Competitive Information for Sandslash [X/Y]
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 X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Discover the strength of Sandslash, a brilliant Pokémon known for its Ground typing! It's a sight to see Sandslash out in the 6th generation battlefield. It's an underrated pick that could surprise many in the meta. It is weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-typed attacks. Discover how Sandslash excels in battles with the movesets provided below.
Item: Expert Belt / Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 112 Hp / 252 Atk / 144 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Poison Jab / Brick Break
- Knock Off / Night Slash
- Shadow Claw
Sandslash thrives as an impressive Physical Sweeper perfect for single battles. This setup is intended to crush rivals using heavy-hitting physical moves. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Sandslash's super effective moves by 20%. 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. With Sand Rush, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's speed is doubled; immunity to sandstorm. Poison Jab or Brick Break are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Bulldoze is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ 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).
◆ Shadow Claw is a physical 70-base power Ghost-type move (high critical hit ratio).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iaa1c
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
For single battles, Sandslash is a noteworthy Physical Sweeper. The intention of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with devastating 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 20-base power Normal-type move (frees Sandslash from hazards, binding, leech seed).
◆ 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/iba1c
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
Dominating single battles, Sandslash is a notable Special Wall. It attempts to take a substantial 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 vitality 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 20-base power Normal-type move (frees Sandslash from hazards, binding, leech seed).
◆ 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/ica1c
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Naughty (+Atk, -SpD)
EVs: 142 Hp / 243 Atk / 125 Spe
Moveset:
- Bulldoze
- Night Slash
- Sandstorm
- Swords Dance
In single battles, Sandslash is known as an awesome Physical Tank. This setup is intended to take a considerable amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Sandslash last longer regaining it's HP 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/ida1c
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Naughty (+Atk, -SpD)
EVs: 108 Hp / 200 Atk / 200 Spe
Moveset:
- Night Slash
- Rapid Spin
- Return
- Swords Dance
For single battles, Sandslash is a prestigious Physical Sweeper. This configuration strives to take down the opponent's team with brute physical moves. 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 Veil, if sandstorm is active Sandslash's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to sandstorm.
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 20-base power Normal-type move (frees Sandslash from hazards, binding, leech seed).
◆ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Sandslash's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iea1c
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Sandslash? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y 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 X/Y 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 / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Poison Jab / Double-Edge
- Knock Off / Night Slash
For double battles, Sandslash is an extraordinary Physical Sweeper. It tries to overwhelm foes with formidable physical power. 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.
◆ 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).
◆ 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/jaa1c
Movepool
Want to know what moves Sandslash can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y 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 X/Y. 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 XY 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: Endure, Protect
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Sandslash's stats
- Defense Curl
- Hone Claws
- Metal Claw
- Rapid Spin
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Sandslash
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Rest
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Sandslash in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Sandslash's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
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 X/Y movesets. You can find Sandslash builds X/Y. Sandslash movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Sandslash Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Sandslash in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution