STAB Zeraora [QC 2/2] [GP 1/1]

[Greybaum]

[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a blisteringly fast Speed tier and strong Electric typing, Zeraora reliably pressures many offensive and defensive threats alike, generating Bulk Up opportunities on Pokemon such as Urshifu-R, Tornadus-T, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Close Combat is Zeraora's primary coverage move and strongest option for hitting Electric-resistant Pokemon, notably hitting Ferrothorn and Excadrill for super effective damage. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from offensive Thundurus-T and physically defensive walls like Seismitoad and Buzzwole, giving Zeraora a better chance of breaking through them. Leftovers is a viable option over Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Zeraora to gain passive recovery while setting up, but Heavy-Duty Boots is typically preferred, as Zeraora is often forced into a hit-and-run role until the opposing team is sufficiently weakened.

Zeraora is best paired with Spikes support, with Skarmory in particular walling Grass- and Ground-types like Tangrowth and Mudsdale that give it trouble. Seismitoad is also excellent for this role, forming a VoltTurn core with Zeraora and benefiting from its ability to pressure Defog users like Corviknight and Tornadus-T. Rillaboom and Buzzwole are also very strong pivots that pair well with Zeraora, pressuring Ground-types like Gastrodon and Seismitoad while luring in Flying-types that Zeraora can accumulate boosts against. Lastly, Victini can be a great partner, with dual screens giving Zeraora an easier time using Bulk Up while Zeraora offers a safety net against fast breakers like Aerodactyl.

[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Grass Knot / Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Zeraora uses its mixed offenses and uncontested Speed tier to pose as a threatening offensive pivot, forcing out other fast threats like Aerodactyl and Terrakion with its strong physical coverage and utilizing Volt Switch to gain momentum on switch-ins like Rotom-H and Buzzwole. Close Combat and Grass Knot are Zeraora's most reliable coverage moves, doing significant damage to many of the tier's Electric-resistant Pokemon, particularly Ground-types like Excadrill, Seismitoad, and Mudsdale. Its ability to force these opponents out allows Zeraora to use Volt Switch with much more ease. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to remove longevity increasing items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from Pokemon like Thundurus-T and Nidoqueen, respectively, as well as minimizing the residual damage taken from Rocky Helmet users such as Buzzwole and Ferrothorn. Knock Off also synergizes well with Volt Switch, with the moves working in tandem to quickly put foes in range of Zeraora's stronger attacks. Toxic is an alternative option that can hit all of the above targets bar Nidoqueen, but the prevalence of Shore Up among Zeraora's switch-ins makes it difficult to maintain chip damage, resulting in Zeraora being much more reliant on its teammates to make progress.

Grass Knot still fails to significantly damage Gastrodon in addition to aforementioned Electric-resistant Pokemon like Rotom-H and Thundurus-T, so wallbreakers like Tyranitar, Kyurem, and Latios are fantastic teammates, with Tyranitar in particular greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to lure and remove physically defensive Ground-types. Keldeo is another strong example, pressuring the above Pokemon and forming a VoltTurn core with Flip Turn and greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to pressure Water-types like Slowking and Seismitoad. If using Knock Off, reliable entry hazard setters are vital for weakening switch-ins; Skarmory and Ferrothorn fill this role well and provide an answer to Sand Rush Excadrill, one of the few Pokemon in the tier that can reliably outpace Zeraora, while also switching into Ground-types like the aforementioned Seismitoad. Similarly, Tornadus-T can form an excellent VoltTurn core with Zeraora, weakening shared answers like Rotom-H and maintaining damage on physically defensive walls like Clefable and Seismitoad with Taunt.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[greybaum, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[LBDC, 464398], [[fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[berry, 226455], [[UT, 523866]]

 

[LBDC]

Hide

[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a blisteringly fast Speed tier, Zeraora reliably pressures many offensive threats in the STABmons metagame and generates revenge kill threats such as Urshifu-R and Tornadus-T, generating opportunities to use Bulk Up in the process. I somewhat disagree with the idea that it "pressure" offensive threats, saying it RK them is probably more direct. Also you forgot examples :p

You should add a line to say that Zeraora, by virtue of its Electrik-type, can also threaten defensive pokemon like toxapex, Skamory, Slowbro, etc...

Close Combat is Zeraora's primary coverage move, being Zeraora's strongest option for hitting Electric-resistant Pokemon, notably hitting Ferrothorn and Excadrill for super effective damage. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from physically defensive walls like Seismitoad and Buzzwole, giving Zeraora a better chance of breaking through them. You should add that Bulk Up and Knock Off can help to break though offensives Thund-T, totally swamping the match-up. fwiw, I believe this is the heart of BU zera.

OK, so you should for sure add a line about HDB here. No dex info, yes, but it is not obvious to newcomers why Zera should run HDB over Magnet or Lefto. Speaking of it, I'd like the line: Leftovers is a viable option over Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Zeraora to stay healthy in the long run, negating chips damages such as sand and entry hazards.

To this end, (or find something else, since we broke what the end refer to) Zeraora is best paired with Spikes support, with Skarmory in particular walling Grass- and Ground-types like Tangrowth and Mudsdale that give Zeraora trouble. Seismitoad is also excellent for this role, forming a VoltTurn core with Zeraora and benefiting from its ability to pressure Defog users like Corviknight and Tornadus-T. Rillaboom and Buzzwole are also very strong pivots that pair well with Zeraora, pressuring Ground-types like Gastrodon and Seismitoad while luring in Flying-types that Zeraora can accumulate boosts against. Lastly, Victini can be a great partner, with dual screens giving Zeraora an easier time using Bulk Up while also offering a safety net against fast breakers like Aerodactyl in return. Good section!

[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Knock Off / Grass Knot
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

I do know that move order aesthetics prefer Volt in the last move, however this is C&C and the #1 move should be at the top, and slashed moves at the end. So reorder like:

[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off / Grass Knot
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
You should open this paragraph with a sentence explaining what Zeraora role is with Volt Switch, why it's good, etc. Yes, the set is called Offensive Pivot but that's not explicit enough. There is a ton of other pivots out there and they're all a bit different from one to another. If it is a offensive pivot, against what Pokémon it comes in? If it is meant to come multiple times in the field, how one should manage Zera health? You mention *some* of these things later in the paragraph, but it should be in one place. Hope you see the point I'm making! By the way, do mention that its lighting speed is a part of why it is good.

Stay good! The rest of the paragraph is filled with precise and good information!

Close Combat is Zeraora's most reliable coverage move, making use of Zeraora's high Attack stat to threaten a OHKO on Excadrill and do significant damage to other Electric-resistant Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Rotom-H. Knock Off is used to remove Leftovers and Heavy-Duty Boots from switch-ins, and in tandem with Volt Switch quickly puts foes in range of Zeraora's stronger attacks. Alternatively, Grass Knot can be used to immediately threaten Ground-types like Seismitoad and Mudsdale that would otherwise wall Zeraora, but leaves it helpless against other Electric-resistant Pokemon like Thundurus-T, Rotom-H, and Nidoking. Toxic is an alternative option that can hit all of the above targets bar Nidoking, but in exchange leaves Zeraora much more reliant on its teammates to make progress. If using Knock Off, hazard setters are vital (why?); Skarmory and Ferrothorn fill this role well and provide an answer to Sand Rush Excadrill, one of the few Pokemon in the tier that can reliably outpace Zeraora (sounds like it only need Exca check if it run Knock...). Similarly, Tornadus-T can form an excellent VoltTurn core with Zeraora, weakening shared answers like Rotom-H and maintaining damage on physically defensive walls like Clefable and Seismitoad with Taunt. Grass Knot Zeraora still fails to significantly damage Gastrodon in addition to aforementioned Electric-resistant Pokemon like Rotom-H and Thundurus-T, so wallbreakers like Tyranitar, Kyurem, and Latios are fantastic teammates, with Tyranitar in particular greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to lure and remove Ground-types.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Greybaum, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[LBDC, 464398], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

QC 1/2 when done!

 

[Greybaum]

submitted the first set's edits, holding off on the second's until the qc team discusses pivot set move order as discussed

 

[Fc]

Second set says almost the exact same thing as CC in the first set, could maybe be reworded to be shortened (incorporate it as coverage moves with GK as the phrasing maybe).

Would probably mention keld / terrak as partners w the pivot zera (I'd also call the set pivot instead of mixed attacker like lbdc had since it's not always GK) bc they pressure thund / heattom and keld in particular beats p much all the things zera doesn't and vise versa while having Flip Turn to pivot.

Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from physically defensive walls like Seismitoad and Buzzwole, giving Zeraora a better chance of breaking through them, while also being Zeraora's means of breaking past offensive variants of Thundurus-T.

Mentioning removing helmet is p important too imo, buzz, sometimes toad, and muds chip zera a ton if it fires off a few CC's into a steel to try and get chip

Toxic is an alternative option that can hit all of the above targets bar Nidoqueen, but in exchange leaves Zeraora much more reliant on its teammates to make progress.

I think this can be quickly expanded on to mention that all Grounds having Shore Up makes this so much harder, since generally if you're techcing Toxic you expect to just slowly chip stuff then break them after a few times bringing it in. Doesn't have to be much, just like "because all Ground-types can use Shore Up to heal off chip damage..." or something. Not a huge deal but I think it can be mentioned just for clarity on why it can't do any breaking with Toxic

2/2, everything else looks good

 

[Greybaum]

GP Team ready to go

 

[berry]

Greybaum, post: 9261131, member: 407249

[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a blisteringly fast Speed tier and strong Electric-typingno hyphenElectric typing, Zeraora reliably pressures many offensive and defensive threats alike, generating Bulk Up opportunities on Pokemon such as Urshifu-R, Tornadus-T, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Close Combat is Zeraora's primary coverage move and strongest option for hitting Electric-resistant Pokemon, notably hitting Ferrothorn and Excadrill for super effective damage. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from offensive Thundurus-T and physically defensive walls like Seismitoad and Buzzwole, giving Zeraora a better chance of breaking through them, while also being Zeraora's means of breaking past offensive variants of Thundurus-T. Leftovers is a viable option over Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Zeraora to gain passive recovery while bulking up, but Heavy-Duty Boots is typically preferred as Zeraora is often forced into a hit-and-run strategy role until the opposing team is sufficiently weakened.

Zeraora is best paired with Spikes support, with Skarmory in particular walling Grass- and Ground-types like Tangrowth and Mudsdale that give Zeraora it trouble. Seismitoad is also excellent for this role, forming a VoltTurn core with Zeraora and benefiting from its ability to pressure Defog users like Corviknight and Tornadus-T. Rillaboom and Buzzwole are also very strong pivots that pair well with Zeraora, pressuring Ground-types like Gastrodon and Seismitoad while luring in Flying-types that Zeraora can accumulate boosts against. Lastly, Victini can be a great partner, with dual screens giving Zeraora an easier time using Bulk Up while also offering a safety net against fast breakers like Aerodactyl in return.

[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Grass Knot / Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Zeraora uses its mixed offenses and uncontested Speed tier to pose as a threatening offensive pivot, forcing out other fast threats like Aerodactyl and Terrakion with its strong physical coverage and utilising Volt Switch to gain momentum on switch-ins like Rotom-H and Buzzwole to bring in teammates safely. Close Combat and Grass Knot are Zeraora's most reliable coverage moves, doing significant damage to many of the tier's Electric-resistant Pokemon, particularly Ground-types like Excadrill, Seismitoad, and Mudsdale., which in turn allows Its ability to force these opponents out allows Zeraora to click use Volt Switch with much more ease. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to remove longevity increasing items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from Pokemon like Thundurus-T and Nidoqueen respectively, as well as minimising minimizing the residual damage taken from Rocky Helmet users such as Buzzwole and Ferrothorn. Knock Off also synergises synergizes well with Volt Switch, with the moves working in tandem to quickly put foes in range of Zeraora's stronger attacks. Toxic is an alternative option that can hit all of the above targets bar Nidoqueen, but the prevelance prevalence of Shore Up among Zeraora's switch-ins makes it difficult to maintain chip damage, resulting in Zeraora being much more reliant on its teammates to make progress.

Grass Knot still fails to significantly damage Gastrodon in addition to aforementioned Electric-resistant Pokemon like Rotom-H and Thundurus-T, so wallbreakers like Tyranitar, Kyurem, and Latios are fantastic teammates, with Tyranitar in particular greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to lure and remove physically defensive Ground-types. Keldeo is another strong example, pressuring the above Electric-resists and forming a VoltTurn core with its usage of Flip Turn while greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to pressure Water-types like Slowking and Seismitoad in return. If using Knock Off, reliable hazard setters are vital for weakening switch-ins; Skarmory and Ferrothorn fill this role well and provide an answer to Sand Rush Excadrill, one of the few Pokemon in the tier that can reliably outpace Zeraora, while also switching into Ground-types like the aforementioned Seismitoad in lieu of Grass Knot. Similarly, Tornadus-T can form an excellent VoltTurn core with Zeraora, weakening shared answers like Rotom-H and maintaining damage on physically defensive walls like Clefable and Seismitoad with Taunt.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[greybaum, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[LBDC, 464398], [[fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

amgp
add remove comment

 

[Greybaum]

implemented, including the american english spellings to my chagrin
changed the zeraora sentence to the below instead of the proposed change to clarify zeraora is the one pressuring aerodactyl not victini.
thanks for the amgp!!

Lastly, Victini can be a great partner, with dual screens giving Zeraora an easier time using Bulk Up while Zeraora offers also offering a safety net against fast breakers like Aerodactyl in return.

 

[UT]

add remove conjecture

GP Check

[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a blisteringly fast Speed tier and strong Electric typing, Zeraora reliably pressures many offensive and defensive threats alike, generating Bulk Up opportunities on Pokemon such as Urshifu-R, Tornadus-T, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Close Combat is Zeraora's primary coverage move and strongest option for hitting Electric-resistant Pokemon, notably hitting Ferrothorn and Excadrill for super effective damage. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from offensive Thundurus-T and physically defensive walls like Seismitoad and Buzzwole, giving Zeraora a better chance of breaking through them. Leftovers is a viable option over Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Zeraora to gain passive recovery while bulking setting up, but Heavy-Duty Boots is typically preferred, (comma) as Zeraora is often forced into a hit-and-run role until the opposing team is sufficiently weakened.

Zeraora is best paired with Spikes support, with Skarmory in particular walling Grass- and Ground-types like Tangrowth and Mudsdale that give it trouble. Seismitoad is also excellent for this role, forming a VoltTurn core with Zeraora and benefiting from its ability to pressure Defog users like Corviknight and Tornadus-T. Rillaboom and Buzzwole are also very strong pivots that pair well with Zeraora, pressuring Ground-types like Gastrodon and Seismitoad while luring in Flying-types that Zeraora can accumulate boosts against. Lastly, Victini can be a great partner, with dual screens giving Zeraora an easier time using Bulk Up while Zeraora offers a safety net against fast breakers like Aerodactyl in return.

[SET]
name: Offensive Pivot
move 1: Bolt Strike
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Grass Knot / Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Zeraora uses its mixed offenses and uncontested Speed tier to pose as a threatening offensive pivot, forcing out other fast threats like Aerodactyl and Terrakion with its strong physical coverage and utilising utilizing Volt Switch to gain momentum on switch-ins like Rotom-H and Buzzwole. Close Combat and Grass Knot are Zeraora's most reliable coverage moves, doing significant damage to many of the tier's Electric-resistant Pokemon, particularly Ground-types like Excadrill, Seismitoad, and Mudsdale. Its ability to force these opponents out allows Zeraora to use Volt Switch with much more ease. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to remove longevity increasing items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from Pokemon like Thundurus-T and Nidoqueen, (comma) respectively, as well as minimizing the residual damage taken from Rocky Helmet users such as Buzzwole and Ferrothorn. Knock Off also synergizes well with Volt Switch, with the moves working in tandem to quickly put foes in range of Zeraora's stronger attacks. Toxic is an alternative option that can hit all of the above targets bar Nidoqueen, but the prevalence of Shore Up among Zeraora's switch-ins makes it difficult to maintain chip damage, resulting in Zeraora being much more reliant on its teammates to make progress.

Grass Knot still fails to significantly damage Gastrodon in addition to aforementioned Electric-resistant Pokemon like Rotom-H and Thundurus-T, so wallbreakers like Tyranitar, Kyurem, and Latios are fantastic teammates, with Tyranitar in particular greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to lure and remove physically defensive Ground-types. Keldeo is another strong example, pressuring the above Electric-resists Pokemon and forming a VoltTurn core with its usage of Flip Turn while and greatly appreciating Zeraora's ability to pressure Water-types like Slowking and Seismitoad. If using Knock Off, reliable entry hazard setters are vital for weakening switch-ins; Skarmory and Ferrothorn fill this role well and provide an answer to Sand Rush Excadrill, one of the few Pokemon in the tier that can reliably outpace Zeraora, while also switching into Ground-types like the aforementioned Seismitoad in lieu of Grass Knot. Similarly, Tornadus-T can form an excellent VoltTurn core with Zeraora, weakening shared answers like Rotom-H and maintaining damage on physically defensive walls like Clefable and Seismitoad with Taunt.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[greybaum, 407249]]
- Quality checked by: [[LBDC, 464398], [[fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[berry, 226455], [UT, 523866]]

GP 1/1! Please make sure that berry gets credit for their AM check.

GP Team done

Notes for berry

You missed one comma before an "as" that was an explination
You missed one usage of "hazard" instead of "entry hazard"
You missed one British spelling of "utilising"

Overall very good!

 

[UT]

Uploaded!

https://www.smogon.com/dex/ss/pokemon/zeraora/stabmons/