Shadow Nidoqueen PvP IV Deep Dive

Article by RyanSwag

Table of Contents

Great League
Ultra League
Closing Thoughts

Shadow Nidoqueen

Shadow Nidoqueen is one of the most powerful Shadow Pokemon in Great League and Ultra League PvP. Given how few Shadow Pokemon we are able to catch, getting good PvP IVs on Shadow Nidoqueen can be trickier than it is for other species. The guide below highlights relevant Breakpoints and IVs for Shadow Nidoqueen for both the Great League and the Ultra League. This is the Shadow Nidoqueen PvP IV Deep Dive.

This guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features canned PvP IV tables.

If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs or if this guide gets kind of confusing, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video.

Great League

Shadow Nidoqueen in the Great League has 2 main flavors: Atk/HP and Def/HP. Higher Atk weights on Shadow Nidoqueen are generally better than they are for most other Pokemon, as Poison Fang can give Poison Jab higher Breakpoints after a single debuff. For example, a lower Atk Shadow Nidoqueen’s Poison Jab may only go from 5 to 6 after Poison Fang, where a higher one could jump to 7. *Could* doesn’t sound consistent, so our recommendation is to aim for the Azumarill Breakpoint (117.61 Atk), just know anything over isn’t as wasteful as it could be for other Pokemon.

Given that Shadow Nidoqueen usually goes down to a single Charge Move or two, Def generally doesn’t matter as any Charge Move Breakpoints can be made up for with HP. That said, higher bulk Shadow Nidoqueen aren’t without their own benefits, so having both an Atk/HP and Def/HP Shadow Nidoqueen is recommended.

Use the stat checks below to guide your Shadow Nidoqueen decision making.

Azumarill Atk

117.61 Atk, Azumarill 1-0 full farm
- If Azumarill has a 1-2 Fast Move energy lead before you counter-swap to Nidoqueen, it may reach 2 Ice Beams without the Breakpoint
  - Losing shield advantage for a big farmdown is a lot nicer than having to throw to close the fight
- 115.3 is a decent “low range” to keep in mind for higher Bulk Nidoqueen
- 118.33 and 119.04 are worth keeping an eye out for, as there are higher Def Azumarill than the Rank 1
115.48-117.62, Ferrothorn 1-1 Earth Power into full farm down
117.26, Wigglytuff no throw full farm down
116.54, Mandibuzz potential Charge Move clipping and farming
116.6, Obstagoon
116.2, Lickitung
117.1, Shadow Walrein

Higher Atk Breakpoints

May trade too much bulk, but are worth highlighting
118.03, Altaria
118.68, Greedent
118.8, Abomasnow

While Shadow Nidoqueen enjoys her Atk stat, it is good to have some bulk too. 137 HP was noticed as a good “safe” spot for Shadow Nidoqueen, with roughly 118 Def. The Def recommendation comes from the HP check being influenced by Charge Move Breakpoints. So if your Shadow Nidoqueen has significantly lower Def, you’ll want to try to make up for it with HP. For example, my Shadow Nidoqueen has 112.7 Def with 143 HP. Comparing simulation data against other Shadow Nidoqueen, it has roughly the performance of a 136-138 HP Shadow Nidoqueen with a 117-118 Def stat. The ratio isn’t precisely 1 to 1, but for a quick estimate 1 to 1 appears safe enough to use.

Here are some matchups you can test on PvPoke to see just how good your bulk is:

The above checks are for a “137” HP weight Nidoqueen. Meeting some but not all of the matchups is expected. Meeting all 3 while hitting 117.61+ Atk is fantastic. Meeting none of them isn’t horrible. If you want to test the sturdiness of a low Atk, high Bulk Shadow Nidoqueen, see if you can overcome the Powder Snow Alolan Ninetales 0 shield scenario, Abomasnow 0 shield scenario, or Pelipper 1-1 shield scenario.

This “test your bulk vs PvPoke” isn’t the end of the road for your Shadow Nidoqueen goals. It’s just difficult to draw the line between “good and bad” bulk without Def Breakpoints to guide the situation.

Speaking of Def Breakpoints, below are a couple that stand out:

113.14-114.75, Froslass 2-2 potential (unlikely, but possible)
114.05-117.33 (114.98 likely safe), Lickitung
117.24, R1 41 Bastiodon 1-1 w/137 HP
117.66-118.93, Fire Spin Alolan Marowak
119.81, Trevenant
120.23, Talonflame 1-1 potential

The above Def Breakpoints don’t always result in a flipped matchup, but could reduce the opponent’s potential to KO Shadow Nidoqueen with Fast Moves alone (before you reach another Charge Move). On the other hand, these Def Breakpoints could result in your opponents getting an extra Fast Move or two of farm action, so beware.

Great League Shadow Nidoqueen PvP IV Tables

Azumarill Atk/Bastiodon Def/137 HP
Azumarill Atk/Froslass/Lickitung Def/137 HP
- Note: These aren’t the only “good” Shadow Nidoqueen IVs. Because of the relationship between Def and HP, it’s impossible to capture all the good spreads in one table. Check your true stats of your Pokemon on PvPoke.com, keep the Azumarill Breakpoints in mind, and the rough 1 to 1 relationship between 118 Def and 137 HP.

Ultra League

Ultra League

Shadow Nidoqueen PvP IVs in the Ultra League are a little more straightforward than in the Great League. The two main flavors are once again Atk/HP and Def/HP, with higher Atk weights benefiting random post-Poison Jab Breakpoints.

The “goal” Atk weight is 151.98 for the XL Scrafty 0-1 and 1-2 shield scenarios, and also the 1-1 Poison Fang only. This Atk weight also picks up a Sir Fetch’d Breakpoint (150.79), enabling the 1-2 and Charge Move clipping in uneven scenarios, a Toxicroak Breakpoint (148.69), enabling the 1-1, as well as Dragonite and Shadow Snorlax Breakpoints (149.06, 150.33). A higher Atk weight of 153.52 may also help against big XL Greedent.

The “goal” HP is roughly 175, based on a 148.5 Def stat (if your Def is lower, you may need higher HP). Not only does this HP meet general consistency standards, but it can also enable Shadow Nidoqueen to overcome Normal Nidoqueen in the 0-1 shield scenario, as you’d be tanky enough to eat their Earth Power while reaching both a Poison Fang and Earth Power of your own.

For Def, 149.4 enables the Venusaur 1-2 shield scenario. ~154 (possible at 151.4, but most Empoleon have some Atk weight) Def can also potentiate the Empoleon 1-1 shield scenario, as you’ll have enough bulk to reach both a Poison Fang and Earth Power. Reaching 154 Def with 175 HP and 151.98 Atk is impossible, but managing both Atk or Def with HP is reasonable.

Ultra League Shadow Nidoqueen PvP IV Tables

What about Normal Nidoqueen?

Shadow Pokemon have different Atk and Def stats than their non-Shadow counterparts. This means they have different Atk and Def Breakpoints and therefore different stat priorities. We may do a Normal Nidoqueen PvP IV Deep Dive in the future, so stay tuned.

Closing Thoughts

Getting ideal PvP IVs on a Shadow Pokemon can be unnerving due to how limited they can be. Fortunately, Shadow Nidoqueen mostly cares about Atk, with HP and Def as slight afterthoughts. Hopefully this guide helped highlight just how good your current Shadow Nidoqueen is, or has given you some good direction in choosing your best Shadow Nidoqueen candidate.