Sandslash Report

Sandslash (the Mouse Pokémon) is an uncommon Ground-type Pokémon (Ice/Steel-type in the Alola region and the Blueberry Academy Terarium) found among grassy plains, desert environments and cold mountain peaks within the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar and Kitakami regions and the Blueberry Academy Terarium, as well as most arid environments within North and South America and the Sinnoh region on rare occasions. Cunning and hardy to the extreme, Sandslash are wicked little creatures that love to batter down opponents with their spiked backside before cutting them to ribbons with their sharp claws. If you have to deal with one of these spiny creatures, make sure to bring a Pokémon with strong armor, as anything less will make your Pokémon little more than pincushion material!

When Sandshrew evolve, the hide on their back hardens and fractures, morphing into a series of sharp spines similar to the plate-like scales that cover pangolins; although the spines are sturdy and rock-like and tend to be smoother and harder the drier the environment their owners are present in, they are nonetheless organic, falling out and re-growing on an annual basis (though they can repair them within a day if damaged in battle). Sandslash are still able to curl up into a ball for defensive purposes, but the addition of these spines helps them to prevent any internal injuries from bouncing and further makes it dangerous to come into physical contact with them. Aside from physical protection, the spines also serve as effective heat shields, protecting Sandslash from heat stroke under extremely hot conditions. Sandslash possess greater control over their internal muscles than Sandshrew do and can thus move around with full mobility while rolled up, granting them the ability to attack opponents directly with these spines; the added traction that they provide further grants Sandslash increased movement speed while rolled up, which proves to be quite useful in the event of a necessary escape. When rolling around at high speeds, Sandslash tend to pick up and hurl a lot of dirt and debris behind them; whether intentional or not, this blinding, mobile dust storm can often prevent opponents from tracking Sandslash effectively and thus help them survive in the presence of otherwise daunting desert predators.

Aside from their spiny backs, Sandslash also possess incredibly long, sharp claws that can make more than a few opponents uncomfortable in battle. In battle, Sandslash will often use their claws to tear apart opponents after sufficiently stunning them with their back spines; as it turns out, their curved form makes them perfect for piercing and scooping large chunks of flesh out of unarmored enemies, in turn granting them to have access to the powerful Crush Claw attack after evolution. Their curved nature also makes Sandslash excellent tree-climbers, to the point where they can often be found throwing berries down to waiting Sandshrew that are hungry and sleeping in treetops, further amplifying their threat level within forested areas. Under the cover of leaves, a Sandslash can easily deliver devastating sneak-attacks by rolling up into a ball and leaping from the top branches of a tree, letting the weight of its body drive its back spines into its opponent’s flesh. In practical terms, though, these claws are specifically designed for digging large burrows in gravely terrain, as their curved form makes them perfect for scooping up large volumes of dirt. The only problem is that these claws are somewhat inelastic, breaking when too much sheer force is applied to any one point; this often occurs when Sandslash dig at extremely fast rates as their limbs move too fast for them to carefully remove any stones or boulders that might impede their path. Thankfully, Sandslash are not limited by such occurrences for very long, as broken claws grow back completely within a day without losing their edge, and both them and their spines often prove useful for farmers, as the materials can be used to carve plows for tilling fields whenever they do break off and/or are left behind.

It is lastly noted that Sandslash are one of the few species of Pokémon known to have a unique variant within the confines of the Alola region, though this form can also be found in the Blueberry Academy Terarium. In this form, these creatures are Ice/Steel-types; possess the Snow Cloak Ability as their primary Ability instead of Sand Veil and the Slush Rush Ability as their Hidden Ability instead of Sand Rush; cannot learn Crush Claw, but instead gain access to Metal Burst, Icicle Crash and Icicle Spear, the lattermost immediately after evolving; and possess a moderately decreased base Special Attack stat and slightly increased base Defense and Special Defense stats. After exposing an Alolan Sandshrew to the radiant power of an Ice Stone, these once desert-dwelling creatures shed the rounded ice shell that surrounds their plated skin and instead grow a series of massive, sharp ice spines on their backs that act as both camouflage and as a deadly offensive weapon, as the spines can easily pierce through flesh and cause large, deep wounds that often require serious medical attention to address. These creatures are fairly benign for the most part and try to avoid attacks from predators, burying themselves in the snow with only their back spines sticking up to deter a predatory attack until the attacker runs of. Much like their pre-evolved from, the thick hide and icy spines that coat the backs of these creatures make it hard for them to move around and completely prevents them from curling up into a ball, but they are compensated in that they can use their large claws to carve through fields of snow and ice and easily climb up icebergs to get to their intended destinations in the wild, running as fast as they possibly can through snow-covered plains when digging is otherwise unnecessary. Strangely enough, the clouds of snow and ice that are sprayed behind the creature as they dig are seen as beautiful to many locals in the Alola region and are very popular among photographers. Unfortunately, because Sandslash live high up in the mountains where it is easy to get stranded and thus dangerous to go, civilians are not allowed to go that high and enter their territory without explicit permission to do so. As with their counterpart, Alolan Sandslash are sturdy partners that can definitely take a beating in battle, but caution is still recommended when training them, as their frozen spines have been known to inflict frostbite on anyone that gets too close to said spines.

Though they might not be too keen on living near water, Sandslash are still useful creatures that can easily turn unarmored opponents into Swiss cheese without breaking a sweat. Despite limited access to powerful Ground-type moves, these creatures can really 'Rock-and-Roll' their way into and through their opponents, filling everything that gets in their way with holes with little difficulty. If you want to capture one of these spiny rollers, though, try to do so outside of mating season when they gather together in large numbers, because when you are out on a quiet walk in the middle of the summer sky, there are few things quite as bad as having to run away from an entire army of spiked balls on foot!

Professor Wormwood