Catch Sandshrew on Desert Resort (walking, Lv 19-20, uncommon).
How to Get Sandslash in Black 2 & White 2
A solid number of locations for Sandslash 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 Sandslash in B2W2
To get Sandslash, start by catching Sandshrew through walking encounters at Lv. 19-56. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch SandshrewRelic 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 2Sandslash ✓Relic 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)
Sandslash Weakness
Sandslash is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Sandslash's physical bulk (base 110 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 Sandslash Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Sandslash
 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 Sandslash View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x154-182%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Swanna Water | C | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x143-169%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x147-174%KO | ||
 Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x157-185%KO | ||
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x111-131%KO Blizzard 2x93-110%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x145-171%KO | ||
Swanna Water | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x156-184%KO | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x110-129%KO Blizzard 2x92-108%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x143-169%KO | ||
Swanna Water | C | |
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x75-89% Ice Fang 2x36-43% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x156-184%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
 Glaceon Ice | C | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Venusaur can KO Sandslash with Giga Drain (114-134%). Lapras threatens a KO with Ice Beam (112-132%).
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityOvergrow ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x114-134%KO Sludge Bomb34-40% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x112-132%KO Surf 2x112-132%KO Ice Shard 2x25-30% | ||
Sandslash Evolutions
Evolved from Sandshrew. Sandslash is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. HP grew the most through evolution (+25 over Sandshrew), and Sandslash peaks at 450 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Sandslash to get Sandshrew eggs easily using 181 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Chip Away, Counter, Crush Claw and 7 more.
B2W2 Sandslash Best Moveset
Sand teams need a Ground attacker that moves twice as fast once sandstorm lands, and AbilitySand Rush at doubled 65 Speed puts Sandslash ahead of most threats. 100 Attack fires MoveEarthquake and MoveStone Edge into targets that can't absorb both. The moveset defines the physical sand attacker role.
Best Build
Sandslash best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Sandslash gets Chip Away and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 9 types rounds out the picture alongside Earthquake and Earth Power.
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
The spikes on its body are made up of its hardened hide. It rolls up and attacks foes with its spikes.
Sandslash Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, Sand Rush changes the entire equation for Sandslash. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as an attacker. Earthquake with Focus Sash is the standard set.
Sand Rush is what you want on Sandslash. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Sand Veil) work on paper but Sand Rush is what makes Sandslash worth using.
At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Sandslash is a mixed attacker with base 100 Attack and 45 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
In Black 2 & White 2, Sand Rush is the hidden ability. It doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Worth hunting for if you want Sandslash to compete at a higher level.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Sandslash has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
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