>>51769319Shadow variants are only beneficial in GBL if you can hit damage breakpoints sooner than your opponent with an extra 20% damage. For example, let's say you try to farm down a Pokémon with Razor Leaf or Charm, but they're able to get off a charge move right before you take them down. Assuming all other factors remain the same, a shadow variant of the Pokémon you are using would have a better matchup against that Pokémon, since it would knock that Pokémon out before your opponent can get the charge move off.
Doesn't mean it only applies to fast moves, though. If a shadow variant can kill something in one charge move when the normal variant couldn't, that's generally a better Pokémon for that matchup.
Point being, Shadow Nidoqueen probably doesn't hit as many breakpoints against the meta as it should, so it ends up more often being a Pokémon that dies sooner than a Pokémon that finishes off the opponent's Pokémon sooner.
