Monotype Greninja (Water)

[OVERVIEW]

Water
========
Greninja is the most versatile Water-type thanks to Protean giving it STAB on all of its attacks, enabling it to use almost any attack for coverage and still do great damage. It has an amazing movepool to maximize use of Protean including Ice Beam, Gunk Shot, Extrasensory, and many other coverage moves, which makes it a fantastic wallbreaker if it has the appropriate super effective attack. Greninja's amazing Speed makes it hard to revenge kill when it uses a Choice Scarf, able to outspeed almost the entire metagame, and allows Greninja to act as a great offensive pivot. In a completely different capacity, Greninja is also one of the few reliable ways to beat Poison teams for Water with its Groundium Z set. As a result of its many sets, Greninja is highly unpredictable and fits on almost every Water team, being able to fill any role the team needs. However, other than its Speed, Greninja has awful base stats, with almost no bulk to speak of and poor offensive stats. Furthermore, while its Speed is its only good stat, it still falls short of Tapu Koko, which is one of the biggest threats to Water teams, and can be easily revenge killed if it lacks Choice Scarf when considering its awful bulk. Greninja relies heavily on super effective damage to patch up its offensive stats, making it struggle to choose four moves from its huge movepool. Greninja will simply always be walled by something due to this restriction.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf (Water)
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Dark Pulse / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn provides switch momentum by allowing Greninja to pivot out of incoming walls into a teammate. Ice Beam gives Greninja a strong option to hit a wide range of threats including Dragon-types like Dragonite and Flying-types like Zapdos. Gunk Shot lets Greninja revenge kill Fairy-types, most importantly Tapu Koko, which is one of the most threatening Pokemon to Water teams. Defensively, it also provides Greninja with a Poison typing, making it a solid choice for 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y and Mega Diancie, both of which cannot OHKO a Poison-type Greninja with Solar Beam and Moonblast, respectively. Dark Pulse is a reliable STAB move that has fantastic coverage with Greninja's other moves and importantly hits Psychic-type walls like Mew, Jirachi, and Slowbro for a lot of damage. Depending on the user's team, Greninja's final moveslot can easily be replaced with more specific coverage moves to hit certain threats in exchange for losing out on the spammable Dark Pulse. For offensive teams that lack defensive switch-ins to these threats, Rock Slide is a solid coverage option that notably OHKOes Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y while 2HKOing Mantine and Kyurem-B. Low Kick is the only option that can OHKO Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock damage or two hits of Life Orb damage. It also 2HKOes Ferrothorn, almost always OHKOes Heatran, and always OHKOes Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire is useful for 2HKOing both Ferrothorn and Klefki, which often try to switch into Greninja, but it has no other useful targets. Entry hazards in the form of either Spikes or Toxic Spikes are also a viable final option on offensive teams to punish the opposing team's switches.

Set Details
========
252 Speed EVs, a Naive nature, and a Choice Scarf make Greninja as fast as possible, outspeeding almost the entire metagame including Adamant Sand Rush Excadrill and Swift Swim Kingdra. A Naive nature is important to use instead of Hasty to make sure Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed and other powerful priority are not able to KO Greninja. Greninja should use either 252 Special Attack or 252 Attack EVs depending on its fourth moveslot, as that slot typically relies heavily on investment to net the intended KOs. Protean changes Greninja's type to the typing of the move it uses, giving it permanent STAB and defensive flexibility.

Usage Tips
========
Greninja can serve as a fantastic lead thanks to its incredible Speed and use of U-turn to get switch advantage from the very beginning of the match, as almost no leads are capable of anti-leading Greninja. It is also a very reliable revenge killer, able to outspeed even many boosted sweepers. If Greninja isn't able to OHKO the threat, though, U-turn can be used to get chip damage at the cost of a teammate taking a hit. Greninja has rather poor damage output when lacking super effective coverage and can rarely touch walls, so if you predict one to switch into Greninja, U-turn should be used to preserve momentum. Once these walls are weakened, though, Greninja is more than capable of serving as a late-game sweeper with its STAB-boosted attacks. In most cases, try to use teammates such as Rotom-W to pivot into Greninja safely, as it can't take hits very well at all and should not switch into most attacks outside of those that are Psychic-type. However, when already in play, remember that Protean can be used defensively to give Greninja unusual resistances, such as using Gunk Shot against Mega Diancie's Moonblast or Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam.

Team Options
========
Greninja is best when paired with wallbreakers and stallbreakers such as Choice Specs Keldeo and Kingdra, Perish Trap Azumarill, and Suicune that can take on the walls it can't touch. Greninja's ability to bait walls in and pivot on them with U-turn makes it an even better teammate for these Pokemon. Specifically, this set can't touch the Poison defensive core, so a Pokemon like Gyarados that can beat it is important to have. Other pivots such as Rotom-W are great for forming a VoltTurn core with Greninja, able to keep up momentum for each other or for other teammates. While Toxapex lacks a pivoting move, it is still a fantastic option due to its ability Regenerator. It also frequently uses Toxic Spikes, which is crucial for wearing down Greninja's checks to enable a late-game sweep. Pokemon such as Swampert are almost necessary for their Stealth Rock support, which further punishes the switches that Greninja can easily force. Because Greninja likes to switch in and out frequently, hazard control from the likes of Mantine and Empoleon for your side of the field is crucial to avoid letting it get worn down too quickly. Being almost unparalleled in Speed, Greninja is very useful for taking out opposing revenge killers for sweepers, such as Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo. Mega Sharpedo is notable in being able to check Psychic-types, meaning Greninja can more easily choose to use a different coverage option from Dark Pulse.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam is used for its coverage, hitting Flying-, Grass-, and Dragon-types including Zapdos and Cradily super effectively and 2HKOing even Kyurem-B. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types and special walls such as Mantine hard, making Greninja a mixed attacking threat. Dark Pulse deals wallbreaking damage to Psychic-types, able to at least 2HKO almost every Psychic-type, while having decent spammability on even neutral targets. Greninja can choose from a wide range of options for its last move, selecting whatever its team needs most. Hidden Power Fire can OHKO many Steel-types including Ferrothorn, which tends to be a difficult Pokemon to break. Alternatively, Hidden Power Electric with Ice Beam 2HKOes almost every Flying-type other than Celesteela, making Greninja very difficult to check in that matchup. If these coverage combinations are unneeded, Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest attack and can be used over Dark Pulse for wallbreaking, as it notably can 2HKO even specially defensive Mega Sableye, but Water-type coverage is relatively redundant with Ice Beam. If Hydro Pump is used, Rock Slide can be used alongside it because it OHKOes Mega Charizard Y and still breaks most Flying teams. Greninja can use Spikes or Toxic Spikes quite effectively, as it forces switches and can take that opportunity to set up entry hazards.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack and Speed and a Naive nature make Greninja as strong and as fast as possible. Protean makes Greninja deal significant damage with all of its attacks thanks to STAB. Life Orb gives Greninja great damage on all of its attacks at the cost of recoil damage. To avoid recoil damage, Expert Belt can be used instead and to bluff other sets, but Greninja's neutral damage is pitiful and Hydro Pump should not be used with it.

Usage Tips
========
This set looks to come in as often as possible and fire off powerful super effective attacks whenever possible. As a result, try to pivot into it on double switches to Pokemon it outspeeds. It can also be used as a revenge killer with its good Speed, either KOing or forcing out threats like Mega Gallade that Water struggles with. Be careful with Greninja's health, as it has rather poor bulk and Life Orb will chip at Greninja over time. Avoid letting Greninja take hits it doesn't resist, as even neutral damage from weak walls can deal serious damage. Protean can be used for this purpose, giving Greninja unusual resistances to allow it to take hits it otherwise wouldn't be able to. Greninja has a huge range of moves it can viably use, so use that to your advantage, as your opponent will try hard to scout out your moveset. While Greninja's moves are unknown, it has a very easy time firing off attacks without fear. If Greninja uses Expert Belt, bluffing Choice Scarf or Groundium Z is a good strategy for netting surprise KOs.

Team Options
========
Even though this is one of Greninja's more powerful sets, it still doesn't have particularly fantastic damage output, so pairing Greninja with a wallbreaker is a good idea to dismantle balance and defensive teams. Choice Specs Keldeo can be a great option for breaking the Normal defensive core, which Greninja has no way of touching. Swift Swim Kingdra can be a great anti-offense option, as it can revenge kill Pokemon like Tapu Koko that outspeed Greninja. Rain in general is useful if Greninja packs Hydro Pump, as rain-boosted Hydro Pump is the only way Greninja can 2HKO Celesteela. Be aware, though, that rain will make Greninja's Hidden Power Fire deal insignificant damage. On more balanced teams, Perish Trap Azumarill can be an unorthodox way of taking out walls for Greninja. Greninja benefits greatly from having its switch-ins chipped away at, so support such as Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes from Swampert and Toxapex is always appreciated. A way to beat the Poison defensive core is needed, so a specific check such as Flyinium Z Gyarados should be used for this purpose.

[SET]
name: Poison Killer (Water)
move 1: Extrasensory
move 2: Dig
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Gunk Shot / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Fire
item: Groundium Z
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Extrasensory is the primary attack for this set, able to 2HKO almost every Pokemon on a Poison team including Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Dig completes the necessary coverage to allow this set to sweep Poison, as Tectonic Rage always OHKOes Alolan Muk, the only commonly used Poison-type that Extrasensory cannot touch. Ice Beam is used for its great coverage to give Greninja a strong, spammable move that no Pokemon is immune to. The final moveslot is used to complete coverage combinations to counter certain types, as this set lacks power if its moves are not super effective. With Tectonic Rage dealing crippling damage to Klefki, Gunk Shot is a great move that can pressure Fairy teams, although Greninja is still outsped by Tapu Koko. While it doesn't pair particularly well with Tectonic Rage, Hidden Power Electric forms the well-known BoltBeam coverage with Ice Beam and can 2HKO Mantine and Mega Charizard Y to break Flying teams. Hidden Power Fire can be used as well, as Heatran is OHKOed by Tectonic Rage, enabling Greninja to spam Hidden Power Fire safely against Steel teams.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack gives Greninja enough damage to 2HKO Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. 4 Attack EVs are used to guarantee the OHKO on Alolan Muk. A Naive nature and 252 Speed EVs make sure Greninja outspeeds Pokemon such as Latios, Gengar, Keldeo, and Mega Diancie. Protean gives Greninja's moves STAB, enabling it to deal enough damage to break the Poison teams it's built for. Groundium Z enables Greninja to use Tectonic Rage.

Usage Tips
========
Because Tectonic Rage only has one use, be very careful to not waste it needlessly. For Poison teams, Alolan Muk will often be baited in to Pursuit a Psychic-type Greninja, so it is generally safe to use it after it has switched in. Against Fairy teams, though, because Klefki will be able to set Prankster Reflect, it is necessary to hit it on the switch, so try to predict its switch in. Klefki will often try to switch into Gunk Shot, so luring it in by giving Greninja a free switch into Tapu Bulu or even Tapu Koko is relatively easy. In many matchups, Tectonic Rage can be a good surprise for hitting special walls as well. For example, Ground teams expecting Choice Scarf Ice Beam like to switch into Seismitoad on Greninja, and Tectonic Rage almost always OHKOes standard Seismitoad after it switches into Ice Beam. Because Greninja tends to not run Hydro Pump, Tectonic Rage is also typically good for hitting Pokemon like Heatran and Tyranitar that don't expect to take a huge amount of damage. Even though it may be dangerous, many expect Choice Scarf Greninja, so as long as you haven't revealed a teammate's Choice Scarf, it is very possible to bluff it to lure in one of Tectonic Rage's targets. Against Poison teams, it is also very possible to bluff other items too such as Expert Belt before Extrasensory is used. However, Extrasensory is not used outside of this set too often without Life Orb, so once Greninja has used Extrasensory and does not take Life Orb recoil, it is difficult to bluff another set. Due to Greninja's great movepool, it is difficult for your opponent to predict its coverage move. Try to preserve that deception as long as possible, especially if you haven't revealed Dig yet, as the wide range of moves Greninja can pack is part of its strength. Make sure to avoid taking unnecessary damage on Greninja, as it lacks a damage-boosting item and may need to take a hit or two to break walls. As a result, it is best to pair this set with a pivot that can bring Greninja in safely, such as U-turn Pelipper. Ground is a very unusual typing for Greninja to access with Protean, so use that to your advantage against Electric-types that expect to be able to fire off an attack safely. Even though Dig is a two-turn move, it still has utility for this purpose.

Team Options
========
Water teams generally have a very rough time beating the Poison defensive core, so almost any team that lacks an alternative solution can use this set. Rain teams in particular appreciate Greninja's support. However, rain weakens Greninja's Hidden Power Fire, so that coverage move should not be used on rain teams. Pelipper can use a slow U-turn to effectively get Greninja into play safely while also packing Defog to protect Greninja from Toxic Spikes and other entry hazards. Rotom-W is capable of fulfilling a similar role to Pelipper on non-rain teams. Sweepers such as Swift Swim Kingdra, Mega Gyarados, and Suicune all appreciate Greninja removing their Poison-type checks. This set lacks power when not battling its specific targets, so wallbreakers, such as Choice Band Azumarill, can help break walls for Greninja. Hazard support from Swampert and Toxapex can be helpful for putting Pokemon such as Crobat into range of being OHKOed to alleviate the damage output issue. This set lacks the Speed of Choice Scarf, so it's important to have a teammate like Choice Scarf Keldeo that can help revenge kill Pokemon that can force out Greninja.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Water
--------
The Choice Scarf set can use Hydro Pump for its great damage output, but the coverage is disappointingly redundant with Ice Beam and coverage is far more important due to Protean. All-out attacking Greninja can try to use Extrasensory to break Poison-types like Toxapex, but it doesn't perform particularly well due to Alolan Muk's presence on Poison teams, and it will more often just end up being trapped. U-turn is also an option for Expert Belt Greninja to bluff Choice Scarf even more effectively, but it tends to be much worse than more useful coverage. Grass Knot can be used with Hidden Power Electric to counter Water teams and with Ice Beam to counter Ground teams, but it doesn't have much other use. Taunt is a utility option that can help Greninja deal with bulkier walls it otherwise needs to switch out against.

Checks and Counters
===================

Water
--------
**Chansey**: No Greninja set can break Chansey, making it the best counter to Greninja. However, Greninja is capable of U-turning out of it.

**Specially Defensive Walls**: Most specially defensive walls that aren't weak to Gunk Shot or to the specific Greninja set's coverage can completely wall Greninja. Appropriate scouting for Greninja's moveset should be done to keep these checks safe.

**Revenge Killers**: Sets without Choice Scarf are very vulnerable to being outsped and revenge killed by a wide range of faster Pokemon including Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and most Choice Scarf users due to Greninja's poor bulk. Powerful priority such as Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed is also similarly capable of revenge killing Greninja.

**Paralysis**: Greninja tends to be incapable of outright OHKOing most Pokemon, so those that can survive a hit and paralyze it back, such as Jirachi, can cripple its Speed and prevent it from being a threat.
 
Last edited:

Moosical

big yikes
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Overview
- Mention how it can act as a fast pivot for Water-type teams.

Choice Scarf
Moves

* Gunk Shot lets Greninja revenge kill Fairy-types, most importantly including Tapu Koko, which is one of the most threatening Pokemon to Water teams. Defensively, it also provides Greninja with a Poison typing, making it a solid choice for 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y and Mega Diancie, both of which will not often OHKO Greninja.
- I think you should specify how being Poison-type helps against Mega Charizard Y defensively (specifically), as this is only the case if they click Solar Beam, not Fire Blast, which may not be explicitly obvious to a reader.
* Hidden Power Fire is useful for 2HKOing both Ferrothorn and Klefki, which often try to switch into Greninja, but it has no other useful targets.
- (Mega) Scizor is also a target for this set, as it resists all other coverage. But, if you're talking about switch-ins then it doesn't apply and (Mega) Scizor doesn't necessarily threaten Water-type (especially balance teams), so I might be talking for nothing.

Poison Killer
Is this worth being an actual set, let alone the second set? I'm not going to argue to remove it per se as it does has its use, but it relies on your surprise factor to beat your opponent if they're using Poison-type and high level predictions, especially if your opponent switches out of zDig with Muk-A. As you say in the usage tips " Because Tectonic Rage only has one use, be very careful to not waste it needlessly." Sounds like an OO set to me (being a tech set), but again, completely up to you. Otherwise, the only thing I would add is expand on matchups/situations where zDig can be utilized aside from Poison-type and Klefki since this set almost entirely only talks about Poison-type.

Life Orb
Moves

I'd personally move Taunt to OO.

Usage Tips
* It can also be used as a
- ... ?

Checks and Counters
-Paralyze

Otherwise looks good. QC 1/3
 
Last edited:

lotiasite

undedgy
is a Forum Moderatoris a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
sorry this took so long
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Water
========
Greninja is the most versatile Water-type thanks to Protean giving it STAB on all of its attacks, enabling it to use almost any attack for coverage and still doing great damage. It has an amazing movepool to maximize use of Protean including Ice Beam, Gunk Shot, Extrasensory, and many other coverage moves, which makes it a fantastic wallbreaker if it has the appropriate super effective attack. Greninja's amazing Speed makes it hard to revenge kill when it uses a Choice Scarf, able to outspeed almost the entire metagame, and allows Greninja to act as a great offensive pivot. In a completely different capacity, Greninja is also one of the few reliable ways to beat Poison teams for Water with its Groundium Z set. As a result of its many sets, Greninja is highly unpredictable and fits on almost every Water team, (AC) being able to fill any role the team needs. However, other than its Speed, Greninja has awful base stats, with almost no bulk to speak of and poor offensive stats. Furthermore, while its Speed is its only good stat, it still falls short of Tapu Koko, which is one of the biggest threats to Water teams, and can be easily revenge killed if it lacks Choice Scarf when considering its awful bulk. Greninja relies heavily on super effective damage to patch up its offensive stats, making it struggle to choose four moves from its huge movepool. Greninja will simply always be walled by something due to this restriction.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf (Water)
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Dark Pulse / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn provides switch momentum by allowing Greninja to pivot out of incoming walls into a teammate. Ice Beam gives Greninja a strong option to hit a wide range of threats including Dragon-types like Dragonite and Flying-types like Zapdos. Gunk Shot lets Greninja revenge kill Fairy-types, most importantly including Tapu Koko, which is one of the most threatening Pokemon to Water teams. Defensively, it also provides Greninja with a Poison typing, making it a solid choice for 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y and Mega Diancie, both of which cannot OHKO a Poison-type Greninja with Solar Beam and Moonblast, respectively. Dark Pulse is a reliable STAB move that has fantastic coverage with Greninja's other moves and importantly hits Psychic-type walls like Mew, Jirachi, and Slowbro for a lot of damage. Depending on the user's team, Greninja's final moveslot can easily be replaced with more specific coverage moves to hit certain threats in exchange for losing out on the spammable Dark Pulse. For offensive teams that lack defensive switch-ins to these threats, Rock Slide is a solid coverage option that notably OHKOes Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y while 2HKOing Mantine and Kyurem-B. Low Kick is the only option that can OHKO Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock damage or two hits of Life Orb damage. It also 2HKOes Ferrothorn, almost always OHKOes Heatran, and always OHKOes Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire is useful for 2HKOing both Ferrothorn and Klefki, which often try to switch into Greninja, but it has no other useful targets. Entry hazards in the form of either Spikes or Toxic Spikes is also a viable final option on offensive teams to punish the opposing team's switches.

Set Details
========
252 Speed EVs, a Naive Nnature, and a Choice Scarf make Greninja as fast as possible, outspeeding almost the entire metagame including Adamant Sand Rush Excadrill and Swift Swim Kingdra. A Naive nature is important to use instead of Hasty to make sure Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed and other powerful priority is not able to KO Greninja. Greninja should use either 252 Special Attack or Attack EVs depending on its fourth moveslot, as that slot typically relies heavily on investment to net the intended KOs. Protean changes Greninja's type to the typing of the move it uses, giving it permanent STAB and defensive flexibility.

Usage Tips
========
Greninja can serve as a fantastic lead thanks to its incredible Speed and use of U-turn to get switch advantage from the very beginning of the match, as almost no leads are capable of anti-leading Greninja. It is also a very reliable revenge killer, able to outspeed even many boosted sweepers. If Greninja isn't able to OHKO the threat, though, U-turn can be used to get chip damage at the cost of a teammate taking a hit. Greninja has rather poor damage output when lacking super effective coverage and can rarely touch walls, so if you predict one to switch into Greninja, U-turn should be used to preserve momentum. Once these walls are weakened, though, Greninja is more than capable of serving as a late-game sweeper with its STAB-boosted attacks. In most cases, try to use teammates such as Rotom-W to pivot into Greninja safely, as it can't take hits very well at all and should not switch into most attacks outside of those that are Psychic-(AH)type. However, when already in play, remember that Protean can be used defensively to give Greninja unusual resistances, such as using Gunk Shot against Mega Diancie's Moonblast or Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam.

Team Options
========
Greninja is best when paired with wallbreakers and stallbreakers such as Choice Specs Keldeo and Kingdra, Perish Trap Azumarill, and Suicune that can take on the walls it can't touch. Greninja's ability to bait walls in and pivot on them with U-turn makes it an even better teammate for these Pokemon. Specifically, this set can't touch the Poison defensive core, so a Pokemon like Gyarados that can beat it is important to have. Other pivots such as Rotom-W are great for forming a VoltTurn core with Greninja, able to keep up momentum tofor each other or tofor other teammates. While Toxapex lacks a pivoting move, it is still a fantastic option due to its ability Regenerator. It also frequently uses Toxic Spikes, which is crucial for wearing down Greninja's checks to enable a late-game sweep. Pokemon such as Swampert are almost necessary for their Stealth Rock support, which further punishes the switches that Greninja can easily force. Because Greninja likes to switch in and out frequently, hazard control from the likes of Mantine and Empoleon for your side of the field is crucial to avoid letting it get worn down too quickly. Being almost unparalleled in Speed, Greninja is very useful for taking out opposing revenge killers for sweepers, such as Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo. Mega Sharpedo is notable in being able to check Psychic-types, meaning Greninja can more easily choose to use a different coverage option from Dark Pulse.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam is used for its coverage, hitting Flying-, Grass-, and Dragon-types including Zapdos and Cradily super effectively and 2HKOing even Kyurem-B. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types and special walls such as Mantine hard, making Greninja a mixed attacking threat. Dark Pulse deals wallbreaking damage to Psychic-types, able to at least 2HKO almost every Psychic-type, while having decent spammability on even neutral targets. Greninja can choose from a wide range of options for its last move, selecting whatever its team needs most. Hidden Power Fire can OHKO many Steel-types including Ferrothorn, which tends to be a difficult Pokemon to wallbreak. Alternatively, Hidden Power Electric with Ice Beam 2HKOes almost every Flying-type other than Celesteela, making Greninja very difficult to check in that matchup. If these coverage combinations are unneeded, Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest attack and can be used over Dark Pulse for wallbreaking, as it notably can 2HKO even specially defensive Mega Sableye, but Water-type coverage is relatively redundant with Ice Beam. If Hydro Pump is used, Rock Slide can be used alongside it because it OHKOes Mega Charizard Y and still breaks most Flying teams. Greninja can use Spikes or Toxic Spikes quite effectively, as it forces switches and can take that opportunity to set up entry hazards.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack and Speed and a Naive nature make Greninja as strong and as fast as possible. Protean makes Greninja deal significant damage with all of its attacks thanks to STAB. Life Orb gives Greninja great damage on all of its attacks at the cost of recoil damage. To avoid recoil damage, Expert Belt can be used instead and to bluff other sets, but Greninja's neutral damage is pitiful and Hydro Pump should not be used with it.

Usage Tips
========
This set looks to come in as often as possible and fire off powerful super effective attacks whenever possible. As a result, try to pivot into it on double switches to Pokemon it outspeeds. It can also be used as a revenge killer too with its good Speed, either KOing or forcing out threats like Mega Gallade that Water struggles with. Be careful with Greninja's health, as it has rather poor bulk and Life Orb will chip at Greninja over time. Avoid letting Greninja take hits it doesn't resist, as even neutral damage from weak walls can deal serious damage. Protean can be used for this purpose, giving Greninja unusual resistances to allow it to take hits it otherwise wouldn't be able to. Greninja has a huge range of moves it can viably use, so use that to your advantage, as your opponent will try hard to scout out your moveset. While Greninja's moves are unknown, it has a very easy time firing off attacks without fear. If Greninja uses Expert Belt, bluffing Choice Scarf or Groundium Z is a good strategy for netting surprise KOs.

Team Options
========
Even though this is one of Greninja's more powerful sets, it still doesn't have particularly fantastic damage output, so pairing Greninja with a wallbreaker is a good idea to dismantle balance and defensive teams. Choice Specs Keldeo can be a great option for breaking the Normal defensive core, which Greninja has no way of touching. Swift Swim Kingdra can be a great anti-offense option, as it can revenge kill Pokemon like Tapu Koko that outspeed Greninja. Rain in general is useful if Greninja packs Hydro Pump, as rain-boosted Hydro Pump is the only way Greninja can 2HKO Celesteela. Be aware, though, that rain will make Greninja's Hidden Power Fire deal insignificant damage. On more balanced teams, Perish Trap Azumarill can be an unorthodox way of taking out walls for Greninja. Greninja benefits greatly from having its switch-ins chipped away, so support such as Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes from Swampert and Toxapex is always appreciated. A way to beat the Poison defensive core is needed, so a specific check such as Flyinium Z Gyarados should be used for this purpose.

[SET]
name: Poison Killer (Water)
move 1: Extrasensory
move 2: Dig
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Gunk Shot / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Fire
item: Groundium Z
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Extrasensory is the primary attack for this set, able to 2HKO almost every Pokemon on a Poison team including Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Dig completes the necessary coverage to allow this set to sweep Poison, as Tectonic Rage always OHKOes Alolan Muk, the only commonly used Poison-type that Extrasensory cannot touch. Ice Beam is used for its great coverage to give Greninja a strong, spammable move that no Pokemon is immune to. The final moveslot is used to complete coverage combinations to counter certain types, as this set lacks power if its moves are not super effective. With Tectonic Rage dealing crippling damage to Klefki, Gunk Shot is a great move that can pressure Fairy teams, although Greninja is still outsped by Tapu Koko. While it doesn't pair particularly well with Tectonic Rage, Hidden Power Electric forms the well-known BoltBeam coverage with Ice Beam and can 2HKO Mantine and Mega Charizard Y to break Flying teams. Hidden Power Fire can be used as well, as Heatran is OHKOed by Tectonic Rage, enabling Greninja to spam Hidden Power Fire safely against Steel teams.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack gives Greninja enough damage to 2HKO Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. 4 Attack EVs are used to guarantee the OHKO on Alolan Muk. A Naive nature and 252 Speed EVs make sure Greninja outspeeds Pokemon such as Latios, Gengar, Keldeo, and Mega Diancie. Protean gives Greninja's moves STAB, enabling it to deal enough damage to break the Poison teams it's built for. Groundium Z enables Greninja to use Tectonic Rage.

Usage Tips
========
Because Tectonic Rage only has one use, be very careful to not waste it needlessly. For Poison teams, Alolan Muk will often be baited in to Pursuit a Psychic-type Greninja, so it is generally safe to use it after it has switched in. Against Fairy teams, though, because Klefki will be able to set Prankster Reflect, it is necessary to hit it on the switch, so try to predict its switch in. Klefki will often try to switch into Gunk Shot, so luring it in by giving Greninja a free switch into Tapu Bulu or even Tapu Koko is relatively easy. In many matchups, Tectonic Rage can be a good surprise for hitting special walls as well. For example, Ground teams expecting Choice Scarf Ice Beam like to switch into Seismitoad on Greninja, and Tectonic Rage almost always OHKOes standard Seismitoad after it switches into Ice Beam. Because Greninja tends to not run Hydro Pump, Tectonic Rage is also typically good for hitting Pokemon like Heatran and Tyranitar that don't expect to take a huge amount of damage. Even though it may be dangerous, many expect Choice Scarf Greninja, so as long as you haven't revealed a teammate's Choice Scarf, it is very possible to bluff it to lure in one of Tectonic Rage's targets. Against Poison teams, it is also very possible to bluff other items too such as Expert Belt before Extrasensory is used. However, Extrasensory is not used outside of this set too often without Life Orb, so once Greninja has used Extrasensory and does not take Life Orb recoil, it is difficult to bluff another set. Due to Greninja's great movepool, it is difficult for your opponent to predict its coverage move. Try to preserve that deception as long as possible, especially if you haven't revealed Dig yet, as the wide range of moves Greninja can pack is part of its strength. Make sure to avoid taking unnecessary damage on Greninja, as it lacks a damage-boosting item and may need to take a hit or two to break walls. As a result, it is best to pair this set with a pivot that can bring Greninja in safely, such as U-turn Pelipper. Ground is a very unusual typing for Greninja to access with Protean, so use that to your advantage against Electric-types that expect to be able to fire off an attack safely. Even though Dig is a two-turn move, it still has utility for this purpose.

Team Options
========
Water teams generally have a very rough time beating the Poison defensive core, so almost any team that lacks an alternative solution can use this set. Rain teams in particular appreciate Greninja's support. However, rain weakens Greninja's Hidden Power Fire, so that coverage move should not be used on rain teams. Pelipper can use a slow U-turn to effectively get Greninja into play safely while also packing Defog to protect Greninja from Toxic Spikes and other entry hazards. Rotom-W is capable of fulfilling a similar role to Pelipper on non-rain teams. Sweepers such as Swift Swim Kingdra, Mega Gyarados, and Suicune all appreciate Greninja removing their Poison-type checks. This set lacks power when not battling its specific targets, so wallbreakers, such as Choice Band Azumarill, can help break walls for Greninja. Hazard support from Swampert and Toxapex can be helpful for putting Pokemon such as Crobat into range of being OHKOed to alleviate the damage output issue. This set lacks the Speed of Choice Scarf, so it's important to have a teammate like Choice Scarf Keldeo that can help revenge kill Pokemon that can force out Greninja.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Water
--------
The Choice Scarf set can use Hydro Pump, which is the most powerful special attack (id avoid this wording because of things like hydro cannon and hyper beam, reword how u like) Greninja can muster, but the coverage is disappointingly redundant with Ice Beam and coverage is far more important due to Protean. All-out attacking Greninja can try to use Extrasensory to break Poison-types like Toxapex, but it doesn't perform particularly well due to Alolan Muk's presence on Poison teams, and it will more often just end up being trapped. U-turn is also an option for Expert Belt Greninja to bluff Choice Scarf even more effectively, but it tends to be much worse than more useful coverage. Grass Knot can be used with Hidden Power Electric to counter Water teams and with Ice Beam to counter Ground teams, but it doesn't have much other use. Taunt is a utility option that can help Greninja deal with bulkier walls it otherwise needs to switch out against.

Checks and Counters
===================

Water
--------
**Chansey**: No Greninja set can break Chansey, making it the best counter to Greninja. However, Greninja is capable of U-turning out of it.

**Specially Defensive Walls**: Most specially defensive walls that aren't weak to Gunk Shot or to the specific Greninja set's coverage can completely wall Greninja. Appropriate scouting for Greninja's moveset should be done to keep these checks safe.

**Revenge Killers**: Sets without Choice Scarf are very vulnerable to being outsped and revenge killed by a wide range of faster Pokemon including Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and most Choice Scarf users due to Greninja's poor bulk. Powerful priority such as Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed is also similarly capable of revenge killing Greninja.

**Paralysis**: Greninja tends to be incapable of outright OHKOing most Pokemon, so those that can survive a hit and paralyze it back, such as Jirachi, can cripple its Speed and prevent it from being a threat.

 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
GP 2/2
add remove comment

[OVERVIEW]

Water
========
Greninja is the most versatile Water-type thanks to Protean giving it STAB on all of its attacks, enabling it to use almost any attack for coverage and still doing great damage. It has an amazing movepool to maximize use of Protean including Ice Beam, Gunk Shot, Extrasensory, and many other coverage moves, which makes it a fantastic wallbreaker if it has the appropriate super effective attack. Greninja's amazing Speed makes it hard to revenge kill when it uses a Choice Scarf, able to outspeed almost the entire metagame, and allows Greninja to act as a great offensive pivot. In a completely different capacity, Greninja is also one of the few reliable ways to beat Poison teams for Water with its Groundium Z set. As a result of its many sets, Greninja is highly unpredictable and fits on almost every Water team, being able to fill any role the team needs. However, other than its Speed, Greninja has awful base stats, with almost no bulk to speak of and poor offensive stats. Furthermore, while its Speed is its only good stat, it still falls short of Tapu Koko, which is one of the biggest threats to Water teams, and can be easily revenge killed if it lacks Choice Scarf when considering its awful bulk. Greninja relies heavily on super effective damage to patch up its offensive stats, making it struggle to choose four moves from its huge movepool. Greninja will simply always be walled by something due to this restriction.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf (Water)
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Dark Pulse / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn provides switch momentum by allowing Greninja to pivot out of incoming walls into a teammate. Ice Beam gives Greninja a strong option to hit a wide range of threats including Dragon-types like Dragonite and Flying-types like Zapdos. Gunk Shot lets Greninja revenge kill Fairy-types, most importantly Tapu Koko, which is one of the most threatening Pokemon to Water teams. Defensively, it also provides Greninja with a Poison typing, making it a solid choice for 2HKOing Mega Charizard Y and Mega Diancie, both of which cannot OHKO a Poison-type Greninja with Solar Beam and Moonblast, respectively. Dark Pulse is a reliable STAB move that has fantastic coverage with Greninja's other moves and importantly hits Psychic-type walls like Mew, Jirachi, and Slowbro for a lot of damage. Depending on the user's team, Greninja's final moveslot can easily be replaced with more specific coverage moves to hit certain threats in exchange for losing out on the spammable Dark Pulse. For offensive teams that lack defensive switch-ins to these threats, Rock Slide is a solid coverage option that notably OHKOes Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y while 2HKOing Mantine and Kyurem-B. Low Kick is the only option that can OHKO Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock damage or two hits of Life Orb damage. It also 2HKOes Ferrothorn, almost always OHKOes Heatran, and always OHKOes Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire is useful for 2HKOing both Ferrothorn and Klefki, which often try to switch into Greninja, but it has no other useful targets. Entry hazards in the form of either Spikes or Toxic Spikes are is also a viable final option on offensive teams to punish the opposing team's switches.

Set Details
========
252 Speed EVs, a Naive nature, and a Choice Scarf make Greninja as fast as possible, outspeeding almost the entire metagame including Adamant Sand Rush Excadrill and Swift Swim Kingdra. A Naive nature is important to use instead of Hasty to make sure Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed and other powerful priority are not able to KO Greninja. Greninja should use either 252 Special Attack or 252 Attack EVs depending on its fourth moveslot, as that slot typically relies heavily on investment to net the intended KOs. Protean changes Greninja's type to the typing of the move it uses, giving it permanent STAB and defensive flexibility.

Usage Tips
========
Greninja can serve as a fantastic lead thanks to its incredible Speed and use of U-turn to get switch advantage from the very beginning of the match, as almost no leads are capable of anti-leading Greninja. It is also a very reliable revenge killer, able to outspeed even many boosted sweepers. If Greninja isn't able to OHKO the threat, though, U-turn can be used to get chip damage at the cost of a teammate taking a hit. Greninja has rather poor damage output when lacking super effective coverage and can rarely touch walls, so if you predict one to switch into Greninja, U-turn should be used to preserve momentum. Once these walls are weakened, though, Greninja is more than capable of serving as a late-game sweeper with its STAB-boosted attacks. In most cases, try to use teammates such as Rotom-W to pivot into Greninja safely, as it can't take hits very well at all and should not switch into most attacks outside of those that are Psychic-type. However, when already in play, remember that Protean can be used defensively to give Greninja unusual resistances, such as using Gunk Shot against Mega Diancie's Moonblast or Mega Charizard Y's Solar Beam.

Team Options
========
Greninja is best when paired with wallbreakers and stallbreakers such as Choice Specs Keldeo and Kingdra, Perish Trap Azumarill, and Suicune that can take on the walls it can't touch. Greninja's ability to bait walls in and pivot on them with U-turn makes it an even better teammate for these Pokemon. Specifically, this set can't touch the Poison defensive core, so a Pokemon like Gyarados that can beat it is important to have. Other pivots such as Rotom-W are great for forming a VoltTurn core with Greninja, able to keep up momentum for each other or for other teammates. While Toxapex lacks a pivoting move, it is still a fantastic option due to its ability Regenerator. It also frequently uses Toxic Spikes, which is crucial for wearing down Greninja's checks to enable a late-game sweep. Pokemon such as Swampert are almost necessary for their Stealth Rock support, which further punishes the switches that Greninja can easily force. Because Greninja likes to switch in and out frequently, hazard control from the likes of Mantine and Empoleon for your side of the field is crucial to avoid letting it get worn down too quickly. Being almost unparalleled in Speed, Greninja is very useful for taking out opposing revenge killers for sweepers, such as Gyarados and Mega Sharpedo. Mega Sharpedo is notable in being able to check Psychic-types, meaning Greninja can more easily choose to use a different coverage option from Dark Pulse.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam is used for its coverage, hitting Flying-, Grass-, and Dragon-types including Zapdos and Cradily super effectively and 2HKOing even Kyurem-B. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types and special walls such as Mantine hard, making Greninja a mixed attacking threat. Dark Pulse deals wallbreaking damage to Psychic-types, able to at least 2HKO almost every Psychic-type, while having decent spammability on even neutral targets. Greninja can choose from a wide range of options for its last move, selecting whatever its team needs most. Hidden Power Fire can OHKO many Steel-types including Ferrothorn, which tends to be a difficult Pokemon to break. Alternatively, Hidden Power Electric with Ice Beam 2HKOes almost every Flying-type other than Celesteela, making Greninja very difficult to check in that matchup. If these coverage combinations are unneeded, Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest attack and can be used over Dark Pulse for wallbreaking, as it notably can 2HKO even specially defensive Mega Sableye, but Water-type coverage is relatively redundant with Ice Beam. If Hydro Pump is used, Rock Slide can be used alongside it because it OHKOes Mega Charizard Y and still breaks most Flying teams. Greninja can use Spikes or Toxic Spikes quite effectively, as it forces switches and can take that opportunity to set up entry hazards.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack and Speed and a Naive nature make Greninja as strong and as fast as possible. Protean makes Greninja deal significant damage with all of its attacks thanks to STAB. Life Orb gives Greninja great damage on all of its attacks at the cost of recoil damage. To avoid recoil damage, Expert Belt can be used instead and to bluff other sets, but Greninja's neutral damage is pitiful and Hydro Pump should not be used with it.

Usage Tips
========
This set looks to come in as often as possible and fire off powerful super effective attacks whenever possible. As a result, try to pivot into it on double switches to Pokemon it outspeeds. It can also be used as a revenge killer with its good Speed, either KOing or forcing out threats like Mega Gallade that Water struggles with. Be careful with Greninja's health, as it has rather poor bulk and Life Orb will chip at Greninja over time. Avoid letting Greninja take hits it doesn't resist, as even neutral damage from weak walls can deal serious damage. Protean can be used for this purpose, giving Greninja unusual resistances to allow it to take hits it otherwise wouldn't be able to. Greninja has a huge range of moves it can viably use, so use that to your advantage, as your opponent will try hard to scout out your moveset. While Greninja's moves are unknown, it has a very easy time firing off attacks without fear. If Greninja uses Expert Belt, bluffing Choice Scarf or Groundium Z is a good strategy for netting surprise KOs.

Team Options
========
Even though this is one of Greninja's more powerful sets, it still doesn't have particularly fantastic damage output, so pairing Greninja with a wallbreaker is a good idea to dismantle balance and defensive teams. Choice Specs Keldeo can be a great option for breaking the Normal defensive core, which Greninja has no way of touching. Swift Swim Kingdra can be a great anti-offense option, as it can revenge kill Pokemon like Tapu Koko that outspeed Greninja. Rain in general is useful if Greninja packs Hydro Pump, as rain-boosted Hydro Pump is the only way Greninja can 2HKO Celesteela. Be aware, though, that rain will make Greninja's Hidden Power Fire deal insignificant damage. On more balanced teams, Perish Trap Azumarill can be an unorthodox way of taking out walls for Greninja. Greninja benefits greatly from having its switch-ins chipped away at, so support such as Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes from Swampert and Toxapex is always appreciated. A way to beat the Poison defensive core is needed, so a specific check such as Flyinium Z Gyarados should be used for this purpose.

[SET]
name: Poison Killer (Water)
move 1: Extrasensory
move 2: Dig
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Gunk Shot / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Fire
item: Groundium Z
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Extrasensory is the primary attack for this set, able to 2HKO almost every Pokemon on a Poison team including Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Dig completes the necessary coverage to allow this set to sweep Poison, as Tectonic Rage always OHKOes Alolan Muk, the only commonly used Poison-type that Extrasensory cannot touch. Ice Beam is used for its great coverage to give Greninja a strong, spammable move that no Pokemon is immune to. The final moveslot is used to complete coverage combinations to counter certain types, as this set lacks power if its moves are not super effective. With Tectonic Rage dealing crippling damage to Klefki, Gunk Shot is a great move that can pressure Fairy teams, although Greninja is still outsped by Tapu Koko. While it doesn't pair particularly well with Tectonic Rage, Hidden Power Electric forms the well-known BoltBeam coverage with Ice Beam and can 2HKO Mantine and Mega Charizard Y to break Flying teams. Hidden Power Fire can be used as well, as Heatran is OHKOed by Tectonic Rage, enabling Greninja to spam Hidden Power Fire safely against Steel teams.

Set Details
========
Maximum investment into Special Attack gives Greninja enough damage to 2HKO Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. 4 Attack EVs are used to guarantee the OHKO on Alolan Muk. A Naive nature and 252 Speed EVs make sure Greninja outspeeds Pokemon such as Latios, Gengar, Keldeo, and Mega Diancie. Protean gives Greninja's moves STAB, enabling it to deal enough damage to break the Poison teams it's built for. Groundium Z enables Greninja to use Tectonic Rage.

Usage Tips
========
Because Tectonic Rage only has one use, be very careful to not waste it needlessly. For Poison teams, Alolan Muk will often be baited in to Pursuit a Psychic-type Greninja, so it is generally safe to use it after it has switched in. Against Fairy teams, though, because Klefki will be able to set Prankster Reflect, it is necessary to hit it on the switch, so try to predict its switch in. Klefki will often try to switch into Gunk Shot, so luring it in by giving Greninja a free switch into Tapu Bulu or even Tapu Koko is relatively easy. In many matchups, Tectonic Rage can be a good surprise for hitting special walls as well. For example, Ground teams expecting Choice Scarf Ice Beam like to switch into Seismitoad on Greninja, and Tectonic Rage almost always OHKOes standard Seismitoad after it switches into Ice Beam. Because Greninja tends to not run Hydro Pump, Tectonic Rage is also typically good for hitting Pokemon like Heatran and Tyranitar that don't expect to take a huge amount of damage. Even though it may be dangerous, many expect Choice Scarf Greninja, so as long as you haven't revealed a teammate's Choice Scarf, it is very possible to bluff it to lure in one of Tectonic Rage's targets. Against Poison teams, it is also very possible to bluff other items too such as Expert Belt before Extrasensory is used. However, Extrasensory is not used outside of this set too often without Life Orb, so once Greninja has used Extrasensory and does not take Life Orb recoil, it is difficult to bluff another set. Due to Greninja's great movepool, it is difficult for your opponent to predict its coverage move. Try to preserve that deception as long as possible, especially if you haven't revealed Dig yet, as the wide range of moves Greninja can pack is part of its strength. Make sure to avoid taking unnecessary damage on Greninja, as it lacks a damage-boosting item and may need to take a hit or two to break walls. As a result, it is best to pair this set with a pivot that can bring Greninja in safely, such as U-turn Pelipper. Ground is a very unusual typing for Greninja to access with Protean, so use that to your advantage against Electric-types that expect to be able to fire off an attack safely. Even though Dig is a two-turn move, it still has utility for this purpose.

Team Options
========
Water teams generally have a very rough time beating the Poison defensive core, so almost any team that lacks an alternative solution can use this set. Rain teams in particular appreciate Greninja's support. However, rain weakens Greninja's Hidden Power Fire, so that coverage move should not be used on rain teams. Pelipper can use a slow U-turn to effectively get Greninja into play safely while also packing Defog to protect Greninja from Toxic Spikes and other entry hazards. Rotom-W is capable of fulfilling a similar role to Pelipper on non-rain teams. Sweepers such as Swift Swim Kingdra, Mega Gyarados, and Suicune all appreciate Greninja removing their Poison-type checks. This set lacks power when not battling its specific targets, so wallbreakers, such as Choice Band Azumarill, can help break walls for Greninja. Hazard support from Swampert and Toxapex can be helpful for putting Pokemon such as Crobat into range of being OHKOed to alleviate the damage output issue. This set lacks the Speed of Choice Scarf, so it's important to have a teammate like Choice Scarf Keldeo that can help revenge kill Pokemon that can force out Greninja.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Water
--------
The Choice Scarf set can use Hydro Pump for its great damage output, but the coverage is disappointingly redundant with Ice Beam and coverage is far more important due to Protean. All-out attacking Greninja can try to use Extrasensory to break Poison-types like Toxapex, but it doesn't perform particularly well due to Alolan Muk's presence on Poison teams, and it will more often just end up being trapped. U-turn is also an option for Expert Belt Greninja to bluff Choice Scarf even more effectively, but it tends to be much worse than more useful coverage. Grass Knot can be used with Hidden Power Electric to counter Water teams and with Ice Beam to counter Ground teams, but it doesn't have much other use. Taunt is a utility option that can help Greninja deal with bulkier walls it otherwise needs to switch out against.

Checks and Counters
===================

Water
--------
**Chansey**: No Greninja set can break Chansey, making it the best counter to Greninja. However, Greninja is capable of U-turning out of it.

**Specially Defensive Walls**: Most specially defensive walls that aren't weak to Gunk Shot or to the specific Greninja set's coverage can completely wall Greninja. Appropriate scouting for Greninja's moveset should be done to keep these checks safe.

**Revenge Killers**: Sets without Choice Scarf are very vulnerable to being outsped and revenge killed by a wide range of faster Pokemon including Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and most Choice Scarf users due to Greninja's poor bulk. Powerful priority such as Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed is also similarly capable of revenge killing Greninja.

**Paralysis**: Greninja tends to be incapable of outright OHKOing most Pokemon, so those that can survive a hit and paralyze it back, such as Jirachi, can cripple its Speed and prevent it from being a threat.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top