Is Sandslash Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Solid physical Ground attacker with AbilitySand Veil for sandstorm evasion. Sandslash handles Volkner, Flint, and Byron if accessed through the LeafGreen Dual Slot. Outside of Garchomp, Sinnoh doesn't have many Ground options this reliable.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Sandslash resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Sandshrew
Catch Sandshrew in Wayward Cave (walking, Lv 16, rare). Pokémon LeafGreen in GBA slot.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Lost Tower
- TM31FightingBrick BreakPower 75Accuracy 100%PP 15Oreburgh Gate (basement)
- After Byron
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- HM08NormalRock ClimbPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20Route 217
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Sandshrew to Sandslash
Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at Level 22. Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Maylene, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Fantina
- TM84PoisonPoison JabPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 212
- After Byron
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Volkner
- TM71RockStone EdgePower 100Accuracy 80%PP 5Victory Road
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Sandslash in Diamond & Pearl
Sandslash turns up rarely on one postgame route at level 23, again gated behind a linked LeafGreen cart. Grabbing it here saves you the trouble of raising a dual-slot Sandshrew.
Wild Sandslash may be holding when caught:
Quick Claw (5% chance) Held: Holder has a 3/16 (18.75%) chance to move first.1 location to catch Sandslash1 location to catch Sandshrew
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Sandshrew at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 22 — it evolves into Sandslash.
Badge 2Where To Catch Sandslash in DP
The only way to get Sandslash during the story is evolving Sandshrew (Lv 22).
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Diamond & Pearl for Sandslash.
How to Get Shiny Sandslash in Diamond & Pearl
Sandslash kicks up sand on Route 228, and a steady PokeRadar chain there brings its shiny right down. Compare Shiny Sandslash odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Sandslash Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your Diamond & Pearl shiny odds for Sandslash.
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
 Carnivine Grass | C | |
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Exeggutor builds →Leaf Storm 2x204-240%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Pelipper builds →Hydro Pump 2x140-165%KO Ice Beam 2x73-86% | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Lake Verity Gift) | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Victreebel builds →Leaf Storm 2x169-200%KO | ||
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 2x79-93% Ice Beam 2x107-127%KO Water Pulse 2x46-54% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x130-153%KO Energy Ball 2x73-86% Water Pulse 2x55-65% | ||
 Kingler Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x88-103%KO Ice Beam 2x45-53% | ||
 Empoleon WaterSteel | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Piplup (Lake Verity Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Empoleon builds →Hydro Pump 2x159-188%KO Ice Beam 2x84-99% | ||
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Ludicolo builds →Solar Beam 2x133-157%KO Surf 2x106-125%KO Ice Beam 2x71-83% | ||
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 take an average time to hatch. 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 131 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crush Claw, Flail and 6 more.
DP Sandslash Best Moveset
100 Attack behind MoveEarthquake hits hard, and 110 Defense takes physical hits well. AbilitySand Veil raises evasion during sandstorm, which pairs with the Tyranitar and Hippowdon teams setting sand everywhere. The moveset is straightforward physical Ground and coverage, but 65 Speed means acting second in most fights.
Best Build
Sandslash best EVs are HP and Defense
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Claw
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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 Dig.
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
41 of 42 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It curls up, then rolls into foes with its back. Its sharp spines inflict severe damage.
Sandslash Diamond & Pearl Guide
Yes. Wild Sandslash in Diamond & Pearl can hold Quick Claw (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Quick Claw.
In Diamond & Pearl, Sandslash plays as a attacker. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully. Earthquake is the primary attack.
Yes. Alolan Sandslash is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 7. Plays completely differently from the original.
In Diamond & Pearl, Impish is the go-to nature for Sandslash. That's +Defense / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def EVs. Fits the attacker role.
Game Availability
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.
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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Sandslash.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List