Already further than Ablast got, I understand why he left it
Overview
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At first glance, Zygarde looks like a bad Dragon-type Pokemon. Although it has good bulk, it has very few support moves and a mediocre Attack stat, so it cannot even hit hard. It faces heavy competition from other Dragon-types, which boast better offensive and Speed stats. It doesn't even have a useful ability — Aura Break only works on the banned Xerneas and Yveltal. However, Zygarde has a niche as it possesses Glare and Land's Wrath. Land's Wrath is a spread Ground-type attack unique to Zygarde that doesn't hit Zygarde's ally. Glare lets Zygarde paralyze Ground-types, which are immune to Thunder Wave. This means it can paralyze Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill, all common Pokemon in the metagame. Zygarde's nice 108 / 121 / 95 bulk and good base 95 Speed let it paralyze much of the opposing team before being taken down and pose a major threat to the opponent mid- and late-game.
Bulky Attacker
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name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Glare / Substitute
move 2: Land's Wrath
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Protect / Substitute
ability: Aura Break
item: Leftovers
evs: 112 HP / 248 Atk / 148 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Glare is Zygarde's main niche and the move in the first slot, being able to paralyze Ground-types, slowing the opponent down so that Zygarde's ally can outspeed them and hit hard. Substitute aims to keep Zygarde on the field for as long as possible, making it functionally immune to status moves and allowing it to soak up attacks. Zygarde's good bulk and resistance to Fire-type attacks allows it to easily set up a Substitute and proceed to stay behind it for a few turns. Land's Wrath, Zygarde's signature move, is the next move on the set, as it is a powerful STAB attack and doesn't force Zygarde's ally to be a Flying-type or have Levitate to not be hit, making it good for teams with more Pokemon weak to Ground-type attacks and fewer switch-ins to Earthquake. Stone Edge is used over Rock Slide as it bypasses Wide Guard and also has much more power than Rock Slide. It is most useful for hitting Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame hard. Protect is a staple move in Doubles, as it can guard Zygarde from a potentially fatal attack while it's ally KOes the threat or stall out weather conditions and Trick Room/Tailwind turns. However, Substitute can be used here as Zygarde will find it easier to set up on a slower, paralyzed opponent.
Set Details
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The investment in Speed lets Zygarde paralyze Breloom or set up a Substitute before being put to sleep with Spore. Zygarde should also be heavily invested in Attack to hit hard once opponents have been slowed down with Glare. The remaining EVs should be put in HP for overall bulk to give Zygarde an easier time paralyzing the opponent. If Substitute is used over Glare or Protect, an EV spread of 144 HP / 216 Atk / 148 Spe should be used, as this still outspeeds Jolly 252 Speed Breloom to set up a Substitute before being put to sleep with Spore, but is invested less in Attack to just guarantee an OHKO on Modest 176 / 0 Heatran, with the remaining EVs put into bulk. However, the Substitute set is outclassed by Garchomp, which can reach the exact same stats in defenses, Attack, and Speed while still having 8 leftover EVs. An Adamant nature is used on both spreads for maximum Attack. A Jolly nature can be used for greater Speed, but is not recommended because Zygarde doesn't outspeed anything else significant and it misses out on the OHKO on Heatran with Land's Wrath. Leftovers is the item used because it can gain a lot of HP back over time and greatly increase Zygarde's longevity, which aids it in paralyzing the opposing team or setting up Substitutes.
Usage Tips
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As Zygarde's best stats are in bulk, it can switch into resisted attacks and even some neutral attacks and either paralyze the opponent or deal some damage. Once Zygarde is on the field, proceed to paralyze as much of the opposing team as possible, use Protect when necessary or to get a bit more health from Leftovers, or just hit a Heatran or Flying-type for good damage with the correct STAB attack. Zygarde can also act as an effective pivot and switch to an ally to let them get solid damage off on its checks such as Landorus. Zygarde is most effective mid-game, as it struggles to sweep late-game due to its relatively low base Speed and the set having no boosting moves. Zygarde can neutralize fast threats with Glare or deal damage when opposing Pokemon have been weakened a little for faster sweepers to clean up, because its bulk helps it stay for a long time.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can deal with Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-types make good partners, so Zygarde can last for longer to paralyze more of the opposing team. Mega Mawile is a good option as it resists Ice- and Fairy-type attacks and is immune to Dragon-type attacks, and can hit them all for super effective damage. It isn't hit by Zygarde's Land's Wrath and also appreciates Heatran being removed by Zygarde. Other Pokemon that appreciate Heatran being taken care of are good partners; both Mega Charizard X and Y have their STAB attacks walled by Heatran, and Mega Charizard Y also resists Fairy-type attacks. Wide Guard users are also good partners as Zygarde is very vulnerable to Hyper Voice, which even bypasses Substitute. Aegislash resists all of Zygarde's weaknesses and also has great bulk to be able to use Wide Guard for many turns. Fake Out users make good partners as they can potentially give Zygarde a free turn to paralyze an opponent or set up a Substitute. Hitmontop is a notable choice as it has Intimidate to weaken physical attackers as well as Wide Guard. It also gets Feint to let Zygarde hit Heatran and Charizard that are using Protect as well as bypass Wide Guard and attack with Land's Wrath. Pokemon that appreciate the opponents being slowed down are good partners, as it is Zygarde's main niche. Aegislash can outspeed and deal heavy damage to Landorus and Garchomp once they have been slowed down by Zygarde. Pokemon that can take out Intimidate users which weaken Zygarde's physical attacks work as partners. Rotom-W easily takes care of Landorus-T and Talonflame beats Hitmontop and Scrafty with its Flying-type STAB attacks. Land's Wrath is one of the main reasons to use Zygarde over other Ground-types, so Pokemon that appreciate not being hit by Earthquake are good partners. Heatran is deserves a mention here as it can use Heat Wave and not have to worry about using Protect.
Other Options
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Extreme Speed can work for a strong priority attack or to pick off weakened opponents, but it doesn't hit very hard as it is not boosted by STAB and Zygarde doesn't have an Attack-boosting item. Rock Slide is an alternative over Stone Edge as it hits both opponents, but the power drop from Stone Edge is noticeable. Coil can work as a boosting option with Substitute as the Defense boost lets Zygarde's Substitute last longer, the Accuracy boost makes Stone Edge more accurate, and the Attack boost makes Zygarde's attacks hit harder. Dragon Dance is another setup option as the increase in Attack and Speed can aid Zygarde in a potential sweep. However, this means Glare, Zygarde's main niche, must be foregone. If Stone Edge is replaced, Zygarde is walled by Flying-types and Pokemon with the Levitate ability. A Chesto Berry with Rest can be used to give Zygarde one-time full health recovery and to heal status conditions like burn. Safeguard is a team support option to protect allies from burns and paralysis. Yache Berry helps Zygarde survive one Ice-type attack and paralyze the opponent or KO a weakened threat.
Checks & Counters
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**Attack Control**: Intimidate users and fast Will-O-Wisp users can check Zygarde as they can weaken its physical attacks. However, Zygarde is not affected by either of these behind a Substitute. Sableye has priority Will-O-Wisps, and so can burn Zygarde before it sets up a Substitute. Landorus-T and Rotom are both immune to Zygarde's STAB Land's Wrath and can Intimidate or burn it, respectively.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can hit Zygarde extremely hard with super effective Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voices ,which bypass Substitutes. Dragon-types can also switch in on Zygarde as it doesn't usually carry a STAB Dragon-type attack. Latios is immune to Land's Wrath and Garchomp resists Stone Edge. However, both must be wary of Glare as they can be slowed down for Zygarde's ally to KO them. Ice-types like Mamoswine can easily OHKO Zygarde with a 4x super effective STAB attack. However, many Ice-types are weak to Rock-type attacks and Mamoswine can be paralyzed, so they must be careful. Ice-type coverage is also common on many Pokemon. Ludicolo can outspeed Zygarde in rain and OHKO with Ice Beam and resist Land's Wrath. Electric-types such as Thundurus and Mega Manectric can outspeed Zygarde and hit it hard with Hidden Power Ice, but Thundurus is weak to Stone Edge and Mega Manectric is weak to Land's Wrath, even though it has Intimidate.
**Utility Moves**: Wide Guard users can block Zygarde's Land's Wrath while a partner KOes it without taking damage. Hitmontop and Aegislash are the best choices here. Hitmontop has Intimidate and Fake Out to hinder Zygarde's capabilities beyond just Wide Guard and Aegislash can hit hard with its base 150 Special Attack. Both also resist Zygarde's Rock-type coverage attack, and can even block it with Wide Guard if Zygarde opts for Rock Slide. Cresselia can use Trick Room and turn Zygarde's Glare into a disadvantage. It can also use Ice Beam to hit Zygarde for 4x super effective damage.
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