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
Catch45ChallengingErratic600,000 XP0.8m / 2'07"1.2kg / 2.6 lbs83Base XP
Pokedex Entries

A strange Pokémon--it flies without moving its wings, has a hollow shell for a body, and does not breathe.

Heart Gold / Soul Silver

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.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
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
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) using 29 partners from the Mineral egg group. Notable egg moves include Bug Bite, Bug Buzz, Endure and 4 more.

Egg Groups
Mineral
Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
glaliefroslasssnoruntporygon2claydolbronzongmagnezoneporygon-zprobopassgolemelectrodemagneton

the remaining moves 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
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Shedinja Moveset

  • Swords Dance
  • X ScissorSTAB
  • Shadow SneakSTAB
  • Sucker Punch

Egg moves make a real difference. Shedinja gets Bug Bite and Bug Buzz exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 7 types rounds out the picture alongside Bug Buzz and Leech Life.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Harden
30Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 5
Leech Life
2010010Bug
Lv 9
Sand Attack
10015Ground
Lv 14
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 19
Mind Reader
5Normal
Lv 25
Spite
10010Ghost
Lv 31
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 38
Shadow Sneak+1
4010030Ghost
Lv 45
Grudge
5Ghost
Lv 52
Heal Block
10015Psychic
Lv 59
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
HM01
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
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
6010010Grass
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM83
Natural Gift
10015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
10Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
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
9015Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
7515Fire
TM81
X-Scissor
8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
Egg
Bug Buzz
9010010Bug
Egg
Endure+4
10Normal
Egg
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Egg
Gust
4010035Flying
Egg
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Egg
Silver Wind
601005Bug

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
Tutor
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Spite
10010Ghost
Tutor
String Shot
9540Bug
Tutor
Sucker Punch+1
801005Dark
Tutor
Trick
10010Psychic

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Dig
8010010Ground
Rem
False Swipe
4010040Normal
Rem
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Rem
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal

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 HeartGold & SoulSilver

  1. Nincada
    Step 1Catch Nincada
    National Park - Bug Catching Contest
    SoulSilverGrassLv.26-36UncommonMidFacilityPost-game (Thu, Sat)
    EASY
    National Park - Bug Catching Contest
    HeartGoldGrassLv.26-36UncommonMidFacilityPost-game (Thu, Sat)
    EASY
  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.