Stats & Training
Sandshrew's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Atk trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Defense EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
SANDSHREW’s body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert. This POKéMON curls up to protect itself from its enemies.
SANDSHREW has a very dry hide that is extremely tough. The POKéMON can roll into a ball that repels any attack. At night, it burrows into the desert sand to sleep.
Sandshrew Weakness
Sandshrew's Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, and Ice. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. Sandshrew's physical bulk (base 85 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 |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
 Wingull Water | D | |
 Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
 Treecko Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Treecko builds →Bullet Seed 2x45-55% Absorb 2x39-48% | ||
 Shroomish Grass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Shroomish builds →Bullet Seed 2x34-41% Absorb 2x27-34% | ||
 Surskit BugWater | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 102 Surfing | ||
Wingull Water | D | |
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
Treecko Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Treecko builds →Bullet Seed 2x42-51% Absorb 2x32-40% | ||
Shroomish Grass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Shroomish builds →Mega Drain 2x47-57% Bullet Seed 2x32-40% Absorb 2x28-34% | ||
Surskit BugWater | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 102 Surfing | ||
Wingull Water | D | |
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
 Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Oddish builds →Bullet Seed 2x48-57% Absorb 2x40-48% | ||
Treecko Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Treecko builds →Bullet Seed 2x44-52% Absorb 2x35-43% | ||
Shroomish Grass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Shroomish builds →Mega Drain 2x48-57% Bullet Seed 2x32-38% Absorb 2x27-33% | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Magical Leaf 2x124-146%KO Mega Drain 2x83-99% Bullet Seed 2x53-63% Absorb 2x43-51% | ||
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
 Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lombre builds →Surf 2x126-150%KO Ice Beam 2x84-100%KO Bullet Seed 2x39-47% Absorb 2x33-39% | ||
 Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
 Cacnea Grass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Cacnea builds →Bullet Seed 2x50-59% Absorb 2x39-47% | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Magical Leaf 2x126-148%KO Mega Drain 2x84-100%KO Bullet Seed 2x56-67% Absorb 2x43-52% | ||
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lombre builds →Surf 2x126-148%KO Ice Beam 2x84-99% Bullet Seed 2x37-44% Absorb 2x31-37% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Cacnea Grass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Cacnea builds →Bullet Seed 2x49-59% Absorb 2x41-48% | ||
 Tropius Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Tropius builds →Magical Leaf 2x98-115%KO Razor Leaf 2x92-108%KO Bullet Seed 2x44-52% | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Giga Drain 2x159-188%KO Magical Leaf 2x127-150%KO Mega Drain 2x85-101%KO Bullet Seed 2x56-66% | ||
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift | ||
Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lombre builds →Surf 2x127-150%KO Ice Beam 2x85-100%KO Bullet Seed 2x38-45% Absorb 2x33-38% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Tropius Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Tropius builds →Solar Beam 2x202-238%KO Giga Drain 2x127-150%KO Magical Leaf 2x102-121%KO Razor Leaf 2x94-112%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Solar Beam 2x260-306%KO Giga Drain 2x162-191%KO Magical Leaf 2x132-156%KO Mega Drain 2x89-106%KO | ||
 Gloom GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Gloom builds →Solar Beam 2x227-268%KO Giga Drain 2x142-168%KO Bullet Seed 2x50-59% Absorb 2x39-47% | ||
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lileep builds →Solar Beam 2x177-209%KO Giga Drain 2x112-132%KO Bullet Seed 2x39-47% | ||
Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lombre builds →Solar Beam 2x175-206%KO Blizzard 2x106-125%KO Surf 2x132-156%KO Ice Beam 2x88-104%KO | ||
Tropius Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Tropius builds →Solar Beam 2x196-231%KO Giga Drain 2x124-146%KO Magical Leaf 2x100-118%KO Razor Leaf 2x94-110%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Roselia builds →Solar Beam 2x254-300%KO Giga Drain 2x161-190%KO Magical Leaf 2x128-151%KO Mega Drain 2x86-102%KO | ||
Gloom GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Gloom builds →Solar Beam 2x224-264%KO Giga Drain 2x140-165%KO Bullet Seed 2x49-58% Absorb 2x39-47% | ||
Lileep RockGrass | D | |
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lileep builds →Solar Beam 2x172-204%KO Giga Drain 2x109-129%KO Bullet Seed 2x39-47% | ||
Lombre WaterGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Lombre builds →Solar Beam 2x171-201%KO Blizzard 2x104-123%KO Surf 2x128-151%KO Ice Beam 2x85-101%KO | ||
In Ruby & Sapphire, Swampert can KO Sandshrew with Hydro Pump (212-249%). Gyarados's Earthquake hits Sandshrew for 56-66%.
 Swampert WaterGround | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Swampert builds →Earthquake56-66% Ice Beam 2x115-136%KO Hydro Pump 2x212-249%KO | ||
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Gyarados builds →Earthquake56-66% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityEffect Spore ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Breloom builds →Mach Punch32-37% | ||
 Regice Ice | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityClearbody ItemLeftovers NatureQuiet Moves
Damage vs Sandshrew View Regice builds →Ice Beam 2x253-298%KO Explosion59-69% | ||
Ruby & Sapphire Evolution
Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 150 total stats over Sandshrew. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Sandshrew easily with 102 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Counter, Crush Claw, Flail and 5 more to offspring.
Ruby & Sapphire Sandshrew Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
You'll want to breed for Counter and Crush Claw on Sandshrew. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Earthquake and Dig, they expand what Sandshrew can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Ruby & Sapphire Sandshrew Locations
high spawn rates in early-game routes across 4 locations. Sandshrew's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Best Locations to Catch Sandshrew in Ruby & Sapphire
You can catch Sandshrew through 4 walking encounters from Lv. 14-21, but availability differs between Ruby and Sapphire. Some spots are exclusive to one version.
Sandshrew Guide
Get Sandshrew to Sandslash at level 22. At 300 BST, Sandshrew is just the starting point.
Level 22 gets you Sandslash. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
In Ruby & Sapphire, Sandshrew does the job early-game if you need a Ground type on your team. Evolve it into Sandslash before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
You can find Sandshrew in Ruby & Sapphire. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.
Game Availability
Sandshrew first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 20 games across 10 generations. It later gained an Alolan form in Generation 7, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SMAlolan
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves