In Emerald, Sand Rush changes the entire equation for Sandslash. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as an attacker.

What is Sandslash weak to?

In Emerald, Sandslash's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What is the best ability for Sandslash?

Sand Rush is what you want on Sandslash. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Sand Veil) work on paper but Sand Rush is what makes Sandslash worth using.

What role does Sandslash play in battle?

At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Sandslash is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.

What is Sandslash's hidden ability?

In Emerald, Sand Rush is the hidden ability. It doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Worth hunting for if you want Sandslash to compete at a higher level.

Sandslash - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Attacker

CTier

65Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Defense and Attack carry most of Sandslash's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Above

HP75

Attack100

Defense110

Sp. Atk45

Sp. Def55

Speed65

Total450

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging90 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height1.0 m

Weight29.5 kg

Base XP158

Abilities

Sand Veil

Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Sand RushHANot in game

Doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe

Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

It curls up in a ball to protect itself from enemy attacks. It also curls up to prevent heatstroke during the daytime when temperatures rise sharply.

Emerald

Sandslash Weakness

Sandslash is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Sandslash's physical bulk (base 110 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Sandslash Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Water, Grass, Ice
0.5x (Resist)	Poison, Rock
0x (Immune)	Electric

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score-1

Gen III Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Grass Ice

½xResist

Poison Rock

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Electric

STAB (5)

Fire Electric Poison Rock Steel

How to Beat Sandslash in Emerald (Best Counters)

In Emerald, Starmie can KO Sandslash with Surf (136-161%). Regice's Ice Beam also KOs at 137-162%.

Starmie WaterPsychic	A
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves Rapid Spin Ice Beam Thunderbolt SurfSTAB Damage vs Sandslash Rapid Spin 8-10% Ice Beam 2x 91-107%KO Surf 2x 136-161%KO View Starmie builds →
Breloom GrassFighting	B
Recommended Build AbilityEffect Spore ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves SporeUtility Focus Punch Mach Punch Sky Uppercut Damage vs Sandslash Mach Punch 21-25% View Breloom builds →
Regice Ice	B
Recommended Build AbilityClearbody ItemLeftovers NatureQuiet Moves Ice Beam Thunderbolt Explosion Thunder Wave Damage vs Sandslash Ice Beam 2x 137-162%KO Explosion 39-46% View Regice builds →
Venusaur GrassPoison	C
Recommended Build AbilityOvergrow ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves Leech Seed Sleep Powder Giga Drain Sludge Bomb Damage vs Sandslash Giga Drain 2x 109-128%KO Sludge Bomb 12-14% View Venusaur builds →

Emerald Evolution

Evolved from Sandshrew. Sandslash is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. HP grew the most through evolution (+25 over Sandshrew), and Sandslash peaks at 450 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#027Sandshrew

Level 22

#028Sandslash

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Sandshrew

Ground

Sandslash

Ground

75+25

ATK

100+25

DEF

110+25

SP.ATK

45+25

SP.DEF

55+25

SPE

65+25

BST

300C-Tier

450A-Tier+150

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Sandslash to get Sandshrew eggs easily using 102 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crush Claw, Flail and 5 more.

Egg Groups

Ground

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

8moves

Breed With (best first)

Emerald Sandslash 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

Egg moves make a real difference. Sandslash gets Counter and Crush Claw exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Earthquake and Dig.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Defense Curl

———40Normal

Lv 1

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 6

Defense Curl

———40Normal

Lv 11

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 17

Poison Sting

—1510035Poison

Lv 24

Slash

C7010020Normal

Lv 33

Swift

—60—20Normal

Lv 42

Fury Swipes

—188015Normal

Lv 52

Sand Tomb

—358515Ground

Lv 62

Sandstorm

———10Rock

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

C60—20Flying

TM45

Attract

——10015Normal

TM31

Brick Break

C7510015Fighting

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

TM28

Dig

—6010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM26

Earthquake

B10010010Ground

TM42

Facade

C7010020Normal

TM01

Focus Punch-3

B15010020Fighting

TM21

Frustration

——10020Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

C150905Normal

TM23

Iron Tail

C1007515Steel

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

HM06

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM39

Rock Tomb

—609510Rock

TM37

Sandstorm

———10Rock

TM43

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

HM04

Strength

—8010015Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM46

Thief

C6010025Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

Egg

Crush Claw

C759510Normal

Egg

Flail

D—10015Normal

Egg

Metal Claw

—509535Steel

Egg

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Egg

Rock Slide

C759010Rock

Egg

Safeguard

D——25Normal

Egg

Swords Dance

C——30Normal

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

Tutor

Counter-5

D—10020Fighting

Tutor

Defense Curl

———40Normal

Tutor

Double-Edge

B12010015Normal

Tutor

Dynamic Punch

D100505Fighting

Tutor

Endure+4

D——10Normal

Tutor

Fury Cutter

—109520Bug

Tutor

Mimic

———10Normal

Tutor

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Tutor

Rock Slide

C759010Rock

Tutor

Rollout

—309020Rock

Tutor

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

Tutor

Sleep Talk

D——10Normal

Tutor

Snore

—4010015Normal

Tutor

Substitute

C——10Normal

Tutor

Swagger

——9015Normal

Tutor

Swift

—60—20Normal

Tutor

Swords Dance

C——30Normal

How to Get Sandslash in Emerald

Can't catch Sandslash directly. Start with Sandshrew at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 22. The 2-stage line from Sandshrew to Sandslash is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Sandslash in Emerald

To get Sandslash, start by catching Sandshrew through walking encounters at Lv. 19-24. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

Step 1Catch Sandshrew
Mirage Tower - 1F
Grass Lv.20-24 Building
50%Mid
Mirage Tower - 2F
Grass Lv.20-24 Building
50%Mid
Mirage Tower - 3F
Grass Lv.20-24 Building
50%Mid
Mirage Tower - 4F
Grass Lv.20-24 Building
50%Mid
Route 111 - Desert
Grass Lv.19-21 Route
35%Mid
Train until Level 22
Step 2Sandslash ✓

Sandslash Guide

In Emerald, Sand Rush changes the entire equation for Sandslash. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as an attacker.
In Emerald, Sandslash's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
Sand Rush is what you want on Sandslash. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Sand Veil) work on paper but Sand Rush is what makes Sandslash worth using.
At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Sandslash is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
In Emerald, Sand Rush is the hidden ability. It doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Worth hunting for if you want Sandslash to compete at a higher level.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Sandslash has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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