Greninja is easily one of the immediate favorite Pokémon for everyone to have. It becomes available in Pokémon Go alongside the initial release for generation six, and there’s a lot to be excited about for it. When you finally catch yours to add it to your roster, what is the best moveset for Greninja?
Greninja is a Water and Dark-type Pokémon. It’s weak to Bug, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, and Grass-type attacks, but it’s resistant to Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ice, Psychic, Steel, and Water-type moves. It has a maximum CP of 2,654, an attack of 223, a defense of 152, and stamina of 176. It won’t be a choice you take to the Master League, but you can consider building a team for it to use in the Great and Ultra variations.
These are all of the moves Greninja can learn.
Fast moves
- Bubble (Water-type) – 8 damage and 3.6 energy per turn (2.6 damage per turn)
- Feint Attack (Dark-type) – 6 damage and 3 energy per turn (3 damage per turn)
Charge moves
- Aerial Ace (Flying-type) – 55 damage and 45 energy
- Hydro Pump (Water-type) – 130 damage and 75 energy
- Night Slash (Dark-type) – 50 damage and 35 energy (12.5% chance to increase user’s attack by two ranks)
- Surf (Water-type) – 65 damage and 40 energy
Unfortunately, Greninja doesn’t feature the most interesting of attacks when it comes to fast moves. Your best bet is to go with bubble. It does more overall damage and energy generation per turn to make feint attack undesirable.
When it comes to charge attacks, Greninja only has two options, night slash, and surf. Aerial ace costs five energy more than surf, but it does 10 less damage. Plus, it’s a Flying-type move, so Greninja won’t receive a STAB benefit whenever they use the attack. Hydro pump does the most damage of any option, but it costs basically double the amount of energy for night slash and surf. Greninja will benefit the most by frequently using these attacks, and having low energy charge moves means it can be a great damage dealer.
While you won’t want to start a PvP battle with Greninja, it’s a decent option to switch in or finish the battle. The best moveset includes bubble for its fast attack and night slash and surf for its charge moves.