The best moveset for Sandslash in Pokemon GO

Sandslash, also known as the Mouse Pokemon, is the evolution of Sandshrew and has been in Pokemon GO since the game's release.

March 13 of 2022 marked Sandshrew's Community Day, which featured both its original form and its Ice-type Alolan form.

Since Pokemon GO trainers will be racking up Sandshrew and plenty of candies to evolve it, it's worth looking into the original Mouse Pokemon's battle viability.

Sadly, Sandslash's combat capability, even at its highest possible ceiling, leaves a lot to be desired. It shows potential in Great League and PvE battles occasionally, but many Ground-types simply outclass it.

Regardless, if trainers choose to use Sandslash, they should optimize its moveset.

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Top PvE/PvP movesets for Sandslash in Pokemon GO

Sandshrew and Sandslash as well as their Alolan counterparts (Image via Niantic)

If Pokemon GO trainers decide to use the Kanto-native Sandslash in either PvE or PvP, they'll want its ideal moveset applied. While it's true that Sandslash's battle potential is limited, its viability is further impacted when not utilizing the right moves.

For the most part, Sandslash's top movesets in Pokemon GO tend to incorporate the same moves, though there's some wiggle room for creativity. Moreover, the Sandshrew Community Day has allowed trainers to evolve a Sandslash that knows the move Night Slash. This could somewhat improve its battle prospects.

For PvE combat, the top moveset will depend on what players are using Sandslash for. If trainers are using it on offense in raids or gym battles, they'll likely want to use Mud Shot and Earthquake.

Mud Shot beats Metal Claw, as it receives Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) from matching a Ground-type move to a Ground-type Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Earthquake is essentially Sandslash's golden standard as a Charge Move. Having said that, Bulldoze is also a very good option and provides an edge in certain situations pertaining to DPS.

For PvP combat, trainers will likely want to continue with Mud Shot and Earthquake due to its STAB damage output. However, there's some room for creativity on the trainer's part.

For a second Charge Move, should a player choose to use one, Night Slash and Rock Tomb are viable options. Sadly, neither of these moves receive STAB, but they expand on Sandslash's potential favorable type matchups.

Night Slash should give Sandslash a little bit of play against Ghost and Psychic-type Pokemon. It has a low enough energy cost to bait shields from opposing trainers.

Rock Tomb, when combined with Earthquake, maximizes the types that Sandslash can fight favorably. It admittedly isn't a great Rock-type move, but it gives Sandslash the ability to deal super effective damage to Bug, Flying, Fire, and Ice-type Pokemon. This somewhat covers Sandslash's deficiencies.