Sandshrew, Sandslash, and Alolan variants

Sandshrew is super cute. It’s an armadillo or pangolin without being too obviously just that animal. I had Red Version, so I couldn’t get one without trading when I first played, but it was my favorite of the pure Ground type lines in Gen I. I like that it cartoonishly curls into a perfect ball. I like its claws. It’s a fun pokemon.

Sandslash gets more dangerous looking and more pangolin-scaley, which is fun. They apparently climb trees and ambush enemies from above, which is kinda scary. I never really used it much in game, but I’ve always really liked its look. It was also cool to see it drill out of the ground in Pokemon Snap.

Alolan Sandshrew is chunkier due to a hard ice shell that has grown while adapting to a colder climate. It becomes ice/steel, which is a cool combination. This Sandshrew can’t curl into a ball, but instead burrows itself into the snow, looking like a little igloo, which is a really cute touch. There’s also concept art of using them as replacement curling stone, which is precious.

Alolan Sandslash looks a little more wicked than its Kantonian counterpart, with sharp ice spikes sticking out of its back. These larger spikes mean it can no longer curl into a ball, so it buries itself in the ground, camouflaging as… ice spikes? Not really a normal thing you see in snowy areas, but I’m cool with that being a weird natural phenomenon. The claws hook a bit more so Alolan Sandslash can climb up icebergs. I still love regular Sandslash, but I think the Alolan variant is a good alternative.

Both regional lines are really cool designs, in my opinion. The Alolan variants are, to my mind, a good example of what I like about regional designs - they can explore fresh new aspects of an existing design without making the old version obsolete.