1v1

Analysis written by lotiasite.
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Greninja

Overview

With a high Speed stat, a fantastic offensive Water typing, and an incredible ability in Protean, Greninja is a powerful attacker with several options for taking out different Pokemon. Access to good coverage options such as Ice Beam, Grass Knot, and Gunk Shot allows Greninja to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage, especially when factoring in STAB from Protean. Greninja also has access to Hydro Cannon, which allows it to hit incredibly hard especially with a Waterium Z or Choice Specs equipped. However, Greninja's underwhelming base 103 Special Attack stat doesn't match up to other special hard hitters in the metagame, such as Tapu Lele. This low Special Attack can also make Greninja fall short of some KOs against Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y. Greninja also has low defensive stats, leaving it very vulnerable to Pokemon that outspeed it and Pokemon that can tank a hit and retaliate with hard-hitting moves of their own.

Choice Specs

Set Comments

Moves

Hydro Cannon is Greninja's most powerful move; with an incredible 150 Base Power and Choice Specs, it is capable of OHKOing almost every Pokemon that does not resist it and does not have Sturdy. Greninja also usually does not need to worry about the recharge turn due to 1v1's format, which makes the trade for more power and accuracy over Hydro Pump worth it. Dark Pulse is a coverage option Greninja can use to hit Pokemon such as Mega Metagross, Deoxys-D, and Aegislash for super effective damage while also having a nifty 20% flinch chance that can help out Greninja in a matchup it would normally lose by getting free damage off. Ice Beam is another coverage move that hits Dragon- and Flying-type Pokemon such as Dragonite, Mega Pinsir, and Garchomp while also hitting Grass-type Pokemon such as Whimsicott that resist Hydro Cannon. Grass Knot hits Mega Gyarados, one of the best Pokemon in the current metagame, extremely hard.

Set Details

Maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack lets Greninja hit as hard as possible while outspeeding most threats. Protean grants STAB on all of its attacks and can also be used to play around an opponent by switching Greninja's type to resist an attack. Choice Specs is the item of choice, as it allows Greninja to hit extremely hard with all of its attacks, increasing Greninja's damage output by a large amount. Either a Timid or Modest nature can be used on this set, as the former allows Greninja to outspeed certain threats such as maximum Speed Mega Metagross, Kartana, and Modest Tapu Koko, while the latter maximizes Greninja's damage output and lets it hit a lot harder.

Usage Tips

Greninja's wide coverage options allow it to scare off many potential threats such as Mega Slowbro, ensuring the safety of team mates such Tapu Lele. Prevent mindlessly clicking Hydro Cannon, as those that can survive it, such as Crustle and Golem, or those running Substitute can easily take advantage of the recharge turn and knock Greninja out. Also, avoid using Hydro Cannon unless it has a very good chance to KO the foe. Refrain from sending Greninja in when threats such as Tapu Koko and Kyurem-B loom, as they can easily take it out. Greninja can also be brought in against more passive Pokemon such as Jumpluff and Mega Slowbro, as they can wall other members of your team. Greninja can also utilize its Protean ability to play around foes, changing its type to resist a move they may go for.

Team Options

Pokemon such as Mimikyu can be used to threaten Greninja's checks, which include Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp. Greninja also does well against common Steel-type Pokemon such as Mega Metagross, so Pokemon weak to them such as Crustle can be safely brought in. Other options include physical heavy hitters such as Mega Pinsir, as Greninja's lacking Special Attack baits in more defensive Pokemon such as Chansey. Strong physical attackers such as Mega Charizard X are also appreciated, as they can make an opponent think twice before bringing in a specially defensive wall. Other hard hitting special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z can be utilized due to Greninja's role as a coverage specialist rather than a hard hitter, though it makes the team more susceptible to being walled by Chansey. However, Greninja's versatility as a coverage attacker can cover the weaknesses of many Pokemon such as Tapu Lele and Mega Pinsir, making it easier for them to be brought in.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

A Waterium Z turns Hydro Cannon into a powerful 200-Base Power move with no drawbacks such as recharge and accuracy, and it also gives Greninja the freedom to switch its attacks. However, Greninja's other coverage attacks such as Ice Beam and Dark Pulse receive no boost, meaning Greninja is left without a way to hit Water-resistant Pokemon effectively. Another good item option is Life Orb, as it allows Greninja to switch its moves while also giving a good power boost to special moves and physical moves. It also allows Greninja to run Shadow Sneak, which can be used to avoid damage from opposing Normal-type attacks such as Hyper Beam and Giga Impact. Other physical coverage moves such as Gunk Shot can be utilized on the Life Orb set, as it gives Greninja more power to better deal with Fairy-type Pokemon such as Tapu Lele. Water Shuriken is another option that can be used to bypass Sturdy Pokemon such as Crustle and Golem, but it can be unreliable due to its luck factor. Hydro Pump can also replace any of the coverage moves on the Choice Specs set so as to avoid the recharge turn from Hydro Cannon. However, it lacks power compared to Hydro Cannon and has less accuracy. Another powerful option is Hyper Beam, which hits just as hard as Hydro Cannon due to Protean and can hit Water-resistant Pokemon such as Kyurem-B.

Checks and Counters

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