Pok�mon of the Week

Ninjask, The Ninja Pok�mon. Because it moves so quickly, it sometimes becomes unseeable. It congregates around tree sap.Its cry leaves a lasting headache if heard for too long. It moves so quickly that it is almost invisible. Because it darts about vigorously at high speed, it is very difficult to see. Hearing its distinctive cries for too long induces a headache. If Ninjask is not trained properly, it will refuse to obey the Trainer and cry loudly continuously. Because of this quality, this Pok�mon is said to be one that puts the Trainer's abilities to the test.

Ninjask is an interesting Pokemon. Its stats are overall bad... except its mighty speed. Attack is OK, but its movepool isn't particularly great. What Ninjask does have is a deadly combination in Baton Pass and Speed Boost which allows it to pass speed more easily than any other Pokemon in the game. Worse, it can use Swords Dance and Baton Pass it away to turn something like Salamence or Lucario into unstoppable nightmares. It isn't all good though. Besides Baton Passing Ninjask isn't actually good at anything else. This leaves it predictable and relatively easy to work around. In fact all Ninjask ever really does is Baton Pass speed. Against a good player you will never be able to Baton Pass attack, not easily at least.

Speed Boost: Speed increases by one stage each turn except the turn that the Pok�mon is switched into battle. While Ninjask is clearly fast enough, what makes Speed Boost so cool is how easily it can Baton Pass massive stat changes to slower, more dangerous Pokemon.
Infiltrator: The protections and stat boosts caused by the moves Reflect, Light Screen and Safeguard by the opponent are ignored. Useless. Baton Passing is pretty much all Ninjask is good for.

- Substitute / X-Scissor
- Protect
- Flash / Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
Item Attached: Leftovers / Mental Herb / Focus Sash
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs and Nature:
EVs:248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)

Here it is. The Ninjask set. Ninjask's stats and movepool is so bad and so one dimensional that it really has no other sets. This sets primary goal is to Baton Pass speed when used on dedicated Baton Pass chains, or speed and attack when used on its own. Substitute scouts for status moves and stalls for time while Speed Boost does its thing. Protect stalls for even more time, as all Ninjask should be trying to do is Baton Pass as much speed as possible. Flash looks stupid but it is actually a key move. If you can get a Substitute up Flash allows you to defeat things that try to set up alongside you like Dragon Dance Salamence or Quiver Dance Volcarona. Baton Pass gets Ninjask off the field and allows something else to clean up. Leftovers gives Ninjask more time to pass speed but is only really for giving more opportunities to use Substitute. Mental Herb counters Encore and Taunt, which prevents stuff like Encore Politoed and Taunt Gliscor from completely screwing Ninjask up. Focus Sash should only be used with X-Scissor and Swords Dance. The idea with Focus Sash is that you use Swords Dance, then Protect. After that you Baton Pass your +2 Attack and +2 Speed while Focus Sash keeps you alive the first turn. Ninjask is too frail to Baton Pass attack any other way. 248 HP reaches an odd number meaning you can survive two hits from Stealth Rocks, and use Substitute 4 times. 36 Speed outruns Starmie and Choice Scarf Tyranitar while the rest of the EVs are thrown into Defense. While Ninjask is super-frail with the given EVs it takes physical hits about as well as an offensive Gyarados (and special hits about as well as a wet paper bag). This bulk is so "great" that it actually can survive a Scizor Bullet Punch with enough HP remaining to make a Substitute!

Double Team, Agility, Hone Claws, Harden, and Choice Band
While evasion boosting moves, items, and abilities are banned in most competitive communities Double Team is still legal in Nintendo 3vs3 Singles and against friends I guess. It's like Flash but far more dangerous because it boosts the evasion of the Pokemon you Baton Pass to.
Agility is only being mentioned so you don't use it. Speed Boost should be all the speed boosting you will ever need, especially with the Protect + Substitute stalling combo.
Hone Claws is kind of cool, and could be used to pass to something like Stone Edge Tyranitar or Dragon Rush Dragonite. Not as reliable as Swords Dance though.
Harden seems like a joke, but on teams that don't need Swords Dance passes (like full Baton Pass teams) you may find Ninjask in situations where it has nothing better to do. Also by using Harden when against a Bullet Punching Scizor then Protect the next turn to regain some HP, you will have an overwhelming chance of surviving two successive Bullet Punches. Not bad for a Pokemon that had defenses so bad it actually envies Gengar.
Though a useless gimmick, Ninjask does have a passable physical movepool and decent Attack / Great speed. Choice Band can be used with a set of U-turn / Aerial Ace / Night Slash / Return. No just kidding, never use offensive Ninjask.

Nothing at all. Ninjask has one job, and that is to Baton Pass stuff, which is completely useless in Doubles / Triples.

Full Baton Pass teams centered around accumulating enough boosts for Stored Power Espeon to sweep benefit mostly from... well, Espeon. Magic Bounce Espeon reflects Taunt and Roar / Whirlwind and can do massive damage with Stored Power after only a few boosts. Vaporeon, Mawile, Smeargle, and Mr Mime are all solid Baton Passing partners as well. Virtually all Ninjasks being used in standard are just speed boosters, the first stage in Baton Pass chains. There are numerous ways of making a Baton Pass team... far more than can be covered here. In terms of offensive partners you can run Suction Cups Pokemon who are immune to Roar / Whirlwind. Get some speed to an Octillery or Cradily and your opponent might be in trouble... if they can't stop laughing soon enough. If you can avoid Roar / Whirlwind some good candidates for speed boosts are slow yet offensive Pokemon like Mamoswine, Heatran, Hydreigon, and Dragonite. The lucky Ninjask who manage to Baton Pass Swords Dance + some speed boosts can practically name any random sweeper that isn't easily beat by Bullet Punch / Extremespeed, Baton Pass to that Pokemon, and end the game right there.

Haze, Roar, Whirlwind, Taunt, and priority moves all put Ninjask under a LOT of pressure to Baton Pass. Haze is hard to stop but keep in mind Ninjask is often paired with an Espeon who will turn Roar / Whirlwind / Taunt against you with its Magic Bounce ability. While it can't always prevent a Baton Pass Scizor can do a lot of damage with Choice Band Bullet Punch. Mamoswine and Dragonite are in a similar situation. Mamoswine can even set up Stealth Rocks to further slow Ninjask. Directly killing Ninjask is very easy. It will fall in two hits to any STAB move it doesn't resist (which is basically everything not named Close Combat or Earthquake) so just pounding away at it usually will take Ninjask down before it hurts you. The problem is when it Baton Passes you have to deal with that as well. Try to prevent it from having free chances to Swords Dance. As long as you plan ahead Ninjask is incredibly easy to stop.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Nincada .

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

Colosseum/XD:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Nincada.

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Nincada

Black/White:
Transfer from Generation IV

Black 2/White 2:
Transfer from Generation IV