Nincada in Emerald.
Nincada appears in 2 places in Pokemon Emerald. The best odds are Route 116 (walking in grass or caves, 10% at level 6).
Where to find Nincada
odds are the game's slot tablesEvolution
3 stages
Nincada
Ninjask
ShedinjaEvolves into Ninjask at level 20.
Evolves into Shedinja at level 20 with a free party slot and a Poke Ball, which also produces Shedinja.
Evolve now or wait
from the game's learnsets and the relearner ruleNincada evolves at level 20. Evolving then forfeits 4 moves that Nincada would still learn: False Swipe at 25, Mud-Slap at 31, Metal Claw at 38, Dig at 45. Ninjask learns 4 moves of its own after that: Swords Dance at 25, Slash at 31, Agility at 38, Baton Pass at 45.
| Move you would forfeit | Level | Can you get it back? |
|---|---|---|
| False Swipe | 25 | No. The Move Relearner only teaches moves from the current form's own level-up list, so once it is Ninjask this move is gone. |
| Mud-Slap | 31 | No. The Move Relearner only teaches moves from the current form's own level-up list, so once it is Ninjask this move is gone. |
| Metal Claw | 38 | No. The Move Relearner only teaches moves from the current form's own level-up list, so once it is Ninjask this move is gone. |
| Dig | 45 | Yes: TM28 Dig teaches Ninjask. |
Rule the game applies: the Move Relearner in Fallarbor Town (he takes a Heart Scale) teaches only the level-up moves of the form you hand him, at or below its current level. Delaying an evolution costs the evolved form's higher base stats for every level you wait; a move you barely use is not worth that.
Nincada learnset in Emerald
10 level-up moves · 18 machinesBy level
Ninjask by level
TMs and HMs it can learn (18)
HM01 Cut, HM05 Flash, TM06 Toxic, TM10 Hidden Power, TM11 Sunny Day, TM17 Protect, TM19 Giga Drain, TM21 Frustration, TM22 Solar Beam, TM27 Return, TM28 Dig, TM30 Shadow Ball, TM32 Double Team, TM37 Sandstorm, TM40 Aerial Ace, TM42 Facade, TM43 Secret Power, TM44 Rest