QC: p2 PK Gaming
[OVERVIEW]
* Shedinja completely walls many common threats like Pheromosa, Keldeo, Xurkitree, choice-locked Lando-T and Genesect.
* It can also wall Pokemon like Tapu Bulu lacking Stone Edge/Leech Seed, Tapu Koko lacking Brave Bird, Tapu Fini/Latios lacking HP Fire, Kartana lacking Night Slash and Toxapex running Toxic Spikes over Toxic.
* While Shedinja walls a lot of Pokemon, it doesn't do much to them in return, hence it is almost exclusively used on Stall. Other drawbacks are its glaring weakness to common offensive types like Fire and Dark, or the Ghost coverage often seen on Psychic pokemon.
* Using Shedinja also requires the player to have good knowledge about the metagame and common movesets because every mispredicted switches or coverage move result in it dying.
* Because of how specialized Shedinja is, it requires a rather formulaic team composition, which leaves not much space for variation, so teams can be rather predictable.
[SET]
name: Wonderwall
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Will-o-Wisp
item: Focus Sash
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 156 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Baton Pass lets you either switch out of a Pokemon that can threaten Shed, or slow-BP out of a Pokemon that you only have a CHECK for, opposed to a counter.
* Protect lets you stall Status turns, scout for coverage moves or abuse choiced Pokemon.
* Shadow Sneak is used both as a reliable priority move, to finish off weakened foes, and to hit enemies using Ditto against you.
* Will-o-Wisp cripples physical switchins and Pokemon immune to Toxic (which is a common status on the Stall teams Shedinja is used on).
Set Details
========
* Focus Sash can be used to take a hit in a pinch or save you if you mispredict enemy coverage moves. It also allows for free turns against certain dangerous mons.* Max attack investment makes sure Shedinja hits the things it walls, or the switchins (if status is already up/not needed) as hard as possible.
* 0 IVs in HP, Def and SpD are used for two reasons:
a) Everything that CAN hit it, will OHKO Shedinja, so it's not possible to increase bulk in any way.
b) Instead of just leaving IVs on default, reducing them like this ensures you will always win the 1v1 vs an enemy using Ditto against you (as long as Sash is still intact).
* IMPORTANT: Speed EVs should be reduced to be ONE point slower than that of threats your team has only checks but no counters for. This ensures you are able to slow-Baton Pass out of them into your check without it having to take a hit by hard-switching. Since this is completely team-dependant, there can be no "default" EV value given here; the suggested 156 Speed EVs are a good showcase on how to use this, making Shedinja 1 point slower than Clefable, letting you PP stall it by Baton Passing onto Dugtrio, which is one of Shedinja's prime teammates. This strategy also leaves you with guaranteed switch initiative once your opponent eventually switches.
* Since there is no use for the remaining EVs, they are left out. Putting them anywhere else will either not make a difference (HP), or make Shedinja perform worse (Def e.g.).
Usage Tips
========
* Switch it into Pokemon that can't touch it to completely stop momentum of the enemy team.
* Proceed to cripple switchins with status, or finish off low enemies with priority.
* Always be on the watch for Pursuit trappers, Hazards and Sand or Hail Setters, because those will kill Shedinja right away.
* If you are unsure of an enemy Pokemon running a coverage move that could harm Shed, scout for it with other Pokemon, or, if you bring it in via a Double Switch, with Protect.
Team Options
========
* Massive Hazard Control is needed because it dies if it switches in on hazards. Mega Sableye for Magic Bounce and 1-2 Defoggers like Skarmory, Zapdos, Mantine and Mandibuzz are mandatory.
* Status Sponges like Magic Guard Clef or Chansey are equally important, because just like Hazards, Shed dies to any residual damage from Toxic or Burn.
* Unaware Pokemon like Cleable or Quagsire are a good option, since a Pokemon that forces Shed out can use the free turn for a boosting move.
* Dugtrio is a premium partner because it lets you PP stall Clefable by slow Baton Passing onto it, and trapping Pokemon like Heatran that are troublesome for many Stall builds is invaluable.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* X-Scissor can be used over Shadow Sneak for more damage, but priority is usually preferred to net kills on weakened mons that can outspeed you, and it also doesn't hit Ditto.
* Swords Dance is an option over Baton Pass (SD and BP are illegal together), if you have other means of dealing with Clefable and don't need to slow BP to check threats.
* Toxic over WoW can be used if you ABSOLUTELY need a Toxic spreader on your team, but WoW is usually preferred because the Dark types like Bisharp that come in on Shedinja are more crippled by Burn than Toxic (if it affects them at all).
* Safety Goggles are an option if Hail and Sand teams are popular, because as long as the weather is active, Shedinja can't switch into any of the Pokemon it would usually wall. The only other way to remedy this would be to run a second check for everything Shedinja walls, and that would make Shedinja itself redundant.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Hail or Sand Setters**: As mentioned above, the residual damage from volatile weather will kill Shedinja if it stays in for a turn.
**Pursuit Trappers**: Not switching out the turn a Pursuit-trapper comes in, will result in Shedinja eventually dying on the switch.
**Toxic/Burn/Leech Seed users**: Just like weather, those status moves will OHKO Shedinja unless you click Baton Pass on the same turn; and even then, you need to use a Cleric to get rid of the Status before using Shedinja again.
**Entry Hazards**: Same concept as weather and status.
[OVERVIEW]
* Shedinja completely walls many common threats like Pheromosa, Keldeo, Xurkitree, choice-locked Lando-T and Genesect.
* It can also wall Pokemon like Tapu Bulu lacking Stone Edge/Leech Seed, Tapu Koko lacking Brave Bird, Tapu Fini/Latios lacking HP Fire, Kartana lacking Night Slash and Toxapex running Toxic Spikes over Toxic.
* While Shedinja walls a lot of Pokemon, it doesn't do much to them in return, hence it is almost exclusively used on Stall. Other drawbacks are its glaring weakness to common offensive types like Fire and Dark, or the Ghost coverage often seen on Psychic pokemon.
* Using Shedinja also requires the player to have good knowledge about the metagame and common movesets because every mispredicted switches or coverage move result in it dying.
* Because of how specialized Shedinja is, it requires a rather formulaic team composition, which leaves not much space for variation, so teams can be rather predictable.
[SET]
name: Wonderwall
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Protect
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Will-o-Wisp
item: Focus Sash
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 Atk / 156 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Baton Pass lets you either switch out of a Pokemon that can threaten Shed, or slow-BP out of a Pokemon that you only have a CHECK for, opposed to a counter.
* Protect lets you stall Status turns, scout for coverage moves or abuse choiced Pokemon.
* Shadow Sneak is used both as a reliable priority move, to finish off weakened foes, and to hit enemies using Ditto against you.
* Will-o-Wisp cripples physical switchins and Pokemon immune to Toxic (which is a common status on the Stall teams Shedinja is used on).
Set Details
========
* Focus Sash can be used to take a hit in a pinch or save you if you mispredict enemy coverage moves. It also allows for free turns against certain dangerous mons.* Max attack investment makes sure Shedinja hits the things it walls, or the switchins (if status is already up/not needed) as hard as possible.
* 0 IVs in HP, Def and SpD are used for two reasons:
a) Everything that CAN hit it, will OHKO Shedinja, so it's not possible to increase bulk in any way.
b) Instead of just leaving IVs on default, reducing them like this ensures you will always win the 1v1 vs an enemy using Ditto against you (as long as Sash is still intact).
* IMPORTANT: Speed EVs should be reduced to be ONE point slower than that of threats your team has only checks but no counters for. This ensures you are able to slow-Baton Pass out of them into your check without it having to take a hit by hard-switching. Since this is completely team-dependant, there can be no "default" EV value given here; the suggested 156 Speed EVs are a good showcase on how to use this, making Shedinja 1 point slower than Clefable, letting you PP stall it by Baton Passing onto Dugtrio, which is one of Shedinja's prime teammates. This strategy also leaves you with guaranteed switch initiative once your opponent eventually switches.
* Since there is no use for the remaining EVs, they are left out. Putting them anywhere else will either not make a difference (HP), or make Shedinja perform worse (Def e.g.).
Usage Tips
========
* Switch it into Pokemon that can't touch it to completely stop momentum of the enemy team.
* Proceed to cripple switchins with status, or finish off low enemies with priority.
* Always be on the watch for Pursuit trappers, Hazards and Sand or Hail Setters, because those will kill Shedinja right away.
* If you are unsure of an enemy Pokemon running a coverage move that could harm Shed, scout for it with other Pokemon, or, if you bring it in via a Double Switch, with Protect.
Team Options
========
* Massive Hazard Control is needed because it dies if it switches in on hazards. Mega Sableye for Magic Bounce and 1-2 Defoggers like Skarmory, Zapdos, Mantine and Mandibuzz are mandatory.
* Status Sponges like Magic Guard Clef or Chansey are equally important, because just like Hazards, Shed dies to any residual damage from Toxic or Burn.
* Unaware Pokemon like Cleable or Quagsire are a good option, since a Pokemon that forces Shed out can use the free turn for a boosting move.
* Dugtrio is a premium partner because it lets you PP stall Clefable by slow Baton Passing onto it, and trapping Pokemon like Heatran that are troublesome for many Stall builds is invaluable.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* X-Scissor can be used over Shadow Sneak for more damage, but priority is usually preferred to net kills on weakened mons that can outspeed you, and it also doesn't hit Ditto.
* Swords Dance is an option over Baton Pass (SD and BP are illegal together), if you have other means of dealing with Clefable and don't need to slow BP to check threats.
* Toxic over WoW can be used if you ABSOLUTELY need a Toxic spreader on your team, but WoW is usually preferred because the Dark types like Bisharp that come in on Shedinja are more crippled by Burn than Toxic (if it affects them at all).
* Safety Goggles are an option if Hail and Sand teams are popular, because as long as the weather is active, Shedinja can't switch into any of the Pokemon it would usually wall. The only other way to remedy this would be to run a second check for everything Shedinja walls, and that would make Shedinja itself redundant.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Hail or Sand Setters**: As mentioned above, the residual damage from volatile weather will kill Shedinja if it stays in for a turn.
**Pursuit Trappers**: Not switching out the turn a Pursuit-trapper comes in, will result in Shedinja eventually dying on the switch.
**Toxic/Burn/Leech Seed users**: Just like weather, those status moves will OHKO Shedinja unless you click Baton Pass on the same turn; and even then, you need to use a Cleric to get rid of the Status before using Shedinja again.
**Entry Hazards**: Same concept as weather and status.
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