Utility
Trick Room
236Low
40Very Slow
CTier

Wonder Guard blocks every attack that isn't super effective, so Shedinja either walls the entire opposing team or goes down to a single hit. Bug/Ghost leaves it open to 5 types — if the opponent has coverage, it's done. Known as the Shed Pokemon.

Attack leads and HP gets almost nothing. That's Shedinja's stat line in a nutshell. 1 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Tough to catch and yields 2 HP EVs.

Base Stats
236Below
HP1
F
Attack90
B
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk30
F
Sp. Def30
F
Speed40
D
Total236
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Shedinja yields +2 HP
HP+2AtkDefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Erratic600,000 XP•0.8m / 2'07"•1.2kg / 2.6 lbs•83Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is a discarded bug shell that came to life. Peering into the crack on its back is said to steal one’s spirit.

Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl

Shedinja Weakness

Good

Shedinja is weak to Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, and Dark-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Wonder Guard makes Shedinja immune to all non-super-effective damage.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
FireFlyingRockGhostDark
½xResisti
GrassPoisonGroundBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
NormalFighting
STAB (4)i
GrassPsychicDarkGhost
5Weak
4Resist
2Immune
Scorei0
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Wonder GuardProtects against damaging moves that are not super effective.
Wonder Guard: Only super effective hits

Nincada's line splits into 2 evolutions, and Shedinja is a unique condition. Each sibling form needs a different method to obtain. Breed through Nincada to get eggs. Ninjask has 220 more total stats, but Shedinja makes up for it with a stronger Attack gain (+45 from Nincada).

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions
Nincada
#290Nincada
Ninjask
#291NinjaskLevel 20
Shedinja
#292ShedinjaLevel 20
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Nincada
BugGround
Ninjask
BugFlying
Shedinja
BugGhost
HP
31
61+30
1-30
ATK
45
90+45
90+45
DEF
90
45-45
45-45
SP.ATK
30
50+20
30
SP.DEF
30
50+20
30
SPE
40
160+120
40
BST
266D-Tier
456C-Tier+190
236C-Tier-30
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
Trick Room
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Challenging

Breed with Shedinja to get Nincada eggs (with patience) from the Mineral egg group. Notable egg moves include Bug Bite, Final Gambit, Flail and 2 more.

Egg Groups
Mineral
Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves

utility options is what separates a good sweep from a wasted boost. After Swords Dance, Shedinja threatens a wide range with max Attack and Speed EVs and Focus Sash backing every hit.

Best Build

Physical Setup Sweeper
Ability
Wonderguard
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Nature
Naive+SPE
EVs

Best Shedinja Moveset

  • ProtectFAST +4
  • MimicUtility
  • Ally Switch
  • Swords Dance

Recommended Teammates

Arcanine
ArcanineDecent

Egg moves make a real difference. Shedinja gets Bug Bite and Final Gambit exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Phantom Force and Bug Buzz.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Dig
8010010Ground
Lv 1
False Swipe
4010040Normal
Lv 1
Grudge
——5Ghost
Lv 1
Harden
——30Normal
Lv 1
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Lv 1
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Lv 1
Sand Attack
—10015Ground
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
Lv 15
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Lv 23
Absorb
2010025Grass
Lv 29
Shadow Sneak+1
4010030Ghost
Lv 36
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 43
Mind Reader
——5Normal
Lv 50
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
Lv 57
Spite
—10010Ghost
Lv 64
Phantom Force
9010010Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
TM62
Bug Buzz
9010010Bug
TM93
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM54
False Swipe
4010040Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
7510010Grass
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM37
Sandstorm
——10Rock
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
—8515Fire
TM81
X-Scissor
8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
Egg
Final Gambit
—1005Fighting
Egg
Flail
—10015Normal
Egg
Gust
4010035Flying
Egg
Night Slash
7010015Dark

Tutor Moves

Shedinja can't learn any Tutor moves

You're catching Nincada first, not Shedinja. Nincada appears at decent rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Shedinja in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Nincada is your first catch on the way to Shedinja. You'll find walking and special encounters from Lv. 10-63 across 10 total spots in the chain.

  1. Nincada
    Step 1Catch Nincada
    Eterna Forest
    Brilliant DiamondUsing PokeRadarLv.10-1222%EarlyForest
    CHALLENGING
    Eterna Forest
    Shining PearlUsing PokeRadarLv.10-1222%EarlyForest
    CHALLENGING
    Grassland Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Grassland Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Sunlit Cavern
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Sunlit Cavern
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
  2. Shedinja
    Step 2Shedinja ✓

  • Wonder Guard changes the entire equation for Shedinja. The 236 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as a trick room.

  • Shedinja's biggest threats include Arcanine (Fire), Salamence (Flying), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 40 Speed, Shedinja won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Nincada evolves into Shedinja at level 20. Shedinja is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Nincada.

  • Wonder Guard is what you want on Shedinja. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind.

  • Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Shedinja is leaning toward the physical side (base 90 Attack). Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits. Best used as a trick room.

  • Shedinja appears in 14 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Shedinja spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in a solid number of games.