Shadow Greninja
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
We have spent years talking about how strong Ash Greninja could be... welp, say hello to Ash Greninja-lite!
Shadow Greninja is a bombshell of a Water Type; a type that has long been short on high-tier Pokemon outside of some massively powerful Mega Evolutions and Primal Kyogre. This thing is a breath of fresh air to the Water Type as a whole, and while it doesn't quite top the charts even in that regard, it's still a very strong Pokemon that's very much worthy of investment if you happen to nab a high-IV Shadow Froakie!
Offense
- Water Shuriken, available starting from August 12 2023, is Shadow Greninja's best Water-type Fast Attack. Bubble is a decent move, but is inferior on Greninja.
- Feint Attack is slightly better on offense, but can only pair with Night Slash.
- Hydro Cannon* is Shadow Greninja's best Charged Attack by far.
- Surf is a good move, but is a significant step down from Hydro Cannon.
- Hydro Pump is a step down, but still decent if TMs are lacking.
- Aerial Ace has no use.
Defense
- Bubble is generally better for defense, with slightly better damage and energy gains.
- Water Shuriken is slightly weaker than Bubble.
- Feint Attack is falls behind stat-wise, but isn't resisted by Grass or Dragon-type attackers.
- Night Slash can be used frequently as a 3-bar move, gets STAB, and is overall quite decent.
- Aerial Ace lacks STAB and is a bit easier to dodge, but covers against Fighting, Grass, and Bug-types.
- Surf benefits from STAB, and is decent as a 2-bar move.
- Hydro Pump likely won't be used before Shadow Greninja faints, but is the hardest to dodge and also the most damaging.
Water Shuriken boasts by far the greatest energy generation and is Shadow Greninja's preferred Fast Attack. Bubble deals very slightly more damage for considerably less energy gain, making it undesirable. Feint Attack is mediocre all around despite providing extra Dark-type damage.
Night Slash costs the least amount of energy, benefits from STAB, can be used frequently, and has a small chance to proc its self-buff. Hydro Cannon is an excellent STAB move and can be fired rapidly thanks to Water Shuriken's insane energy generation. Surf is a good move, but is strictly inferior to Hydro Cannon as it deals less damage for the same energy cost. Aerial Ace is quite underwhelming; its coverage against Shadow Greninja's weaknesses is likely not enough given its poor damage and greater energy cost. Hydro Pump demands too much energy to use.
Shadow Greninja shares the same Water/Dark typing as Sharpedo, with similarly high offensive stats and fragile bulk. Fortunately for Shadow Greninja its moveset is a lot faster and more efficient, with greater energy generation and more frequent shield pressure. With Water Shuriken's energy generation and Hydro Cannon's extremely strong parameters, Shadow Greninja is an incredibly potent sweeper. It outpaces most Pokemon's Charged Attacks and can often beat them in CMP. The aforementioned quality combined with Shadow Greninja's reliance on Charged Attacks to do most of its damage means that energy management is key to maximizing Shadow Greninja's potential.
Shadow Greninja's frailty means that it relies heavily on shields to succeed. Investing in shields for Shadow Greninja allows it to smash apart several great league staples such as Registeel, Sableye, and Lickitung. Since it relies on shields, Shadow Greninja's worst enemy is high Fast Attack pressure - Dragon Breath, Counter, Razor Leaf, Charm, Vine Whip, and so on. High Fast Attack pressure Pokemon such as Altaria, Medicham, Shadow Victreebel, and any Charmer will make short work of Shadow Greninja, invalidating shields reserved for it. Azumarill is another roadblock for Shadow Greninja due to its immense bulk and resistance to Shadow Greninja's STABs.
