[Overview]
<p>Once ignored in favor of its Electric-type brethren due to its average attacking stats and barren movepool, Zebstrika was finally bestowed with a niche to separate it from its peers with the arrival of Ludicolo, Charizard, and Sawsbuck—and consequently weather's rise in popularity. Zebstrika could finally make use of its amazing Speed stat, alongside a Choice Scarf to outspeed various weather sweepers such as Gorebyss, Exeggutor and Victreebel. Even without a Choice Scarf, Zebstrika's excellent Speed tier places it above the likes of Cinccino, Swoobat, and Serperior. Complimenting its Speed, Zebstrika has two excellent abilities at its disposal: Lightningrod and Sap Sipper. The former graces Zebstrika with an immunity to Electric-types moves as well as a much needed power boost, while the latter bestows Zebstrika with an immunity to Grass-types moves, such as Amoonguss's Spore and Cinccino's Bullet Seed, as well as an Attack boost.</p>
<p>Despite Zebstrika's excellent Speed, it still faces stiff competition from its fellow Electric-types. Rotom-S's secondary Flying typing gifts it with an additional STAB, which allows it to dispatch Grass-types, such as Amoonguss and Tangela, more reliably. However, Rotom-S's Flying typing is a double-edged sword, as it make Rotom-S vulnerable to Stealth Rock. Additionally, Rotom-S is forced to use Timid to outrun +2 Gorebyss, while Zebstrika can run Modest with no drawbacks. Electabuzz and Raichu also give Zebstrika a run for its money, as their access to Focus Blast enables them to hit Rock-types, such as Probopass and Golem, super effectively without relying on Hidden Power, and Electabuzz has a lot more power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Lightningrod / Sap Sipper
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>It might seem silly, preposterous even, to give one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier a Choice Scarf. However, with the item, Zebstrika's incredible Speed allows it to outrun powerful weather sweepers who would otherwise terrorize many teams such as Exeggutor, Gorebyss, and Victreebel. Outside of weather sweepers, Zebstrika is also useful for revenge killing many fast Pokemon that other Choice Scarf Pokemon would miss out on such as Swoobat, Cinccino, Altaria, and even Combusken. Thunderbolt is a reliable STAB attack, hitting Pokemon weak to it very hard; it is also Zebstrika's main weapon against Rain Dance teams. Volt Switch allows Zebstrika to grab momentum against many teams and is also useful against frail Pokemon like Simipour. Overheat is Zebstrika's main weapon against Sunny Day teams, as it hits Exeggutor and Victreebel for quick OHKOs. Overheat is also useful outside of Sunny Day for hitting Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Klang, and Pinsir. The choice between Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Ice comes down to personal preference. Hidden Power Grass hits Golurk, Golem, and Seismitoad harder and is preferred because of that. However, Hidden Power Ice is still handy on a team that struggles against Dragon-types, particularly Altaria and Fraxure, and is a very usable option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Modest is the preferred nature for the extra power it provides, though Timid is an option if you need to defeat Timid Ludicolo and Victreebel. It is noteworthy that Timid Zebstrika will almost never 2HKO Ludicolo, while Modest can almost always accomplish this. Lightningrod makes Zebstrika arguably the best counter to Rotom-S in NU, freely switching into its Electric-type attacks while getting a Special Attack boost in the process. On the other hand, Sap Sipper gives Zebstrika a pseudo sleep immunity, as nearly every sleep inducing attack is Grass-type. Sap Sipper also allows Zebstrika to come in on a Bullet Seed from Cinccino, outspeed, and do massive damage in return. Signal Beam is usable as a fourth attack if Psychic-types like Beheeyem and Musharna are issues, but it has little utility otherwise.</p>
<p>Zebstrika struggles to break anything that has a decent Special Defense stat; in particular, Normal-types, such as Miltank and Lickilicky, absolutely destroy this set. Because of this, Fighting-types such as Emboar and Sawk make great teammates to rip them to shreds. Absol is a nifty teammate because of its powerful Sucker Punch, which does a lot of damage to most Electric-types, something Zebstrika struggles to do. Absol is also handy to handle Psychic-types, which often have high Special Defense. Torterra is a great teammate for Zebstrika because of its resistance to Earthquake, which allows it to take on many threats to Zebstrika, such as Golem, with ease. Stealth Rock is needed in order to guarantee OHKOs on Pokemon such as Braviary and Charizard. Therefore, Golem, Regirock, Piloswine, or Probopass are recommended for their ability to reliably set it up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Like most Electric-types, Zebstrika has an incredibly barren movepool, with very few options not listed already. A physical set with Sap Sipper can be decent, but Zebstrika's lack of a movepool really lets it down. Charge Beam can be used to boost Zebstrika's Special Attack, but because Zebstrika relies on Overheat for coverage, it is often counterproductive. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, but usually will only lead to Zebstrika getting walled. Zebstrika can use Rain Dance and Thunder to good effect, but would rather not set up weather for the enemy to use. Discharge can be used for the extra paralysis chance, but the drop in power is not what Zebstrika wants. Motor Drive is handy for a Speed boost, but Zebstrika prefers Lightningrod because of its lack of power and already excellent Speed.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Zebstrika isn't that strong, so anything with decent Special Defense will be able to handle it. Lickilicky and Flareon do extremely well against it due to their great Special Defense and recovery in Wish. Gardevoir can trace Lightningrod for a free Special Attack boost and has high enough Special Defense to tank an Overheat easily. Camerupt is a great counter because it is immune to Thunderbolt, resists Overheat, and takes negligible damage from Hidden Power, while OHKOing in return with STAB Earth Power. Dragon-types such as Altaria and Fraxure counter any set without Hidden Power Ice. Ground-types work well because they can tank anything except Hidden Power, which in turn is a terrible move to be locked into. Seismitoad does a great job because it hard counters any set without Hidden Power Grass. Probopass fears nothing from Zebstrika and can retaliate with Earth Power. Cradily can also tank any attack with ease and can either boost in front of Zebstrika or retaliate with a STAB attack. Bulky Fighting-types, in particular Gurdurr and Throh, can switch in on Zebstrika with impunity and hit it with Drain Punch or Circle Throw, respectively. Electric-types fear nothing from Zebstrika but can do little in return because it is immune to Electric-type attacks, so they are forced to whittle it down with unSTABed Hidden Powers. Regirock has a good enough Special Defense that it can switch in with ease and respond with Stone Edge or Rock Slide, easily defeating Zebstrika.</p>
<p>Once ignored in favor of its Electric-type brethren due to its average attacking stats and barren movepool, Zebstrika was finally bestowed with a niche to separate it from its peers with the arrival of Ludicolo, Charizard, and Sawsbuck—and consequently weather's rise in popularity. Zebstrika could finally make use of its amazing Speed stat, alongside a Choice Scarf to outspeed various weather sweepers such as Gorebyss, Exeggutor and Victreebel. Even without a Choice Scarf, Zebstrika's excellent Speed tier places it above the likes of Cinccino, Swoobat, and Serperior. Complimenting its Speed, Zebstrika has two excellent abilities at its disposal: Lightningrod and Sap Sipper. The former graces Zebstrika with an immunity to Electric-types moves as well as a much needed power boost, while the latter bestows Zebstrika with an immunity to Grass-types moves, such as Amoonguss's Spore and Cinccino's Bullet Seed, as well as an Attack boost.</p>
<p>Despite Zebstrika's excellent Speed, it still faces stiff competition from its fellow Electric-types. Rotom-S's secondary Flying typing gifts it with an additional STAB, which allows it to dispatch Grass-types, such as Amoonguss and Tangela, more reliably. However, Rotom-S's Flying typing is a double-edged sword, as it make Rotom-S vulnerable to Stealth Rock. Additionally, Rotom-S is forced to use Timid to outrun +2 Gorebyss, while Zebstrika can run Modest with no drawbacks. Electabuzz and Raichu also give Zebstrika a run for its money, as their access to Focus Blast enables them to hit Rock-types, such as Probopass and Golem, super effectively without relying on Hidden Power, and Electabuzz has a lot more power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Lightningrod / Sap Sipper
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>It might seem silly, preposterous even, to give one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier a Choice Scarf. However, with the item, Zebstrika's incredible Speed allows it to outrun powerful weather sweepers who would otherwise terrorize many teams such as Exeggutor, Gorebyss, and Victreebel. Outside of weather sweepers, Zebstrika is also useful for revenge killing many fast Pokemon that other Choice Scarf Pokemon would miss out on such as Swoobat, Cinccino, Altaria, and even Combusken. Thunderbolt is a reliable STAB attack, hitting Pokemon weak to it very hard; it is also Zebstrika's main weapon against Rain Dance teams. Volt Switch allows Zebstrika to grab momentum against many teams and is also useful against frail Pokemon like Simipour. Overheat is Zebstrika's main weapon against Sunny Day teams, as it hits Exeggutor and Victreebel for quick OHKOs. Overheat is also useful outside of Sunny Day for hitting Pokemon such as Amoonguss, Klang, and Pinsir. The choice between Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Ice comes down to personal preference. Hidden Power Grass hits Golurk, Golem, and Seismitoad harder and is preferred because of that. However, Hidden Power Ice is still handy on a team that struggles against Dragon-types, particularly Altaria and Fraxure, and is a very usable option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Modest is the preferred nature for the extra power it provides, though Timid is an option if you need to defeat Timid Ludicolo and Victreebel. It is noteworthy that Timid Zebstrika will almost never 2HKO Ludicolo, while Modest can almost always accomplish this. Lightningrod makes Zebstrika arguably the best counter to Rotom-S in NU, freely switching into its Electric-type attacks while getting a Special Attack boost in the process. On the other hand, Sap Sipper gives Zebstrika a pseudo sleep immunity, as nearly every sleep inducing attack is Grass-type. Sap Sipper also allows Zebstrika to come in on a Bullet Seed from Cinccino, outspeed, and do massive damage in return. Signal Beam is usable as a fourth attack if Psychic-types like Beheeyem and Musharna are issues, but it has little utility otherwise.</p>
<p>Zebstrika struggles to break anything that has a decent Special Defense stat; in particular, Normal-types, such as Miltank and Lickilicky, absolutely destroy this set. Because of this, Fighting-types such as Emboar and Sawk make great teammates to rip them to shreds. Absol is a nifty teammate because of its powerful Sucker Punch, which does a lot of damage to most Electric-types, something Zebstrika struggles to do. Absol is also handy to handle Psychic-types, which often have high Special Defense. Torterra is a great teammate for Zebstrika because of its resistance to Earthquake, which allows it to take on many threats to Zebstrika, such as Golem, with ease. Stealth Rock is needed in order to guarantee OHKOs on Pokemon such as Braviary and Charizard. Therefore, Golem, Regirock, Piloswine, or Probopass are recommended for their ability to reliably set it up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Like most Electric-types, Zebstrika has an incredibly barren movepool, with very few options not listed already. A physical set with Sap Sipper can be decent, but Zebstrika's lack of a movepool really lets it down. Charge Beam can be used to boost Zebstrika's Special Attack, but because Zebstrika relies on Overheat for coverage, it is often counterproductive. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, but usually will only lead to Zebstrika getting walled. Zebstrika can use Rain Dance and Thunder to good effect, but would rather not set up weather for the enemy to use. Discharge can be used for the extra paralysis chance, but the drop in power is not what Zebstrika wants. Motor Drive is handy for a Speed boost, but Zebstrika prefers Lightningrod because of its lack of power and already excellent Speed.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Zebstrika isn't that strong, so anything with decent Special Defense will be able to handle it. Lickilicky and Flareon do extremely well against it due to their great Special Defense and recovery in Wish. Gardevoir can trace Lightningrod for a free Special Attack boost and has high enough Special Defense to tank an Overheat easily. Camerupt is a great counter because it is immune to Thunderbolt, resists Overheat, and takes negligible damage from Hidden Power, while OHKOing in return with STAB Earth Power. Dragon-types such as Altaria and Fraxure counter any set without Hidden Power Ice. Ground-types work well because they can tank anything except Hidden Power, which in turn is a terrible move to be locked into. Seismitoad does a great job because it hard counters any set without Hidden Power Grass. Probopass fears nothing from Zebstrika and can retaliate with Earth Power. Cradily can also tank any attack with ease and can either boost in front of Zebstrika or retaliate with a STAB attack. Bulky Fighting-types, in particular Gurdurr and Throh, can switch in on Zebstrika with impunity and hit it with Drain Punch or Circle Throw, respectively. Electric-types fear nothing from Zebstrika but can do little in return because it is immune to Electric-type attacks, so they are forced to whittle it down with unSTABed Hidden Powers. Regirock has a good enough Special Defense that it can switch in with ease and respond with Stone Edge or Rock Slide, easily defeating Zebstrika.</p>
