Is Sandslash Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Ground-type at level 22 from Sandshrew. AbilitySand Veil in sandstorm. Strong Attack and solid Defense make Sandslash a physical anchor through the second half of Johto. Handles Jasmine and Lt. Surge without trouble.
Sandshrew trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Sandshrew has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Sandslash resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Sandslash resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Sandslash resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Sandslash has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catch Sandshrew
Catch Sandshrew in Union Cave (walking, Lv 6, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- TM65GhostShadow ClawPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Sandshrew to Sandslash
Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at Level 22. Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 22)
- LV 22NormalCrush ClawPower 75Accuracy 95%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
How to Get Sandslash in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Sandslash turns up wild on a few mid-game routes, common in some and rare in others. The pre-evolution Sandshrew is easy enough that most players simply raise one to level 22 rather than hunt the evolved form.
Wild Sandslash may be holding when caught:
Quick Claw (5% chance) An item to be held by a Pokemon. A light, sharp claw that lets the bearer move first occasionally.4 locations to catch Sandslash4 locations to catch Sandshrew
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Sandshrew at any of the 4 locations below, then level it up to 22 — it evolves into Sandslash.
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Sandslash in HGSS
Sandshrew gets you Sandslash sooner: catch it (before Badge 2) and evolve it at Lv 22. Wild Sandslash first appears at Safari Zone (after Badge 4).
- Step 1Catch Sandshrew
- Step 2Sandslash ✓Safari Zone - DesertLv.15-17FloorRate 30%Mt. Moon - 1FLv.10CaveHeartGoldRate 5%Mt. Moon - 2FLv.10CaveHeartGoldRate 5%Route 26Lv.28GrassHeartGoldRate 30%or evolve from Sandshrew (Step 1)
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Sandslash.
How to Get Shiny Sandslash in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Sandslash digs across Mt. Moon and the Safari Zone, but breeding it Masuda-style is the quicker path to a shiny. Compare Shiny Sandslash odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Sandslash Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
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.
Soft Reset: Save in front of a static, gift, or legendary encounter, then reset until it sparkles.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
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 HeartGold & SoulSilver 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 | |
 Jumpluff Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodSafari Zone Surfing | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Tentacruel WaterPoison | B | |
Obtain MethodCherrygrove City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Tentacruel builds →Surf 2x97-114%KO Ice Beam 2x64-76% | ||
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x94-111%KO Ice Beam 2x63-74% | ||
 Bayleef Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Golduck builds →Surf 2x110-130%KO Ice Beam 2x73-87% | ||
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Floatzel builds →Surf 2x102-121%KO Ice Beam 2x68-80% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x115-136%KO Ice Beam 2x76-91% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lapras builds →Surf 2x102-121%KO Ice Beam 2x102-121%KO | ||
 Budew GrassPoison | C | |
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 7 more.
HGSS Sandslash Best Moveset
Physical Ground attacker built to take hits and return them. 100 Attack powers MoveEarthquake while 110 Defense absorbs physical damage. AbilitySand Veil in sandstorm adds evasion, but 65 Speed means the moveset always takes the first punch.
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 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
All 27 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
In an attempt to hide itself, it will run around at top speed to kick up a blinding dust storm.
If it digs at an incredible pace, it may snap off its spikes and claws. They grow back in a day.
Sandslash HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Sandslash in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Sandslash in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Sandslash from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Sandslash easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Yes. Wild Sandslash in HeartGold & SoulSilver 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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.
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
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