[OVERVIEW]
Greninja, courtesy of its stellar Speed tier and signature ability in Protean, is one of the OverUsed metagame's premier offensive threats, as it is more than capable of pressuring both faster, offensively inclined teams and bulkier builds. Its expansive movepool is a major contributing factor to its potency as a offensive force as well: because it has such a high number of move options, it can circumvent would-be counters and defensive checks and leave one's opponent guessing at Team Preview. Additionally, Greninja is the only offensively inclined user of Spikes, which it is a stellar user of. Greninja only truly falls short when it comes to bulk, which renders it incapable of taking even resisted hits repeatedly.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Ice Beam / Hydro Pump
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Extrasensory
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam boasts stellar offensive coverage, targeting the likes of Landorus-T, Zygarde, Garchomp, and Latios, all of which are OHKOed with ease. On the other hand, Hydro Pump can be used in Ice Beam's place given that it is Greninja's strongest special move in general and can still connect for high damage on targets such as the aforementioned Landorus-T as well as Heatran. Because Tapu Fini and specially defensive Clefable could otherwise wall Greninja completely, Gunk Shot is necessary to effectively muscle through these two while also hitting Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele for OHKOs. Extrasensory provides Greninja with a means of disposing Toxapex and Keldeo. For the last slot, one can opt for either Hidden Power Fire, which nails Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn for an OHKO and near-OHKO, respectively, or Dark Pulse, which has stellar neutral coverage. The main purpose of either move is to pressure Mega Metagross in some capacity, as Greninja's resistance to Bullet Punch and access to these moves can allow it to revenge kill it.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment in tandem with a Naive nature maximizes Greninja's offensive potency—Naive is desired over Timid to avoid weakening Gunk Shot. Life Orb provides a significant and necessary increase in power but comes at the cost of health recoil. Should one want to avoid the constant wear Life Orb bears down on Greninja, Expert Belt can be used in its place; however, it should be noted that Greninja's attacks will be noticeably weak if not hitting for super effective damage. Protean alters Greninja's typing to whatever move it uses, which nets it STAB on every move used, greatly increasing its damage output on moves that are not Water- or Dark-type.
Usage Tips
========
The key to properly utilizing Greninja is to treat it as the frail breaker it is: avoid switching it directly into strong attacks, even if they are resisted, and aim to bring Greninja onto the field via VoltTurn support or double switches. Use Greninja to wallbreak early- to mid-game to provide openings for any synergistic cleaners or sweepers; conversely, it can also be used to clean with its adequate initial power and high speed if appropriate. This is largely dependent on the opponent's team composition and one's own.
Team Options
========
Any cleaners and setup sweepers that appreciate the weakened state Greninja leaves defensive cores in make for good teammates—examples include dual dance Landorus-T, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and Swords Dance Mega Mawile. Given Greninja's relative frailty, VoltTurn users that can bait in Pokemon that Greninja can take advantage of are excellent partners: U-turn Mega Scizor lures in Heatran, Toxapex, and miscellaneous Fire-type Pokemon, all of which this particular Greninja set is more than aptly equipped to deal with. Pivot Jirachi attracts similar Pokemon as well, which Greninja can deal with with the appropriate coverage moves; Ferrothorn can be OHKOed by Hidden Power Fire after Stealth Rock damage, Toxapex is 2HKOed by Extrasensory, and Landorus-T can be OHKOed by Hydro Pump or Ice Beam. Similarly, Landorus-T and Rotom-W can also provide VoltTurn support. Furthermore, slow, powerful wallbreakers that appreciate the massive amounts of pressure Greninja applies to offensive teams make for solid additions. Examples would include Mega Mawile and Alolan Marowak.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Hydro Pump / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Because Greninja threatens out so much of the entire metagame, it has ample opportunities to set up Spikes. Hydro Pump is the strongest general move a Special Attack-invested Greninja has access to and can threaten out the metagame's most prevalent Pokemon in Landorus-T. Given that the main goal of this set is to lay down layers of Spikes, it is imperative that its moveslots be dedicated to pressuring the various forms of entry hazard removal present in the metagame: Hidden Power Fire targets Defog Mega Scizor while also having the added bonus of hitting Ferrothorn for a near-guaranteed OHKO and chipping Mega Metagross heavily, Gunk Shot hits the most common hazard remover, Defog Tapu Fini, for most of its health, and finally, Ice Beam hits rarer Defog users in Zapdos and Latios.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximize Greninja's offensive potential, which, in combination with Protean and a Life Orb, renders it a major threat. A Naive nature offers the needed increase in Speed without diminishing Gunk Shot's power. Alternatively, a physically-based set consisting of maximum Attack and Speed investment with moves of Low Kick / Gunk Shot / Ice Beam / Spikes is effective as well, as it can OHKO Tapu Fini, nearly OHKO Assault Vest Tangrowth, and cleanly 2HKO Celesteela. As an added bonus, this set can also potentially muscle through Chansey, which traditionally checks Greninja.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid directly switching Greninja into strong attacks, as it is particularly underwhelming defensively and cannot take even repeated resisted attacks well. Aim to use Spikes on predicted switches; it threatens out a plethora of threats, meaning it can effectively stack entry hazards quickly. Slow VoltTurn backbones can allow Greninja to come in on certain threats it can scare out and help cover Greninja's minimal bulk while providing key opportunities to use Spikes. Additionally, getting entry hazards up as early as possible to maximize their usefulness is key; however, if the opposition is not particularly weak to Spikes, it may be worth simply wallbreaking with Greninja's coverage to open up the opposition in that fashion.
Team Options
========
Setup sweepers and cleaners that enjoy Spikes weakening their checks and counters are excellent teammates for Spikes Greninja—examples of these would be Agility Mega Metagross, which appreciates foes generally being weakened into range of its attacks for late-game sweeps; and Swords Dance Mega Mawile, which enjoys Spikes turning many 2HKOs from Sucker Punch into OHKOs. VoltTurn users that can place Greninja in a position to set up Spikes are invaluable, so Pokemon such as U-turn Mega Scizor and Jirachi, which attract threats greatly vulnerable to Greninja, are solid teammates. In addition, Landorus-T can lure in opposing Landorus-T for Greninja. Pokemon that are traditionally heavily pressured by offensive builds appreciate the strain that Greninja's speed and power place on these types of teams. Also, strong wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Garchomp and Choice Specs Tapu Lele enjoy their wallbreaking prowess being amplified by the presence of Spikes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Should one require a heavily customizable revenge killer, Choice Scarf Greninja is a solid candidate. Its wide movepool enables it to OHKO a wide range of threatening sweepers like Volcarona, which Greninja can OHKO with Rock Slide; Salamence, which is OHKOed by Ice Beam; and Gyarados, which can be taken out with Hidden Power Electric. It is highly recommended that one run U-turn on this set as well, as the momentum preservation it offers is critical. Protean Greninja is also a decent user of Water Shuriken, which, while relatively weak, can offer utility in closing out certain KOs or chipping heavily at frail threats; however, the loss of coverage running Water Shuriken leads to is generally unfavorable. Last, Z-Happy Hour Greninja can serve as a threatening sweeper, but it suffers from lack of viability because of Greninja's frailty and lack of coverage when using it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Set-dependent Switch-ins**: Greninja has no true, guaranteed switch-ins because of its expansive movepool. Given that it is limited to four moveslots, it can be countered or checked defensively if Greninja is not carrying the appropriate moveset or move. Toxapex and Mega Venusaur can wall Greninja if it lacks Extrasensory; Chansey can wall Greninja if it is not physically based and running Low Kick; Ferrothorn is a good answer for those lacking Hidden Power Fire; and Gastrodon will completely stop those lacking Hidden Power Grass. Keldeo, while prone to residual wear and chip damage, can irritate Greninja lacking Extrasensory.
**Naturally Faster Revenge Killers**: Mega Alakazam, Tapu Koko, and Weavile all outpace maximum Speed Greninja and can threaten it depending on its current typing.
**Powerful Choice Scarf Users**: Garchomp, Terrakion, and Latios all boast the innate power to OHKO Greninja without a boosting item and with a neutral attacking nature.
Greninja, courtesy of its stellar Speed tier and signature ability in Protean, is one of the OverUsed metagame's premier offensive threats, as it is more than capable of pressuring both faster, offensively inclined teams and bulkier builds. Its expansive movepool is a major contributing factor to its potency as a offensive force as well: because it has such a high number of move options, it can circumvent would-be counters and defensive checks and leave one's opponent guessing at Team Preview. Additionally, Greninja is the only offensively inclined user of Spikes, which it is a stellar user of. Greninja only truly falls short when it comes to bulk, which renders it incapable of taking even resisted hits repeatedly.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Ice Beam / Hydro Pump
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Extrasensory
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam boasts stellar offensive coverage, targeting the likes of Landorus-T, Zygarde, Garchomp, and Latios, all of which are OHKOed with ease. On the other hand, Hydro Pump can be used in Ice Beam's place given that it is Greninja's strongest special move in general and can still connect for high damage on targets such as the aforementioned Landorus-T as well as Heatran. Because Tapu Fini and specially defensive Clefable could otherwise wall Greninja completely, Gunk Shot is necessary to effectively muscle through these two while also hitting Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele for OHKOs. Extrasensory provides Greninja with a means of disposing Toxapex and Keldeo. For the last slot, one can opt for either Hidden Power Fire, which nails Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn for an OHKO and near-OHKO, respectively, or Dark Pulse, which has stellar neutral coverage. The main purpose of either move is to pressure Mega Metagross in some capacity, as Greninja's resistance to Bullet Punch and access to these moves can allow it to revenge kill it.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment in tandem with a Naive nature maximizes Greninja's offensive potency—Naive is desired over Timid to avoid weakening Gunk Shot. Life Orb provides a significant and necessary increase in power but comes at the cost of health recoil. Should one want to avoid the constant wear Life Orb bears down on Greninja, Expert Belt can be used in its place; however, it should be noted that Greninja's attacks will be noticeably weak if not hitting for super effective damage. Protean alters Greninja's typing to whatever move it uses, which nets it STAB on every move used, greatly increasing its damage output on moves that are not Water- or Dark-type.
Usage Tips
========
The key to properly utilizing Greninja is to treat it as the frail breaker it is: avoid switching it directly into strong attacks, even if they are resisted, and aim to bring Greninja onto the field via VoltTurn support or double switches. Use Greninja to wallbreak early- to mid-game to provide openings for any synergistic cleaners or sweepers; conversely, it can also be used to clean with its adequate initial power and high speed if appropriate. This is largely dependent on the opponent's team composition and one's own.
Team Options
========
Any cleaners and setup sweepers that appreciate the weakened state Greninja leaves defensive cores in make for good teammates—examples include dual dance Landorus-T, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and Swords Dance Mega Mawile. Given Greninja's relative frailty, VoltTurn users that can bait in Pokemon that Greninja can take advantage of are excellent partners: U-turn Mega Scizor lures in Heatran, Toxapex, and miscellaneous Fire-type Pokemon, all of which this particular Greninja set is more than aptly equipped to deal with. Pivot Jirachi attracts similar Pokemon as well, which Greninja can deal with with the appropriate coverage moves; Ferrothorn can be OHKOed by Hidden Power Fire after Stealth Rock damage, Toxapex is 2HKOed by Extrasensory, and Landorus-T can be OHKOed by Hydro Pump or Ice Beam. Similarly, Landorus-T and Rotom-W can also provide VoltTurn support. Furthermore, slow, powerful wallbreakers that appreciate the massive amounts of pressure Greninja applies to offensive teams make for solid additions. Examples would include Mega Mawile and Alolan Marowak.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Hydro Pump / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Because Greninja threatens out so much of the entire metagame, it has ample opportunities to set up Spikes. Hydro Pump is the strongest general move a Special Attack-invested Greninja has access to and can threaten out the metagame's most prevalent Pokemon in Landorus-T. Given that the main goal of this set is to lay down layers of Spikes, it is imperative that its moveslots be dedicated to pressuring the various forms of entry hazard removal present in the metagame: Hidden Power Fire targets Defog Mega Scizor while also having the added bonus of hitting Ferrothorn for a near-guaranteed OHKO and chipping Mega Metagross heavily, Gunk Shot hits the most common hazard remover, Defog Tapu Fini, for most of its health, and finally, Ice Beam hits rarer Defog users in Zapdos and Latios.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment maximize Greninja's offensive potential, which, in combination with Protean and a Life Orb, renders it a major threat. A Naive nature offers the needed increase in Speed without diminishing Gunk Shot's power. Alternatively, a physically-based set consisting of maximum Attack and Speed investment with moves of Low Kick / Gunk Shot / Ice Beam / Spikes is effective as well, as it can OHKO Tapu Fini, nearly OHKO Assault Vest Tangrowth, and cleanly 2HKO Celesteela. As an added bonus, this set can also potentially muscle through Chansey, which traditionally checks Greninja.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid directly switching Greninja into strong attacks, as it is particularly underwhelming defensively and cannot take even repeated resisted attacks well. Aim to use Spikes on predicted switches; it threatens out a plethora of threats, meaning it can effectively stack entry hazards quickly. Slow VoltTurn backbones can allow Greninja to come in on certain threats it can scare out and help cover Greninja's minimal bulk while providing key opportunities to use Spikes. Additionally, getting entry hazards up as early as possible to maximize their usefulness is key; however, if the opposition is not particularly weak to Spikes, it may be worth simply wallbreaking with Greninja's coverage to open up the opposition in that fashion.
Team Options
========
Setup sweepers and cleaners that enjoy Spikes weakening their checks and counters are excellent teammates for Spikes Greninja—examples of these would be Agility Mega Metagross, which appreciates foes generally being weakened into range of its attacks for late-game sweeps; and Swords Dance Mega Mawile, which enjoys Spikes turning many 2HKOs from Sucker Punch into OHKOs. VoltTurn users that can place Greninja in a position to set up Spikes are invaluable, so Pokemon such as U-turn Mega Scizor and Jirachi, which attract threats greatly vulnerable to Greninja, are solid teammates. In addition, Landorus-T can lure in opposing Landorus-T for Greninja. Pokemon that are traditionally heavily pressured by offensive builds appreciate the strain that Greninja's speed and power place on these types of teams. Also, strong wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Garchomp and Choice Specs Tapu Lele enjoy their wallbreaking prowess being amplified by the presence of Spikes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Should one require a heavily customizable revenge killer, Choice Scarf Greninja is a solid candidate. Its wide movepool enables it to OHKO a wide range of threatening sweepers like Volcarona, which Greninja can OHKO with Rock Slide; Salamence, which is OHKOed by Ice Beam; and Gyarados, which can be taken out with Hidden Power Electric. It is highly recommended that one run U-turn on this set as well, as the momentum preservation it offers is critical. Protean Greninja is also a decent user of Water Shuriken, which, while relatively weak, can offer utility in closing out certain KOs or chipping heavily at frail threats; however, the loss of coverage running Water Shuriken leads to is generally unfavorable. Last, Z-Happy Hour Greninja can serve as a threatening sweeper, but it suffers from lack of viability because of Greninja's frailty and lack of coverage when using it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Set-dependent Switch-ins**: Greninja has no true, guaranteed switch-ins because of its expansive movepool. Given that it is limited to four moveslots, it can be countered or checked defensively if Greninja is not carrying the appropriate moveset or move. Toxapex and Mega Venusaur can wall Greninja if it lacks Extrasensory; Chansey can wall Greninja if it is not physically based and running Low Kick; Ferrothorn is a good answer for those lacking Hidden Power Fire; and Gastrodon will completely stop those lacking Hidden Power Grass. Keldeo, while prone to residual wear and chip damage, can irritate Greninja lacking Extrasensory.
**Naturally Faster Revenge Killers**: Mega Alakazam, Tapu Koko, and Weavile all outpace maximum Speed Greninja and can threaten it depending on its current typing.
**Powerful Choice Scarf Users**: Garchomp, Terrakion, and Latios all boast the innate power to OHKO Greninja without a boosting item and with a neutral attacking nature.
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