What does Nincada evolve into?

Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different conditions, different results.

At what level does Nincada evolve?

Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different method for each one.

Should I use Nincada?

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, For a casual playthrough, Nincada works as a placeholder. Bug/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Ninjask . That's where the stats start mattering.

Where can you catch Nincada?

Nincada is catchable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 13 other games across the series.

Nincada - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Utility

Balanced

DTier

40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Nincada's spread. It leans mixed with Defense out front. And you'll get 1 Defense EV per KO for it. Follows a standard growth curve.

Base Stats

Below

HP31

Attack45

Defense90

Sp. Atk30

Sp. Def30

Speed40

Total266

Details

Catch Rate

Guaranteed255 / 255

Growth Rate

Erratic600,000 XP

Height0.5 m

Weight5.5 kg

Base XP53

Abilities

Compound Eyes

Increases moves' accuracy to 1.3×.

Run AwayHA

Ensures success fleeing from wild battles.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe

Defense training source

Pokedex Entries

It grows underground, sensing its surroundings using antennae instead of its virtually blind eyes.

Nincada Weakness

Type-wise, Nincada takes extra damage from Fire, Water, Ice, and Flying. Electric moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Nincada's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Nincada Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Fire, Water, Ice, Flying
0.5x (Resist)	Fighting, Poison, Ground
0x (Immune)	Electric

Type ChartAvg

4Weak

3Resist

1Immune

Score-2

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Fire Water Ice Flying

½xResist

Fighting Poison Ground

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Electric

STAB (8)

Grass Psychic Dark Fire Electric Poison Rock Steel

How to Beat Nincada in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Best Counters)

Golbat PoisonFlying	C
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Air CutterLv. 27 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 87-102%KO Air Cutter 2x 105-125%KO Pluck 2x 58-69% Aerial Ace 2x 58-69% View Golbat builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Sky AttackLv. 1 FlyTM94 Air SlashLv. 18 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Sky Attack 2x 95-112%KO Fly 2x 62-73% Air Slash 2x 162-191%KO Pluck 2x 42-49% View Noctowl builds →
Chatot NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 ChatterLv. 21 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 75-89% Chatter 2x 148-175%KO Pluck 2x 49-59% Aerial Ace 2x 49-59% View Chatot builds →
Murkrow DarkFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 15 Air CutterLv. 35 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 92-109%KO Wing Attack 2x 62-73% Air Cutter 2x 129-152%KO Pluck 2x 62-73% View Murkrow builds →
Beautifly BugFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Air CutterLv. 20 Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Air Cutter 2x 148-175%KO Aerial Ace 2x 53-63% Gust 2x 100-119%KO View Beautifly builds →

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Evolution

Nincada can evolve into Ninjask and Shedinja. Nincada sits before the split, so check the evolution methods below to pick your path. Evolving adds up to 190 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions

#290Nincada

#291NinjaskLevel 20

#292ShedinjaLevel 20

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Nincada

BugGround

Ninjask

BugFlying

Shedinja

BugGhost

61+30

1-30

ATK

90+45

DEF

45-45

SP.ATK

50+20

SP.DEF

50+20

SPE

160+120

BST

266D-Tier

456C-Tier+190

236C-Tier-30

ROLE

Balanced

Pivot

Trick Room

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Nincada easily with 48 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Bug Bite, Final Gambit, Flail and 2 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

Bug

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

15 cycles·3,855 steps

Quick~4 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

5moves

Breed With (best first)

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Nincada Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Bug Bite and Final Gambit aren't available any other way for Nincada, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Bug Buzz and Dig for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Sand Attack

D—10015Ground

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 5

Harden

———30Normal

Lv 10

False Swipe

D4010040Normal

Lv 15

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Lv 21

Absorb

—2010025Grass

Lv 25

Metal Claw

D509535Steel

Lv 30

Fury Swipes

—188015Normal

Lv 35

Mind Reader

———5Normal

Lv 40

Dig

D8010010Ground

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

D60—20Flying

TM62

Bug Buzz

D9010010Bug

TM93

Cut

—509530Normal

TM28

Dig

D8010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM58

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM54

False Swipe

D4010040Normal

TM70

Flash

——10020Normal

TM19

Giga Drain

D7510010Grass

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM37

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM30

Shadow Ball

D8010015Ghost

TM82

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM22

Solar Beam

D12010010Grass

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM87

Swagger

D—8515Normal

TM81

X-Scissor

D8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Egg

Bug Bite

D6010020Bug

Egg

Final Gambit

D—1005Fighting

Egg

Flail

D—10015Normal

Egg

Gust

D4010035Flying

Egg

Night Slash

D7010015Dark

Tutor Moves

Nincada can't learn any Tutor moves

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Nincada Locations

A solid number of locations for Nincada with decent spawn rates across early-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.

Best Locations to Catch Nincada in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

10 walking and special encounters at Lv. 10-63 for Nincada across Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.

Eterna Forest

Brilliant DiamondUsing PokeRadar Lv.10-12 Forest

22%Early

Eterna Forest

Shining PearlUsing PokeRadar Lv.10-12 Forest

22%Early

Grassland Cave

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Grassland Cave

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Riverbank Cave

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Riverbank Cave

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Still-Water Cavern

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Still-Water Cavern

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Sunlit Cavern

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Sunlit Cavern

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Nincada Guide

Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different conditions, different results.
Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different method for each one.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, For a casual playthrough, Nincada works as a placeholder. Bug/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Ninjask. That's where the stats start mattering.
Nincada is catchable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 13 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Nincada appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Doduo NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 103-124%KO Pluck 2x 69-83% Aerial Ace 2x 69-83% Peck 2x 52-62% View Doduo builds →
Zubat PoisonFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 76-93% Pluck 2x 52-62% Aerial Ace 2x 52-62% View Zubat builds →
Starly NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 9 Aerial AceTM40 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 76-93% Wing Attack 2x 59-72% Aerial Ace 2x 59-72% Pluck 2x 59-72% View Starly builds →
Surskit BugWater	D
Available Moves Moves ScaldTM49 Water PulseTM03 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Scald 2x 121-145%KO Water Pulse 2x 97-114%KO Water Gun 2x 69-83% View Surskit builds →
Psyduck Water	D
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves SurfTM95 ScaldTM49 WaterfallTM99 BrineTM55 Damage vs Nincada Surf 2x 155-186%KO Scald 2x 138-166%KO Waterfall 2x 69-83% Brine 2x 114-134%KO View Psyduck builds →

Murkrow DarkFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 5 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 91-109%KO Pluck 2x 61-73% Aerial Ace 2x 61-73% Gust 2x 85-100%KO View Murkrow builds →
Beautifly BugFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Aerial Ace 2x 61-73% Gust 2x 91-109%KO View Beautifly builds →
Doduo NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 91-109%KO Pluck 2x 61-73% Aerial Ace 2x 61-73% Peck 2x 45-55% View Doduo builds →
Zubat PoisonFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 61-73% Pluck 2x 45-55% Aerial Ace 2x 45-55% View Zubat builds →
Starly NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 9 Aerial AceTM40 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 67-82% Wing Attack 2x 52-64% Aerial Ace 2x 52-64% Pluck 2x 52-64% View Starly builds →

Golbat PoisonFlying	C
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Air CutterLv. 27 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 91-107%KO Air Cutter 2x 109-130%KO Pluck 2x 64-76% Aerial Ace 2x 64-76% View Golbat builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Sky AttackLv. 1 FlyTM94 Air SlashLv. 18 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Sky Attack 2x 101-121%KO Fly 2x 67-81% Air Slash 2x 167-197%KO Pluck 2x 45-54% View Noctowl builds →
Murkrow DarkFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 15 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 99-116%KO Wing Attack 2x 67-81% Pluck 2x 67-81% Aerial Ace 2x 67-81% View Murkrow builds →
Beautifly BugFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Air CutterLv. 20 Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Air Cutter 2x 152-179%KO Aerial Ace 2x 57-67% Gust 2x 101-121%KO View Beautifly builds →
Staravia NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 9 Aerial AceTM40 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 87-103%KO Wing Attack 2x 60-72% Aerial Ace 2x 60-72% Pluck 2x 60-72% View Staravia builds →

Golbat PoisonFlying	C
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Air CutterLv. 27 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 91-107%KO Air Cutter 2x 109-130%KO Pluck 2x 64-76% Aerial Ace 2x 64-76% View Golbat builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Sky AttackLv. 1 FlyTM94 Air SlashLv. 18 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Sky Attack 2x 101-121%KO Fly 2x 67-81% Air Slash 2x 167-197%KO Pluck 2x 45-54% View Noctowl builds →
Murkrow DarkFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 15 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 99-116%KO Wing Attack 2x 67-81% Pluck 2x 67-81% Aerial Ace 2x 67-81% View Murkrow builds →
Beautifly BugFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Air CutterLv. 20 Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Air Cutter 2x 152-179%KO Aerial Ace 2x 57-67% Gust 2x 101-121%KO View Beautifly builds →
Staravia NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 9 Aerial AceTM40 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 87-103%KO Wing Attack 2x 60-72% Aerial Ace 2x 60-72% Pluck 2x 60-72% View Staravia builds →

Golbat PoisonFlying	C
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Air CutterLv. 27 PluckTM88 Aerial AceTM40 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 90-106%KO Air Cutter 2x 109-129%KO Pluck 2x 61-72% Aerial Ace 2x 61-72% View Golbat builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Sky AttackLv. 1 FlyTM94 Air SlashLv. 18 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Sky Attack 2x 100-118%KO Fly 2x 65-76% Air Slash 2x 167-197%KO Pluck 2x 44-53% View Noctowl builds →
Murkrow DarkFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 15 Air CutterLv. 35 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 92-110%KO Wing Attack 2x 65-76% Air Cutter 2x 132-156%KO Pluck 2x 65-76% View Murkrow builds →
Beautifly BugFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Air CutterLv. 20 Aerial AceTM40 GustLv. 1 Damage vs Nincada Air Cutter 2x 151-178%KO Aerial Ace 2x 54-65% Gust 2x 103-122%KO View Beautifly builds →
Staravia NormalFlying	D
Available Moves Moves FlyTM94 Wing AttackLv. 9 Aerial AceTM40 PluckTM88 Damage vs Nincada Fly 2x 86-103%KO Wing Attack 2x 57-68% Aerial Ace 2x 57-68% Pluck 2x 57-68% View Staravia builds →