Overview
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Zygarde is often ridiculed due to its low stats for a supposed titular legendary and is subsequently dismissed as an "inferior Garchomp". However, Zygarde has very well-placed stats, boasting great bulk, decent power, and usable Speed. Dragon- and Ground-type STAB is a powerful combination, able to hit nearly the entire tier for at least neutral damage. Zygarde has great boosting options as well, namely Dragon Dance and Coil, the latter of which is unique to Zygarde in the OU environment. While its offensive movepool is shallow, it is solid enough to threaten a majority of opponents, and also possesses Extreme Speed. That said, Zygarde lacks immediate power compared to its fellow Dragon-type Pokemon and has an unfortunately useless ability. It also does not have a reliable Dragon-type attack, which can limit its sweeping ability. It takes a tad longer for Zygarde to become a threat compared to other Dragons, but that does not make it any less of one.
SubCoil
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name: SubCoil
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Coil
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Dragon Tail
ability: Aura Break
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Moves
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Substitute blocks status and various weaker attacks, and also guards Zygarde against faster Pokemon. Coil is an enhanced Bulk Up, boosting Zygarde's Attack, Defense, and accuracy, which ensures a perfectly accurate Dragon Tail. This allows Zygarde to become exceptionally tanky. Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable attack and offers good power. Dragon Tail prevents slower phazers from forcing out Zygarde's Substitute, while also hitting airborne Pokemon and forcing out unfavorable matchups or opposing stat boosters.
Set Details
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Maximum HP investment allows for Zygarde to set up 105 HP Substitutes, which allows Zygarde to tank 2 Seismic Tosses before breaking. Maximum Special Defense prevents weaker special attacks such as Mega Venusaur's Giga Drain and Vaporeon's Scald from breaking Zygarde's Substitute, while Coil makes up for its Defense. Zero Attack EVs ensure STAB Foul Play will not break the Substitute, so the remaining EVs go into Defense instead. Leftovers is the essential item, allowing Zygarde to recover health lost from Substitute.
Usage Tips
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SubCoil Zygarde has an great advantage against defensive teams, setting up easily on Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Mandibuzz, Tyranitar, Ferrothorn, bulky Mega Scizor, and Heatran. Zygarde can set up a Substitute against the many foes unable to break it, then boost away. Should any problematic Pokemon trouble Zygarde, it can Dragon Tail them away behind the safety of the Substitute, and might even drag out the opponent's setup fodder again; continually repeating this will easily wear down Zygarde's checks.
Team Options
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Specially based Fairy-types, especially Unaware Clefable, Sylveon, and Togekiss, can pose a problem due to their immunity to Dragon Tail, so Pokemon that can threaten them make good partners; Aegislash, Scizor, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Venusaur are good options. Draco Meteor and Ice Beam are two special attacks Zygarde fears greatly, so Pokemon that resist one or preferably both of these moves make great partners; Azumarill, Sylveon, Aegislash, and Scizor come to mind. Entry hazard users make helpful teammates, as they can maximize the effectiveness of Zygarde's Dragon Tail, and Pokemon such as Heatran and Skarmory can even cover Zygarde's weaknesses; however, it is worth mentioning that the hazards do not stay long, as Zygarde does not do a good job of preventing Rapid Spin or Defog, so they are not essential. If you do choose a hazard user, make sure to have a response against anti-hazards on your team, such as spinblockers or Defiant Pokemon; Aegislash and Bisharp make great teammates as they can deal with Fairy-types as well.
Pokemon immune to Ground-type moves such as bulky Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate can pose some issues for Zygarde, as they can force Zygarde to use its negative priority Dragon Tail, allowing them to respond accordingly by either healing or breaking Zygarde's Substitute. Thundurus and Greninja can threaten a good majority of available Flying-types as well as Levitate users. Alternatively, lures such as Hidden Power Grass Greninja, Hidden Power Ice Terrakion or Landorus-T, and Swords Dance Head Smash Aegislash can take out Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Gliscor, Landorus-T, Mandibuzz, and Skarmory. Teammates should pick up the slack against offensive teams that do not provide Zygarde an opportunity to set up. VoltTurn users such as Talonflame and Thundurus-I can easily harass offensive teams, but slower users such as Scizor and Rotom-W can instead try to bring Zygarde in safely. Pokemon that can spread paralysis can slow down offensive Pokemon so they too fall victim to Zygarde, thus making Klefki and Thundurus-I good partners - Klefki even provides Spikes for Zygarde's Dragon Tail.
Dragon Dance
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Stone Edge / Extreme Speed
ability: Aura Break
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moves
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Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, readying Zygarde to sweep its opponent. Earthquake provides solid damage with no drawbacks, making it Zygarde's most reliable attack and premier sweeping move. Outrage hits hard after a single boost, but locks Zygarde in and confuses it afterward; however, it is effective at cleaning up opponents late-game. Stone Edge hits Togekiss and picks off Flying-types such as Thundurus and Tornadus without resorting to Outrage. Extreme Speed can be used to outpace opposing priority users, most notably Talonflame and Mamoswine, though their inability to OHKO Zygarde anyway means Extreme Speed isn't too necessary.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature provides Zygarde with greater sweeping potential after a single Dragon Dance, and maximum Speed investment ensures Zygarde Speed ties with neutral Kyurem-B, and also outspeeds neutral Mega Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Jolly Gyarados. Alternatively, Jolly with 164 Speed EVs outruns Mega Alakazam and Mega Aerodactyl at +1, though the lack of an Attack-boosting nature substantially drops Zygarde's power, not to mention the relative rarity of these threats. The remaining EVs can be placed in any other stat. Lum Berry allows Zygarde to set up on status users, such as Rotom-W, Chansey, and Gliscor, or snap Zygarde out of Outrage confusion. Life Orb can be used to give Zygarde a significant power boost, considering its base Attack is not as good as other Dragons, but it cuts into Zygarde's bulk, an advantage it does have over other Dragon-types. Yache Berry allows Zygarde to survive unSTABed Ice-type moves, allowing Zygarde to either set up on them or prevent itself from being revenge killed.
Usage Tips
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Dragon Dance Zygarde's greatest advantage over Dragonite is its resistance to Stealth Rock, lessening the need for entry hazard removal from teammates. This set is very straightforward: boost once (twice if possible) and start attacking. Between the boosted Speed, high bulk, and a powerful STAB combination, Dragon Dance Zygarde can pose a serious threat to offensive teams. Zygarde should optimally be set to sweep after one Dragon Dance, cleaning up with a speedy and powerful Earthquake or Outrage. Ground resistant or immune Pokemon, or physically bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon, should be removed before going for the sweep, so as to avoid being forced into using Outrage early. Hard-hitting offensive Pokemon such as Aegislash, Greninja, Thundurus, and Azumarill do a great job at wreaking havoc and softening up opposing teams, which can pave the way for Zygarde to clean things up. When running Extreme Speed, it allows Zygarde to perform the occasional revenge kill on weakened Pokemon such as Talonflame. Zygarde uses its good bulk and resistances to tank a hit and set up, or threatens foes with STAB Earthquake to gain free turns. If Life Orb is used, take care not to let Zygarde's health drop too low before setting up.
Team Options
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Rotom-W is a great partner regardless of the coverage option; it takes on Togekiss for Zygardes that lack Stone Edge and can handle Talonflame and Mamoswine for Zygarde without Extreme Speed. Gothitelle makes an amazing teammate, as it traps Skarmory, Clefable, and Quagsire, all of which would otherwise be a royal pain for Zygarde to overcome on its own. While Stealth Rock benefits any offensive Pokemon, it is especially helpful for Zygarde, as it weakens a good majority of Ground-resistant Pokemon, which allows Zygarde to pick them off with its weaker move as opposed to using Outrage to KO them. Because Flying-type Pokemon and Levitate users can get in the way of a clean sweep, teammates that can handle these Pokemon are recommended. Kyurem-B, Thundurus-I, and Raikou are great anti-Flying-type measures, while luring and hurting a good majority of Levitate users as well. Zygarde finds it easier to set up on opponents weak to Ground-type moves; Talonflame lures in Rock-types or Steel-types such as Heatran and Tyranitar and U-turns away from them; even a Sylveon's dry Baton Pass can be used to the same effect on various Steel-types. Dual screens aren't necessary, but they ease Zygarde's job of setting up, while its natural bulk makes it even more challenging to take down behind them; Klefki, Deoxys-D or Deoxys-S can provide this support.
DDRest
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name: DDRest
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rest
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Outrage / Stone Edge
ability: Aura Break
item: Chesto Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Moves
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Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, which allows Zygarde to sweep its foe when set up. Rest completely heals Zygarde of any damage and status and is best used when Zygarde has taken a beating from attacks and status moves while boosting with Dragon Dance, undoing your opponent's efforts and threatening them with a fresh, boosted Zygarde. Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable attack and main sweeping move. The last move of choice complements Earthquake well. Outrage hits very hard after a boost or two, but locks Zygarde into the move and confuses it afterward. Stone Edge hits Togekiss and picks off other Flying-types such as Thundurus and Mega Pinsir without needing to confuse Zygarde, but it lacks STAB and can fall short on KOing most other Pokemon that resist Ground.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature maximizes Zygarde's sweeping potential. 136 Speed EVs allow Zygarde to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion at +2 Speed, likely the fastest Choice Scarf Pokemon one will see. This also allows Zygarde to outspeed Noivern and Greninja at +1 Speed and conveniently outspeeds unboosted Adamant Dragonite. The remaining EVs go into HP, which gives Zygarde enough bulk to survive 2 Fire Blasts from Mega Charizard Y. The combination of Chesto Berry and Rest acts as a Full Restore, allowing Zygarde to set up freely on status users such as Rotom-W, Chansey, and Gliscor, then healing itself completely when the time is right so that Zygarde can sweep its foes unhindered by health or status concerns.
Usage Tips
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This Zygarde set aims to use Dragon Dance a couple of times while taking damage and/or status, then uses Rest to refresh itself and sweep with a good amount of health and boosts. With its great bulk, it can set up on numerous Pokemon that have trouble 2HKOing it, so long as they do not have Ice-type moves; this includes such Pokemon as Excadrill, Mega Scizor, Rotom-W, Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, Gengar, Mega Charizard Y, Chansey, Gliscor, and Terrakion. Alternatively, Zygarde can start getting boosts on Pokemon it can threaten out, such as Excadrill, Aegislash, Heatran, Tyranitar, and weakened Mega Mawile, though the risk of Ice Punch and STAB Play Rough make the latter two options risky. Zygarde can also take advantage of weaker Choice-locked attacks, such as Terrakion's Stone Edge, Keldeo's Secret Sword, and Garchomp's Earthquake. Dragon Dance Rest Zygarde works best against balanced teams, where it exploits their weak links to set up and uses its combination of bulk, Speed, and strong dual STAB moves to overwhelm its foes, which are often unprepared to deal with the threat. Zygarde should only face an opponent that it can handle for certain, as Resting too early without getting enough boosts may cut its sweep short, and Zygarde likely won't get a chance to do it again.
Team Options
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Zygarde's main spamming move is Earthquake, making Flying-types and Levitate users notable annoyances. Stealth Rock can clip the wings of the former, with Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Heatran being good users of the move. These Pokemon do not clash weaknesses with Zygarde, unlike most Ground-type Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon. Deoxys-S and Tyranitar can take on most Flying-types, while Ferrothorn and Heatran offer decent defensive synergy alongside Leech Seed and burn support, respectively. Kyurem-B, Thundurus, and Raikou are great anti-Flying-type measures, luring and hurting a good majority of Levitate users as well. Fairy-types can be a huge obstacle in Zygarde's path, most notably physically defensive variants of Clefable, Sylveon, and Togekiss; Steel-types such as Scizor, Excadrill, Magnezone, and Heatran can take out these Pokemon. Additionally, Scizor can use U-turn to bring Zygarde in safely or Pursuit trap Latios and Latias, Excadrill can weaken or take out the opponent's Ground-type checks, Magnezone can trap Skarmory and has a slow Volt Switch which also takes care of Flying-types, and Heatran can spread burns to ease Zygarde's setup. Gothitelle also makes a great teammate due to its ability to pick off Unaware users such as Clefable and Quagsire.
Because this Zygarde aims to rack up multiple boosts and has the means to heal off any damage and status incurred, dual screens would heavily boost this set's effectiveness, with Klefki, Deoxys-D, and Rotom-W making great users. Klefki has Prankster Thunder Wave to slow down threats and has decent defensive synergy with Zygarde, Deoxys-D can stack multiple entry hazards or Taunt Defoggers, and Rotom-W can use a slow Volt Switch to bring Zygarde in safely.
Parashuffler
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name: Parashuffler
move 1: Glare
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Tail
move 4: Substitute
ability: Aura Break
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Moves
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Glare is essentially a superior Thunder Wave, as it is just as accurate and can also paralyze Ground-types. Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable STAB move and targets grounded Electric-types such as Raikou and Mega Manectric, which cannot be paralyzed. Dragon Tail phazes out foes, bringing out new opponents for Zygarde to paralyze. Substitute is used to take advantage of the free turns its paralyzed foes give, especially those that repeatedly switch in with the intent of shielding their teammates from the same fate, and it also guards against status such as burn and poison.
Set Details
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Because Zygarde cannot boost its Defense with Coil anymore, Defense is maxed out to tank physical attacks. Zygarde's impressive physical bulk lets it serve as an emergency check to a huge variety of physical attackers, such as Mega Pinsir, Talonflame, Mega Tyranitar, Landorus-T, and Terrakion, as well as unboosted foes such as Garchomp, Gyarados, and even Mega Charizard X, which Zygarde can paralyze or phaze. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense.
Usage Tips
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This Zygarde set aims to spread paralysis on everything. From there, it can Earthquake grounded Electric-types, use Substitute against status users so they do not impede Zygarde's job and shorten its staying power, and use Dragon Tail to phaze out paralyzed opponents so Zygarde has new foes to Glare. If the opponent persists in repeatedly sending out their already paralyzed Pokemon, Zygarde may take advantage by using Dragon Tail or Substitute on the switch, or make use of their paralysis by setting up a free Substitute.
Team Options
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Attackers that have trouble outspeeding opponents, such as Mega Heracross and Bisharp, greatly appreciate Zygarde's paralysis support, especially because paralysis affects Flying-types and cannot be Defogged away, unlike Sticky Web. This set's performance is greatly enhanced by entry hazards, as it forces a lot of switches; Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory can lay down Spikes while covering Zygarde's weaknesses, while Heatran and Tyranitar can provide Stealth Rock support, with more offensive variants even taking advantage of paralyzed foes. Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Gliscor are immune to both paralysis and Earthquake, making them big obstacles; Mega Venusaur, Sylveon, Clefable, and Kyurem-B can take on all three for the most part, although Kyurem-B does stack weaknesses, which is more prominent, as this Zygarde is a defensive variant.
Other Options
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Camouflage may be used to remove most of Zygarde's weaknesses and give it STAB Extreme Speed, but Dragon Dance and Coil gives Extreme Speed the same boost and powers up Zygarde's other moves instead of weakening them like Camouflage does by removing their STAB. Land's Wrath is completely inferior to Earthquake, so don't let its title of "signature move" tempt you. Haze lets Zygarde stop setup sweepers, but Zygarde lacks the tools or offensive presence to deter most foes from setting up again, plus it has Dragon Tail anyway. Toxic can cripple some of Zygarde's bulkier checks, but none of its sets really have the moveslot for it. RestTalk + Dragon Tail can improve Zygarde's longevity, but Hippowdon makes a better bulky phaser due to its better recovery and spare moveslots.
Checks & Counters
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**Anti-Setup**: Zygarde thrives on setting up, so disrupting it from doing so is a good way to keep it under control. Unaware Clefable and Quagsire stop Zygarde cold, the latter of which threatens with STAB Moonblast. A quick Taunt can prevent Zygarde from doing much more, limiting its offensive presence. Tricking a Choice item onto Zygarde can utterly ruin it for the most part. Phazing can be an option, though most users are outsped by Zygarde's Dragon Tail, making it less effective.
**Status**: Zygarde really doesn't like being hit by status at all. Even the Rest sets could do without being pressured to sleep early. Burns heavily cripple Zygarde, though Substitute coupled with Zygarde's Speed can make it difficult to cause a status affliction; Talonflame and fast Rotom-W are among the few status users that can outpace Zygarde. Gliscor can also Toxic Zygarde before the latter sets up a Substitute.
**Ground- Immune Pokemon**: Bulky Flying-types and Levitate users such as Landorus-T, Mandibuzz, Togekiss, Skarmory, and Rotom-W are immune to Zygarde's most reliable attack, forcing it to use less desirable attacks such as Outrage, Dragon Tail, and Stone Edge. That said, forcing Zygarde to use those attacks might not actually stop it on the spot, but it can potentially interrupt its sweep. This is especially problematic for Dragon Tail variants, as bulky Flying-types with recovery can typically outlast Zygarde's Dragon Tail PP while deterring it from using Earthquake to give them free switches. Zapdos might be at risk when Roosting due to it being potentially faster than Zygarde, but Pressure can punish mispredictions on Zygarde's part, and Skarmory and Mandibuzz do not mind repeatedly switching in and being phased by Dragon Tails due to their high Defense, Roost, and in Skarmory's case, resistance.
**Bypassing Substitute**: Sylveon's and Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice, Infiltrator Noivern, and Icicle Spear are all capable of busting through Zygarde's Substitute, rendering the SubCoil set's attempts to set up completely futile.
**Faster Pokemon**: In a similar vein, Pokemon that can still act before Dragon Dance Zygarde can potentially make it useless. Choice Scarf Garchomp, Deoxys-S, and Ice Shard Mamoswine are such examples, as they can outspeed +1 Zygarde and KO it with super effective attacks, though Extreme Speed Zygarde will land a hit on them first, and the former two cannot stop a Zygarde that has attained more than one boost.
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