Is Sandslash Good in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Playthrough?
Sandslash brings Earthquake coverage for Steven's Aggron and Metagross. Mid-game desert pickup means competing with Hoenn's own Ground options for a team slot, and Flygon usually wins that race.
Sandshrew resists most of Roxanne's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Wattson's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Flannery's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Winona's team hits Sandslash's weaknesses hard.
Tate & Liza's team hits Sandslash's weaknesses hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Sidney's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Phoebe's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Sandslash's weaknesses hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Catch Sandshrew on Route 111 (walking, Lv 20-23, common).
Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Norman, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Sandslash in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Can't catch Sandslash directly. Start with Sandshrew at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 22. The 2-stage line from Sandshrew to Sandslash is where the leveling time goes.
How to Obtain Sandslash in ORAS
To get Sandslash, start by catching Sandshrew through walking encounters at Lv. 11-23. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch SandshrewRoute 111 - DesertLv.11GrassRate 35%Horde battleRoute 113Lv.15-18GrassRate 35%Route 111 - DesertLv.20-23GrassRate 40%
Step 2Sandslash ✓
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 |
What is Sandslash Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Sandslash
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Ludicolo builds →Surf 2x99-117%KO Mega Drain 2x45-55% | ||
 Vaporeon Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x116-136%KO Aurora Beam 2x57-68% | ||
 Prinplup Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Piplup (Route 101 Gift) | ||
 Wingull Water | C | |
Obtain MethodDewford Town Surfing | ||
 Omanyte RockWater | B | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodBattle Resort Surfing | ||
Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Ludicolo builds →Surf 2x100-119%KO Mega Drain 2x47-56% | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
 Dewott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Route 101 Gift) | ||
Prinplup Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Piplup (Route 101 Gift) | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Route 101 Gift) | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodBattle Resort Surfing | ||
 Tropius Grass | C | |
 Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (Route 101 Gift) Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Meganium builds →Petal Dance 2x127-150%KO | ||
 Clamperl Water | C | |
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Greninja can KO Sandslash with Hydro Pump (182-215%). Venusaur threatens a KO with Giga Drain (103-121%). Lapras's Surf also KOs at 111-131%.
 Greninja WaterDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityProtean ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Greninja builds →Dark Pulse66-78% Ice Beam 2x99-117%KO Hydro Pump 2x182-215%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityOvergrow ItemAssault Vest NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Venusaur builds →Sludge Bomb31-36% Giga Drain 2x103-121%KO Venoshock22-26% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lapras builds →Surf 2x111-131%KO | ||
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 200 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Chip Away, Counter, Crush Claw and 8 more.
ORAS Sandslash Best Moveset
AbilitySand Rush doubles 65 Speed to 130 in sandstorm, and 100 Attack fires Ground TermStab at real power. 110 Defense absorbs physical hits. The moveset earns a sand team slot but competes against Excadrill, whose 135 Attack and Steel typing cover more ground.
Best Build
Sandslash best EVs are HP and Defense
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
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
Sandslash’s body is covered by tough spikes, which are hardened sections of its hide. Once a year, the old spikes fall out, to be replaced with new spikes that grow out from beneath the old ones.
Sandslash can roll up its body as if it were a ball covered with large spikes. In battle, this Pokémon will try to make the foe flinch by jabbing it with its spines. It then leaps at the stunned foe to tear wildly with its sharp claws.
Sandslash Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Guide
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Sand Rush changes the entire equation for Sandslash. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as an attacker. Rapid Spin with Leftovers 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 physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
For Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, the core moveset is Rapid Spin, Earthquake, Knock Off, and Stealth Rock. Rapid Spin leads at 0% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.
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