Its greatest asset is Defense — higher than 68% of species. Weak point: Sp. Atk — among the lowest in the entire Pokédex. Its stat total lands at the tail end — below 86% of species. This is not the final form yet — it evolves once more, so the numbers above describe this stage, not what it will end up as. Defensively it can rely on 3 weaknesses, 2 resistances and 1 full immunity. Electric-type moves do nothing to it at all. Very easy to catch, often with the first Poké Ball.
Base stats
Last column: what percentage of 1084 species and regional forms have a lower value. Weak point: Sp. Atk.
A nature can improve this entry further: its boost hits hardest on Defense, the stat in which this species already leads. Which nature does that — see the list of natures.
Which nature to choose
It hits physically: its Attack (75) is 55 points higher than its Sp. Atk. So the drop hits a stat the set usually does not use at all. Evolution does not change it, so pick it for the final form, not for these numbers.
- Adamant +Atk · −SpA It moves second and nothing will change that, so the whole boost goes into power.
- Brave +Atk · −Spe The Trick Room version: with the turn order reversed, the slower the better, and Gyro Ball calculates its power from exactly this lowered Speed.
- Hidden Power and Weather Ball still deal damage based on Sp. Atk. If either of them is going into the set, lowering Sp. Atk is no longer free.
- Sand Rush doubles Speed in a sandstorm. Calculate Speed benchmarks with the ability active — it may change the point of a +Spe or −Spe nature.
A conclusion drawn from base stats alone — a specific moveset can reverse it. All 25 natures.
Regional numbers 11
The header shows the national number. Inside the game the Pokédex counts from the beginning — below is the number you will see in your version.
| Kanto | #027 | Red/Green (Japan) , Blue (Japan) , Red / Blue , Yellow , FireRed / LeafGreen , Let's Go Pikachu / Eevee |
|---|---|---|
| Johto | #048 | Gold / Silver , Crystal , HeartGold / SoulSilver |
| Hoenn | #112 | Ruby / Sapphire , Emerald |
| Hoenn | #117 | Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire |
| Unova | #113 | Black 2 / White 2 |
| Kalos | #097 | X / Y |
| Alola | #251 | Sun / Moon |
| Alola | #328 | Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon |
| Isle of Armor | #168 | Sword / Shield , Sword/Shield: The Isle of Armor |
| Kitakami | #116 | Scarlet / Violet , Scarlet/Violet: The Teal Mask |
| Blueberry Academy | #155 | Scarlet / Violet , Scarlet/Violet: The Indigo Disk |
Abilities
- Sand Veil Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
- Sand Rush Doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
How players use it
Data from 44,274 ranked battles on Smogon (Gen 9 UU, 2026-07). These are not numbers from the game — they are player habits.
Rank 268 among 274 Pokémon in use — it is on 0.01% of teams.
Each row is a separate distribution, not a single set: the most common item and the most common move do not have to appear on the same Pokémon.
Pokédex entry
Burrows deep underground in arid locations far from water. It only emerges to hunt for food.
Resistances and weaknesses
Type chart →How much damage Sandshrew takes when it is hit by a move of each type.
How it was drawn
1996–2019The sprites come straight from the games in which Sandshrew appeared — one from each release.
Variant gallery
The gallery shows only the appearance variants that exist for this Pokémon. Every image shows the same character and differs in source — a Pokémon HOME render or a pixel sprite — and in coloring, regular or shiny.
TCG cards (18)
All Sandshrew cards →Sandshrew has 18 cards in 16 sets. The oldest of them are shown below.
Breeding
All Egg Groups →Offspring can come from 275 species from the same Egg Groups (with opposite genders) or from Ditto. Below are the first 12 by Pokédex number.
The Egg hatches after 20 cycles, which is roughly 5,400 steps. The exact cycle length depends on the game — newer titles shortened it noticeably — so treat this number as an order of magnitude, not a countdown. Having the Flame Body Ability in your party halves the wait.
Where to catch it (24)
All locations →The levels shown are the widest range across all game versions — in a specific release it may be narrower. The exact area, catch method and chance are on the page of each location.
Galar
Hoenn
Johto
Kalos
Kanto
Orre
Sinnoh
Unova
Moves (99)
Full move list →Below are the moves learned by leveling up. The rest (84 via TM/TR, 16 via Egg, 29 via tutor) are on the full list.
| Lv. | Move | Type | Cat. | Power | Acc. | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defense Curl | Normal | Status | — | — | 40 |
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100% | 35 |
| 3 | Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 | 100% | 35 |
| 6 | Sand Attack | Ground | Status | — | 100% | 15 |
| 9 | Rollout | Rock | Physical | 30 | 90% | 20 |
| 12 | Fury Cutter | Bug | Physical | 40 | 95% | 20 |
| 14 | Magnitude | Ground | Physical | — | 100% | 30 |
| 15 | Rapid Spin | Normal | Physical | 50 | 100% | 40 |
| 18 | Bulldoze | Ground | Physical | 60 | 100% | 20 |
| 21 | Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | — | 20 |
| 23 | Sand Tomb | Ground | Physical | 35 | 85% | 15 |
| 24 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 | 80% | 15 |
| 24 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 27 | Agility | Psychic | Status | — | — | 30 |
| 30 | Slash | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100% | 20 |
| 33 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100% | 10 |
| 36 | Gyro Ball | Steel | Physical | — | 100% | 5 |
| 39 | Swords Dance | Normal | Status | — | — | 20 |
| 42 | Sandstorm | Rock | Status | — | — | 10 |
| 45 | Earthquake | Ground | Physical | 100 | 100% | 10 |