How to catch Alolan Sandslash in Pokemon GO

Alolan Sandslash has seen a spike in relevancy in Pokemon GO lately due to the recent conclusion of its Community Day event on March 13. However, some players have unfortunately missed their opportunity to get their hands on an Alolan Sandslash during this event.

How can players get their hands on this Pokemon?

Alolan Sandslash was introduced in the seventh generation of the Pokemon franchise. In the main series games, it was integrated as an exclusive Pokemon for players who purchased Pokemon Moon or Pokemon Ultra Moon. Alolan Ninetales was the exclusive for Pokemon Sun and Ultra Sun.

With the recent passing of the Sandshrew Community Day event, some players may have waning hope about adding an Alolan Sandslash to their collection. However, there are still ways to acquire one of these Ice-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO. But what methods exist for these users?

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Options for acquiring Alolan Sandslash in Pokemon GO

Alolan Sandslash as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

What sets Alolan Sandslash apart from its standard Kantonian variant is that most players are familiar with its typing. Unlike the Kantonian variant that is a pure Ground-type Pokemon, Alolan Sandslash is an Ice and Steel-type Pokemon. This is an interesting combination as it combines the worst and best defensive types.

The Ice typing is notorious for its many weaknesses to some of the most common types like Fighting, Fire, Steel, and Rock. However, the Steel typing is the polar opposite of the Ice typing as it has the most resistances in the game at ten total resistances. It also holds some of the best Pokemon like Metagross and Lucario.

When looking to acquire any Pokemon, various conditions must be considered. Given the current Winter season in the northern hemisphere paired with the current Season of Alola event, players are more likely to find Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash in Pokemon GO.

Finding evolved Pokemon in the wild is a rare occurrence in Pokemon GO. With this being the case, players are better off evolving an Alolan Sandshrew to get their Alolan Sandslash rather than waiting for one to spawn in the wild. To evolve Alolan Sandshrew into Alolan Sandslash, 50 Sandshrew candies are required.

For players wondering, Niantic made the process of evolving Pokemon with Alolan variants much less of a headache by not requiring different candies for Kantonian and Alolan Pokemon. This means that players only need 50 Sandshrew candies rather than 50 Alolan Sandshrew candies.

For gamers who want to add an Alolan Sandslash to their collection in Pokemon GO, do not lose hope. Those with an Alolan Sandshrew found in the wild or from hatching an egg only need to farm for the candies. This can be done by catching either form of Sandshrew or by walking.