Sandslash

Introduced in the original generation one, with the Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green games, Sandslash is a monotype ground Pokemon. It evolves from Sandshrew once it reaches the level threshold and does not evolve further. Sandslash is classified by the Pokedex as the “Mouse Pokemon” which may be a nod to its general design. This guide will showcase Sandslash’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Sandslash.

About Sandslash

As one of the original 151 Pokemon of generation one, it appeared in the first of the Pokemon Movies Mewtwo Strikes Back. It was one of the first Pokemon that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo in this movie. Sandslash evolves from Sandshrew once it reaches level 22 and this finishes its two stage evolution line. The Pokedex describes its hedgehog-like behavior and how it will protect itself by rolling up into a ball.

First appearance in anime	Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
First appearance in game	Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International)
Region	Kanto
Evolution	Evolves from Sandshrew, not known to evolves into any other Pokemon.
1st Evo level	22
2nd Evo level	N/A
Pokedex Entry	Curls up into a spiny ball when threatened. It can roll while curled up to attack or escape.

Sandslash Base Stats

(Regular Sandslash)

HP	75
ATTACK	100
DEFENCE	110
SP. ATTACK	45
SP. DEFENCE	55
SPEED	65
TOTAL	450

(Alolan Sandslash)

HP	75
ATTACK	100
DEFENCE	120
SP. ATTACK	25
SP. DEFENCE	65
SPEED	65
TOTAL	450

Appearance

Sandslash is a bipedal, brown, hedgehog-like Pokemon that closely resembles a pangolin in real life. Most of Sandslash’s body is brown, its quills are dark brown, and its stomach is white. Its hands end in two pointed claws and its feet are similar. There is a short pointed tail at its base and the quills on its back are rocky and jagged. There is also an Alolan variant of Sandslash that appears to be made of ice and steel. Sandslash is 3 feet and 3 inches, or 1 meter, tall.

Behavior

As a Pokemon released in generation one, Sandslash has had many opportunities to appear throughout the anime. It is typically shown as a fast offensive Pokemon in battle or as a wild Pokemon near mountainous areas. In the Alola region, an Alolan Sandslash has icy quills and uses its blue hide and quills to camouflage itself in the snow. The Pokedex states that Sandslash’s quills will eventually wear out and Sandslash will grow new ones to replace them.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Sandslash has a respectable physical attack and defense but its poor speed stat makes it hard to use it as an offensive Pokemon and its health pool makes it difficult to function as a defensive Pokemon. It suffers from a split of its base stat totals. Sandslash can come with the ability Sand Rush which can make it an offensive Pokemon with some support. As a monotype ground Pokemon, Sandslash takes 2x damage from water, grass, and ice type moves. It is immune to electric type moves and will resist poison and rock type moves. Alolan Sandslash is an ice and steel type Pokemon and takes 2x damage from ground type moves, and it is also weak to fighting and fire type moves but takes 4x damage.It is immune to poison type moves, and resistant to normal, flying, bug, grass, psychic, ice, dragon, and fairy type moves.

Best Moveset

Sandslash is typically used as an offensive Pokemon in competitive formats. It is near the bottom of competitive brackets due to requiring a decent amount of support from other Pokemon. However, if you have a Pokemon that can set up sandstorm easily, you can get away with a Pokemon with inflated stats. Consider running Earthquake, Stone Edge, Knock Off, and Swords Dance/Rapid Spin. Earthquake benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Stone Edge and Knock Off are used for type coverage options, Swords Dance/Rapid Spin are interchangeable depending on whether you prefer an offensive or defensive move respectively.

Earthquake	Stone Edge
Knock Off	Swords Dance/Rapid Spin

How to Catch Sandslash in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain a Sandslash in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Sandshrew and eventually evolve it into Sandslash. Sandshrew can be found in the wild spawning at a boosted rate near parks, farmlands, woodland, quarries, parking lots, and other rocky areas. You can also hatch a Sandshrew from 5 km eggs and in order to evolve a Sandshrew into a Sandslash you will need 50 candies. If you want to skip the candy collection, you can find Sandshrew in tier one raids and Sandslash in tier two raids at Pokemon gyms.

Trivia

1. Alolan Sandshrew and Alolan Sandslash are the only Pokemon in the entire franchise to have the type combination of ice and steel.
2. The inspiration for Sandslash’s design seems to be based on the pangolin.
3. The name Sandslash is a combination of the words sand and slash.

Explainer Video

FAQ

Is Sandslash a good Pokemon?

While Sandslash has decent physical attack and defense stats, it has trouble capitalizing on either strength. Its health pool is somewhat lacking and its slow speed makes it struggle against other fast offensive Pokemon. However, you can mitigate some of Sandslash’s weaknesses if it has the ability Sand Rush and activating a sandstorm.

What are Sandslash’s Weaknesses?

Regular Sandslash is a ground type Pokemon, meaning it takes 2x damage from water, grass, and ice type moves. It is immune to electric types and will resist poison and rock type moves. Alolan Sandslash is an ice and steel type Pokemon meaning it takes 4x damage from fighting and fire type moves while taking 2x damage from ground type moves. Alolan Sandslash is immune to poison and will resist normal, flying, bug, grass, psychic, ice, dragon, and fairy type moves.

Who evolves into Sandslash?

Sandslash will evolve from Sandshrew once it reaches level 22. There are no special conditions to fulfill for this evolution and it will evolve once it reaches the level threshold. After your Sandshrew has reached level 22 you just need to let the evolution animation play without pressing the “B” button.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Mouse Pokemon”. While Sandslash has not made a big impact on competitive Pokemon battles, it is remarkable as one of the original 151 Pokemon of generation one. Even though it is not ranked highly in competitive tiers, it is not a particularly weak Pokemon and can function well in casual play. Reserve a slot for Sandslash if you want a ground type Pokemon that can perform well in sandstorms.