Draft Greninja

[blittius]

[overview]
**Draft order**: Early round 2 onwards

**Price range**: 16-17 points

**Overview**: Greninja is a highly sought out Pokemon in Draft due to its valuable Speed tier and diverse movepool, including access to strong Water- and Dark-type STAB moves, which can be threatening for foes to switch into. When combined with its strong utility, Greninja becomes an extremely flexible Pokemon that can fill multiple roles to force progress, allowing it to be part of a backbone for multiple archetypes. Having three usable abilities—Battle Bond, Protean, and Torrent—fortifies Greninja as one of the easiest Pokemon to fit on teams. Greninja, however, can lack initial breaking power and needs to be positioned well to take advantage of its strong abilities.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Battle Bond sweeper**: Battle Bond Greninja can flourish as a cleaner if it KOs just a single Pokemon. Once Battle Bond is activated, it can outspeed most Speed-boosted Pokemon, such as Iron Valiant and Great Tusk, and utilize its wide movepool, making it even tougher to revenge kill Greninja. Water Shuriken can be used as coverage to pick off weakened foes and outspeed opposing revenge killers that use priority moves. An issue, however, is that Battle Bond may be activated too early in a battle, and Greninja won’t be able to muscle through a check because other foes are not weakened enough, meaning it won’t be able to use Battle Bond again if you decide to swap it out.

**Wallbreaker**: Greninja can have strong wallbreaking prowess thanks to Protean, as it allows Greninja to gain access to STAB damage on coverage moves and further boost its damage output with items such as Choice Specs. With its access to such a wide range of moves, it can become insanely difficult for an opponent to predict what to switch into. Even without Protean, Choice Specs Greninja sets can still be used to revenge kill or to break down walls early-game and open up a pathway for a different wincon.

**Entry hazard lead**: With Greninja’s natural Speed, it can be used as a dedicated lead to set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes while utilizing Taunt to prevent any potential Defogger from removing the hazards. It also boasts access to U-turn, which allows it to freely pivot and keep momentum up. Once the hazard is set, Greninja can can continually use Surf or Hydro Pump, which can be boosted in power by Torrent, and punch holes in the opposing team if it's weak to Water.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Dark Pulse, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Liquidation, Waterfall

**Setup moves**: Trailblaze

**Utility moves**: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, U-turn, Switcheroo, Taunt

**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Shadow Sneak, Tera Blast

Niche Moves
========
**Switcheroo**: Switcheroo can be paired with any of the Choice items to use as a lure for any bulky Pokemon attempting to check Greninja, as they will be hindered for the remainder of the battle.

**Role Play**: When Greninja has already activated Protean, it can then use Role Play to switch abilities with a Volt Absorb, Water Absorb, or Flash Fire user.

**Endure**: Endure can be used on Torrent sets to activate a Salac or Petaya Berry, and then Greninja can go on to sweep with a Water-type move.

**Substitute**: Similarly to Endure, you can use Substitute to activate a Berry and get Greninja into Torrent range while also baiting your opponent from forcing them to switch Pokemon.

**Swords Dance**: Physical sets are less common, but against physically weaker teams, Greninja can use Swords Dance to KO a sacrificial foe, and in combination with Battle Bond, it can become really hard to revenge kill.

Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If the plan is to sustain HP by not taking entry hazard damage and also have the ability to revenge kill foes while keeping Greninja out of KO range from priority moves, Heavy-Duty Boots is usually used.

**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Greninja to punch holes into bulkier Pokemon and maximize its damage output. This item synergizes perfectly with Protean.

**Life Orb**: If you don’t want to Choice-lock Greninja, Life Orb is occasionally used instead to maximize damage output.

**Focus Sash**: It’s used on lead sets to guarantee setting entry hazards while being able to dish out a strong Torrent-boosted Water-type attack to force progress.

**Expert Belt**: In matchups where Greninja’s moveset consists of wide coverage and it wants to conserve HP instead of losing it to Life Orb recoil, Greninja can use Expert Belt to still increase damage while also not being Choice-locked.

Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Since Greninja boasts a high Speed tier, many Pokemon run Choice Scarf to try and offensively check it. Having a Choice Scarf of your own can be used to lure the foe to attack and allow Greninja to dispose of them.

**Black Glasses or Mystic Water**: In scenarios where Greninja will mainly be using Dark- or Water-type moves against teams that lack resistances to either type, or if you want to lure the opponent into believing Greninja is using a Choice item, these items are great alternatives.

**Petaya or Salac Berry**: Either can be used with Endure or Substitute on Torrent or Battle Bond sets to deal big damage and set up sweeps.

**Choice Band**: It’s less popular in comparison to Choice Specs on Greninja; however, it can be used against physically weaker teams or when continually using strong Protean-boosted U-turn.

Tera
========
When drafted, the intent should not be to Tera Greninja, as it can function exceptionally well without Tera; in return, it gives you the opportunity to Tera a different Pokemon that synergizes well with Greninja instead. However, if you do decide to Tera Greninja, you can further bolster Greninja’s damage on both wallbreaking and sweeper sets while also making it harder for foes to revenge kill Greninja if it sheds its original weaknesses. Tera Water and Dark are the main options, as they further increase the STAB damage on Battle Bond sets. Keep in mind that Tera also removes Greninja’s initial STAB combination on Protean sets, as well as removes the ability to change its type. Tera Ice and Poison can be used to strengthen coverage moves, while Tera Ground can be used to avoid Thunder Wave or even Thunderclap from Raging Bolt.

Draft Strategy
========
Greninja is an excellent second round pick, as its flexibility in being able to be a sweeper, wallbreaker, and revenger killer is highly praised. Many hyper offensive teams match Greninja’s playstyle, but Greninja can also fit on balance teams as well. Since Greninja doesn’t need to rely on Tera, you can have your first round pick be able to have access to Tera to maximize the potential of your best Pokemon.

**Physical wallbreakers**: Even if Greninja can run Choice Band sets, this is much more niche, and it’s preferred to use Greninja’s specially offensive power instead, so drafting a physical wallbreaker can really complement an offensive core. Examples of this include Kingambit, Iron Hands, and Baxcalibur.

**Entry hazard setters**: Although Greninja has access to Spikes, you don’t want to always be running it on a set so Greninja can keep coverage for Pokemon. Drafting Pokemon that can set hazards is always going to be beneficial, as foes will be gradually damaged, which can tip the scale in a battle where Greninja will be able to pick up a KO after foes are weakened by hazard damage, allowing Battle Bond to shine. Examples of this include Ting-Lu, Garchomp, and Glimmora. On top of this, it is recommended to draft a Ghost-type for spinblocking, as it’s crucial in matchups where a foe has Rapid Spin but the hazards are needed to continually weaken the opposing team. Examples of this include Annihilape, Gholdengo, and Brambleghast.

**Entry hazard removal**: Many Battle Bond sets opt to use Life Orb, but with hazards on the field, the longevity of Greninja can plummet quickly, and Greninja won’t stay healthy for long without Heavy-Duty Boots. This is why drafting hazard removal will always be important if you do not want to use Heavy-Duty Boots and have the freedom to use damage-boosting items. Examples of this include Great Tusk, Scizor, and Iron Treads.

**Pivots**: Greninja’s access to U-turn allows it to be a great pivot, and when paired with with hazards and other Pokemon that can slow pivot into Greninja to bring it in safely, you can set up a strong VoltTurn playstyle that will make it really hard for your opponent to answer. Of course, you can also use U-turn to bring in one of your physical wallbreakers if they switch in a bulky specially defensive check to Greninja. Examples of this include: Uxie, Galarian Slowking, and Rotom-W.

Checks and Counters
========
**Naturally bulky Pokemon**: Greninja, before it activates Battle Bond, can be weak if it has no damage-boosting item. If naturally bulky pokemon switch in, they can freely absorb hits and force out Greninja, preventing it from being able to ever activate its ability. Examples of this include Rotom-W, Hisuian Goodra, and Scream Tail.

**Assault Vest users**: Bulky Pokemon that use Assault Vest can make it extremely hard for Greninja to make progress due to there being no initial breaking power. Examples of this include Tornadus-T, Palafin, and Amoonguss.

**Status**: If Greninja is ever statused by Toxic or by switching in with Toxic Spikes present, it’s automatically put on a timer, and with entry hazards up, it can become even harder to try and position it well for securing KOs. Greninja relies a lot on its Speed, meaning paralysis can cripple it almost entirely, allowing it to be offensively checked by a plethora of types like Fighting, Fairy, Electric, (ac) and Grass.

**Speed control/priority move users**: Greninja can suffer from getting offensively checked by naturally faster Pokemon, strong Choice Scarf users, (ac) and priority move users, which prevent Greninja getting the Battle Bond boost. Examples of this include Grassy Glide Rillaboom, Thunderclap Raging Bolt, and Vacuum Wave Iron Valiant.

**Lures**: Greninja can be lured in and surprised by several things like unexpected Terastallization of foes and unexpected resistance Berries. These can allow Pokemon that were not able to otherwise defeat Greninja do just that. At worst, these can look obvious, (ac) but they could be able to force out Battle Bond-boosted Greninja, permanently losing the boost. Common resistance Berries foes may use as lures against Greninja are Yache, Colbur, Passho, Rindo, and Kebia Berries.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/

 

[Techno]

Add / Notes Remove

[overview]

**Draft order**: Early round 2 onwards

**Price range**: 17- 16 points Rearrange to 16-17 to be consistent with other writeups

**Overview**: Greninja is a highly sought out Pokemon on drafts due to its valuable speed tier and diverse movepool including accessibility to strong Water and Dark stabs which can be threatening for teams to switch into. Combined with its utility in U-Turn, Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Taunt, Greninja turns out to be an extremely flexible Pokemon that can fit multiple roles to force progress which allows it to be a backbone for multiple archetypes on teams. Having three usable abilities in Battle Bond, Protean and Torrent fortifies itself as one of the best splashable Pokemon on teams. Put a sentence about the downsides of greninja, such as lack of initial breaking power

[strategy comments]

Common Roles

========

**Set-Up Sweeper**: Change to "Battle Bond Sweeper" since it doesn't really set up, it just gains a 1 time boost Utilising on sacks from the enemy team, Battle Bond Greninja can flourish as a cleaner if it claims just a single Pokemon to raise its Speed, Attack and Special Attack by one stage. Once Battle Bond is activated it can outspeed scarfers and booster speed Pokemon such as Iron Valiant and Great Tusk and abuse its wide movepool, making it even tougher to revenge Greninja. I'd maybe summarize this as like "speed-boosted Pokemon" instead of listing out scarf, booster energy, etc Many Greninjas can also hold Water Shuriken as people may use priority to try and revenge a Battle Bond Greninja, however with some chip damage done pre Battle Bond boost to said priority user, Water Shuriken can even beat past the priority revengers. Reword to something like "Water Shuriken is used to pick off weakened Pokemon and outspeed opposing priority revengers" Paired with Swords Dance, Greninja can pummel through physically defensive weaker teams. Not sure if SD needs to be mentioned here tbh, may be better to mention as a separate set An issue however is you may end up proccing Battle Bond extremely early into a game and wont be able to muscle through a check because you do not have enough chip damage done, meaning you won’t be able to use Battle Bond again if you decide to swap out your Greninja. It is safe to say though if you set the game up for a Greninja endgame, it can become an excellent wincon.

**Wall Breaker**: Greninja can be seen lacking in power when not using STAB attacks, but when you have the ability Protean, you can gain the access to STAB damage and further boost your damage output with items such as Choice Specs. This item synergises perfectly with Protean as in Gen 9 the ability has been nerfed so you can only change your typing once to match the move you click for each time Greninja switches in. Can be mentioned in the choice specs description in common items When you have access to such a wide range of moves it can become insanely difficult to predict what to switch into versus this Pokemon. Bulky fairies such as Azumarill and Primarina that resist both of Greninjas STABS can now be at the threat of a Banded/Specs Protean Sludge Wave or Gunk Shot and even potentially get KO’d. Kinda redundant / unnecessary Even without Protean, Specs Greninja sets can still be used to be a good revenger or to also break down walls early game and open up a pathway for a different wincon.

**Utility**: Rename to "Hazard Lead" With Greninjas natural speed it can be used as a dedicated lead to set up Spikes or Toxic spikes while avoiding Taunt itself and even utilising Taunt itself to prevent any potential defoggers from removing the hazards. It also boasts the accessibility to U-Turn which allows it to freely pivot and keep momentum up. Greninja can sometimes be seen using the ability Torrent with lead sets as it can occasionally hold a Focus Sash to survive an attack after setting up a spike to put it in range of getting the Torrent boost. Once the hazard is set, the Greninja can spam Surf or Hydro Pump and punch holes in the enemies defense if they’re weak to water. Switcheroo can also be seen used as a lure for bulky waters to render them useless for the rest of the match.

Common Moves

========

**Primary STAB moves**: Dark Pulse, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Liquidation, Waterfall

**Setup moves**: Swords Dance, Trailblaze

**Utility moves**: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn, Switcheroo, Substitute, Taunt Move Switcheroo to niche moves and explain how it's used, then remove "choiced item lure" from niche items since it'll be explained in switcheroo instead

**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Rock Tomb, Shadow Sneak, Tera Blast I'd leave out rock tomb or mention it in niche moves instead

Niche Moves

========

**Roleplay**: (Role Play, space between the words) When you have already Protean or Battle Bond activated you can then use Roleplay in scenarios to then switch abilities with a Volt Absorb, Water Absorb or Flash Fire user.

**Endure**: Endure can be used on torrent sets to proc a Salac or Petaya berry and then go on to sweep with a water move.

**Substitute**: Similarly to Endure, you can use substitute to proc a berry and get yourself into Torrent range while also baiting your opponent from having them switch Pokemon. Substitute's already mentioned in common moves, so either remove it from here or there

Common Items

========

**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Greninja to punch holes into bulkier Pokemon and maximise its damage output.

**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If the plan is to sustain HP by not taking hazard damage and also being able to have the ability to revenge Pokemon while keeping yourself out of range of priority moves, Heavy-Duty Boots is usually used. Move above specs, boots are more common (LO can maybe be moved above specs too, up to you)

**Life Orb**: If you don’t want to lock yourself into a Choice Specs or Choice Band, Life Orb is occasionally substituted on instead to maximise damage output.

**Expert Belt**: In matchups where Greninjas moveset consists of wide coverage and you want to click what’s in front of you while not getting punished by losing HP off of Life Orb, you can run Expert Belt to still increase damage while also not getting locked in by a Choiced item.

**Focus Sash**: Moreso seen on lead sets to guarantee hazard entry while being able to dish back a strong Torrent boosted Water attack to force progress. Move above Expert Belt

Niche Items

========

**Black Glasses/Mystic Water**: In scenarios where you see yourself mainly clicking Dark type or Water type moves into teams who lack the resists to the typings while wanting to possibly lure your opponent into thinking you’re using a Choiced item, these items are great alternatives.

**Petaya/Salac Berry**: Can be used with the move Endure or Substitute on Torrent or Battle Bond sets to deal big damage and set up sweeps.

**Choiced Item Lure**: Using Switcheroo with Choiced items to render bulky pokemon useless See Switcheroo notes

**Choice Band**: Less popular in comparison to Choice Specs on Greninja however can be used versus physically weaker teams or to just spam strong STAB protean U-Turns.

Scarf's probably worth mentioning as a niche item
Is loaded dice worth mentioning with water shuriken?

Tera

========

When drafted, the intent should not be to Tera Greninja as it can function exceptionally well without Tera and in return gives you a free slot to Tera a different Pokemon to synergise well with Greninja instead. However, if you do decide to Tera a Greninja you can further bolster your damage on both Wallbreaking and Sweeper sets while also making it harder for your opponent to revenge you if you shed your original weakness. Tera Water and Dark are the main options to further increase the STAB boost on Battle Bond sets. Protean sets with Tera however can be less abusable as once you tera, you will lose the ability to then be able to change your base typing with Protean as you will be locked into your Tera typing. This means if you Protean out of the original Water Dark typing then Tera you will be losing out on your STAB from these two types. It is also important to note that once you have Tera’d with Protean used, you will keep the Protean typing as your base type until you switch out and swap back in to regain your regular base typing of Water/Dark. Reword to "Keep in mind that Tera also removes its initial Water/Dark STAB on Protean sets and remove the ability to change typing" Tera Ice and Poison can be used to strengthen coverage moves while Tera Ground can be used to avoid Thunder Wave or even Thunderclap from Raging Bolt. Tera Water/Dark can still be used to regain an original STAB if Tera’d once Protean has been activated and you don’t have any intent on swapping back out if you want to also keep STAB on the Protean typing. Redundant



Draft Strategy

========

Greninja is an excellent second round pick as its flexibility in being able to be a Sweeper, Wallbreaker and Revenger is highly praised. Many Hyper Offensive teams match Greninjas playstyle but Greninja can also be fitted onto Balance teams as well. Since Greninja doesn’t need to rely on Tera you can have your first round pick be able to have access to Tera to maximise the potential of your best Pokemon.

**Physical Wallbreakers**: Even if Greninja can run Choice Band sets, this is much more niche and its preferred to use Greninjas special breaking power instead, so drafting a Physical Wallbreaker can really compliment an offensive core. Examples include: Kingambit, Iron Hands, Baxcalibur and Zamazenta-Crowned. Zama-C is banned in smogon formats. Assume winter seasonal tiers for the analysis

**Hazard Setters**: Although Greninja has access to Spikes, you don’t want to always be running it on a set to keep coverage for Pokemon. Drafting Pokemon that can set hazards is always going to be beneficial as you will be able to get gradual chip damage which can tip the scale in a game where Greninja will be able to pick up a KO after hazards, allowing Battle Bond to shine. Examples include: Ting-Lu, Garchomp, Uxie, and Glimmora. On top of this, it is recommended to draft a Ghost type for spin blocking as this is going to be crucial in matchups where you need hazards up permanently for gradual chip but the opponent has rapid spin. Examples include: Annihilape, Gholdengo, Drifblim and Sableye

**Hazard Removal**: Many Battle Bond Greninjas opt to go Life Orb, but with hazards on the field the life expectancy of Greninja can plummet insanely since you won’t be using Heavy-Duty Boots as a crutch to rely on to keep Greninja healthy. This is why drafting hazard removal will always be important if you do not want to force boots every week and have the freedom of using boosting attack items. Examples include: Great Tusk, Scizor, Glimmora, Iron Treads and Brambleghast.

**Pivots**: Greninjas accessibility to U-Turn allows it to be a great pivot and if you pair this with hazards and other Pokemon that can slow pivot into Greninja to get it in safely, you can set up a strong VoltTurn playstyle that will make it really hard for your opponent to answer to your offense. Of course, you can also use U-Turn to get in one of your physical wall breakers if they ever try to switch in a bulky special check to Greninja. Examples include: Uxie, Scizor, Slowking-Galar, Zapdos and Rotom Wash.

Good pokemon examples, but limit them to 3 each so it doesn't get super repetitive and wordy.

Checks and Counters

========

**Naturally Bulky Pokemon**: Greninja pre Battle Bond boost can be weak if it has no boosting item. If naturally bulky pokemon switch in they can freely take hits and force out Greninja, preventing it from being able to ever get the boost off. Examples include: Rotom-Wash, Assault Vest Tornadus-Therian, Assault Vest Palafin, Goodra-Hisui and Scream Tail Just remove Torn-T and palafin here, and maybe mention assault vest separately or as a part of this section

**Status**: If Greninja ever gets hit by a toxic or toxic spike, its automatically gets put on a timer and with hazards up it can become even harder to try and position it well for kills. Battle Bond Greninja also suffers a lot if it ever gets Thunder Waved as it becomes a lot more easier to outspeed and offensively beat with a plethora of typings (Fighting, Fairy, Electric, Grass). Reword paralysis part to "Greninja relies a lot on its speed, meaning paralysis can cripple it almost entirely" or something like that, & I wouldn't mention battle bond specifically cause all grens struggle vs para

**Speed Control/Priority**: As previously said in the status section where Battle Bond Greninja becomes harder to sweep if ever paralysed, regular Greninja can also suffer from getting offensively checked by naturally faster Pokemon, strong scarfers and priority users to prevent Greninja getting the initial boost. Examples include: Booster Iron Valiant or Life Orb/Specs Vacuum Wave Iron Valiant, Scarf/Agility Enamorus, Extreme Speed Dragonite, Grassy Glide Rillaboom, Thunderclap Raging Bolt, Unburden Sneasler, Meowscarada and Electrode Hisui. Too many examples, just give a few (probably keep meow, rillaboom, raging bolt) Meowscarada and Electrode Hisui both naturally outspeed Greninja but can potentially also run scarf to check a Battle Bond boosted Greninja. Sometimes simply setting up quicker than the Greninja can put it in a tight spot as this will disallow it to freely revenge kill.

**Lures**: Simply having a bulky mon that can Tera into a type that deters Greninjas move set is beneficial as it will prevent any KO’s and give you the the capability to safely kill Greninja or force it off the field out of its Battle Bond state, meaning it can no longer use the ability again. Resist berries are also common lures that can bait Greninja into attacking Pokemon. They can function hand in hand with an already Tera’d pokemon to take advantage of Greninjas coverage moves. You may see a lot of Yache, Colbur, Passho and Rindo berries used as tech vs Greninja. Whole part feels kinda unclear to me when reading. I'd reword to like "Lures, such as Tera and reistance berries, give Pokemon the ability to take hits and defeat it"

[credits]

Written by:

https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/

Quality checked by:


Grammar checked by:

qc 1/2. Few extra notes:

-Get rid of all the empty spaces between bullets, I did so in the qc message
-Good info, but at times feels super wordy / redundant. See if you can condense it a bit to get the point across quicker.
-If you have any questions about the notes feel free to reach out

 

[blittius]

ready for qc 2

 

[Nyx]

Add Remove Comments

[overview]
**Draft order**: Early round 2 onwards could change this to late round 1 onwards ngl, 7th pick gren isnt even a bad idea esp w/ the seasonal board

**Price range**: 16- 17 points

**Overview**: Greninja is a highly sought out Pokemon on drafts due to its valuable speed tier and diverse movepool including accessibility to strong Water and Dark stabs which can be threatening for teams to switch into. Combined with its utility in U-Turn, Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Taunt, Greninja turns out to be When combined with its strong utility, Greninja becomes an extremely flexible Pokemon that can fit multiple roles to force progress which allows allowing it to be a backbone for multiple archetypes on teams. Having three usable abilities in Battle Bond, Protean and Torrent fortifies itself as one of the best splashable Pokemon on teams. Greninja however can lack initial breaking power in games and so needs to be positioned well to take advantage of its strong abilities.


[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Battle Bond Sweeper**: Battle Bond Greninja can flourish as a cleaner if it claims just a single Pokemon to raise its Speed, Attack and Special Attack by one stage this is dex info, we dont need to list it. Once Battle Bond is activated it can outspeed speed-boosted Pokemon such as Iron Valiant and Great Tusk and abuse its wide movepool, making it even tougher to revenge Greninja. Water Shuriken can be used as coverage to pick off weakened Pokemon and outspeed opposing priority revengers. An issue however is you may end up proccing Battle Bond early into a game and won’t be able to muscle through a check because you don’t have enough chip damage done, meaning you won’t be able to use Battle Bond again if you decide to swap out your Greninja. It is safe to say though if you set the game up for a Greninja endgame, it can become an excellent wincon.

**Wall Breaker**: Greninja can be seen lacking in power when not using STAB attacks, but when you have the ability Protean, this feel a bit negative, could be smth like "Greninja can be a strong wallbreaker thanks to Protean" or smth akin to that you can gain the access to STAB damage and further boost your damage output with items such as Choice Specs. When you have access to such a wide range of moves it can become insanely difficult to predict what to switch into versus this Pokemon. Even without Protean, Specs Greninja sets can still be used to be a good revenger or to also break down walls early game and open up a pathway for a different wincon.

**Hazard Lead**: With Greninjas natural speed it can be used as a dedicated lead to set up Spikes or Toxic spikes while utilising Taunt itself to prevent any potential defoggers from removing the hazards. It also boasts the accessibility to U-Turn which allows it to freely pivot and keep momentum up. Greninja can sometimes be seen using the ability Torrent with lead sets as it can occasionally hold a Focus Sash to survive an attack after setting up a spike to put it in range of getting the Torrent boost. Once the hazard is set, the Greninja can spam Surf or Hydro Pump which can be boosted in power by Torrent and punch holes in the enemies defense if they’re weak to water. Switcheroo can also be seen used as a lure for bulky waters to render them useless for the rest of the match. repeated later so removed it here

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Dark Pulse, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Liquidation, Waterfall

**Setup moves**: Trailblaze

**Utility moves**: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn, Switcheroo, Taunt

**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Shadow Sneak, Tera Blast

Niche Moves
========
**Switcheroo**: Switcheroo can be paired with any of the choice items to use as a lure for any bulky Pokemon attempting to check Greninja, they can end up getting rendered useless for the rest of the battle as they will be locked into a single move.

**Role Play**: When you have already Protean or Battle Bond activated you can then use Role Play in scenarios to then switch abilities with a Volt Absorb, Water Absorb or Flash Fire user.

**Endure**: Endure can be used on torrent sets to proc a Salac or Petaya berry and then go on to sweep with a water move.

**Substitute**: Similarly to Endure, you can use substitute to proc a berry and get yourself into Torrent range while also baiting your opponent from having them switch Pokemon.

**Swords Dance**: Physical sets are less common, but versus physically weaker teams Greninja can use Swords Dance to pick off a sack and in combination with Battle Bond it can become really hard to revenge.

Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If the plan is to sustain HP by not taking hazard damage and also being able to have the ability to revenge Pokemon while keeping yourself out of range of priority moves, Heavy-Duty Boots is usually used. Move above specs, boots are more common (LO can maybe be moved above specs too, up to you) i assume this is technos comment LOL

**Life Orb**: If you don’t want to lock yourself into a Choice Specs or Choice Band, Life Orb is occasionally substituted on instead to maximise damage output.

**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Greninja to punch holes into bulkier Pokemon and maximise its damage output however they are locked into one move. This item synergises perfectly with Protean as in Gen 9 the ability has been nerfed so you can only change your typing once to match the move you click for each time Greninja switches in. move specs above LO, since LO references specs

**Focus Sash**: Moreso seen on lead sets to guarantee hazard entry while being able to dish back a strong Torrent boosted Water attack to force progress.

**Expert Belt**: In matchups where Greninjas moveset consists of wide coverage and you want to click what’s in front of you while not getting punished by losing HP off of Life Orb, you can run Expert Belt to still increase damage while also not getting locked in by a Choiced item.

Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Since Greninja boasts a high speed tier, many Pokemon run Choice Scarf to try and offensively check it. Having a Choice Scarf of your own can be used to lure the opponent to attack and allow you to dispose of them.

**Black Glasses/Mystic Water**: In scenarios where you see yourself mainly clicking Dark type or Water type moves into teams who lack the resists to the typings while wanting to possibly lure your opponent into thinking you’re using a Choiced item, these items are great alternatives.

**Petaya/Salac Berry**: Can be used with the move Endure or Substitute on Torrent or Battle Bond sets to deal big damage and set up sweeps.

**Choice Band**: Less popular in comparison to Choice Specs on Greninja however can be used versus physically weaker teams or to just spam strong STAB protean U-Turns.

Tera
========
When drafted, the intent should not be to Tera Greninja as it can function exceptionally well without Tera and in return gives you a free slot to Tera a different Pokemon to synergise well with Greninja instead. However, if you do decide to Tera a Greninja you can further bolster your damage on both Wallbreaking and Sweeper sets while also making it harder for your opponent to revenge you if you shed your original weakness. Tera Water and Dark are the main options to further increase the STAB boost on Battle Bond sets. Keep in mind that Tera also removes its initial Water/Dark STAB on Protean sets and remove the ability to change typing. Tera Ice and Poison can be used to strengthen coverage moves while Tera Ground can be used to avoid Thunder Wave or even Thunderclap from Raging Bolt.

Draft Strategy
========
Greninja is an excellent second round pick as its flexibility in being able to be a Sweeper, Wallbreaker and Revenger is highly praised. Many Hyper Offensive teams match Greninjas playstyle but Greninja can also be fitted onto Balance teams as well. Since Greninja doesn’t need to rely on Tera you can have your first round pick be able to have access to Tera to maximise the potential of your best Pokemon.

**Physical Wallbreakers**: Even if Greninja can run Choice Band sets, this is much more niche and its preferred to use Greninjas special breaking power instead, so drafting a Physical Wallbreaker can really compliment an offensive core. Examples include: Kingambit, Iron Hands and Baxcalibur.

**Hazard Setters**: Although Greninja has access to Spikes, you don’t want to always be running it on a set to keep coverage for Pokemon. Drafting Pokemon that can set hazards is always going to be beneficial as you will be able to get gradual chip damage which can tip the scale in a game where Greninja will be able to pick up a KO after hazards, allowing Battle Bond to shine. Examples include: Ting-Lu, Garchomp and Glimmora. On top of this, it is recommended to draft a Ghost type for spin blocking as this is going to be crucial in matchups where you need hazards up permanently for gradual chip but the opponent has rapid spin. Examples include: Annihilape, Gholdengo and Brambleghast

**Hazard Removal**: Many Battle Bond Greninjas opt to go Life Orb, but with hazards on the field the life expectancy of Greninja can plummet insanely since you won’t be using Heavy-Duty Boots as a crutch to rely on to keep Greninja healthy. This is why drafting hazard removal will always be important if you do not want to force boots every week and have the freedom of using boosting attack items. Examples include: Great Tusk, Scizor and Iron Treads.

**Pivots**: Greninjas accessibility to U-Turn allows it to be a great pivot and if you pair this with hazards and other Pokemon that can slow pivot into Greninja to get it in safely, you can set up a strong VoltTurn playstyle that will make it really hard for your opponent to answer to your offense. Of course, you can also use U-Turn to get in one of your physical wall breakers if they ever try to switch in a bulky special check to Greninja. Examples include: Uxie, Slowking-Galar and Rotom Wash.

just a gp thing, its "Examples of this include:"

Checks and Counters
========
**Naturally Bulky Pokemon**: Greninja pre Battle Bond boost can be weak if it has no boosting item. If naturally bulky pokemon switch in they can freely take hits and force out Greninja, preventing it from being able to ever get the boost off. Examples include: Rotom-Wash, Goodra-Hisui and Scream Tail

**Assault Vested Pokemon**: Bulky Pokemon that can pull off Assault Vests in matchups can make it extremely hard for Greninja to make progress in matches due to there being no initial breaking power. Examples include: Tornadus-Therian, Palafin and Amoonguss.

**Status**: If Greninja ever gets hit by a toxic or toxic spike, its automatically gets put on a timer and with hazards up it can become even harder to try and position it well for kills. Greninja relies a lot on its speed, meaning paralysis can cripple it almost entirely, exposing it to get offensively checked by a plethora of typings (Fighting, Fairy, Electric, Grass).

**Speed Control/Priority**: Greninja can suffer from getting offensively checked by naturally faster Pokemon, strong scarfers and priority users to prevent Greninja getting the initial boost. Examples include: Grassy Glide Rillaboom, Thunderclap Raging Bolt and Meowscarada. Meowscarada naturally outspeeds Greninja but can potentially also run scarf to check a Battle Bond boosted Greninja. we tend not to discuss specific interactions unless theyre commonly replicable Sometimes simply setting up quicker than the Greninja can put it in a tight spot as this will disallow it to freely revenge kill.

**Lures**: Greninja can be lured by several techs, such as Tera and resistance berries. These can allow Pokemon that were not able before to take hits and defeat Greninja. At worst, these techs can look obvious but they could be able to force out Greninja in a Battle Bond state off the field which means it will no longer be able to use the ability if ever swapped in again. Resistance berry wise, you may see Yache, Colbur, Passho, Rindo and Kebia berries used as lures versus Greninja.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/

Grammar checked by:

QC 2/2

 

[blittius]

ready for GP Team

 

[ken]

add remove comment
(a_) = added _ (punctuation)
(r_) = removed _ (punctuation)
c = comma; h = hyphen; a = apostrophe; sc = semicolon; col = colon; s = space; p = period
— = just remove the formatting from it & don't touch otherwise; it'll insert an emdash when uploaded to the dex

make sure to follow the guide in the video in this post to implement the check if you didn't previously know about it :)

changed a lot of curly apostrophes to the non-curly kind

once it's implemented @ me and i'll give it a second glance before approving

froge

[overview]
**Draft order**: Early round 2 onwards

**Price range**: 16-17 (rs) points

**Overview**: Greninja is a highly sought out Pokemon on drafts in Draft due to its valuable Speed tier and diverse movepool, (ac) including accessibility to strong Water- (ah) and Dark-type STAB moves, (ac) stabs which can be threatening for teams foes to switch into. When combined with its strong utility, Greninja becomes an extremely flexible Pokemon that can fit multiple roles to force progress, (ac) allowing it to be a the unless you mean part of, in which case use "part of a backbone" backbone for multiple archetypes. Having three usable abilities—Battle Bond, Protean, (ac) and Torrent—fortifies itself Greninja as one of the best splashable most versatile if you did not mean this, @ me on discord, but you can't use splashable Pokemon on teams. Greninja, (ac) however, (ac) can lack initial breaking power in games and so needs to be positioned well to take advantage of its strong abilities.


[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Battle Bond sweeper**: Battle Bond Greninja can flourish as a cleaner if it claims KOs just a single Pokemon. Once Battle Bond is activated, (ac) it can outspeed most Speed-boosted Pokemon, (ac) such as Iron Valiant and Great Tusk, (ac) and abuse utilize its wide movepool, making it even tougher to revenge kill Greninja. Water Shuriken can be used as coverage to pick off weakened Pokemon and outspeed opposing priority attack revenge killers revengers. An issue, (ac) however, (ac) is that you may end up proccing activating Battle Bond too early into a game in a battle and won't be able to muscle through a check because you don't have enough chip damage done other foes are not weakened enough, meaning you Greninja won't be able to use Battle Bond again if you decide to swap it out your Greninja.

**Wallbreaker**: Greninja can have strong wallbreaking (rs) prowess thanks to Protean, (ac) due to the fact you can gain the as it allows Greninja to gain access to STAB damage on coverage moves and further boost your its damage output with items such as Choice Specs. When you have With its access to such a wide range of moves, (ac) it can become insanely difficult for an opponent to predict what to switch into versus this Pokemon. Even without Protean, Choice Specs Greninja sets can still be used to be a good revenger revenge kill or to also break down walls early-game (ah) and open up a pathway for a different wincon.

**Entry hazard lead**: With Greninja's (aa) natural Speed, (ac) it can be used as a dedicated lead to set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes while utilising utilizing Taunt itself to prevent any potential defoggers Defogger from removing the hazards. It also boasts the accessibility to U-Turn U-turn, (ac) which allows it to freely pivot and keep momentum up. Once the hazard is set, the Greninja can spam continually use Surf or Hydro Pump, (ac) which can be boosted in power by Torrent, (ac) and punch holes in the enemies defense opposing team if they're weak to Water.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Dark Pulse, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Liquidation, Waterfall

**Setup moves**: Trailblaze

**Utility moves**: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn U-turn, Switcheroo, Taunt

**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Shadow Sneak, Tera Blast

Niche Moves
========
**Switcheroo**: Switcheroo can be paired with any of the Choice items to use as a lure for any bulky Pokemon attempting to check Greninja, they can end up getting rendered useless for the rest of the battle as they will be locked into a single move as they will be hindered for the remainder of the battle. mostly shortened due to this primarily being direct dex info, though the important context re: hindrance i left

**Role Play**: When you have Greninja has already activated Protean or Battle Bond, (ac) activated you it can then use Role Play in scenarios to then switch abilities with a Volt Absorb, Water Absorb, (ac) or Flash Fire user.

**Endure**: Endure can be used on Torrent sets to proc activate a Salac or Petaya Berry and then go on to sweep with a Water-type move.

**Substitute**: Similarly to Endure, you can use Substitute to proc activate a Berry and get yourself Greninja into Torrent range while also baiting your opponent from having them switch them switching Pokemon.

**Swords Dance**: Physical sets are less common, but versus against physically weaker teams, (ac) Greninja can use Swords Dance to pick off a sack KO a sacrifice, (ac) and in combination with Battle Bond, (ac) it can become really hard to revenge kill.

Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If the plan is to sustain HP by not taking entry hazard damage and also being able to have the ability to revenge kill foes Pokemon while keeping yourself Greninja out of KO range of from priority moves, Heavy-Duty Boots is usually used.

**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Greninja to punch holes into bulkier Pokemon and maximise maximize its damage output however they are locked into one move dex info. This item synergises synergizes perfectly with Protean as in Gen 9 the ability has been nerfed so you can only change your typing once to match the move you click for each time Greninja switches in dex info.

**Life Orb**: If you don't want to lock yourself into a Choice Specs or Choice Band Choice-lock Greninja, Life Orb is occasionally substituted on used instead to maximise maximize damage output.

**Focus Sash**: Moreso seen on lead sets to guarantee hazard entry It's used on lead sets to guarantee setting entry hazards while being able to dish back a strong Torrent-boosted (ah) Water-type attack to force progress.

**Expert Belt**: In matchups where Greninja's (aa) moveset consists of wide coverage and you want to click what's in front of you while not getting punished by losing HP off of Life Orb it wants to conserve HP instead of losing it to Life Orb recoil, you can run Greninja can use Expert Belt to still increase damage while also not getting locked in by a Choiced item being Choice-locked.

Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Since Greninja boasts a high Speed tier, many Pokemon run Choice Scarf to try and offensively check it. Having a Choice Scarf of your own can be used to lure the opponent foe to attack and allow you Greninja to dispose of them.

**Black Glasses or Mystic Water**: In scenarios where you see yourself mainly clicking Dark type or Water type moves into teams who lack the resists to the typings while wanting to possibly lure your opponent into thinking you're using a Choiced item, these items are great alternatives. In scenarios where Greninja will mainly be using Dark- or Water-type moves against teams that lack resistances to either type, or if you want to lure the opponent into believing Greninja is using a Choice item, these items are great alternatives.

**Petaya or Salac Berry**: Can Either can be used with the moves Endure or Substitute on Torrent or Battle Bond sets to deal big damage and set up sweeps.

**Choice Band**: Less It's less popular in comparison to Choice Specs on Greninja; (asc) however, (ac) it can be used versus against physically weaker teams or to just spam when continually using strong STAB protean U-Turns Protean-boosted U-turn.

Tera
========
When drafted, the intent should not be to Tera Greninja, (ac) as it can function exceptionally well without Tera, (ac) and in return, (ac) it gives you a free slot to the opportunity to Tera a different Pokemon to synergise that synergizes well with Greninja instead. However, if you do decide to Tera a Greninja, (ac) you can further bolster your Greninja's damage on both wallbreaking and sweeper sets while also making it harder for your opponent foes to revenge kill Greninja if it sheds its original weaknesses you if you shed your original weakness. Tera Water and Dark are the main options, (ac) to as they further increase the STAB boost damage on Battle Bond sets. Keep in mind that Tera also removes its Greninja's initial Water/Dark STAB STAB combination on Protean sets, (ac) and remove as well as removes the ability to change typing. Tera Ice and Poison can be used to strengthen coverage moves, (ac) while Tera Ground can be used to avoid Thunder Wave or even Thunderclap from Raging Bolt.

Draft Strategy
========
Greninja is an excellent second round pick, (ac) as its flexibility in being able to be a sweeper, wallbreaker, (ac) and Revenger revenge killer is highly praised. Many hyper offensive teams match Greninja's (aa) playstyle, (ac) but Greninja can also be fitted onto Balance fit on balance teams as well. Since Greninja doesn't need to rely on Tera, (ac) you can have your first round pick be able to have access to Tera to maximise maximize the potential of your best Pokemon.

**Physical wallbreakers**: Even if Greninja can run Choice Band sets, this is much more niche, (ac) and it's (aa) preferred to use Greninja's (aa) special breaking specially offensive power instead, so drafting a physical wallbreaker can really compliment complement an offensive core. Examples of this include (rcol) Kingambit, Iron Hands, (ac) and Baxcalibur.

**Entry hazard setters**: Although Greninja has access to Spikes, you don't want to always be running it on a set so Greninja can to keep coverage for Pokemon. Drafting Pokemon that can set hazards is always going to be beneficial, (ac) as you will be able to get gradual chip damage foes will be gradually damaged, (ac) which can tip the scale in a game battle where Greninja will be able to pick up a KO after hazards foes are weakened by hazard damage, allowing Battle Bond to shine. Examples of this include (rcol) Ting-Lu, Garchomp, (ac) and Glimmora. On top of this, it is recommended to draft a Ghost-type (ah) for spinblocking, (rs, ac) as this is going to be crucial in matchups where you need hazards up permanently for gradual chip but the opponent has rapid spin it's crucial in matchups where a foe has Rapid Spin but the hazards are needed to continually weaken the opposing team. Examples of this include (rcol) Annihilape, Gholdengo, (ac) and Brambleghast. (ap)

**Entry hazard removal**: Many Battle Bond Greninjas sets opt to go use Life Orb, but with hazards on the field, (ac) the life expectancy longevity of Greninja can plummet insanely quickly, (ac) since you won't be using Heavy-Duty Boots as a crutch to rely on to keep Greninja healthy Greninja won't stay healthy for long without Heavy-Duty Boots. This is why drafting hazard removal will always be important if you do not want to force boots every week and have the freedom of using boosting attack items use Heavy-Duty Boots and have the freedom to use damage-boosting items. Examples of this include (rcol) Great Tusk, Scizor, (ac) and Iron Treads.

**Pivots**: Greninja’s (aa) accessibility access to U-Turn U-turn allows it to be a great pivot, (ac) and if you pair this with paired with hazards and other Pokemon that can slow pivot into Greninja to get it in safely, you can set up a strong VoltTurn playstyle that will make it really hard for your opponent to answer to your offense. Of course, you can also use U-Turn U-turn to get bring in one of your physical wallbreakers (rs) if they ever try to switch in a bulky specially defensive check to Greninja. Examples of this include (rcol) Uxie, Slowking-Galar Galarian Slowking, (ac) and Rotom Wash Rotom-W.

Checks and Counters
========
**Naturally bulky Pokemon**: Greninja, (ac) pre Battle Bond boost before it activates Battle Bond, (ac) can be weak if it has no damage-boosting item. If naturally bulky pokemon switch in, (ac) they can freely take absorb hits and force out Greninja, preventing it from being able to ever get the boost off activate its ability. Examples of this include (rcol) Rotom-Wash, Goodra-Hisui, (ap) and Scream Tail. (ap)

**Assault Vested Pokemon Assault Vest users**: Bulky Pokemon that can pull off use Assault Vests in matchups can make it extremely hard for Greninja to make progress in matches due to there being no initial breaking power. Examples of this include (rcol) Tornadus-Therian, Palafin, (ac) and Amoonguss.

**Status**: If Greninja ever gets hit by a toxic or toxic spike is ever statused by Toxic or by switching in with Toxic Spikes present, it's (aa) automatically gets put on a timer, (ac) and with entry hazards up, (ac) it can become even harder to try and position it well for kills KOs. Greninja relies a lot on its Speed, meaning paralysis can cripple it almost entirely, exposing it to get allowing it to be offensively checked by a plethora of typings (Fighting, Fairy, Electric, Grass) types like Fighting, Fairy, Electric, and Grass.

**Speed Control/Priority control/priority move users**: Greninja can suffer from getting offensively checked by naturally faster Pokemon, strong scarfers Choice Scarf users, (ac) and priority move users, (ac) to which prevent Greninja getting the initial Battle Bond boost. Examples of this include (rcol) Grassy Glide Rillaboom, Thunderclap Raging Bolt, (ac) and Vacuum Wave Iron Valiant.

**Lures**: Greninja can be lured by several techs (rc) things like unexpected Terastallization of foes and unexpected resistance Berries such as Tera and resistance berries. These can allow Pokemon that were not able before to take hits and to otherwise defeat Greninja do just that. At worst, these techs can look obvious, (ac) but they could be able to force out Battle Bond-boosted Greninja, (ac) in a Battle Bond state off the field which means it will no longer be able to use the ability if ever swapped in again permanently losing the boost. Resistance berry wise, you may see Common resistance Berries foes may use as lures against Greninja are Yache, Colbur, Passho, Rindo, (ac) and Kebia Berries used as lures versus Greninja.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/

 

[ken]

1/1 GP Team done
same colors as previously; i noticed you missed a couple things from the first check, so make sure you're copying the BB code like shown in the linked video above rather than manually implementing (it'll also save you tons of time almost always)

only a few more fixes and it's good to go! good job

froge the sequel

[overview]
**Draft order**: Early round 2 onwards

**Price range**: 16-17 points

**Overview**: Greninja is a highly sought out Pokemon in Draft due to its valuable Speed tier and diverse movepool, including accessibility access to strong Water- and Dark-type STAB moves, which can be threatening for foes to switch into. When combined with its strong utility, Greninja becomes an extremely flexible Pokemon that can fit fill multiple roles to force progress, allowing it to be part of a backbone for multiple archetypes. Having three usable abilities—Battle Bond, Protean, and Torrent—fortifies Greninja as one of the easiest Pokemon to fit on teams. Greninja, however, can lack initial breaking power and needs to be positioned well to take advantage of its strong abilities.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Battle Bond sweeper**: Battle Bond Greninja can flourish as a cleaner if it KOs just a single Pokemon. Once Battle Bond is activated, it can outspeed most Speed-boosted Pokemon, such as Iron Valiant and Great Tusk, and utilize its wide movepool, making it even tougher to revenge kill Greninja. Water Shuriken can be used as coverage to pick off weakened Pokemon foes and outspeed opposing priority attack revenge killers that use priority moves. An issue, however, is that you may end up activating Battle Bond may be activated too early in a battle, (ac) and Greninja won’t be able to muscle through a check because other foes are not weakened enough, meaning Greninja it won’t be able to use Battle Bond again if you decide to swap it out.

**Wallbreaker**: Greninja can have strong wallbreaking prowess thanks to Protean, as it allows Greninja to gain access to STAB damage on coverage moves and further boost its damage output with items such as Choice Specs. With its access to such a wide range of moves, (ac) it can become insanely difficult for an opponent to predict what to switch into. Even without Protean, Choice Specs Greninja sets can still be used to revenge kill or to break down walls early-game and open up a pathway for a different wincon.

**Entry hazard lead**: With Greninja’s natural Speed, it can be used as a dedicated lead to set up Spikes or Toxic Spikes while utilizing Taunt to prevent any potential Defogger from removing the hazards. It also boasts accessibility access to U-turn, which allows it to freely pivot and keep momentum up. Once the hazard is set, Greninja can can continually use Surf or Hydro Pump, (ac) which can be boosted in power by Torrent, and punch holes in the opposing team if they’re it's weak to Water.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Dark Pulse, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Liquidation, Waterfall

**Setup moves**: Trailblaze

**Utility moves**: Spikes, Toxic Spikes, U-turn, Switcheroo, Taunt

**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Shadow Sneak, Tera Blast

Niche Moves
========
**Switcheroo**: Switcheroo can be paired with any of the Choice items to use as a lure for any bulky Pokemon attempting to check Greninja, as they will be hindered for the remainder of the battle.

**Role Play**: When Greninja has already activated Protean or Battle Bond, it can then use Role Play to then switch abilities with a Volt Absorb, Water Absorb, or Flash Fire user.

**Endure**: Endure can be used on Torrent sets to activate a Salac or Petaya Berry, (ac) and then Greninja can go on to sweep with a Water-type move.

**Substitute**: Similarly to Endure, you can use Substitute to activate a Berry and get Greninja into Torrent range while also baiting your opponent from forcing them switching to switch Pokemon.

**Swords Dance**: Physical sets are less common, but against physically weaker teams, Greninja can use Swords Dance to KO a sacrifice sacrificial foe, and in combination with Battle Bond, it can become really hard to revenge kill.

Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If the plan is to sustain HP by not taking entry hazard damage and also have the ability to revenge kill foes while keeping Greninja out of KO range from priority moves, Heavy-Duty Boots is usually used.

**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs allows Greninja to punch holes into bulkier Pokemon and maximize its damage output. This item synergizes perfectly with Protean.

**Life Orb**: If you don’t want to Choice-lock Greninja, Life Orb is occasionally used instead to maximize damage output.

**Focus Sash**: It’s used on lead sets to guarantee setting entry hazards while being able to dish back out a strong Torrent-boosted Water-type attack to force progress.

**Expert Belt**: In matchups where Greninja’s moveset consists of wide coverage and it wants to conserve HP instead of losing it to Life Orb recoil, Greninja can use Expert Belt to still increase damage while also not being Choice-locked.

Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Since Greninja boasts a high Speed tier, many Pokemon run Choice Scarf to try and offensively check it. Having a Choice Scarf of your own can be used to lure the foe to attack and allow Greninja to dispose of them.

**Black Glasses or Mystic Water**: In scenarios where Greninja will mainly be using Dark- or Water-type moves against teams that lack resistances to either type, or if you want to lure the opponent into believing Greninja is using a Choice item, these items are great alternatives.

**Petaya or Salac Berry**: Either can be used with the moves Endure or Substitute on Torrent or Battle Bond sets to deal big damage and set up sweeps.

**Choice Band**: It’s less popular in comparison to Choice Specs on Greninja; however, it can be used against physically weaker teams or when continually using strong Protean-boosted U-Turns U-turn.

Tera
========
When drafted, the intent should not be to Tera Greninja, as it can function exceptionally well without Tera; (rc, asc) and in return, it gives you the opportunity to Tera a different Pokemon that synergizes well with Greninja instead. However, if you do decide to Tera Greninja, you can further bolster Greninja’s damage on both wallbreaking and sweeper sets while also making it harder for foes to revenge kill Greninja if it sheds its original weakness weaknesses. Tera Water and Dark are the main options, as they further increase the STAB damage on Battle Bond sets. Keep in mind that Tera also removes Greninja’s initial STAB combination on Protean sets, as well as remove removes the ability to change typing its type. Tera Ice and Poison can be used to strengthen coverage moves, while Tera Ground can be used to avoid Thunder Wave or even Thunderclap from Raging Bolt.

Draft Strategy
========
Greninja is an excellent second round pick, as its flexibility in being able to be a sweeper, wallbreaker, and revenger killer is highly praised. Many hyper offensive teams match Greninja’s playstyle, but Greninja can also fit on balance teams as well. Since Greninja doesn’t need to rely on Tera, you can have your first round pick be able to have access to Tera to maximize the potential of your best Pokemon.

**Physical wallbreakers**: Even if Greninja can run Choice Band sets, this is much more niche, and it’s preferred to use Greninja’s specially offensive power instead, so drafting a physical wallbreaker can really complement an offensive core. Examples of this include Kingambit, Iron Hands, and Baxcalibur.

**Entry hazard setters**: Although Greninja has access to Spikes, you don’t want to always be running it on a set so Greninja can keep coverage for Pokemon. Drafting Pokemon that can set hazards is always going to be beneficial, as foes will be gradually damaged, which can tip the scale in a battle where Greninja will be able to pick up a KO after foes are weakened by hazard damage, allowing Battle Bond to shine. Examples of this include Ting-Lu, Garchomp, and Glimmora. On top of this, it is recommended to draft a Ghost-type for spinblocking, as it’s crucial in matchups where a foe has Rapid Spin but the hazards are needed to continually weaken the opposing team. Examples of this include Annihilape, Gholdengo, and Brambleghast.

**Entry hazard removal**: Many Battle Bond sets opt to use Life Orb, but with hazards on the field, the longevity of Greninja can plummet quickly, and Greninja won’t stay healthy for long without Heavy-Duty Boots. This is why drafting hazard removal will always be important if you do not want to use Heavy-Duty Boots and have the freedom to use damage-boosting items. Examples of this include Great Tusk, Scizor, and Iron Treads.

**Pivots**: Greninja’s access to U-turn allows it to be a great pivot, and when paired with with hazards and other Pokemon that can slow pivot into Greninja to get bring it in safely, you can set up a strong VoltTurn playstyle that will make it really hard for your opponent to answer to offense. Of course, you can also use U-turn to bring in one of your physical wallbreakers if they switch in a bulky specially defensive check to Greninja. Examples of this include: Uxie, Galarian Slowking, and Rotom-W.

Checks and Counters
========
**Naturally bulky Pokemon**: Greninja, before it activates Battle Bond, can be weak if it has no damage-boosting item. If naturally bulky pokemon switch in, they can freely absorb hits and force out Greninja, preventing it from being able to ever activate its ability. Examples of this include Rotom-W, Goodra-H Hisuian Goodra, and Scream Tail.

**Assault Vest users**: Bulky Pokemon that can use Assault Vests Vest can make it extremely hard for Greninja to make progress due to there being no initial breaking power. Examples of this include Tornadus-T, Palafin, and Amoonguss.

**Status**: If Greninja is ever statused by Toxic or by switching in with Toxic Spikes present, it’s automatically put on a timer, and with entry hazards up, it can become even harder to try and position it well for securing KOs. Greninja relies a lot on its Speed, meaning paralysis can cripple it almost entirely, allowing it to be offensively checked by a plethora of types like Fighting, Fairy, Electric, (ac) and Grass.

**Speed control/priority move users**: Greninja can suffer from getting offensively checked by naturally faster Pokemon, strong Choice Scarf users, (ac) and priority move users, which prevent Greninja getting the Battle Bond boost. Examples of this include Grassy Glide Rillaboom, Thunderclap Raging Bolt, and Vacuum Wave Iron Valiant.

**Lures**: Greninja can be lured in and surprised by several things like unexpected Terastallization of foes and unexpected resistance Berries. These can allow Pokemon that were not able to otherwise defeat Greninja do just that. At worst, these can look obvious, (ac) but they could be able to force out Battle Bond-boosted Greninja, permanently losing the boost. Common resistance Berries foes may use as lures against Greninja are Yache, Colbur, Passho, Rindo, and Kebia Berries.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/

 

[Theia]

Uploaded, thank you!

https://www.smogon.com/dex/sv/pokemon/greninja/draft/