Sandslash 21 — what does this card actually do?

Name: Sandslash 21
Brand: Pokémon
Author: Kouki Saitou

This card has 70 HP, a top attack printed at 60 damage and a Grass weakness.

Fighting · Stage 1 · Sandstorm · measured against 20,444 cards on file — card data read July 28, 2026

What does Sandslash 21 do in a game?

Sandslash 21 is a Fighting Pokémon card with 70 HP, printed as Stage 1.

Its strongest attack, Earthquake, is printed at 60 damage for 3 Energy — 20 damage per Energy card.

Because of the Grass weakness, any Grass attack printed at 35 damage or more removes it in a single turn.

Fighting Stage 1 Rare Unlimited #028 Sandslash

Sandslash 21Sandstorm

70 HP · Fighting · Stage 1 · retreat 0 · Grass weakness ×2

Top printed damage6020 per Energy Earthquake60 damage for 3 Energy
as of July 28, 2026

Hit points70 HP38.6% of 17,290 in the ~70 band

Printed damage6022.0% of 16,246 in the 40~60 band

Retreat cost0 Energy5.3% of 17,240 in the 0 band

Energy efficiencyBelow typicalAboveTypicalBelowThis card 20 · typical 32.5
damage per Energy card, among cards whose cheapest attack costs 2

Price trackRareSandstorm32 printsranked among Stage 1 cardsWhat it costs today, how it moved, and where to buy it

Card classStage 1

RarityRare

SetSandstorm

Card number21

Card data readJuly 28, 2026

What it sells for now$16.08Opens the price page — daily prices, every print variant, where to buy · read August 14, 2026 Removed in one hit by35 damage70 HP against a Grass ×2 weakness Turns of setup3 turnsEnergy attaches once a turn, so the top attack waits that long Cards that can do it1,052 cardsCounted across the whole card archive Other prints of this name32 printsPrinted HP and legality move from print to print Cards in the same line21 moreEvery print carrying Pokédex #028 Where it can be playedUnlimitedRead from the official format list

How Sandslash 21 is built, on five measures

Strongest on Retreat lightness — top 0.1% of the archive. Weakest on Hit points — bottom 25.7%.

Each spoke is this card's place among every card in the archive that prints that figure. Further out is stronger — retreat and attack cost are shown as lightness, so a cheap card reaches outward. Counted July 28, 2026.

How Sandslash 21 is built, on five measures
Measure	Percentile	Printed value
Hit points	25.7%	70 HP
Top printed damage	57.4%	60 damage
Energy efficiency	46.1%	20 per Energy
Retreat lightness	100.0%	0 Energy
Attack cost lightness	43.8%	2 Energy

What it can do

Attack record

2ESand Swirlhas printed text—
3EEarthquake20 damage per Energy card · has printed text60damage

2 attacks printed on the card. The badge is the Energy it asks for.

Where it stands

No. 10,622of 17,290 cards ranked by printed HP

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Among the 17,290 cards in every card in the archive that carry printed HP, this one is number 10,622 at 70 HP.

Fighting cardsNo. 1,282of 1,884 by printed HP Stage 1 cardsNo. 4,325of 5,102 by printed HP

This cardSandslash 21Sandstorm70 HP

Printed HP

The ceiling of this archive is 380 HP — 310 HP above this card.

Highest printed HPMega Emboar ex 273Ascended Heroes380 HP

What stands out on Sandslash 21

Hit points 70 HP puts it in the ~70 band, where 38.6% of 17,290 cards with printed HP sit.
Energy It returns 20 damage per Energy card against 32.5 for cards whose cheapest attack costs 2.
Weakness A Grass attack printed at 35 damage or more removes it in a single turn.
Legality 3 of the 23 prints that carry this name are legal in Standard play.

Sandslash 21 at a glance

What it is. A Fighting Pokémon card with 70 HP printed as Stage 1, printed in Sandstorm.
What it can do. 2 attacks printed on the card, the strongest at 60 damage for 3 Energy.
What it fears. A Grass weakness at ×2, which means 35 printed damage is enough to remove it.
What it costs to move. 0 Energy to retreat, discarded from the card itself.
Where it can be played. Unlimited only.
What this page does not claim. Deck lists, tournament results and win rates are not published here, because the card files this site reads do not contain them.

Source: Card facts are read once from openly published card files and change only when a source corrects them.

What do the attacks on Sandslash 21 cost, and what do they hit for?

The card prints 2 attacks. The strongest asks for 3 Energy and returns 60 damage, which is 20 damage for every Energy card attached.

Sandslash 21 — every printed attack, its cost and its damage
Attack	Energy cost	Cards of Energy	Printed damage	Damage per Energy	Effect
Sand Swirl	1 Fighting + 1 Colorless	2	—	—	Does 20 damage to each Defending Pokémon. The Defending Pokémon can't retreat until the end of your opponent's next turn.
Earthquake	1 Fighting + 2 Colorless	3	60	20	Does 10 damage to each of your Benched Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness or Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)

This card has no retreat cost at all, so it can leave the active spot without discarding any Energy — the only limit is that retreating happens once a turn.

Sand Swirl2 Energy cards

Earthquake3 Energy cards

What each attack asks a deck to attach before it can be used, drawn as the symbols printed on the card.

One Energy card attaches per turn, so the number of symbols is also the number of turns the attack waits.

Earthquake 3 Energy60 damage for 3 Energy — 20 per Energy card60

Bars are printed damage against this card's own highest attack (60).

Back to summary

How does Sandslash 21 compare with every other card?

Each bar below is the whole archive cut by one printed figure, with the band this card falls into marked. A number on its own says nothing about whether it is high or low — the shape of the archive does.

Sandslash 21 — Sandstorm — SandslashSandstorm 21

No.10,622by HP in the archive

Sandslash 21 prints 70 HP, which puts it at number 10,622 of the 17,290 cards in this archive that print an HP figure at all. The tallest figure printed on any card is 380 HP (Mega Emboar ex).

57% on printed damage — it out-hits that share of the 16,246 cards that print damage

Bottom 39%Where it sits on printed HP

This card70 HP
Middle half of the archive60–130 HP
Strongest Stage 1 card380 HP
Strongest Sandslash printed120 HP

The ceiling of this archive is Mega Emboar ex at 380 HP — every bar here is measured against it.

This card prints 70 HP, which is 18% of that ceiling.

Every figure in this panel is counted the same way: from the card files this site reads, read July 28, 2026, over the 17,290 cards that print an HP figure. Each bar is measured against the tallest HP in the archive, 380 HP.

Hit points — where this card sits

~70 — this card38.6%6,669 cards

80~12033.1%5,725 cards

130~18015.5%2,679 cards

190~2306.6%1,148 cards

240~2803.3%567 cards

290~3302.4%412 cards

340+0.5%90 cards

17,290 cards in the archive carry a printed HP figure. This one has 70 HP.

Cards in the ~70 band typically print 23 damage and ask 1 Energy to retreat.

Hit points — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
~70 — this card	38.6%	6,669 cards
80~120	33.1%	5,725 cards
130~180	15.5%	2,679 cards
190~230	6.6%	1,148 cards
240~280	3.3%	567 cards
290~330	2.4%	412 cards
340+	0.5%	90 cards

Top printed damage — where this card sits

~3042.7%6,938 cards

40~60 — this card22.0%3,566 cards

70~12021.8%3,535 cards

130~1809.0%1,461 cards

190~2503.8%621 cards

260+0.8%125 cards

16,246 cards print damage on at least one attack. The highest on this card is 60.

Cards in the 40~60 band typically have 101 HP and ask 1 Energy to retreat.

Top printed damage — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
~30	42.7%	6,938 cards
40~60 — this card	22.0%	3,566 cards
70~120	21.8%	3,535 cards
130~180	9.0%	1,461 cards
190~250	3.8%	621 cards
260+	0.8%	125 cards

Cheapest attack cost — where this card sits

01.8%304 cards

154.4%9,392 cards

2 — this card26.4%4,565 cards

314.7%2,533 cards

42.4%421 cards

50.3%47 cards

17,262 cards have at least one attack with an Energy cost. The cheapest on this card asks 2 Energy.

Cards whose cheapest attack costs 2 typically have 116 HP and print 65 damage.

Cheapest attack cost — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
0	1.8%	304 cards
1	54.4%	9,392 cards
2 — this card	26.4%	4,565 cards
3	14.7%	2,533 cards
4	2.4%	421 cards
5	0.3%	47 cards

Retreat cost — where this card sits

0 — this card5.3%914 cards

149.3%8,503 cards

228.6%4,926 cards

312.6%2,168 cards

44.2%729 cards

17,240 cards carry a retreat cost. This one costs 0 Energy to retreat.

Cards with a retreat cost of 0 typically have 103 HP and print 61 damage.

Retreat cost — where this card sits
Group	Share	Value
0 — this card	5.3%	914 cards
1	49.3%	8,503 cards
2	28.6%	4,926 cards
3	12.6%	2,168 cards
4	4.2%	729 cards

No. 32of 95

That is where Sandslash 21 stands highest on HP — number 32 of 95 cards in Sandstorm. Cut the archive a different way and the answer moves, which is what the bars below are for.

Every card in the archive — 20,444 cards No. 10,622 of 17,290 by HP · No. 5,743 of 16,246 by damage · top by HP: Mega Emboar ex, 380

top 35% on damage
Fighting cards — 1,884 cards No. 1,282 of 1,884 by HP · No. 738 of 1,848 by damage · top by HP: Mega Gallade ex, 350

top 40% on damage
Stage 1 cards — 5,102 cards No. 4,325 of 5,102 by HP · No. 1,904 of 4,958 by damage · top by HP: Wailord ex, 380

top 38% on damage
Sandstorm — 100 cards No. 32 of 95 by HP · No. 7 of 81 by damage · top by HP: Wailord ex, 200

top 7% on damage

Each bar is how far up this card sits when the archive is cut a different way. The bar is its place on HP; the tick is its place on printed damage. Counted from the card files this site reads, read July 28, 2026.

Hit points 70 HP~~middle half 60–130 HP~~
this card 70
Top printed damage 60 damage~~middle half 20–90 damage~~
this card 60

Lowest to highest printed in the archive
Middle half of the archive
This card

Each row is stretched from the lowest printed figure to the highest, so the two rows are not on one shared scale — read each row on its own.

Read from the card files this site reads, July 28, 2026. The archive tops out at 380 HP and 350 printed damage.

Cards printed as Stage 1

5,102 on record

Cards in the same HP band

6,669 of 17,290 (38.6%)

Cards with this much printed damage

3,566 of 16,246 (22.0%)

Counted from the card files this site reads, one card at a time.

Open the group this card falls into

Back to summary

Is Sandslash 21 efficient for the Energy it asks for?

Printed damage on its own says nothing — a 60 damage attack that needs 3 Energy and one that needs two are different cards. Dividing one by the other puts every attack on the same scale.

Damage per Energy card, across the whole archive

1 Energy9,392 cards49.049 damage typical

2 Energy4,565 cards32.565 damage typical

3 Energy2,533 cards34.7104 damage typical

4 Energy421 cards27.8111 damage typical

5 Energy47 cards41.8209 damage typical

Sandslash 21 — this card20.060 damage for 3 Energy

Each bar is what cards asking that much Energy typically print, divided by the Energy they ask for. The number beside the bar is that figure.

Cards whose cheapest attack costs 2 typically return 32.5 damage per Energy card. This card returns 20.

Damage per Energy card, across the whole archive
Group	Share	Value
1 Energy	49.0	49 damage typical
2 Energy	32.5	65 damage typical
3 Energy	34.7	104 damage typical
4 Energy	27.8	111 damage typical
5 Energy	41.8	209 damage typical
Sandslash 21 — this card	20.0	60 damage for 3 Energy

2501250 damage

012345 Energy

Typical for that Energy cost 6 groupsEarthquake 60 / 3

Further right is a costlier attack, further up is a harder-hitting one, so the cheap and heavy corner is top left. The size of a grey dot is how many cards sit at that Energy cost.

Energy cost against printed damage. Each grey dot is what cards asking that much Energy typically print; the coloured dots are the attacks on Sandslash 21.
Group	Typical printed damage	Damage per Energy card	Cards in this group
Cheapest attack costs 0 Energy	45	—	304
Cheapest attack costs 1 Energy	49	49	9,392
Cheapest attack costs 2 Energy	65	33	4,565
Cheapest attack costs 3 Energy	104	35	2,533
Cheapest attack costs 4 Energy	111	28	421
Cheapest attack costs 5 Energy	209	42	47
Earthquake	—	20	—

This card, per Energy card

20 damage

Typical for a 2 Energy attack

32.5 damage

Difference

-12.5 damage

Both figures are damage divided by Energy cost, counted the same way.

Where this sits once the archive is cut by damage instead

The bars above cut the archive by what an attack asks for. Cut the same archive by what an attack prints and the groups come out differently — the damage ranges on record are gathered on one page, which is where a figure like 60 is read as high or low rather than merely large.

Back to summary

What does being a Fighting card do for Sandslash 21?

Type decides two things at once — which cards take double damage from this one, and which cards deal double to it. Both are read from the weakness printed on each group, not from a rule of thumb.

Deals double to this card 2,387 Grass cards carry that type A Grass attack printed at 35 damage is enough to remove this card in one turn.

Sandslash 21 · Stage 1 70 HP Its hardest attack is printed at 60 damage.

Takes double from this card 4,942 cards in groups that print a Fighting weakness Against Colorless, Lightning and Darkness, printed damage from this card counts double.

How the archive splits by energy type

Psychicmost often weak to Psychic13.5%2,335 cards

Watermost often weak to Lightning14.1%2,435 cards

Colorlessmost often weak to Fighting12.6%2,173 cards

Firemost often weak to Water9.1%1,574 cards

Fighting — this cardmost often weak to Grass10.9%1,884 cards

Lightningmost often weak to Fighting8.8%1,520 cards

Grassmost often weak to Fire13.8%2,387 cards

Metalmost often weak to Fire5.4%925 cards

Darknessmost often weak to Fighting7.2%1,249 cards

Dragonmost often weak to Fairy3.1%530 cards

Fairymost often weak to Metal1.4%237 cards

17,249 cards carry an energy type. The note under each name is the weakness printed most often on that group.

How the archive splits by energy type
Group	Share	Value
Psychic	13.5%	2,335 cards
Water	14.1%	2,435 cards
Colorless	12.6%	2,173 cards
Fire	9.1%	1,574 cards
Fighting — this card	10.9%	1,884 cards
Lightning	8.8%	1,520 cards
Grass	13.8%	2,387 cards
Metal	5.4%	925 cards
Darkness	7.2%	1,249 cards
Dragon	3.1%	530 cards
Fairy	1.4%	237 cards

Fightingweak to Grass

Colorlessweak to Fighting

Lightningweak to Fighting

Darknessweak to Fighting

Read from the weakness printed on each group. The first row is this card; the rest are groups that most often print a Fighting weakness.

What being a Fighting card is worth

Groups that most often print a Fighting weakness: Colorless (2,173 cards), Lightning (1,520 cards) and Darkness (1,249 cards). Against those, this card's printed damage counts double. Going the other way, Fighting cards are themselves most exposed to Grass.

Every energy type in the archive

Back to summary

What knocks out Sandslash 21 in one hit, and what does it knock out?

Weakness doubles the damage a Grass attack deals to this card, so the bar it has to clear is 35 printed damage rather than 70.

Cards that remove it in one attack

1,052

Cards it removes in one attack

2,490

Grass damage needed to knock it out

Counted across the whole card archive. 70 HP against a Grass weakness at ×2 decides all three figures.

Removes it in one attackSwadloonWhite Flare 240 damage

×2Grass weakness · 35 printed damage is enough
40 damage becomes 80 against this card

This cardSandslash 21Sandstorm 2170 HP

Why this card was picked to stand opposite

Of the 1,044 cards in the archive that can remove Sandslash 21 in a single attack, this one clears the bar by the smallest margin — 40 printed damage against a bar of 35. Anything printed higher removes it just as surely, so this is where the line actually sits, and this print is legal in Standard play today.

Sandslashweak to Grass ×2

Read from the weakness printed in the lower-left corner of the card.

Grass cards that remove Sandslash in one attack
Card	Set	HP	Printed damage	After weakness
Flapple VMAX (19)	Battle Styles	320	250	500
Flapple VMAX (164)	Battle Styles	320	250	500
Mega Venusaur ex (3)	Mega Evolution	380	240	480
Mega Venusaur ex (155)	Mega Evolution	380	240	480
Mega Venusaur ex (177)	Mega Evolution	380	240	480
Decidueye ex (12)	Perfect Order	320	240	480

70 HP against a Grass ×2 weakness means any Grass attack printed at 35 damage or more is enough. 1,052 cards in the archive clear that bar.

120 HP Chansey [3]

120 HP Chansey [3]

120 HP Electivire [54]

120 HP Ampharos [23]

Electivire LV.X 121 — Mysterious Treasures

120 HP Electivire LV.X [121]

120 HP Regigigas [15]

Cards this one removes in a single attack

2,490 cards in the archive are weak to Fighting and sit inside the damage this card can deal. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

Back to summary

What is Sandslash as a Pokémon, across every card it has been printed on?

Sandslash 21 is one print of Sandslash. The figures below are about the Pokémon rather than this single card — how many times it has been printed, how tough those prints run, and how many of them can still be played.

Sandslash has been printed 32 times, and the printed numbers move from one print to the next. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

The three toughest Sandslash cards ever printedPokédex #028Prints on record 32Toughest print 120 HPThis card 70 HP

32prints

Legal in Standard3Older prints, not in Standard29

Every Sandslash print on record, split by whether it can still be entered in Standard play.

Legality is read from the print rather than from the Pokémon, so an older copy of the same Pokémon is a different card for tournament purposes.

The toughest Sandslash printed is 120 HP, and this card is 58.3% of it

Bars are printed HP, measured against the record for this Pokémon

Alolan Sandslash 138/236the toughest Sandslash ever printedSM - Cosmic Eclipse120 HP
Sandslash 21against that record58.3% of the record70 HP

Read from the printed card face of every Sandslash print on record. Printed HP does not change after a card is issued.

Back to summary

What has to be in play before Sandslash 21 can be?

Sandslash evolves from Sandshrew, so the whole line has to be built before this card reaches the field.

The Sandslash line, oldest stage firstPokédex #028

Sandshrew20 prints on record · EX Team Rocket Returns

+50 HP · +80 damage

Sandslash15 prints on record · Legendary Collection

Sandshrew → Sandslash

This card cannot be played from your hand onto an empty spot — it goes on top of Sandshrew.
The line runs 2 stages, so the first card has to be in play 1 turn before this one can be.
Every print in the line shares Pokédex number 028.

1SandshrewHardest attack printed at this stage: 40 damage70 HP
2SandslashHardest attack printed at this stage: 120 damage. Evolving here adds 50 HP over the stage before it120 HP

Bars are the highest HP ever printed on that stage, measured against the top of this line (120 HP). The note beside each bar is the hardest attack printed at that stage.

Every print of a stage is counted, not just the one shown in the chain above, so the bar is the ceiling that stage has reached rather than one card from it.

Back to summary

Is this the strongest Sandslash print, and can the older ones still be played?

32 prints carry this name in the archive, and 23 of them are laid out below. They share a Pokémon but not a card — printed HP, printed damage and tournament legality all move from one print to the next.

Bar height and the number above each bar = highest HP that year; the two digits below = the year.

Rows run from the toughest print down. Bars are printed HP, measured against the toughest print of this name shown here (120 HP), and the highlighted row is the card this page is about.

23 rows are shown of the 32 prints counted under this name.

Sandslash prints — can each one still be played?
Print	Set	Regulation mark	Standard
Alolan Sandslash 138/236	SM - Cosmic Eclipse	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Alolan Sandslash 29/156	SM - Ultra Prism	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 132/264	SWSH08: Fusion Strike	Mark E	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 098/167	SV06: Twilight Masquerade	Mark H	Legal in Standard
Sandslash 028/165	SV: Scarlet & Violet 151	Mark G	Legal in Standard
Sandslash 069/132	ME01: Mega Evolution	Mark I	Legal in Standard
Alolan Sandslash SM18	SM Promos	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Alolan Sandslash 20/145	SM - Guardians Rising	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 84/214	SM - Unbroken Bonds	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 42	Supreme Victors	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 61/123	Mysterious Treasures	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 79/149	Boundaries Crossed	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Team Aqua's Seviper 009/034	Trading Card Game Classic	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 76/162	XY - BREAKthrough	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash δ 27/113	EX Delta Species	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 29/123	HeartGold SoulSilver	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 062/110	Legendary Collection	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Dark Sandslash 18/109	EX Team Rocket Returns	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 093/144	Skyridge	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 21/100	EX Sandstorm	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Brock's Sandslash 036/132	Gym Challenge	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Sandslash 41/62	Fossil	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard
Brock's Sandslash 023/132	Gym Heroes	No mark printed	Not legal in Standard

3 of the 23 prints listed here are legal in Standard play. An older print of the same Pokémon is a different card for legality, because legality is read from the print rather than from the name — so owning the cheap old copy does not always mean you can enter with it.

Back to summary

What can you use instead of Sandslash 21?

Every card below asks a deck for the same kind of slot, so the comparison is between what they print, not what they cost.

Cards that fill the same slot as Sandslash 21
Card	Set	HP	Top damage	Retreat
Lucario	Pokémon Rumble	90	80	1
Rhydon	Skyridge	90	100	2
Magcargo	Skyridge	80	40	3
Graveler	Legendary Collection	60	40	2
Dark Donphan	Neo Destiny	60	50	3
Brock's Rhydon	Gym Heroes	80	70	3

This card itself is 70 HP, 60 top damage and 0 retreat, and every card here is Fighting like it.

Back to summary

Every card below carries the same Pokédex number as this one, so they are the same Pokémon printed as different cards — different stages, different mechanics and different names all sit in this group.

Back to summary

What was printed next to Sandslash 21 in Sandstorm?

A card is met inside a set, not on its own, and the number on it is the order that set gave it. The cards either side are the ones a collector actually turns past to reach this one.

Cards printed either side of this one

These are the cards numbered either side of #21 in Sandstorm. The badge on each card is its printed HP. Point at a card to see it full size.Tap a card to open its page.

Back to summary

Which rules apply to Sandslash 21, and where can it be played?

Two kinds of rule meet on one card — the sentence printed on the card face, and the rulebook clauses that apply because of what the card carries.

Rulebook clauses that apply to Sandslash 21
Clause	What the rulebook says	Cards it applies to	Share of the archive
Weakness	Some Pokemon have Weakness or Resistance to Pokemon of certain types, marked in the lower-left corner of the card.	16,744 cards	81.9%
Retreat	Retreat your Active Pokemon (only once per turn).	17,244 cards	84.3%
Energy per turn	You can attach Energy just once each turn!	17,180 cards	84.0%

Counted across 20,444 English cards. A clause applies to this card because the card carries the property the clause names, not because we judged it to.

Sandslash 21 — tournament formats
Format	Status	What that means
Standard	Not listed	This card is not listed for this format
Expanded	Not listed	This card is not listed for this format
Unlimited	Legal	Can be played in this format

Read from the format list recorded with the card. Formats rotate on a schedule set by the organiser, and that schedule is not published on this page.

Where this card can be played

This card is legal in Unlimited play. It was released on September 18, 2003.

Back to summary

Sandslash 21 in depth — what these figures add up to

Three readings of the same card, side by side: what it costs to get going, where it sits among the cards it will be compared with, and what takes it off the field.

What it asks a deck for

Its hardest attack, Earthquake, needs 3 Energy attached. Energy attaches once a turn, so that attack waits 3 turns from an empty card.
That works out at 20 damage for every Energy card attached.
Moving it out of the active spot costs no Energy at all.
It cannot start the game in play — Sandshrew has to be on the field first.

Where its HP stands, cut four ways

Every card in the archiveNo. 10,622 of 17,290

Fighting cardsNo. 1,282 of 1,884

Stage 1 cardsNo. 4,325 of 5,102

SandstormNo. 32 of 95

What actually removes it

A Grass attack printed at 35 damage removes it in a single turn — that is the bar, not its 70 HP.
1,052 cards in the archive clear that bar.
Going the other way, it removes 2,490 cards in one attack.

Back to summary

Sandslash 21 card record

Sandslash 21 — the printed record, field by field
Hit points	70 HP	Type	Fighting
Weakness	Grass ×2	Retreat cost	0 Energy
Evolves from	Sandshrew	Card type	Stage 1
Pokédex number	#028	Set	Sandstorm
Card number	21 of 100	Series	EX
Released	September 18, 2003	Rarity	Rare
Illustrator	Kouki Saitou
Tournament legality	Unlimited only

Read from the printed card face, the set listing and the official format list.

Back to summary

What does Sandslash 21 cost?

This page is about what the card does. The figure below is the one number worth carrying across, read on August 14, 2026.

Market price today

$16.08

Read on

August 14, 2026

One figure only — the price record, the daily chart and the marketplaces live on the price page.

Sandslash 21 priceOne year of daily prices, every print variant, and where to buy it.Open the price page

Back to summary

Sandslash 21 — frequently asked questions

How much damage does it take to knock out Sandslash 21?

Sandslash 21 has 70 HP and a Grass weakness at ×2, so a Grass attack printed at 35 damage or more removes it in one turn. Any other type has to print the full 70.

What is the strongest attack on Sandslash 21?

Earthquake, printed at 60 damage for 3 Energy — 20 damage per Energy card. Does 10 damage to each of your Benched Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness or Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)

What is the retreat cost of Sandslash 21?

None. Sandslash 21 carries a printed retreat cost of zero, so it can move out of the active spot without discarding any Energy. The once-a-turn limit on retreating still applies.

Can an older Sandslash print be played in a tournament?

Legality is read from the print, not from the Pokémon. Of the 23 prints listed on this page, 3 are legal in Standard play. The rest can still be played in formats that accept them, and the table on this page names the regulation mark each print carries.

What does Sandslash evolve from?

Sandshrew. It cannot be played straight from your hand onto an empty spot — the earlier stage has to be in play first.

Can Sandslash 21 be played in a tournament?

It is legal in Unlimited play. Standard events run on a rotating list of sets, so check the current rotation before entering one.

Does this page say how good Sandslash 21 is in a deck?

No. Every figure here is read from the printed card. Deck lists, tournament results and win rates are not published on this site, because the card files it reads do not contain them.

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Where these card facts come from

Card facts are read once from openly published card files and do not change between readings — a printed card cannot gain HP. The places below are where the same information can be checked. Last updated: July 28, 2026 — the counts and rankings on this page were taken from the card files read on that day.

Primary official source

First-party official sources — the body that issues the data itself, such as a government agency, a statutory register or a rights holder publishing its own records.

The Pokémon Company International — official rules, tournament format and rotation announcements www.pokemon.com

Industry source

Second-party sources — marketplaces, trade associations, research institutes and companies that compile data about the market.

Pokémon TCG Data — openly published card files (card text, HP, attacks, weakness, retreat cost, illustrator credits) github.com

TCGdex card database — openly licensed card files (set membership and card numbering) github.com

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Sandslash 21 — what does this card actually do?

What does Sandslash 21 do in a game?

Sandslash 21 performance summary

What it can do

Where it stands

Sandslash 21 at a glance

What do the attacks on Sandslash 21 cost, and what do they hit for?

How does Sandslash 21 compare with every other card?

Is Sandslash 21 efficient for the Energy it asks for?

What does being a Fighting card do for Sandslash 21?

What knocks out Sandslash 21 in one hit, and what does it knock out?

What is Sandslash as a Pokémon, across every card it has been printed on?

What has to be in play before Sandslash 21 can be?

Is this the strongest Sandslash print, and can the older ones still be played?

What can you use instead of Sandslash 21?

Which other cards share the Pokémon behind Sandslash 21?

What was printed next to Sandslash 21 in Sandstorm?

Which rules apply to Sandslash 21, and where can it be played?

Sandslash 21 in depth — what these figures add up to

What it asks a deck for

Where its HP stands, cut four ways

What actually removes it

Sandslash 21 card record

What does Sandslash 21 cost?

Sandslash 21 — frequently asked questions

How much damage does it take to knock out Sandslash 21?

What is the strongest attack on Sandslash 21?

What is the retreat cost of Sandslash 21?

Can an older Sandslash print be played in a tournament?

What does Sandslash evolve from?

Can Sandslash 21 be played in a tournament?

Does this page say how good Sandslash 21 is in a deck?

Where these card facts come from

Before you rely on these figures

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