[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/
**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/
Last edited: