The Kanto Pokémon Sandslash is still a beloved creature, even all these years after its debut in generation one. Evolving from the adorable Sandshrew, Sandslash can do a lot of damage in battle if you know how to use it properly. So, let's give you the rundown on everything you need to know about it.
You can't complete the Pokédex without Sandslash, so it's more than worth learning about it. Then, for some extra help on your adventures, you can check out our Pokémon Go codes and Pokémon TCG Pocket codes guides to see what freebies you can grab.
Here's everything you need to know about Sandslash:
Here's some crucial information to help you get to know Sandslash a bit better:
| National Pokédex # | 0,028 |
| Type | Ground, Ice/Steel (Alolan) |
| Abilities | Sand Veil, Snow Cloak (Alolan) |
| Hidden abilities | Sand Rush, Slush Rush (Alolan) |
| Gender ratio | Male - 50% Female - 50% |
| Catch rate | 90 (20.1%) |
| Egg groups | Field |
| EV yield | Two defense |
Sandslash Evolution
Sandlash is the final evolution for Sandshrew, with the little Pokémon turning into it at level 22.
Sandslash locations
We have tables for each generation, so you know exactly where you can find Sandslash:
Gen 1 locations
| Red | Trade |
| Blue | Route 23 and Cerulean Cave |
| Yellow | Creulean Cave |
Gen 2 locations
| Gold | Routes 26-27 and Mt. Moon |
| Silver | Evolve Sandshrew |
| Crystal | Route 26 and Victory Road |
Gen 3 locations
| Ruby and Sapphire | Evolve Sandshrew |
| Emerald | Evolve Sandshrew |
| FireRed | Trade |
| LeafGreen | Route 23 and Victory Road |
| Colosseum | Trade |
| XD | Evolve Sandshrew |
Gen 4 locations
| Diamond and Pearl | Route 228 |
| Platinum | Route 228 |
| HeartGold | Routes 26-27, Mt. Moon, and Safari Zone |
| SoulSilver | Safari Zone |
| Pal Park | Mountain |
Gen 5 locations
| Black and White | Relic Castle |
| Black 2 and White 2 | Route 15 and Relic Castle |
Gen 6 locations
| X and Y | Route 18 and Terminus Cave |
| Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | Evolve Sandshrew |
Gen 7 locations
| Sun | Trade and Pokémon Bank |
| Moon |
Evolve Sandshrew (Alolan) Pokémon Bank (Kantonian) |
| Ultra Sun | Trade and Pokémon Bank |
| Ultra Moon |
Evolve Sandshrew (Alolan) Pokémon Bank (Kantonian) |
| Let's Go Pikachu | Evolve Sandshrew |
| Let's Go Eevee | Trade |
Gen 8 locations
| Sword and Shield | Trade |
| Expansion Pass |
Forest of Focus, Potbottom Desert, Challenge Beach, Courageous Cavern, Max Lair, and Max Raid Battle (Kantonian) Max Lair (Alolan) |
| Brilliant Diamond | Trade |
| Shining Pearl | Grand Underground (Spacious Cave, Rocky Cave, Sandsear Cave, and Big Bluff Cavern) |
| Legends: Arceus | Unobtainable |
Gen 9 locations
| Scarlet and Violet | Trade |
| The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Scarlet) |
Oni Mountain, Paradise Barrens, and Kitakami Wilds (Kantonian) Terra Raid Battle Search (Alolan) |
| The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Violet) |
Oni Mountain, Paradise Barrens, and Kitakami Wilds (Kantonian) Terra Raid Battle (Alolan) |
| Legends: Z-A | Unobtainable |
Sandslash's base stats
Sandslash starts out with the following stats, but these increase as it levels up:
- HP - 75
- Attack - 100
- Defense - 110
- Sp. Atk - 45
- Sp. def - 55
- Speed - 65
Alolan Sandslash's base stats:
- HP - 75
- Attack - 100
- Defense - 120
- Sp. Atk - 25
- Sp. def - 65
- Speed - 65
Sandslash's type strengths and weaknesses
Sandslash, like every other Pokémon, has strengths and weaknesses. However, you need to pay extra attention to this one, as, depending on whether it's Kantonian or Alolan, its strengths and weaknesses are different.
| Normal Damage | Normal, Fighting, Flying, Dragon, Ground, Bug, Ghost, Steel, Fire, Psychic, Dark, and Fairy |
| Weak | Water, Grass, and Ice |
| Resistant | Poison and Rock |
| Immune | Electric |
Alolan Sandslash's strengths and weaknesses
| Normal damage | Rock, Ghost, Steel, Water, Electric, and Dark |
| Weak | Fighting, Ground, and Fire |
| Resistant | Normal, Flying, Bug, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy |
| Immune | Poison |
Sandslash's moveset
In the most recent Pokémon games, Sandslash can learn the following moves through leveling up, learning TMs, and hatching from an egg:
Level up moves
| Level | Move | Type |
| One | Crush Claw | Normal |
| One | Scratch | Normal |
| One | Defense Curl | Normal |
| One | Poison Sting | Poison |
| One | Sand Attack | Ground |
| Nine | Rollout | Rock |
| 12 | Fury Cutter | Bug |
| 15 | Rapid Spin | Normal |
| 18 | Bulldoze | Ground |
| 21 | Swift | Normal |
| 26 | Fury Swipes | Normal |
| 31 | Sand Tomb | Sand Tomb |
| 36 | Slash | Normal |
| 41 | Dig | Ground |
| 46 | Gyro Ball | Steel |
| 51 | Swords Dance | Normal |
| 56 | Sandstorm | Rock |
| 61 | Earthquake | Ground |
Level up moves (Alolan)
| Level | Move | Type |
| One | Icicle Clash | Ice |
| One | Metal Claw | Steel |
| One | Slash | Normal |
| One | Swords Dance | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Scratch | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Mist | Ice |
| Must use Move Reminder | Blizzard | Ice |
| Must use Move Reminder | Defense Curl | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Swift | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Fury Swipes | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Powder Snow | Ice |
| Must use Move Reminder | Tollout | Rock |
| Must use Move Reminder | Fury Cutter | Bug |
| Must use Move Reminder | Rapid Spin | Normal |
| Must use Move Reminder | Iron Defense | Steel |
| Must use Move Reminder | Gyro Ball | Steel |
| Must use Move Reminder | Metal Burst | Steel |
| Must use Move Reminder | Iron Head | Steel |
| Must use Move Reminder | Snowscape | Ice |
| Learn upon evolving | Icicle Spear | Ice |
Learnable TMs
| Move | Type |
| Take Down | Normal |
| Agility | Psychic |
| Mud-Slap | Ground |
| Protect | Normal |
| Low Kick | Fighting |
| Thief | Dark |
| Facade | Normal |
| Aerial Ace | Flying |
| Bulldoze | Ground |
| Metal Claw | Steel |
| Swift | Normal |
| Mud Shot | Ground |
| Rock Tomb | Rock |
| Fling | Dark |
| Endure | Normal |
| Sunny Day | Fire |
| Sandstorm | Rock |
| Dig | Ground |
| False Swipe | Normal |
| Brick Break | Fighting |
| Shadow Claw | Ghost |
| Body Slam | Normal |
| Sleep Talk | Normal |
| Poison Jab | Poison |
| Stomping Tantrum | Ground |
| Rest | Psychic |
| Rock Slide | Rock |
| Swords Dance | Normal |
| Spikes | Ground |
| Leech Life | Bug |
| Gunk Shot | Poison |
| Substitute | Normal |
| X-Scissor | Bug |
| Drill Run | Ground |
| Stealth Rock | Rock |
| Amnesia | Psychic |
| Earth Power | Ground |
| Earthquake | Ground |
| Stone Edge | Rock |
| Giga Impact | Normal |
| Focus Blast | Fighting |
| Hyper Beam | Normal |
| Tera Blast | Normal |
| Sand Tomb | Ground |
| Smack Down | Rock |
| Gyro Ball | Steel |
| Knock Off | Dark |
| Super Fang | Normal |
| High Horsepower | Ground |
| Focus Punch | Fighting |
| Double-Edge | Normal |
| Endeavor | Normal |
| Scorching Sands | Ground |
| Throat Chop | Dark |
| Curse | Ghost |
Learnable TMs (Alolan)
| Move | Type |
| Take Down | Normal |
| Agility | Psychic |
| Protect | Normal |
| Low Kick | Fighting |
| Thief | Dark |
| Facade | Normal |
| Aerial Ace | Flying |
| Bulldoze | Ground |
| Metal Claw | Steel |
| Swift | Normal |
| Icy Wind | Ice |
| Rock Tomb | Rock |
| Fling | Dark |
| Avalanche | Ice |
| Endure | Normal |
| Snowscape | Ice |
| Dig | Ground |
| False Swipe | Normal |
| Brick Break | Fighting |
| Shadow Claw | Ghost |
| Body Slam | Normal |
| Ice Punch | Ice |
| Sleep Talk | Normal |
| Poison Jab | Poison |
| Rest | Psychic |
| Rock Slide | Rock |
| Swords Dance | Normal |
| Spikes | Ground |
| Flash Cannon | Steel |
| Leech Life | Bug |
| Iron Head | Steel |
| Substitute | Normal |
| Iron Defense | Steel |
| X-Scissor | Bug |
| Drill Run | Ground |
| Stealth Rock | Rovk |
| Ice Spinner | Ice |
| Amnesia | Psychic |
| Ice Beam | Ice |
| Blizzard | Ice |
| Earthquake | Ground |
| Giga Impact | Normal |
| Focus Blast | Fighting |
| Hyper Beam | Normal |
| Steel Beam | Steel |
| Tera Blast | Normal |
| Gyro Ball | Steel |
| Knock Off | Dark |
| Super Fang | Normal |
| Icicle Spear | Ice |
| Focus Punch | Fighting |
| Double-Edge | Normal |
| Endeavor | Normal |
| Triple Axel | Ice |
| Throat Chop | Fighting |
| Curse | Ghost |
Egg moves
| Move | Type | Breed with |
| Counter | Fighting | Annihilape, Cinderace, Greedent, Lucario, Lycanroc, Mudbray, Mudsdale, Raboot, Scorbunny, Skwovet, Slakoth, Slaking, Vigoroth, or Zangoose |
| Flail | Normal | Beartic, Cetitan, Cetoddle, Cubchoo, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Komala, Mamoswine, Phanpy, Piloswine, Slakoth, Slaking, Swinub, or Zangoose |
| Hone Claws | Dark | Drilbur, Exacadrill, Floragato, Galarian Meowth, Krokorok, Krookodile, Mabosstiff, Maschiff, Meowscarada, Perrserker, Sandile, Sneasel, Sneasler, Sprigatito, Weavile, Zorua, or Zoroark |
| Metal Claw | Steel | Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Diglett, Alolan Dugtrio, Drilbur, Empoleon, Exacadrill, Galarian Meowth, Lucario, Perrserker, Prinplup, Sneasel, Weavile, or Zangoose |
| Mud-Slap | Ground | Alolan Diglett, Alolan Dugtrio, Diglett, Dugtrio, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Gumshoos, Mamoswine, Mudbray, Mudsdale, Orthworm, or Yungoos |
| Night Slash | Dark | Alolan Diglett, Alolan Dugtrio, Alolan Meowth, Alolan Persian, Mewoscarada, Skuntank, Stunky, Weavile, Zangoose, or Zoroark |
Egg moves (Alolan)
| Move | Type | Breed with |
| Counter | Fighting | Annihilape, Cinderace, Greedent, Lucario, Lycanroc, Mudbray, Mudsdale, Raboot, Scorbunny, Skwovet, Slakoth, Slaking, Vigoroth, or Zangoose |
| Crush Claw | Normal | Drilbur, Exacadrill, Lycanroc, Sandslash, or Zangoose |
| Curse | Ghost | Camerupt, Numel, Torkoal, Zangoose, Zorua, or Zoroark |
| Flail | Normal | Beartic, Cetitan, Cetoddle, Cubchoo, Dunsparce, Dudunsparce, Komala, Mamoswine, Phanpy, Piloswine, Slakoth, Slaking, Swinub, or Zangoose |
| Hone Claws | Dark | Drilbur, Exacadrill, Floragato, Galarian Meowth, Krokorok, Krookodile, Mabosstiff, Maschiff, Meowscarada, Perrserker, Sandile, Sneasel, Sneasler, Sprigatito, Weavile, Zorua, or Zoroark |
| Ice Shard | Ice | Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Ninetails, Cetoddle, Cetitan, Dewgong, Glaceon, Mamoswine, Piloswine, Swinub, Seel, or Wevile |
| Mirror Coat | Ice | Glaceon |
| Night Slash | Dark | Alolan Diglett, Alolan Dugtrio, Alolan Meowth, Alolan Persian, Mewoscarada, Skuntank, Stunky, Weavile, Zangoose, or Zoroark |
That's everything you need to know. Now all you need to do is go out there and get Sandslash.