Community POTW #45

[Serebii]

Time for another Pokémon of the Week



This week we'll be doing Shedinja, one of the classic Hoenn Pokémon

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/292.shtml

Shedinja's ability makes it awesome if you manage to use it right, but it does come with some major disadvantages

Go nuts

[grantholomew]

Shedinja, the thing that throws everyone off. Unless you have a Fire type. Or a Ghost type. Or a Dark type or a Flying type or a Rock type. Or a guy with Toxic. If you have that, then you’re opponent’s Shedinja is toast. If you don’t…then you should.

Focus Sash Shedinja
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Trait: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 HP just for the heck of it
Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
- X-Scissor
- Shadow Claw/Shadow Sneak
- Swords Dance
- Toxic
So if you’re in a battle with no Fire, Ghost, Dark, Flying, or Rock types, no one can poison or burn you, and there isn’t a sandstorm or a hailstorm, and there aren't entry hazards, then you should have a chance. X-Scissor is STAB, and has almost perfect coverage with Shadow Claw or Shadow Sneak, except for the whole “Normal-Flying” thing. But if that happens, you’re doomed anyway. Shadow Claw is a good move but Shadow Sneak has priority, something that Shedinja will usually need. Swords Dance to boost Shedinja’s attack. Toxic is for stalling. Focus Sash lets you live one more turn.

[svenosman]

Shedinja, this Pokémon has a ability, damn, so cool (if other Pokémon had it). To bad it has just 1 HP, so it can be knocked down easily. Weather damage, status problems, entry hazards, even a priority move (if super-effective) can make it faint. Since it has weaknesses to 5 types (Rock, Fire, Flying, Ghost, and Dark) you have a very big chance the opponent can use a super-effective move against you.

Now, the pluses. Mmm. 90 base attack? That is the biggest one to use freely (you may think ???, but I will explain it in a minute), I think. Its movepool is also pretty ... good. Not very much physical attacks, but enough to get away with it. X-scizzor, Shadow Claw, and Shadow Sneak (and Night Slash, but it isn't STAB'ed) are its primary attack moves. It also gets Trick which can be used to lock a Pokémon into a move that can't hit you because of Wonder Guard.

[my name is not billy]

amazing. shedinga must be my favorite pokemon!

set to follow!

[maciscool]

no matter how great its ablity is,shedinja isnt to great of a pokemon
poison and burn destroy it
weather hazards
entry hazards
and weaknesses like fire,rock,ghost,dark,flying, are pretty common
still,it can stop stuff like latias and latios as long as they dont have hp fire

[Monster Guy]

It walls stuff like Kyogre and Dialga in Ubere. Palkia too if it's not running Stone Edge.

[Del Mundo]

Hmmmm, apparently shedinja does pretty good in the uber tier. There's probably less buffering weather and entry hazards there too. Shedinja walls well against offensive pokemon like kyogre, the lati's, manaphy, palkia, and a ton of other guys since shedinja's weaknesses aren't seen as much in their movepools.

[ClefairyRox]

Shedinja, wow. This Pokemon is one of the weirdest. It has just one HP, but an ability that can make it nearly untouchable. However, that single point of HP means just one touch will take it out.

Wonder Guard is an incredible ability that can completely shut down Pokemon. It prevents all damage from attacks except from those that inflict supereffective damage. In Shedinja's case, that means Ghost, Dark, Rock, Fire, and Flying attacks. However, Wonder Guard does not protect from passive damage, such as entry hazards and weather and status damage. Also, Shedinja hates Pursuit. Since all four of those are ubiquitous in the Standard/OU environment (we have T-Tar and Stealth Rocks mostly to blame), it's difficult, if not impossible, to use Shedinja there.

Shedinja's tier placing is very weird. Smogon classifies it as NU, but it enjoys respectable popularity as an Uber, and I think Ubers is the tier it does best in. There are several reasons for this. Although T-Tar is used in Ubers, Groudon and Kyogre are used much more, canceling out Sandstorm. And correct me if I'm wrong, but entry hazards are far less common in Ubers than in OU. Pursuit is also much less common in Ubers. That takes out three of Shedinja's flaws, meaning it just has to watch out for status users (like Giratina and Blissey) as well as Zekrom and Reshiram(who won't care about Wonder Guard because of Teravolt and Turboblaze, respectively) and proceed to abuse its ability to full effect. 99% of Kyogre, some Arceus, most Palkia, Bulk Up Dialga, the Lati twins, non-Toxic Blissey, and some Mewtwo are completely walled by Shedinja. With proper team support, this little bug can pack a big punch.

Now, Shedinja does have poor stats, but its pitiful defenses don't matter because of its single hit point. Its only ok stat is its base 70 Attack, but it can be improved using Swords Dance. And since Shedinja has to be sent in on a Pokemon that can't touch it, the opponent will have to switch, giving it some set-up time. And although it's speed is poor, it does get STAB priority Shadow Sneak, which can hurt quite a bit after a Swords Dance. The fact that many Ubers are weak to Ghost further helps it along. Aside from that, it has X-Scissor and Shadow Claw, but that's about it.

Shedinja also can fill a niche as a wall. This set is from Smogon.

Adamant Nature (+Attack, -Sp. Attack)
Item: Focus Sash or Lum Berry
255 Atk, 255 Speed
X-Scissor
Shadow Sneak/Shadow Claw
Will-O-Wisp/Toxic
Protect/Heal Block/Baton Pass

The EVs are weird because the extra point is useless. Shedinja can't improve its HP, and its defenses mean nothing when you have only 1 HP. And we're not using any special attacks, so we can't put it there, either.

Anyhow, on to the moves. X-Scissor is your main STAB, hitting the large amount of Psychics as well as Darkrai for respectable damage, even when you have only average Attack. Shadow Sneak by-passes Shedinja's forgettable Speed to pick off weakened foes, but Shadow Claw does more to Pokemon like Giratina and Lugia. Next is a status move. Burn is always useful for crippling physical attackers, but if your team has trouble with walls, Toxic is a good choice. For the final move, Protect is great for scouting opponents for potentially dangerous moves, like HP Fire on Latios. Heal Block cripples walls that need healing, like Lugia, Blissey, and Rest-Talk Giratina. Baton Pass can be used if a switch is anticipated, enabling a counter-switch that isn't blind.

As for items, Focus Sash will enable Shedinja to survive one more turn after being hit by a direct attack, whist Lum Berry will enable it to absorb a status move once (which is useful for Dark Voids from Darkrai).

Countering Shedinja: I've already listed all of Shedinja's faults, but I can say them again. Entry hazards of any type will destroy Shedinja. Be sure to remove any potential spinners before you try this, however. Same with weather: get rid of Groudon and Kyogre before bringing in your T-Tar. Zekrom and Reshiram don't have to worry about Wonder Guard because of their own abilites. Pursuit is great, because Shedinja will more often than not switch out on a Pokemon that possesses supereffective moves. Status will also take out any Shedinja without a Lum Berry.

All in all, don't underestimate Shedinja. With proper team support, this little bug can be the end of you. Once you run out of counters that can hurt it, you're finished. I can't tell you how many times I've been forced to give in because I didn't have anything that could hurt Shedinja. Face it at your own risk.

[Ttar's stone edge]

Can it's ability be skill swapped? Im curious cos i've never seen it work, and it can have mass hacks and gimmic on something like kindra with only one weakness?

[Diaglio]

This is definitely best used as a lead, so that entry hazards don't become a big problem. It also works as a spin blocker, so that helps, too.

Dark Ninja
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Wonder Guard
Adamant/Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack
-Shadow Sneak
-Shadow Claw
-X-Scissor
-Dig

Shadow Sneak for some priority. Shadow Claw and X-Scissor are fore main STAB. Dig because it takes care of Rock-types and if the opponent uses EQ, you're still safe.

Special Ninja
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Wonder Guard
Timid/Modest
252 Speed, 252 Sp Attack
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Water)
-Silver Wind/Bug Buzz
-Giga Drain

Considering it's dismal Sp Attack stat, I don't know who or why someone would use this set. Shadow Ball is a great STAB. Silver Wind or Bug Buzz is really up to you. Silver Wind gets the chance to raise all of it's stats (though the only to useful ones are Speed and Sp Attack) while Bug Buzz has more power and a Special Defense drop chance. HP Water takes out two of it's weaknesses. Giga Drain just for coverage and it really gets no better Special moves.

Support Ninja
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Wonder Guard
Jolly
252 Speed, 252 Attack
-X-Scissor/Shadow Claw
-Confuse Ray
-Will-O-Wisp/Toxic
-Grudge/Spite

X-Scissor and Shadow Claw are there so you're not Taunt bait. Which one you choose is up to you. Confuse Ray is great. Nothing more needs to be said about it. Will-O-Wisp can destroy Physical sweepers like Haxorus (which will destroy this little bug due to Mold Breaker anyways) or Tyrannitar (which will Sandstorm or Crunch you to death), while Toxic can get rid of Pokemon with considerable bulk, like Blissey and Slowking. Grudge and Spite both lower PP, albeit Grudge completely destroys the PP but only if it faints. Spite lowers the PP of the last move used by 4 right off the bat, so again, it's a matter of personal preference.

Ah, as partners go, and you're not using it as a lead, anything that can change the weather to something more desirable or spin away entry hazards or you're not using this is a lead will work just fine. Here are a couple of examples:

Politoed @ Lum Berry/Choice Specs
Drizzle
Timid/Modest
252 Speed, 252 Sp Attack, 4 Hp
-Psychic
-Focus Blast
-Ice Beam
-Surf

This set is basically just a standard. Changes weather away from Hail or Sandstorm to Rain. Not bad.

Tentacruel @ Wise Glasses
Clear Body/Liquid Ooze
Timid/Modest
252 Speed, 252 Sp Attack, 4 Hp
-Rapid Spin
-Toxic Spikes
-Surf
-Blizzard

I use this set in my Soul Silver and it works wonders. It can spin away hazards while setting them up. Surf and Blizzard are just two amazing moves on their own, so that's why they're there.

Just a question: Can Wonder Guard be Skill Swapped? Because that then opens up huge options for a team.

[Kraleck]

Shedinja...*sigh*...my job is not getting easier...

Okay. First, Doubles/Triples will allow you to have a "Shedinja" with more than 1 HP. How? So glad you asked...

Ditto's Transform works wonders, despite Base 48 across the board normally. That Base 48 HP stays when Transform is used, so you potentially have a "Shedinja" with 300 HP. Shedinja itself may be frail, but a "Shedinja" with 300 HP is not so much so.

On the nature of fake Shedinja, Zoroark is a decent enough partner (resists Ghost and Dark, neutral to the rest of Shed's Type-Weaknesses). Any Pokemon that can pick up what Shed' left off with can really help.

Options
-Endure (Egg Move) and Protect - With Toxic/Will-o-Wisp and a Focus Sash, you can get some interesting delay time, barring one of those statii, Leech Seed, or Sandstorm/Hail against you.
-Heal Block - Can disrupt heal-stallers a bit.
-Grudge - Odds of you getting KO'd: "Bet the farm." Great for higher PP Moves like Flamethrower or Aerial Ace.
-Spite - With a Focus Sash you can drain a bit of usage from certain Choice users, especially ones with Low PP Moves like Stone Edge.
-Shadow Sneak - A good final-attack-before-KO Move.
-Struggle Bug - To support a non-Special Wall, I guess.

The idea of using Shedinja normally is that you expect to lose it very quickly. Thinking of the havoc you can start to wreak is key. Status ailments and offense-disruption are huge psychological tactics.

[Ice Blue Dragon]

I believe that the ability wonder guard cannot be swapped (correct me if I'm wrong).

Shedinja - counters, any thing with Stone Edge or a rock type move, heatran, steath rock, spikes, toxic spikes, toxic, burn, weather damage, fire, flying, ghost, dark, and mold breaker. Sense all of these are commen in OU, use in uber with Rapid Spin and weather support.

[Suspence]

OVERVIEW

Due to Tyranitar's popularity in OU, the obscene amount of entry hazards in OU, and so many other factors, Shedinja should never be used in standard. However, though Shedinja is generally considered weak, uncompetitive, and a gimmick, this little shed bug can do extremely well in the Uber tier thanks to its wonderful ability Wonder Guard. Wonder Guard allows Shedinja to switch in against some of the biggest threats of the Uber metagame such as Kyogre, Bulk Up Dialga, some Arceus, most Palkia, non-Toxic Blissey, Latios, Latias, and some Mewtwo variants. Its STAB attacks are also welcomed in Ubers due the abundance of Psychic-types. However, our beloved bug does not come without flaws. It's weak to four common attacking types (Fire, Dark, Ghost, and Rock, as well as Flying) and vulnerable to entry hazards and status such as burn and poison. This means that using Shedinja requires a lot of support. Regardless of these drawbacks, Shedinja is still a menace that every competitive Uber team should be aware of.

Wall

Shedinja (F) @Focus Sash / Lum Berry
Trait: Wonder Guard
EVs: 255 Atk / 255 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- X-Scissor
- Shadow Sneak / Shadow Claw
- Will-O-Wisp / Toxic
- Protect / Heal Block / Baton Pass

Shedinja is often forgotten because people claim that there are better Pokemon to use. However, one must not forget about Shedinja's niche: walling a great deal of Pokemon in the Uber tier. X-Scissor is Shedinja's primary STAB move, dealing good damage against Mewtwo, Latios, Latias, Deoxys, and Darkrai, to name a few. Shadow Sneak complements X-Scissor to 2HKO certain Pokemon. Shadow Claw can replace Shadow Sneak, but Shedinja will lose out on a valuable priority move. For example, X-Scissor followed by Shadow Sneak can 2HKO Mewtwo and Kingdra. Shadow Claw can still be used over Shadow Sneak, but Shedinja risks being outsped and hit by a super effective attack by the aforementioned Pokemon. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical sweepers such as Salamence, Rayquaza, and Metagross; while Toxic is a slow death sentence to Wobbuffet, Blissey, Kingdra, and Kyogre. The last move is a choice between Protect, which allows Shedinja to scout for any dangerous moves the foe may happen to have (Hidden Power Fire Latios, for example); Heal Block, which is useful against opposing walls that can recover their health (for example Blissey, Lugia, RestTalk Calm Mind Giratina, and Giratina-O); and finally Baton Pass, which enables Shedinja to scout for possible switch-ins.

Focus Sash is the preferred item because it allows Shedinja to survive an attack that would otherwise kill it. However, Lum Berry is also viable as it prevents harmful status from KOing Shedinja, such as confusion, burn, poison, and Darkrai's Dark Void (Bad Dreams kills Shedinja).


Team Options: Shedinja requires a lot of support to shine. Since entry hazards kill the ghostly bug, a good Rapid Spin user such as Forretress, which can also set up entry hazards to help Shedinja, can pair well with it. Sandstorm and the less common hail also spell doom for Shedinja. Kyogre makes a formidable partner because it can eliminate the aforementioned weather conditions thanks to Drizzle. In addition, Shedinja can switch into every Kyogre counter bar Zekrom (thanks to Teravolt) and Ferrothorn (because of Iron Barbs and Leech Seed). Kyogre can also counter Heatran, which walls this entire set. Safeguard is another option because, with Safeguard, Shedinja can switch into support Lugia without fearing Toxic. Some Pokemon that enjoy Shedinja's walling capacities, such as Groudon and Reshiram, also go well with it.

Swords Dance

Shedinja (F) @Focus Sash / Lum Berry
Trait: Wonder Guard
EVs: 255 Atk / 255 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- X-Scizzor
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw / Will-O-Wisp / Toxic

Although using Shedinja as a sweeper may sound ridiculous, it has a niche that can make a Swords Dance set work, thanks to its ability Wonder Guard. Because of Wonder Guard, Shedinja can often set up in front of Pokemon such as Kyogre, non-Hidden Power Fire Latios, Latias, and Kingdra. X-Scissor and Shadow Sneak are the main moves of this set, both recieving STAB and having good coverage overall. These moves can dent some threats after a Swords Dance including Kyogre, Choice Scarf Palkia, and Kingdra. Unfortunately, Shedinja's offensive movepool is very limited. Shadow Claw is another STAB attack, hitting Giratina (both formes), Rayquaza, and Lugia for more damage, while also having a high critical hit ratio. However, either Will-O-Wisp or Toxic can also be used here because Shedinja's movepool is barren.

Team Options: Shedinja is walled by most Steel-types. Reshiram can destroy every Steel-type Pokemon in the game with Blue Flare (including Heatran, thanks to Turboblaze), making it a good partner for Shedinja, while Shedinja can wall and kill the Kyogre, Latios, and Latias that make Reshiram shudder in fear. Shedinja also appreciates entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock and Spikes (Ho-Oh is OHKOed by +2 Shadow Claw after Stealth Rock damage). Forretress and Ferrothorn can lay both, making them good partners to Shedinja. Baton Pass users such as Mew and Vaporeon can also help Shedinja by passing it Substitute.


Counters

Fire-, Ghost-, Dark-, Rock-, and Flying-type damage-dealing moves; residual damage from sandstorm, hail, Spikes, and Stealth Rock; status effects such as poison, burn, and confusion; Leech Seed; Ghost-type Curse; Struggle; Struggle recoil; Life Orb recoil; Black Sludge; Sticky Barb; Doom Desire or Future Sight; Rough Skin or Iron Barbs; Mold Breaker and its variants (Turboblaze and Teravolt); and Bad Dreams.

In addition, Shedinja cannot deal with Haxorus, Zekrom, and Reshiram, as they ignore Wonder Guard thanks to Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze, respectively. However, Haxorus and Zekrom need to watch out for Will-O-Wisp when they switch in, and neither three can stomach a boosted Shadow Claw. Ho-Oh can send Shedinja to hell with either Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, but like Reshiram, can't switch into a boosted Shadow Claw, especially if Stealth Rock is on the field. Blaziken, although hating boosted Ghost-type moves, can destroy Shedinja with a Fire-type STAB move or Stone Edge. Groudon doesn't like Toxic and Will-O-Wisp, but can destroy Shedinja with Stone Edge, Fire Punch, or Overheat. An unexpected move from Shedinja's target such as Hidden Power Fire from Latios or Toxic from Kyogre easily KOes the ghostly bug. Heatran resists everything Shedinja has and can also grab a Flash Fire boost should Shedinja run Will-O-Wisp. Shedinja also falls against Pursuit users, especially ones that it can't damage well such as Scizor and Metagross. Ferrothorn, or any Pokemon holding Rocky Helmet, will eliminate Shedinja if Shedinja uses a contact move. Houndoom, although rare in Ubers, can finish off Shedinja with a combination of Sucker Punch and a Fire-type move. Other things that can revenge kill but cannot switch into Shedinja directly include Darkrai, Hydreigon, Tyranitar, and Shaymin-S. Chandelure and Mewtwo can take out Shedinja with a Ghost- or Fire-type move but should be wary of Shadow Sneak and Shadow Claw (and X-Scissor in Mewtwo's case). Giratina has enough defenses to take a Shadow Sneak or Shadow Claw, and then retaliate back with its own Shadow Sneak or Shadow Ball.


The bottom line is that although Shedinja can be KOed many ways, it is a Pokemon to watch out for, as it can wall your entire team if you aren't prepared for it.

Looking forward to seeing the write-up, Reno!

[TimmahX]

Countering Shedinja

Since Shedinja is usually trapped in ubers due to the reduced presence of counters being there, we need to think within that tier for what beats it. First off, lets look at the very obvious two newest additions to the tier: Zekrom and Reshiram. Both of them down Shedinja like it's nothing thanks to their abilities. Focus Sash Shedinja however will take one shot from Zekrom and fire off a Will-O-Wisp, making him a lesser choice. Thundurus, Tornadus and Landorus also make for fantastic counters. Should the frequent Sandstorm users become more common in Ubers, Sandstorm will automatically kill Shedinja, and even without it, Excadrill has no problems with Shedinja. The old threats to Shedinja still work. Toxic, Burn, Giratina, Darkrai, Groudon, Metagross, Scisor, etc. Each Shedinja goes down in either 1 Status/Attack or 2 Status/Attacks. Sometimes you can predict which item it carries based on how the opponent's team is structured, but it can be a little tricky. Frisk theoretically takes the guessing out of the equation, but Yanmega usually doesn't run it and Gothitelle is going to want to run Shadow Tag when it can.

[ClefairyRox]

Can it's ability be skill swapped? Im curious cos i've never seen it work, and it can have mass hacks and gimmic on something like kindra with only one weakness?

According to Shedinja's 4th gen Pokemon of the Week, Skill Swap fails if you use it on a Pokemon with Wonder Guard. Wonder Guard also can't be Role Played. However, it can be Traced by an opposing Pokemon with that ability, so be wary of Gardevoir and Porygon2.

[Charizard Lizzy]

Can it's ability be skill swapped? Im curious cos i've never seen it work, and it can have mass hacks and gimmic on something like kindra with only one weakness?

Wonder Guard can't be Skill Swapped or Role Played, but Pokémon with Trace can copy it.

Also, I can't remember if using Transform will pass the ability. I did a test with my Ditto and Shedinja years ago. But then again, the site I'm looking at says that all stats of the target are copied to the transformer, so even if Ditto (or Mew or Smeargle) were to acquire Wonder Guard through Transform, it'd still be as frail as Shedinja anyways.

[Blue Harvest]

This is where Reno ignores logic and just types up a Choice Band and Quick Feet set, then throws a bulky set in at the end as an afterthought.

Granbull POTW:

Bad generic Quick Feet and CB sets listed first, support set listed last as an after thought, no mention of offensive Thunder Waver. I called it.

Shedinja has pretty much one set, X-Scissor / Shadow Sneak / Will-O-Wisp / Protect or Swords Dance. Its worth mentioning that it is very good in Nintendo 3v3 wifi. Even if its not used, its great for mind games. I'm off to go be disappointed in Reno now.

[DarkLatios]

USELESS PIECE OF CRAP

Shedinja, by context should be one of the worst Pokemon in the game by a huge mile. It has only 1HP, an atroucious typing which ensures most every common type can hit it for SE damage, a VERY limited movepool, extreme subsceptability to entry hazards, sand, status and hail, all of which are common in practically every tier nowadays, all topped off by puny stats except in Attack. And for the most part it is, having to be used solely as a gimmick and always hidden to be used as a surprise. Too bad Team Preview completely crippled it's one possible niche and singlehandedly makes it a wasted slot on your team. However, there is... ONE area where Shedinja could, theoretically, see use; The Uber tier, but even then, Team Preview has dealt a humongous blow to Shedinjas viability, and it really isn't worth using at all now.

Abilities:
Wonder Guard: Hands down one of the best abilities in the game, this makes all Pokemon with the ability only subspectable to super effective hits and passive damage... Which makes it almost tragic that the ability is wasted on something as worthless as Shedinja, whose horrible defensive typing makes it nigh on useless. Oh well, c'est la vie...

That one set
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe
@Focus Sash

Swords Dance
Shadow Sneak
X-Scissor
Toxic/Will-O-Wisp/Grudge

The only real thing Shedinja is passable at. Its Attack is the only non-awful stat it has, making Swords Dance a mildly viable idea if you want to do even a fraction of damage to the Ubers in this tier. Shadow Sneak is good at picking off weak foes, while X-Scissor is your go-to move to deal good amounts of damage. Toxic is there to cripple stuff like Darkrai and Ho-Oh who may switch in to destroy it, while Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers, but since Shedinjas movepool is so absolutely ridiculously bad, this is the best it can really do; Wait until any Shedinja-beating Pokemon are gone and troll the hell out of the opponent. Grudge is also... decent, if you want to completely rid your opponent of one of his attacks, but you better make sure your Sash is intact to utilise it. Alternative move choices include Dig to "deal with Steel types", False Swipe to troll your opponents and torture things that can't beat Shedinja (read: very few fit under this) or Final Gambit to REALLY troll the opponent and do 1 damage while killing yourself. All in all, don't use this thing please, it is HORRIBLE this time around, having all the problems it had in Gen 4 in addition to Team Preview removing its one niche of surprise. Use to troll or don't use at all.

[ringuma]

Shedinja is hopeless. 99% of the time the opponent would generally have at least a Rock/Fire/Flying/Ghost/Dark type or even with someone that has poison, burn, or entry Hazard. The only time Shedinja will actually be useful is if in a miraculous turn of events, all you're opponent's threats to Shedinja have been knocked out and the only pokemon they have left are ones that can't harm you.

[Blue Harvest]

POTW Collaboration (95 Viewing)

holy ****

Also I guess Sucker Punch can be used to hit stuff a little harder even though it can't even OHKO a Gengar without max damage.

[halodeoxys]

I love this thing. I've never used it much(except in Ruby), though. Its forgettable stats(except Attack, thats actually quite nice) make it not really appealing, however when you think of it, defensive stats don't even matter on this guy. That means that if there is anyone to have Shell Smash baton passed to, its Shedinja. I also think its hilarious that the pokemon with an awesome ability has the word "nuke" in its Japanese name.
The problem with Shedinja is that its typing is somewhat bad defensively, and with sandstorm teams becoming popular with the dream world making many teams a weather-battle(forcing more hail/sand teams to bring Shedinja down), forcing Shedinja into NU. However, sand and hail is somewhat less-common in Uber, as well as Shedinja being able to resist a whole lot. STAB Shadow Sneak is tasty though, so the dead bug can actually do some stuff.
It is also disturbing that Shedinja can learn Sandstorm, one of its fears.


THE FIGHTING DEAD BUG

Shedinja@Focus Sash(gives you time to switch out if your opponent Roars sheddy in or if a Super Effective move is used against it
Lonely/Naughty
252Atck 252Speed
-Shadow Sneak
-X Scissor
-Sucker Punch
-Swords Dance

Shadow Sneak gets STAB priority, good to take down some ghosts and others on the switch in. X Scissor is a very reliable STAB, not much else to say about it. Sucker Punch has some nice coverage and priority. Just be careful, as some could use Toxic and thus screw up your Sucker Punch, as well as killing you. Swords Dance allows you to potentially sweep, and with Wonder Guard, you could possibly get in 2-3 Swords Dances, which paired up with Shadow Sneak Priority, is very tasty sweeping possibilities.

EDIT: oops, i put Night Slash on the moveset when I offered Sucker Punch in the description. Oopsie daisies. :|
EDIT2: Never put Final Gambit on Shedinja, my bad.

Criticism is very much appreciated, thank you. Please tell me if you disagree with anything on my set or if I was incorrect on something.

[Missingno. Master]

Shed Band
Shedinja@Choice Band
Adamant nature
Wonder Guard
255 Atk/255 Spd
~Shadow Sneak
~X-Scissor
~Sucker Punch
~Aerial Ace

One of Shedinja's many problems is its awful movepool. It can cover its STAB types well enough, but not much else. Sucker Punch is actually more powerful than Shadow Sneak, but the latter is more reliable. However, given that Shedinja has little else to work with, both will do fine on it. X-Scissor for STAB, and Aerial Ace for filler.

You may have noticed that I opted for a 255/255 EV spread as opposed to the traditional 252 offensive stat/252 Speed/4 HP. This is because Shedinja can't gain any EVs in HP, due to its HP maxing out at 1.

Item is obvious. Ability is all it gets.

Agilihusk
Shedinja@Focus Sash
Adamant nature
Wonder Guard
255 Atk/255 Spd
~Agility
~Shadow Claw
~X-Scissor
~Aerial Ace/Protect

Shedinja's low Speed is the main thing that prevents it from becoming one of the great sweepers of our time. Yeah, that sentence didn't look right to me either. More like, Shedinja's low Speed is one of many things that prevents it from becoming one of the great sweepers of our time. The others include its lackluster Attack stat, its single hit point, its shallow movepool, the fact that Wonder Guard doesn't have Magic Guard mixed in... Yeah. But this at least solves the Speed problem. Agility up, relying on Shedinja's Focus Sash to keep it at full health, then attempt to sweep. Protect is an option over Aerial Ace for scouting purposes or something. Whatever keeps it alive longer, right?

Also, a little note. For those of you who want to try this set out in the actual games, as opposed to a simulator, bear in mind that there is a glitch in Generation V games, which constructs Shedinja's movepool from the moves the Nincada knew just before it evolved, as opposed to after the new Ninjask learns anything. As that's the only way to get Agility or Swords Dance on Shedinja, it's no longer possible in Generation V.

Item is obvious, ability I already explained.

Swordinja
Shedinja@Focus Sash
Adamant nature
Wonder Guard
255 Atk/255 Spd
~Swords Dance
~Shadow Sneak
~X-Scissor
~Sucker Punch

Basically the same as the last set, but with Swords Dance and the return of its priority moves, minus Protect. Take heed of the note on the previous Shedinja set.

Item, ability, blah blah blah.

Obligatory Joke Set
Shedinja@Life Orb/Sticky Barb/Toxic Orb/Flame Orb/Black Sludge
Bold nature
Wonder Guard
252 Def/252 Sp. Def/4 Sp. Atk
~Double-Edge/Final Gambit
~Harden/Sandstorm
~Substitute
~Leech Life/Rest

It had to be done. It's physically impossible to do a Shedinja analysis without slipping in a set like this.

Other options:
*Bug Bite has limited usage on Shedinja. In the extremely rare event that Shedinja gets burned or poisoned by something holding a Lum Berry, Bug Bite could save its hollow ***. Of course, nobody's really gonna try to status Shedinja.
*Confuse Ray's a decent option to attempt to hold off a super effective hit, but extremely unreliable. Swagger also works, as Shedinja faints in one hit regardless, so it's not sweating the opponent's Attack increase.
*A Baton Pass set is workable, but Shedinja can only get the move before Generation V, and instead of Agility or Swords Dance. It also can't use Substitute (despite being able to learn it), meaning all it can pass other than anything that's passed to it is... Harden and Hone Claws.
*Speaking of which, Hone Claws works over Swords Dance if you can't get your hands on a Nincada in a past generation, but it's just useless in comparison, as Shedinja doesn't have any good moves that benefit from the Accuracy boost.


Abilities:
*Wonder Guard: Shedinja's one and only ability, and the only reason it's not completely useless. Prevents Shedinja from taking damage from attacks that aren't super effective. Note that this only applies to direct damage. Anything Magic Guard blocks, Wonder Guard does not. That's really something GameFreak should fix for Generation VI, don't you think? Still, Wonder Guard has managed to screw over more than one unwary trainer.


Partners:
Rapid Spin support and Ninetales/Politoed are practically mandatory, as Hail, Sandstorm, and any and all entry hazards can and will end Shedinja extremely quickly. It's also not a bad idea to put Shedinja on the recieving end of a Baton Pass chain, preferably one that involves a Substitute. Taunt support can help as well, as Shedinja is ended by quite a few non-attacking moves.

Counters:
Heeeeeere we go. First off, Snover, Abomasnow, Tyranitar, Hippopotas, and Hippowdon are all automatic Shedinja counters right off the bat. And if your team's packing entry hazards, you're more or less Shedinja-proof. But in the event that you're not running entry hazards or anything with Snow Warning or Sand Stream, you want to make sure that all of your Pokémon are packing a Fire, Flying, Ghost, Dark, or Rock move, or at least Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Leech Seed, Poisonpowder, Supersonic, Confuse Ray, Swagger, Poison Gas... You get the idea. Tricking any item mentioned in that joke set onto Shedinja can also work. Oh, yeah, and all of Shedinja's physical attacks are contact moves, so Ferroseed and Ferrothorn are also automatic Shedinja counters. Yeah, Wonder Guard doesn't block Iron Barbs, either. Also doesn't block Rough Skin, for you Druddigon users out there. I'd mention Sharpedo here as well, but seriously, who the hell runs Rough Skin on Sharpedo anymore? Besides, its Crunch is all it needs against Shedinja.

Opinion:
Shedinja is one of the most awesome non-Poison-types I have ever seen, and it saddens me to type up that great wall of text in the counters section. Seriously, GameFreak needs to get their act together on Shedinja. Fix the glitch that doesn't let it learn a move that Ninjask just learned, and tweak Wonder Guard to have Magic Guard built in. And stop trolling the damn thing too. I mean, come on. It only gained one Egg move in Generation V- Final Gambit. Final Gambit on a Pokémon with one HP? If that ain't trolling, I don't know what is.

Shedinja, however, does have a place where it can really shine- ubers. The prevalent weather conditions in ubers? Sun and rain. The only two weathers that don't destroy Shedinja. Not to mention, it's rare to see Kyogre or Palkia run anything that affects Shedinja. Just be wary of Reshiram and Zekrom, as their abilities are basically Mold Breaker in new wrappers. Which means they can do whatever the hell they want to Shedinja. Reshiram's a Fire-type anyway, so that would have been a problem in any case.

[ajhockeystar99]

shedinja is ONLY good at rotation battles... my set:

focus sash
252 atk 252 spd 4 sp atk?
no need for the special attack boost...
will-o-wisp/toxic
x-scissor
shadow claw
shadow sneak

ya, it really sucks... partner it up with some pokemon that are resistant to shedinja's weaknesses.... it can learn trick... maybe endure(egg move LOL!!!) um... that's it...

[wunderkind]

If using Shedinja in Doubles/Triples, a good way to mess with people is to partner it with a Pokemon that knows Soak. It loses its STAB moves, but only has two weaknesses then. And since it's no longer Ghost-type, you can freely switch it, as it's immune to Pursuit. It could be an unexpected move that could mess up an opponents strategy.

[wunderkind]

Final Gambit might sound stupid, but when you think about it, Sheddy has 1 HP at all times(unless it fainted), making so that the next pokemon you send in can wipe out a potentially dangerous threat.

Final Gambit does damage equal to the users HP, and since Shedinja only has 1 HP, then Final Gambit does 1 damage.