Shadow Chesnaught
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Shadow Chesnaught stands head-and-shoulders above its basic forme, but it's still not quite as tall as even a number of non-shadow Grass Types. It's an okay option early-on, but its overall performance is pretty lackluster for the most part. It has its moments where its typing makes it pretty bulky, but that's about its biggest advantage.
Offense
- Vine Whip is the best fast move available and takes advantage of STAB.
- Low Kick isn't as impressive, but can be used if a Fighting-type attacker is needed.
- Smack Down lacks STAB and has no offensive use.
- Frenzy Plant* is the best charge move on offense.
- Energy Ball and Solar Beam are a step down.
- Superpower can be paired with Low Kick to fulfill a Fighting-type role.
- Gyro Ball and Thunder Punch have no use.
Defense
- Smack Down has a considerably higher base power, and also covers against half of Shadow Chesnaught's weaknesses.
- Vine Whip and Low Kick are inferior on defense, but perform very similarly to each other in this situation.
- Thunder Punch is, by far, the best Charged Move for Shadow Chesnaught on Defense. It comes out quickly and frequently, and has coverage against its single biggest weakness: Fighting Types.
- Frenzy Plant* hits hard and has STAB, making it a solid defensive option.
- Superpower as a 2-bar move is a bit slow on defense, but at the very least it's better than other options.
- Energy Ball and Gyro Ball are easy to dodge; the former gets STAB while the latter hurts Ice and Fairy attackers.
- Solar Beam is terrible for defense.
Vine Whip is generally recommended for its significantly faster energy generation, as well as benefiting from STAB. Smack Down gives up faster energy gains for strong Rock-type damage, though it doesn't get STAB. Low Kick is a poor move.
Superpower is a very strong move in PvP, offering very high damage for its low energy cost, but is risky to use with its self-debuff. Frenzy Plant is an insanely powerful attack, offering consistent high STAB damage at a fairly low cost. Energy Ball is a far inferior move in comparison. Gyro Ball requires more energy, lacks STAB, and its coverage isn't as useful. Solar Beam demands the most amount of energy, making it undesirable to use. Thunder Punch can be used to strike certain Flying-type Pokemon more effectively than its other moves, but Shadow Chesnaught has a tough time sacrificing either Superpower or Frenzy Plant.
Shadow Chesnaught brings a fairly unique perspective into the Great League meta, with access to both Grass and Fighting-type coverage. While this isn't particularly unique, its moveset synergizes better than that of Gallade and competes with Sirfetch'd quite closely. A combination of Vine Whip, Frenzy Plant, and Superpower offers devastating potential. Shadow Chesnaught's type combination also provides it with a rare resistance to both Ground- and Rock-type attacks, allowing it to completely wall the omnipresent Galarian Stunfisk. Shadow Chesnaught, however, is held back by its average bulk and its six weaknesses (notably being doubly weak to Flying, a common type), and may struggle to stand out among existing Grass-type Pokemon as a result.
