Say hello to the best Water type in Pokémon GO: Mega Greninja! 🌀

With an exceptionally high DPS, Mega Greninja is one of the most valuable Mega Evolutions in the game and being a starter, it's also very economical given the cheap costs for powering up and farming Candy. How does the Mega Evolution of one of the most iconic Pokémon from the franchise exactly fare in both its typings and against its competition? Is there something that would eventually overtake it?

As a Water type

By gaining access to the new Surf+ as its third Charged Attack on reaching Super Mega Level, Mega Greninja is THE top damage dealer among Water Pokémon, surpassing Primal Kyogre’s damage output by 1.25% with the Water Shuriken and Surf+ combo. In fact, this combo exceeds the classic Water Shuriken and Hydro Cannon combo by more than 12% in damage figures.

What makes Mega Greninja truly special is Water Shuriken (EPS of 14.00), as it helps reach Surf+ and Hydro Cannon faster than all its peers who resort to Water Gun or Waterfall.

This makes Mega Greninja more energy efficient than others, and it compensates for its low bulk. However, do keep in mind that dodging with Water Shuriken is a little less efficient than Water Gun since it has double the cooldown (1.00s vs 0.50s).

It is also quite easy to max out a Mega Greninja in comparison to any of the Kyogre variants, so if you have a high IV Greninja, go ahead and invest Stardust and Candies to max out your Ninja Frog!

Do note that with Water Shuriken and Surf+, Mega Greninja also convincingly overtakes a potential Ash Greninja in performance, something or earlier couldn't do with Hydro Cannon. As such, Mega Greninja is the go-to Water-type attacker going forward, edging past Primal Kyogre, Ash Greninja, and all other Water Pokémon.

As a Dark type

Earlier Mega Greninja was pushed to irrelevancy with the terrible Night Slash as its only Dark-type Charged Attack. With the Twilight Trials Season attack updates, this iconic Starter learns the powerful Brutal Swing, a move that immediately propels it to a higher position among the top Dark-type attackers in Pokémon GO.

However, even though Mega Greninja is a solid and a cheap alternative to many of the stronger attackers, it is quite fragile, an issue that staple Dark-type attacker Mega Tyranitar completely fulfills. The Pseudo Legendary hits harder and is able to stick around the Raid battle for longer, prolonging the Mega Boost for fellow attackers. Moreover, with the addition of Foul Play to Shadow Darkrai’s movepool, Mega Greninja further slips down the Dark-type DPS standings, especially with Mega Darkrai in the horizon.

If you are lacking a stronger Dark-type Pokémon in your collection, go ahead with Mega Greninja and try maxing one out with good IVs. Otherwise, it's best to invest in the Mega Evolutions of Darkrai, Absol, or Tyranitar.

Is Mega Greninja future proof in Pokémon GO?

As a Water type, absolutely. Not only does it claim the throne from Primal Kyogre, but it also cannot be surpassed by other Water Megas gaining any + Mega Charged Attacks (be it Megas Feraligatr, Mega Starmie, or Mega Swampert). Even Ash Greninja cannot steal Surf+ Mega Greninja’s spotlight now. Of course, if the Primal Formes were to also get these stronger Charged Attacks, that's another story, but all things said and done, Mega Greninja is the undisputed best Water-type attacker in Pokémon GO.

As a Dark type, it is already well surpassed by Mega Tyranitar, let alone the Megas of Darkrai and Absol Z, so the discussion of being “future proof” doesn't arise here.

🔵 Mega Great League

Despite having access to the fastest Hydro Cannon, Surf+, and Brutal Swing, the concerning fragility of Mega Greninja makes it a dicey contender for the Mega Great League. Sure, the speed of its attacks do help or secure a bunch of wins, including Thievul, Snorlax, Dunsparce, and even Togekiss with two additional Water Shuriken spams, it's not overall worthwhile and reliable for climbing the GBL ladder.

🟡 Mega Ultra League

Mega Greninja flexes its speedy moves but falls short of true glory due to low bulk. It mostly catches wins against obvious targets and some unlikely ones such as Tinkaton, Mega Raichu X, Seismitoad, and Snorlax. Its outing in the Mega Ultra League is definitely better than that of the Mega Great League, and it is viable for sure. In fact, it is the top rated Mega Evolution in this format, but it still trails behind a host of regular Water and Dark Pokémon.

🟣 Mega Master League

Mega Greninja is technically at its worst in the Mega Master League, not only grabbing only a handful of wins, but also outshone by other Water-type Megas/Primals/regulars like Mega Gyarados (one of the best Megas for this format), Mega Swampert, Primal Kyogre, and all Palkia variants.