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gp: x
[OVERVIEW]
Water
========
* Blessed with the ability Protean, which gives it STAB on every move, Greninja is one of the most versatile attackers on Water teams.
* Greninja's access to valuable moves like Extrasensory, Gunk Shot, and Ice Beam allow it to choose what foes it can hit.
* Greninja's Speed tier lets it outspeed threats like Serperior, Thundurus, and Latios.
* However, Greninja's defensive stats are abysmal, leaving it vulnerable to strong priority and revenge killers, although this can be remedied by changing Greninja's type to something that resists an incoming attack.
* Because of its extensive coverage options, Greninja suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, and it can easily be walled by something it lacks a coverage move to hit.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Extrasensory
move 4: Gunk Shot / Hydro Pump
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ice Beam is valuable coverage that hits Grass- and Dragon-types that annoy Water teams, like Cradily and Latios.
* Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types like Mega Scizor and has a decent chance to OHKO Skarmory and Ferrothorn.
* Extrasensory hits Poison-types, OHKOing Gengar and netting a 2HKO on Toxapex and Mega Venusaur.
* Gunk Shot is used to hit Fairy-types, 2HKOing Tapu Fini and OHKOing Tapu Bulu through Reflect. However, most of Greninja's other moves hit Fairy-types relatively hard, and Hydro Pump can replace Gunk Shot.
* Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest move and does heavy damage to Heatran, which would wall Greninja lacking it.
* Dark Pulse targets Psychic-types such as Mew and Mega Slowbro; however its low Base Power makes it extremely weak against targets that it hits neutrally.
Set Details
========
* Protean is the most important reason to use Greninja, as it gives Greninja STAB on every move.
* Life Orb gives Greninja a much needed power boost due to its low offensive stats.
* However, Expert Belt can be used instead to avoid recoil damage while still boosting Greninja's power, although it is noticeably weaker.
* Maximum Special Attack and 4 Attack EVs are used to maximize Greninja's offensive presence.
* Maximum Speed and a Naive nature are used so Greninja can outspeed base 120 Speed Pokemon like Dugtrio without reducing the power of Gunk Shot.
* Naive is chosen over Hasty so Greninja takes less damage from common priority moves like Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
========
* Greninja is a huge threat for some types depending on what coverage moves it chooses to run, so bringing it in off of a double switch can swing momentum heavily in your favor.
* Double switching into threats that Greninja carries a coverage move for like Mega Charizard Y is effective for getting surprise KOs, but be sure to keep appropriate coverage moves hidden.
* However, don't switch Greninja into too many attacks, as its defensive stats are poor.
* Greninja's high Speed tier allows it to revenge kill foes like Dugtrio and Serperior and sweep weakened teams.
* Although Greninja mainly uses Protean to bolster its attacks, changing its type to something that resists an incoming attack. For example, using Gunk Shot on Mega Venusaur puts it in range of Extrasensory while resisting both of Mega Venusaur's STAB moves.
* However, keep in mind that changing Greninja's type leaves it vulnerable to other revenge killers; for instance, KOing Latios with Ice Beam allows Choice Scarf Victini to revenge kill it.
Team Options
========
* Swampert and Empoleon are both excellent partners for Greninja, as both can use Stealth Rock, which chips foes and patches up Greninja's low offensive stats. Swampert is also immune to Electric and can switch into physical attackers that would revenge kill Greninja, like Heracross. On the other hand, Empoleon is neutral to Grass, can remove entry hazards with Defog, and switch into many attackers because of its valuable Steel typing.
* Manaphy can run a variety of coverage moves like Psychic to hit Mega Venusaur, Energy Ball for Gastrodon and Seismitoad, and Ice Beam for Dragon-types, which can free up moveslots on Greninja and allow it to use alternate coverage options like Rock Slide and Hidden Power Electric.
* Azumarill breaks through specially defensive walls and can pick off weakened threats with Aqua Jet, while resisting Fighting and Bug. In return, Greninja can deal with foes that resist Water like Mega Venusaur and Latios to allow Azumarill to sweep after a Belly Drum.
* Gyarados resists Fighting and Bug, can hit Grass-types with Z-Bounce, which allows Greninja to use another coverage move, and appreciates Greninja's ability to wear down defensive walls, which makes Gyarados's job of sweeping much easier.
* Mega Sharpedo can sweep teams with Strong Jaw-boosted Crunch after Greninja has weakened or removed physical walls like Skarmory.
* Lanturn can switch into foes that threaten out Greninja like Tapu Koko as well as bring it in safely with Volt Switch, and Greninja can KO Grass- and Ground-type checks to Lanturn.
* Other defensive pivots like Toxapex, Mega Slowbro, and Mantine can switch into attackers for Greninja.
* Keldeo can deal with the Normal-type core of Porygon2 and Chansey, and in return, Greninja can eliminate switch-ins to Keldeo like Latios and Mega Venusaur.
* Pelipper is neutral to Grass, can safely pivot into Greninja with U-turn, and sets up rain with Drizzle to boost Greninja's Hydro Pump; however, it halves the power of Hidden Power Fire.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Water
--------
* Greninja has a wide movepool, but many of these are niche options that aren't useful outside of a few situations.
* Rock Slide nabs an OHKO on Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y and does a significant amount of damage to Mega Charizard X.
* Hidden Power Electric hits would-be switchins such as Mantine and Empoleon.
* Grass Knot hits Ground- and Water-types, notably Seismitoad and Gastrodon.
* Choice Scarf is an option to catch foes off guard; however, Greninja is incredibly weak without a Life Orb, failing to KO targets it is meant to remove, like Latios.
* U-turn is an option to gain momentum; however, Life Orb recoil, damage from Iron Barbs and Rough Skin, and entry hazards will quickly wear down Greninja's health.
* A Choice Band set with the moves Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Gunk Shot, and U-turn can be used to catch opponents off guard and function as a physical wallbreaker, but this set is much easier to wall, and Greninja misses its ability to switch between moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
Water
--------
**Toxapex and Mega Venusaur**: Both of these Pokemon can switch into all of Greninja's moves barring Extrasensory, and Greninja will be worn down by the former with Scald and Toxic and the latter with Giga Drain.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Toxapex, Lanturn, and Slowbro can all switch into Greninja's moves for the most part, although Gunk Shot will 2HKO Lanturn, and Slowbro can be OHKOed by Dark Pulse.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Specially defensive walls like Cradily and Mantine can switch into Greninja's moves and recover off the damage. However, Mantine fears a potential OHKO from Hidden Power Electric, and Cradily is 2HKOed by Ice Beam.
**Chansey**: Chansey takes minimal damage from all of Greninja's attacks, can recover its health with Softboiled, and can chip at Greninja with Seismic Toss.
**Alolan Muk** Assault Vest Alolan Muk can switch into Greninja consistently, poison Greninja with its ability Poison Touch, and remove its Life Orb with Knock Off, severely crippling it for the rest of the battle.
**Revenge Killers**: Naturally faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko, common Choice Scarf users like Heracross, and priority users like Choice Band Dragonite all force Greninja to switch out, though none want to switch into an attack from Greninja.
**Chip Damage**: Greninja is quickly worn down by entry hazards, gradual damage from poisons and burns, and Life Orb's recoil, which can leave it susceptible to revenge killers.
gp: x
[OVERVIEW]
Water
========
* Blessed with the ability Protean, which gives it STAB on every move, Greninja is one of the most versatile attackers on Water teams.
* Greninja's access to valuable moves like Extrasensory, Gunk Shot, and Ice Beam allow it to choose what foes it can hit.
* Greninja's Speed tier lets it outspeed threats like Serperior, Thundurus, and Latios.
* However, Greninja's defensive stats are abysmal, leaving it vulnerable to strong priority and revenge killers, although this can be remedied by changing Greninja's type to something that resists an incoming attack.
* Because of its extensive coverage options, Greninja suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, and it can easily be walled by something it lacks a coverage move to hit.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Extrasensory
move 4: Gunk Shot / Hydro Pump
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ice Beam is valuable coverage that hits Grass- and Dragon-types that annoy Water teams, like Cradily and Latios.
* Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types like Mega Scizor and has a decent chance to OHKO Skarmory and Ferrothorn.
* Extrasensory hits Poison-types, OHKOing Gengar and netting a 2HKO on Toxapex and Mega Venusaur.
* Gunk Shot is used to hit Fairy-types, 2HKOing Tapu Fini and OHKOing Tapu Bulu through Reflect. However, most of Greninja's other moves hit Fairy-types relatively hard, and Hydro Pump can replace Gunk Shot.
* Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest move and does heavy damage to Heatran, which would wall Greninja lacking it.
* Dark Pulse targets Psychic-types such as Mew and Mega Slowbro; however its low Base Power makes it extremely weak against targets that it hits neutrally.
Set Details
========
* Protean is the most important reason to use Greninja, as it gives Greninja STAB on every move.
* Life Orb gives Greninja a much needed power boost due to its low offensive stats.
* However, Expert Belt can be used instead to avoid recoil damage while still boosting Greninja's power, although it is noticeably weaker.
* Maximum Special Attack and 4 Attack EVs are used to maximize Greninja's offensive presence.
* Maximum Speed and a Naive nature are used so Greninja can outspeed base 120 Speed Pokemon like Dugtrio without reducing the power of Gunk Shot.
* Naive is chosen over Hasty so Greninja takes less damage from common priority moves like Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed.
Usage Tips
========
* Greninja is a huge threat for some types depending on what coverage moves it chooses to run, so bringing it in off of a double switch can swing momentum heavily in your favor.
* Double switching into threats that Greninja carries a coverage move for like Mega Charizard Y is effective for getting surprise KOs, but be sure to keep appropriate coverage moves hidden.
* However, don't switch Greninja into too many attacks, as its defensive stats are poor.
* Greninja's high Speed tier allows it to revenge kill foes like Dugtrio and Serperior and sweep weakened teams.
* Although Greninja mainly uses Protean to bolster its attacks, changing its type to something that resists an incoming attack. For example, using Gunk Shot on Mega Venusaur puts it in range of Extrasensory while resisting both of Mega Venusaur's STAB moves.
* However, keep in mind that changing Greninja's type leaves it vulnerable to other revenge killers; for instance, KOing Latios with Ice Beam allows Choice Scarf Victini to revenge kill it.
Team Options
========
* Swampert and Empoleon are both excellent partners for Greninja, as both can use Stealth Rock, which chips foes and patches up Greninja's low offensive stats. Swampert is also immune to Electric and can switch into physical attackers that would revenge kill Greninja, like Heracross. On the other hand, Empoleon is neutral to Grass, can remove entry hazards with Defog, and switch into many attackers because of its valuable Steel typing.
* Manaphy can run a variety of coverage moves like Psychic to hit Mega Venusaur, Energy Ball for Gastrodon and Seismitoad, and Ice Beam for Dragon-types, which can free up moveslots on Greninja and allow it to use alternate coverage options like Rock Slide and Hidden Power Electric.
* Azumarill breaks through specially defensive walls and can pick off weakened threats with Aqua Jet, while resisting Fighting and Bug. In return, Greninja can deal with foes that resist Water like Mega Venusaur and Latios to allow Azumarill to sweep after a Belly Drum.
* Gyarados resists Fighting and Bug, can hit Grass-types with Z-Bounce, which allows Greninja to use another coverage move, and appreciates Greninja's ability to wear down defensive walls, which makes Gyarados's job of sweeping much easier.
* Mega Sharpedo can sweep teams with Strong Jaw-boosted Crunch after Greninja has weakened or removed physical walls like Skarmory.
* Lanturn can switch into foes that threaten out Greninja like Tapu Koko as well as bring it in safely with Volt Switch, and Greninja can KO Grass- and Ground-type checks to Lanturn.
* Other defensive pivots like Toxapex, Mega Slowbro, and Mantine can switch into attackers for Greninja.
* Keldeo can deal with the Normal-type core of Porygon2 and Chansey, and in return, Greninja can eliminate switch-ins to Keldeo like Latios and Mega Venusaur.
* Pelipper is neutral to Grass, can safely pivot into Greninja with U-turn, and sets up rain with Drizzle to boost Greninja's Hydro Pump; however, it halves the power of Hidden Power Fire.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Water
--------
* Greninja has a wide movepool, but many of these are niche options that aren't useful outside of a few situations.
* Rock Slide nabs an OHKO on Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y and does a significant amount of damage to Mega Charizard X.
* Hidden Power Electric hits would-be switchins such as Mantine and Empoleon.
* Grass Knot hits Ground- and Water-types, notably Seismitoad and Gastrodon.
* Choice Scarf is an option to catch foes off guard; however, Greninja is incredibly weak without a Life Orb, failing to KO targets it is meant to remove, like Latios.
* U-turn is an option to gain momentum; however, Life Orb recoil, damage from Iron Barbs and Rough Skin, and entry hazards will quickly wear down Greninja's health.
* A Choice Band set with the moves Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Gunk Shot, and U-turn can be used to catch opponents off guard and function as a physical wallbreaker, but this set is much easier to wall, and Greninja misses its ability to switch between moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
Water
--------
**Toxapex and Mega Venusaur**: Both of these Pokemon can switch into all of Greninja's moves barring Extrasensory, and Greninja will be worn down by the former with Scald and Toxic and the latter with Giga Drain.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Toxapex, Lanturn, and Slowbro can all switch into Greninja's moves for the most part, although Gunk Shot will 2HKO Lanturn, and Slowbro can be OHKOed by Dark Pulse.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Specially defensive walls like Cradily and Mantine can switch into Greninja's moves and recover off the damage. However, Mantine fears a potential OHKO from Hidden Power Electric, and Cradily is 2HKOed by Ice Beam.
**Chansey**: Chansey takes minimal damage from all of Greninja's attacks, can recover its health with Softboiled, and can chip at Greninja with Seismic Toss.
**Alolan Muk** Assault Vest Alolan Muk can switch into Greninja consistently, poison Greninja with its ability Poison Touch, and remove its Life Orb with Knock Off, severely crippling it for the rest of the battle.
**Revenge Killers**: Naturally faster Pokemon like Tapu Koko, common Choice Scarf users like Heracross, and priority users like Choice Band Dragonite all force Greninja to switch out, though none want to switch into an attack from Greninja.
**Chip Damage**: Greninja is quickly worn down by entry hazards, gradual damage from poisons and burns, and Life Orb's recoil, which can leave it susceptible to revenge killers.
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