Ninjask (Analysis)

~Ninjask~



Quality Control: [Oglemi] [PK Gaming] [Chou Toshio]

Grammar / Prose: [Fatecrashers] [Oglemi]

[Overview]

<p>Meet Ninjask: a Pokemon that, in the same vein as Billy Ray Cyrus, enjoyed a few brief moments in the spotlight before fading into relative obscurity. Unfortunately for Ninjask, the 5th Gen reunion tour isn't exactly sold out; while a massive 160 Base Speed stat is still incredible, the BW UU metagame contains many irksome additions for the cicada. Nonetheless, with access to Substitute, Swords Dance, and of course, Baton Pass, Ninjask's limited but useful movepool allows it to perform virtually the same role it always has. Although some of Ninjask's signature toys (namely Speed Boost) were distributed among the needy, so to speak, Ninjask still stands as a zippity user of Baton Pass, capable of bugging even the smartest of opposition when played correctly.</p>

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute
move 4: X-Scissor / Protect
item: Focus Sash / Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 192 Atk / 68 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>An old adage states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Ninjask's absurd Speed allows it to set up on almost any Pokemon lacking Taunt. Swords Dance is vital to this set, as Speed Boost and Swords Dance work in conjunction to pass as many boosts to the next Pokemon as quickly as possible. Substitute is also an important move, as it allows Ninjask to attain more boosts in safety. Furthermore, passing a Substitute along with the boosts provided by Ninjask can often mean the difference between a swift victory and a wasted slot on the team. While Ninjask is not one to be sweeping, X-Scissor prevents it from becoming complete Taunt bait, and also may score a surprise kill if Ninjask can net a super effective hit. Protect is an option in the last slot, as it allows Ninjask to bypass Fake Out. While it does make Ninjask more vulnerable to Taunt in theory, it guarantees that Ninjask will be able to secure at least one Speed Boost and still Baton Pass to the next Pokemon in line safely.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Focus Sash is the primary item, as it allows Ninjask to live at least one hit and then Baton Pass any boosts it accquired. However, if you do not intend to ever lead with Ninjask, Leftovers could possibly see some use, as it ensures Ninjask will be able to safely switch into Stealth Rock twice; it is still generally inferior to Focus Sash. The listed EV spread gives Ninjask maximum longevity and Attack while still outspeeding max Speed Base 120s, such as Alakazam, Dugtrio, and Sceptile. Alternatively, 112 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 125s (Weavile), and 156 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 130s (Crobat, Jolteon, and Aerodactyl). If you opt to use Protect over X-Scissor, an Impish nature should be used and the EVs in Attack should be transferred to Defense.</p>

<p>Slower, more physically inclined sweepers that can benefit from both Speed Boost and Swords Dance are the best teammates. Rhyperior, Mamoswine, Azumarill, and Heracross are all fantastic candidates for this. Since Drought has been banned, Sunny Day could also be used in the last slot with the item Heat Rock. With a few Speed Boosts, Swords Dance, Sunny Day, and a Substitute, Victini becomes even scarier than before. Arcanine works in a similar way, but is generally inferior (though a Swords Dance-boosted Extreme Speed is pretty fearsome).</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Ninjask certainly has a dearth of options other than those listed. U-turn is an interesting move that completely contradicts the set, as Ninjask loses any boosts upon switching out. Ninjask receives STAB on Aerial Ace, but it is only better than X-Scissor situationally. Toxic could be employed to catch a bulkier Pokemon off guard as they switch in, but it struggles to find a place in the set. Hone Claws is almost always inferior to Swords Dance, and Final Gambit is a gimmicky option that has better users. Speaking of gimmicks, Ninjask could use a Mental Herb as a safeguard from Taunt, but since it can only benefit Ninjask once, it is really more of a minor annoyance to the opponent than anything.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ninjask's FireRed and LeafGreen Pokedex entry reads, "This Pokémon is so quick, it is said to be able to avoid any attack." Unfortunately for the little guy, this couldn't be further from the truth. Ninjask struggles to pass any boosts at all when facing anything with Taunt, and Froslass in particular is a real problem. Priority-wielding Pokemon, such as Donphan with Ice Shard, can become a real threat if you do not play your cards right. Bulkier walls are not to be dealt with by Ninjask; rather, it should Baton Pass to an actual threat as soon as possible. Perhaps the easiest way to counter Ninjask is through simply negating all of its hard work entirely; any form of phazing can quickly eliminate all the boosts Ninjask has racked up. Lastly, Shell Smash and Baton Pass is, in most ways, a superior strategy that allows the user to render any boosts Ninjask can attain as rather unsubstantial. Perhaps one day Ninjask will give birth to a teen-pop sensation, at which point it will find its way into the limelight once more.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Ninjask gets Infiltrator from the Dream World, which bypasses Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard. Besides the fact that it is unreleased, Ninjask prides itself on passing Speed Boosts, making Infiltrator worse than useless.</p>

why are you moving evs to SpD if x-scissor is not used? seems like defense would be a better place to avoid physical priority.

tbh I really think x-scissor shouldn't even be slashed, but that's just me I guess.

toxic in OO?

I was going to mention Toxic but must've forgotten it, thanks.

Most of the slashes are a result of past Ninjask analyses being multiple sets that really function in a similar way. I feel this way things are much less clogged. Also, you are correct in your opinion: X-Scissor is the first slash because it is the best option in most cases.

Finally, I agree on the Defense. Changes made. Thanks for your input!

Mention dual screens for bulkier subs, to take hits a little better and to get more speed boost. uxie sounds nice since he has memento to weaken attaks even more, SealthRock to support the pokemon taking the boost, has healbell to cure status for your pokemon. Mesprit comes in mind to for HealWish to heal ninjask so it can pass more subs and speedboosts to more pokemon.

pie cream said:

Mention dual screens for bulkier subs, to take hits a little better and to get more speed boost. uxie sounds nice since he has memento to weaken attaks even more, SealthRock to support the pokemon taking the boost, has healbell to cure status for your pokemon. Mesprit comes in mind to for HealWish to heal ninjask so it can pass more subs and speedboosts to more pokemon.

Click to expand...

While I can certainly see the reasoning behind it, it's not that great in practice for a few reasons. First of all, if the opponent gets Stealth Rock up, it doesn't really matter how bulky your subs are; Ninjask isn't going to last that long. Further, at this point the strategy is really badly outclassed by SmashPass, which is the one thing I wanted to avoid with this analysis.

However, if Quality Control wants this change to go through, I can understand and will make the change.

A pure Baton Pass set isn't a good option for Ninjask in my opinion. X-scissor should be on every set for best results.

In fact, though this is 5th gen, I think Rising_Dusk's set from his 4th Gen update should be good enough for here, after updating it further (Don't do a direct copy, of course). Anything else can go in AC and OO. Just a suggestion.

Aerodactyl Legend said:

A pure Baton Pass set isn't a good option for Ninjask in my opinion. X-scissor should be on every set for best results.

In fact, though this is 5th gen, I think Rising_Dusk's set from his 4th Gen update should be good enough for here, after updating it further (Don't do a direct copy, of course). Anything else can go in AC and OO. Just a suggestion.

Click to expand...

Again, I'll reiterate it: X-Scissor is listed as the first slash because it is the best option. I'm not disagreeing there!

The main difference between Dusk and myself is the placement of Protect, which I can generally agree with, but Swords Dance really is very, very viable in UU.

However, I think Sunny Day at least deserves a mention here with the recent Drought ban, as it simply makes sense. I am considering moving Sunny Day and Protect down to AC, but still not sure on that (and perhaps a little hesitant). Thoughts?

In my opinion, those are better placed in AC. And maybe change the name to Swords Dance, as leads doesn't exsist anymore.

Don't call it a lead, even if that's where it's primarily used. Call it Baton Pass

Slash Leftovers next to Focus Sash, deslash Heat Rock and Sunny Day and just mention them in AC. Even if Arcanine and Victini are great partners. Rhyperior should be teammate numero uno.



QC 1/3

Mental Herb deserves a mention as a big "f-u" to Taunt for one chance; should probably be in OO.

Other than that;

QC APPROVED (3/3)

OK all, this is written up and ready for GP checks.

fake fishes

[Overview]

<p>Meet Ninjask: a Pokemon that, in the same vein as Billy Ray Cyrus, enjoyed a few generations in the spotlight before fading into relative obscurity. Unfortunately for Ninjask, the 5th Gen reunion tour isn't exactly "sold out"; lower tier punctuation goes inside quotes always, I think while a massive 160 Base Speed stat is still incredible, the BW UU metagame contains many irksome additions for the bug. Nonetheless, Ninjask's limited but useful movepool allows it to perform virtually the same role it always has, with access to Substitute, Swords Dance, and of course, Baton Pass. Although some of Ninjask's signature toys (namely Speed Boost) were distributed among the needy, so to speak, Ninjask still stands as a zippity user of Baton Pass, capable of bugging even the smartest of opposition when played correctly.</p>

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute
move 4: X-Scissor / Protect
item: Focus Sash / Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 192 Atk / 68 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>An old adage states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Ninjask's absurd Speed allows it to set up on almost any Pokemon lacking Taunt. Swords Dance is vital to this set, as Speed Boost and Swords Dance work in conjunction to pass as many boosts to the next Pokemon as quickly as possible. Substitute is also an important move, as it allows Ninjask to attain more boosts in safety. Furthermore, passing a Substitute along with the boosts provided by Ninjask can often mean the difference between a swift victory and a wasted slot on the team. While Ninjask is not the one to be sweeping, X-Scissor prevents it from becoming complete Taunt bait, and also may score a surprise kill if Ninjask can net a super effective hit. Protect is an option in the last slot, as it allows Ninjask to bypass Fake Out. While it does make Ninjask more vulnerable to Taunt in theory, it guarantees that Ninjask will be able to secure one Speed Boost and still Baton Pass to the next Pokemon in line safely.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Focus Sash is the primary item,[comma] as it allows Ninjask to live at least one hit and then Baton Pass any boosts it accquired that were accquired. However, if one does not intend to ever lead with Ninjask, Leftovers could possibly see some use,[comma] as they it ensures [I think Leftovers is supposed to be singular....] Ninjask will be able to safely switch into Stealth Rock twice; they are it is still generally inferior to Focus Sash. The listed EV spread gives Ninjask maximum longevity and Attack while still outspeeding max Speed Base 120s, such as Alakazam, Dugtrio, and Sceptile. Alternatively, 112 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 125s (Weavile), and 156 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 130s (Crobat, Jolteon, and Aerodactyl). If one opts to use Protect over X-Scissor, an Impish nature should be used and the EVs in Attack should be transferred to Defense.</p>

<p>Slower, more physically inclined sweepers that can benefit from both Speed Boost and Swords Dance are the best teammates. Rhyperior, Mamoswine, Azumarill, and Heracross are all fantastic candidates for this. Since Drought has been banned, Sunny Day could also be used in the last slot with the held item Heat Rock. With a few Speed Boosts, Swords Dance, and a Substitute, Victini becomes even scarier than before. Arcanine works in a similar way, but is generally inferior.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Ninjask certainly has a dearth of options other than those listed. U-turn is an interesting move that completely contradicts the set, as Ninjask loses any boosts upon switching out. Ninjask receives STAB on Aerial Ace, but it is only better than X-Scissor situationally. Toxic could be employed to catch a bulkier Pokemon as they switch in, but it struggles to find a place in the set. Hone Claws is almost always inferior to Swords Dance, and Final Gambit is a gimmicky option that has better users. Speaking of gimmicks, Ninjask could use a Mental Herb as a safeguard from Taunt, but since it can only protect Ninjask once, it is really more of an annoyance than anything.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ninjask's FireRed and LeafGreen Pokedex entry reads, "This Pokémon is so quick, it is said to be able to avoid any attack". Unfortunately for the little guy, this couldn't be further from the truth. Ninjask struggles to pass any boosts at all when facing anything with Taunt, and Froslass in particular is a real problem. Priority wielding Pokemon, especially things like such as Donphan with Ice Shard, can become a real threat if you do not play your cards right. Bulkier walls are not to be dealt with by Ninjask; rather, it should Baton Pass to an actual threat as soon as possible. Perhaps the easiest way to counter Ninjask is through simply negating all of its hard work entirely; any form of phazing can quickly eliminate all the boosts Ninjask has racked up. Lastly, Shell Smash is, in most ways, a superior strategy that allows the user to render any boosts Ninjask can attain as rather unsubstantial.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Ninjask gets Infiltrator from the Dream World, which bypasses Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard. Besides the fact that it is unreleased, Ninjask prides itself on passing Speed Boosts.</p>

Thanks V0x! Implemented your check.

[Overview]

<p>Meet Ninjask: a Pokemon that, in the same vein as Billy Ray Cyrus, enjoyed a few brief moments generations in the spotlight before fading into relative obscurity. Unfortunately for Ninjask, the 5th Gen reunion tour isn't exactly sold out; while a massive 160 Base Speed stat is still incredible, the BW UU metagame contains many irksome additions for the bug. Nonetheless, Ninjask's limited but useful movepool allows it to perform virtually the same role it always has, with access to Substitute, Swords Dance, and of course, Baton Pass, Ninjask's limited but useful movepool allows it to perform virtually the same role it always has. Although some of Ninjask's signature toys (namely Speed Boost) were distributed among the needy, so to speak, Ninjask still stands as a zippity user of Baton Pass, capable of bugging even the smartest of opposition when played correctly.</p>

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute
move 4: X-Scissor / Protect
item: Focus Sash / Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 192 Atk / 68 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>An old adage states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Ninjask's absurd Speed allows it to set up on almost any Pokemon lacking Taunt. Swords Dance is vital to this set, as Speed Boost and Swords Dance work in conjunction to pass as many boosts to the next Pokemon as quickly as possible. Substitute is also an important move, as it allows Ninjask to attain more boosts in safety. Furthermore, passing a Substitute along with the boosts provided by Ninjask can often mean the difference between a swift victory and a wasted slot on the team. While Ninjask is not the one to be sweeping, X-Scissor prevents it from becoming complete Taunt bait, and also may score a surprise kill if Ninjask can net a super effective hit. Protect is an option in the last slot, as it allows Ninjask to bypass Fake Out. While it does make Ninjask more vulnerable to Taunt in theory, it guarantees that Ninjask will be able to secure at least one Speed Boost and still Baton Pass to the next Pokemon in line safely.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Focus Sash is the primary item, as it allows Ninjask to live at least one hit and then Baton Pass any boosts it accquired. However, if you do not intend to ever lead with Ninjask, Leftovers could possibly see some use, as it ensures Ninjask will be able to safely switch into Stealth Rock twice; it is still generally inferior to Focus Sash. The listed EV spread gives Ninjask maximum longevity and Attack while still outspeeding max Speed Base 120s, such as Alakazam, Dugtrio, and Sceptile. Alternatively, 112 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 125s (Weavile), and 156 Speed EVs allow Ninjask to beat max Speed 130s (Crobat, Jolteon, and Aerodactyl). If you opt to use Protect over X-Scissor, an Impish nature should be used and the EVs in Attack should be transferred to Defense.</p>

<p>Slower, more physically inclined sweepers that can benefit from both Speed Boost and Swords Dance are the best teammates. Rhyperior, Mamoswine, Azumarill, and Heracross are all fantastic candidates for this. Since Drought has been banned, Sunny Day could also be used in the last slot with the held item Heat Rock. With a few Speed Boosts, Swords Dance, Sunny Day, and a Substitute, Victini becomes even scarier than before. Arcanine works in a similar way, but is generally inferior.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Ninjask certainly has a dearth of options other than those listed. U-turn is an interesting move that completely contradicts the set, as Ninjask loses any boosts upon switching out. Ninjask receives STAB on Aerial Ace, but it is only better than X-Scissor situationally. Toxic could be employed to catch a bulkier Pokemon as they switch in, but it struggles to find a place in the set. Hone Claws is almost always inferior to Swords Dance, and Final Gambit is a gimmicky option that has better users. Speaking of gimmicks, Ninjask could use a Mental Herb as a safeguard from Taunt, but since it can only protect benefit Ninjask once, it is really more of an a minor annoyance to your opponent than anything.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ninjask's FireRed and LeafGreen Pokedex entry reads, "This Pokémon is so quick, it is said to be able to avoid any attack". Unfortunately for the little guy, this couldn't be further from the truth. Ninjask struggles to pass any boosts at all when facing anything with Taunt, and Froslass in particular is a real problem. Priority-wielding Pokemon, especially things such as Donphan with Ice Shard, can become a real threat if you do not play your cards right. Bulkier walls are not to be dealt with by Ninjask; rather, it should Baton Pass to an actual threat as soon as possible. Perhaps the easiest way to counter Ninjask is through simply negating all of its hard work entirely; any form of phazing can quickly eliminate all the boosts Ninjask has racked up. Lastly, Shell Smash is, in most ways, a superior strategy that allows the user to render any boosts Ninjask can attain as rather unsubstantial.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Ninjask gets Infiltrator from the Dream World, which bypasses Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard. Besides the fact that it is unreleased, Ninjask prides itself on passing Speed Boosts, making Infiltrator worse than useless.</p>

Thanks fate! Changes implemented. Needing one more gp check!

'Cause it's Satur-Saturday, ain't nobody hesitate
Ehe, ehe, ehe, 'cause it's Satur-
'Cause it's Satur-Saturday, everybody wants to play
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GP 2/2

Oglemi, it's spelled "Cicada" :P

This fella is now completed! Thanks everyone!

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