#27 - #28: Sandshrew & Sandslash

I had this exact same Sandshrew plushie.

Jeez... Writing the previous entry about the Pokémon franchise mascot felt like writing a 1,000-page novel.

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen right now though, because Sandshrew and Sandslash cannot compete with Pikachu's popularity. I'm not saying that they're not likeable or even capable Pokémon, so let's see what they have in store for us. Well, Sandshrew is actually just there for being adorable, and that manifests itself in those fluffy plushies of Sandshrew that I had one of as well. And even though I don't have it anymore, it was definitely my favorite and most huggable Pokémon plushie, aside from maybe Togepi. (Perhaps I should mention that I didn't have all that many plushies to begin with, so that is probably the reason why it was my favorite.) Game Freak can even make a pangolin/armadillo Pokémon look cute if they want to, even though it should be noted that all real-life animals can be cute if drawn correctly. However, it seems that Game Freak have had a broad view of what exactly a mouse is: as is the case with Rattata and Raticate, both Sandshrew and Sandslash have been erroneously classified as 'Mouse Pokémon'. I'll grant them, Sandshrew has some traits of mice, but Sandslash... Goddammit, I shouldn't worry about this whole thing over and over again. I wanted to say that Sandshrew mainly serves as the pre-evolution of the ground-type hedgehog/porcupine thing that is Sandslash, so how does Sandslash fare in battles?

Nice fan art of Sandslash

Well, Sandslash isn't used all that much in the competitive scene, but that doesn't mean it's not capable. In fact, with its high attack and defense stats it can actually put in some good work. Its special attack is absolutely booty, but it doesn't need it, while it could use some more special defense and speed. However, spend some time EV-training Sandslash with either an attack- or defense-bossting nature in its attack and defense stats (as well as some of its HP) and you have a hard-hitting physical tank. The moves it learns are some really basic TM moves though, but Earthquake is going to be its main move anyway, combined with Swords Dance. The other two slots in its moveset should be filled in by Rock Slide and Poison Jab (to counter ice and grass types, to which Sandslash is weak), while X-Scissor is also an option. You can even go with a speed-reducing nature and teach it Gyro Ball (a move that does more damage the slower the user is compared to the target), but if you insist on teaching Sandlsash a steel-type move, you'll be better off with the Move Tutor move Iron Tail instead, because most ice types aren't very fast to begin with. Not to mention it would be completely bodied by fairy types due to its lackluster special defense.

Sandslash wallpaper.

One last feature I think is really nice, is that Sandshrew and Sandslash's claws are venomous, just like a shrew (a mouse-like mammal) is poisonous in real-life, hence their ability to learn Poison Sting naturally. Moreover, Sandslash's claws can break and its spikes are shed regularly, after which they grow back quickly. And even though Sandslash may not be the best Pokémon out there, I really like this Pokémon. Remember, my rating is not based on just a Pokémon's fighting performances, but also on its design, my personal experiences with said Pokémon and whether or not I'd like to use it in a playthrough once. That is the reason why Sandslash gets a 3.5-star rating.

Rating: 3.5/5