Shedinja
[Overview]
<p> Though its abysmal stats might suggest otherwise, Shedinja is a viable choice for any team in the VGC metagame thanks to its exclusive ability, Wonder Guard, which protects it from all attacks that aren't super effective. Unfortunately, Wonder Guard doesn't protect Shedinja from passive damage in the form of status or weather, and in conjunction with the fact that it only has 1 HP at all times, this means that it is laughably easy to wipe Shedinja out if one has the required Pokemon on their team. Thus, it is somewhat of a gamble to use Shedinja, as it can become a dead weight in the blink of an eye. With careful planning and foresight, however, Shedinja is an effective tool against any opponent who lacks the weather and moves to hit it super effectively, and this merits its use on any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: X-Scissor / Bug Bite
move 2: Shadow Sneak / Shadow Claw
move 3: Protect
move 4: Sunny Day / Swords Dance / Will-O-Wisp
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry
nature: Lonely / Brave
ability: Wonder Guard
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
ivs: 11 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though Shedinja has a number of options available to it, it should only use physical attacks as it sports a dismal 30 base Special Attack stat. X-Scissor provides Shedinja with a strong STAB attack. Bug Bite can be very useful for removing annoying type-resist berries, but it comes with the downside of being weaker than X-Scissor. Shadow Sneak gives Shedinja a STAB priority attack, allowing it to finish off weakened foes. Protect is a must, because it allows Shedinja to scout the opponent's move, protecting it from a fatal blow while its teammate KOes the threat. The last move depends on Shedinja's teammates. If your team has enough control over the weather, you can run Swords Dance or Will-O-Wisp, both of which will help Shedinja deal with bulky Pokemon that would otherwise be troublesome for it. If you are afraid of an opponent switching in a Pokemon with Sand Stream or Snow Warning, however, Sunny Day is the better choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> The EV spread is very simple. 252 EVs in Attack and a boosting nature are used to maximize the power of Shedinja's attacks. The remaining EVs are put in Speed, since it is obviously a futile exercise to invest in Shedinja's defenses. A Lonely nature and 11 Defense IVs are used to ensure that Download users such as Porygon-Z do not get a Special Attack boost. However, if Shedinja is used in Trick Room, a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs are used. For an item, Focus Sash is preferred, as it allows Shedinja to survive one super effective hit, but it does not protect it from status, Leech Seed, or weather conditions. Lum Berry can be used if you are particularly wary of being burned or poisoned, but unless you are concerned with a very specific threat to Shedinja, Focus Sash covers a broader range of situations.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Ninetales and Politoed are very effective teammates for Shedinja, as their Dream World abliities allow them to remove harmful weather conditions. Golduck and Lickilicky are also good for this reason, as their Cloud Nine ability negates the effects of weather. Other useful teammates depend on what coverage your team needs. If you plan to use Shedinja, have at least one way of dealing with the following popular checks to Shedinja: Zapdos, Tyranitar, Abomasnow, Hippowdon, Chandelure, Infernape, Heatran, Garchomp, Ninetales, Rhyperior, Scrafty, Terrakion, Togekiss, and Weavile. Several other Pokemon, such as Hitmontop and Toxicroak, will generally only have Sucker Punch as a way to hurt Shedinja, and can thus be successfully played around with proper prediction.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Shedinja has a few other options for attacks, such as Night Slash instead of a Ghost-type attack. However, despite its superior type coverage, the lack of STAB, and priority, in the case of Shadow Sneak, make Night Slash an inferior choice in many situations. Sucker Punch is a reasonably powerful attack that has priority. However, because many opponents attempt to KO Shedinja through non-attacking means, Shadow Sneak is usually the better choice. Toxic can be used over Will-O-Wisp in order to damage Fire-type Pokemon that are immune to it; however, Will-O-Wisp carries the additional effect of halving your opponent's Attack stat, making it the superior option. Finally, a Choice Band set could be used, but it is much more vulnerable due to the fact that Shedinja does not carry Focus Sash, and cannot use Protect against unexpected moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As stated previously, one of the most effective ways to deal with Shedinja is to use a Pokemon with Sand Stream or Snow Warning, such as Tyranitar, Hippowdon, and Abomasnow. The former two also carry super effective moves, making them excellent counters. However, one must be wary of the opponents who possess the ability to change the weather into a non-damaging one, such as Ninetales and Politoed, or even negate it, such as Lickilicky. The more common way to deal with Shedinja would be to simply use a super effective attack. With the plethora of Pokemon in the VGC 2012 metagame that carry Dark-, Fire-, Ghost-, Rock-, and Flying-type attacks, countering Shedinja is not an especially hard thing to do. Thus, when building a team, ensure that you have a few ways of checking Shedinja without lowering the overall effectiveness of the team.</p>
