Is Sandslash Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
A solid Ground-type option in Blue version. Sandslash is tough enough to take physical hits all game and puts in work against most of the late-game leaders. Water and Ice attacks are the problem, and both show up a lot at the E4. Useful for the story but fades against Lorelei and Lance.
Brock's typing presses Sandshrew's defenses.
Misty's team hits Sandshrew's weaknesses hard.
Sandslash resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Sandslash resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Sandslash resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash resists most of Giovanni's coverage and hits back hard.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Lorelei'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 Agatha's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Sandslash trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catch Sandshrew
Catch Sandshrew on Route 4 (walking, Lv 6-12, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Brock
- TM28GroundDigPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Returned by the Team Rocket thief after you defeat him in Cerulean City
- LV 17NormalSlashPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- TM09NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20Silph Co.
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Fuchsia City
- After Koga
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Silph Co.
Evolve Sandshrew to Sandslash
Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at Level 22. Your Sandshrew should hit Level 22 before you reach Lt. Surge, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Brock
- TM28GroundDigPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Returned by the Team Rocket thief after you defeat him in Cerulean City
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Rocket Game Corner
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Fuchsia City
How to Get Sandslash in Red & Blue
Three high-level wild spots in Blue, mostly tucked inside Cerulean Cave. Sandslash is Blue-only, so a Red game has to evolve a traded Sandshrew at level 22 instead.
2 locations to catch Sandslash6 locations to catch Sandshrew
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Sandshrew at any of the 6 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 RB
Sandshrew gets you Sandslash sooner: catch it (before Badge 2) and evolve it at Lv 22. Wild Sandslash first appears at Route 23 (after Badge 7).
- Step 2Sandslash ✓Route 23Lv.41GrassBlueRate 5%Cerulean Cave - 1FLv.52CaveBlueRate 10%Cerulean Cave - B1FLv.57CaveBlueRate 5%or evolve from Sandshrew (Step 1)
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Red & Blue 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 |
- 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
What is Sandslash Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Sandslash
 Articuno Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodSeafoam Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Articuno builds →Blizzard 2x129-152%KO Bubble Beam 2x51-60% | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Bulbasaur (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Magikarp (Route 4 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Gyarados builds →Hydro Pump 2x98-116%KO Blizzard 2x60-71% | ||
 Tangela Grass | C | |
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Omastar RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Omanyte (Cinnabar Island Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Omastar builds →Hydro Pump 2x165-194%KO Blizzard 2x101-119%KO | ||
 Starmie WaterPsychic | S | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Staryu (Cinnabar Island Super Rod) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Starmie builds →Surf 2x115-136%KO Blizzard 2x89-105%KO | ||
 Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x125-148%KO Blizzard 2x96-113%KO | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Cinnabar Island Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Kabutops builds →Surf 2x83-98% Blizzard 2x63-75% Absorb 2x12-15% | ||
 Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Dewgong builds →Blizzard 2x102-120%KO Surf 2x88-104%KO | ||
 Seadra Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Seadra builds →Surf 2x112-132%KO Blizzard 2x86-101%KO | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x117-138%KO Hydro Pump 2x127-150%KO Solar Beam 2x85-100%KO | ||
 Cloyster WaterIce | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Shellder (Cinnabar Island Super Rod) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandslash View Cloyster builds →Blizzard 2x117-138%KO Surf 2x102-120%KO | ||
Sandslash Evolutions
Sandslash is the evolved form of Sandshrew, reached at level 22. A Ground type at 460 stats that still can't breed. Special grew the most through evolution (+35 over Sandshrew), and Sandslash peaks at 460 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Sandslash Best Moveset
100 Attack with MoveEarthquake for reliable Ground damage and MoveSwords Dance to double the Attack stat. Swords Dance into Earthquake is the one combo worth building around, though the Speed means going second against most real threats.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Hyper Beam
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- 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.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM 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 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 22 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Curls up into a spiny ball when threatened. It can roll while curled up to attack or escape.
Sandslash Red & Blue Guide
In Red & Blue, 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
Explore
Where to go next after Sandslash.
Keep playing · Red & BlueRed & Blue Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Red & Blue Tier List