Pokémon · EX
Dark Sandslash
Team Rocket Returns · #18 · Rare · 2004
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$10.53
TCGPlayer
Current listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for this card right now.
Card facts
Quick reference for collectors and graders.
- Set position
- 18 / 111
- Release year
- 2004
- Rarity
- Rare
- HP
- 70
- Subtype
- Stage 1
- Evolves from
- Sandshrew
- Illustrator
- Masakazu Fukuda
- Pokédex #
- 28
- Series
- EX
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Status Conditions
- Damage efficiency
- 50 damage
- 16.67 per Energy
- Prize liability
- 1 Prize given up
- Single-prize attacker — favourable prize trades
- Setup
- Stage 1
- One evolution step from a Basic
Also does
Strategy & play
How Dark Sandslash plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- Inflicts Poison — guaranteed chip damage every turn between turns (no coin flip). It stacks with your attack math to cross KO thresholds the attack alone misses.
- Its main attack (Swift) needs 3 Energy — a turn-3 swing on manual attachment — you’ll want Energy acceleration to power it up on time.
- Attacks on any Energy (Colorless cost) — splashable into any deck regardless of type.
- Fighting / Darkness type, weak to Grass ×2 — a Grass attacker doing ≥35 effectively one-shots it.
- A single-prize attacker — prize-trade-positive against ex / V decks that give up two at a time.
- A Stage 1 — one step up from Sandshrew; doesn’t help your opening hand, but quick to set up.
How to beat Dark Sandslash
- Exploit its Grass weakness — ≥35 damage one-shots it.
- Gust it before the evolution is set up.
- On the receiving end of a condition? Retreat, switch, or evolve to wipe it — conditions only stick to the Active.
Budget alternatives
Cheaper cards that fill a similar role in Standard decks. Reference prices — most-played option first.
More by Masakazu Fukuda
This card was illustrated by Masakazu Fukuda.
Building around Dark Sandslash?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
Poké-Body: Poison Payback
If Dark Sandslash is your Active Pokémon and is damaged by an opponent's attack (even if Dark Sandslash is Knocked Out), the Attacking Pokémon is now Poisoned.
CCCSwift — 50
This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness, Resistance, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on the Defending Pokémon.
This Pokémon is both Fighting Darkness type.
Weakness:G×2
Tournament legality
Current legal status across competitive formats.
Pricing reference
Latest snapshot from the upstream catalog. Actual marketplace prices fluctuate by condition, edition, and grade — use this as a reference, not a quote.
TCGPlayer (USD)
Updated 2026/07/04| Variant | Low | Mid | High | Market | Direct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | $9.50 | $14.15 | $130.00 | $10.53 | — |
| Reverse Holofoil | $32.12 | $43.65 | $85.00 | $85.00 | — |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €3.49 |
| 7-day average | €5.13 |
| 30-day average | €5.15 |
| Low | €1.99 |
| Trend price | €5.62 |
| Low (excellent+) | €4.50 |
| Reverse holo low | €10.00 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €34.99 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €25.77 |
| averageSellPrice | €5.16 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €28.46 |
| Reverse holo trend | €36.19 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Dark Sandslash is real?
Dark Sandslash is not on our list of commonly-counterfeited cards, but counterfeits exist across every set. Check the back-light test (real cards have a black inner layer that blocks light; counterfeits glow through), the rosette dot pattern on the back under magnification, font weight and kerning on the card name, and the holofoil pattern if applicable. For high-value copies we recommend submitting to a professional grader (PSA, BGS, CGC) for tamper-evident authentication.
What is Dark Sandslash worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Dark Sandslash is $10.53; there are no active listings on The Game Traders right now. Actual value depends on condition, grading, edition and printing variant — graded high-condition copies (PSA 9–10) trade at a substantial premium over raw copies.
What set is Dark Sandslash from?
Dark Sandslash is from the Pokémon set "Team Rocket Returns" in the EX series, released in 2004.
What rarity is Dark Sandslash?
Dark Sandslash is a Rare card in the Team Rocket Returns set.
