Shinx Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Wild Charge nets KOs on the Flying-types Shinx counters. Thief allows Shinx to steal a foe's item once its Berry Juice is gone and offers general neutral coverage. Volt Switch is only present for pivoting purposes and is very weak due to negative investment. Toxic cripples bulky switch-ins that don't mind its Electric-type attacks, while Thunder Wave potentially cripples fast switch-ins, though Thunder Wave is generally less useful than Toxic. Set Details The EVs provided maximize Shinx's HP and Defense in order to take advantage of Intimidate as much as possible. 0 Speed IVs and a negative nature help Shinx function better as a pivot, as it underspeeds a majority of other pivots and thus can switch after the foe. Berry Juice provides Shinx with the recovery it otherwise lacks; Eviolite is somewhat redundant due to Intimidate but also boosts Shinx's Special Defense, though the longevity Berry Juice provides is generally more useful. Usage Tips Shinx's job is to beat physical attackers, specifically Flying-types such as Fletchling. As such, switch it in on Flying-types as often as possible. However, be careful of Pokemon that may carry super effective coverage moves, such as Earthquake Archen. Additionally, you must play incredibly carefully when facing a team that features Diglett, as a Fletchling U-turn into it will spell instant doom for Shinx. Try to use Intimidate as much as possible while being aware of Pawniard, which will gain a Defiant boost in the event of a predicted switch. Finally, remember to make good use of Thief, as it provides Shinx with an opportunity to steal an item to heal itself or an opportunity to gain additional bulk. Team Options Shinx is completely ineffective against Ground-, Grass-, and Electric-types such as Drilbur and Chinchou, aside from being able to hit them with Toxic. Bulky Grass-types such as Foongus and Eviolite Snover form strong defensive cores with Shinx by beating those Ground-, Grass-, and Electric-types, and Shinx returns the favor by eliminating the Flying-types that hurt them. Because Shinx can remove Flying-types, it pairs well offensively with bulky Fighting-types such as Timburr; these teammates provide insurance against Pawniard should your opponent make a crafty double switch. Finally, anything that values Intimidate support — specifically, setup sweepers — can benefit from Shinx's utility. For example, Snivy is a bit frail physically, and thus enjoys Shinx's support; it also forms a Shinx / Grass-type core like the ones mentioned above.

Shinx makes good use of Guts with this set, which reaches 16 Attack and 15 Speed. Facade is actually the most powerful option on this set after Shinx is afflicted with a status, and it has good neutral coverage. Wild Charge is nearly as powerful and hits opponents that are weak to it, such as Frillish, quite hard, though Shinx can faint quite quickly from combined recoil and status damage. Ice Fang is the main option in the third slot, as it hits Lileep for more damage than Facade. Fire Fang is the main choice for the last move as it lands a KO on Ferroseed and Snover. Another option in either slot is Crunch, which hits Ghost-types super effectively. Toxic Orb is usually the best item, as it is better if Shinx is expected to survive for three turns or less. Flame Orb is an option if Shinx is expected to last longer, however, as the burn damage is less for the fourth turn and onward. Drilbur in the sand is a major problem for Shinx, as it outspeeds and can easily KO Shinx, making Choice Scarf Snover a great teammate, as it can KO Drilbur with Blizzard after removing sand. Dwebble is also a good choice to pair with Shinx, as it can set up entry hazards to allow Shinx to obtain more KOs. Bronzor can come in on Ground-type attacks aimed at Shinx and can set up Stealth Rock. The main theats to Shinx are faster Pokemon that can deal heavy damage, so Choice Scarf users in general are good teammates.

Shinx's access to Thunder Wave, in conjunction with its Intimidate ability allow it to run a decent Thunder Wave set. Since Intimidate lowers the power of physical attacks, Shinx will be able to take an attack and proceed to paralyze the opponent with Thunder Wave. Thunder Fang pairs well with Thunder Wave, as it has a chance of flinching the opponent. Ice Fang hits most Ground-types for super effective damage; additionally, Ice Fang allows Shinx to potentially KO Gligar on the switch. Crunch does big damage to Ghost- and Psychic-types, while Fire Fang hits most Steel-types. Finally, Quick Attack gives Shinx a priority attack which allows it to pick off a few faster threats. Attack and Speed are maximized, and the remaining EVs give Shinx an extra point in each of its defenses. Pokemon that enjoy having paralyzed opponents work well with this set. Krabby and Cubone are great partners for this reason, as they will now have an easier time setting up Swords Dance, and since paralyzed opponents remove the need for Speed, these teammates will have an simpler time ripping teams apart. In addition, Pokemon that can beat Hippopotas and Gligar, the two biggest checks to this set, are appreciated. Snover works very well, as it can dispatch both of them with STAB Blizzard. In addition, Snover has access to Swords Dance which complements Shinx's Thunder Wave support. Finally, Pokemon with access to entry hazards, such as Pineco and Tentacool, can set up easier due to the possibility that the opponent will be fully paralyzed.

Shinx's best chance at sweeping is under Trick Room. With a hindering nature and 0 Speed EVs, Shinx hits an extremely poor Speed stat of 8. This allows it to "outspeed" most other Pokemon in Trick Room. Although Thunder Fang has only 65 Base Power, it is Shinx's strongest physical STAB outside of Spark. Ice Fang hits most Ground-types for super effective damage, and scores an easy OHKO on most Gligar. Fire Fang hits Grass-, Ice-, Bug-, and Steel-types hard, and Crunch mashes Ghost- and Psychic-types for heavy damage. Iron Tail, on the other hand, strikes Rock- and Ice-types, but Crunch gets better overall coverage. A Brave nature raises Shinx's Attack while lowering its Speed simultaneously, which benefits this Shinx variant greatly. Life Orb pumps up Shinx's power, and Rivalry, if Shinx is the same gender as its opponent, stacks additional power on top of Life Orb. While Intimidate is an equally effective ability, most players do not switch the genders of their Pokemon. It should be noted that this is for simulator play only, as it would not apply on Wi-Fi, since on Wi-Fi, genders aren't automatically set to male. Since the default is male, Shinx will be getting a Rivalry boost quite often. In addition, the only exclusively female Pokemon in Little Cup are Nidoran-F, Happiny, and Smoochum - all of which are very uncommon. Also, Shinx does not lose power when facing genderless Pokemon like Bronzor. The EVs max out Shinx's Attack, and the rest boost its defenses. A 0 IV in HP is vital so that Shinx's base HP rounds down to 19, so it will only lose 1 HP from Life Orb recoil. Shinx absolutely needs Trick Room support in order to attempt a sweep. Trick Room users with Explosion are even better, as such teammates can allow Shinx to switch in for free. Stealth Rock support is also nice, but not necessary. Spark can be used over Thunder Fang due to its perfect accuracy, but Thunder Fang has a lower chance of paralysis and a chance of flinching the opponent. Paralysis is not good because the opponent would outspeed Shinx in Trick Room, and with Shinx's low defenses, the opposing Pokemon will be able to KO Shinx.