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Zekrom Dex
[Overview]
<p>With a monstrously high base 150 Attack stat, combined with powerful and complementary Electric- and Dragon- type STAB moves, Zekrom has the power to devastate many teams. Zekrom's signature move, Bolt Strike, will leave enormous dents on even those who resist it, and forces people to run a Ground-type Pokemon or a very bulky Electric-type resister in their teams. Even then, they will have to tread carefully against its extremely powerful Dragon-type STAB moves. While Zekrom does not have much to offer defensively, it is an excellent check to Ho-Oh and defensive Kyogre due to its resistances to Fire-, Flying-, and Water-type moves. However, Zekrom does have notable flaws in its rather middling Speed, common weaknesses, an almost useless ability, and a very limited movepool. Regardless, Zekrom's incredible strength is definitely something to watch out for.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 4: Focus Blast / Volt Switch
nature: Lonely / Naughty
item: Life Orb
evs: 104 HP / 148 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Zekrom is quite a formidable mixed attacker, sporting a great 120 base Special Attack in addition to its obscenely high 150 base Attack. STAB Draco Meteor, bolstered by Life Orb and 339 Special Attack, is a frightening move to switch into. Groudon, a Pokemon that typically easily switches into Zekrom, takes a painful 75%-88% from it, assuming that Groudon has 252 HP / 4 SpD. Bolt Strike complements Draco Meteor very well, providing almost unresisted coverage as well striking extremely hard on the physical side. Its immense strength and excellent type allow Zekrom to blast through Kyogre, Blissey, Eviolite Chansey, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and most Steel-type Pokemon, in addition to giving most Arceus formes a very tough time stalling and setting up. Dragon Claw is Zekrom's most reliable attack, but Outrage can be used if the extra power is needed, such as against Grass or Electric Arceus. Focus Blast allows Zekrom to hit the few Pokemon that resist its STABs, most notably Ferrothorn, but Volt Switch can be used to break Shaymin-S' Substitute and to escape from Wobbuffet.</p>
<p>The Attack EVs allow Zekrom to OHKO the standard Giratina-O with Dragon Claw after Stealth Rock damage. They also allow Bolt Strike to have a high chance of KOing Eviolite Chansey at 75% HP (achieved by two Stealth Rock switch-ins) and to always OHKO 248 HP Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Furthermore, assuming neutrality, 4 HP / 0 Def Arceus will take 71% minimum. The Special Attack EVs maximize the amount of damage Draco Meteor and Focus Blast can do. The rest are thrown into HP to give Zekrom a bit of bulk, and 4 Speed EVs allow it to outrun other base 90 Speed Pokemon that lack any investment. You may find it insufficient, however, so feel free to invest more in Speed until you feel comfortable.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If Focus Blast is too unreliable for your taste, Hidden Power Fire can also nail down Ferrothorn, and OHKO Forretress through its Sturdy ability thanks to Teravolt. This comes at the cost of one Speed and one Special Attack IV, and of being stuck with a pathetically weak move in rain. Thunder Wave is an option to paralyze potential non-Ground-type switch-ins and cripples Lugia, who could actually be a pain to fight against due to Pressure, Reflect, and Roost. As far as EV spreads go, if you're a speed freak, you may consider using maximum Speed and Special Attack, with Hasty or Naive nature. Although it loses a considerable amount of power, the extra Speed helps it minimize the amount of attacks it will have to take or fear. </p>
<p>The first thing you want to consider is what role would Zekrom serve on your team. Zekrom can act as a magnificent Groudon bait, and as such it makes a great partner to Pokemon such as Kyogre and Ho-Oh, both of whom would love to have the opposing Groudon gone. Zekrom also serves as a check to bulky Kyogre (watch out for Scald burns!) and Ho-Oh, and can fit in well in sun teams that struggle against them. </p>
<p>As with literally almost every Pokemon in the game, Zekrom appreciates entry hazards to aid in killing its targets. Forretress, Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory can all set up Spikes and Stealth Rock. All of them but Deoxys-S also resist Dragon, and Skarmory is immune to Ground as well. Forretress also provides Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin support. Groudon can set up Stealth Rock and use its high Defense to sponge Earthquakes and Outrages, and appreciates Zekrom's ability to remove defensive Kyogre. Since Zekrom will be taking 10% damage every time it launches an attack, Wish support can be helpful. Blissey, Chansey, and Jirachi are all capable of passing Wishes to Zekrom; the former two can pass absolutely massive Wishes, while Jirachi resists Zekrom's Dragon- and Ice-type weaknesses. Also, keep in mind that Zekrom cannot handle offensive Kyogre well, and as such Palkia is a great partner.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Dragon Claw
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Fusion Bolt / Volt Switch
nature: Adamant / Jolly
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tremble in fear of Zekrom's Choice Banded and powerful, complementary STAB attacks, bolstered by an Attack stat of 438 (or 399 if you are running Jolly). Its Bolt Strike is powerful enough to terrorize even most of the Pokemon that resist it, dealing a solid 41%-49% to max HP Dialga and 44%-52% to the standard Naughty Giratina-O. With that in mind, Bolt Strike will absolutely murder those who do not resist it. However, as tempting as it is to spam Bolt Strikes, it is unwise if any Ground-types are present, as they will absorb the blow and leave Zekrom helpless. Dragon Claw is a safe move to throw out to damage the Ground-type switch ins, and is a safe move to spam in general. However, it is somewhat weak and doesn't do a lot of damage against defensive Groudon. Outrage provides Zekrom with the ability to 2HKO even 404 HP / 416 Defense Groudon with ease after Stealth Rock damage, and allows it to clean up slower teams, but can leave it very vulnerable to revenge killing. The sole reason Fusion Bolt takes up the fourth slot is for reliability, because Bolt Strike can miss at the worst times. Volt Switch can be used to break Shaymin-S' Substitute so a faster Pokemon can switch in safely.</p>
<p>Unlike the previous set, the EVs are quite simple. It promotes maximum power and gives Zekrom a fair amount of bulk. Similarly to the previous set, some Speed EVs can be added to outrun other Pokemon of similar Speed, such as Kyogre and Ho-Oh. Obviously, if you decide to use Jolly, use 252 Speed instead of HP.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Despite Outrage being able to 2HKO defensive Groudon, it will still be a big pain to fight as it walls the rest of Zekrom's moveset. Luckily, it isn't too hard to counter - defensive Kyogre, Giratina-O, and Grass Arceus are some examples of excellent switch-ins to Groudon. Conversely, Zekrom could lure in Groudon and severely injure or KO it with Outrage (make sure to invest some Speed for this purpose), making it easier for other attackers, like Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Swords Dance Arceus, to sweep. Physically defensive Ferrothorn is an issue as well, resisting both of Zekrom's STAB moves, and as such, Pokemon with access to Fire-type moves are great partners. Forretress can set up entry hazards on Ferrothorn while Rapid Spinning Ferrothorn's away. Unlike the previous set, this Zekrom does not drain its own health every time it attacks, and Wish support is not as demanded (though it is still useful). Otherwise, the partners from the previous set all work well here. </p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Volt Switch / Fusion Bolt
nature: Jolly / Adamant
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Zekrom's middling Speed can be patched up with a Choice Scarf, allowing it to act as a revenge killer. Zekrom possesses a couple of traits that separate it from its fellow Choice Scarfers Palkia, Dialga, and Garchomp. For one, its high Attack and Bolt Strike allow it to take down Mewtwo from 80% health down (73% with Jolly) and to murder Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Lugia, all of whom can give Choice Scarf Palkia, Dialga, and Garchomp issues. With Adamant nature, it can also 2HKO maximum HP Arceus (assuming neutrality, of course), while Palkia, Dialga, and Garchomp are turned into set-up bait. Finally, it has access to Volt Switch, which allows it to keep up the momentum against the opponent so long as a Ground-type doesn't switch in.</p>
<p>Bolt Strike and Outrage are the bread and butter moves of this set, both possessing immense power and STAB, hitting nearly everything for neutral damage. As a matter of fact, Zekrom's Outrage is strong enough to 2HKO offensive Groudon, something Garchomp is incapable of doing. Dragon Claw is a safe move to use should locking into Outrage or Electric-type moves be risky, but it is rather weak. Finally, Fusion Bolt can be used over Volt Switch if you find Volt Switch's utility to be too little for you, and is 100% accurate, unlike Bolt Strike.</p>
<p>Adamant and Jolly are equally viable on Zekrom. With Adamant, Zekrom gains the ability to 2HKO maximum HP Arceus and to OHKO Mewtwo after Stealth Rock damage and one round of Life Orb recoil. However, it loses the Speed tie against other base 90 Choice Scarfers and +1 Speed Ho-Oh and Reshiram (due to Flame Charge). Adamant also means Deoxys-A will outrun Zekrom.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Zekrom is an effective revenge killer, it is incapable of handling Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Salamence, and thus, defensive Groudon is a decent partner. Since Choice Scarf Zekrom lacks the raw power of the other two sets, an anti-Groudon or Dialga is more necessary than before. Giratina-O, Grass Arceus, Kyogre, and Lugia (who also counters Dragon Dance Rayquaza) are all great choices for countering defensive Groudon. Dialga is trickier to handle, but Fighting Arceus, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Groudon, and sturdy Steel-type Pokemon that can absorb its obscenely powerful Dragon-type attacks are all decent checks. As with most Choice Scarfers in the game, Zekrom is quite vulnerable to Wobbuffet, who can trap it and OHKO back with Counter, but at this point there is not much you can do.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As stated before, Zekrom's movepool is lackluster, and there aren't a lot of options for it to play around with. Thunder Wave can be used to slow down Lugia so it cannot stall Zekrom's Bolt Strikes with Reflect and Roost. Imprison can be used to block Draco Meteor and Outrage, but will still leave it vulnerable to Spacial Rend and Earthquake. Zekrom learns Reflect and Light Screen, and can use Volt Switch to aid in safely sending in its target teammate, but its rather low Speed and common weaknesses hinder it from setting them up easily. Finally, Zekrom learns Dragon Tail for phazing.</p>
<p>Haban Berry is an interesting option to use over Life Orb on the mixed set, which allows Zekrom to take a hit from opposing Dragons and OHKO them back with its own attacks. Balloon can be used to avoid Earthquake and escape Dugtrio, but will pop after getting hit by a single attack. Groudon can simply Dragon Tail Zekrom away while Garchomp can penetrate Zekrom with Outrage or Dragon Claw. Dragon Fang is an option over Life Orb for the mixed attacker if you despise taking 10% each turn due to Life Orb, but should only be used with the slower variants, as it requires investment in both Attack and Special Attack to deal a good amount of damage in the absence of Life Orb.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Zekrom is difficult to counter due to its immense strength and coverage, but there are several Pokemon in the game that can annoy it. Ferrothorn resists both Electric and Dragon, but needs to be wary of Focus Blast from the mixed set. Also be aware that Choice Band Outrage or Bolt Strike 3HKOes specially defensive Ferrothorn. Although Groudon needs to be wary of Draco Meteor and Outrage, it can take on Zekrom's other physical attacks and retaliate with Earthquake. The best counter to Zekrom, however, is Ground Arceus, as it can take a hit and outrun Zekrom, KOing it with Earthquake or Judgment.</p>
<p>Zekrom is fairly easy to revenge kill due to its low Speed and weaknesses to Ground-, Ice-, and Dragon-type attacks. Garchomp can switch into a predicted Bolt Strike and KO Zekrom back with Earthquake or Outrage. Keep in mind, however, that maximum HP Zekrom takes only 81% maximum from Garchomp's Earthquake. Palkia, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, and Choice Scarf Dialga are all faster than Zekrom and OHKO it with their Dragon-type attacks. Mewtwo is much faster than Zekrom and can knock it out with Ice Beam, provided Zekrom has taken a bit of residual damage. Wobbuffet can to an extent pose problems for Zekrom, as it revenge kills the Choice Scarf set, and the Choice Band set if Zekrom is not locked into Bolt Strike or Outrage. Dugtrio, though rare, can trap revenge kill Zekrom. Choiced Zekrom in particular needs to be wary of this, as Dugtrio can set up Hone Claws on a locked Electric move. Although practically nonexistent in the Uber metagame, Steelix is the best Choice Band / Choice Scarf Zekrom counter in the game, sporting a base 200 Defense to go along with its resistance to Dragon and immunity to Electric.</p>
<p>There are other ways to play around Zekrom. For the Mixed Attacker, you can attempt to lure out its Draco Meteor and send in a Steel-type Pokemon to take the hit and weaken Zekrom's Special Attack, then send in Groudon to wall it. Zekrom in general hates Toxic Spikes, so laying it down will cut its rampage short (moreso on the Mixed Attacker as it would take at least 22.5% every time it launches a successful hit).</p>
Tacky, but this gets the job done quicker
QC approved 1/3