sup. so basically what i want to do in this analysis is make a point of stressing where and how ninjask should be used in a pretty decent amount of detail, and put a little less focus on the standard stuff. it's kinda unorthodox, but ninjask is a pretty unorthodox 'mon, and in a tier as priority-heavy as ru, i feel as though it should be made clear in the analysis that you don't just lead with it and pass off, etc. also i was planning on approaching this on the basis of using it as a quick-passer, but if anybody has a strong case for dedicated bp teams, then feel free to bring it up (otherwise i'll probably just give a nod to them in oo / ac mention mental herb). oh yeah, and offensive sd's out,
buggin'
[Overview]
<p>Despite its unique role, Ninjask struggles in RU for reasons both inherent to itself and to the tier as a whole. Ninjask's ability to passively acquire Speed boosts and Baton Pass them, along with any other secondary buffs acquired in the process, though not necessarily a simple task, immediately establishes a niche in the tier. Bug / Flying is a very unappealing typing defensively, possessing a series of weaknesses to common attacking types (as well as a dangerous Stealth Rock weakness), and 61 / 45 / 50 defenses aren't doing much to mitigate this issue. The inherently bulky nature of the metagame means that Speed boosts often aren't enough for a Pokemon to consistently sweep, meaning that Ninjask often has to either prioritize passing Swords Dance boosts (a role it doesn't perform nearly as well as that of a Speed passer) to a partner for it to apply the offensive pressure necessary to wear down the common defensive cores of the tier, or resign itself to use in the mid- to late-game in order to find a window in which its abilities become pertinent for a sweeper to effectively clean up.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the omnipresence of priority users, such as Entei, Kabutops, and Spiritomb, make both passing and receiving boosts a much more difficult task, forcing the Ninjask user to carefully plan their Baton Pass. Even after all that, there are still multi-hit move users and phazers that can almost completely stop any given Ninjask setup, often forcing it to reserve itself until mid-game to have any impact on the match. Ninjask is a very capable supporter of a plethora of potent Pokemon in RU, but in order to excel in this role, it requires significant support, proper prediction and judgment on the part of the user, and just a pinch of patience.</p>
[SET]
name: Base 160 Isn't Enough IMO
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Swords Dance / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Strictly speaking, this is the only set Ninjask should be running competitively. The concept behind this set is very simple on paper: utilize Protect and Substitute to safely acquire Speed boosts, then proceed to pass them off to the appropriate sweeper. Substitute serves a secondary purpose on this set as a buffer for both Ninjask and the recipient, protecting them from becoming compromised by status or Dragon Tail and Circle Throw, while also reducing the necessity for either to take strong hits. With that in mind, it is very rare that Ninjask has either the opportunity or the necessity to use anything other than its first three moves. However, the fourth move does offer Ninjask a degree of additional utility, and does somewhat affect how it plays. In terms of sheer potency, Swords Dance is far and away the most dangerous option—while it is very rare that Ninjask finds the opportunity to both set up a Swords Dance and bring in the proper recipient safely, the results can be devastating. On the other hand, while not nearly as threatening, Toxic is a useful and self-sufficient option for Ninjask. The cumulative chip damage Toxic provides not only synergizes nicely with the cycles of Substitute and Protect Ninjask commonly undergoes but can, at times, even force the opponent to switch out to preserve the poisoned Pokemon, which can open up a free turn for Ninjask to effectively pass off its boosts to a teammate safely.</p>
<p>As straightforward as this process appears in theory, it requires substantially more prediction on the part of the Ninjask user in practice. While you can very well get up to +6 Speed by constantly using Protect and Substitute in succession, this not only wastes much more of Ninjask's HP than probably necessary but is also incredibly predictable and very exploitable by a knowledgeable opponent. A very simple and effective method of keeping opponents on their toes is to avoid setting up to +6 except for in the most dire situations—it might sound odd to not acquire as many boosts as possible, but once Ninjask acquires all the Speed boosts it possibly can, it's left with nothing much else to do but attempt to Baton Pass, which makes it all the easier for the opponent to nail the switch-in with a powerful attack. It is very rare that a Pokemon needs all of those Speed boosts to outpace the entirety of the opponent's team; simply boosting to the necessary level both saves PP and HP for Ninjask and makes predicting the Baton Pass all the more difficult.</p>
<p>Moreover, it is important to note that having a Substitute up when Ninjask attempts the Baton Pass should hold priority over almost everything else, even if this means sacrificing an extra Speed boost or two in doing so. Having a Substitute active not only completely protects the Baton Pass recipient from everything barring multi-hit attacks and certain non-attacking moves that it might have otherwise struggled to switch into, but also gives it assurance against priority users and particularly fast Choice Scarf users afterwards, which effectively mitigates any Speed boosts the sweeper might have "lost" by forgoing the extra turns of boosting with Ninjask. While it isn't necessarily easy to maintain a Substitute, by mixing up the use of Protect and Substitute, rather than simply alternating between the two, Ninjask can do its recipient a much bigger favor than any extra one or two Speed boosts ever will. However, it should be noted that without users of phazing or multi-hit moves already disposed of, these boosts are practically forfeit, as such Pokemon can quickly neutralize Ninjask or its recipient.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Ninjask's physical bulk in order for it to better take on priority attacks, with a Timid nature and 16 Speed EVs ensuring that it outpaces Aerodactyl without a boost, as well as Unburden Hitmonlee at +1. In terms of item choice, Leftovers is often preferable, as the passive recovery not only allows Ninjask to produce more consecutive Substitutes, but also helps put it just outside the KO range of priority attacks, such as Entei's ExtremeSpeed, by using Protect when necessary. However, due to the fact that Ninjask very often only gets a single chance to set up, other items that can open up more opportunities aren't outside the realm of possibility. Lum Berry is one such example, as this allows Ninjask to more comfortably switch into defensively-inclined Pokemon, such as Clefable, Poliwrath, and Uxie, and proceed to accumulate boosts. Mental Herb gives Ninjask a chance to neutralize a single Taunt, allowing it to pick up a few more boosts against Pokemon such as Qwilfish, though the limited pool of effective Taunt users makes this a less consistently useful option than either Leftovers or Lum Berry.</p>
<p>As elaborated upon earlier, Ninjask has very little use for much beyond its first three moves, so its final moveslot can be effectively tinkered with to achieve different results depending on individual necessities. A STAB move, such as X-Scissor or Aerial Ace, while not realistically making Ninjask any less vulnerable to Taunt, does offer Ninjask a method of dealing damage, which can at times prove useful for picking off weakened Grass- and Fighting-types it can occasionally switch into. Roost is also technically a possibility, as it could potentially increase Ninjask's lifespan to the point where it could attempt to pass boosts a second time, but typically teams utilizing Ninjask are too fast-paced and offensive to want to extend the match this long.</p>
<p>Because Ninjask is almost entirely support-based in terms of its role, it is more important to focus on what benefits the most from its abilities first and foremost, rather than supporting it, when picking partners. The most appropriate partners for this role are those with high immediate power and the natural bulk and/or resistances necessary to comfortably stomach a priority move or even a weaker attack when switching in, with Ninjask's Speed boosts putting them comfortably outside the range of most Speed-reliant revenge killers. Ideally, these Pokemon should possess good defensive synergy with Ninjask in addition to possibly resisting common coverage options, as this makes predicting the Baton Pass more difficult and thereby dangerous. There are many options for this, which include Aggron, Crawdaunt, Druddigon, Durant, and Emboar, and it would be in one's best interest to utilize multiple recipients in order to diversify the potential threats to best suit various different match-ups. Kabutops should be given special acknowledgment in this role, as it provides the option of Rapid Spin to give Ninjask a bigger window to set up mid-game. Lastly, and while it might seem excessive, dual screens support is a very realistic option for Swords Dance variants of Ninjask—passing a Swords Dance boost in addition to the standard Speed boosts can very often be game-ending if executed properly, and thus very much worth the investment in dual screens. Uxie is the ideal partner for this role, as it can quickly set up screens, provide Stealth Rock support, and get out of the way via Memento, efficiently setting the stage for Ninjask to set up safely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With a Pokemon as single-minded and linear as Ninjask, expecting it to do anything more than its one designated job is optimistic to say the least. Options to try to make use of its abilities in an offensive manner, such as a Choice Band or offensive Swords Dance set, could be utilized to some extent, though in the end, Ninjask makes for a very mediocre sweeper on its own. Essentially, the one other option worth considering would be more a matter of context rather than a different move or set, and that would be using Ninjask on a dedicated Baton Pass team. While Ninjask is generally better off serving as a means of supporting a powerful sweeper, it does remain the single best Speed booster for dedicated Baton Pass teams, which makes it a staple on such formats. However, due to a variety of factors, including a noticeable lack of strong Baton Pass support and teammates, this strategy is typically inadvisable under most circumstances.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As Ninjask wears itself down to the point where it can be picked off by nearly anything while fulfilling its role, Pokemon that are capable of inhibiting it from successfully passing its boosts are the best counters. The most solid, as well as the most obvious, are phazers, as Pokemon such as Steelix and Mandibuzz are capable of completely preventing Ninjask from supporting its teammates. Contact-based phazing moves from Pokemon such as Druddigon and Poliwrath fall into this category, but their low PP, imperfect accuracy, and inability to phaze through Substitute make them substantially less effective. What's more, Haze Cryogonal can similarly neutralize Ninjask's boosts while also threatening it with a STAB Ice Beam, though its susceptibility to Toxic and inability to remove Substitute without attacking makes it possible to be played around. Qwilfish, being the premier Taunt user of the tier, is capable of restricting the number of boosts Ninjask can accumulate, as well as threatening to cripple the Baton Pass recipient with Thunder Wave if Ninjask fails to acquire a Substitute beforehand. Multi-hit move users, such as Cinccino, Crustle, Piloswine, and Rhydon, are capable of circumventing Substitute and hitting both Ninjask and the recipient hard. Stealth Rock is naturally inhibiting to Ninjask, as it shaves off half of its HP upon every switch-in, restricting it to only one opportunity to set up at best. Moreover, by simply applying consistent offensive pressure to Ninjask, it is put in a very difficult position to safely pass off its boosts to a sweeper.</p>
Code:
[I]To-Do List:[/I]
[LIST]
[*]Verify item / nature / move slashes+EV spread (why Jolly w/near-max speed, sash is practically useless, pretty sure grabbing an SD w/Ninjask is a little too optimistic most times, etc.) [✓]
[*]Incorporate more relevant partners, threats, etc., pretty old tbh (dtail steelix tho) [✓]
[*]Stress how to play, really [✓]
[*]chek [✓]
[*]writ [✓]
[*]chek2 [✓]
[/LIST]
buggin'
[Overview]
<p>Despite its unique role, Ninjask struggles in RU for reasons both inherent to itself and to the tier as a whole. Ninjask's ability to passively acquire Speed boosts and Baton Pass them, along with any other secondary buffs acquired in the process, though not necessarily a simple task, immediately establishes a niche in the tier. Bug / Flying is a very unappealing typing defensively, possessing a series of weaknesses to common attacking types (as well as a dangerous Stealth Rock weakness), and 61 / 45 / 50 defenses aren't doing much to mitigate this issue. The inherently bulky nature of the metagame means that Speed boosts often aren't enough for a Pokemon to consistently sweep, meaning that Ninjask often has to either prioritize passing Swords Dance boosts (a role it doesn't perform nearly as well as that of a Speed passer) to a partner for it to apply the offensive pressure necessary to wear down the common defensive cores of the tier, or resign itself to use in the mid- to late-game in order to find a window in which its abilities become pertinent for a sweeper to effectively clean up.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the omnipresence of priority users, such as Entei, Kabutops, and Spiritomb, make both passing and receiving boosts a much more difficult task, forcing the Ninjask user to carefully plan their Baton Pass. Even after all that, there are still multi-hit move users and phazers that can almost completely stop any given Ninjask setup, often forcing it to reserve itself until mid-game to have any impact on the match. Ninjask is a very capable supporter of a plethora of potent Pokemon in RU, but in order to excel in this role, it requires significant support, proper prediction and judgment on the part of the user, and just a pinch of patience.</p>
[SET]
name: Base 160 Isn't Enough IMO
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Swords Dance / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Strictly speaking, this is the only set Ninjask should be running competitively. The concept behind this set is very simple on paper: utilize Protect and Substitute to safely acquire Speed boosts, then proceed to pass them off to the appropriate sweeper. Substitute serves a secondary purpose on this set as a buffer for both Ninjask and the recipient, protecting them from becoming compromised by status or Dragon Tail and Circle Throw, while also reducing the necessity for either to take strong hits. With that in mind, it is very rare that Ninjask has either the opportunity or the necessity to use anything other than its first three moves. However, the fourth move does offer Ninjask a degree of additional utility, and does somewhat affect how it plays. In terms of sheer potency, Swords Dance is far and away the most dangerous option—while it is very rare that Ninjask finds the opportunity to both set up a Swords Dance and bring in the proper recipient safely, the results can be devastating. On the other hand, while not nearly as threatening, Toxic is a useful and self-sufficient option for Ninjask. The cumulative chip damage Toxic provides not only synergizes nicely with the cycles of Substitute and Protect Ninjask commonly undergoes but can, at times, even force the opponent to switch out to preserve the poisoned Pokemon, which can open up a free turn for Ninjask to effectively pass off its boosts to a teammate safely.</p>
<p>As straightforward as this process appears in theory, it requires substantially more prediction on the part of the Ninjask user in practice. While you can very well get up to +6 Speed by constantly using Protect and Substitute in succession, this not only wastes much more of Ninjask's HP than probably necessary but is also incredibly predictable and very exploitable by a knowledgeable opponent. A very simple and effective method of keeping opponents on their toes is to avoid setting up to +6 except for in the most dire situations—it might sound odd to not acquire as many boosts as possible, but once Ninjask acquires all the Speed boosts it possibly can, it's left with nothing much else to do but attempt to Baton Pass, which makes it all the easier for the opponent to nail the switch-in with a powerful attack. It is very rare that a Pokemon needs all of those Speed boosts to outpace the entirety of the opponent's team; simply boosting to the necessary level both saves PP and HP for Ninjask and makes predicting the Baton Pass all the more difficult.</p>
<p>Moreover, it is important to note that having a Substitute up when Ninjask attempts the Baton Pass should hold priority over almost everything else, even if this means sacrificing an extra Speed boost or two in doing so. Having a Substitute active not only completely protects the Baton Pass recipient from everything barring multi-hit attacks and certain non-attacking moves that it might have otherwise struggled to switch into, but also gives it assurance against priority users and particularly fast Choice Scarf users afterwards, which effectively mitigates any Speed boosts the sweeper might have "lost" by forgoing the extra turns of boosting with Ninjask. While it isn't necessarily easy to maintain a Substitute, by mixing up the use of Protect and Substitute, rather than simply alternating between the two, Ninjask can do its recipient a much bigger favor than any extra one or two Speed boosts ever will. However, it should be noted that without users of phazing or multi-hit moves already disposed of, these boosts are practically forfeit, as such Pokemon can quickly neutralize Ninjask or its recipient.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Ninjask's physical bulk in order for it to better take on priority attacks, with a Timid nature and 16 Speed EVs ensuring that it outpaces Aerodactyl without a boost, as well as Unburden Hitmonlee at +1. In terms of item choice, Leftovers is often preferable, as the passive recovery not only allows Ninjask to produce more consecutive Substitutes, but also helps put it just outside the KO range of priority attacks, such as Entei's ExtremeSpeed, by using Protect when necessary. However, due to the fact that Ninjask very often only gets a single chance to set up, other items that can open up more opportunities aren't outside the realm of possibility. Lum Berry is one such example, as this allows Ninjask to more comfortably switch into defensively-inclined Pokemon, such as Clefable, Poliwrath, and Uxie, and proceed to accumulate boosts. Mental Herb gives Ninjask a chance to neutralize a single Taunt, allowing it to pick up a few more boosts against Pokemon such as Qwilfish, though the limited pool of effective Taunt users makes this a less consistently useful option than either Leftovers or Lum Berry.</p>
<p>As elaborated upon earlier, Ninjask has very little use for much beyond its first three moves, so its final moveslot can be effectively tinkered with to achieve different results depending on individual necessities. A STAB move, such as X-Scissor or Aerial Ace, while not realistically making Ninjask any less vulnerable to Taunt, does offer Ninjask a method of dealing damage, which can at times prove useful for picking off weakened Grass- and Fighting-types it can occasionally switch into. Roost is also technically a possibility, as it could potentially increase Ninjask's lifespan to the point where it could attempt to pass boosts a second time, but typically teams utilizing Ninjask are too fast-paced and offensive to want to extend the match this long.</p>
<p>Because Ninjask is almost entirely support-based in terms of its role, it is more important to focus on what benefits the most from its abilities first and foremost, rather than supporting it, when picking partners. The most appropriate partners for this role are those with high immediate power and the natural bulk and/or resistances necessary to comfortably stomach a priority move or even a weaker attack when switching in, with Ninjask's Speed boosts putting them comfortably outside the range of most Speed-reliant revenge killers. Ideally, these Pokemon should possess good defensive synergy with Ninjask in addition to possibly resisting common coverage options, as this makes predicting the Baton Pass more difficult and thereby dangerous. There are many options for this, which include Aggron, Crawdaunt, Druddigon, Durant, and Emboar, and it would be in one's best interest to utilize multiple recipients in order to diversify the potential threats to best suit various different match-ups. Kabutops should be given special acknowledgment in this role, as it provides the option of Rapid Spin to give Ninjask a bigger window to set up mid-game. Lastly, and while it might seem excessive, dual screens support is a very realistic option for Swords Dance variants of Ninjask—passing a Swords Dance boost in addition to the standard Speed boosts can very often be game-ending if executed properly, and thus very much worth the investment in dual screens. Uxie is the ideal partner for this role, as it can quickly set up screens, provide Stealth Rock support, and get out of the way via Memento, efficiently setting the stage for Ninjask to set up safely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With a Pokemon as single-minded and linear as Ninjask, expecting it to do anything more than its one designated job is optimistic to say the least. Options to try to make use of its abilities in an offensive manner, such as a Choice Band or offensive Swords Dance set, could be utilized to some extent, though in the end, Ninjask makes for a very mediocre sweeper on its own. Essentially, the one other option worth considering would be more a matter of context rather than a different move or set, and that would be using Ninjask on a dedicated Baton Pass team. While Ninjask is generally better off serving as a means of supporting a powerful sweeper, it does remain the single best Speed booster for dedicated Baton Pass teams, which makes it a staple on such formats. However, due to a variety of factors, including a noticeable lack of strong Baton Pass support and teammates, this strategy is typically inadvisable under most circumstances.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As Ninjask wears itself down to the point where it can be picked off by nearly anything while fulfilling its role, Pokemon that are capable of inhibiting it from successfully passing its boosts are the best counters. The most solid, as well as the most obvious, are phazers, as Pokemon such as Steelix and Mandibuzz are capable of completely preventing Ninjask from supporting its teammates. Contact-based phazing moves from Pokemon such as Druddigon and Poliwrath fall into this category, but their low PP, imperfect accuracy, and inability to phaze through Substitute make them substantially less effective. What's more, Haze Cryogonal can similarly neutralize Ninjask's boosts while also threatening it with a STAB Ice Beam, though its susceptibility to Toxic and inability to remove Substitute without attacking makes it possible to be played around. Qwilfish, being the premier Taunt user of the tier, is capable of restricting the number of boosts Ninjask can accumulate, as well as threatening to cripple the Baton Pass recipient with Thunder Wave if Ninjask fails to acquire a Substitute beforehand. Multi-hit move users, such as Cinccino, Crustle, Piloswine, and Rhydon, are capable of circumventing Substitute and hitting both Ninjask and the recipient hard. Stealth Rock is naturally inhibiting to Ninjask, as it shaves off half of its HP upon every switch-in, restricting it to only one opportunity to set up at best. Moreover, by simply applying consistent offensive pressure to Ninjask, it is put in a very difficult position to safely pass off its boosts to a sweeper.</p>
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Base 160 Isn't Enough IMO (Don't make me change this pls ;-; )
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Swords Dance
item: Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Checks and Counters]
- passes speed boosts, yes sir
- though dedicated baton pass isn't a very effective strat in ru (mr.mime's the only anti-phazing option, your best bet at pressuring haze cryo is mawile, etc.), passing speed to a sweeper can still be pretty threatening if executed properly
- too bad priority is everywhere =(
- 4x sr weakness+the fact that nobody is going to give it free turns makes it rather difficult for ninjask to get a sub-protect cycle going to begin racking up speed boosts, and getting your recipient in safely is even worse (not hit by tspikes tho, which is cool, 'cuz that'd be awful for it '-' )
- if something had to be said for it, it would be that phazing isn't all that common (steelix, some torterra / drudd, 'wrath is takin' 50-50's for a while, lesser stuff like drap / mandibuzz), which means that it can pass boosts a little more liberally. oh, taunt is rare too
- definitely usable, but doing so requires tactful play, a solid amount of prediction, and a little patience
[SET]
name: Base 160 Isn't Enough IMO (Don't make me change this pls ;-; )
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Swords Dance
item: Leftovers
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- my name is ninjask, i am the fastest
- essentially ninjask's role is to come in, acquire as many speed boosts as necessary (stressing it doesn't need to exhaust 50+% of its HP to get to +6 when +2 or +3 will be sufficient), and pass them off, ideally with as little risk to the designated sweeper as possible (again, a short bit stating that continually protecting and subbing in loops is incredibly obvious and exploitable, better to mix it up and risk not assuredly getting your safe lefties recovery from protect when you could possibly be grabbing a free sub, etc.)
- toxic allows ninjask to get some secondary benefits from it's sub-protect cycles, getting some nice residual damage on a reasonable sum of 'mons
- sd is cool in that you could theoretically make a pretty ridiculous pass if given a free turn, though in application it isn't often that ninjask acquires enough opportunities for that
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- The EV spread is pretty straightforward. 240 HP minimizes SR damage (idk why 248 was being used, it still puts it at 325, so it was taking the same amount from basically everything but super fang '~' ), a timid nature+16 speed evs outpaces aerodactyl, +1 base 80's (notably 'tops, though occasional adamant medicham as well), etc. without a boost and outpaces hitmonlee post-unburden at +1 (so that it can come in after it activates its gem, protect for the boost, then sub down to pp stall stone if no return or simply incentivize it to go for non-stab attacks to make it riskier to try to predict when it'll pass), with the rest pooled into defense in order to buff it out against priority a little bit more (gives it a pretty good shot to survive 2 CB Entei ESpeeds after lefties recovery from a turn of protect, lo 'tops aqua jet hits for 33-40%, cb tomb's shadow sneak hits for about the same, etc.)
- item choice: lefties is typically better, only because the recovery it offers helps it jump just outside the ko range of some fairly relevant priority attacks (sub recovery isn't super important since it's uncommon that ninjask will get 2 set-up opps), lum berry is pretty clutch in that it gives ninjask a more comfortable switch into grass-types, in addition to giving it the option to switch into defensively-inclined 'mons like clefable and momo without getting compromised to a twave or toxic (though twave is way more important obv.). also, mental herb is cute is that in can grab ninjask an extra cycle of sub-protect v.taunt users if need be, though qwilfish is basically the only pertinent one
- if you're really feeling that ninjask needs to have some method of dealing damage, aerial ace is an option in the fourth slot (using a jolly nature > timid), since it hits grass- and fighting-types (ie.the most prominent things ninjask might have a chance of switching immediately into) for decent damage, but still pretty weak overall. also x-scissor, because honestly the extra bp is a pretty big deal with something as weak as ninjask :[
- ok, so partners. basically the ideal choices for this are just strong 'mons with enough natural bulk to be able to take on priority decently; having them be physically-based is also nice should you be running sd, and if can capitalize on the fact that the opposing 'mon is hard-pressed not to go for a fighting-, grass-, or ground-type attack, then that's all the better, since it makes predicting the pass (or rather not predicting it) significantly riskier
- durant, druddigon, crawdaunt, aggron, emboar etc. are all good. kabutops gets special acknowledgement at doing this fairly well in addition to offering spin support
- it can be a bit of a stretch at times, but screens support is nice if you're insistent on running sd, since passing something like a +2 / +3 to a drudd or something is just the game right there. usually uxie is optimal for this, since it just gets up sr and a screen or two and memento's out of the way
- ah
- use in a bp chain
- offensive set
- cb
- like, flash or something, make roar / random attacks less accurate?
[Checks and Counters]
- basically this means stopping / hindering it from passing, koing it just happens at one stage or another
- phazing is the obvious one, 'mons like steelix and whatnot sorta just inhibit it from doing things while they're still around. soft-phazing move users like poliwrath and druddigon are in the same boat, though the 90% acc. can ruin them at the worst times, and on top of that 'wrath has to constantly play 50-50's to make sure it doesn't circle throw on a sub and let something in for free
- in a similar boat, haze cryogonal can neutralize boosts ez while applying secondary pressure through ibeam. it can occasionally let a free sub-pass through assuming good prediction on the ninjask user's part
- multi-hit move users, cincinno, rhydon, and piloswine being noteworthy examples, can really inhibit ninjask, limiting ninjask to only a couple boosts and making it hard for the recipient to come in very safely
- qwilfish is capable of putting ninjask in a tough position, either taunting, and thereby totally incapacitating, ninjask, or simply crippling it or the proceeding switch-in with thunder wave
- sr is limiting it to, at best, 1 opportunity to pass, as well as putting in a much more comfortable range for priority users to pick it off
- constant offensive pressure can both limit ninjask's opportunities to switch in and restrict its ability to get its intended pass recipient in safely, which can ruin its entire strat
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