Gen 3 Shedinja (NU Revamp)

Oglemi

Borf
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https://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/pokemon/shedinja/

[Overview]

Shedinja is one of the coolest gimmicks in the game; unfortunately, the effort to make it work is generally not worth it. This holds especially true in NU where Spikes and Toxic rule the metagame, two things that instantly KO poor Shedinja. Considering the lack of Rapid Spin users not named Hitmonchan, who is utterly walled by Sableye, guaranteeing Spikes are off your side of the field to ensure Shedinja can even step up to the plate is a nightmare effort in itself. Not to mention the number of Pokemon that Shedinja can actually wall in NU is disappointingly low, as Fire-, Rock-, Ghost-, and Flying-type attacks are all very common coverage options (although, many Pokemon that Shedinja does wall are very dangerous sweepers, including the dreaded Huntail). With all of these things going against it, it's hard to justify building a team around Shedinja, especially when Sableye and Haunter are available and much better in many aspects.

[SET]
name: Wonder Bug
move 1: Swords Dance / Baton Pass
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Protect
item: Lum Berry
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- Due to the way move acquisition works for Shedinja, it's impossible to have any of Swords Dance, Agility, Screech, or Baton Pass together on the same set, which really lowers Shedinja's viability in itself
- That said, after a Swords Dance boost, Shedinja hits very, very hard considering its decent base 90 Attack
- Baton Pass is a good alternative that helps scout the opponent's answers to Shedinja and keep momentum
- Shadow Ball and HP Fighting get fantastic coverage together and hit the whole metagame for neutral damage at worst
- Protect allows Shedinja to scout for errant coverage moves and Toxics, allowing it to survive surprise attacks as they come its way

[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
- Lum Berry is needed to protect Shedinja from at least one Toxic or Will-O-Wisp. Other options like Focus Band and Quick Claw are just not reliable enough to be worth serious consideration
- Adamant is chosen to get the most out of Shedinja's decent Attack, Jolly hits no other significant Speed tier over max Speed Adamant
- HP Bug is an option to get a secondary STAB move, although Shedinja appreciates the great two-move coverage HP Fighting provides
- Some Pokemon Shedinja will typically totally wall, assuming they lack Toxic, includes Huntail, Wailord, Roselia, Mawile, Chimecho, Metang, and Pikachu. Make sure to keep this in mind when building your team around Shedinja.
- Shedinja absolutely requires Spikes to be gone in order to even get on the battlefield, making Rapid Spin support mandatory. Foresight Wartortle is the most reliable "guaranteed" Rapid Spin user in the tier, but it itself has major problems considering its low stats. Hitmonchan is the most reliable user and will get spins off through its offensive pressure, but it is completely walled by Sableye which can spell doom if not played around properly. Other Rapid Spin users to consider include Delibird, Anorith, and Staryu
- Also requires teammates to switch into Fire-, Flying-, Rock-, and Ghost-type attacks. Wartortle fits well here for being able to switch into most Fire- and Rock-types and attempting a spin. Other options include generally bulky teammates like Relicanth, Swalot, and Wailord

[Other Options]
- Agility
- Screech
- Silver Wind
- Thief, Toxic, Grudge
- Dig
- Fury Cutter

[Checks and Counters]
- Spikes, Toxic, Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp
- Relicanth
- Wailord (Roar, Toxic)
- Golbat, Pidgeot, Tropius
- Flareon
 

Fakes

I COULD BE BANNED!
Since most of the Pokemon able to hit Shedinja are neither Steel- nor Poison-types, Toxic should be "slashed" with HP Fighting in my opinion.

Pursuit, albeit super rare, should be mentioned in the Checks and Counters section and so should Diglett, even though it cannot take a hit.

I haven't had the opportunity to test it yet, but Pecha Berry could be mentioned alongside Lum Berry (or even replace it) since Will-o-Wisp is very uncommon and Paralysis can actually help Shedinja by granting it immunity to Toxic.
 

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