Silicobra
Silicobra is a Ground-type Pokémon, the Sand Snake Pokémon, number 843 (#0843) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 8 and comes from the Galar region. It is 2.2 m tall and weighs 7.6 kg.
Silicobra, a Ground type known as the Sand Snake Pokémon, stores sand in a stretchy neck pouch and blasts it from its nostrils to blind its enemies. It then burrows out of sight before they can see again.
How to pronounce Silicobra
Silicobra is pronounced sil-ih-KOH-bruh. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Silicobra said out loud:
In Japanese it is スナヘビ (Sunahebi).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Silicobra is a small snake, 2.2 m long and 7.6 kg, with a brownish-white body flecked with darker spots and a curled tail tip. Its green eyes sit under heavy brown ridges that give it a frowning face. Its neck carries a dark yellow pouch that holds more than 8 kg (17 lb) of sand, according to the Pokédex. The Scarlet entry says the pouch swells and shrinks like a balloon and grows a little stretchier with each shed skin.
Behaviour
Silicobra fills its pouch by swallowing sand as it digs, and Bulbapedia says it also hides in the sand to ambush prey. Its big nostrils are so specialised for spraying sand that, according to the Pokédex, it struggles to tell one smell from another.
Habitat
The Pokédex gives no habitat; Serebii lists desert and mine biomes in Paldea, where it lives in the Asado Desert and East Province (Area Three). It is not available in Legends: Z-A.
Powers
Its Abilities are Sand Spit, which kicks up a sandstorm when it is hit, and Shed Skin, with Sand Veil hidden; Bulbapedia says only Silicobra and Sandaconda can have Sand Spit. It digs, traps foes with Wrap and Sand Tomb, and powers up with Coil. Base Defense 75 makes it a sturdy little digger.
Name origin
Silicobra may combine 'silicon', the main building block of sand, with 'cobra', and may also nod to 'silt'. The Japanese name Sunahebi (スナヘビ) may combine suna ('sand') and hebi ('snake').
Design inspiration
Silicobra resembles various snakes, and its neck pouch recalls a cobra's hood. Bulbapedia suggests the false cobra, a desert snake that flares its neck into a hood, and the spitting cobra, which fires venom much as Silicobra fires sand. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Evolves into Sandaconda at level 36.
In the games
Silicobra is found on Route 6 and in the Dusty Bowl in Sword and Shield, where it debuted. In Scarlet and Violet it appears in 1-star Tera Raid Battles.
In the anime
Silicobra debuted in 'Sobbing Sobble!', where Goh tried to catch one in Wyndon but his new Sobble ran off, and Goh's Rotom Phone explained its neck pouch.
Fun facts
- Bulbapedia says its Japanese name and category are identical apart from katakana versus hiragana, which no other Pokémon can claim.
- Although it is a pure Ground type, it can inherit Dragon Rush as an Egg move.
- A pure Ground snake can learn the Bug-type move Skitter Smack by TM in Scarlet and Violet.
Base stats
- HP: 52
- Attack: 57
- Defense: 75
- Sp. Atk: 35
- Sp. Def: 50
- Speed: 46
Silicobra’s base stat total is 315. Its highest stat is Defense.
Type matchups
What is Silicobra weak to?
Silicobra takes extra damage from Water (2×), Grass (2×), Ice (2×) moves.
It resists Poison (½×), Rock (½×).
It is immune to Electric moves.
Evolution
How does Silicobra evolve?
Silicobra evolves into Sandaconda at level 36.
The whole family: Silicobra, Sandaconda.
Abilities
- Sand Spit: Creates a sandstorm when hit by an attack.
- Shed Skin: Has a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
- Sand Veil (hidden ability): Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
Moves
Moves Silicobra learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sand Attack | Ground | Status | — |
| 1 | Wrap | Normal | Physical | 15 |
| 5 | Minimize | Normal | Status | — |
| 10 | Brutal Swing | Dark | Physical | 60 |
| 15 | Bulldoze | Ground | Physical | 60 |
| 20 | Headbutt | Normal | Physical | 70 |
| 25 | Glare | Normal | Status | — |
| 30 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 |
| 35 | Sandstorm | Rock | Status | — |
| 40 | Slam | Normal | Physical | 80 |
| 45 | Coil | Poison | Status | — |
| 50 | Sand Tomb | Ground | Physical | 35 |
TM moves (28)
Silicobra can learn 28 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Mud-Slap, Scary Face, Protect, Facade, Poison Tail, Bulldoze, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Endure, Sandstorm, Dig, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Rock Blast, Rest, Rock Slide, Substitute, Drill Run, Stealth Rock, Earth Power, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Tera Blast, Sand Tomb, Scale Shot, Scorching Sands, Skitter Smack.
Egg moves (5):Belch, Dragon Rush, Last Resort, Mud-Slap, Poison Tail.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Field, Dragon.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 255 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 1 Defense effort value.
- Base experience yield: 63.
Pokédex entries
It spews sand from its nostrils. While the enemy is blinded, it burrows into the ground to hide. (Shield)
As it digs, it swallows sand and stores it in its neck pouch. The pouch can hold more than 17 pounds of sand. (Sword)
Names around the world
| Japanese | スナヘビ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Sunahebi |
| French | Dunaja |
| German | Salanga |
| Spanish | Silicobra |
| Italian | Silicobra |
| Korean | 모래뱀 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 沙包蛇 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 沙包蛇 |
Trivia
- Lightest Ground type in Gen 8: 7.6 kg.
- Lowest base stat total among Ground types in Gen 8: 315.
- Taller than 91% of all Pokémon (2.2 m).
- Heavier than 22% of all Pokémon (7.6 kg).
- Base stat total 315, ranked #793 of 1,025.
- One of 75 Ground-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 130 green Pokémon.
- Number 34 of 96 Pokémon introduced in Generation 8 (Galar).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 39 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 255: about 33.3% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 2 distinct Pokédex entries.
Sources and fact-checking
- Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
- Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Silicobra (Pokémon), Serebii: Silicobra (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (sil-ih-KOH-bruh): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Ground-type Pokémon · Galar region guide · Sand Spit ability · Shed Skin ability · Sand Veil ability · Compare Silicobra · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
Browse similar Pokémon
Gen 8 Ground-type Pokémon · Gen 8 Pokémon list · Green Pokémon list · Field egg group · Dragon egg group · Pokémon that start with S · Snake Pokémon
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