Mightiest Mark Greninja is tearing up Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players in the newest seven-star Tera Raid event, but there are some great counters to the Pokemon. The best counters for Greninja are Slowbro, Gastrodon, and Amoonguss.
While these Pokemon are all solid options at a base level, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players need to bring the right build into this battle in order to guarantee victory. Here are the best setups for these three Pokemon and how they fit into a team.
Best Slowbro Build to Counter Greninja
Those who built up a Slowbro for the Cinderace Tera Raid event will be well-served by bringing it back for this event. Stacking stat boosts to set up a massive Stored Power attack works brilliantly here.
- Nature: Modest
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Attack, 6 Sp. Defense
- Item: Shell Bell
- Tera Type: Psychic
As with the last event, Slowbro’s bulk and offensive potential are best accentuated with maxed-out HP and Sp. Attack stats. Shell Bell offers up survivability, though the player can go with other options, including a Twisted Spoon.
- Slack Off
- Iron Defense
- Nasty Plot
- Stored Power
Greninja will go for a single stat reset after a few turns, so players should wait to start stacking Nasty Plot and Iron Defense stat boosts until then. Greninja does have access to the move Night Slash, which is quite threatening as a critical hit will ignore Iron Defense, but this build is still enjoying big success.
Best Greninja Counter Build for Amoonguss
Much like how the seven-star Cinderace event was defined by its regular use of the move Bulk Up, Greninja’s deadliest weapon is the move Double Team. It doesn’t deal damage, but players will struggle mightily to deal damage if its stats don’t get reset. Amoonguss can fill that role nicely.
- Nature: Calm
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Defense, 6 Defense
- Item: Black Sludge
- Tera Type: Poison
Amoonguss has access to the move Clear Smog, which resets all stat boosts. Though Greninja resists the damage, its Double Teams will be neutralized nonetheless. Outside of that, Amoonguss has other tools that can be used to help the team.
- Clear Smog
- Pollen Puff
- Protect
- Spore
Amoonguss lacks the offensive firepower to deal serious damage to Greninja regardless of its moveset, but it does have something else that few other Pokemon do. Pollen Puff lets players heal allies, which is especially helpful when paired with stat-boosting Slowbros. As with Slowbro, Greninja does have access to a supereffective attack in Ice Beam but just doesn’t seem to use it.
Best Gastrodon Build for 7-Star Greninja
The deceptively powerful Gastrodon fits into a nice middle ground between Amoonguss and Slowbro. It’s not able to nuke Greninja in the way Slowbro can, but it is a viable offensive threat. Just as importantly, it resists Gunk Shot, and the Storm Drain ability lets it ignore Hydro Pump.
- Ability: Storm Drain
- Nature: Modest
- EVs: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Attack, 6 Sp. Defense
- Item: Leftovers
- Tera Type: Ground
Gastrodon can hit Greninja with super-effective STAB ground attacks. Just as importantly, it has access to the move Clear Smog if players breed for it or use a Mirror Herb to get it. Because of its offensive potency, it’s technically better for this role than Amoonguss. Here is the optimal moveset:
- Clear Smog
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Helping Hand
Earth Power is the go-to offensive option, while Clear Smog can be used situationally to neutralize Double Team. Recover offers healing, while Helping Hand can be used to empower any allied Slowbros once they start using Stored Power.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.