Is Nincada Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Bug-Catching Contest encounter after the National Dex. Bug/Ground with AbilityCompound Eyes. Ninjask at level 20 is fast with AbilitySpeed Boost. Evolving with an empty party slot and spare Poke Ball also creates Shedinja as a bonus.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Morty's Pokemon outpace and outclass Nincada here.
Chuck's team hits Nincada's weaknesses hard.
Nincada resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Nincada's weaknesses hard.
Nincada has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Nincada trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Nincada has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's typing presses Nincada's defenses.
Janine's team hits Nincada's weaknesses hard.
Sabrina's typing presses Nincada's defenses.
Nincada has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Blue's team hits Nincada's weaknesses hard.
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Ninjask trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Ninjask has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Lance's team hits Ninjask's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catchable
Catch Nincada in the National Park (walking, Lv 26-36, uncommon). Post-National Dex - Thursday, Saturday.
Recommended Moves
- After Falkner
- HM01NormalCutPower 50Accuracy 95%PP 30From charcoal maker after returning Farfetch'd
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 38SteelMetal ClawPower 50Accuracy 95%PP 35
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 60Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 45GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10
Evolve Nincada to Ninjask
Nincada evolves into Ninjask at Level 20. You get it at Level 26 or higher, past Level 20, so it evolves into Ninjask the next time it levels up.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 20)
- LV 20BugBug BitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM89BugU-turnPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 25NormalSwords DancePower —Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 52BugX-ScissorPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Nincada to Shedinja
Nincada evolves into Shedinja at Level 20. Your Nincada should hit Level 20 before you reach Will, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Whitney
- TM65GhostShadow ClawPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 38GhostShadow SneakPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 60Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 59GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Nincada in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Nincada walks the National Park grass on Thursdays and Saturdays, but only after the National Dex unlocks it. It is an uncommon two-day window, so the calendar matters more than the location here.
1 location to catch Nincada
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3Where To Catch Nincada in HGSS
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Nincada.
How to Get Shiny Nincada in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Nincada digs beneath the National Park, though a shiny hatches faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Nincada odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Nincada Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Nincada.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Water, Ice, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fighting, Poison, Ground |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Nincada Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Nincada
 Gyarados Water | S | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x132-156%KO Ice Fang 2x64-75% Fire Blast 2x136-161%KO | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x201-238%KO Ice Beam 2x134-158%KO Aerial Ace 2x51-60% | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Lapras builds →Surf 2x214-253%KO Ice Beam 2x214-253%KO | ||
 Tentacruel WaterPoison | B | |
Obtain MethodCherrygrove City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Tentacruel builds →Surf 2x201-238%KO Ice Beam 2x134-158%KO | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x304-358%KO Aerial Ace 2x52-62% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nincada View Golduck builds →Surf 2x235-277%KO Ice Beam 2x156-184%KO Aerial Ace 2x42-49% | ||
 Magmar Fire | C | |
 Farfetch'd Normal | C | |
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Nincada Evolutions
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
Breeding
Breed Nincada easily with 48 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Bug Bite, Bug Buzz, Endure and 4 more to offspring.
HGSS Nincada Best Moveset
Bug/Ground at 90 Defense with everything else below 45. AbilityCompound Eyes boosts accuracy. The moveset has physical bulk but no offense. Evolve at level 20 to get both Ninjask and Shedinja (with an empty party slot and spare Poke Ball).
Best Build
Nincada best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Hidden Power Ice
- Giga Drain
- Shadow Ball
- Bug Buzz
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Bug Bite and Bug Buzz aren't available any other way for Nincada, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Bug Buzz and Leech Life for solid options.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 19 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It can sometimes live underground for more than 10 years. It absorbs nutrients from the roots of trees.
Nincada HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Nincada has 266 BST and evolves into Ninjask. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Yes. Nincada is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Nincada becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Nincada appears in 14 games across 7 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
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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