Physical
Attacker
450Average
65Moderate
ATier

On paper, Sandslash looks underwhelming. In practice, Sand Rush doubles its Speed in sandstorm — and that's the whole story. Ground typing means Electric moves can't touch it, and only 3 types hit it super-effectively. Known as the Mouse Pokemon.

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 EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
450Above
HP75
C
Attack100
B
Defense110
B
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed65
C
Total450
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Sandslash yields +2 Def
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch90Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1m / 3'03"•29.5kg / 65 lbs•158Base XP
Pokedex Entries

In an attempt to hide itself, it will run around at top speed to kick up a blinding dust storm.

Heart Gold

If it digs at an incredible pace, it may snap off its spikes and claws. They grow back in a day.

Soul Silver

Sandslash Weakness

Avg

Sandslash is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves. 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.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
WaterGrassIce
½xResisti
PoisonRock
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Electric
STAB (5)i
FireElectricPoisonRockSteel
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Scorei-1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Sand VeilIncreases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
Sand RushHADoubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

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.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Sandshrew
#027Sandshrew
22
Level 22
Sandslash
#028Sandslash
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Sandshrew
Ground
Sandslash
Ground
HP
50
75+25
ATK
75
100+25
DEF
85
110+25
SP.ATK
20
45+25
SP.DEF
30
55+25
SPE
40
65+25
BST
300C-Tier
450A-Tier+150
ROLE
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Sandslash to get Sandshrew eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crush Claw, Flail and 7 more.

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)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 131·

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.

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

Egg moves make a real difference. Sandslash gets Counter and Crush Claw 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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Defense Curl
——40Normal
Lv 1
Sand Attack
—10015Ground
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 3
Defense Curl
——40Normal
Lv 7
Sand Attack
—10015Ground
Lv 9
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 13
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Lv 15
Swift
60—20Normal
Lv 19
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 21
Rollout
309020Rock
Lv 22
Crush Claw
759510Normal
Lv 28
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
Lv 33
Sand Tomb
358515Ground
Lv 40
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 45
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
Lv 52
Sandstorm
——10Rock

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM08
Rock Climb
908520Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
759010Rock
HM06
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM37
Sandstorm
——10Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM76
Stealth Rock
——20Rock
TM71
Stone Edge
100805Rock
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
——30Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM81
X-Scissor
8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Egg
Crush Claw
759510Normal
Egg
Flail
—10015Normal
Egg
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Egg
Mud Shot
559515Ground
Egg
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Egg
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Egg
Rock Slide
759010Rock
Egg
Safeguard
——25Normal
Egg
Swords Dance
——30Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Earth Power
9010010Ground
Tutor
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
Tutor
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Tutor
Knock Off
6510020Dark
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Rollout
309020Rock
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Super Fang
—9010Normal
Tutor
Swift
60—20Normal

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 3
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting

Easy grab on Sandslash with high spawn rates across 4 locations in early-game routes. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Where To Catch Sandslash in HeartGold & SoulSilver

To get Sandslash, start by catching Sandshrew through walking and gift encounters at Lv. 6-28. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Sandshrew
    Step 1Catch Sandshrew
    Union Cave - 1F
    HeartGoldGrassLv.6CommonEarlyCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Union Cave - B1F
    HeartGoldGrassLv.8CommonEarlyCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Mt. Moon - 1F
    HeartGoldGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyCave
    EASY
    Mt. Moon - 2F
    HeartGoldGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyCave
    EASY
    Goldenrod City - Game Corner
    SoulSilverGift from NPCLv.15LimitedEarlyCityPurchase: 700 coins
    MODERATE
  2. Sandslash
    Step 2Sandslash ✓
    Mt. Moon - 1F
    GrassLv.10RareEarlyCave
    CHALLENGING
    Mt. Moon - 2F
    GrassLv.10RareEarlyCave
    CHALLENGING
    Route 26
    GrassLv.28CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 27
    GrassLv.20RareMidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Sandshrew (Step 1)

  • Sand Rush changes the entire equation for Sandslash. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked A-Tier as an attacker.

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

  • Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at level 22. Sandslash is the fully evolved form. It sits at 450 BST in its evolved form.

  • 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 physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.

  • Sandslash appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Sandslash has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.