[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Rest
move 3: Coil / Haze
move 4: Glare / Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Power Construct
nature: Impish
evs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Defensive Zygarde-C is one of AG's premier physically defensive walls due to its decent typing, great utility moves, and gigantic bulk letting it check a ton of offensive and defensive Pokemon such as Groudon, Marshadow lacking Ice Punch, Necrozma-DM, Zacian-C lacking Play Rough, and Ho-Oh. Thousand Arrows ignores Ground immunities from Pokemon like Ho-Oh and Yveltal, offering nearly unresisted coverage. Rest is Zygarde-C's only recovery move and circumvents Toxic and Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Lunala, Ho-Oh, Giratina, and Necrozma-DM, allowing it to serve as a reliable status absorber. Coil turns Zygarde-C into a threatening bulky sweeper, letting it take advantage of defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Ho-Oh, and Necrozma-DM and go toe to toe with offensive Pokemon like Groudon, Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM, and Swords Dance Zacian-C. Alternatively, Haze can be run over Coil to remove boosts from threatening setup sweepers like offensive Groudon, Dragon Dance Zygarde-C, Swords Dance Zacian-C, and Bulk Up Marshadow, although it makes Zygarde-C almost entirely passive. Glare provides amazing support, paralyzing faster foes like Calyrex-S, Xerneas, and Marshadow for Zygarde-C and its teammates. Dragon Tail is also an option over Glare to phaze bulky walls that can handle Zygarde-C like Lunala and Gothitelle, which is otherwise able to trap and PP stall it, and counteract Ho-Oh's Whirlwind. It also becomes Max Wyrmwind under Dynamax, letting Zygarde-C check Groudon better. Scale Shot is a noteworthy mention, as it enables Zygarde-C to outspeed foes like bulky Eternatus, offensive Yveltal, and unboosted Zekrom, making it an even more threatening bulky sweeper paired with Coil. Thousand Waves alongside Scale Shot gives Zygarde-C plenty of room to boost up to nigh-invincible levels after trapping a passive foe such as Ferrothorn or Necrozma-DM. However, Glare and Dragon Tail are generally more useful because they offer better utility to teams, and the Defense drop from Scale Shot disrupts Coil's Defense increases, making it useless without Thousand Waves. 56 Speed EVs let Zygarde-C outspeed some Gothitelle spreads, paralyzed Zacian-C, and paralyzed Calyrex-S, while the remaining EVs and the Impish nature make Zygarde-C more effective against physical attackers such as Groudon, Zacian-C, and Marshadow. If forgoing Glare, Zygarde-C can run an alternative spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD.
Zygarde-C fits best on balance teams, since it can check threats like Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Ho-Oh while providing invaluable support with Glare. However, it can be exploited by a bunch of top-tier threats in AG such as Xerneas, Eternatus, Calyrex-S, and Kyogre. Teammates that check these threats such as Necrozma-DM, Calyrex-S, Yveltal, and Eternatus or Kyurem-W, respectively, are thus useful. Necrozma-DM can also deal with Play Rough Zacian-C, which is particularly threatening to Zygarde-C, while also providing Stealth Rock support, which Zygarde-C can take advantage of using Dragon Tail. Partners that can deal with Lunala like Yveltal, Marshadow, and Calyrex-S are also appreciated. Ferrothorn synergizes fantastically with Zygarde-C, as it provides Spikes support, which lets Zygarde-C chip down grounded foes using Dragon Tail, while also checking Xerneas and Kyogre for it. In return, Zygarde-C checks Pokemon that threaten Ferrothorn like Ho-Oh, Groudon, and Marshadow lacking Ice Punch. Offensive teammates like Zacian-C and Marshadow benefit a lot from Zygarde-C's Glare support, as it enables them to outspeed fast foes like Calyrex-S and Zacian-C, respectively. Despite Zygarde-C checking Groudon and Marshadow, Zygarde can be OHKOed by Precipice Blades after a Swords Dance boost before Power Construct activates, and Marshadow can carry Ice Punch to beat Zygarde-C. As a result, revenge killers or secondary checks to them like Ditto, Xerneas, and Eternatus are useful.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic is usable in the last moveslot in order to cripple Zygarde-C's checks like Lunala and the uncommon Lugia and Shedinja.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Super Effective Coverage**: Pokemon that carry super effective moves against Zygarde-C such as Xerneas, Play Rough Zacian-C, Kyogre, and Ice Punch Marshadow all threaten it. Dragon-types like Eternatus, Zekrom, and Kyurem-W can also revenge kill Zygarde-C with their threatening STAB moves. Eternatus can particularly threaten Zygarde-C by ignoring the effects of Dynamax with Dynamax Cannon. However, they must be careful of Dragon Tail or Max Wyrmwind dealing heavy damage to them.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Physically defensive walls such as Lunala and bulky Kyogre can pose as huge threats to Zygarde-C. Lunala can nail it with Ice Beam and force it to use Rest with Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, while Calm Mind Kyogre can set up on it and wear it down with Scald. However, Toxic wears down Lunala and forces bulky Kyogre to use Rest.
**Special Wallbreakers**: While Zygarde-C's bulk is impressive, its special bulk its noticeably lower than its physical bulk; this leaves it vulnerable to generally powerful special wallbreakers like Calyrex-S and Life Orb Yveltal, which can wear it down or outright KO it with their STAB moves, especially before Power Construct activates.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rotten, 491896]]
- Quality checked by: [[Guard, 360582], [Geysers, 426798]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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