Mega Greninja has the highest skill ceiling of any Mega in Reg M-A. Its new ability Protean turns it into a coverage monster: every move it uses gets STABSTABmechanicSame-Type Attack Bonus: a move deals ×1.5 damage when its type matches one of the user's types.Click to read more →, because its type shifts to match the move before damage is calculated.
What Protean means in practice
A Greninja using Ice Beam becomes an Ice-type Pokémon for that attack, dealing 1.5× damage. Next turn it uses Dark Pulse and becomes Dark-type. The opponent can’t prepare a single resist — they need to cover Water, Dark, Ice, Grass, Psychic, and whatever else is in the moveset simultaneously.
This also interacts subtly with typing-based damage calculations. When Greninja shifts to Dark-type, it gains a Dark resistance but loses its Water resistance. Good players account for this mid-battle.
Team roles
Mega Greninja works on any archetype that wants a fast, hard-to-wall attacker:
- Hyper Offense: Greninja in sun can run Fire-type coverage moves, which shift its type to Fire and deal 1.5× — plus Charizard Y’s DroughtDroughtabilityAn ability that instantly sets permanent sun when the Pokémon enters the field.Click to read more → adds another 1.5×.
- Control and SetupSetupstrategySpending a turn to boost stats before sweeping — trading short-term damage for a snowballing advantage that wins the game.Click to read more →: Protean coverage chips through defensive walls that would otherwise check the team’s primary attacker.
Weaknesses
Greninja’s defenses are fragile. A well-timed priority move or a faster attacker can KO it before Protean matters. It rewards prediction — the payoff is high but so is the skill floor.