Stoward
Ah, you're finally awake
[OVERVIEW]
* Access to Spikes and Taunt and a Speed tier that allows it to outspeed Arceus formes provide Greninja with a nice niche as a dedicated lead in the Ubers tier.
* Greninja's Water / Dark typing allows it to also be a great anti-lead against other common dedicated leads such as Cloyster and Deoxys-S, as it naturally resists Cloyster's attacks, outspeeds it, and can use Taunt against it, and it is able to 2HKO and force predictions against Deoxys-S. Furthermore, unlike Cloyster, Necrozma-DM is unable to lead against it.
* Greninja does, however, struggle to really dish out any damage prior to activating Battle Bond, which can make it difficult to effectively provide offensive pressure, as it needs to claim a KO in order to do so. This low damage output results in it being completely shut down by the tier's two Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, which are able to bounce back entry hazards and use Taunt against it while failing to be 2HKOed by any of its attacks.
* Its subpar bulk also means that it can often struggle to get many entry hazards up against setup sweepers, as it is forced to use Taunt on them to prevent them from setting up but is also very often brought down to its Focus Sash even without boosts. If these setup sweepers have access to a priority move, Greninja can completely fail to get up any entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Substitute / Ice Beam
item: Focus Sash
ability: Battle Bond
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Spikes is a really effective means of punishing grounded Pokemon, as it deals up to 25% of the maximum HP in damage to any Pokemon that switches in. This allows your team to more effectively pressure Steel-type threats such as Necrozma-DM and Magearna, which otherwise take minimal damage from Stealth Rock.
* Taunt stops setup, entry hazards being put up, status spreading, and entry hazard removal, thus being crucial in order for Greninja to effectively perform its role as a suicide lead.
Dark Pulse prevents Greninja from being completely passive, preventing it from becoming setup fodder for offensive Necrozma-DM at Team Preview. It also allows Greninja to utilize its ability in Battle Bond, allowing it to become a more offensive threat, most notably outspeeding Mega Gengar and Ultra Necrozma and being able to OHKO them both, as well as 2HKOing Trick Room Necrozma-DM.
* Substitute is primarily used to stop Smeargle from paralyzing Greninja with Nuzzle, as Taunt doesn't prevent Smeargle from using this move. Once Greninja is behind a Substitute, this puts it in a situation of mind games, rather than Greninja being at a disadvantage.
* Ice Beam allows Greninja to pressure Mega Salamence and Zygarde better, as it is able to OHKO Salamence even without Battle Bond, whereas after transformation, it's able to outspeed +1 offensive Zygarde-C and OHKO it. It also gives it a chance of 2HKOing Mega Diancie, which otherwise would be able to prevent Greninja from setting up entry hazards, and is immune to Taunt thanks to Magic Bounce, and is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash with Moonblast.
Set Details
========
* This is a classic offensive set with maximum Special Attack investment for the highest possible damage output and maximum Speed investment so Greninja moves first. A Timid nature is required in order for Greninja to outspeed Arceus formes, which is crucial to prevent it them from using Defog.
Usage Tips
========
* Greninja's main focus should be to set Spikes and prevent the opposing team from either setting up in front of it, removing these Spikes or setting their own entry hazards by clicking Taunt.
* Against setup sweepers, such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus, Greninja should prioritize clicking Taunt, as the offensive builds that Greninja fits best on tend to struggle to have the tools to deal with these threats.
* If it's not able to activate Battle Bond, Greninja should be used to chip away at the foe with either Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, providing its teammates with an easier time of setting up to sweep. Due to its relatively low bulk and damage output prior to activating Battle Bond, if entry hazards are on your side of the field or if its Focus Sash has been broken, Greninja is best used as a sacrifice fodder to provide you with an opportunity to bring in a teammate without taking any extra damage.
* If Greninja is able to activate Battle Bond, it can be preserved, as it can become a potential revenge killer for weakened foes, as it's only naturally outsped by Deoxys-A, Pheromosa, and Mega Mewtwo Y, and it's able to outspeed a +1 Zygarde.
Team Options
========
* As Greninja's primary role is to provide offensive pressure by setting Spikes and it is only really used as a dedicated lead, its teammates need to also be offensive Pokemon to compensate for its general lack of offensive pressure and to ensure that Greninja's entry hazards stay on the battlefield after it has been KOed.
* Strong wallbreakers such as Xerneas, Necrozma-DM or Ultra Necrozma, and Mega Salamence are all incredible partners for Greninja, as the addition of Spikes on the battlefield makes it harder for opposing Pokemon to switch into them. Futhermore, all of these Pokemon are able to punish any attempts to remove entry hazards by setting up with their dedicated boosting move, ultimately making them harder to switch into.
* Checks to the tier's Magic Bounce users in Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie as well as Fairy-type answers are crucial teammates for Greninja, as Magic Bounce completely removes Greninja's ability to set entry hazards.
* Offensive Stealth Rock Primal Groudon sets are almost mandatory on teams with Greninja, as Stealth Rock is still able to punish all Ground-immune foes that take no damage from Spikes such as Yveltal, Ho-Oh, and Lugia, providing additional damage to grounded foes. Furthermore, it is able to provide teams with a much-needed answer to Xerneas and is able to comfortably anti-lead against Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie.
* Fast Taunt users such as Mega Gengar and Yveltal are great partners for Greninja, as they're able to prevent foes from removing entry hazards after Greninja has been KOed, as well as acting as great anti-offense measures, as they prevent setup sweepers from setting up. Mega Gengar is especially noteworthy here, as its super fast Taunt is useful for preventing support Arceus formes from using Defog, as well as punishing Choice-locked Defoggers such as Xerneas, as they risk getting trapped and KOed thanks to Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Greninja has a very specific niche in the Ubers tier, so despite its impressive movepool, it isn't really able to utilize the majority of these.
* Water Shuriken or Shadow Sneak could be potentially useful to improve the matchup against Deoxys-S by preventing it from getting up multiple entry hazards; however, Greninja would much prefer to run either Ice Beam or Substitute in this slot due to the coverage or utility options these moves offer.
* Hydro Pump can be used as a fourth move in order to pressure Mega Diancie; however, this would be sacrificing the coverage options that Ice Beam could offer or the security of Substitute.
* A suicide lead set with Protean containing Spikes + Toxic Spikes + Taunt + Shadow Sneak with the ability Protean can be run, utilizing Greninja's ability to set dual entry hazards and spinblock with Shadow Sneak; however, this takes away Greninja's niche with Battle Bond and tends to be outclassed by other entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Magic Bounce**: Both of the viable Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye aren't too fazed by any of Greninja's attacks and can bounce back Spikes and Taunt thanks to their ability. Mega Diancie is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash with Moonblast, while Mega Sableye is able to avoid the 2HKO and stall it out with Toxic + Recover. It does, however, have to be cautious of Dark Pulse flinches.
**Smeargle**: Smeargle can be a real hassle for Greninja, as it is able to bounce back its entry hazards, Taunt it with Magic Coat, and paralyze it with Nuzzle; it also causes a nuisance to the type of teams Greninja thrives on by slowing down the whole grounded team with Sticky Web.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers are able to potentially completely prevent or limit the amount of entry hazards that Greninja is able to set, as it is forced to Taunt them to prevent them from sweeping, rather than focusing on setting entry hazards. Setup sweepers with priority attacks such as Arceus and Mega Lucario are able to potentially completely deter Greninja from setting entry hazards, as Arceus is able to 2HKO Greninja with Extreme Speed and Mega Lucario is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash and then pick it off with Bullet Punch.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Ultra Necrozma, Choice Scarf Yveltal, and Choice Scarf Xerneas all have enough natural bulk to be able to survive a single hit from Greninja and can 2HKO it or bring it down to its Focus Sash with any of their attacks, limiting Greninja to only being able to set up one entry hazard at most.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Stoward, 420389]]
- Quality checked by: [[nayrz,212134 ], [cynara,224455], [minority,222996]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah,297659 ], [the-dutch-plumberjack,232216]]
* Access to Spikes and Taunt and a Speed tier that allows it to outspeed Arceus formes provide Greninja with a nice niche as a dedicated lead in the Ubers tier.
* Greninja's Water / Dark typing allows it to also be a great anti-lead against other common dedicated leads such as Cloyster and Deoxys-S, as it naturally resists Cloyster's attacks, outspeeds it, and can use Taunt against it, and it is able to 2HKO and force predictions against Deoxys-S. Furthermore, unlike Cloyster, Necrozma-DM is unable to lead against it.
* Greninja does, however, struggle to really dish out any damage prior to activating Battle Bond, which can make it difficult to effectively provide offensive pressure, as it needs to claim a KO in order to do so. This low damage output results in it being completely shut down by the tier's two Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, which are able to bounce back entry hazards and use Taunt against it while failing to be 2HKOed by any of its attacks.
* Its subpar bulk also means that it can often struggle to get many entry hazards up against setup sweepers, as it is forced to use Taunt on them to prevent them from setting up but is also very often brought down to its Focus Sash even without boosts. If these setup sweepers have access to a priority move, Greninja can completely fail to get up any entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Substitute / Ice Beam
item: Focus Sash
ability: Battle Bond
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Spikes is a really effective means of punishing grounded Pokemon, as it deals up to 25% of the maximum HP in damage to any Pokemon that switches in. This allows your team to more effectively pressure Steel-type threats such as Necrozma-DM and Magearna, which otherwise take minimal damage from Stealth Rock.
* Taunt stops setup, entry hazards being put up, status spreading, and entry hazard removal, thus being crucial in order for Greninja to effectively perform its role as a suicide lead.
Dark Pulse prevents Greninja from being completely passive, preventing it from becoming setup fodder for offensive Necrozma-DM at Team Preview. It also allows Greninja to utilize its ability in Battle Bond, allowing it to become a more offensive threat, most notably outspeeding Mega Gengar and Ultra Necrozma and being able to OHKO them both, as well as 2HKOing Trick Room Necrozma-DM.
* Substitute is primarily used to stop Smeargle from paralyzing Greninja with Nuzzle, as Taunt doesn't prevent Smeargle from using this move. Once Greninja is behind a Substitute, this puts it in a situation of mind games, rather than Greninja being at a disadvantage.
* Ice Beam allows Greninja to pressure Mega Salamence and Zygarde better, as it is able to OHKO Salamence even without Battle Bond, whereas after transformation, it's able to outspeed +1 offensive Zygarde-C and OHKO it. It also gives it a chance of 2HKOing Mega Diancie, which otherwise would be able to prevent Greninja from setting up entry hazards, and is immune to Taunt thanks to Magic Bounce, and is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash with Moonblast.
Set Details
========
* This is a classic offensive set with maximum Special Attack investment for the highest possible damage output and maximum Speed investment so Greninja moves first. A Timid nature is required in order for Greninja to outspeed Arceus formes, which is crucial to prevent it them from using Defog.
Usage Tips
========
* Greninja's main focus should be to set Spikes and prevent the opposing team from either setting up in front of it, removing these Spikes or setting their own entry hazards by clicking Taunt.
* Against setup sweepers, such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus, Greninja should prioritize clicking Taunt, as the offensive builds that Greninja fits best on tend to struggle to have the tools to deal with these threats.
* If it's not able to activate Battle Bond, Greninja should be used to chip away at the foe with either Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, providing its teammates with an easier time of setting up to sweep. Due to its relatively low bulk and damage output prior to activating Battle Bond, if entry hazards are on your side of the field or if its Focus Sash has been broken, Greninja is best used as a sacrifice fodder to provide you with an opportunity to bring in a teammate without taking any extra damage.
* If Greninja is able to activate Battle Bond, it can be preserved, as it can become a potential revenge killer for weakened foes, as it's only naturally outsped by Deoxys-A, Pheromosa, and Mega Mewtwo Y, and it's able to outspeed a +1 Zygarde.
Team Options
========
* As Greninja's primary role is to provide offensive pressure by setting Spikes and it is only really used as a dedicated lead, its teammates need to also be offensive Pokemon to compensate for its general lack of offensive pressure and to ensure that Greninja's entry hazards stay on the battlefield after it has been KOed.
* Strong wallbreakers such as Xerneas, Necrozma-DM or Ultra Necrozma, and Mega Salamence are all incredible partners for Greninja, as the addition of Spikes on the battlefield makes it harder for opposing Pokemon to switch into them. Futhermore, all of these Pokemon are able to punish any attempts to remove entry hazards by setting up with their dedicated boosting move, ultimately making them harder to switch into.
* Checks to the tier's Magic Bounce users in Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie as well as Fairy-type answers are crucial teammates for Greninja, as Magic Bounce completely removes Greninja's ability to set entry hazards.
* Offensive Stealth Rock Primal Groudon sets are almost mandatory on teams with Greninja, as Stealth Rock is still able to punish all Ground-immune foes that take no damage from Spikes such as Yveltal, Ho-Oh, and Lugia, providing additional damage to grounded foes. Furthermore, it is able to provide teams with a much-needed answer to Xerneas and is able to comfortably anti-lead against Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie.
* Fast Taunt users such as Mega Gengar and Yveltal are great partners for Greninja, as they're able to prevent foes from removing entry hazards after Greninja has been KOed, as well as acting as great anti-offense measures, as they prevent setup sweepers from setting up. Mega Gengar is especially noteworthy here, as its super fast Taunt is useful for preventing support Arceus formes from using Defog, as well as punishing Choice-locked Defoggers such as Xerneas, as they risk getting trapped and KOed thanks to Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Greninja has a very specific niche in the Ubers tier, so despite its impressive movepool, it isn't really able to utilize the majority of these.
* Water Shuriken or Shadow Sneak could be potentially useful to improve the matchup against Deoxys-S by preventing it from getting up multiple entry hazards; however, Greninja would much prefer to run either Ice Beam or Substitute in this slot due to the coverage or utility options these moves offer.
* Hydro Pump can be used as a fourth move in order to pressure Mega Diancie; however, this would be sacrificing the coverage options that Ice Beam could offer or the security of Substitute.
* A suicide lead set with Protean containing Spikes + Toxic Spikes + Taunt + Shadow Sneak with the ability Protean can be run, utilizing Greninja's ability to set dual entry hazards and spinblock with Shadow Sneak; however, this takes away Greninja's niche with Battle Bond and tends to be outclassed by other entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-S.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Magic Bounce**: Both of the viable Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye aren't too fazed by any of Greninja's attacks and can bounce back Spikes and Taunt thanks to their ability. Mega Diancie is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash with Moonblast, while Mega Sableye is able to avoid the 2HKO and stall it out with Toxic + Recover. It does, however, have to be cautious of Dark Pulse flinches.
**Smeargle**: Smeargle can be a real hassle for Greninja, as it is able to bounce back its entry hazards, Taunt it with Magic Coat, and paralyze it with Nuzzle; it also causes a nuisance to the type of teams Greninja thrives on by slowing down the whole grounded team with Sticky Web.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers are able to potentially completely prevent or limit the amount of entry hazards that Greninja is able to set, as it is forced to Taunt them to prevent them from sweeping, rather than focusing on setting entry hazards. Setup sweepers with priority attacks such as Arceus and Mega Lucario are able to potentially completely deter Greninja from setting entry hazards, as Arceus is able to 2HKO Greninja with Extreme Speed and Mega Lucario is able to bring Greninja down to its Focus Sash and then pick it off with Bullet Punch.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Ultra Necrozma, Choice Scarf Yveltal, and Choice Scarf Xerneas all have enough natural bulk to be able to survive a single hit from Greninja and can 2HKO it or bring it down to its Focus Sash with any of their attacks, limiting Greninja to only being able to set up one entry hazard at most.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Stoward, 420389]]
- Quality checked by: [[nayrz,212134 ], [cynara,224455], [minority,222996]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah,297659 ], [the-dutch-plumberjack,232216]]
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