Pokémon Unite - Greninja build: Best items and moves for Greninja explained

Greninja build: Our recommendations for the best Greninja moveset in Pokémon Unite

Greninja is an Attacker in Pokémon Unite, which means it has a high offense stat, but suffers from low endurance. Unlike most Attackers, Greninja also has high mobility and scoring stats, which makes it good for moving round the pitch and scoring goals.

The downside, however, is that Greninja is quite weak during the opening minutes and only starts to embrace its full power upon reaching its final evolution - for more information about Greninja's evolution line, please visit the next section.

For these reasons, you should start the match by levelling up Greninja, ensuring the majority of its moveset is unlocked and that you're actually playing as Greninja. Once these goals are obtained, you should fight alongside your teammates, ideally with a Supporter Pokémon if there's one on your team, because their supporter will help counter Greninja's low endurance level.

The lower Greninja's health is, however, the more deadlier it becomes. This is thanks to Torrent, Greninja's ability, which increases both its attack and movement speed once you've fallen past the halfway point of your health metre.

Utilising Torrent is a risky game to play though, because you'll always be under threat of death. It's important to remember that Greninja is classified as an expert level Attacker, so, when it comes to this frog, practise does make perfect.

Interestingly, the effects of Greninja's basic attack changes depending on how far you are from your opponent; it decreases your opponent's movement speed as a ranged attack, while, as a close combat move, the damage dealt will increase as your foe's health is lowered. This is incredibly useful during the early stages of the match, when Greninja as Froakie, is quite weak and, if used correctly, can help you safely level up this Pokémon.

At the beginning of the match, you'll have the choice between Bubble and Substitute.

We recommend starting the battle with Bubble, because it will supply you with the attack power you need to quickly level up in the opening stages of the battle. It will also decrease the movement speed of your opposing Pokémon - be it a wild Pokémon or an enemy player - making it easier for you to finish the kill.

Upon reaching Level 5, you'll have the choice between Double Team and Smokescreen.

For this choice, we recommend Smokescreen. This is due to how it will boost your next basic attack, while also allowing you to quickly move in a specific direction. You can use Smokescreen to either escape a foe or sneak attack, because, after being used, your movement speed will be increased.

Once upgraded, Smokescreen will also increase your attack for a short period of time.

At Level 7, you need to select either Water Shuriken or Surf.

We recommend choosing Surf, because of how it will restore some of Greninja's health and, after being upgraded, the amount of HP it gives will be increased. Surf also deals more damage to enemies with low health and, best of all, the cooldown for this move will completely reset if it knocks out your opponent.

This means that, not only does Surf deal a lot of damage, but you can chain use it - targeting your weaker opponents first, before attacking the strongest member, which makes it great for crowd control. You may need to practice using Surf in this manner, but it's definitely worth the effort.

At Level 9, Greninja's Unite Move, Waterburst Shuriken, will be unlocked.

The trick to using Waterburst Shuriken is picking your target zone carefully; you'll want to ensure your dealing damage to at least one enemy, while also taking advantage of the move's area effect. For this reason, it's a good idea to use Water Shuriken on a group of opponents, because it gives you the best chance of maximising its multiple effects.

Using Waterburst Shuriken, like Surf, does take some practice, but, if used correctly, it could be the move you need to turn a match in your favour.

Greninja's evolution line in Pokémon Unite explained

Greninja, like Cinderace and Gardevoir, is a third stage evolution, which means, in Pokémon Unite, it will start the match as the first Pokémon in its evolution line.

It will begin the match as Froakie, then, at Level 5, evolve into Frogadier and, finally, at Level 7 evolve into Greninja.

Best held items for Greninja in Pokémon Unite explained

When selecting held items for Greninja in Pokémon Unite, it's a good idea to choose items which will increase both its mobility, such as the Float Stone, and attack power - be it the Scope Lens, Muscle Band or Attack Weight.

This boost to Greninja's attack power will help you cause more damage to your opponents, which will both keep you from fainting and allow you to collect those all important points. The Float Stone, however, will help you escape from danger, rush into a fight to unleash an attack or score a goal. Since Greninja is already well versed in these skills, boosting them will help make it a more challenging opponent.

For the third item, we recommend choosing something with more defensive qualities which aligns with your playstyle.

If you don't want to utilise Greninja's ability, Torrent, then we highly recommend equipping the Shell Bell. This item will restore some of Greninja's health whenever you successfully land a move, which helps you offset its low endurance level, especially when engaging in combat.

If you have made Torrent part of your Greninja build, however, we suggest selecting the Score Shield, which, as the name suggests, will create a small shield when you attempt to score a goal. In doing so, this item will help you take advantage of Greninja's scoring stat, without falling prey to its low endurance.

Need help deciding which Pokémon to choose? Check out our Pokémon Unite tier list and build guides for - Pikachu, Snorlax, Gardevoir, Cinderace, Greninja, Gengar, Blissey, Lucario, Espeon, Delphox, Glaceon, Buzzwole and Absol. You can also learn more about the Ranked system, Fair-Play Points and how to surrender a match.

Best battle items for Greninja in Pokémon Unite explained

When it comes to battle items for Greninja in Pokémon Unite, you'll be tempted to choose the Potion and, considering this Pokémon's low endurance level, it is a good choice. You will, however, have to use it carefully, especially if you want to take advantage of Greninja's Torrent ability.

Other good options include the Eject Button, which allows you to move in a specific direction, and the Fluffy Tail, which is useful for tackling Pokémon like Zapdos and Rotom. It's also useful for the opening stages of the match if you want to tackle Bouffalant and Ludicolo.

How to unlock Greninja in Pokémon Unite

To unlock Greninja in Pokémon Unite, you need to either purchase its Pokémon license or receive it from the 14-Day Welcome Gifts selection by logging into Pokémon Unite separately over the course of 14 days.

If you're purchasing Greninja's Pokémon license, it will cost you 10,000 Aeos Coins or 575 Aeos Gems from the Unite Battle Committee.

Good luck with Greninja!