Physical
Attacker
450Average
65Moderate
CTier

Electric moves don't affect Sandslash at all — that's the advantage of Ground typing. It relies on priority moves or Scarf to keep up. Known as the Mouse Pokemon. Built to hit on the physical side.

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

Curls up into a spiny ball when threatened. It can roll while curled up to attack or escape.

Red / Blue

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 I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
WaterGrassIce
½xResisti
PoisonRock
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Electric
STAB (4)i
FireElectricPoisonRock
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.

Sandslash is the evolved form of Sandshrew, reached at level 22. A Ground type at 450 stats that still can't breed. 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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

For a setup attacker, Sandslash wants flexible EVs EVs and an item. The a nature nature tilts toward balanced duty, and an ability contributes without taking a move slot.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Sandslash Moveset

  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Swords Dance
  • Hyper Beam
  • Body Slam

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Chansey
ChanseyDecent

TMs carry this one. Sandslash learns Earthquake and Dig naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and Poison and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Sand Attack
—10015Ground
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 10
Sand Attack
—10015Ground
Lv 17
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 27
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 36
Swift
60—20Normal
Lv 47
Fury Swipes
188015Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM27
Fissure
—305Ground
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM48
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM19
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM17
Submission
808025Fighting
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM03
Swords Dance
——30Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Sandslash doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Sandslash can't learn any Tutor moves

3 encounter spots for Sandslash at decent spawn rates starting from late-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.

Where To Catch Sandslash in Red & Blue

To get Sandslash, start by catching Sandshrew through walking encounters at Lv. 6-57. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Sandshrew
    Step 1Catch Sandshrew
    Route 4
    GrassLv.6-12CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 10
    GrassLv.11-17CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 9
    GrassLv.11-17CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 11
    GrassLv.12-15CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 23
    GrassLv.26CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 8
    GrassLv.17-19UncommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Sandslash
    Step 2Sandslash ✓
    Route 23
    GrassLv.41RareLateRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    GrassLv.52UncommonPostCave
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    GrassLv.57RarePostCave
    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 C-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.

  • 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.