Greninja — Abilities, Weaknesses & Best Builds
"Greninja is a balanced attacker built around special attacks (103 Sp. Atk). It can outspeed most of the format, and it's commonly used because its water/dark typing resists 6 attack types but you'll need to play around 5 weaknesses."
✅ Strong against
Resisted or immune to these attack types
⚠️ Watch out for
These attack types deal extra damage
How to actually play it
- 1
Open Greninja into a favorable type matchup using its water/dark STAB.
- 2
Pick the move that does the most damage to the most likely switch-in, not just the current Pokémon.
- 3
Pivot out once the opponent brings in a counter — don't get walled and lose a turn.
What new players get wrong
- ✕
Switching Greninja into electric and grass attacks — it's a fast way to lose half your team's plan.
- ✕
Leaving it in on a faster Choice Scarf user — priority and scarfers will pick it off.
- ✕
Expecting it to OHKO things — its job is usually role compression, not raw damage.
Why we rate Greninja the way we do
- High speed tier — wins matter, losses sting
- Dual typing — more weaknesses to track
Base Stats
Total: 530Use EVs to amplify the highest two — that's usually where this Pokémon's job lives.
Mega Evolutions
Greninja transforms mid-battle when holding the right Mega Stone. Each form has its own stats, typing and ability.
Loading moves…
| Move | Type | Cat | Pwr | Acc | PP | How |
|---|
Where Greninja shows up
#40
Usage ~4.99% · Win rate ~54%
#112
Usage ~1.91% · Win rate ~52.2%
Greninja FAQ
- What are Greninja's abilities in Pokémon Champions?
- Greninja can run torrent, protean. The competitive default is usually torrent — see the abilities section above for the trade-offs.
- What is Greninja weak to in Pokémon Champions?
- Greninja takes extra damage from electric, grass, fighting, bug, fairy. The full weakness breakdown is in the Weaknesses section, including any 4× type matchups.
- What is the best moveset for Greninja?
- The best moveset for Greninja depends on whether you're running it in Singles or Doubles. The Best Moveset section above lists the standard competitive set used at the top of the Pokémon Champions ladder.
- What counters Greninja in Pokémon Champions?
- The most reliable counters to Greninja are Pokémon with strong electric, grass, fighting, bug attacks that outspeed it. See the Best Counters section for specific picks.
- Is Greninja good in the current Pokémon Champions meta?
- Greninja's usage and win rate in M-B Singles and Doubles are shown in the Format Snapshot section. Cross-reference with the Champions Lab tier list for full context.