[Overview]
<p>Let it be said that Shedinja is unlike any other Pokemon in the game. Its unique ability, Wonder Guard, completely negates the damage from all moves that aren't super effective. This means that Shedinja has the ability to wall a great number of Pokemon, particularly a majority of Water-, Grass-, and Electric-types, as well as those Pokemon equipped with a Choice item. Unfortunately, the good news ends there. Shedinja has a grand total of 1 HP, meaning that any attack that can hit it will OHKO the undead bug. Shedinja's greatest fear, however, is passive damage. Entry hazards, sandstorm, hail, damaging status conditions, and Leech Seed will all bring a swift end to Shedinja. Its weakness to Pursuit is somewhat mitigated by Team Preview; the Shedinja user is able to determine whether the opponent has a Pokemon that commonly carries Pursuit, and can proceed to eliminate said Pokemon before bringing Shedinja in. Therefore, Shedinja must rely heavily on the support of its teammates in order to reach its maximum potential. It can't be fit onto just any team; on the contrary, Shedinja is a Pokemon that entire teams are built around.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Protect
move 3: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Shedinja's best method of securing itself a sweep. Despite having terrible stats across the board, Shedinja actually has a decent Attack stat, which can be further boosted by Swords Dance. The best way to use Shedinja is as a late-game sweeper. That's not to say that Shedinja is only useful towards the end of the match; it can easily be brought in on foes that can't touch it and proceed to burn the switch-in with Will-O-Wisp. The end result is that the opponent will often end up with half of their team burned, allowing Shedinja's teammates to more easily remove these Pokemon that are able to KO Shedinja, securing a late-game sweep with the husk from hell.</p>
<p>Swords Dance lets Shedinja boost its Attack stat to an impressive 612 in a single turn. Why stop there though? If played well, Shedinja can often net itself two or even three Swords Dance boosts. At that point, even Pokemon that resist Shedinja's moves will be hard pressed to stay alive. Will-O-Wisp lets Shedinja support its team and slowly sap the health of its counters. Another option in the second slot is Protect, which allows Shedinja to scout whether the opponent has an unorthodox move on a Pokemon that normally couldn't hit Shedinja, and make sure that said Pokemon is eliminated before Shedinja begins its sweep. To bypass its low Speed, Shedinja has access to two priority moves. Shadow Sneak is generally the most reliable, as it has high PP and will always hit the opponent, regardless of whether they decide to attack Shedinja or not. Sucker Punch possesses a higher Base Power, but fails completely if the opponent uses a move that doesn't deal damage. Finally, X-Scissor is Shedinja's most powerful STAB move, and can often KO the many Grass-types in the RU tier without the need to set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Focus Sash is the preferred item for Shedinja. Simply put, it gives Shedinja an extra chance of a sweep in case it gets hit by an unexpected move. Alternatively, the Shedinja user can use it to absorb a move that would normally KO Shedinja, such as Shadow Ball from Rotom, and set up a Swords Dance, thus letting it KO the opposing Pokemon with a boosted priority move. Lum Berry works in a similar way. Instead of protecting Shedinja against an opponent's attack, it allows Shedinja to scout whether the opponent will use Toxic or a Will-O-Wisp of their own against Shedinja. The EVs are very simple: Shedinja gains nothing by investing in its bulk, as any move that can hit it for super effective damage will KO it, so the only stats of note are Attack and Speed. A Lonely nature and 0 Defense IVs are used to ensure that Porygon-Z's Download ability boosts its Attack stat rather than its Special Attack stat.</p>
<p>It should be obvious that Shedinja depends on its teammates more than any other Pokemon in the game. The most important teammate for Shedinja is a Rapid Spinner. Entry hazards ignore the safety net that Focus Sash casts around Shedinja, so it's absolutely vital that entry hazards are absent from your side of the field at all times. Therefore, reliable Rapid Spinners such as Kabutops, who can pound Ghost-types into the ground with a powerful Stone Edge and then proceed to spin, are extremely useful. Claydol takes negligible damage from entry hazards, but generally needs to be accompanied by a Pursuit user, as it usually lacks any means of harming Ghost-types. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan can use the Foresight + Rapid Spin combo, almost guaranteeing a successful spin. Shedinja also has a lot of difficulty dealing with Steel-types, as its STAB moves can barely scratch them, even when boosted. Consequently, trappers such as Dugtrio and Magneton can prove to be great assets to Shedinja. Last but not least, Snover can summon infinite hail that will instantly KO Shedinja. Therefore, teammates that can set up Rain Dance or Sunny Day are recommended. Moltres is very deadly with a SunnyBeam set, and also appreciates the Rapid Spin support that Shedinja will inevitably have.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As far as attacking moves go, Shedinja can use Shadow Claw, Aerial Ace, Dig, Return, and Giga Impact. Shadow Claw is inferior to the listed chosen attacking moves, as Shadow Sneak has priority and X-Scissor already deals with bulky Psychic-types. Aerial Ace presents no notable coverage and is rather weak, whereas Dig may seem useful due to its ability to hit Steel-types, but requires two turns to use, by which time the opponent can switch in something resistant or immune to it. Return is reasonably powerful, but does nothing to help Shedinja's problem against with Steel-types. Giga Impact is a terrible move competitivly, and is only listed here because it's Shedinja's most powerful attack. There are two more sets Shedinja can run: a Trick + Choice Band set and a dedicated Hone Claws Baton Passing set. The second is arguably more useful, allowing Shedinja to Baton Pass pass boosts to Pokemon with high power moves that have low accuracy, or to Hustle users such as Zweilous.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fire-, Flying-, Rock-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves will all OHKO Shedinja. Entry hazards will ignore Focus Sash and Wonder Guard, as do Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Leech Seed, hail, and sandstorm. The easiest way to eliminate Shedinja is with a Pursuit user such as Krookodile, but Team Preview can help prevent this by clever play on the part of the Shedinja user. Snover can KO Shedinja by merely by switching into it. Aggron and other Steel-types with high Defense take next to nothing from Shedinja's STAB moves and can outspeed and KO the little bugger, although they do have to watch out for Will-O-Wisp. Fire-types such as Moltres and Entei can switch into Shedinja with impunity, as they're immune to Will-O-Wisp, resist X-Scissor, and take very little damage from an unboosted Shadow Sneak.</p>
<p>Let it be said that Shedinja is unlike any other Pokemon in the game. Its unique ability, Wonder Guard, completely negates the damage from all moves that aren't super effective. This means that Shedinja has the ability to wall a great number of Pokemon, particularly a majority of Water-, Grass-, and Electric-types, as well as those Pokemon equipped with a Choice item. Unfortunately, the good news ends there. Shedinja has a grand total of 1 HP, meaning that any attack that can hit it will OHKO the undead bug. Shedinja's greatest fear, however, is passive damage. Entry hazards, sandstorm, hail, damaging status conditions, and Leech Seed will all bring a swift end to Shedinja. Its weakness to Pursuit is somewhat mitigated by Team Preview; the Shedinja user is able to determine whether the opponent has a Pokemon that commonly carries Pursuit, and can proceed to eliminate said Pokemon before bringing Shedinja in. Therefore, Shedinja must rely heavily on the support of its teammates in order to reach its maximum potential. It can't be fit onto just any team; on the contrary, Shedinja is a Pokemon that entire teams are built around.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Protect
move 3: Shadow Sneak / Sucker Punch
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Shedinja's best method of securing itself a sweep. Despite having terrible stats across the board, Shedinja actually has a decent Attack stat, which can be further boosted by Swords Dance. The best way to use Shedinja is as a late-game sweeper. That's not to say that Shedinja is only useful towards the end of the match; it can easily be brought in on foes that can't touch it and proceed to burn the switch-in with Will-O-Wisp. The end result is that the opponent will often end up with half of their team burned, allowing Shedinja's teammates to more easily remove these Pokemon that are able to KO Shedinja, securing a late-game sweep with the husk from hell.</p>
<p>Swords Dance lets Shedinja boost its Attack stat to an impressive 612 in a single turn. Why stop there though? If played well, Shedinja can often net itself two or even three Swords Dance boosts. At that point, even Pokemon that resist Shedinja's moves will be hard pressed to stay alive. Will-O-Wisp lets Shedinja support its team and slowly sap the health of its counters. Another option in the second slot is Protect, which allows Shedinja to scout whether the opponent has an unorthodox move on a Pokemon that normally couldn't hit Shedinja, and make sure that said Pokemon is eliminated before Shedinja begins its sweep. To bypass its low Speed, Shedinja has access to two priority moves. Shadow Sneak is generally the most reliable, as it has high PP and will always hit the opponent, regardless of whether they decide to attack Shedinja or not. Sucker Punch possesses a higher Base Power, but fails completely if the opponent uses a move that doesn't deal damage. Finally, X-Scissor is Shedinja's most powerful STAB move, and can often KO the many Grass-types in the RU tier without the need to set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Focus Sash is the preferred item for Shedinja. Simply put, it gives Shedinja an extra chance of a sweep in case it gets hit by an unexpected move. Alternatively, the Shedinja user can use it to absorb a move that would normally KO Shedinja, such as Shadow Ball from Rotom, and set up a Swords Dance, thus letting it KO the opposing Pokemon with a boosted priority move. Lum Berry works in a similar way. Instead of protecting Shedinja against an opponent's attack, it allows Shedinja to scout whether the opponent will use Toxic or a Will-O-Wisp of their own against Shedinja. The EVs are very simple: Shedinja gains nothing by investing in its bulk, as any move that can hit it for super effective damage will KO it, so the only stats of note are Attack and Speed. A Lonely nature and 0 Defense IVs are used to ensure that Porygon-Z's Download ability boosts its Attack stat rather than its Special Attack stat.</p>
<p>It should be obvious that Shedinja depends on its teammates more than any other Pokemon in the game. The most important teammate for Shedinja is a Rapid Spinner. Entry hazards ignore the safety net that Focus Sash casts around Shedinja, so it's absolutely vital that entry hazards are absent from your side of the field at all times. Therefore, reliable Rapid Spinners such as Kabutops, who can pound Ghost-types into the ground with a powerful Stone Edge and then proceed to spin, are extremely useful. Claydol takes negligible damage from entry hazards, but generally needs to be accompanied by a Pursuit user, as it usually lacks any means of harming Ghost-types. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan can use the Foresight + Rapid Spin combo, almost guaranteeing a successful spin. Shedinja also has a lot of difficulty dealing with Steel-types, as its STAB moves can barely scratch them, even when boosted. Consequently, trappers such as Dugtrio and Magneton can prove to be great assets to Shedinja. Last but not least, Snover can summon infinite hail that will instantly KO Shedinja. Therefore, teammates that can set up Rain Dance or Sunny Day are recommended. Moltres is very deadly with a SunnyBeam set, and also appreciates the Rapid Spin support that Shedinja will inevitably have.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As far as attacking moves go, Shedinja can use Shadow Claw, Aerial Ace, Dig, Return, and Giga Impact. Shadow Claw is inferior to the listed chosen attacking moves, as Shadow Sneak has priority and X-Scissor already deals with bulky Psychic-types. Aerial Ace presents no notable coverage and is rather weak, whereas Dig may seem useful due to its ability to hit Steel-types, but requires two turns to use, by which time the opponent can switch in something resistant or immune to it. Return is reasonably powerful, but does nothing to help Shedinja's problem against with Steel-types. Giga Impact is a terrible move competitivly, and is only listed here because it's Shedinja's most powerful attack. There are two more sets Shedinja can run: a Trick + Choice Band set and a dedicated Hone Claws Baton Passing set. The second is arguably more useful, allowing Shedinja to Baton Pass pass boosts to Pokemon with high power moves that have low accuracy, or to Hustle users such as Zweilous.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fire-, Flying-, Rock-, Dark-, and Ghost-type moves will all OHKO Shedinja. Entry hazards will ignore Focus Sash and Wonder Guard, as do Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Leech Seed, hail, and sandstorm. The easiest way to eliminate Shedinja is with a Pursuit user such as Krookodile, but Team Preview can help prevent this by clever play on the part of the Shedinja user. Snover can KO Shedinja by merely by switching into it. Aggron and other Steel-types with high Defense take next to nothing from Shedinja's STAB moves and can outspeed and KO the little bugger, although they do have to watch out for Will-O-Wisp. Fire-types such as Moltres and Entei can switch into Shedinja with impunity, as they're immune to Will-O-Wisp, resist X-Scissor, and take very little damage from an unboosted Shadow Sneak.</p>
