Introduction
Teambuilding Process

The team starts with the core of defensive Zygarde and Ho-Oh, which is one the most powerful balanced cores right now. While Zygarde can cover many physical threats like Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza, Ho-Oh can deal with Fairy-types like Xerneas and the newcomer Zacian, who is centralizing the tier by quite a bit due to its sheer power and Speed.

Choice Scarf Yveltal came next as a way to deal with Pokémon like Mewtwo and Lunala, which could give to the first two Pokémon a hard time, while also giving Speed control and a pivot to the team. It also helps with Pokémon that could be threatening if Zygarde or Ho-Oh are weakened, like Marshadow, Necrozma-DM, and Ultra Necrozma, and outspeeds Eternatus, which is another Pokémon that is on the rise.

Seeing how the team had two Fairy weakness already and Ho-Oh can't phaze Xerneas out with Dynamax, Sp. Def Necrozma-DM became a natural option that also gave the team Stealth Rock. It also is another Zacian check, as Wild Charge can 2HKO Ho-Oh, making it not the best option to run alone.

Those two came almost together. Even if Zygarde can setup on the late-game, the team lacked immediate wincons, so Zacian and Rayquaza looked very attractive while helping with other Pokémon that were hard to deal with, like Primal Groudon, Yveltal, Primal Kyogre, and Eternatus.
The Team


The team starts with the core of defensive Zygarde and Ho-Oh, which is one the most powerful balanced cores right now. While Zygarde can cover many physical threats like Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza, Ho-Oh can deal with Fairy-types like Xerneas and the newcomer Zacian, who is centralizing the tier by quite a bit due to its sheer power and Speed.



Choice Scarf Yveltal came next as a way to deal with Pokémon like Mewtwo and Lunala, which could give to the first two Pokémon a hard time, while also giving Speed control and a pivot to the team. It also helps with Pokémon that could be threatening if Zygarde or Ho-Oh are weakened, like Marshadow, Necrozma-DM, and Ultra Necrozma, and outspeeds Eternatus, which is another Pokémon that is on the rise.




Seeing how the team had two Fairy weakness already and Ho-Oh can't phaze Xerneas out with Dynamax, Sp. Def Necrozma-DM became a natural option that also gave the team Stealth Rock. It also is another Zacian check, as Wild Charge can 2HKO Ho-Oh, making it not the best option to run alone.






Those two came almost together. Even if Zygarde can setup on the late-game, the team lacked immediate wincons, so Zacian and Rayquaza looked very attractive while helping with other Pokémon that were hard to deal with, like Primal Groudon, Yveltal, Primal Kyogre, and Eternatus.
The Team

Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Glare
The Pokémon that the team started with, Zygarde. Thousand Arrows hits the entire meta at least neutrally, which allows it to remain mono-attacking. Coil not only helps against physical attackers that can boost themselves, like Primal Groudon and Arceus, but also makes it a viable win condition on the late-game while not being to weak to Ditto. Rest offers recovery and cure it from status, allowing it to easily switch into things like Toxic Ho-Oh. Glare cripples almost any Pokémon that would dare to switch into it and has the potential of giving free turns. Dynamax is essentially impossible to OHKO, seeing as even Zacian deals less than 30% with a +1 super effective Play Rough, while Max Quake gives it Sp. Def boosts to help its weaker side even after it goes away.


Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
Making a very powerful core with Zygarde, Ho-Oh comes next. Ho-Oh checks a lot of the meta, like Zacian, Xerneas, Ferrothorn, and support Arceus formes, via its typing, movepool, and Regenerator keeping it healthy throught the match. Sacred Fire is key to hit those Steel-types and has a high burn chance, while Brave Bird is pretty spammable due to its high power, high PP and good typing. Toxic is used against bulkier Pokémon like Arceus and Groudon and do not let them to switch into it for free. Whirlwind stops Ho-Oh from being setup bait against things like Mega Rayquaza without risking Sacred Fire not burning and helps against Substitute users like Vivillon. Ho-Oh is also able to clean on late-game with Dynamax, as it can setup its own sun and boost its Speed while being capable of taking many hits. Heavy-Duty Boots removes Ho-Oh's main weakness in Stealth Rock, and while the EV spread is essentially the same as the standard defensive set, 8 Speed EVs allows it to outspeed Zacian at +2.


Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Foul Play
- U-turn
Yveltal gives Speed control to the team and offers a powerful Dark-type STAB to hit strong Psychic-type Pokémon, like Mewtwo and Lunala, which could give this team a bad time. Dark Pulse is pretty easy to spam in general due to Dark being strong now and has a flinch chance, which can save games in an emergence. It also does good damage to Eternatus, which is very dangerous to the team. Oblivion Wing is nice for some recovery and hits Pokémon like Marshadow while dealing decent damage to Xerneas. Foul Play allows it to revenge kill Pokémon like Ultra Necrozma and discourages physical setup; it even 2HKOes Zacian, so it's not a free switch for it and is able to revenge kill it. U-turn has nice utility by pivoting out and opens some opportunities for Zacian and Rayquaza. Its Dynamax potential isn't as used as the others, but being able to switch moves still is good, and Max Darkness is more powerful than it actually seems, OHKOing Trick Room Necrozma and 2HKOing Pokémon like Arceus and defensive Ho-Oh.


Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
Necrozma-DM comes as the main answer to Xerneas, which can't be dealt with just Ho-Oh when Dynamax is in play. By using Dynamax itself, it can easily take even +2 Max Flare while 2HKOing it back with Max Steelspike. It also is another check to Zacian, which, when running Wild Charge, could almost beat the other Pokémon on the team by itself, and gives the much needed Stealth Rock support to break Focus Sash. Morning Sun gives it longevity and Toxic is good for when Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh want to come in, while also letting it beat most Arceus formes. Like said before, Dynamax Necrozma can take hits from +2 Xerneas, but not only that, it can also boost its own Defense and stall poison turns against Pokémon that resist Steel, like Primal Kyogre.


Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Play Rough
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
Zacian is a very good revenge killer that can also clean late-game. It deals with dangerous Dark- and Dragon-types and other fast Pokémon, like Yveltal, Mega Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Mega Gengar. Substitute is mainly to prevent Ditto from trying to come in and get a +2 boost, but it's also good to scout for some moves and take advantage of forced switches. It also protects it from status moves, like Spore and Nuzzle from Smeargle and Sleep Powder from Vivillon. Play Rough is its main move and key to hit the Pokémon mentioned earlier. Close Combat hits Steel-types like Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn and other Pokémon that resist Fairy like Groudon for good damage, while Wild Charge 2HKOes Ho-Oh and Toxapex and OHKOes Primal Kyogre.


Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
The final member of the team, Mega Rayquaza comes as a setup sweeper and revenge killer. Its typing, ability, and power is mainly helpful for Primal Groudon and not allowing Primal Kyogre to just click Water moves. Dragon Ascent is extremely powerful and OHKOes many Pokémon, like Primal Kyogre, and when coupled with Dragon Dance, pressures most defensive Pokémon, like support Arceus formes and Lugia. The Speed boost from Dragon Dance also makes it faster than Zacian and Eternatus. Earthquake hits most of the few Pokémon that could take one Dragon Ascent, like Necrozma-DM and Zacian, and can hit Groudon without lowering its defenses. Extreme Speed is a priority move that helps it revenge killing faster Pokémon, especially those that can boost their Speed with Dynamax, like Mewtwo, and against Ditto.
Threat List






Conclusion
Despite being my first try on AG, I had quite a bit of a success with the team, peaking top 4 (although I didn't take a screenshot at the time, it was a little above 1700) and possibly being able to go higher. It offers a nice defensive backbone without being too passive, which is the soul of bulky offense, and showcases well the Dynamax power of those Pokémon, as the four Pokémon capable of it can be useful with it depending on the match. Even with some hard matchups, I don't think there's any that is unwinable, although I did consider putting Defog somewhere to help against Vivillon on Sticky Web and something to better deal with Eternatus.
Update: the updated version managed to get top 3 again and a even higher Elo than before, and probably still has the potential to go even further, due to being much more consistent overall.
Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Glare
Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Foul Play
- U-turn
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Play Rough
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Glare
Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Foul Play
- U-turn
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Play Rough
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Glare
Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 196 Def / 52 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Heat Wave
- Taunt
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Play Rough
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Glare
Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 196 Def / 52 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Whirlwind
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Heat Wave
- Taunt
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Play Rough
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
Attachments
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