"lol, shedinja in 2018."
QC: MAMP / Funbot28 / ScarfWynaut
GP: martha / Fireflame479
Shedinja
[OVERVIEW]
Shedinja's role in Balanced Hackmons is a unique one. Shedinja is hardcoded to always have its raw HP stat be 1. Because of this, Sturdy Shedinja can only be KOed by very few things, as it always has full HP, which allows Shedinja to survive almost any attack. Due to its low Speed stat in conjunction with the ability to survive almost any attack, Shedinja is able to provide momentum to the team against most Pokemon. This allows Shedinja's teammates to come onto the field for free. Shedinja's 1 HP also allows it to bring any non-Ghost-type Pokemon down to 1 HP with Endeavor, which is a fantastic asset for Shedinja, as it forces a lot of switches due to this. Most teams lack a reliable way to deal with a good team built around Shedinja as well, primarily relying on entry hazards or Mold Breaker without Pursuit to get around it. These ways to check Shedinja have multiple forms of counterplay on most teams built around it, allowing Shedinja to devastate opposing teams.
Despite these benefits of using Shedinja, it suffers from very exploitable weaknesses. Shedinja's 1 HP leaves it KOed by any form of passive damage such as hazards, status, and weather. Photon Geyser, Sunsteel Strike, and Moongeist Beam ignore abilities, meaning they bypass Sturdy and are able to KO Shedinja. These moves are common on many offensive Pokemon, including Mega Mewtwo X, Kartana, and Mega Gengar. Mold Breaker users can bypass Sturdy and KO Shedinja with any attack, and if the Mold Breaker Pokemon has Pursuit, it can ensure a KO on Shedinja due to it being KOed if it attempts to switch out. Due to these weaknesses, Shedinja requires a lot of support to use successfully, such as Magic Bounce support and hazard removal. In addition to the aforementioned team support, Shedinja requires a lot of scouting to avoid being surprised by the above checks and getting KOed.
[SET]
name: Pivot
move 1: Endeavor
move 2: Extreme Speed / Ice Shard
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Foresight / Pursuit
item: Protective Pads
ability: Sturdy
nature: Brave
evs: 252 Atk
ivs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Endeavor allows Shedinja to bring most Pokemon to 1 HP, automatically putting the opposing Pokemon in range of Shedinja's other offensive moves. Extreme Speed is used to finish the job, KOing every Pokemon after it has been hit by Endeavor, save for Poison Heal Zygarde-C. It also has a higher priority than Prankster, ensuring that Shedinja is able to KO Prankster Pokemon such as Registeel and Zygarde-C. Ice Shard can be used over Extreme Speed to KO Poison Heal Zygarde-C after Endeavor, but it fails to KO other defensive Pokemon such as Leftovers Registeel and Poison Heal Mega Audino. Ice Shard also has 48 PP, which can be useful in PP stalling scenarios. U-turn is used to allow Shedinja to gain momentum as well as chip the opposing Pokemon. It also has the use of avoiding Mold Breaker Pursuit if the Mold Breaker user switches in as Shedinja uses U-turn. Foresight allows Endeavor and Extreme Speed to hit non-Magic Bounce Ghost-types, making Shedinja more effective and enabling it to use Endeavor more freely. Pursuit is used to damage Pokemon that attempt to switch out on Shedinja. If the opponent attempts to switch their Pokemon out after an Endeavor, Pursuit is able to pick up a KO. In addition, Pursuit damages Imposter users fairly heavily if they ever decide to switch in.
Set Details
========
Sturdy grants Shedinja the ability to survive almost any attack as well as forcing a multitude of switches. Shedinja has its Speed minimized so it can avoid having its ability suppressed by as many Core Enforcer users as possible. In addition to this, minimum Speed investment allows Shedinja to have a slower U-turn, bringing in the Pokemon of choice safely most of the time. Protective Pads allows Shedinja to avoid Rocky Helmet and Spiky Shield damage, as well as preventing it from being poisoned by Baneful Bunker. 0 IVs in Defense and Special Defense allow it to make Imposter users as frail as possible, letting Shedinja deal more damage with Pursuit as well as letting teammates damage the Imposter user more heavily, wearing it down more quickly. A Brave nature allows Shedinja to be as strong as possible while being the slowest it can be.
Usage Tips
========
Endeavor should be used with caution, as it only has 8 PP and using it too liberally can drastically lower how much of a threat Shedinja is to the opposing team. Scout for Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser when facing offensive Pokemon before sending Shedinja in on them. Take care to scout for status-inducing moves such as Poison Fang and Will-O-Wisp, as they KO Shedinja the turn it gets statused. Be wary of sand and hail; make sure to scout for Pokemon with Sand Stream and Snow Warning before using anything other than U-turn on Shedinja. Make sure entry hazards are off the field at all times. U-turn has 32 PP, so it can be used liberally while also granting momentum.
Team Options
========
Shedinja necessitates Magic Bounce support due to it warding off status and entry hazards. Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Giratina, and Zygarde-C can all provide this support. Shedinja also requires hazard removal support, as 1 HP means it will automatically be KOed by any damaging hazard. Almost any defensive Pokemon can run Defog to help Shedinja. Shedinja appreciates Imposter Pokemon such as Chansey to scout moves that can harm Shedinja, such as Sunsteel Strike and Will-O-Wisp. Misty Surge Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Giratina can prevent Shedinja from being statused under Misty Terrain. Strong Pursuit users that can KO Imposter Pokemon, hit Ghost-types, and hit Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Gengar hard are all amazing options for Shedinja's teammates. Dark-types with Pursuit are useful in particular, as they resist or are immune to Photon Geyser and Moongeist Beam. Mega Gyarados resists Sunsteel Strike as well, making it an excellent partner to Shedinja. Pokemon that can beat Giratina such as Xerneas, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Gengar all enjoy the switches Shedinja forces, as when Shedinja uses U-turn, it can bring in one of these Pokemon for free. Wallbreakers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Diancie, and Mega Rayquaza all appreciate Shedinja's ability to force switches, as they are all able to capitalize on the vast majority of Ghost-types in the metagame. Defensive Pokemon such as Registeel, Giratina, and Zygarde-C are useful due to Shedinja breaking opposing walls for them, limiting the number of opposing defensive Pokemon that may be able to PP stall them. Toxic Spikes are useful, as it allows Shedinja to KO many Pokemon with just Endeavor, as poison finishes the job.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Spectral Thief can be run over Foresight to hit Ghost-types, steal boosts, and function as a move that deals overall good chip damage. However, Shedinja is weak, so Foresight is preferred, as it allows Shedinja to 2HKO Ghost-types with Endeavor into Extreme Speed. Shedinja also needs its other three moveslots, so Spectral Thief is generally difficult to fit onto the set. Shedinja can opt to run Pain Split over Endeavor, which allows it to halve the HP of every Pokemon as well as hitting Ghost-types without the use of Foresight. Pain Split also avoids contact and has more PP, so it can be used more freely. However, this is a lot slower for KOing Pokemon, and Shedinja is often running Protective Pads anyway, so Endeavor is the preferred move. Shedinja can run Safety Goggles to be immune to weather damage and Spore, but it appreciates Protective Pads more. Shedinja can run Lum Berry to have a safeguard against status, but this only works once and you can run Misty Surge on your teammates for a more reliable status immunity. Shedinja should use Recycle to recover its Lum Berry, but Shedinja doesn't enjoy losing any of its four moves for Recycle. Make sure to use Ice Shard while holding Lum Berry, as it avoids making contact, so Shedinja does not make contact with Rocky Helmet, Baneful Bunker, and Spiky Shield users. In addition, run Baton Pass over U-turn if Shedinja holds a Lum Berry for another way to prevent contact.
Shedinja can use a Magic Guard set to be immune to weather and status, but it is forced to use Focus Sash and cannot function as effectively due to having to continually use Recycle or surviving only two hits if it does not. Shedinja can run a Pixilate set to hit Ghost-types with Endeavor without prediction, but most Pokemon do not hesitate to use U-turn against Shedinja so its Focus Sash will be consumed very quickly, and it cannot do anything aside from claim one surprise KO in specific matchups. Shedinja can function as a quite effective Stealth Rock setter due to it forcing out every Magic Bounce user aside from Giratina, but as previously mentioned, it already has four-moveslot syndrome. Shedinja can run Baneful Bunker over Foresight to scout for Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser, as well as poisoning Pokemon that use U-turn. However, it's difficult to drop any of the four other moves in the set to make room for Baneful Bunker. Shedinja can run Safeguard to make itself and its teammates immune to status for a short duration, but it generally isn't worth a moveslot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Moves That Ignore Abilities**: Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser all KO Shedinja and can surprise it from any offensive Pokemon. For this reason, it's crucial to scout for these moves and potentially stall them out if necessary using Shedinja's teammates.
**Mold Breaker**: Mold Breaker attacks bypass Sturdy, so they OHKO Shedinja. Fortunately, Mold Breaker announces itself,(AC) so unless the Mold Breaker user has Pursuit, Shedinja can simply switch out. However, if Mold Breaker Pokemon have Pursuit, Shedinja has no viable way to beat them and inevitably will get KOed.
**Status**: If Shedinja is burned or poisoned, it will get KOed unless Shedinja holds a Lum Berry. It is recommended to scout for status. However, Shedinja can avoid being statused with Misty Surge support.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types can switch in on an Endeavor if necessary, and if Shedinja lacks Foresight, they can cause Shedinja trouble. Giratina in particular deserves a special mention, as even if Shedinja has Spectral Thief, Giratina is bulky enough to not get 2HKOed by it.
**Sand and Hail**: Sand and hail KO non-Safety Goggles Shedinja. There is no way for Shedinja to beat these two weathers other than Safety Goggles, so it is recommended that you KO their setter as early as possible using other teammates. Fortunately, these two weathers are relatively uncommon in the metagame.
QC: MAMP / Funbot28 / ScarfWynaut
GP: martha / Fireflame479
[OVERVIEW]
Shedinja's role in Balanced Hackmons is a unique one. Shedinja is hardcoded to always have its raw HP stat be 1. Because of this, Sturdy Shedinja can only be KOed by very few things, as it always has full HP, which allows Shedinja to survive almost any attack. Due to its low Speed stat in conjunction with the ability to survive almost any attack, Shedinja is able to provide momentum to the team against most Pokemon. This allows Shedinja's teammates to come onto the field for free. Shedinja's 1 HP also allows it to bring any non-Ghost-type Pokemon down to 1 HP with Endeavor, which is a fantastic asset for Shedinja, as it forces a lot of switches due to this. Most teams lack a reliable way to deal with a good team built around Shedinja as well, primarily relying on entry hazards or Mold Breaker without Pursuit to get around it. These ways to check Shedinja have multiple forms of counterplay on most teams built around it, allowing Shedinja to devastate opposing teams.
Despite these benefits of using Shedinja, it suffers from very exploitable weaknesses. Shedinja's 1 HP leaves it KOed by any form of passive damage such as hazards, status, and weather. Photon Geyser, Sunsteel Strike, and Moongeist Beam ignore abilities, meaning they bypass Sturdy and are able to KO Shedinja. These moves are common on many offensive Pokemon, including Mega Mewtwo X, Kartana, and Mega Gengar. Mold Breaker users can bypass Sturdy and KO Shedinja with any attack, and if the Mold Breaker Pokemon has Pursuit, it can ensure a KO on Shedinja due to it being KOed if it attempts to switch out. Due to these weaknesses, Shedinja requires a lot of support to use successfully, such as Magic Bounce support and hazard removal. In addition to the aforementioned team support, Shedinja requires a lot of scouting to avoid being surprised by the above checks and getting KOed.
[SET]
name: Pivot
move 1: Endeavor
move 2: Extreme Speed / Ice Shard
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Foresight / Pursuit
item: Protective Pads
ability: Sturdy
nature: Brave
evs: 252 Atk
ivs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Endeavor allows Shedinja to bring most Pokemon to 1 HP, automatically putting the opposing Pokemon in range of Shedinja's other offensive moves. Extreme Speed is used to finish the job, KOing every Pokemon after it has been hit by Endeavor, save for Poison Heal Zygarde-C. It also has a higher priority than Prankster, ensuring that Shedinja is able to KO Prankster Pokemon such as Registeel and Zygarde-C. Ice Shard can be used over Extreme Speed to KO Poison Heal Zygarde-C after Endeavor, but it fails to KO other defensive Pokemon such as Leftovers Registeel and Poison Heal Mega Audino. Ice Shard also has 48 PP, which can be useful in PP stalling scenarios. U-turn is used to allow Shedinja to gain momentum as well as chip the opposing Pokemon. It also has the use of avoiding Mold Breaker Pursuit if the Mold Breaker user switches in as Shedinja uses U-turn. Foresight allows Endeavor and Extreme Speed to hit non-Magic Bounce Ghost-types, making Shedinja more effective and enabling it to use Endeavor more freely. Pursuit is used to damage Pokemon that attempt to switch out on Shedinja. If the opponent attempts to switch their Pokemon out after an Endeavor, Pursuit is able to pick up a KO. In addition, Pursuit damages Imposter users fairly heavily if they ever decide to switch in.
Set Details
========
Sturdy grants Shedinja the ability to survive almost any attack as well as forcing a multitude of switches. Shedinja has its Speed minimized so it can avoid having its ability suppressed by as many Core Enforcer users as possible. In addition to this, minimum Speed investment allows Shedinja to have a slower U-turn, bringing in the Pokemon of choice safely most of the time. Protective Pads allows Shedinja to avoid Rocky Helmet and Spiky Shield damage, as well as preventing it from being poisoned by Baneful Bunker. 0 IVs in Defense and Special Defense allow it to make Imposter users as frail as possible, letting Shedinja deal more damage with Pursuit as well as letting teammates damage the Imposter user more heavily, wearing it down more quickly. A Brave nature allows Shedinja to be as strong as possible while being the slowest it can be.
Usage Tips
========
Endeavor should be used with caution, as it only has 8 PP and using it too liberally can drastically lower how much of a threat Shedinja is to the opposing team. Scout for Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser when facing offensive Pokemon before sending Shedinja in on them. Take care to scout for status-inducing moves such as Poison Fang and Will-O-Wisp, as they KO Shedinja the turn it gets statused. Be wary of sand and hail; make sure to scout for Pokemon with Sand Stream and Snow Warning before using anything other than U-turn on Shedinja. Make sure entry hazards are off the field at all times. U-turn has 32 PP, so it can be used liberally while also granting momentum.
Team Options
========
Shedinja necessitates Magic Bounce support due to it warding off status and entry hazards. Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Giratina, and Zygarde-C can all provide this support. Shedinja also requires hazard removal support, as 1 HP means it will automatically be KOed by any damaging hazard. Almost any defensive Pokemon can run Defog to help Shedinja. Shedinja appreciates Imposter Pokemon such as Chansey to scout moves that can harm Shedinja, such as Sunsteel Strike and Will-O-Wisp. Misty Surge Pokemon such as Zygarde-C and Giratina can prevent Shedinja from being statused under Misty Terrain. Strong Pursuit users that can KO Imposter Pokemon, hit Ghost-types, and hit Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Gengar hard are all amazing options for Shedinja's teammates. Dark-types with Pursuit are useful in particular, as they resist or are immune to Photon Geyser and Moongeist Beam. Mega Gyarados resists Sunsteel Strike as well, making it an excellent partner to Shedinja. Pokemon that can beat Giratina such as Xerneas, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Gengar all enjoy the switches Shedinja forces, as when Shedinja uses U-turn, it can bring in one of these Pokemon for free. Wallbreakers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Diancie, and Mega Rayquaza all appreciate Shedinja's ability to force switches, as they are all able to capitalize on the vast majority of Ghost-types in the metagame. Defensive Pokemon such as Registeel, Giratina, and Zygarde-C are useful due to Shedinja breaking opposing walls for them, limiting the number of opposing defensive Pokemon that may be able to PP stall them. Toxic Spikes are useful, as it allows Shedinja to KO many Pokemon with just Endeavor, as poison finishes the job.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Spectral Thief can be run over Foresight to hit Ghost-types, steal boosts, and function as a move that deals overall good chip damage. However, Shedinja is weak, so Foresight is preferred, as it allows Shedinja to 2HKO Ghost-types with Endeavor into Extreme Speed. Shedinja also needs its other three moveslots, so Spectral Thief is generally difficult to fit onto the set. Shedinja can opt to run Pain Split over Endeavor, which allows it to halve the HP of every Pokemon as well as hitting Ghost-types without the use of Foresight. Pain Split also avoids contact and has more PP, so it can be used more freely. However, this is a lot slower for KOing Pokemon, and Shedinja is often running Protective Pads anyway, so Endeavor is the preferred move. Shedinja can run Safety Goggles to be immune to weather damage and Spore, but it appreciates Protective Pads more. Shedinja can run Lum Berry to have a safeguard against status, but this only works once and you can run Misty Surge on your teammates for a more reliable status immunity. Shedinja should use Recycle to recover its Lum Berry, but Shedinja doesn't enjoy losing any of its four moves for Recycle. Make sure to use Ice Shard while holding Lum Berry, as it avoids making contact, so Shedinja does not make contact with Rocky Helmet, Baneful Bunker, and Spiky Shield users. In addition, run Baton Pass over U-turn if Shedinja holds a Lum Berry for another way to prevent contact.
Shedinja can use a Magic Guard set to be immune to weather and status, but it is forced to use Focus Sash and cannot function as effectively due to having to continually use Recycle or surviving only two hits if it does not. Shedinja can run a Pixilate set to hit Ghost-types with Endeavor without prediction, but most Pokemon do not hesitate to use U-turn against Shedinja so its Focus Sash will be consumed very quickly, and it cannot do anything aside from claim one surprise KO in specific matchups. Shedinja can function as a quite effective Stealth Rock setter due to it forcing out every Magic Bounce user aside from Giratina, but as previously mentioned, it already has four-moveslot syndrome. Shedinja can run Baneful Bunker over Foresight to scout for Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser, as well as poisoning Pokemon that use U-turn. However, it's difficult to drop any of the four other moves in the set to make room for Baneful Bunker. Shedinja can run Safeguard to make itself and its teammates immune to status for a short duration, but it generally isn't worth a moveslot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Moves That Ignore Abilities**: Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, and Photon Geyser all KO Shedinja and can surprise it from any offensive Pokemon. For this reason, it's crucial to scout for these moves and potentially stall them out if necessary using Shedinja's teammates.
**Mold Breaker**: Mold Breaker attacks bypass Sturdy, so they OHKO Shedinja. Fortunately, Mold Breaker announces itself,(AC) so unless the Mold Breaker user has Pursuit, Shedinja can simply switch out. However, if Mold Breaker Pokemon have Pursuit, Shedinja has no viable way to beat them and inevitably will get KOed.
**Status**: If Shedinja is burned or poisoned, it will get KOed unless Shedinja holds a Lum Berry. It is recommended to scout for status. However, Shedinja can avoid being statused with Misty Surge support.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types can switch in on an Endeavor if necessary, and if Shedinja lacks Foresight, they can cause Shedinja trouble. Giratina in particular deserves a special mention, as even if Shedinja has Spectral Thief, Giratina is bulky enough to not get 2HKOed by it.
**Sand and Hail**: Sand and hail KO non-Safety Goggles Shedinja. There is no way for Shedinja to beat these two weathers other than Safety Goggles, so it is recommended that you KO their setter as early as possible using other teammates. Fortunately, these two weathers are relatively uncommon in the metagame.
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