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Regional variants were introduced back in the Alola region, and one of the first Pokemon to receive this treatment was Sandshrew and its evolution, Sandslash. Both Pokemon were exclusive toPokemon Moon, but for Gen 8, Alolan Sandshrew was made accessible to bothPokemon Sword & Shieldplayers thanks to the Isle of Armor DLC.Pokemon Scarlet & Violetbrings back regular Sandshrew and Sandslash in The Teal Mask, which also means trainers can potentially get Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash, too.
Those battling every trainer they find in Kitakami may run into a trainer who uses Alolan Sandshrew and Alolan Vulpix. Compared to their Kanto-counterparts, these Sandshrew and Sandslash are Ice/Steel-type. Unfortunately,Scarlet/Violettrainers have limited ways of getting Alolan Sandshrew into Paldea, since they cannot be found in Kitakami.
Updated on Jul 12, 2025 by Renri Seong:With both parts ofPokemon Scarlet/Violet’s Expansion Pass available, you can now explore Terarium and Blueberry Academy, two areas exclusive to theIndigo Disk. Like with theTeal MaskDLC,Indigo Diskbrings back Pokemon from past generations - including regional variants like Alolan Sandshrew. When Alolan Sandshrew and Alolan Sandslash made their debut, they were exclusive toPokemon Moon/Ultra Moon, and it would seem this trend stayed the same into Gen 9. Alolan Sandshrew can be found in the wild inPokemon Violet, but those withPokemon Scarletwill find Alolan Vulpix instead. If you want to complete your Pokedex, you’re going to need to catch and evolve both. The following guide has been updated to include information about getting Alolan Sandshrew in theIndigo Disk.
Where to Find Alolan Sandshrew in Pokemon Violet
Polar Biome
Alolan Sandshrew can be found in thePolar BiomeofTerariumnear the wall separating the Polar and Coastal Biomes. You can reach this area bygoing north from the Central Plaza. On the map in theabove image, the area you’ll want to search are the “pale blue mountains” that line up next to wall separating it from the Coastal Biome. On theabove image, this is north of the Shadow Tera Den.
Another way of finding Alolan Sandshrew is by searching for3-star Tera Raids in Terarium. The Pokemon in Tera Raids always have a 100% catch rate once you defeat them. At 3-stars, Alolan Sandshrew will belevel 35.
How to Get Alolan Sandshrew in Pokemon Scarlet
Trade or Transfer
If you havePokemon Scarlet, there aretwo optionswhen it comes toobtaining Alolan Sandshrew and its evolution:
Trading for Alolan Sandshrew
To trade Pokemon, you will need aNintendo Online Membership. Membership prices are:
Once you have this, you can access thePoke Portalin the pause menu (X-button), and tap L-button to access wireless features. From there, selectLink Trade, thenSet Link Code. If trading with a friend, both parties will need to enter thesame Codeto be linked for a trade.
Getting Alolan Sandshrew with Pokemon HOME
The other way to get an Alolan Sandshrew is to catch it in another game and then usePokemon HOMEto transfer it toPokemon Scarlet/Violet. Players can either get an Alolan Sandshrew inSword/ShieldorPokemon GO.
To get one inSword/Shield, you need theexpansion pass. Once you may go to the Isle of Armor, you’ll need to look for Alolan Digletts buried in the ground. After finding30 Alolan Diglett, speak to the hiker NPCat the bridge leading to the dojo. She’ll give an Alolan Pokemon for every set of Diglett that you find. At 30, she’ll hand over an Alolan Sandshrew.
InPokemon GO, you can catch an Alolan Sandshrewfrom Team GO Rocket Gruntsor during certain events. As an Ice-type, Alolan Sandshrew is more common during snowy weather and winter/holidays, but its spawn rate may also be influenced by your home country. Team GO Rocket Grunts sometimes have an Alolan Sandshrew to snag, but their Pokemon change during every Team GO Rocket takeover event.
To transfer an Alolan Sandshrew toPokemon HOMEfromSword/Shield:
To transfer an Alolan Sandshrew toPokemon HOMEfromPokemon GO:
In order to transfer toPokemon HOMEthroughGO, players need to link theirHOMEaccount. This just requires logging in fromPokemon GOin the settings/Connected Devices.
Other Ways to Get More Alolan Sandshrews in Scarlet/Violet
How to Get Alolan Sandshrew Eggs
Alolan Sandshrew can breed with a Kantonian Sandshrew, Ditto, or a Pokemon that shares the same Egg Group. However, Sandshrew Eggs in Paldea/Kitakami will hatch intothe Kantonian/Ground-type Sandshrew. If players want to hatch Alolan Sandshrews, they’ll need to have it hold anEverstone.
Breeding Pokemon of the same Egg Group requires the Alolan Sandshrew to befemale. The offspring takes after the mother Pokemon instead of the father.
Players can buy an Everstone for 3000 atDelibird Presents. Unlike the evolutionary stones, Everstones are available at the start of the game and don’t need to be unlocked. Another way to get Everstones is to pick them up off the ground in Paldea.
How to Evolve Alolan Sandshrew
Ice Stone
Unlike Kantonian Sandshrew, Alolan Sandshrew only evolves when it’s exposed to anIce Stone. There’s a guaranteed Ice Stone inWest Province (Area Three)inDalizapa Passage. You may want tohave Koraidon/Miraidon’s climb abilityto make it easier to reach. From where the Ice Stone is located, you will be able to see the nearby Pokemon Center, so use that as a guide. Otherwise, Ice Stones occasionally appear at thePort Marinadaauction house, or you can try your luck with RNG and take a stroll through the snowy mountains. Sometimes, an Ice Stone can be picked up off the ground in the “wild.”
If you’re playingPokemon Violet, you can find Alolan Sandslash in6-star Tera Raids. These won’t unlock until after you’ve cleared theAcademy Ace Tournament, and then receive a call from Jacq about “black Tera Crystals.” The latter will happen once you beat the postgame (Academy Ace Tournament), and to get the 6-star Tera Raids to appear,you’ll have to clear some 5-star Tera Raids. Thus, it may be easier for you to catch a wild Alolan Sandshrew and evolve it with an Ice Stone.
Which Sandshrew Should You Use?
Alolan Sandshrew or Kantonian Sandshrew
If you intend to use Alolan Sandshrew, then it’s recommended to evolve it into Alolan Sandslash. However, you may be wondering if you should use the Alolan Sandslash, or the Kantonian Sandslash. As most trainers know, Kantonian Sandshrew/Sandslash is a Ground-type Pokemon. Despite the Type difference, both Sandshrew-lines have the same base stat total.
75
100
25
45
120
110
65
55
450
Poison
Electric
Both Sandshrew-lines can benefit fromanAdamant (+Attk, -Sp.Attk) Natureor even anImpish(+Def, -Sp.Attk) Nature. Their Special Attack is too poor for a Modest Nature (+Sp.Attk, - Attk), and they’ll want to avoid Natures that increase Defense at the cost of lowering their Attack.
Most of the moves Sandslash learns by evolving or remembering are physical moves. Both Sandslash can learn the movePoison Jab, which gives them coverage against most Grass-type Pokemon, one of Kantonian Sandslash’s weaknesses. Also, despite being an Ice/Steel-type,Alolan Sandslash can learnEarthquakevia TM149, giving it coverage against one of its biggest weaknesses: Fire-type Pokemon. It can also learnRock Slideto hit Fire/Flying-types that are immune to Ground-type moves.
In terms of type-effectiveness, they have the same amount of Pokemon they’re weak against, but Alolan Sandslash hastwo Typesthat inflict x4 damage to it. Unfortunately, Alolan Sandslash’s base speed is rather poor, meaning it’s highly likely their opponent will move before it in battle. Therefore, Alolan Sandslash should beststeer cleer of Fire and Fighting-types. On the other hand,Kantonian Sandslash is weak to more common Typessuch as Grass and Water, but with the right TMs, it can protect itself from most Grass-type Pokemon.
While both Sandslash have high Defense, Alolan Sandslash edges out its Kantonian counterpart with 120. Thus, players may have better luck using Alolan Sandslash as a wall against a physical attacker than they would a special attacker.
In short, both Sandshrew and Sandslash have their pros and cons. They can learnjust about the same movesthrough TMs, enabling them to have a variety of moves in their moveset. Trainers should analyze their team and see if they want a dual-type Sandslash or a single-type Sandslash. Either one makes a good party member, but it’s best to keep them away from powerful special attackers.
