[SET]
name: Offensive (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Extrasensory / Toxic Spikes
item: Grassium Z / Expert Belt / Psychium Z
ability: Protean
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With a good Speed tier and vast coverage paired with Protean, Greninja is an amazing special attacker for Water teams that nails many Water-resistant foes. Ice Beam nails Dragon-, Grass-, and Flying-types such as Dragonite, Hydreigon, Tapu Bulu, Galarian Moltres, and Zapdos. Grass Knot deals with Water- and Ground-types that can tank an Ice Beam such as Slowbro, Swampert, Gastrodon, and Seismitoad. Hidden Power Electric allows Greninja to OHKO Pelipper and Mantine after chip damage. Extrasensory forces out otherwise threatening Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Galarian Weezing. Toxic Spikes can be used instead to act as a valuable entry hazard setter for Water teams, threatening types commonly without Poison-types like Electric, Ice, and Fire. Bloom Doom from Grassium Z heavily damages Water-types that aren't affected as much by Grass Knot, such as Rotom-W, Slowking, and Tapu Fini, while OHKOing Keldeo even after a Calm Mind boost. Alternatively, Expert Belt takes advantage of Greninja's amazing coverage and Protean, dealing better damage against foes like Tapu Bulu and Celebi. Psychium Z may also be used to OHKO the previously mentioned Mega Venusaur and Toxapex. Maximum Speed investment along with a Timid nature allows Greninja to outspeed key threats such as Tornadus-T, Cinderace, Keldeo, and Alakazam.
Greninja fits on both offensive and balanced Water teams as a versatile special attacker. Toxapex is an excellent defensive partner, as it deals with revenge killers that can outspeed and OHKO Greninja such as Choice Scarf Terrakion, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Aerodactyl. It also provides a useful Grass neutrality, dealing with foes that Greninja struggles against like Ferrothorn and Rillaboom. Additionally, it absorbs Toxic Spikes and cripples foes with Toxic or Toxic Spikes. Thanks to its good special bulk, Slowking can deal with threatening revenge killers like Choice Scarf Latias and Choice Scarf Nihilego, and it provides Future Sight to defeat Poison-types like Mega Venusaur and Toxapex if Greninja isn't running Extrasensory. It also provides useful momentum and safe switches with Teleport, covering for Greninja's poor bulk. Swampert is a very useful teammate, as its invaluable Electric immunity lets it check fast Electric-types like Regieleki and Zeraora. Additionally, it provides Stealth Rock and Flip Turn support, making Greninja more difficult to consistenly switch into and safely pivoting it in. Mega Swampert is an alternative on rain teams, as it can outspeed Greninja checks under rain such as Tapu Koko, Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan, and Choice Scarf Excadrill. Urshifu-R can take on specially defensive walls that Greninja struggles to break through, such as Blissey, Alolan Muk, and Tyranitar, making it a good offensive partner. It also deals with Steel-types such as Heatran and Ferrothorn, while Greninja takes on physically defensive walls like Skarmory and Slowbro in return. Mega Sharpedo acts as a fearsome cleaner that can help in the Ghost and Psychic matchups, taking on Pokemon such as Aegislash, Jirachi, and Slowking. Kingdra is a great sweeper under rain that can take on the Dragon matchup, threatening Dragon-types that Greninja is unable to KO such as Choice Scarf Latias, boosted Mega Altaria, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Tapu Fini is an alternative way to deal with Dragon-types, as well as preventing Greninja from being statused thanks to Misty Terrain and crippling walls like Blissey and Alolan Muk with Trick and a Choice Scarf.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf (Water)
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Dark Pulse / Rock Slide
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Protean
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Greninja is great in the role of revenge killer for Water teams thanks to its great Speed tier and extremely versatile coverage alongside Protean and decent mixed attacking stats. Ice Beam heavily damages Dragon- and Flying-types like Kommo-o, Mega Altaria, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Gunk Shot OHKOes a large number of Fairy-types such as Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Azumarill. Dark Pulse lets Greninja threaten Ghost- and Psychic-types like Aegislash, Jirachi, and Latias. Rock Slide is useful in order to nail Fire-types and Flying-types that can take an Ice Beam like Volcarona, Mega Charizard Y, and Mantine. U-turn allows Greninja to freely pivot out of foes that it struggles against, like Blissey and Alolan Muk. Maximum Speed investment with a Naive nature lets Greninja outspeed Choice Scarf Latios, +2 Mega Altaria, and Adamant Excadrill under sand. A Naive nature also doesn't weaken Greninja's physical coverage moves and gives it a better matchup against priority users like Dragonite and Urshifu-S.
Toxapex is a great defensive partner for Greninja to deal with Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Rillaboom. It also absorbs Toxic Spikes, preventing Greninja from being easily worn down. Slowking can switch into special attacks for the team and safely bring Greninja in the field with a slow Teleport. Swampert uses its invaluable Electric immunity to deal with threats in Regieleki and Zeraora. It also provides Stealth Rock and safely brings Greninja in via Flip Turn. Mega Swampert can provide the above while acting as a physical wallbreaker that defeats specially defensive walls like Blissey and Alolan Muk for Greninja. Urshifu-R is also a good wallbreaker, pressuring foes that Greninja has difficulty in defeating such as Celesteela, Kyurem, and defensive Rotom-W. Mantine and Pelipper both prevent Ground-types like Sand Rush Excadrill from threatening it. Mantine acts as a useful specially defensive wall that can hinder setup sweepers like Volcarona and Azumarill thanks to Haze, while Pelipper fits on offensive teams, can safely bring Greninja in with U-turn, and overwhelms Grass-types like Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur with Choice Specs-boosted Hurricane. Tapu Fini can deal with troublesome Dragon-types like boosted Kommo-o thanks to its part-Fairy typing and Calm Mind, and it provides Misty Terrain and Defog support.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Water
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Greninja can run a Groundium Z + Dig set along with Extrasensory in order to reliably take on Poison teams, defeating Toxapex, Mega Venusaur, and most importantly Alolan Muk. Hidden Power Fire can work over Hidden Power Electric to target Pokemon such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn; however, this makes Greninja completely walled by Mantine. It also fails to 2HKO Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn under rain, which is common on Water teams. Choice Scarf Greninja can run Spikes or Toxic Spikes over Dark Pulse or Rock Slide, but the coverage is generally more valuable.
Checks and Counters
===================
Water
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**Specially Defensive Walls**: Specially defensive walls such as Blissey, Alolan Muk, and Tyranitar can take multiple hits from Greninja and threaten it back. Blissey cripples Greninja with Toxic and wears it down with Seismic Toss, while Alolan Muk and Tyranitar wear down Greninja with their STAB moves. However, the latter two Pokemon need to be wary of Z-Dig sets.
**Revenge Killers**: Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Excadrill, Tapu Koko, and Mega Aerodactyl can outspeed and easily defeat Greninja lacking Choice Scarf by taking advantage of its poor bulk. Choice Scarf Greninja is outsped by boosted threats such as Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, Barraskewda in rain, and Alolan Raichu under Electric Terrain.
**Priority Attacks**: Because of Greninja's underwhelming bulk, it is heavily worn down or OHKOed by numerous priority moves from Pokemon such as Dragonite, Zygarde-10%, and Rillaboom.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards make Greninja unable to switch in freely and either wear it down or cripple its great Speed.
**Status**: Toxic and paralysis greatly hinder Greninja as a consistent, fast attacker, and burn weakens its physical coverage moves while slightly wearing it down.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rotten, 491896]]
- Water analysis by: [[Rotten, 491896]]
- Quality checked by: [[maroon, 305839], [Maple, 473171]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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