What is a good moveset for Shedinja?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Shedinja, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Shedinja Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

• Shadow Sneak
• Swords Dance
• Confuse Ray/Will-O-Wisp/Giga Impact
• X-Scissor

Shadow sneak gives him priority while he sets up with swords dance. He's great for coming in on Outrage from those pesky dragons. Confuse ray and Will-O-Wisp offer Status on the opponent, and giga impact, while not a good moce competitively, makes a nice last resort if you know he's gonna go down. X-Scissor offers some more reliable STAB.

Comments

One will-o-wisp is all it takes to make it faint

Answer 2

Here is the Shedinja I use commonly:

Shedinja @Focus Sash

Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature:( -SpA, +Atk)

• Swords Dance
• X-Scissor
• Shadow Claw
• Sucker Punch

-Mike

Answer 3

Shedinja @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 6 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk,-SpA)

• Shadow Sneak
• X-Scissor
• Swords Dance
• Endure

The best way to use this is to switch Shedinja out into something you know can't hurt it, like something with a Choice item. When the foe switchs out, that's when you Swords Dance. Then when they use their Super-Effective move, you use Endure to active the Weakness Policy. Now you attempt to sweep with your +4 STAB Shadow Sneak. If they switch into a Normal-type though, this strategy's pretty much doomed.

Comments

I swept someone with the same set and they re-matched me after,  that time they brought a normal type.

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not much normal type use a moveset which have a super effective move to shedinja

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man im blind

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Can you please re-read the last move in this moveset?

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Any alternatives to swords dance? Shedinja can’t learn it.

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In gen 3 and gen 4, Shedinja can know swords dance if the Nincada evolved at exactly level 25.

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An unfortunate side effect for older Movesets & Pokemon whenever there's a new Gen. You never know what will or won't change in-between. :/

Answer 4

Shedinja @ Choice Specs
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe)

• Sucker Punch
• Shadow Ball
• Bug Buzz
• Return

Sucker Punch is good priority.
Shadow Ball hits from the special side and makes use of Choice Specs.
Bug Buzz is good move as well STAB.
Return for dat good neutral coverage.

Comments

Look IK it's 11 months old, but I think Hyper Beam would be better here. I thought I'd look for a Special Shedinja set, and I found this, but would not Hyper Beam be better? Just saying.

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My moveset has hyper beam in it. I posted it today , so its at the bottom

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how do you get it i have forgot it.

Answer 5

Shedinja @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Protect
- Will-o-Wisp
- Shadow Sneak

Poltergeist is STAB. Protect is for scouting super-effective coverage and absorbing Future Sight, Will-o-Wisp is for burn chip and punishing switch-ins like Weavile, and Shadow Sneak is priority. Appreciates Ferrothorn's Spikes support, Toxapex's Toxic/tspikes, and scald as well as the Fire resistance, Gastrodon for the Rock resistance, Heatran check and (if sticky hold) knock off resistance, Corviknight for Defog and the Flying resist. Good on stall because it can beat stuff like Specs Lele and Specs Kyurem which stall otherwise dies to. Shedinja stall is so fun both to play with and against there's nothing more fun than Shed stall.

You can try to slap on X-Scissor to hit Blissey and Pokemon that have their items Knocked Off but all of Shed's moveslots are very valuable so it's not recommended.

Comments

i like this set :D
might use it.

Answer 6

Gen V
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)

• Swords Dance
• Shadow Sneak
• Endure
• X-Scissor

Comments

why not jolly?or adament

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Why SAtk Evs when you don't use them?

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strange....

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Naive Nature raises speed, and lowers a stat Shed will never use, it will always get KO'd in one hit, regardless of Defenses.
the SAtk EVs are just filler, also it makes more sense if an opponent tries to power split you or whatever the attack is that averages attack stats.

Answer 7

Doubles Shedinja

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
EVs: 252 Atk /252 Spe
Adamant Nature

• Ally Switch
• Protect
• Shadow Sneak
• Will-O-Wisp

Shedinja can be great support in doubles. With Shedinja's immunities, Ally Switch can be used to prevent an ally from taking an attack, instead hitting Shedinja, meaning that it might take no damage if it's a type that Shedinja's immune to. Protect is standard in doubles to take no damage. Shadow Sneak can break Sashes or just do damage. Will-O-Wisp burns the opponent, reducing their attack.

Comments

If you're playing against dynamax, then Endure may be safer than Protect since it'll keep you alive when a Max attack would otherwise chip through Protect. It does sacrficie status move protection, though.

Answer 8

VGC 2022 (doubles)

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Ally Switch
- Endure
- Shadow Sneak

Pairs well with sweepers whose weaknesses are typically exploited by predictably telegraphed single-target attacks (e.g. Rillaboom Grassy Glide into Kyogre, Zacian-C Behemoth Blade into Calyrex-I, Incineroar Throat Chop into Calyrex-S, etc).

• Poltergeist is for initial scouting of opponents' items (as well as contributing non-trivial damage) while you still have a Focus Sash, but only if you don't need to immediately do an Ally Switch.

• Ally Switch is the bread-and-butter support move of this build. It's what lets you keep your allied sweeper (see the note above) alive and attacking longer.

• Endure should be used to bluff that you're about to do an Ally Switch, but only when Shedinja would be weak to your opponent's Attack and you no longer have a Focus Sash. This serves the same purpose as Ally Switch: to keep your allied sweeper alive and attacking longer. (Note that you may first need to commit to at least one true Ally Switch before you can successfully bluff another using Endure.) Endure is used instead of Protect because Protect does not fully block Max attacks, which is always lethal to Shedinja.

• Shadow Sneak is a highly situation-dependent tool to defend your allied sweeper by preemptively KOing a threatening but vulnerable opponent (e.g. a Calyrex-S that just used up its Focus Sash, an opposing Latios with Choice Scarf and Draco Meteor but who is at half-health, etc.). Shadow Sneak may also be used as a last-ditch action before being KO'd if you have nothing else valuable that you can do and are facing certain death (e.g. your Focus Sash is used up and the opponent is a faster Calyrex-S about to do Astral Barrage).

• Focus Sash is intended to enable more than one use of Ally Switch even when the opposing attack is not blocked by Wonder Guard. Focus Sash also enables you to safely scout with Poltergeist on the first turn without fear of being vulnerable to some unanticipated moveset that bypasses Wonder Guard.

• The zero IVs may slightly disadvantage your opponent in the rare circumstances when Power Split or Guard Split is used.

Comments

This is completely genius. Just letting you know though, you said Astral Barrage from Calyrex-I not Calyrex-S.

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Thanks for pointing out the typo. Fixed!

Answer 9

Shedinja@Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 ATK, 252 SPE, 4 ANYTHING (It doesn't matter)
Nature: Lonely (+ATK, -DEF), Adamant (+ATK, -SP.ATK), Naughty (+ATK, -SP.DEF)
Characteristic: Likes to thrash about (+ATK, 31 IVs)
Moveset:
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor
- Shadow Sneak
- Aerial Ace/Night Slash/Metal Claw

Battle Strategy:

1. Use X-Scissor or Aerial Ace/Night Slash/Metal Claw or Shadow Sneak depending on the damage it will deal to your opponent.
2. Repeat step 1 but when you lose your focus sash, use Shadow Sneak.

Swords Dance is there if you think your opponent isn't going to damage you like setting-up hazards, using a move that will not K.O. you or switching etc.

Aerial Ace/Night Slash/Metal Claw is there for type coverage in case an opponent is resistant to your STAB X-Scissor.

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This strategy does well unless you have a status problem, like a burn; there is hail or a sandstorm raging; an opponent is resistant to your attacks; an opponent has a high defence; you are tricked etc. a choice item (but then they waste a turn) or Chesnaught uses the move Spiky Shield.

Comments

People barely use chesnaught in compete time battles; safety Goggles should be given to shedinja to keep from getting damaged from weather; trick or switcheroo are both very rarely used; make sure shedinja has moves that have AMAZING type coverage aka Phantom force, Hone claws, dig, and X scissor; use attacks that are strong against the defensive pokemon (2× or 4× effective); nobody wants to give up a choice item on their first turn... these are solutions to the problems The Big Fudge has stated. Consider the solutions.

Answer 10

This works best in a Double battle with a Pokemon that knows Follow Me/Rage Powder

Shedinja @Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Speed
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Double Team
- Sunny Day

How to use:
So basically, just use Protect every other turn and the turns that you don't use Protect use Double Team. Then, when Double Team is maxed out, use Toxic to do damage. That way, your opponent can only attack you every other turn, and the turns they can attack, not only does it have to make contact due to Double Team, it has to effect Shedinja. Then they would have to hit again due to the Focus Sash. If they send in Tyranitar or something else with Sandstorm or Hail, use Sunny Day to cancel it. If you have a teammate in a Double Battle with Rage Powder or Follow Me, that could help to set up Double Team.

Comments

useless if they bring a steel or poison type themselves

Answer 11

Shedinja @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Wonder Guard
Evs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Moveset:
Endure
Shadow Sneak
X-Scissor
Poltergeist / Phantom Force

Basically, if an opponent has a move that can hit you, (Flying, Rock, Ghost, Fire, Dark) you use endure and activate the weakness policy, then if you outspeed them you can use X-Scissor or Phantom Force, but if you don't then you can just use Shadow Sneak.

Answer 12

Shedinja @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Wonder Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Poltergeist
- Swords Dance
- X-Scissor

I like using this set in Natdex AG as a Kyogre and Xerneas counter (beware of HP fire). Protect is too make sure the opponent doesn't carry a super-effective attack. Swords Dance boosts the power of Poltergeist and X-Scissor. Poltergeist is powerful stab and X-Scissor to hit Dark types that switch in. Heavy Duty Boots is so it won't take damage from hazards while switching. Beware of Dynamax.

Answer 13

Pivot Set
National Dex Monotype (Ghost)

Shedinja @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Toxic
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

With Wonder Guard combined with Heavy Duty Boots, Shedinja can make a good pivot for ghost mono teams, as it can help ghost mono wall psychic and electric mono teams. Have Shedinja switch into a Pokemon that doesn't carry a super effective move against you, and then you can chip opposing Pokémon switching in. Poltergeist allows you to chip opposing Pokémon switching in. Toxic allows you to poison opposing Pokémon and wear them down slowly. Will-O-Wisp allows you to cripple physical wallbreakers. Protect is for scouting and should be used after a Pokemon switches in and you chip them or cripple them with a status move. Be sure to pair this with Mega Sableye so you be sure you keep hazards off of your side the field.

Answer 14

Gen 7 Doubles OU

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Shadow Claw / X-Scissor
- Protect
- Ally Switch

• Shadow Sneak is STAB priority
• Shadow Claw is Main STAB
• X-Scissor can be substituted in for Shadow Claw to provide more STAB coverage
• Protect There to scout for dangerous moves or protect yourself from multi-target attacks.
• Ally Switch the move this set revolves around, switches your position with that of your allies, and with your many immunites you can take devastating attacks that may otherwise have OHKOed your teammate or switching to let them take a hit that would have ended up killing you instead. This power is very abusable and can drastically increase the longevity of you and your teammates.

Answer 15

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 SpA/ 252 Spe / 4 Atk
Mild Nature (+SpA, -Def)

• Bug Buzz
• Shadow Ball
• Hyper Beam
• Hidden Power [Ice] / Giga Drain / Shadow Sneak

Moves:
Bug Buzz (hard hitting and STAB)
Shadow Ball (STAB)
Hyper Beam (if you're going to go down, then you might as well hit hard before you do)
HP Ice / Giga Drain / Shadow Sneak (the first two are nice coverage moves; the last is nice when the opponent's HP is really low)

Answer 16

Shedinja @ Safety Goggles / Weakness Policy
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature / Adamant Nature / Anything that is +Atk or +Spe Nature

• Slash
• Swords Dance
• Endure / Protect
• Shadow Sneak

Moveset:
Slash because decent damage and high crit ratio.
Swords dance because why not, it just makes his attack stronger.
Endure/Protect, just do Endure if you have Weakness Policy so it still connects.
Shadow sneak so he can hit Ghost types.

Comments

If u were to use weakness policy wats the point if he gets one shot? If ur opponent knew about wonder guard

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Substitute can fix that I think?

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The substitute wont work bc he only has 1 hp it will cut hp and fail or and ur opponent can kill it right away it better if its focus sash

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just do Endure if you have Weakness Policy so it still connects.

Endure can let you take a super effective hit, activating weakness. Shedinja can't use substitute because it only has 1 hp.

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Wat if he gets outran by hes opponent?

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Then shedinja is dead on account of being shedinja? It just makes you stay as long as possible I suppose

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Endure will go first, and doesnt matter if he is slower. Shadow sneak is priority.

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Ye i just realized that but this is a good set tho

Answer 17

Gosutosheru (Shedinja) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpA

• Phantom Force
• X-Scissor
• Thief
• Will-O-Wisp or Toxic

Comments

Thief doesn't take mega stones....and you'd need a sash for it to be any good at all

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Sorry, I thought it was possible to take mega stones, instead of a Item, you could hack it to have sturdy, jk,jk,jk. In all seriousness though use a focus slassh so it survives the turn where it uses Will-O-Wisp

Answer 18

Shedninja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 200 Atk / 200 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk,-SpA)

• Double Team
• Hone Claws
• Phantom Force
• X-Scissor

Double Team-Wonder Guard AND dodging? Oh heck yeah!
Hone Claws- Get stronger
Phantom Force- Strong STAB, even more dodging ;), coverage for ghosts, psychics
X-Scissor- Strong STAB, coverage for grass, dark

Answer 19

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
Adamant Nature (+Atk -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk /252 Spe / 4 HP

• Swords Dance
• X-Scissor
• Shadow Sneak
• Will-O-Wisp

Shedinja can use Swords Dance on the first turn, thanks to Focus Sash, and try to sweep the opposing team with priority Shadow Sneak. The other moves are simply in case you ever need them, as Shedinja is a gimmicky Pokemon, probably created only for joke purposes.

Answer 20

Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
Hasty Nature (+Spe, -Def) / Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpA
Role: Physical Sweeper

• Phantom Force
• Shadow Sneak
• X-Scissor
• Trick / Endure

Moves:

• Phantom Force: Main STAB. Breaks through moves like Protect. It takes 2 turns, but Shedninga can't be hit for a turn.
• Shadow Sneak: STAB, priority
• X-Scissor: STAB
• Trick or Endure: When the focus sash is used, you can get a different item or survive another hit.