Zebstrika

[Uncommon Madness]

#523 Zeburaika --

The electric Zebra is one of the coolest Pokémon that B/W brought us. With an awesome base 116 Speed it is faster than most Pokémon and thanks to a decent base 100 Attack it is also able to hit quite hard. Offensively speaking Electric type is one of the best in the game but unfortunately Zeburaika's narrow movepool limits its usefulness.

Type Chart:

0.50x

1.00x

2.00x

Base Stats: Hp 75 - Atk 100 - Def 63 - SAtk 80 - SDef 63 - Spe 116 (BST: 497)

Abilities:

-Lighting Rod: Whenever the Pokemon absorbs an Electric-type attack, its Special Attack is boosted by one stage and it seems that it doesn't damage the ability-wielder.

-Motor Drive: The Pokémon takes no damage from Electric-type attacks and Speed raises by one level.

-Herbivore: The Pokémon takes no damage from Grass-type attacks and Attack raises by one level.


Movepool:

- Egg Moves: Me First - Take Down - Sand-Attack - Double Kick - Screech - Rage - Endure - Double-Edge - Shock Wave

- Level-Up Moves: Lv1: Quick Attack, Lv1: Tail Whip, Lv1: Charge, Lv1: Thunder Wave, Lv4: Tail Whip, Lv8: Charge, Lv11: Shock Wave, Lv15: Thunder Wave, Lv18: Nitro Charge, Lv22: Pursuit, Lv25: Spark, Lv31: Stomp, Lv36: Discharge, Lv42: Agility, Lv47: Wild Bolt, Lv53: Thrash

- Learnable TMs: TM06 - Toxic, TM10 - Hidden Power, TM15 - Hyper Beam, TM16 - Light Screen, TM17 - Protect, TM18 - Rain Dance, TM21 - Frustration, TM24 - Thunderbolt, TM25 - Thunder, TM27 - Return, TM32 - Double Team, TM42 - Facade, TM43 - Nitro Charge, TM44 - Rest, TM45 - Attract, TM48 - Troll, TM50 - Overheat, TM57 - Charge Beam, TM68 - Giga Impact, TM70 - Flash, TM72 - Volt Change, TM73 - Thunder Wave, TM87 - Swagger, TM90 - Substitute, TM93 - Wild Bolt, TM94 - Rock Smash

Description of new moves

Name - Type - PPs - Power - Accuracy - Description

Nitro Charge: Physical Fire 20 50 100 May raise the user's Spe.
Troll: Special Normal 15 60 100 Raises Base Power the more Pokemon you have with the attack.
Wild Bolt: Physical Electric 15 90 100 Returns to user 1/4 of HP lost by opponent due to this attack (recoil).
Volt Change: Special Electric 20 70 100 After this attack is used, if this attack is successful, if user has at least 1 HP, and if user's party has at least one non-active Pokémon and the opposing Pokemon's party has at least one unfainted Pokémon that isn't an egg, this attack causes the user to switch even if it cannot switch. (The new Pokémon becomes active immediately. Effect of Destiny Bond and Grudge takes precedence over this attack's effect.)

Banded Zebra

Zeburaika @ Choice Band
Ability: Herbivore/Lighting Rod (only if it's running a special attack in the last move slot)
Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def)
EVs 252 Atk/4 SpD/252 Spe
- Wild Bolt
- Return
- Pursuit
- Volt Change/HP Grass/Double Kick/Quick Attack

There is not much to say: it is able to outspeed base 115 Pokés running a postive nature and deals good damage thanks to the CB boost. Wild Bot is the most powerful STAB move it has access to and with Return it provides decent coverage. Pursuit is a very good move to trap and eliminate Ghost and Psychic type opponents while Volt Change is useful for scouting. Quick Attack, despite having low base power, is a good alternative if you'd like to revenge kill faster Pokémon while HP Grass or Double Kick can be used to hit Rock/Ground types.

Mixed Zebra

Zeburaika @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def)
EVs 4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
- Thunderbolt/Volt Change
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Grass
- Wild Bolt

Thunderbolt is the obious special STAB and with Overheat+HP it provides immense coverage. Wild Bolt is useful against specially defensive walls like Chansey.

Other Options:
Life Orb can replace Choice Band if you prefer the ability of changing moves over more power and no recoil damage. It can run a MixedAgility set but with those bad defenses the only opportunity you have to set up is against Electric/Grass Pokémon. Charge Beam could be a nice option on the Mix set but then Zeburaika would suffer 4 slot syndrome. Rechargeable Battery (Boosts Attack by one stage if the holder gets hit by an Electric type move) is viable on every set, especially if you pair Zeburaika with a partner that lures Electric type attacks.

Conclusion:
What do you think about this Pokémon? Would you recommend any other set? What are its best counters and team mates?
Share your ideas with the rest of the community by leaving a comment.

 

[Rykard]

i would recommend herbivore on the banded set since it boosts attack as opposed to lightning rod boosting special attack (this could work for a specs set maybe)

Annd might a recommend a paraflinching set?

Herbivore with Leftovers
4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Speed
- Thunder Wave
- Stomp
- Wild Bolt
- Substitute

 

[mudkipmanxp5]

Why does banded Zebra have Lightning Rod?

 

[SilentRevolver]

First off this is my Favorite new Pokemon! Zebra FTW! haha.....anyways these sets are viable and with his unique 116 speed this is one powerful and fast Zebra.....however I noticed that your mixed Zebra doesn't have any Physical moves....making him a special Zebra in which case you should use Choice Specs on the set....or give the Zebra Return or Double Edge. Oh BTW thanks for posting this I love the Zebra!....oh wait I already said that.

 

[Uncommon Madness]

@Rykard and mudkipmanxp5: I chose Lighting Rod because of the Attack boost. I know Herbivore is a very good option but (as I already wrote in the OP) I am not 100% sure if it grants immunity to Grass type moves. I don't really like that paraflinching set because it isn't powerful enough and is completely walled by many Pokémon (such as every Ground type).

EDIT: Yeah, Lighting Rod boosts attack... that's what you get when you write threads on Smogon at 0:00 AM..

@Raiden475: Thanks for noticing that, I wrote Volt Change instead of Wild Bolt.

 

[Mufasa]

Lightning rod boosts spatk

 

[BurningMan]

i would recommend herbivore on the banded set since it boosts attack as opposed to lightning rod boosting special attack (this could work for a specs set maybe)

the problem is that grass attacks are much rarer than electric attacks and you lose the t-wave immunity but i guess both are an option.
does anyone know if herbivoire gets activated by leechseed and/or makes you immune to it? this would make it much more viable.

 

[Subzer0]

I'm not sure how a Sp Atk boost helps the CB set.

 

[AccidentalGreed]

Why does banded Zebra have Lightning Rod?

To absorb electric attacks, but you do have a point here. Mr. Elecric Zebra could take advantage of the Speed Boost provided by Motor Drive.

For utility's sake, change the ability of Motor Drive. The Special Attack boost isn't helping by a long shot.

First off this is my Favorite new Pokemon! Zebra FTW! haha.....anyways these sets are viable and with his unique 116 speed this is one powerful and fast Zebra.....however I noticed that your mixed Zebra doesn't have any Physical moves....making him a special Zebra in which case you should use Choice Specs on the set....or give the Zebra Return or Double Edge. Oh BTW thanks for posting this I love the Zebra!....oh wait I already said that.

Return and Double Edge offers little coverage compared to the coverage that lets it sweep a wider range of Pokemon such like Raikou or Jolteon. Auxiliary options, but Wild Bolt is the real selling point here.

Choice Specs is generally better used by said Electric-type friends, since they have higher Special Attacks and similar Electric-type attack absorbing capabilities. Could have merit since Zeburaika has LightningRod.

It hits quiet hard? ;o

...Seriously, does it really matter?

 

[pokemon]

Herbivore has been proven that it does indeed make you immune to grass moves. So Herbivore>LightningRod to take advantage of base 100 Attack. A Choice Band set would benefit greatly from Overheat to take out some steels and grass types not expecting Overheat. Return and Wild Bolt have decent coverage and Nitro Charge isn't a bad move. With Nitro Charge, you don't need to invest in speed as much and just pour most of it into Atk and SAtk, for Wild Bolt and Overheat respectively.

 

[TeraGhost]

Damn, I was writing my own Zeburaika page and BAM. Already done.

You may want to put a mention for Spark over Wild Bolt on sets for people that don't like recoil and don't mind the loss of power (but Zeburaika really needs it anyway :P)

Quick set:

Zeburaika@Life Orb
Jolly/Adamant
Herbivore
252 Spec Attk / 252 Attk / 4 Spe
-Nitro Charge/Agility
-Wild Bolt
-Return
-Hidden Power (Grass/Ice)

Get a speed boost and attempt to sweep, using Hidden Power to take care of Ground types. The EV's aren't set, but you get the general idea I hope :).

Nice write up. :D

 

[The King of Harts]

Volt Change is a Special Attack, so Lightning Rod boosts it before he switches out. However, you shouldn't be running Jolly if you're going to have Volt Change because you're just weakening it. That means you have to lower a defense, which isn't a big deal since his bulk is poo anyways.

I think Lightning Rod or Motor Drive are interchangeable depending on what you're 4th move is. Volt Change or Overheat for Lightning Rod and Double Kick or Nitro Charge for Motor Drive.

 

[AccidentalGreed]

Speaking of which, why isn't a pure physical Life Orb set being suggested here? Zeburaika certainly has the troll Speed (Starmie and friends) and the attack to pull off an effective Life Orb Physical set like Arcanine and unlike Luxray.

 

[Manaphy]

His attack stat seems kinda average, but enough to do what he needs.

I think a Physical LO Set with Wild Bolt, Return, -Filer, and -Filer- seems adequate.

 

[Uncommon Madness]

Thanks for the comments guys. I just added a small "Other Options" section, anything else to suggest?

 

[Blaziken Fan]

I think Nitro Charge would be a good option on the band set to hit things like Nattorei, plus it boosts speed. Also, I'd choose Herbivore. I really look forward to using this thing.

 

[Uncommon Madness]

@Blaziken Fan: Return on the CB Set is still the preferred option. You should consider that Return deals more damage (just a bit) to Grass and Bug types while Thunderbolt deals a lot more damage against Steel and Ice types compared to Nitro Charge. The Fire move is decent only because of the possible Speed boost but Zeburaika doesn't really need it with 116 base Speed. Did I forget something?

 

[Blaziken Fan]

I just had a thought. Rechargeable Battery (if it works like I think it does, if you get hit by an electric attack you get a +1 attack boost.).

Think about it. Switch zebby in on an super common electric attack, get +1 attack, +1 speed (from motor drive) and can still switch moves, unlike the Cbander.

Plus it can now afford to run its whole physical movepool: Wild Bolt, Return, Nitro Charge, and Pursuit (or Double Kick). Furthermore, based on personal preference, Jolly is no longer as essential freeing it up to run Adamant.

EDIT: Or you could go Herbivore for a possible extra boost, making it +2 attack and buying an extra immunity.

 

[Muse]

Yes, Blaziken barely beat me to the post D:

Zeburaika @ Rechargable Battery
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def)
EVs 4 Atk/252 SpA/252 Spe
- Thunderbolt/Thunder
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Grass
- Wild Bolt

Although I wish there could be more emphasis on the physical side, This is basically what _Should_ be the new standard for Zeburaika. Now you've got the +1 for both stats, making you a godly mixed sweeper. A mixed sweeper who could very well work good with gyarados (possibly the new GaraVire?). Zeburaika has that base 116, to outspeed Starmie, one of Gyarados's biggest counters. (or revenge killers, depends how you look at it.) And to the set, I personally, would run Thunder only when using it alongside Politoed (for auto rain obviously). If no rain, run thunderbolt, because after that +1 boost, you wont need to really run anything else, you'll be able to kill a multitude of things. Wild Bolt will most likely be doing more damage to all opponents, except for Skarmory, and vice versa on Blissey.

 

[Uncommon Madness]

Thanks for the comments guys, to be honest I didn't know about Rechargeable Battery existence. Anyway there's no point in making a new set, I'll simply mention it in the Other Option section.

 

[GtM]

Pssst. Use HP Water over HP Grass on the Choice Set; the only pokemon that aren't hit for neutral by Return and Wild Bolt are Rock/Grounds and Steelix/Doryuuzu/Magnezone/Rotoms IIRC. HP Water hits rock/grounds for the same damage whilst also being SE against Steelix and Doryuuzu, and is neutral against Magnezone.

 

[blasphemy1]

Pssst. Use HP Water over HP Grass on the Choice Set; the only pokemon that aren't hit for neutral by Return and Wild Bolt are Rock/Grounds and Steelix/Doryuuzu/Magnezone/Rotoms IIRC. HP Water hits rock/grounds for the same damage whilst also being SE against Steelix and Doryuuzu, and is neutral against Magnezone.

He gets Overheat for all that shit you mentioned, except it hits twice as hard. HP Grass meanwhile does a ton to Water/Ground type Pokemon, and no matter where this guy ends up, there will likely be one of them. His best set is the mixed set, imo. Nitro Charge is just way too weak, and Overheat from 80 base special attack does good damage. The set the OP posted is probably his best one. Btw, Rechargeable Battery seems too unreliable and it doesn't boost 3/4 of its moveset... so Life Orb is the best option. He seems really mediocre to me, but he's really cool.

 

[Uncommon Madness]

@Blasphemy1: Thanks for answering to GtM, I was about to say the same thing. I know that Rechargeable Battery is generally outclassed by Life Orb infact I mentioned it only in the OP as an item that may work if other members of the team lure Electric type Attacks.
Zeburaika won't be a top tier Pokémon but it's still going to have its niche.

P.S.: How awesome is that Black and White introduced a Zebra Pokémon?

 

[Lucalibur]

pretty fucking epic UM.


i can see this thing playing the same style LO manetric does, albeit physically based. its trollish speed will be the single reason i am gonna consider that thing usable in OU though. its just about enough to outrun my worst nemesis(starmie).

overall i find the zebra to be average. it got a good STAB and great speed but the atack is average at best and is lacking coverage besides eletric and fire(overheat to be more specific what will only do any kind of damage at the first shot). if only it learned SD...but yeah, BL material IMO.

 

[Khrispy-Khris]

I think this zebra is gonna compete with Guts Luxray. Not only did Luxray obtain Wild Bolt but Luxray also boasts higher Attack and Sp. Attack and happens to be bulkier. Then again Zeburaika also has MUCH higher speed and WAY wider move-pool. I think Zeburaika can run a Life Orb set with Overheat, Charge Beam, and let's not forget the new, Electric-typed, Special U-Turn.