How GOOD was Ninjask ACTUALLY? - History of Ninjask in Competitive Pokemon

[@specsgastro]

For three generations, Ninjask played the part of a Cicada beautifully: show up, annoy the everloving hell out of everyone, and then go away for an extended period of time, only to repeat the cycle again when it came back. I had no idea about its Gen 6 and 8 successes though! It makes me weirdly happy to see the little guy carve a niche outside of BP and make it on his own.

[@PeterGriffin11]

Perfect analogy.

[@blockednostril9739]

Haha that’s very true! It’s a great lil bug that proves you don’t need huge base stats to be successful, just base stats put in the right places

[@StarmenRock]

Am I the only one that loves cicadas? They are so nostalgic and a part of the seasons... plus if they fly into you it feels like a damn rock thrown by a grown man.

[@specsgastro]

@@StarmenRock I think Cicadas are really cool! They’re a really neat looking bug and relatively big as well! It’s a bit of a toss up depending on the day for me personally whether I find their chirping annoying or soothing though.

[@wilsonweiseng6485]

since it exist to cause pain, it might as well take the part of being a housefly

[@thel-iteralone4592]

The Nincada line sure is one strange family, isn't it? You've got one of the fastest Pokemon of all time along with a literal one hit wonder of a Pokemon once Nincada evolves.

[@snappee]

Dont forget the cool bug/ground type nincada has before evolving

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@@Slade0120 Elekis overated. If the opposing mob has L-Rod, it cant do crap to Ninjask

[@chrisgonzales4420]

You know I never thought Shedinja was based off that "a one hit wonder" that actually is very clever.

[@cj.benedetti]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 nah eleki learns ancient power lol

[@naturalharmoniagropius4486]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 Eleki was there as a screen setter, taking advantage of 200 Base Speed

[@whomgod420]

Baton Pass: The Pokemon I actually really liked using him on playthroughs though, swords dance let him sweep basically everything and it was always fun to pull off

[@Drakorre]

I once got a ninjask with megahorn in a randomizer nuzlocke on Pokémon Black 2. My man carried the game

[@SoggySlopster]

That’s if you can even take a hit to set up with

[@UGMD]

I beat emerald with only a ninjask once. It ended up with a faster end time than my casual run funnily enough

[@maranolijaune3575]

@@SoggySlopster knowing how AI works makes that waaay easier

[@Lunar1314_]

was literally about to comment that lol (the baton pass part)

[@seanoodles7008]

I love how bug types like venomoth and ninjask have anime protagonist -like histories in competitive. Venomoth was weak for so long, until it got quiver dance and became ridiculously dangerous. Ninjask was extremely powerful by abusing baton pass for so long, until it got outclassed in the role and then baton pass was taken away, but then it came back in Gen 8 and said “NO! I am not defined by just baton pass!” And started wrecking PU and doing extremely well in NU.

[@YOSSARIAN313]

Venomoth would likely be nu or nubl I'd it came back

[@AverageHandle_]

@@YOSSARIAN313 nah it’d be RUBL

[@carlosdeaustria4448]

I won’t stop until you guys tell us how DRUNK was SPINDA actually????

[@strangeanimations2518]

This is so based

[@WohMi]

Base 60 across the board gang

[@FaithTheDuck]

Very

[@Drakorre]

A quick 5 minute adventure

[@phatnana2379]

Shows what YOU know!! Spinda doesn't drink booze... Spinda drinks LEAN! That's why Spinda's money don't jiggle jiggle, it folds

[@TheFlashyLucario]

I laughed so hard during the gen 8 portion, the pause into “for a week” really got me. I love how Ninjask managed to destroy basically any tier it was in (except for gen 7)

[@funjukebox1324]

Yeah, never judge a book by its cover...and I'm referring to myself because I had assumed that the entire video was going to talk about how bad of a pokemon ninjask was in comparison to Shedinja 😂😂😂, boiii was I completely wrong

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

Paul's Ninjask knew Agility even though it had Speed Boost and it used Giga Drain on Infernape. Let me say that again for the people in the back; IT USED GIGA DRAIN ON AN INFERNAPE! *As iconic as his battle with Ash was at the Sinnoh League, I HATE when the writers give rivals ridiculous Pokemon with crap movesets to get taken out easily in their most important battles. He was better off using his Ursaring or Torterra...

[@itsyaboychipsahoy.7989]

I mean, speed in anime directly correlates to evasion. Paul probably thought Ninjask would simply never get hit. Giga Drain not being a "melee" physical attack decreased the risk of Ninjask putting itself in harms way and getting hit. (That being said it still got hit because Infernape was built different)

[@Duskool]

I feel the Pokemon anime really doesn't like the games logic or the competitive side. I think there was an episode mocking a dude that was hyper analytical of his pokemon's damage and ash beat him and thought him that you can win with the power of friendship AKA putting trust into your pokemon instead of relying on numbers

[@orangehazard7442]

@@Duskool Was during Johto. Guy that watched his laptop for analyzing the fight during battles and had a Scizor.

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

@@Duskool Which to be fair isn’t 100% wrong. The power of friendship is literally what makes Z moves, Mega Evolution, some normal evolutions more happen in Pokemon.

[@skeetermania3202]

@@orangehazard7442 There’s also The School of Hard Knocks where this disparity between anime logic and game logic is also deconstructed.

[@jjtheenton]

I still remember this thing most from getting a Shedinja in Sapphire and having no idea what happened.

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

In all seriousness, Ninjask is a really cool mon that has some cool tricks up its sleeves (or pincers/claws?). Probably most known for the Baton Pass strats

[@LloomiDreamz]

Nahhh that's Z move Eevee Or minimize Clefairy

[@yoiptree]

pincers*

[@jacksonsmith2955]

@@LloomiDreamz he wasn't saying it's the most known baton pass mon he's saying it's most known for being one

[@MrTazingo]

*mandibles

[@Kolacics]

a bit too corny

[@dropinota]

It's so nice to see a bug/flying video that doesn't start with "Unfortunately"

[@halberd-3291]

What a beautiful journey Ninjask had. From being solely used for Baton Pass, to actually being viable and even banned based on its own merits with the help of a few buffs.

[@sarasaland4709]

“Ninjask has the Paul stamp of approval. So it’s gotta be great.” Well, Paul ditched Azumarill. Big mistake.

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

Why?

[@azurneon]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 Azumarill's an absolute steamroller with Huge Power + Belly Drum + Aqua Jet

[@skeetermania3202]

@@azurneon Then again, there’s no telling if it did have that ability. Besides it was ditched for doing terribly in a Rock gym.

[@Acacius1992]

@@skeetermania3202 And it wasn't nearly as good back in gen4

[@teddyhaines6613]

Paul gave Azumarill special moves, too, what a damn scrub.

[@darianclark3980]

Finally, Ninjask gets to have a video! Love the Nincada Evolution Line in general!

[@JamesSonOfBaboonzo]

In Pokémon Emerald, Champion Wallace can’t hit a Shedinja that is behind a substitute, so in a nuzlock I’ve beaten the champion with only the 2 Nincada halves. Have Ninjask dodge Blizzard from his lead Wailord while setting up Substitute and then pass it to Shedinja and the whole battle is already over.

[@nousername191]

I heard emerald's AI was easy to cheese but dayum...

[@rotciv557]

@@nousername191 it's not a matter of the the AI being easy to cheese, it's just that Wallace is a Water specialist so his whole team lacks any moves that are SE on Shedinja, so the only threat in his team is his Milotic which has Toxic. The Substitute prevents Toxic from being used on the Shedinja, ergo Shedinja can solo the Champion all by itself.

[@danielvandam]

@@rotciv557 yes. Easy to cheese because of awful coverage

[@rotciv557]

@@danielvandam well, I guess technically you're right. I was moreso referring to cheesing by outsmarting the AI, whereas what Shedinja does is cheesing by just completely taking away any options the AI could take, which technically would be just as effective on a non AI opponent.

[@bialex8083]

It would be great if Ninjask had a signature move like Electro Ball that increased in power based on its speed.

[@butteredsalmonella]

Radical Red gave Ninjask that sort of move lol. 140 power at +3 speed, 120 at +2 and 80 if x

[@dreamlanderjoel8162]

That sounds good on paper, but I don't think it'd be good in practice. Regieleki, despite having the highest base speed stat of all Pokémon, rarely uses Electro Ball because its other Electric-type moves are more consistent, so I imagine Ninjask wouldn't benefit much from having a physical bug-type version of Electro Ball. But if the move was more like Body Press but used speed instead of defense, then yeah, that'd help Ninjask a lot.

[@zememerr2329]

@@dreamlanderjoel8162 it is actually good in practice. Ninjask is OU in the RR metagame and it’s pretty much just because of this move

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

Yeah, sure. Make a move like that and watch people abuse it with Choice Scarf

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

Just to make it better: have it also be a built in Tinted Lens so nothing can resist its Bugtro Ball

[@Zeldrake]

11:43 "Full chains weren't the only form of Baton Pass around, Smash Pass was equally devastating, but Full Pass was one of the most horrifying things to see in Team Preview. *And this was in a metagame with Sand Rush Excadrill under permanent sand.* " Oh god, Baton Pass must be TERRIFYING

[@agentblackbird9435]

Baton Pass is imo, one of the craziest moves in Pokémon.

[@CosmicNebula444]

The Nincada line is my favorite line of "gimmick" pokemon, so it's nice to see at least one of the two evos have had some wacky shenanigans in competitive lmao

[@horsegangstudios]

Have u seen Shedinja?

[@vla1ne]

Bro, shedinja and ninjask *both* have some of the most insane stories attached to them. Ninjask was link1 of several infamous baton teams, alongside being able to harass even ubers with a baton due to the abnormally high speed. Shedinja was able to sneak several tournaments due to being a _literal_ auto win button once the opponent is out of super effective moves.

[@NocturnalPyro]

The first time I ever lost to a normal trainer was Ninja Boy Yasu and his Ninjask hiding in a tree on route 119 just before Fortree. Really caught me off guard.

[@vesoralla2]

When I see Ninjask, I think about when I struggled and STRUGGLED to find a Skitty in Emerald. My luck with finding a Skitty is always atrocious. My luck was so bad once, I told myself "if I find a shiny before finding a Skitty, I will be so mad". And sure enough, it happened. A shiny Nincada showed up before I could ever find a Skitty. I was so salty yet happy at the same time. I caught it, cleared a party slot, and evolved that bug to a Ninjask AND got a shiny Shedinja from the empty party slot. 2 for 1. I did find a Skitty after finding the shiny Nincada about 10-30 minutes later, and when that Skitty finally showed up, I was super upset with that adorable pink pile of garbage.

[@SuperSonic3557]

Suffering from success 😂😂 I wish i got a shiny nincada 😭

[@snapclub8751]

Every time I think of Baton Pass, Ninjask is the first Pokémon I think of.

[@christinabutterfield1801]

@Depp nobody clicks on these

[@JamienautMark2]

Ninjas and Espeon

[@bombituico]

Smeargle

[@LadyArtemis2012]

My first thought is smeargle just because it can learn any boosting move you want it to know as well as ingrain. But, yeah, Ninjask is probably a close second.

[@Edujs23]

It is a shame that Nincada loses its unique typing after evolving

[@noahberan6498]

Wormadam would like a word

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@J.D. At least the awesome Golisopod & Araquanid lines got it

[@hamiltonhaugh3982]

This was one of my favorite bugs. I thought it sucked, but with some speed and swords dances and it can facilitate a sweep for anyone.

[@IgnitedQuils]

Honestly it needs a better physical movepool and attack. It now has Dual Wingbeat and Flying is good offensively, needs something like a reliable Ground or Fighting move.

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@@IgnitedQuils I kinda disagree for Flying being good offensively, defensively fits Flying better

[@justaliljello5198]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 Flying as a type is very strong offensively idk what you mean

[@Rarest26]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 It mostly depends on the mon. It's obviously more of an offensive tool for something like Staraptor, but more useful for defense with something like Skarmory.

[@IgnitedQuils]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 Flying isn’t resisted by a lot and it hits a decent amount of types super effectively. There are types that can easily cover the types that resist Flying like Fighting (hits 2/3 types) and Ground (hits all types except those types that are part Flying themselves like Zapdos). It can easily be covered by other STAB combos like Water and Dark. I do agree it can be good defensively like Zapdos, Skarmory and maybe Gyarados (if you don’t count the electric weakness).

[@goldenhydreigon4727]

"So it got the Paul stamp of approval and was obviously good forever." Me having seen the Electivire, Magmortar, and Torterra videos: (W H E E Z E)

[@emilytheimp]

Imagine being a Bug/Flying type and actually being viable

[@IgnitedQuils]

*Yanmega,* *Mega* *Pinsir* *and* *Vivillon:* Am I a joke?

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@@IgnitedQuils Real talk: Mega Pinsir shouldve gotten the amazing Bug/Ground

[@MrJohnReviews]

Scyther would like to have a word with you lol

[@librathebeautifulwarmonk1283]

@@MrJohnReviews Scyther is low tier consistently actually

[@galvsparks6295]

@@librathebeautifulwarmonk1283 it still did good in all the lower tiers it’s landed in and has still never been untiered

[@VillainousHanacha]

It's almost charming to hear that BP wasn't banned initially in gen 3 OU, not because it wasn't op but out of a sense of honour. Though I suppose that's the magic of small, tight knit fandoms for you. Sometimes, being niche ain't all that bad.

[@michealvalois4463]

I admit, listening to the Gen 3 antics just kinda threw me for a loop. Why did they not just full ban Baton Pass? Just feels like a lot of effort for a problem that could be dealt in one thing

[@Volpurr]

@@michealvalois4463 I believe it's mainly because Baton Pass was the only pivoting move in that gen and without the stat passing, it was actually a healthy part of the metagame.

[@duelme1234]

@@michealvalois4463 I played a little bit of gen 5 (I'm not good at it) and celebi passing a sword dance to excadrill or nasty plot to thundurus is quite neat and helps break certain walls. I'd imagine that a single stat being boosted isn't that much of a problem and can facilitate some neat interactions/teams/sets in gen 3. Also as someone else has already said, using bp as a psuedo u turn to grab momentum isn't really a problem.

[@SteveScapesYT]

Remember the whole honor thing? There’s a lot of expectations and history in Gen 3 and the player base has a strong inclination to preserve key traits of the meta. Baton Pas Zapdos, Celebi, Jolteon are iconic parts of the tier and really core to many traditional offensive and defensive strategies.

[@halfaheartbongobongo]

Back in gen 3 OU, the idea of competitive Pokemon play in general was novel, and the thought of banning something besides Wobbuffet was still foreign. When Garchomp was first banned in Gen 4 it was *a big fucking deal*. Now of course the idea of banning things for tier balance is quite standard.

[@ikarainijirai]

You have no idea how much dopamine is circulating through my brain when seeing my favorite Pokémon for more than 4 years in a row get a video over 20 minutes long

[@SpiceyWrapGames]

I just love how this “How good was” series fills me with nostalgia from my casual comp days in high school. Seeing Ninjask in the video made me interested about its history and am glad it terrorized everyone. including myself when I encountered it in gen4 comp; I then promptly added it to my team. Glad to see my bug boss make a note for close to twenty years. God bless it.

[@eyecontrol4900]

its crazy to see how consistent FSG has been. He has uploaded almost every weekend, for the last 4yrs without a break.

[@frogsnidget_7345]

It’s really cute to see ninjask come from a super cheesy strategy, get replaced by another speed boosting bug, and the growing form that to become its own Pokémon, not defined by its past. Truly imprint

[@ZorotheGallade]

Scolipede: "Face it, you will never take my niche." Ninjask: "DO I LOOK LIKE I NEED YOUR NICHE?"

[@SofterSideStudios]

Delcatty, Swalot, Torkoal, Grumpig, Spinda, Seviper, Lunatone, Solrock, Kecleon,Relicanth, and Latios 11 hoenn mons left

[@IgnitedQuils]

The Latios video will be a banger. And Delcatty + Spinda will be interesting

[@TixSloth]

@@IgnitedQuils i can't wait to see Torkoal

[@jaretco6423]

We still gotta finished Johto mon first. Especially with an remake of Tyranitar.

[@SofterSideStudios]

@@jaretco6423 I’m ready for at least an hour long on that video

[@Epzilon12]

Ninjask would really benefit from a flying type, physical version of Electro Ball

[@B3FMandCProductions]

When the periodical cicadas came out here in Northern Virginia last year, it inspired be to create a casual Ninjask team and it's so good in a 3v3, Battle Stadium format. Max Attack, Focus Sash, Swords Dance, and a Dynamax set with Dual Wingbeat, Leech Life, and Dig. Without priority or a good counter on my opponent's team, Ninjask would be a terror

[@agentblackbird9435]

Eyy I also live in Virginia

[@abed8504]

Love the idea, will definitely give it a shot

[@lvl5Vaporeon]

Imagine that you're a depressed high school kid and all of a sudden someone lifts you up, hands you a plushie and the courage to speed ahead in life. That is Ninjask.

[@Magic_Ice]

yo

[@BlooperTanooki]

Does Ninjask do that for college students too?

[@lvl5Vaporeon]

@@BlooperTanooki Only if you let him do his thing first

[@aknight7642]

Poetic.

[@agentblackbird9435]

Why is this me lmao

[@Matpit18]

My fondest memory of Ninjask is sweeping an entire team with it on ladder. This was a really good video, FSG. Keep up the great content.

[@gregorymirabella1423]

considering how bonkers ninjask and shedinja are, it makes me wonder what a potential 3rd evolution would be like.

[@gfghxfghhthgz8770]

The body/ninjask shell/shedinja and lastly the lost soul ghost/poison or ghost/fire with the second typing symbolising the hatred/envy towards its two "alive" siblings with the strange evolution methode of having another fainted nincada in your party when the other one evolves

[@rotciv557]

I'm imagining a yoked Ninjask with Wonder Guard.

[@craniifer]

With cicadas being one of my favorite animals, it warms my heart to see Ninjask being an utter terror in both low and high tiers alike.

[@coolstr44]

When you refer to a different Pokémon for a while, especially in the outclassing form like with Scolipede, could you display the stats on the other side? Would be very informative hihi

[@brandontherabboat4850]

The Nincada family is probably one my favorites in the entire series for how unique it is.

[@iridium6714]

I'm so happy my little guy ended up being good in its own merit in gen 8. I love ninjask, it's a great mon, I love it so much and its evolution gimmick so this video made me smile so much !!

[@IgnitedQuils]

One of the few Pokémon in DPP OU that aren’t that good (others being Electivire and Dusknoir). Liked using it as a way to catch Pokémon via False Swipe. Fun fact; when evolving from Nincada, it switches its attack and defense stats. Same with Shedinja, but Ninjask gains 30 HP and the rest of its special stats and speed change while Shedinja only loses 30 HP.

[@Cheezy701]

Sad that Electivire is so bad, it's one of my favorite Pokemon :(

[@IgnitedQuils]

@@Cheezy701 Mono Electric isn’t bad defensively, but it being offensive is mediocre, due to how common Electric resists are. Plus due a lack of strong physical Electric STAB and physical frailty, it’s held back.

[@AverageHandle_]

@@IgnitedQuils nah it’s not the strength it’s the recoil

[@nerddwarf]

@@IgnitedQuils Hot Take Wild Charge is a perfectly fine Electric-move. It doesn't need to be buffed. It's Electric-type Take Down (complete with 25% recoil instead of 33%) We need other physical Electric type moves. Make Volt Tackle available to Pokémon other than Pikachu Make an Electric-equivalent of Close Combat or Superpower Etc.

[@sonofab30]

@@Cheezy701 why electivire still hasn't dropped to DPP UU yet is beyond me

[@Wildcatt1999]

Before Greninja, there was Ninjask.

[@ReintGerts]

Before Ninjask, there was Starmie.

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

@@ReintGerts i believe they were talking about ninjas dude. Starmie ain't a ninja

[@gregorywood7554]

​@@leojamesquiambao1047 "Hyah!"

[@BanditSurvivorContent]

Baton pass and Ninjask. A better love story than twilight.

[@luirromenjivar1390]

If Ninjask was given Knock Off would be insane in lower tiers. With very few Regenerators in lower tiers and both Steel and Rock types relies on Leftovers to stay healthy during the game, and not being scared to be outspeed and just scape with Stab U-Turn

[@alejandropetit6573]

With a unique type combination, decent bulk, a movepool that would make any physical attacker jealous with two amazing setup moves in ddance and bulk up, as well as unmatched coverage, three amazing abilities, and a tough guy attitude How good was Scrafty actually?

[@IgnitedQuils]

Scrafty is interesting due to the near unresisted STAB in Gen 5, plus it having good bulk, Dragon Dance and abilities in Moxie and Shed Skin.

[@skeetermania3202]

Really, a copypasta?

[@skeetermania3202]

@@IgnitedQuils Literally only Toxicroak and Heracross resisted its STAB combo in Gen 5. That may be one reason why Fairies came to existence.

[@IgnitedQuils]

@@skeetermania3202 It was mainly due to Dragon types being powerful but yeah Dark/Fighting was strong prior to Fairies existing

[@jaretco6423]

It does well in PU now. That's an good thing. I'm hoping it'll get more buffs in Gen. 9 to become better. Despite it's 4× weakness to Fairy types.

[@gio9255]

On paper, Ninjask sound incredible. Being able to boost it's speed passively, boost it's attack with swords dance, block status with sub and protect, being able to pass those boost to any mon in the game, and having the highest speed in the game besides Deoxys-S,, Ninjask sounds like it should be a top tier threat. Honestly, it was entirely due to baton pass alone. Once it received heavy duty boots and dual wing beat, it could finally stand on it's own. I remember when it was PU for a period of time and it was scary. Nothing could take it's boosted dual wing beats. Hope to see more Ninjask shenanigans in Scarlet/Violet. It's easily one of the most infamous bug types in the games just as a cicada should be.

[@beandrag9019]

Honestly such a dope Pokémon family. I love all three of these guys. Each of them is so unique

[@azurneon]

I was really waiting for this one! Ninjask is one of my all-time favorite Pokémon: it has always provided extra support for a team with its Baton Passing antics. The only real things I wish it had now are a higher Attack Stat and a Bug/Dark typing instead of Bug/Flying, even though it's arguably the best user of the latter.

[@darianclark3980]

Bug/Dark would made 0 sense thou. But I do think that Nincada should have 5 more Defense then Ninjask/Shedinja gets 5 more Attack, just to keep the scheme/gimmick. Thou if the "Sound" type exists/is coming, Ninjask would be perfect bc Cicadas are loud af lol

[@azurneon]

@@darianclark3980 A potential Sound Type would make a lot of sense for Ninjask, too. I was thinking of Bug/Dark because of Ninjask's sneakiness and ninja-related attributes such as its Speed, as well as being even more of a counterpart to Shedinja, since the latter is a Bug/Ghost type.

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@@darianclark3980 Bug Ground fits it much better

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

@@azurneon Sound works as a sub category of moves as opposed to an actual type, it just wouldnt make sense. How would Liquid Voice work since its gimmick of all Sound moves becoming Water would be butchered

[@darianclark3980]

@@skullerclawerbandicoot7966 you know Nincada is already a Bug/Ground, right?

[@dokucroe3865]

I can't wait til we finish up the fully evolved Gen 3 dex for competitive history. Not only it's my favorite generation for Pokemon, I also feel that we've been in good progress for everything that we covered so far and with several more remaining to go over as well.

[@moonjelly5]

The remainders are: Swalot Seviper Spinda Delcatty Kecleon Solrock Lunatone Grumpig Relicanth Torkoal Latios/Mega Latios

[@somerandominternetdweller]

Ninjask sounds like an enigma in Pokémon. Aside from its baton pass antics, but when forced away from it, it became a good Pokémon in its own way.

[@relativelylucky1454]

They actually took my suggestion! Hell yeah

[@mattr75]

I never knew Ninjask was so vicious, but man, it's history is quite impressive

[@ThereBeGoldInThemTharHills]

This is the only video I've been asking for every video for 3 years. Couldn't believe it when I saw it.

[@SYKim_94]

Who’d knew that a ninja bug Pokémon would single-handily screw with the metagame just for passing stats

[@jayanths1221]

I love how this video was more about baton pass than it was about Ninjask.

[@halfaheartbongobongo]

It turns out when one of your stats is higher than almost any other Pokemon, and that stat is one of the most important stats in the game - even if all your other stats are garbage you can still eke out a niche in competitive play.

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

Purugly says hi

[@brucewayne8550]

@@leojamesquiambao1047 Purugly didn't really have anything outside of its Base Speed- which is still outrun by common Scarfers. Ninjask had a lot of things that helped it along. Swords Dance, speed enough to beat Scarfers, BP, Speed Boost.

[@nari4481]

14:14 that "YES" was so enthusiastic.

[@sosams]

I love how the explanation is just "Ninjask boosts itself and baton passes" and in Gen IV moves it has... Dig?

[@Larszard]

Maybe to hide for a turn to get another turn of speed boost?

[@RisingJericho]

I sure can't wait to hear a 20 minute video about how good Swords Dance + Speed Boost into Baton Pass was

[@FaeQueenCory]

The performance of Ninjask in Gen8 really highlights how centralizing Stealth Rocks is.

[@colinakersakers44]

Perfect timing as I’m using a Ninjask in my current playthrough of sword. Great video

[@risel56]

On the subject of speed, I like to think that Kellen actually talks as fast as the Micro Machines guy and that the video editor has to painstakingly split every word in the sentence apart so we can hear it. That's why these episodes always sound like he's saying all of this info in one take without breathing. :P

[@keywii-U]

15:16 Ninjask so fast, his wings flap too fast to be perceived

[@danielferrieri7434]

Alternate Title: How FAST was Ninjask Actually

[@qorv4973]

before forums and smogon were things I went to... I felt so proud of having found out Silver wind was an egg move in Gen 3. I loved baton pass Ninjask!

[@M3rtyville]

One of the duos has finally been finished but there are still duos or trios are added without completing a set. Now we need to finish: - Mantine - Latios - Kyurem - Carracosta - Bastiodon - Grass Gen 6 Starter - Seviper - other gen 5 monkeys - Cresselia - Tyrantum - Swords of Justice minus Keldeo - Inciniroar and Primarina - Skuntank someone else I forgot for sure Edit: I added the forgotten Pokemon

[@bulborb8756]

i don't think any of the Elemental Monkey's from gen 5 have been covered yet...and tbh when it comes to simisear...i'd be expecting that one would be going over how BAD it was

[@M3rtyville]

@@bulborb8756 the water monkey was

[@bulborb8756]

@@M3rtyville oh i forgot about that, but tbh out of the elemental monkey's simipour is the best of the 3, with simisear being the worst

[@goGothitaLOL]

Gothitelle, since he did Reuinclus

[@darrellsimon4462]

Seviper

[@christiantrujillo12]

Love how he refers to ubers like "arceus and company"

[@AlfredoPuente8]

The 2nd fastest pokémon in the game surely needed an ability to increase its speed.

[@redfieldwong717]

2nd? Speed deoxys or Regieleki ring any bells?

[@al-hilalgames5708]

It's meant to pass those boosts to its friends.

[@al-hilalgames5708]

Finally, a video about my boy Ninjask. Waited 2 years for this.

[@alantremonti1381]

There is no way in hell I would ever grant POWER OF ATTORNEY to some app, lol.

[@TehDompie]

CB Ninjask was one of my favorite Pokemon ever back in Gen 4 OU and Ubers. So fun to use man

[@MetaDash]

Ninjask and its cousin Sheninja are so freaking cool but for totally different reasons. I really should use either in a Nuzlocke or something sometime. also speed boost is cracked

[@sockhead8971]

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG WOOOOOOOOOOO

[@Paildra91]

It'd be interesting to see a "How COMPETITIVE was Paul ACTUALLY" video so that we can finally determine if he represents competitive players.

[@TCStink3]

His team was CTC levels of dogshit. *End video*

[@leosoulless]

saved for april fools

[@Skullhawk13]

Paul was a scrub. He didn’t take any effort in raising pokemon, gave them the wrong moves, and didn’t believe in friendship in Pokémon.

[@ladyriethegoldendelmo5441]

@@Skullhawk13 thats why paul didnt last to long lol

[@anakinleeruiyangacsbr5800]

man i legit love ur vids man keep up the great work

[@austineafford]

Ninjask should learn the moves Swift, Air Cutter and Air Slash.

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

Er, it's sp. Atk is awful, so those won't do good for it

[@arnenesbye2420]

I remember at the start of SWSH i went online with a ninjask named Speedy. I used it with sword dance, protect and baton pass, and passed a 2+ speed and attack boost to dracovish. Needless to say, I demolished pretty much everything.

[@smugsona]

actually didn't know ninjask had 160 speed since I only used shedinja throughout Emerald. Makes sense since it's a ninja bug, unlike Shedinja which... still has def/spdef stats... even though it only has 1HP...

[@yet0another0account]

> still has def/spdef stats actually relevant because the game has to calculate the exact damage you'll take, even if it always ends up killing you

[@sagacious03]

Great analysis video! Thanks for uploading!

[@arthursdl]

To me, one of the coolest mons of all time

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

Ninjas are always cool

[@geegoflex6762]

I love how right pass the ad is the most replayed

[@GamingG4276]

Question of the week: If you were a Bug type Gym leader or Elite four member, would you use a Ninjask? I like asking questions like that.

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

Of course. Why not?

[@ciphermitarai]

It wouldn’t be high on my list of picks, but I think it would be quite fun!

[@Lord_KillerBee]

Nincada still remains one of the strangest family lines where if a player has a full team, they can acquire one of the fastest bug type Pokémon or if there’s an empty spot Nincada becomes a ghost bug. A choice between Ninjask, an impressively fast bug/flying type that gains speed boost after each turn, or Sheninja, the one hit bug/ghost type which was surprisingly not as bad in competitive play as one would have expected.

[@donkkut5003]

it was super cool to see ninjask being good without having to rely on baton pass and actually going from thought of as unviable to banworthy in gen 8 i'm not a fan of HDB overall but it's cool that some previously bad pokemon got so much better because of it(although it's outweighted by the ones that were already good)

[@matteste]

Happy to see that my favorite pokemon had an interesting history.

[@SemiHypercube]

This video would be so much shorter if Ninjask didn't get Baton Pass Funny how they decided the fastest non-legendary pokemon in the game needed an ability that made it get even faster

[@banaphon9119]

WOOOOOOOOOOO IVE BEEN WAITING ON THIS ONE

[@SSNNPBCC]

I love how every generation Ninjask starts off unbanned pissing off everyone as if anything would've changed(we'll assume scolipede doesn't exist)

[@gfghxfghhthgz8770]

Finally Ninjask after Shedinja was done so long ago One of my top 3 bug types and the leader of my baton pass chain that enabled me to sweep my cousins fullstaked highest stats legendary team with Phione back in usum good times

[@RazorIvy470]

I love how Gen 7 is almost always the same as Gen 6 in competitive for a lot of Pokémon

[@sem3ndem0n_73]

except if you're good in ORAS PU because you will be going into untiered in Gen 7

[@RazorIvy470]

@@sem3ndem0n_73 *like my favourite pokemon*

[@cassidy1768]

Honestly, a 10 or so point buff to ninjask's attack would probably make it viable in higher tiers, maybe not OU, but I could see it being a solid RU-UU mon with a base 100 attack stat coupled with the rest of its attributes

[@ElectroBlastLuigi]

False Swipe Gaming: *makes a video about Ninjask* Freezai: *makes video about Shedinja* Coincidence?

[@skullerclawerbandicoot7966]

They really should do avcollab video. As theyre one if the few Pokemon fans that arent cancer

[@gabr.7878]

I always absolutely adored this Pokemon line

[@NanaKyoto]

Baton Pass may very well be the most complicated thing in Pokémon, period.

[@dylanfoden7116]

Love the content, you always have amazing videos!

[@skyla5086]

Ninjask is underrated

[@celastik]

It's been years since I saw one of these videos but I'm gladly coming back for my boy Ninjask

[@Ensxgn]

They literally gave speed boost to a Pokémon with a base speed stat of 160

[@iantaakalla8180]

That is how Pokémon goes. Balance is luck based on whether it would make sense thematically, and even that is not constant

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

yeah, sure, and they gave a mon with 170 atk an ability that basically gives it a free swords dance every time it enters combat. Very nice huh?

[@GarrettLegendstone]

I actually faced a baton passing ninjask in a singles link battle in sword and shield and my oppponent had a full baton pass team. Luckily I brought an imposter ditto with me but the substitute can be a problem, I was able to take the opportunity to reverse sweep with it. I took a huge gamble in dynamaxing because evasion boost and it worked out thanks to the screens I set up and when my Dynamax ran out after KO’ing Blaziken I used the baton pass strategy against my opponent.

[@bakakubi]

I find the hate Smogon has for baton pass to be hilarious.

[@toadsagejacob7896]

Hilarious, but insanely justified

[@Labyrinth6000]

@@toadsagejacob7896 It's because the move is going against the narrative. The higher ups at Smogon (lol) are mad their favorite competitive Pokémon are being thwarted by people using Baton Pass Ninjask.

[@SharpLCDTV]

@@Labyrinth6000 r u slow

[@shyguyry2033]

Finally! I've been asking for Ninjask for like a year.