[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 8
**Price Range**: 1-2 points
**Overview**: Zebstrika can be a decent final pick to patch some holes in a draft with its great Speed tier, solid Attack with ok coverage, and nice immunities with its abilities. Unfortunately, it struggles with power as well as frailty, often needing Life Orb to achieve the KOs it wants while making its already subpar bulk even worse. Zebstrika also has a lot of competition with other low-tier Electric-types and wallbreakers that have the necessary coverage and power that it often lacks, making it a rare pick for most drafts.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Mixed / Physical Wallbreaker**: Zebstrika can use its great Speed tier and okay Attack stat to threaten some teams offensively. It typically relies on damage-boosting items to deal a reasonable amount of damage.
**Revenge Killer**: Zebstrika can use its Speed tier coupled with Choice Scarf to act as a revenge killer to a lot of opposing setup threats, and it is able to use Volt Switch to keep up momentum.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Supercell Slam, Wild Charge, Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Discharge
**Setup Moves**: Flame Charge, Trailblaze, Agility
**Utility Moves**: Thunder Wave, Taunt, Roar, Substitute
**Coverage**: Overheat, High Horsepower, Low Kick, Smart Strike
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Endeavor can be used alongside Quick Attack and Focus Sash to potentially secure a trade against teams lacking a Ghost-type.
**Light Screen**: Zebstrika can use Light Screen to let itself and its teammates take hits on the special side, but it unfortunately lacks Reflect.
Common Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Zebstrika often makes use of Life Orb, as it wants all the power it can get and likes switching moves to use its solid coverage, and the recoil is not as important as it's already very frail. Expert Belt is an option if it doesn't want to take recoil damage from Life Orb.
**Choice Scarf**: Zebstrika can use its Speed with Choice Scarf to outspeed most Speed-boosting setup threats and either paralyze them with Thunder Wave or threaten a KO.
Niche Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Focus Sash can be used alongside Endeavor, or it can let Zebstrika survive one hit and nail something with a Thunder Wave, crippling an opposing Pokemon for the rest of the game.
**Choice Band / Specs**: Choice Band and Specs can be used to boost Zebstrika's middling offensive stats, but it usually struggles with being locked into one move, since foes can easily take advantage of its limited coverage, so this usually isn't recommended.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon can be used to gain entry on certain Ground-type attacks and temporarily help Zebstrika deal with its main weakness.
Tera
========
Zebstrika generally shouldn't be a Tera Captain, as there are usually better alternatives available, but it can perform decently with options like Tera Grass and Ice to threaten the Ground-types that usually wall it. It can also use its abilities alongside Tera to make better use of its immunities and check certain Pokemon defensively.
Draft Strategy
========
Zebstrika usually isn't recommended on most teams, but as a low-cost Pokemon, it can fit well on already-solid teams that appreciate the Speed tier and immunities it brings.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Zebstrika struggles to damage most Ground-types not weak to its coverage like Great Tusk, Garchomp, and Donphan, as it lacks the coverage necessary to beat them, and they can easily force it out and gain positive momentum.
**Generally bulky Pokemon**: Because of Zebstrika's middling Attack, it can struggle to do meaningful damage to most bulky Pokemon that are not threatened by its coverage like Landorus-T, Scream Tail, and Latias.
**Faster Pokemon**: Zebstrika has next to no bulk, so most faster Pokemon like Cinderace, Darkrai, and Meowscarada can threaten it with huge damage. A weakened Zebstrika can also be picked off by priority.
**Chip Damage**: Zebstrika can easily be chipped down into low health thanks its reliance on Life Orb for damage, entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, and Wild Charge / Supercell Slam recoil.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zebstrikemdown.547666/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 8
**Price Range**: 1-2 points
**Overview**: Zebstrika can be a decent final pick to patch some holes in a draft with its great Speed tier, solid Attack with ok coverage, and nice immunities with its abilities. Unfortunately, it struggles with power as well as frailty, often needing Life Orb to achieve the KOs it wants while making its already subpar bulk even worse. Zebstrika also has a lot of competition with other low-tier Electric-types and wallbreakers that have the necessary coverage and power that it often lacks, making it a rare pick for most drafts.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Mixed / Physical Wallbreaker**: Zebstrika can use its great Speed tier and okay Attack stat to threaten some teams offensively. It typically relies on damage-boosting items to deal a reasonable amount of damage.
**Revenge Killer**: Zebstrika can use its Speed tier coupled with Choice Scarf to act as a revenge killer to a lot of opposing setup threats, and it is able to use Volt Switch to keep up momentum.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Supercell Slam, Wild Charge, Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Discharge
**Setup Moves**: Flame Charge, Trailblaze, Agility
**Utility Moves**: Thunder Wave, Taunt, Roar, Substitute
**Coverage**: Overheat, High Horsepower, Low Kick, Smart Strike
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Endeavor can be used alongside Quick Attack and Focus Sash to potentially secure a trade against teams lacking a Ghost-type.
**Light Screen**: Zebstrika can use Light Screen to let itself and its teammates take hits on the special side, but it unfortunately lacks Reflect.
Common Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Zebstrika often makes use of Life Orb, as it wants all the power it can get and likes switching moves to use its solid coverage, and the recoil is not as important as it's already very frail. Expert Belt is an option if it doesn't want to take recoil damage from Life Orb.
**Choice Scarf**: Zebstrika can use its Speed with Choice Scarf to outspeed most Speed-boosting setup threats and either paralyze them with Thunder Wave or threaten a KO.
Niche Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Focus Sash can be used alongside Endeavor, or it can let Zebstrika survive one hit and nail something with a Thunder Wave, crippling an opposing Pokemon for the rest of the game.
**Choice Band / Specs**: Choice Band and Specs can be used to boost Zebstrika's middling offensive stats, but it usually struggles with being locked into one move, since foes can easily take advantage of its limited coverage, so this usually isn't recommended.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon can be used to gain entry on certain Ground-type attacks and temporarily help Zebstrika deal with its main weakness.
Tera
========
Zebstrika generally shouldn't be a Tera Captain, as there are usually better alternatives available, but it can perform decently with options like Tera Grass and Ice to threaten the Ground-types that usually wall it. It can also use its abilities alongside Tera to make better use of its immunities and check certain Pokemon defensively.
Draft Strategy
========
Zebstrika usually isn't recommended on most teams, but as a low-cost Pokemon, it can fit well on already-solid teams that appreciate the Speed tier and immunities it brings.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Zebstrika struggles to damage most Ground-types not weak to its coverage like Great Tusk, Garchomp, and Donphan, as it lacks the coverage necessary to beat them, and they can easily force it out and gain positive momentum.
**Generally bulky Pokemon**: Because of Zebstrika's middling Attack, it can struggle to do meaningful damage to most bulky Pokemon that are not threatened by its coverage like Landorus-T, Scream Tail, and Latias.
**Faster Pokemon**: Zebstrika has next to no bulk, so most faster Pokemon like Cinderace, Darkrai, and Meowscarada can threaten it with huge damage. A weakened Zebstrika can also be picked off by priority.
**Chip Damage**: Zebstrika can easily be chipped down into low health thanks its reliance on Life Orb for damage, entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, and Wild Charge / Supercell Slam recoil.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zebstrikemdown.547666/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
