Competitive Information for Sandslash [Sword/Shield]
Ground
Abilities:
If Sandstorm is active, this Pokemon's Speed is doubled; immunity to Sandstorm.
If Sandstorm is active, this Pokemon's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to Sandstorm.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Sandslash? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Unleash the power of Sandslash, a sensational Pokémon with Ground typing. It's a sight to see Sandslash out in the 8th generation battlefield. It is weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-typed attacks. Discover Sandslash's movesets below and unleash its potential in battles!
Item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 180 Hp / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
Moveset:
- Steel Roller
- Drill Run / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Protect
For single battles, Sandslash is an astounding Physical Tank. It attempts to absorb physical damage and return fire with decent force. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Sandslash's super effective moves by 20%. Life Orb boosts the power of Sandslash's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm.
◆ Drill Run is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Ground-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Sandslash this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa1c
Item: Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 112 Hp / 252 Atk / 144 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Drill Run
- Steel Roller / Shadow Claw
- Poison Jab / Double-Edge
- Knock Off / Night Slash
Dominating single battles, Sandslash is a stupendous Physical Sweeper. It's purpose is to crush rivals using heavy-hitting physical moves. Choice Band will increase the damage of Sandslash's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Sandslash's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm. Poison Jab was added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Drill Run is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Ground-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Steel Roller is a physical 130-base power Steel-type move (fails if there is no terrain active. Ends the terrain).
◆ Shadow Claw is a physical 70-base power Ghost-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba1c
Item: Expert Belt
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Shadow Claw
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
In single battles, Sandslash is known as a decent Physical Sweeper. This technique aims to crush rivals using formidable physical power. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Sandslash's super effective moves by 20%. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm.
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Sandslash from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
◆ Earthquake is a physical STAB-boosted 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Sandslash's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mca1c
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Brave (+Atk, -Spe)
EVs: 213 Hp / 87 Atk / 210 SpD
Moveset:
- Bulldoze / Brick Break
- Night Slash / Poison Jab
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance / Sandstorm
Sandslash is a brilliant Special Wall to use for single battles. It tries to take a large amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Sandslash last longer regaining it's health every turn. With Sand Veil, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to sandstorm.
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Sandslash from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Sandslash's attack by 2 stages).
◆ Sandstorm is a status move (for 5 turns, a sandstorm rages. Rock: 1.5x spd).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mda1c
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Naughty (+Atk, -SpD)
EVs: 142 Hp / 243 Atk / 125 Spe
Moveset:
- Bulldoze
- Night Slash
- Sandstorm
- Swords Dance
Sandslash proves to be an awesome Physical Tank for single battles. It's designed to absorb physical damage and return fire with decent force. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Sandslash last longer regaining it's life every turn. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm.
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Sandstorm is a status move (for 5 turns, a sandstorm rages. Rock: 1.5x spd).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Sandslash's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mea1c
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Sandslash? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Life Orb / Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 112 Hp / 252 Atk / 144 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Drill Run
- Rock Slide
- Steel Roller / Knock Off
- Poison Jab / Double-Edge
Prepare for double battles with Sandslash as popular Physical Sweeper. It is meant to overwhelm foes with brute physical moves. Choice Band will increase the damage of Sandslash's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Sandslash's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm. Poison Jab was added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Drill Run is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Ground-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Steel Roller is a physical 130-base power Steel-type move (fails if there is no terrain active. Ends the terrain).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa1c
Movepool
Want to know what moves Sandslash can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Sandslash.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Sandslash can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Sandslash
- Moves: Defense curl + Rollout
- Moves: Endure + Flail
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Dynamic Punch
- Moves with Priority: Detect, Endure, Protect
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Scorching Sands, Toxic
Moves that boost Sandslash's stats
- Agility
- Amnesia
- Curse
- Defense Curl
- Hone Claws
- Metal Claw
- Rapid Spin
- Skull Bash
- Swords Dance
- Work Up
Most notable and possible best moves for Sandslash
- Brick Break
- Bulldoze
- Drill Run
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Rest
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- Steel Roller
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Sandslash in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 180/252/0/0/0/76 )
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/4/252 )
- Optimize Sandslash's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Sandslash. Top rated Sandslash Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Sandslash builds Sword/Shield. Sandslash movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Sandslash Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Sandslash in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution