[OVERVIEW]
Boasting great offensive capabilities with Thousand Arrows, a decent defensive typing, and solid bulk to boot, Zygarde sets itself as a premier threat in the metagame. Thousand Arrows is a big draw to Zygarde, as it is one of the best offensive spread moves in the game due hitting Ground-immune Pokemon, making it having no immunities and a lack of resistances on an already great offensive type. Choice Band allows Zygarde to be immediately threatening to teams with instant power, while Dragon Dance turns it into a threatening sweeper. However, both options have issues with being too slow and requiring multiple turns of setup to be threatening, respectively. Redirection support from the likes of Volcarona and Amoonguss as well as Fake Out support from Rillaboom and Zeraora can help alleviate these weaknesses, with the Dragon Dance set in particular appreciating these opportunities to set Substitute and set up. Due to the Zygarde's middling Speed tier and lack of immediate power ,it is easily pressured by the likes of Genesect, Kyurem-B, and Dragapult which outspeed and threaten to OHKO it. Furthermore, Rillaboom, Tapu Fini, and the aforementioned Kyurem-B easily take a hit from Zygarde and can force it back out. Intimidate from both Landorus-T and Incineroar can make Zygarde much easier to deal with defensively. Zygarde also faces stiff competition with Landorus, which boasts much more immediate power and better coverage options.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Thousand Waves / Toxic
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Thousand Arrows is Zygarde’s most spammable move because it has no immunities and few resistances as well as being a spread move with respectable power.
* Thousand Waves has the ability to trap both opposing Pokemon for as long as Zygarde is in play, but it can only damage grounded Pokemon unlike Thousand Arrows. Toxic can be used instead to wear down bulkier Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Cresselia.
* Superpower allows Zygarde to deal massive damage against Kyurem-B and Porygon2, which otherwise pivot into Zygarde easily and threaten it out.
* Extreme Speed allows Zygarde to pick off weakened targets that would normally outspeed and KO it, such as Dragon Dance Kyurem-B and Urshifu-R.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Due to Thousand Arrows's nature of having no immunities and a lack of resistances and being a spread move, it is the only move Zygarde needs. Thousand Arrows's decent power is also easily offset by Dragon Dance.
* Dragon Dance turns Zygarde into a threatening setup sweeper letting it outspeed the entire unboosted metagame at +1.
* Substitute allows Zygarde to block Fake Out and Intimidate, avoid a potential Spore or Toxic, and take a hit if needed.
* Protect keeps Zygarde safe for a turn and lets it accumulate an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, as well as stall out turns of Tailwind and Trick Room.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon Dance Zygarde can opt for a slightly more offensive set with Soft Sand to further boost Thousand Arrows's power at the cost of losing Leftovers, which in turn makes Substitute harder to pull off. Scale Shot provides Zygarde with a secondary STAB option that can nail Ground-resistant Pokemon and provide a burst of Speed. However, the Defense drop and being forced to drop a potentially more useful coverage option makes it not worth it most of the time. A Sitrus Berry, Yache Berry, and Weakness Policy can all be used on the Dragon Dance set, although the lack of passive recovery forgone when choosing these items over Leftovers makes them an inferior option.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Shadowmonstr7, 441302]], [[adem, 529732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yoda2798, 243662]], [dnagerbdager, 531334]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Astra, 240732]]
Boasting great offensive capabilities with Thousand Arrows, a decent defensive typing, and solid bulk to boot, Zygarde sets itself as a premier threat in the metagame. Thousand Arrows is a big draw to Zygarde, as it is one of the best offensive spread moves in the game due hitting Ground-immune Pokemon, making it having no immunities and a lack of resistances on an already great offensive type. Choice Band allows Zygarde to be immediately threatening to teams with instant power, while Dragon Dance turns it into a threatening sweeper. However, both options have issues with being too slow and requiring multiple turns of setup to be threatening, respectively. Redirection support from the likes of Volcarona and Amoonguss as well as Fake Out support from Rillaboom and Zeraora can help alleviate these weaknesses, with the Dragon Dance set in particular appreciating these opportunities to set Substitute and set up. Due to the Zygarde's middling Speed tier and lack of immediate power ,it is easily pressured by the likes of Genesect, Kyurem-B, and Dragapult which outspeed and threaten to OHKO it. Furthermore, Rillaboom, Tapu Fini, and the aforementioned Kyurem-B easily take a hit from Zygarde and can force it back out. Intimidate from both Landorus-T and Incineroar can make Zygarde much easier to deal with defensively. Zygarde also faces stiff competition with Landorus, which boasts much more immediate power and better coverage options.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Thousand Waves / Toxic
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Thousand Arrows is Zygarde’s most spammable move because it has no immunities and few resistances as well as being a spread move with respectable power.
* Thousand Waves has the ability to trap both opposing Pokemon for as long as Zygarde is in play, but it can only damage grounded Pokemon unlike Thousand Arrows. Toxic can be used instead to wear down bulkier Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Cresselia.
* Superpower allows Zygarde to deal massive damage against Kyurem-B and Porygon2, which otherwise pivot into Zygarde easily and threaten it out.
* Extreme Speed allows Zygarde to pick off weakened targets that would normally outspeed and KO it, such as Dragon Dance Kyurem-B and Urshifu-R.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Due to Thousand Arrows's nature of having no immunities and a lack of resistances and being a spread move, it is the only move Zygarde needs. Thousand Arrows's decent power is also easily offset by Dragon Dance.
* Dragon Dance turns Zygarde into a threatening setup sweeper letting it outspeed the entire unboosted metagame at +1.
* Substitute allows Zygarde to block Fake Out and Intimidate, avoid a potential Spore or Toxic, and take a hit if needed.
* Protect keeps Zygarde safe for a turn and lets it accumulate an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, as well as stall out turns of Tailwind and Trick Room.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dragon Dance Zygarde can opt for a slightly more offensive set with Soft Sand to further boost Thousand Arrows's power at the cost of losing Leftovers, which in turn makes Substitute harder to pull off. Scale Shot provides Zygarde with a secondary STAB option that can nail Ground-resistant Pokemon and provide a burst of Speed. However, the Defense drop and being forced to drop a potentially more useful coverage option makes it not worth it most of the time. A Sitrus Berry, Yache Berry, and Weakness Policy can all be used on the Dragon Dance set, although the lack of passive recovery forgone when choosing these items over Leftovers makes them an inferior option.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Shadowmonstr7, 441302]], [[adem, 529732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yoda2798, 243662]], [dnagerbdager, 531334]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Astra, 240732]]
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