Conquering the Unrivaled: How to Defeat Greninja in Pokémon Violet

So, you want to take down the Unrivaled Greninja in Pokémon Violet? This seven-star Tera Raid was a tough challenge, and even though the event is over, understanding the strategies can help you prepare for future raids and similar battles. Here’s the breakdown on how to come out victorious against this speedy, Protean-powered foe.

The key to defeating Greninja lies in understanding its strengths, weaknesses, and predictable patterns, then exploiting those weaknesses with a well-prepared team and strategy. Focus on boosting your attack AFTER Greninja resets stat changes, consider using a coordinated team of Pokémon with moves resistant to Water, Dark, Ice, and Gunk Shot, and bring defensive builds to withstand the onslaught of the opponent’s attacks. Proper team composition is also important, with roles assigned to teammates.

Key Strategies for Victory

Understanding Greninja’s Arsenal

First, let’s break down what you’re up against. This Greninja comes packing a powerful moveset:

• Hydro Pump: A strong Water-type move with high damage output.
• Ice Beam: Coverage against Grass, Flying, Dragon, and Ground types.
• Gunk Shot: A Poison-type move that can hit surprisingly hard and has a chance to poison.
• Night Slash: A Dark-type move that can hit for significant damage.

More importantly, remember Greninja’s ability: Protean. This ability changes Greninja’s type to match the type of the move it’s about to use. This makes predicting its type extremely difficult, especially early in the raid. Terastallization nullifies the Protean ability, making it crucial to charge up and time your own Tera form effectively.

Team Composition and Roles

A coordinated team is crucial. Trying to solo this raid is extremely difficult and not recommended for beginners. Here’s what you need to consider:

• Type Coverage: Choose Pokémon that resist Water, Dark, and Ice-type attacks. Strong defensive typing is key.
• Attack Power: Once you have your defensive base, you’ll need attackers. A good strategy involves a couple of strong attackers with high Special Attack and/or Attack.
• Support: A Pokémon dedicated to healing and buffing the team can make a massive difference. Look for Pokémon with moves like Heal Pulse, Helping Hand, or Reflect.

The Importance of Timing and Strategy

• Tera Charge: The first two to three turns should be dedicated to charging your Tera Orb.
• Stat Boosts: Greninja will reset stat boosts around turn three, so avoid wasting turns on boosting at the start. Once the stat reset has happened, that’s your opportunity to setup.
• Defensive Buffs: Consider using moves like Reflect or Light Screen to mitigate damage from Greninja’s attacks. This is especially important early on when its type is unpredictable.
• Communicate with your teammates: Effective communication is vital for coordinating attacks, healing, and Tera activations.

Recommended Pokémon

While team compositions can vary, here are some Pokemon that worked well for taking down the Greninja raid:

• Clodsire: Clodsire is a perfect counter to Greninja due to its immunity to Electric attacks and its ability to learn Earthquake. Earthquake hits all enemies and allies on the field, so coordinate if you choose to bring it into a raid.
• Slowbro: Slowbro is a bulky Psychic- and Water-type that can deal significant damage and support its allies. It can learn a variety of strong Psychic-type moves, such as Psychic and Psyshock, that deal super-effective damage to Greninja. It also has access to Nasty Plot, which sharply raises its Special Attack. Slowbro also has access to Heal Pulse, which heals a teammate’s HP. With its high Special Defense and ability to boost its Special Attack, Slowbro is a powerful counter to Greninja.
• Amoonguss: With a defensive build and access to Spore, Amoonguss can cripple Greninja, allowing its teammates to setup. It is particularly useful at spreading status conditions such as sleep, poison, and stun with the Spore move.
• Umbreon: Umbreon is another great support Pokémon. Access to Snarl, Helping Hand, and Screech allows it to debuff and support its teammates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Greninja available in Pokémon Violet?

Yes, Greninja was available in Pokémon Violet as part of a limited-time seven-star Tera Raid event. While it doesn’t spawn in the wild, this was the only way to obtain it.

2. How do I get Froakie in Violet now that the event is over?

You can get Froakie and Frogadier in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet by breeding a Greninja with a Ditto. Eggs hatched from this pairing will result in players receiving a level one Froakie. Froakie evolves into Frogadier at level 16, while Frogadier evolves into Greninja at level 36.

3. What is Greninja’s hidden ability in Scarlet and Violet?

Greninja’s hidden ability is Protean, which changes its type to the type of the move it’s about to use. However, remember that this ability is nullified when Greninja is Terastallized.

4. Is Ash-Greninja in Violet?

No, Ash-Greninja is not obtainable in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This special form, previously available through the Pokémon Sun and Moon demo, is not present in these games.

5. Why is the Greninja raid not showing up?

The Greninja raid was a limited-time event. To participate when it was active, you needed to have downloaded the latest Poké Portal News by connecting your Nintendo Switch to the internet and selecting Mystery Gift, then Get Poké Portal News.

6. What is the best Tera type for Greninja in Violet?

The best Tera type for Greninja is subjective and depends on your team composition and strategy. Generally, a Tera type that covers its weaknesses (like Electric or Fairy) or enhances its strengths (like Water or Dark) is a good choice.

7. What ball should I catch Greninja in Pokemon Violet?

There’s no “best” ball, but many players favored using Quick Balls to try and catch Greninja on the first turn. However, any ball with a decent catch rate, like an Ultra Ball or Timer Ball (if the battle lasts longer), will work. It’s important to note that raid Pokemon have a very high catch rate once defeated.

8. What level is Greninja in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet raids?

The Greninja in the seven-star Tera Raid was level 100. It also came with maximum Individual Values (IVs) and minimum Effort Values (EVs), allowing you to customize it further.

9. How do you unlock event raids in Pokémon Violet?

You unlock higher star raids as you progress through the game. Unlocking 6 and 7 star raids requires beating the whole game, beating the post-game tournament, then doing 4 and 5 star raids until you unlock them. Raids show the number of stars when you interact with a raid den, or when you see it in the raid portal.

10. Can Froakie be shiny in Pokémon Violet?

While the Tera Raid Greninja was Shiny locked, meaning you couldn’t catch a shiny version directly from the raid, you can breed your Greninja with a Ditto to get Froakie eggs, giving you a chance to hatch a Shiny Froakie.

11. Does Greninja have mega evolution?

No, Greninja does not have a Mega Evolution. Ash-Greninja is a separate form, not a Mega Evolution.

12. Can Greninja breed with Ditto?

Yes, Greninja can breed with Ditto to produce Froakie eggs. This is the only way to obtain Froakie in Scarlet and Violet after the raid event.

13. Can you transfer Ash-Greninja to Scarlet and Violet?

While you can technically transfer a Greninja with the Battle Bond ability, the Ash-Greninja transformation is not available in Scarlet and Violet. The Battle Bond ability functions differently, and the transformation will not occur.

14. Is Greninja nerfed in Scarlet and Violet?

Yes, Greninja’s Protean ability received a nerf. It can now only change its type once per switch-in, reducing its adaptability compared to previous games.

15. Is Greninja good in competitive battles in Scarlet and Violet?

Despite the Protean nerf, Greninja remains a viable competitive Pokémon thanks to its high speed, strong special attack, and diverse movepool. While it’s not as dominant as it once was, it can still be a powerful threat in the right hands.

Beyond the Battle: The Value of Strategic Thinking in Games

The Greninja raid, like many challenging video game encounters, is a fantastic example of how games can teach valuable problem-solving skills. Analyzing the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, formulating a strategy, coordinating with others, and adapting to unforeseen circumstances are all crucial not just in the game, but also in real-life situations. The Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org explores this intersection between games and learning, researching how games can foster critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. For more information and resources on games and learning, check out the Games Learning Society website.