Cheryl.
Celesteela is Life
Taken over from Recreant
QC: bludz / p2 /
GP: /
[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its great natural bulk and a decent Speed tier, Zygarde serves to be the only viable Coil user in the OU metagame and a solid Dragon Dancer. Its Ground / Dragon-typing enables Zygarde to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage. Its access to Extreme Speed separates itself from Garchomp, preventing revenge killers such as Talonflame or Weavile from revenge killing it easily after a Dragon Dance. Furthermore, its typing gives it an immunity to Thunder Wave, which is crucial against Thundurus and Klefki, as most offensive teams rely on them to be an emergency stop to set-up sweepers. Sadly, Zygarde's Dragon-type STAB attack is limited to Outrage on Dragon Dance sets, as it lacks Dragon Claw, making it susceptible to Fairy- and Steel-types once it becomes locked in. Zygarde's typing also leaves it 4x weak to Ice-type attacks. Hidden Power Ice and Ice Punch are both common coverage moves on Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Mega Lopunny due to the prevalence of Garchomp and Landorus-Therian. Despite these flaws, Zygarde can still prove to be a decent sweeper when given the right support.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Outrage / Stone Edge
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 8 HP / 248 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance allows Zygarde to boost its Speed and Attack stats, making it into a decently powerful sweeper. Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable STAB, having good neutral coverage on the tier and offering solid damage even when unboosted. Extreme Speed can pick off weakened Pokemon and outpaces the priority moves of Talonflame and Mamoswine as well. Outrage provides complimentary STAB coverage and hits very hard after a boost; however, it locks Zygarde into the move and confuses it afterward, making it somewhat vulnerable when using it. Stone Edge hits Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake, without locking into Outrage, but lacks the immense power that a boosted Outrage has.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Zygarde to hit as hard as possible while also giving it greater sweeping potential after a Dragon Dance. Maximum Speed investment lets Zygarde Speed tie with neutral Kyurem-B, and also outspeeds Landorus-Therian and Jolly Gyarados. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Alakazam and Mega Aerodactyl after a Dragon Dance at the cost of a significant drop in power. Lum Berry helps Zygarde avoid status, especially Scald burns, when setting up. Life Orb offers extra power over Lum Berry, but makes it harder to take advantage of Zygarde's great bulk due to Life Orb recoil. Yache Berry is an alternative item that can help against Ice Shard users such as Weavile, and also allows Zygarde to survive some other non-STAB Ice attacks, such as Hidden Power Ice from Mega Manectric.
Usage Tips
========
This Zygarde set wants to have its counters worn down early game so it can have an easier time sweeping late-game. While Outrage provides strong complimentary coverage, the locking effect can be very unhelpful especially in early game stages. Teams with Fairy-types can even use this locking effect to their advantage, so Zygarde must be careful about using Outrage. Extreme Speed is useful to pick off some weakened targets if needed, such as a weakened Latios or Keldeo. Zygarde should be saved for late game situations if you intend to sweep with it, as it needs to be as close to full HP as possible to abuse its bulk.
Team Options
========
Teammates that can beat Landorus-Therian and other bulky Ground-types, such as Keldeo and Rotom-Wash, are very helpful as Zygarde has trouble dealing with bulky Ground-types. Wallbreakers that can break down bulkier teams can be very helpful in supporting a Zygarde sweep; Choice Band Azumarill and Manaphy are examples of teammates in this vein. Mega Medicham is an example of a wallbreaker who can threaten bulkier teams, and it also has access to Bullet Punch to beat Mega Diancie, and Mega Medicham sets that utilize Thunder Punch or Ice Punch can lure in and defeat many checks to Zygarde, such as Slowbro and Landorus-Therian. Keldeo is a very good partner for Zygarde as it can threaten Ground-types and most Steel-types that can check Zygarde, like Skarmory and Landorus-Therian, as well as checking Weavile, a big threat to Zygarde. Lures for Zygarde checks, such as Icy Wind Expert Belt Jirachi to lure in bulky Landorus-Therian, can be quite helpful in weakening Zygarde's counters and ensuring a sweep late-game.
[SET]
name: Subsititute + Coil
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Dragon Tail
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable STAB attack and provides good power when boosted. Dragon Tail helps Zygarde phaze out opposing phazers, mainly Skarmory, and hits airbone Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake and forces out opposing stat boosters, such as Curse Quagsire. Substitute guards Zygarde against status and weaker attacks, such as Slowbro's Scald, while also helping out Zygarde against faster Pokemon. Coil boosts Zygarde's Attack, Defense, and accuracy, making it more powerful and more physically tanky, while also giving it a perfectly accurate Dragon Tail.
Set Details
========
56 Speed EVs allow Zygarde to outspeed Adamant Bisharp and hit it with Earthquake or set up Coil before Bisharp can hit Zygarde with Knock Off. The rest of the EVs are used to maximize Zygarde's special bulk, which can prevent weaker special attacks such as Tangrowth's Giga Drain from breaking Zygarde's Substitute, while Coil makes up for Zygarde's Defense. The HP investment is enough for Zygarde to make 101 HP Substitutes, allowing them to survive two Seismic Tosses before breaking. Zero Attack EVs allow Zygarde's Substitutes to survive a STAB Foul Play from Mega Sableye or Mandibuzz, so it is unwise to invest in Attack for this set. Leftovers is the essential item for this set, allowing Zygarde to recover HP lost from Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
SubCoil Zygarde has a great matchup against defensive teams, setting up easily on passive Pokemon commonly found on those types of teams such as Mandibuzz, Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, and Slowbro. Zygarde can set up a Substitute against the many Pokemon that are unable to break it, and then start boosting with Coil, making the Substitute much harder to break with physical attacks as well as making Zygarde into a decently powerful offensive threat. Zygarde can phaze out any problematic Pokemon that can trouble it with Dragon Tail, sometimes even bringing out a Pokemon used as setup fodder. Doing this repeatedly allows Zygarde to effectively wear down its checks.
Team Options
========
Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Togekiss can pose a problem to this set by being immune to Dragon Tail's phazing while also taking Earthquakes decently well, so Pokemon that can threaten them can make for good partners; Mega Scizor, Heatran, and Mega Venusaur are good choices for this role. Pokemon that can resist Dragon and Ice-type moves that threaten Zygarde greatly, such as Mega Scizor and Azumarill, are also good partners. Entry hazard users make for effective teammates, as they can maximize the effectiveness of Zygarde's Dragon Tail, and Pokemon such as Heatran and Klefki can even cover for Zygarde's type weaknesses. Spinblockers or Pokemon with the ability Defiant are also helpful to help keep the hazards up for Zygarde; Bisharp is very useful for this role as it deters Defog usage with Defiant and can also take on Fairy-types for Zygarde. Teammates that function well against offensive teams that prevent Zygarde from setting up, such as Thundurus, help to threaten those types of teams while Zygarde helps with bulkier teams.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Coverage options such as Iron Tail to hit Fairy-types are possible, but they can have trouble fitting in Zygarde's already strapped moveset. A bulky Glare set can be used to cripple checks while also using Dragon Tail to phaze out opponents, but it has siginificantly less utility than other bulky Ground-types due to Zygarde's lack of Stealth Rock, forcing another member on the team to utilize it, thus making it usually inferior to other options such as TankChomp or Hippowdon. A DD + Rest set utilizing a Chesto Berry can be used to set up on an opponent and heal Zygarde's health back once it is worn down, but it is mostly outclassed by the offensive Dragon Dance set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Skarmory**: Thanks to Skarmory's fantastic defense and typing, it resists Outrage and Extreme Speed and is immune to Earthquake, leaving Zygarde nearly helpless against it. It can Roost up the small amount of damage taken or phaze Zygarde out with Whirlwind, removing its Dragon Dance boosts. It can still wall SubCoil sets, but has a much harder time against them due to Dragon Tail outpacing Whirlwind, phazing Skarmory out before it can do anything to Zygarde.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-Therian and Hippowdon can effectively check Dragon Dance sets by using their high physical bulk to live Zygarde's attacks and strike back with their STAB moves or set up Stealth Rock on Zygarde. Hippowdon can even phaze out Zygarde with Whirlwind, removing all its boosts and having reliable recovery in Slack Off to continually check Zygarde.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune effectively check Dragon Dance sets with their high physical bulk letting them survive Zygarde's attacks. They can threaten non-Lum Berry sets with a Scald burn, crippling Zygarde offensively. While non-Calm Mind Slowbro can be set up on by the SubCoil set, Suicune can utilize Roar to phaze out Zygarde should it try to set up on Suicune.
**Unaware users**: Thanks to Unaware, Clefable and Quagsire walls both Zygarde sets easily, as Zygarde relies on setting up to become a big offensive threat. Clefable can threaten Zygarde with its STAB Moonblast and is immune to Dragon Tail, while Quagsire can set up Curse on the Dragon Dance set. Quagsire is a shaky answer to SubCoil sets, however, as it can barely touch Zygarde due to Coil's Defense boosts and Dragon Tail phazing Curse variants.
**Choice Scarf users**: Choice Scarf users that can outspeed a +1 Dragon Dance Zygarde, such as Keldeo and Latios, can potentially stop Zygarde in its tracks, as their powerful attacks can weaken Zygarde heavily, and some of them, like Latios, can use super effective moves against Zygarde and KO it more reliably.
**Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Weavile and Mamoswine can check Zygarde as they have super effective priority in Ice Shard to pick off Zygarde even when its Speed is boosted, and even when it isn't, Weavile can outspeed Zygarde and KO it with Icicle Crash. However, they both have to watch out for Yache Berry variants that can KO both of them when boosted.
QC: bludz / p2 /
GP: /
[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its great natural bulk and a decent Speed tier, Zygarde serves to be the only viable Coil user in the OU metagame and a solid Dragon Dancer. Its Ground / Dragon-typing enables Zygarde to hit most of the metagame for neutral damage. Its access to Extreme Speed separates itself from Garchomp, preventing revenge killers such as Talonflame or Weavile from revenge killing it easily after a Dragon Dance. Furthermore, its typing gives it an immunity to Thunder Wave, which is crucial against Thundurus and Klefki, as most offensive teams rely on them to be an emergency stop to set-up sweepers. Sadly, Zygarde's Dragon-type STAB attack is limited to Outrage on Dragon Dance sets, as it lacks Dragon Claw, making it susceptible to Fairy- and Steel-types once it becomes locked in. Zygarde's typing also leaves it 4x weak to Ice-type attacks. Hidden Power Ice and Ice Punch are both common coverage moves on Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Mega Lopunny due to the prevalence of Garchomp and Landorus-Therian. Despite these flaws, Zygarde can still prove to be a decent sweeper when given the right support.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Outrage / Stone Edge
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 8 HP / 248 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance allows Zygarde to boost its Speed and Attack stats, making it into a decently powerful sweeper. Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable STAB, having good neutral coverage on the tier and offering solid damage even when unboosted. Extreme Speed can pick off weakened Pokemon and outpaces the priority moves of Talonflame and Mamoswine as well. Outrage provides complimentary STAB coverage and hits very hard after a boost; however, it locks Zygarde into the move and confuses it afterward, making it somewhat vulnerable when using it. Stone Edge hits Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake, without locking into Outrage, but lacks the immense power that a boosted Outrage has.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack investment with an Adamant nature allows Zygarde to hit as hard as possible while also giving it greater sweeping potential after a Dragon Dance. Maximum Speed investment lets Zygarde Speed tie with neutral Kyurem-B, and also outspeeds Landorus-Therian and Jolly Gyarados. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Mega Alakazam and Mega Aerodactyl after a Dragon Dance at the cost of a significant drop in power. Lum Berry helps Zygarde avoid status, especially Scald burns, when setting up. Life Orb offers extra power over Lum Berry, but makes it harder to take advantage of Zygarde's great bulk due to Life Orb recoil. Yache Berry is an alternative item that can help against Ice Shard users such as Weavile, and also allows Zygarde to survive some other non-STAB Ice attacks, such as Hidden Power Ice from Mega Manectric.
Usage Tips
========
This Zygarde set wants to have its counters worn down early game so it can have an easier time sweeping late-game. While Outrage provides strong complimentary coverage, the locking effect can be very unhelpful especially in early game stages. Teams with Fairy-types can even use this locking effect to their advantage, so Zygarde must be careful about using Outrage. Extreme Speed is useful to pick off some weakened targets if needed, such as a weakened Latios or Keldeo. Zygarde should be saved for late game situations if you intend to sweep with it, as it needs to be as close to full HP as possible to abuse its bulk.
Team Options
========
Teammates that can beat Landorus-Therian and other bulky Ground-types, such as Keldeo and Rotom-Wash, are very helpful as Zygarde has trouble dealing with bulky Ground-types. Wallbreakers that can break down bulkier teams can be very helpful in supporting a Zygarde sweep; Choice Band Azumarill and Manaphy are examples of teammates in this vein. Mega Medicham is an example of a wallbreaker who can threaten bulkier teams, and it also has access to Bullet Punch to beat Mega Diancie, and Mega Medicham sets that utilize Thunder Punch or Ice Punch can lure in and defeat many checks to Zygarde, such as Slowbro and Landorus-Therian. Keldeo is a very good partner for Zygarde as it can threaten Ground-types and most Steel-types that can check Zygarde, like Skarmory and Landorus-Therian, as well as checking Weavile, a big threat to Zygarde. Lures for Zygarde checks, such as Icy Wind Expert Belt Jirachi to lure in bulky Landorus-Therian, can be quite helpful in weakening Zygarde's counters and ensuring a sweep late-game.
[SET]
name: Subsititute + Coil
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Dragon Tail
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpD / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Earthquake is Zygarde's most reliable STAB attack and provides good power when boosted. Dragon Tail helps Zygarde phaze out opposing phazers, mainly Skarmory, and hits airbone Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake and forces out opposing stat boosters, such as Curse Quagsire. Substitute guards Zygarde against status and weaker attacks, such as Slowbro's Scald, while also helping out Zygarde against faster Pokemon. Coil boosts Zygarde's Attack, Defense, and accuracy, making it more powerful and more physically tanky, while also giving it a perfectly accurate Dragon Tail.
Set Details
========
56 Speed EVs allow Zygarde to outspeed Adamant Bisharp and hit it with Earthquake or set up Coil before Bisharp can hit Zygarde with Knock Off. The rest of the EVs are used to maximize Zygarde's special bulk, which can prevent weaker special attacks such as Tangrowth's Giga Drain from breaking Zygarde's Substitute, while Coil makes up for Zygarde's Defense. The HP investment is enough for Zygarde to make 101 HP Substitutes, allowing them to survive two Seismic Tosses before breaking. Zero Attack EVs allow Zygarde's Substitutes to survive a STAB Foul Play from Mega Sableye or Mandibuzz, so it is unwise to invest in Attack for this set. Leftovers is the essential item for this set, allowing Zygarde to recover HP lost from Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
SubCoil Zygarde has a great matchup against defensive teams, setting up easily on passive Pokemon commonly found on those types of teams such as Mandibuzz, Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, and Slowbro. Zygarde can set up a Substitute against the many Pokemon that are unable to break it, and then start boosting with Coil, making the Substitute much harder to break with physical attacks as well as making Zygarde into a decently powerful offensive threat. Zygarde can phaze out any problematic Pokemon that can trouble it with Dragon Tail, sometimes even bringing out a Pokemon used as setup fodder. Doing this repeatedly allows Zygarde to effectively wear down its checks.
Team Options
========
Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Togekiss can pose a problem to this set by being immune to Dragon Tail's phazing while also taking Earthquakes decently well, so Pokemon that can threaten them can make for good partners; Mega Scizor, Heatran, and Mega Venusaur are good choices for this role. Pokemon that can resist Dragon and Ice-type moves that threaten Zygarde greatly, such as Mega Scizor and Azumarill, are also good partners. Entry hazard users make for effective teammates, as they can maximize the effectiveness of Zygarde's Dragon Tail, and Pokemon such as Heatran and Klefki can even cover for Zygarde's type weaknesses. Spinblockers or Pokemon with the ability Defiant are also helpful to help keep the hazards up for Zygarde; Bisharp is very useful for this role as it deters Defog usage with Defiant and can also take on Fairy-types for Zygarde. Teammates that function well against offensive teams that prevent Zygarde from setting up, such as Thundurus, help to threaten those types of teams while Zygarde helps with bulkier teams.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Coverage options such as Iron Tail to hit Fairy-types are possible, but they can have trouble fitting in Zygarde's already strapped moveset. A bulky Glare set can be used to cripple checks while also using Dragon Tail to phaze out opponents, but it has siginificantly less utility than other bulky Ground-types due to Zygarde's lack of Stealth Rock, forcing another member on the team to utilize it, thus making it usually inferior to other options such as TankChomp or Hippowdon. A DD + Rest set utilizing a Chesto Berry can be used to set up on an opponent and heal Zygarde's health back once it is worn down, but it is mostly outclassed by the offensive Dragon Dance set.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Skarmory**: Thanks to Skarmory's fantastic defense and typing, it resists Outrage and Extreme Speed and is immune to Earthquake, leaving Zygarde nearly helpless against it. It can Roost up the small amount of damage taken or phaze Zygarde out with Whirlwind, removing its Dragon Dance boosts. It can still wall SubCoil sets, but has a much harder time against them due to Dragon Tail outpacing Whirlwind, phazing Skarmory out before it can do anything to Zygarde.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-Therian and Hippowdon can effectively check Dragon Dance sets by using their high physical bulk to live Zygarde's attacks and strike back with their STAB moves or set up Stealth Rock on Zygarde. Hippowdon can even phaze out Zygarde with Whirlwind, removing all its boosts and having reliable recovery in Slack Off to continually check Zygarde.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune effectively check Dragon Dance sets with their high physical bulk letting them survive Zygarde's attacks. They can threaten non-Lum Berry sets with a Scald burn, crippling Zygarde offensively. While non-Calm Mind Slowbro can be set up on by the SubCoil set, Suicune can utilize Roar to phaze out Zygarde should it try to set up on Suicune.
**Unaware users**: Thanks to Unaware, Clefable and Quagsire walls both Zygarde sets easily, as Zygarde relies on setting up to become a big offensive threat. Clefable can threaten Zygarde with its STAB Moonblast and is immune to Dragon Tail, while Quagsire can set up Curse on the Dragon Dance set. Quagsire is a shaky answer to SubCoil sets, however, as it can barely touch Zygarde due to Coil's Defense boosts and Dragon Tail phazing Curse variants.
**Choice Scarf users**: Choice Scarf users that can outspeed a +1 Dragon Dance Zygarde, such as Keldeo and Latios, can potentially stop Zygarde in its tracks, as their powerful attacks can weaken Zygarde heavily, and some of them, like Latios, can use super effective moves against Zygarde and KO it more reliably.
**Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Weavile and Mamoswine can check Zygarde as they have super effective priority in Ice Shard to pick off Zygarde even when its Speed is boosted, and even when it isn't, Weavile can outspeed Zygarde and KO it with Icicle Crash. However, they both have to watch out for Yache Berry variants that can KO both of them when boosted.
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