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Ok, so hear me out.
>One of the biggest problems Shedinja faced throughout its whole life was always immediately being shut down by automatic residual damage
>Gen 3 had layered Spikes and Sand Stream Tyranitar which forced so much support by requiring multiple spinners and rain/sun users since Shedinja would die in 1 turn otherwise
>Same story for Gens 4 and 5, but add in Stealth Rocks and Toxic Spikes that made such residual damage so common
>Come Gen 6, Sand gets nerfed to no longer be permanent, Defog is buffed, and Magic Bounce as the incredible user in Mega Sableye, giving Shedinja a tiny niche since the support is way easier and you can stall out sand now (or use Safety Goggles too)
>Same story for Gen 7
>The biggest issue is still Stealth Rocks, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, still not letting shedinja survive more than a turn with them on
>Gen 8 introduces the Heavy-Duty Boots, an item that makes the holder immune to the effects of Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web
>Shedinja with HDBs can now more easily fit onto playstyles other than a niche version of Stall since it doesn’t require multiple hazard controls to even function
>Combine this with no Perma Sand, fulfill its role as a “conditional statement” pivot as the support required is significantly reduced
>Every Pokemon that doesn’t usually run coverage for Shedinja now has to run coverage since they can’t rely entirely on Stealth Rocks set by its teammates anymore
Yup. I’m thinking it’s OU.
