For Crystal, we rate Sandslash C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. At 450 BST, it fits the attacker role. Earthquake with Leftovers is the standard set.

What is Sandslash weak to?

In Crystal, Sandslash's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What role does Sandslash play in battle?

At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Sandslash is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.

What are the best moves for Sandslash?

For Crystal, the core moveset is Earthquake, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, and Hiddenpowerbug. Earthquake leads at 25% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.

What counters Sandslash?

In Crystal, the best way to handle Sandslash: Faster attackers outpace it. Anything with a super-effective STAB move and decent speed can revenge kill.

Sandslash - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Attacker

CTier

65Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Defense and Attack carry most of Sandslash's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense stat exp. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Above

HP75

Attack100

Defense110

Sp. Atk45

Sp. Def55

Speed65

Total450

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging90 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height1.0 m

Weight29.5 kg

Base XP158

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

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+2SpASpDSpe

Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

Adept at climbing trees, it rolls into a spiny ball, then attacks its enemies from above.

Crystal

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.

Sandslash 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 II Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Grass Ice

½xResist

Poison Rock

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Electric

STAB (5)

Fire Electric Poison Rock Steel

How to Beat Sandslash in Crystal (Best Counters)

Delibird IceFlying	C
Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Icy WindTM16 Damage vs Sandslash Blizzard 2x 92-109%KO Icy Wind 2x 48-58% View Delibird builds →
Gyarados WaterFlying	C
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 SurfHM03 WaterfallHM07 Icy WindTM16 Damage vs Sandslash Blizzard 2x 58-69% Surf 2x 72-85% Waterfall 2x 64-76% Icy Wind 2x 30-36% View Gyarados builds →
Tangela Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Vine WhipLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 31 AbsorbLv. 10 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 54-64% Mega Drain 2x 48-58% Absorb 2x 25-30% View Tangela builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Sandslash Mega Drain 2x 25-30% View Hoppip builds →
Weepinbell GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 48-58% View Weepinbell builds →

Crystal Evolution

Evolved from Sandshrew. Sandslash is the final form in this two-stage line. Plenty of partners 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

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 with Sandslash to get Sandshrew eggs easily using 66 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Flail, Metal Claw and 2 more.

Egg Groups

Ground

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

5moves

Breed With (best first)

Crystal Sandslash Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Utility Moveset

EarthquakeSTAB
Rock Slide
Swords Dance
Hidden Power Bug

Recommended Teammates

SnorlaxGood

ZapdosGood

ExeggutorGood

Moves

Egg moves make a real difference. Sandslash gets Counter and Flail exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 7 types rounds out the picture alongside Earthquake and Dig.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

Lv 1

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 6

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

Lv 11

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 17

Poison Sting

—1510035Poison

Lv 24

Slash

C7010020Normal

Lv 33

Swift

D60—20Normal

Lv 42

Fury Swipes

D188015Normal

Lv 52

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

TM40

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

TM43

Detect+4

D——5Fighting

TM28

Dig

B6010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM01

Dynamic Punch

D100505Fighting

TM26

Earthquake

S10010010Ground

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM49

Fury Cutter

—109520Bug

TM02

Headbutt

C7010015Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

C150905Normal

TM23

Iron Tail

C1007515Steel

TM31

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM04

Rollout

D309020Rock

TM37

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM35

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

HM04

Strength

C8010015Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM39

Swift

D60—20Normal

TM46

Thief

C6010025Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

Egg

Flail

D—10015Normal

Egg

Metal Claw

D509535Steel

Egg

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Egg

Safeguard

D——25Normal

Tutor Moves

Sandslash can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Sandslash in Crystal

Sandslash starts showing up in mid-game routes at high spawn rates across 2 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.

Where To Catch Sandslash in Crystal

Sandshrew is your first catch on the way to Sandslash. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 6-35 across 6 total spots in the chain.

Step 1Catch Sandshrew
Union Cave - 1F
Grass Lv.6 Cave
30%Early
Morning/day
Mt. Moon - 1F
Grass Lv.8 Cave
20%Early
Morning/day
Route 3
Grass Lv.10 Route
5%Early
Morning/day
Route 4
Grass Lv.10 Route
5%Early
Morning/day
Train until Level 22
Step 2Sandslash ✓
Route 26
Grass Lv.28 Route
30%Mid
Victory Road - 1F
Grass Lv.35 Cave
5%Late
Morning/day
or evolve from Sandshrew (Step 1)

Sandslash Guide

For Crystal, we rate Sandslash C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. At 450 BST, it fits the attacker role. Earthquake with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Crystal, Sandslash's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Sandslash is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
For Crystal, the core moveset is Earthquake, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, and Hiddenpowerbug. Earthquake leads at 25% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.
In Crystal, the best way to handle Sandslash: Faster attackers outpace it. Anything with a super-effective STAB move and decent speed can revenge kill.

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

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Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 58-69% View Bellsprout builds →
Poliwag Water	D
Obtain MethodEcruteak City Surfing Available Move Moves BubbleLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Bubble 2x 38-46% View Poliwag builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Learns Mega Drain at Level 30 View Hoppip builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Learns Razor Leaf at Level 8 View Chikorita builds →
Totodile Water	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves Water GunLv. 13 Learns Water Gun at Level 13 View Totodile builds →

Lapras WaterIce	C
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Move Moves Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Water Gun 2x 46-56% View Lapras builds →
Quagsire WaterGround	C
Available Move Moves Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Water Gun 2x 41-50% View Quagsire builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Absorb 2x 22-28% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Sandslash Razor Leaf 2x 46-56% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 46-56% View Bellsprout builds →

Lapras WaterIce	C
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Blizzard 2x 123-145%KO Water Gun 2x 45-55% View Lapras builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Absorb 2x 23-27% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Sandslash Razor Leaf 2x 45-55% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 45-55% View Bellsprout builds →
Smoochum IcePsychic	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 Ice PunchTM33 Powder SnowLv. 13 Damage vs Sandslash Blizzard 2x 123-145%KO Ice Punch 2x 85-100%KO Powder Snow 2x 45-55% View Smoochum builds →

Lapras WaterIce	C
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves BlizzardTM14 SurfHM03 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Blizzard 2x 120-143%KO Surf 2x 99-116%KO Water Gun 2x 48-56% View Lapras builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Absorb 2x 25-30% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Sandslash Razor Leaf 2x 44-53% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 44-53% View Bellsprout builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Mega Drain 2x 25-30% Absorb 2x 15-19% View Sunkern builds →

Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Sandslash Mega Drain 2x 26-31% View Hoppip builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Absorb 2x 23-28% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Sandslash Razor Leaf 2x 41-49% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Vine Whip 2x 44-53% View Bellsprout builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Sandslash Mega Drain 2x 23-28% Absorb 2x 12-15% View Sunkern builds →