Ninjask Only - Pokemon Emerald

Rules:
1. Only my starter in battle
2. No items in battle, except held items
3. No glitches, exploits, or save states
4. No movepool evasion-boosting moves before level 100*
Rule details:
-- I make no attempt to have the exact same rule details between generations.
-- I am allowed to manipulate my starter
-- I play the game at 4x game speed
-- For fair comparisons my Pokemon have perfect (or near perfect) DVs / IVs
-- I am allowed to catch HM users - I can use all field moves
-- Evasion boosting is allowed if the move is not obtained from the Pokemon’s movepool. For example, using Mimic or Mirror Move to boost evasion is allowed.
-- Surge's trash-can-puzzle is automatically solved
-- The bike is allowed in gen1 & 4, banned in gen2, and allowed only to bypass terrain in gen3
-- Saving between league members is allowed
-- I can pause the game and timer to take breaks
-- Items obtained with the ability Pickup can only be used if the starter obtained them
-- The footage is sped up & slowed down to match the pace of my narration
These Rule details apply only to generation 1:
-- All battle-mechanic glitches are allowed (glitches that occur outside of battle are banned)
-- In generation 1, I'm allowed to skip Marowak with the Poke Doll
If you didn’t read these rules and left a comment. Thanks for helping with the algorithm.
Patreon: / scottsthoughts
KZbin memberships:
/ @scottsthoughtspokemon
X: / psychicflying
Thumbnail art by BrianLS: / brianlsart
Illustrations by Sarina Vail: / sarinavail
Video Editing by Shawn McMullen
STAB: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
DVs / IVs: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Damage Calculation: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Stat and Catch Calculators: pycosites.com/pkmn/index.php
Gen1 Crit Rates: www.smogon.com/rb/articles/cr...
Growth Rates: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Learnsets: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
Base Stats: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...)
If you're new around here, Venomoth is a Psychic/Flying type, you can't change my mind.

[@baconlabs]

Oh man, this thing so badly wishes it had been born a few years earlier, to hang around in Critsburg with the likes of Persian and Electrode

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I want to backport it into gen1!

[@redreoicy6698]

will it get a badge boost every turn? 😅

[@1stCallipostle]

Without speed boost, aren't we just... Reinventing Scyther then?

[@legeul]

@@1stCallipostle Prety much, although i guess Ninjask has dig for coverage, also has a ridiculous 160 base speed.

[@inventiveusername5191]

@@ScottsThoughtsPokemon I know you don't backport abilities but speed boost in a world where the badge boost glitch exists would be absolutely brutal. It probably wants to sweep with swords dance so crit rate would actually be its enemy I reckon. It might even be a rare case where gen1 focus energy would be quite useful.

[@TastyMeerkat]

Venomoth Fact #18: At Venomoth's full unrestrained speed, it looks like a blur to Ninjask in the same way Ninjask looks like a blur to us.

[@bradhurtz9173]

Ninjask is my favorite bug type so glad it did pretty well. Now you gotta try shedinja

[@wuguxiandi9413]

Venomoth is my favourite Fire/Water type Pokemon

[@Chronoflation]

It's basically got the power of the watch from Clockstoppers at max speed! Too fast to handle!

[@j.r.1704]

23:46 I know these videos are all about skipping the plot and going fast, but I just think the line delivery of “I did some plot stuff” while skipping over a small clip of one of the coolest cutscenes in the franchise is hilarious. It’s like Toph describing her adventures to Korra in Avatar. “Eh a dragon showed up and yelled at the Ocean, big whoop…” Also I would like to give mention to all the fantastic animations / transitions throughout the video using the Ninjask key art. Really funny, really entertaining, kudos to the editor this was super fun to watch

[@yamiryushi]

Here is an idea Scott. Make the arrows for the nature up and down dark like the numbers so you can see it well. It's very hard to see when it's faded like that.

[@lyoukeefen7199]

Agreed. If he didn’t point them out I might have missed them entirely

[@Poppipower]

Seeing speed boost activate every turn is going to make the time interesting. I’ve thought about actually calculating how much time is lost over the course of a run through Drought/Drizzle/Speed Boost

[@marcoasturias8520]

If anything, intimidate is more like the weather abilities

[@Poppipower]

@@marcoasturias8520 No, after every turn the game will say “the sunlight is strong,” just like speed boost

[@marcoasturias8520]

@@Poppipower oh right

[@Penguindude1]

I liked how Steven's intro was handled with Ninjask zipping in, seeing Steven's team showing up, then Metagross takes it out.

[@GhoullyXX]

As I sit annoyed at the ridiculously loud sound of the cicadas outside my house, I see that you uploaded a run. With the cicada pokemon. Talk about timing.

[@xXDarkWolfXx21]

Same, the difference between how loud they are when you're inside versus when you're outside with them is astronomical too. If you thought they were loud before you ain't seen nothing yet

[@seebassteterismaster7879]

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZZZZ Says every cicadas ever except for ninjask

[@inanimategaming]

28:22 Loved the foreshadowing that came with the usual introduction of Steven and his team ...only for the Ninjask to just go "nah, I'd still win"

[@talandar5773]

I watched/listened to your entire Emerald series recently, as I was out of work for 2 weeks with head trauma and couldn't do anything, not even stare at a screen for a long time, so I just put on the playlist, closed my eyes and listened to you talk about obscure pokemon mechanics and strategies for at least 4 hours a day. Cool vids 👍

[@Chronoflation]

Oh, this was me back in early February. Hope you recover well

[@banditrests]

1:59 The rival took Chikorita? Well that’s a surprise!

[@Witzwo1]

It is really nice to have a turn counter in the bottom left. But i think it is broken. It stops at 6.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Hehe

[@redwings13400]

Speed is the most important stat in pokemon, and Ninjask is the fastest pokemon in the game, so I'm sure it can use that speed to get a world record time! Right? ...Right? (glances at Steven's skarmory) Oh no, this is going to be bad... EDIT: Wow, that was better than I thought it was going to be.

[@discgolfwes]

Justice for speedy Spinda

[@clementcurtet3916]

We should talk about the transition from Winona to Mt Pyre more because it was the smoothest most satisfying thing ever

[@myggmastaren3365]

The first gym is going to be extremely difficult isn't it

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

Sisyphus.mp4

[@christophertomlinson8097]

If you think this one is bad on the first gym shedinja needs to train till it learns shadow ball to win

[@marcoasturias8520]

​@@christophertomlinson8097sand attack ftw

[@MonkeBrain07]

​​@@marcoasturias8520I did a Mono Ghost race with my friend and it took me 23 tries with Sand Attack Shedinja until I win. We ended the race the second I won because it was too infuriating for him....

[@christophertomlinson8097]

@@marcoasturias8520 horribly inconvenient I've tried

[@JacktheRah]

Oh second attempts in Emerald? I must have missed (or forgotten) when that started but that's great! A bigger sample size really gives this more of a scientific approach.

[@banditrests]

Fury cutter is really underrated especially on bug types, it’s 95% accurate and builds up pretty quickly, especially in later gens. More consistent than rollout at least.

[@SpaceLombax]

The ninjask screen wipes made me laugh every time. Good show, old bean!

[@longdongmc.johnson]

man your voice really helps me sleep, you must be an amazing kind hearted guy i cannot immagine otherwise

[@ArchonZach]

This is one of those pokemon I'm looking forward to seeing Scott play in a future gen someday in the far off future since it will have much better bug moves eventually

[@davidviotto6544]

I really love when you use pokemon like this one, I never used it so it's fun to see how it does , unpopular pokemon runs are the best. Hyped for spinda

[@Mr_King96]

Love the animation for Wattson - that voltorb is clearly about to blow up. Nice job, animator-san

[@jonathanfrank9207]

I love the transition at the beginning of the second playthrough!! It's so silly but I audibly chuckled when I saw that. 😂

[@kevinsips3658]

Seems like you’re searching for that intro sweet spot :). Today’s seemed quick but still informative, which I think is a good thing.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I can take no credit for responding to feedback. This was finished before Sentret released.

[@kevinsips3658]

@@ScottsThoughtsPokemon fair enough. I did have that feedback in mind while watching and thought the intro was solid, though.

[@Fangreius]

This is a first for me i dont normally type in youtube comments but i always find myself coming back here to say whatever and i just want to say thanks your videos are always great to watch and i 100% agree about the bulbapedia color's i wasnt on board with them at first but they have grown on me for the better now i can actually quickly glance and understand what color is what the placement just makes sense now at least for me Also love ninjask they always found a spot on my gen 3 team

[@justsomejojo]

I love how Fury Cutter of all things is the winning strat in the early game. I gained an appreciation for that move over the years because it's one of the easier ways to beat Whitney in regular playthroughs. If you ever get to Gen5, I think that move will become amazing, since Hone Claws exists then. Sidenote: In the early generations, the game takes a slight bit longer to display messages when a move misses, so if you can feel it out (which I got used to after 25 years) those slight pauses and slow-downs in your timer REALLY take an effect. I always think your move misses when you slow down for dramatic effect. It's quite funny now that I realize why.

[@Ectar2003]

I'm a bit surprised that your overlay isn't dynamically calculating Fury Cutter's power on subsequent uses.

[@Articision]

Very nice! Thought it would be a lot worse tbh. Imagine Ninjask in Gen I, it would crit with slash before you even have the chance to select it (even without speed boost), and so many set-up moves to utilize the badge boosts

[@marsella527]

This vid should be sponsored by Top Gun because Scott "has a need! A need for speed!!!"

[@ZerglingOne1]

Geodude probably saw a miss on Rock Tomb due to lower accuracy than Rock Throw (how many more times are you going to flub this fact? Lol. Remember Scott, Rock Tomb gen 5) on the seed it rolled its simulation. The fun part was realizing just how awful the situation with Ninjask is. At +6 defense, it's like having +0 and taking normal damage. And it's STAB, and Geodudes have a pretty high attack stat. Plus, it can crit which is going to probably 1-shot you well into the 20's. The deck is stacked SO hard against Ninjask for Roxanne. Edit: Final thoughts. Ninjask mirrors its growth rate perfectly with how it performed in the game as a solo challenger. Terrible early, and then a not-especially-difficult mid-game, into a late game stomp due to its amazing setup capabilities.

[@thatponybro6940]

Ninjask is probably my favorite Bug type in Gen 3, though i've taken the task of representing Bug type until Nintendo gives it the buff it deserves

[@Moooork]

The Ninjask transitions are gold

[@mr.number9279]

Ninjask did really good. Its ability and level-up pool are just too good.

[@frostedbyte0759]

Great video dude!

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

One of my favorite Pokémon! Also went back to Emerald recently, a kingdom for X-Scissor hahaha

[@MadameTeqi]

Are you thinking of a different move? X was introduced in Gen 4

[@LovelyAlanna]

I want a run with torchic where it's called Chikorita

[@robertstrommer2778]

The one thing and I can’t stress this enough i was SO impressed by even the first run. Yeah it was slow. But it was very consistent which is almost unheard of from the big typing??? It was so nice seeing a big pokemon just … win even if it was slow

[@shimmianNS]

I have such extremely vivid memories of the first time I played Emerald -- when I first saw Spinda, I was hyped af by theories of what it would evolve into ---- having learned it didn't evolve, to this day, I've never played with one or had it on any team

[@bettyunicorn6132]

Spinda’s epic though

[@Sweet_S71]

Chikorita with the sad emoji cracked me up sooo much 🤣🤣🤣

[@perkypenguin1663]

I just knew Roxanne was gonna be brutal for Ninjask before I even clicked the video. With that said, I was quite surprised by how Ninjask ended up performing by the end! This whole ordeal also makes me very very afraid of how Shedinja is going to perform, considering a single Rock move will end the battle for it....

[@bryandauzat293]

Surprisingly good luck with fury cutter chains at least the ones shown

[@Bicker2k11]

Hey scott love your videos very insightful for sure, just wondering if you would think about doing an Articuno solo playthrough on crystal

[@EmpyreanRagnarok]

Ah yes, my favorite gen 3 starter. Chickorita.

[@samzito8067]

It’s interesting to see these movesets contrasted with their competitive pokemon usage, This little bug has caused me more pain and more suffering than should be possible, the amount of protects subs and baton passes I’ve seen this wretched creation pull off makes me happy to see it in the f tier.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Oh that does seem like an annoying strategy.

[@Panguinolucy]

Oh hey! A Pokémon that splits when it evolved! Sounds like us!

[@wompus_king]

I want to know who you are and what you’re doing. Even if I’m just listening, I need to know what channel I’m on! Not being grumpy. Just giving the feedback you ask about in streams :)

[@wompus_king]

But that’s just my preference. I’m no true youtubist

[@samrushin2476]

Ninjask is a very appealing Pokémon with a unique appearance and a fun sort of hyper support moveset with its multiple setup moves combined with Baton Pass. Unfortunately the stats skewed so heavily in one direction combined with its really bad typing, it has so much going against it. I still love the buzzy boy though and Cicadas are one of my favourite real life insects as well.

[@s641233]

28:23 this was a beautiful touch

[@silver_was_found]

Ah yes, my favorite fire-type starter, Chikorita

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Definitely the best chicken Pokémon.

[@shootingstardust97]

Ninjask definately puts a bad taste in the mouth for its growth rate type. But i believe this growth rate type can be redeemed by zangoose, who learns SD extremely early at lv 13. Looking forward to the time where zangoose is used in emerald by you, scott

[@PraefMace]

YESSSS YESSSSS. I love Ninjask...even if it isn't that good. It is such a good design! And I bet it would kick ass in gen 1 with that absurd base speed and access to slash. Edit: Almost forgot to add this but, DROOOOPED MY BALLSSS

[@Smileyrat]

Ok, I just can't stop hearing "eevee" instead of EV. Now I need pictures of speed eevees and attack eevees and such. I'd like to imagine that defense eevees are just dressed up as Zamazenta.

[@1stCallipostle]

I mean, there's at least one each Eeveeloution to represent each stat already. As much as I'd love to see more Eevees in little costumes

[@marcoasturias8520]

That's exactly how Pokemon training works

[@kalkkar]

Oh sweet i get to catch another one!

[@juanca2648]

Hello! Seen how ninjask did and in my opinion the tier structure is too harsh with pokemon like this. I mean, come on, apart from 1st gym, ninjask was not that bad. I expect very few pokemon would be C tier or above. C should be the standard for an average final evolution pokemon. By the way, I love your content, love from Spain!!! 😍

[@atraxian5881]

Looking forward to a Shedinja run in the future.

[@sussybaka-9796]

How convenient, I just saw cicada nymph holes all over my yard and was thinking about these cute critters then I open KZbin and see Ninjask🥰

[@TNEGRA13]

Love your work

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate the support.

[@davidwhidden9337]

I've always found it fun to swords dance fury cutter when I was younger. Just imaging the damage increases. Now? Ninjask is a grear baton passer.

[@pommyadam]

could be worth keeping a hold of LeechLife for the super-effective for Tate&Liza (and then also for Sidney, although the 20BP might be a bit outdated, lousy pre-Gen7) also Gen3 isms mean you can press Start to see the HP Bar numbers, rather than "a slither of health", which probably helps with the storytelling a bit for them

[@inventiveusername5191]

I remember as a kid thinking this thing was just another weak bug type, partly because the AI Ninja Boys have no idea how to use it, but it's actually a really cool design. Not gonna be good for a solo run though.

[@Denuhm]

I had the strangest Mandela effect thinking ninjask had sonic boom

[@iskander0725]

I'm so so curious how you're* going to route through Shedinja. Haven't even watched the vid yet. I can only infer you might be in the neck of the woods of thinking about it soonish. As for Ninjask, man, this dude is so much fun on a team. I'm curious if he'll still be as fun for you solo. I'd imagine you're going to have to go full aggro to get past the late game as Ninjask does unfortunately suffer from early game bug syndrome. Edit 2: lmao... that Torkoal death was peak, Scott. Thank you for that laugh.

[@apollobro91_2]

Up to this point, I did not realize that Ninjask leveled up more slowly in the early game than the rest of the game. This really puts it at odds with other early bug-type pokemon that aren't really designed to hang around on your team past the first 3 gyms. It seems like Ninjask really was designed to be an important Baton Passer for competitive players. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate well for solo runs! (Also I hope you get to play around with a Volbeat and a Dustox soon. This gen has some of the wackiest Bug types in the early gens!).

[@midspaz5226]

Thank you Scott I needed this today it’s been a brutal week

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I’m sorry to to hear that. I hope next week is better for you.

[@Kyle211919]

I anticipate this run being awfully slow with the speed boost text and animations EVERY TURN

[@llSuperSnivyll]

Does not surprise me that it struggles so badly, as it's clearly a gimmick Pokémon. I still really like its design though, even if I prefer Beautifly among the Gen 3 bugs.

[@opzombie9612]

ive played emerald way too much and nuzlocked and also as a kid i was very interested at how the AI worked and some discoveries ive made that ive seen you havent picked up on yet(not many do) 1: in normans gym the slaking will almost always use counter IF YOU USED A PHYSICAL MOVE in the previous turn and will NEVER if you used a special attack in the previous turn. 2: in the fight vs tate and liza the claydol will almost always use earthquake(unless it has no effect on any pokemon or you take away levitate from solrock/lunatone) because its flagged as being synergistic with the other pokemons ground immunity. 3: the reason some pokemon (most notably flannerys torkoal) will have a small chance to use body slam even when another move does more damage and even can get a guaranteed knockout because its flagged as a "chance at causing status" which i have found by my own data that theres a move priority table that the AI has around a 1/10 chance to consider these moves and then a 1/* and *being how many moves have been considered, but if theres a gurenteed status move then the AI will always use that instead and FINALLY the AI does infact consider how many pokemon in YOUR party are present and that will effect the move priority of some moves like: spikes,roar and even explosion and moves flagged as "risky" that have drawbacks upon use like double edge or memento or overheat and so on certain fights depositing HM friends will be beneficial

[@RandysOfWar]

My mind was blown when I evolved my nincada and got ninjask+ a shedinja. I love this bug but don’t have high hopes

[@archiiebarrett]

Another example of "results don't do justice" for this Pokemon. Ninjask is actually quite good, with the gen 3 games working against it for a solo run unfortunately. It's a great sweeper, fantastic baton passer, and utility Pokemon for any team, just a bit fragile.

[@TheOvalOwl]

Imagine fighting the Elite 4 in red/blue/yellow with a pokemon that gets a stat boost after every round.

[@christosvlachakis1633]

It's hard to objectively evaluate Ninjask's performance due to its reliance on ability/setup moves and the AI's interaction in such cases e.g. Electrike using Howl rather than Shockwave, Altaria using Dragon Dance rather than Aerial Ace.

[@weebrahim]

Can't wait for shedinja

[@alijohar4937]

Scott just wanted to say I love you

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

[@f0rm0r]

Just in time for the cicadas taking over the Midwest!

[@DarthBupsbricks]

Feels good to be this early

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

If the first gym had been anything other than a rock type Ninjask could have been a solid Pokemon.

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Very true.

[@Corysquestions]

I remember loosing a whole nuzlock to Lt. Surge after he used one double team while I was trying to hit it with dig… then another when I came up, after that it was impossible to hit and whiped my team which I was playing on a real game boy. So frustrating

[@lazypaladin]

*_Yes! I've popped off so much rn!_* Ok backstory: Ninjask is my favourite Pokemon of all time. My Adamant/Speed Boost Waka took on Steven's Mega-Metagross in Alpha Sapphire. *_AND ALMOST WON!_*_ I misplayed. I hope nothing for the best for my boi!_

[@TheOriginalJphyper]

19:22 FOUR SUCCESSFUL PROTECTS _IN A ROW?!_ Well, if that doesn't sum up Gen 3 Pelipper, I don't know what does.

[@wilbert3842]

Speaking of speed lowering natures you should try duskull line with speed lowering natures since it’ll never outspeed anyway

[@Armisael16th]

This is one of those things that's very small to the viewer but a huge pain on the backend, but do you think there's any chance you could have the power stat for moves like fury cutter update to show them increasing as the attack chain continues?

[@TheMoogleKing93]

This makes me wonder how Ninjask would do in Fire Red!

[@randaljr.8581]

ironic that speed boost is gonna make the real time slower (since it does a message after every turn, every battle).

[@naraiceylob]

In your run where you skipped Brawley did you do the trainers in Brawley's gym as part of your grinding for Swords Dance? A few trainers in there (with trainer booster experience) would have made the grinding for swords dance easier and I'm not sure if you did or not. Also I'd consider if attack vitamins is the best choice. You boost attack anyway with set up. Perhaps defence vitamins or special defence vitamins would be better than protein.

[@Undrave]

Ninjask is like my favorite bug type :D What I'm curious is what'll happen with Nincada. It has some absolutely stupid stat distribution :p

[@zsmith8632]

Imagine how terrifying speed booat would be wirh Badge Boost Glitch

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Omg yes.

[@red-eyessolares1817]

I wonder if there’s potential to take a more risky approach with Sand Attack at a lower level since a fast Ninjask run needs luck in the beginning already

[@Dennisthamaster]

SPEEEEEDDDDDD!!!

[@27danike]

On your first playthrough you leveled up to 73 with rare candies before the first Steven fight, but on the subsequent fights you were only at level 70

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

I likely forgot to use them again for the subsequent fights. I save before using rare candies so I can train and then use them at a higher level if more grinding is needed.

[@goldbanker2777]

The fact that double team at lvl 20 would probably get past the gym much faster and more consistent. I know its against the clause. I think it is fair in my opinion that if accuracy/evasion is need to beat a trainer in a reasonable time double team should be allowed. I think the roxanne fight would have taken much longer without sand attack.

[@jamtone4492]

I wonder how the nincada line run would work, would u use both ninjask and shedinja?

[@codypaul7136]

The only shiny pokemon I have ever found was a whismur, and it was me just running through the cave. I been playing pokemon for along time so it's alittle sad I had only found one😂

[@thebigbean8783]

A little bug/flying type? This isn't gonna go well lol. Interesting choice either way

[@Stroggoii]

Roxanne makes me wanna have Hypnosis, Harden, Dig and Horn Drill in my move set. iykwim

[@silver_was_found]

Ninjask looks so tiny in this generation. Its backsprite looks like a lil bean lol

[@jdsnerdverse]

I don't know why anyone complains about the speed lowering natures there's obviously a benefit to it and there's obviously a reason why I can get that nature is cuz it speeds so high.

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

Nincada, the cicada Pokémon

[@marvinmeese6217]

Shotouts to the person, who shows torchic on Screen, when you are talking about Chicorita. 🤩

[@jordanalexander615]

I actually used ninjask alot in playthroughs swords dance protect then button pass

[@Shadowvanify]

Damn bro, take a breath! All joking aside, it sounds like you were talking really fast this video, was that intentional given the Pokémon you were using?

[@ScottsThoughtsPokemon]

Not intentional.

[@banditrests]

@@ScottsThoughtsPokemonit would have been super funny if the video got faster every speed boost but not a great video lol