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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Combat/PVP Discussion Thread

Did end up getting to rank A tonight (have done almost everything else in the game so wanted to get there before the end of the season) Ended up going with Garchomp/Gyarados/Glaceon

Biggest headache I generally came up against was Skarmory. Elemental punching Metagross was also not so fun. Even the one match I came 4th still managed to eek out enough bonus points to get a net positive.
 
I don't have any personal anecdotes to add to this thread as I don't have the game but I saw this tier list from a Japanese player on Twitter and thought I'd share it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1982269931082399851

(I used the automatic translation for explanations, but replace "Armarouge" with "Skarmory," no idea how Grok decided エアームド was a Pokémon not in Z-A whose Japanese name is not remotely similar [グレンアルマ].)
 
CPU said:
I don't have any personal anecdotes to add to this thread as I don't have the game but I saw this tier list from a Japanese player on Twitter and thought I'd share it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1982269931082399851

(I used the automatic translation for explanations, but replace "Armarouge" with "Skarmory," no idea how Grok decided エアームド was a Pokémon not in Z-A whose Japanese name is not remotely similar [グレンアルマ].)
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Alright I'm fascinated cuz I know that Glaceon is viable due to Freeze-Dry and the large quotient of strong dragons, grounds and Gyarados but I could've never imagined my boy Dedenne having a role. What does he do that other Electrics don't?
 
Yung Dramps said:
Alright I'm fascinated cuz I know that Glaceon is viable due to Freeze-Dry and the large quotient of strong dragons, grounds and Gyarados but I could've never imagined my boy Dedenne having a role. What does he do that other Electrics don't?
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Guessing it's a fast light screener that's extremely small and has useful resistances. Also super fang?
 
Karilyn said:
I tested a bunch of different speed values, and the stat seems to work differently above and below 100 Speed.

Below 100 Speed, it increases the speed of the attack animation speed, and has no effect on cool down.

Above 100 Speed, it reduces the length of the cooldown, and has no effect on attack animation speed.
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That checks out! Speed investment didn't shorten Mawile's cooldowns (far as I could tell anyway), but moves took a lot less time to fire off for sure.

OH and I forgot the best part about Play Rough - it's nigh unavoidable! Once it's selected and the user finishes charging it up, they just teleport right on top of the target no matter how far away they go. Seems to have a surprisingly big hitbox too, as I got double kills surprisingly easily with it, but that might just be the plus/mega boost.

Ftr, although people are saying the meta's looking like steel, ground and dragon-types (and ofc Gyarados), there's still tons of starters and mystery gift Gardevoirs around (speaking as an E-rank) and they do pretty solid in the current meta, so expect them to stick around. I've yet to see a mega skarm despite people saying he's busted, but maybe that's just because Skarm's a giant pain to catch lol
 
CPU said:
I don't have any personal anecdotes to add to this thread as I don't have the game but I saw this tier list from a Japanese player on Twitter and thought I'd share it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1982269931082399851

(I used the automatic translation for explanations, but replace "Armarouge" with "Skarmory," no idea how Grok decided エアームド was a Pokémon not in Z-A whose Japanese name is not remotely similar [グレンアルマ].)
Click to expand...
OH and now that it occurs to me, I'm a little surprised to see Talonflame on here!

I thought he'd end up kinda niche but I can see why he'd be good, what with both ground immunity and steel resis, and I've gotten surprising amounts of success with him.
I'll share my set below but I'm down to know how y'all run yours, especially since I really dunno how to handle the EV spread/nature.

1761597795666.gif

- Flare Blitz / Brave Bird: Physical nuke to swoop in and steal kills with.
- Heat Wave / Air Slash: Ranged move to chip/finish off opponents from a distance. Flamethrower can't match HW's range and consistency, so its slightly shorter cooldown's not really worth it in my book.
- U-Turn: Lets him retreat after Flare/BB or escape an opponent who's getting too close. Talonflame engaging/disengaging on its terms, not theirs, makes all the difference.
- Bulk Up: Great setup to use before dive-bombing with his phys nuke and bailing right after with U-Turn, boosting both his damage output and longevity.

I'll probably run Leftovers with him once I get it, since it synergizes with his spacing-based playstyle and helps recover from recoil.
 
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happy Halloween

:sv/gourgeist-super:
Gourgeist-Jumbo @ Sitrus Berry / Assault Vest
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Atk / 60 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Phantom Force
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide
- Shadow Sneak / Bullet Seed

I've been playing a lot with jumbo Gourgeist in A-rank and I've found it to be pretty reasonable. It has some solid matchups among top tier and other common Pokemon: its natural bulk and typing are good against Pokemon like Garchomp, Excadrill, and Lucario, and it hits things like Feraligatr, Metagross, and Gardevoir hard with STABs. Phantom Force is great in general, as we've seen with things like Bounce Gyarados and Dig Ground-types. It can't beat every Fire of course, but Rock Slide will mess up the Fire/Flyings, and Phantom Force can juke Chandelure's Heat Wave most of the time. I've only tried Sitrus Berry, and it feels very strong in Gourgeist's good matchups, but I can see Assault Vest helping to patch up things like Greninja and Charge Mega Ampharos.

Alpha Gourgeist would be best for this, but I don't feel like trying to reset for an alpha jumbo Pumpkaboo, and I've already trained my regular Gourgeist.
 
CPU said:
I don't have any personal anecdotes to add to this thread as I don't have the game but I saw this tier list from a Japanese player on Twitter and thought I'd share it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1982269931082399851

(I used the automatic translation for explanations, but replace "Armarouge" with "Skarmory," no idea how Grok decided エアームド was a Pokémon not in Z-A whose Japanese name is not remotely similar [グレンアルマ].)
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i haven't seen many talk about skarmory in battle club any idea why its considered 'the best' here?
 
astraaaaaaaa said:
i haven't seen many talk about skarmory in battle club any idea why its considered 'the best' here?
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Good mix of bulk, speed and power, good matchups against most of the meta, and a solid typing to back it up, plus Swords Dance - but here's the kicker: they gave him drill run. That alone covers both its weaknesses, and it's fairly strong too.

Haven't seen him in wifi battles yet (if you've been to wild zone 17 you might know why), but I expect I will soon.
 
NotYourOverlord said:
Good mix of bulk, speed and power, good matchups against most of the meta, and a solid typing to back it up, plus Swords Dance - but here's the kicker: they gave him drill run. That alone covers both its weaknesses, and it's fairly strong too.

Haven't seen him in wifi battles yet (if you've been to wild zone 17 you might know why), but I expect I will soon.
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oh incredible

i wanna get shinies of all my pvp mons but skarmory is NOT worth it LOL
 
Vengeance417 said:
metagross.gif
metagross-mega.gif

Metagross @ Metagrossite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch

Yeah, I'm gonna mirror Vinc's sentiment; Metagross is unfair lmao. Whether it's in mega form or not, it deals disgusting damage with coverage for days, can take most super effective hits at least once if you're max HP, and has great matchups into a lot of the popular mons right now. I've been running BoltBeam punches, Heavy Slam, and Earthquake. Thunder Punch I'd say is non-negotiable. It's crucial against the many Gyarados and Greninja that you'll find on the ladder. Ice Punch for the Dragons, Heavy Slam for the stupid STAB move that can let you dodge incoming hits, and Earthquake for the massive AoE and the super effective hit on opposing Steels, especially Excadrill. Mega Metagross is particularly stupid. Gets a massive increase in overall bulk, hence why I opted for max HP instead of Speed. Speaking of Speed, its Speed stat shoots up, too, allowing moves to recharge faster. I've had quite a few games where I'd use Metagross over 80% of the match lol, it's that dumb.

Also similar to Vinc's post, I've been trying Dragonite to shield Metagross from Fire and Ground moves, too, but a physical Mega-less variant instead:

dragonite.gif

Dragonite @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Rush
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

This Dragonite is my lead, doing big damage across the board and gaining Mega energy for Metagross and Gardevoir (my third team member in my DSF core). Fire Punch and Earthquake give me two super effective attacks vs Steel-types, Dragon Rush for the main STAB, and Extreme Speed to pick off weakened foes. It's actually pretty nice, although I don't know what item I want to use with this. Thinking either Leftovers or going max HP and using Assault Vest. It does appreciate the Speed investment letting its Fire Punch and Extreme Speed recharge faster, though. I'll keep looking into this set, but it's pretty cool, ngl.

Edit: after some testing and finally making it to A rank, I'm going with Life Orb for the lead DNite set. If the plan is to deal as much damage as possible, may as well go all in.
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What did you end up going with for your final Gardevoir build? I'm tossing between a Modest nature w/ either 252Spa/252Spe/4Def or 252HP/252Spa/4Def while holding a Leftovers atm
 
watched a video the other night saying that audino is a good niche pick

played with it just and i can say the mega does NOT die

outside of mega though, never take it out of the ball

i do want to experiment though, idk its best moveset


Audino @ Audinite
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Flamethrower
- Hyper Voice
- Reflect
- Wish


gonna experiment without hyper voice it kinda does nothing


update: don't use audino
 
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Karilyn said:
I tested a bunch of different speed values, and the stat seems to work differently above and below 100 Speed.

Below 100 Speed, it increases the speed of the attack animation speed, and has no effect on cool down.

Above 100 Speed, it reduces the length of the cooldown, and has no effect on attack animation speed.
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Both at once or one or the other? Like if I have a speed of 130, is that 100 speed worth of animation speed and 30 speed worth of cool downs?
 


Glaceon @ Shell Bell
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind


Excadrill-Mega @ Excadrite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drill Run
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance



Charizard-Mega-X @ Charizardite X
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Rush
- Fire Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Swords Dance

been using this team

i feel like the only difference i should make is changing shell bell to never melt
 
I managed to reach A-Rank Last night. Bear in mind that this not the most optimal sets, I was just trying to reach the Greninjite, but I did take the time to EV and Hyper Train my Pokemon.

Ampharos-Mega @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 50
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 HP
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- U-turn

Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Sand Force
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Dig

Ignore abilities and Tera, they don't exist. I understand that Dragon Rush is superior to Dragon Claw, but I was too impatient to grind the levels required for it. The basic idea is to Dual Screen with Ampharos, who can also be offensive threat with Dragon Pulse and Volt Switch, especially against Mega Gyarados and Dragon types. Talonflame and Garchomp serve as the set up sweepers with Swords Dance. Talonflame in particular is great for picking up KOes thanks to how long Brave Bird and Flare Blitz goes along with recoil. Recoil is actually really good in this game since it can KO you early, and prevents you from getting a KO. For the next season, I'll probably try Mega Ampharos with Nasty Plot Froslass and either Garchomp or Greninja depending what I need.

Its very fun, and I agree people shouldn't be intimidated by "Ranked" Battles. The only way you will lose if you choose not to do anything. Just pick your favorites and have a blast!
 
New to the forums, but thought I'd chime in with my thoughts after reaching Rank A. Some of it has already been said, of course.

For the record, I found my most consistent team was Ampharos/Umbreon for screen support, and Excadril and Gyarados as sweepers. You don't have many weaknesses, both are bulky, and I love the hard-engage play style they both use.


1) If you build mega energy with another pokemon (like screen ampharos), and swap into mega Mawile, you can come in and snipe with insane single-target moves like Fangs/Play Rough.

Mawile has low bulk but ridiculous Attack from losing Huge Power, and great typing (weak to Ground hurts though), and is not a huge and flashy Pokemon that is easily overlooked. I noticed it was poorly ranked in the voting tier list, but it's worth a shot.

2) Plus Moves are the way to go. Unless you rely heavily on boosted Mega stats, use Plus Moves early and often. Running Starmie with Assault Vest or something besides Starmite can let you wipe whole teams with Plus Surfs/Beams. Decent sleeper pick, overall. Even on mega-capable mons, a powerful Plus move to get 2 kills before dying is definitely worth it.

3) Following above, Monotype bulky Pokemon (such as Hippowdon) are amazing in PvP. You'll find Gyarados charging you every match, expecting to get a quick KO, but even if they run Waterfall + Ice Fang, you can survive with half health, and a Plus Thunder Fang + Ice Fang of your own will kill them every time. Curse + Dig will one-shot nearly everything weak to Ground, and you're too hard to kill by anything in 1v1. Hippowdon is SS-tier in this game right now.

4) Plus Screens last 45 seconds compared to basic 30 seconds, and setting up with a long screen can let you roll the competition with certain Pokemon. Umbreon/Ampharos setting up screens as first Pokemon and then swapping to Mega Greninja can lay down absolutely devastating damage alternating Water Shuriken with Surfs and other abilities. Skarmory, Metagross, and some others are other great sweepers with strong Mega forms. The base 30 seconds is usually fine but you gain mega energy so quickly it's often worthwhile.
 
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