OU Zygarde

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
[OVERVIEW]

Zygarde is a top threat in SM OU, and Thousand Arrows is the source of its power. Because it compresses coverage extremely well and breaks past common answers to Ground-types like Celesteela, Skarmory, and Landorus-T, Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde excellent anti-meta properties, punishing opponents that rely on immune Pokemon to deal with Ground-type attacks. Extreme Speed, Coil, and Dragon Dance are just the right tools for Zygarde to take advantage of Thousand Arrows. Backed up by excellent defensive stats to provide ample opportunities to switch in or set up, Zygarde is both a great attacker and a great sweeper. This makes it quite unpredictable, further adding to its effectiveness, as some Pokemon that may counter one set can be setup bait to another. Though powerful, Zygarde does possess mediocre offensive stats, meaning that it often has to boost more than once or requires excessive chip damage to the opponent's team to sweep, limiting it. Further, while Thousand Arrows does ignore immunities, it offers no respite from Grass- and Bug-types like Mega Scizor, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu, which can be a challenge for Zygarde to overcome.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Toxic / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows and Choice Band are a match made in heaven. No Pokemon immune to it and few resisting it mean that Zygarde can simply use this attack and do serious damage. Extreme Speed and Choice Band together also have great synergy. It gives Zygarde great utility assisting teams in revenge killing or cleaning in the late-game. Outrage, while having no shortage of drawbacks, does prevent Tangrowth from effortlessly walling this set. Toxic is undoubtedly an awkward move to be locked into, but it does put a lot of pressure on defensive roadblocks to Zygarde such as Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Hippowdon. Superpower is a good option to earn a clean 2HKO on a would-be defensive counter Ferrothorn. It also does lasting damage to Chansey and allows Zygarde to pivot out, unlike Outrage. Iron Tail tail crushes Tapu Bulu and Clefable, which are quite good counters to this set otherwise, as both are quite resilient or completely immune to Toxic.

Set Details
========

With Choice Band Zygarde can 2HKO a scary part of the metagame with the very spammable Thousand Arrows. An Adamant nature is ideal, as Zygarde needs the power, and it can use Extreme Speed to make up for any Speed lost. 252 Attack EVs are optimal, as Zygarde's goal is to deal damage, not take hits. Running 252 Speed EVs to tie with other neutral base 95s like Tapu Lele is ideal as well.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Zygarde is a mid-game hole puncher that capitalizes on its ability to simply spam Thousand Arrows and create meaningful breaches in the opponent's defenses. Zygarde is difficult to switch into, but its fairly poor base Attack and Thousand Arrows's Base Power can prevent it from getting OHKOs. It best forces out offensive Pokemon that have already sustained some chip damage. Zygarde's defensive capabilities are another facet of using it effectively. Don't be afraid to let it absorb predicted attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast to get into battle. Extreme Speed can be a great revenge killing tool. If the opponent has a dangerous sweeper like Volcarona, Zygarde can keep it at bay. Make sure to keep Zygarde sufficiently healthy in this scenario.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is the biggest boon to any Choice attacker, and Zygarde is no exception. Stealth Rock and Spikes from the likes of Greninja, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Chansey will turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and just make the switches Zygarde can force more effective. Toxic Spikes has significant synergy with Zygarde, as most Pokemon that are obnoxious to it, such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, are quite vulnerable to them, while most defensive Pokmemon immune to Toxic Spikes such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Zapdos cannot wall Zygarde for obvious reasons. In general they wear down the opponent's team nicely. Mega Scizor has good synergy with Choice Band Zygarde. Scizor can handle Grass- and Fairy-types that can be a hindrance to Zygarde and create good chip damage and momentum with U-turn, often against targets that Zygarde can easily force out like Magnezone, Heatran, and Volcarona. Other U-turn users like Tapu Koko and Ash-Greninja can create switch advantage and chip damage Zygarde can capitalize on too. Both of these Pokemon are exceptionally fast and can act as late-game cleaners once Zygarde has done enough damage. Magnezone is decent at grabbing momentum, and it's quite capable of trapping and KOing both Ferrothorn and Scizor, two defensive obstacles for Zygarde.

[SET]
name: Subcoil
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Toxic / Extreme Speed
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========


Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; with its secondary effect, it achieves perfect synergy with Toxic, scoring a super effective hit on almost anything immune to poison. Toxic in combination with Coil and Substitute can stall out or at least significantly pressure traditional counters to Zygarde such as Quagsire and Tangrowth. Extreme Speed is also an option. While this does sacrifice any possibility of stallbreaking, Zygarde's incredible bulk can let it achieve quite a few boosts, and with Extreme Speed it prevents the opponent from relying on a fast Pokemon like Greninja or Latios to simply revenge kill Zygarde after letting it get too many Coil boosts. Substitute is key; it allows Zygarde to take advantage of passive Pokemon, and in combination with Coil and Zygarde's high defensive stats a Substitute can often become very difficult to break with one attack. Coil's boosting is what makes this set so deadly. With specially defensive investment and Coil boosting Defense and Attack, Zygarde becomes very bulky and powerful, quickly.

Set Details
========

Try to set up on relatively passive Pokemon like Chansey, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and defensive Mega Scizor. Conserve Zygarde's HP and wait until the late-game before looking to set up. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that simply will be unable to deal with Zygarde once it gets going, and the later the game goes, the higher chance the opponent will be left with only those Pokemon. One of the problems that Coil Zygarde is that it can simply be phazed, by Skarmory's Whirlwind for example; however, this problem can be solved by simply leaving Zygarde as your last Pokemon.

Usage Tips
========

Try to set up on relatively passive Pokemon like Chansey, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and defensive Mega Scizor. Conserve Zygarde's HP and wait until the late-game before looking to set up. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that simply will be unable to deal with Zygarde once it gets going, and the later the game goes, the higher chance the opponent will be left with only those Pokemon. One of the problems that Coil Zygarde is that it can simply be phazed, by Skarmory's Whirlwind for example; however, this problem can be solved by simply leaving Zygarde as your last Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Coil Zygarde is generally reserved as a late-game sweeper and contribution to anti-stall efforts on offensive or balanced teams. Some Stealth Rock support is obligatory for a late-game sweep, as indirectly wearing down the opposing team pays off. Landorus-T, Terrakion, Heatran, and Chansey are convincing users of the move. Toxic Spikes support is ideal on this set if it lacks Toxic; naturally, the targets of Toxic are quite vulnerable to Toxic Spikes too. Toxapex and Greninja are most talented at this. General wallbreakers and attackers will cause wounds to the enemy team that can be big enough for Zygarde to clean up. Greninja, Mega Mawile, and Mega Medicham are unmatched at this.


[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Dragonium Z / Groundium Z
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; hitting through Ground-type immunities is an amazing property, especially when paired with a Dragon STAB attack. Outrage achieves good coverage alongside Thousand Arrows. With Dragonium Z, Zygarde can break through some foes that resist Ground-type attacks while avoiding the drawbacks of Outrage. Extreme Speed is a great tool for avoiding enemy priority attacks and dealing with faster Choice Scarf users like Latios. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, making it a deadly sweeper.

Set Details
========

252 Attack and Speed EVs are standard for an offensive Dragon Dance user. Outrunning as many Pokemon and dealing as much damage as possible do the most to improve the chance of a successful sweep. An Adamant nature is optimal; Jolly buys Zygarde little and the extra power does more than anything else. Dragonium Z is a great tool for giving Zygarde a very powerful attack with a lot of neutral coverage, letting it break past checks that are otherwise not sufficiently weakened, especially Tangrowth, which would otherwise force Zygarde into locking itself into Outrage. Groundium Z is an option as well; Tectonic Rage hits nearly as hard as Devastating Drake, but it can be used to target various Pokemon that are immune or resistant to Dragon-type attacks like Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Scizor.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Zygarde is a fairly archetypical setup sweeper. It wants to use its setup move late in the game and then clean up. Try to completely conserve its HP and keep it free of status throughout the early- and mid-game, as this will give it the highest chance of success in the later stages of the match. Only use Zygarde defensively if it's absolutely necessary. Factor in the probability of a successful late-game sweep into this decision. Throughout the early- and mid-game, use your entry hazard users and attackers to wear down the opposing team. Identify Zygarde's checks and focus on wearing them down. Keep in mind that +1 Devastating Drake will not simply OHKO its primary targets, Tangrowth and Landorus-T; they need to be worn down somewhat for Zygarde to avoid taking damage when getting past them. When the late-game hits, try to lure in something that Zygarde can set up on. Heatran, Magnezone, and Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice are among the most common Pokemon Zygarde can take advantage of. Choice users locked into the wrong move also suffice. While sweeping is this set's specialty, it's possible for it to act as a mid-game wallbreaker, as Dragon Dance and a Z-Move together are quite devastating. Zygarde is no slouch at bringing in and eliminating the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and other defensive Pokemon. While it will sustain damage in trying to break past these threats, usually too much to sweep, Zygarde will ultimately prevail, and other teammates may capitalize on this.

Team Options
========

General wallbreakers and attackers that put a lot of pressure on the physically defensive Pokemon in the tier are the first thing Zygarde needs for support. Mega Medicham and Mega Mawile are terrifyingly powerful and, thanks to their movepools, somewhat unpredictable attackers that can draw in and crush the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Celesteela, Skarmory, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, Scizor, Clefable, and pretty much anything in the tier that might be able to defensively check Zygarde. Life Orb Garchomp has high redundancy with Zygarde, which can alleviate some of the defensive need for its typing on a team, and can act as a solid lure to the defensive Pokemon that Zygarde struggles against. Entry hazard users make life quite a lot easier for any late-game sweeper, and Zygarde is no exception. Azelf is a great partner, as early-game guaranteed hazards add their damage up quickly and substantially. Greninja, Garchomp, and Heatran are generally reliable and effective entry hazard users as well. Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor can be a problem for this set, and Magnezone is quite capable of trapping and eliminating these threats.

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Dragon Dance
move 4: Coil
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 216 Atk / 28 SpD / 104 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's signature offensive move, getting good neutral coverage with one slot. Extreme Speed is used to not fall victim to revenge killers. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, and is more useful for trying to sweep through faster teams. Coil boosts Zygarde's Defense rather than Speed. It can be used to set up in the face of relatively weak physical attackers. Using both moves on one set creates more situations where Zygarde can successfully boost.

Set Details
========

104 Speed EVs ensure that Zygarde outpaces Timid Magearna, which can easily check Zygarde should it lack the Speed. It also conveniently beats Greninja at +1, avoiding its deadly Ice Beam. 160 HP EVs have a specific goal in mind; they allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage. 28 Special Defense EVs allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast and two Moonblasts from Tapu Fini, both after Stealth Rock. The remaining 216 EVs are placed into Attack to give Zygarde as much power as it can away with. An Adamant nature is most beneficial, as because of Zygarde's Speed tier, a positive nature does little. Sitrus Berry gives Zygarde the ability to deceive the opponent into thinking it's easier to KO than it actually is. With the Sitrus Berry it's often possible to boost for one more turn, which can lead to a sweep. This is especially apparent against Pokemon like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y, which Zygarde can potentially switch into to boost thanks to Sitrus Berry. Earth Plate is another option. It gives Zygarde a nice power boost without any defensive drawbacks, as Life Orb recoil runs too contrary to a defensive booster.


Usage Tips
========

Double Dance Zygarde is another late-game sweeper variant. It's generally ideal to preserve its HP until late-game, and to use your wallbreakers, entry hazard users, and pivots to put wear onto the opponent's team during the early- and mid-game. Once the late-game arrives, focus on bringing in Zygarde against Pokemon it can set up against, such as Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone. Choice item users locked into the wrong move, such as Choice Scarf Keldeo locked into Secret Sword, are great opportunities as well. Knowing when to use Coil or Dragon Dance is a major key and all about estimating how valuable boosting Speed or Defense may be. Coil has a few uses: it can provide extra turns to boost against relatively weak physical attackers like Excadrill lacking a boosting item, Mega Scizor, and defensive Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice. It also provides protection against physical attackers that Zygarde may be incapable of OHKOing. For example, Zygarde is capable of 2HKOing Mega Pinsir with a combination of Thousand Arrows and Extreme Speed; in this case the protection of +1 Defense is much more useful than Speed, which ultimately does nothing. It also protects against priority users that Extreme Speed is too weak against, such as Bisharp. Dragon Dance's uses are outpacing opposing Pokemon, naturally. Keep in mind this can be offset by Extreme Speed's +2 priority. The choice of which move to use comes down to looking at which Pokemon the opponent has and calculating whether Speed or Defense is better at preserving Zygarde's HP. Coil's +1 Attack boost may be enough to finish off the opponent's Greninja, or it may be the case that the extra Speed is necessary to outspeed it and hit it with a more powerful Thousand Arrows, and Zygarde's natural bulk will be sufficient in surviving the rest of the opponent's attacks.

Team Options
========

As mentioned, Zygarde does need its teammates to do significant wear to the opponent's team in the early- and mid-game to think about cleaning up. Garchomp, Greninja, Terrakion, Heatran, and Azelf are all good entry hazard users that can deal significant indirect damage to the opposing team. Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, Tapu Bulu, and Alolan Marowak are powerful physical attackers that can rend open the opponent's team for Zygarde to capitalize on. Mega Scizor, Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Magnezone are all good offensive pivots that can be used to bring in these same attackers in the early- and mid-game. Magnezone is particularly noteworthy for its ability to eliminate opposing Ferrothorn, a large issue for Zygarde.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Lum Berry is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance sets, as it can allow it to set up in the face of Will-O-Wisp users, but these are not really common enough for it to be a consistent item. Protect is an interesting option on the Substitute + Coil set; paired with Toxic Spikes support it can let Zygarde get past the same Pokemon that Toxic does, while using Protect to heal excessively. Naturally, this is reliant on a lot of support and runs the risk of being nigh-useless should the opponent be able to play around Toxic Spikes while having an answer to Toxic-less Zygarde. Life Orb is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance sets to power up all of its attacks, which is quite useful, especially considering it's the only option for boosting Extreme Speed, but its recoil really runs counter to Zygarde's excellent natural bulk, making it a questionable choice.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu can all be a thorn in Zygarde's side. Clefable can ignore boosts with Unaware, and has the bulk to survive two Choice Band-boosted Thousand Arrows while 2HKOing in return with Moonblast. Even when Zygarde is running Toxic, Clefable can still be a problem with Heal Bell or Magic Guard. Tapu Fini can check most sets quite well, but it cannot switch into Choice Band-boosted Thousand Arrows and prevail. Tapu Bulu is a great counter to sets that lack both Toxic and Iron Tail thanks to its favorable typing.

*Grass- and Bug-types**: Unlike Flying-type and levitating Pokemon, Bug- and Grass-types resist Ground and thus take advantage of Zygarde's propensity to using a single STAB attack. Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth is the main mention here; while it can fall to Toxic, Devastating Drake, and Choice Band Outrage, it still stops Thousand Arrow spam from doing much of anything and can force Zygarde into a bad spot if healthy. Ferrothorn is also a big issue for Zygarde; it can deal with the Choice Band and Dragon Dance sets effectively, but it will fall to Substitute + Coil. Mega Scizor usually is not a good answer to boosting Zygarde, as Coil will usually prevent it from countering Zygarde; however, Scizor does easily avoid a 2HKO from anything Choice Band Zygarde can throw at it, which will result in Zygarde simply being stalled out of PP. Buzzwole possessing Ice Punch is a pretty hard counter to Zygarde outside of Substitute and Toxic shenanigans.


**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users like Garchomp, Greninja, Gengar, Latios, and Keldeo are an issue for Zygarde. Their ability to simply outspeed Zygarde and either OHKO it or deal serious damage to it and lower its Speed with Icy Wind will stifle any attempt at sweeping. Ice Shard from the likes of Mamoswine and Weavile is also quite an issue for Zygarde, as it comes close to OHKOing. All of these Pokemon except Gengar are vulnerable to Extreme Speed should they be sufficiently worn down, however.
 
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- set order: choice band, then substitute + coil, then double dance, then dragon dance + z-move.

choice band is the best set. this is self explanatory. subsitute + coil is very good. it's just been losing usage because people are trying other sets such as dragon dance and aforementioned dragon dance.

- choice band should have a adamant nature slashed first. jolly is obviously cute for modest tapu lele and beating jolly landorus-t but you don't want to be staying in on the former until it is confirmed modest and the latter can't do much anyways unless it is fly-z. i'd rather have the extra power to do more damage with extreme speed and especially thousand arrows.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Coil
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Coil
move 4: Toxic / Extreme Speed
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe

- if you are using toxic, this is the best spread.
- with extreme speed, mention to use 240 HP / 176 Atk / 36 SpD / 56 Spe and an adamant nature

you should have 2 different dragon dance sets:

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Dragon Dance
move 4: Coil
item: Sitrus Berry / Earth Plate
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 168 HP / 236 Atk / 104 Spe

- outpaces shift gear magearna

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Thousand Arrows
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Dragonium Z / Groundium Z / Lum Berry
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

- mention earth plate and life orb in set details
 
Last edited:

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
this is ready for QC, some of the sections are pretty sparse, sorry for that, there's a lot of sets, ill add to them as we go
 
Last edited:
Overview

This is so sparse and really awkwardly worded. Instead of saying "It has a high BST that makes it very bulky," just say it has a good bulk and how it gives it more opportunities to set up and come in. You can mention that the introduction of Thousand Arrows made into a prominent threat. Just expand on this entire section as a whole. It's really lacking right now.

Choice Band

I would slash Toxic over Iron Tail as it allows you to hit Tangrowth on the switch and put it on a timer rather than doing 25% that will be negated by regenerator. Also mention Superpower in there too. Remove the word "Ziggy" and flesh out the details of the bullet points below. Expand on the details of this set, it's really light at the moment.

Offensive DD

The set itself is fine. I would mention how you are able to OHKO AV Tangrowth from full iirc, Physically Defensive Tangrowth needs more prior damage to get part it, and LandoT with a little bit of chip damage. I don't like the line about entry hazards being the bread and butter of any sweeper, I'd rather this just be stating that hazards make it easier for Zygarde to sweep. Make the main slash Adamant as you don't really miss out on outspeeding anything relevant and the extra power is nice.

Sub Coil

Change the EV spread, I don't like being that slow on this set. The spreads Vertex mentioned above is better and should be the main spread, along with a mention of the second spread in set details. It should also be careful nature over adamant. You mentioned Tangrowth as something you can set up on but most tangrowths are running HP Ice to dissuade Zygarde from freely setting up.

Double Dance

The EV spread on this needs to be changed to this: EVs: 160 HP / 216 Atk / 28 SpD / 104 Spe Adamant, as this is more efficient than the current one. For clarity this spread allows you to live Scarf Chomp Outrage. Fini can't kill you with 2 Moonblast, the first will always activate sitrus berry so you are able to live 2 hits. The speed EVs gives you enough to outspeed Greninja at +1 who would otherwise revenge kill you.

Remove Life Orb entirely from details of this set and move it to OO. In Usage tips, talk about when it's more beneficial to use Coil and when it's better to use Dragon Dance.


Zygarde, SM OU's vanguard, like a phalanx or an tank battalion, is at the tip of any offensive team's spear.

Everything else is fine from the looks of it, unless I missed something. Also try to avoid the extra fluff and expand on some of the lighter areas and you're fine. Do all of this and consider it QC 1/3.
 
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Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
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The CB set should have Superpower slashed instead, not Iron Tail, which should just be in move comments. Being locked into Iron Tail is terrible and outside of Bulu and Clef, it literally has no use. Hitting Ferro very hard early on in the match can be extremely beneficial, and it's also just a decently strong move in general that hits shit hard on the switch. Toxic also covers Bulu, so it's literally just for Clef mostly, and it's pretty unreliable anyway.

Also the set order should be CB / Coil / Offensive DD / Double Dance.

For the offensive DD set, you mention how Dragonium helps it break through bulky Grounds, but the major target is definitely Tangrowth, so that absolutely needs to be mentioned. I know you mention it in usage tips, but it's definitely important enough to mention it in set details

On Double Dance, mention how Sitrus is especially useful vs stuff like Zard Y and Volcarona, so it can switch into them more consistently or avoid taking as much from coverage.

Everything else looks pretty good QC 2/3
 

Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
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Iron Tail sentence is kind of awkward. You can also mention Superpower nails Chansey for a good chunk of damage too. Also mention to moves in Set comments in the order they appear. Example is Choice Band where Toxic is listed before Outrage.

Gary covered everything otherwise.

3/3
 
Out of the depths Zygarde emerges as a top threat in SM OU and Thousand Arrows is the source of its newfound power. (fluff) Because it compresses coverage extremely well and breaks past common answers to Ground-types like Celesteela, Skarmory, and Landorus-T, Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde excellent anti-meta properties; punishing opponents that rely on immunities to deal with Ground-type attacks. Extreme Speed, Coil, and Dragon Dance are just the right tools for Zygarde to take advantage of Thousand Arrows. Backed up by excellent defensive stats to provide ample switch-in or setup opportunities, Zygarde is both a great attacker and sweeper. This makes it quite unpredictable, further adding to its effectiveness, as some Pokemon that may counter one set, can be setup bait to another. Though powerful, Zygarde does possess mediocre offensive stats, meaning that it often has to boost more than once, or requires excessive chip damage to the opponent's team to sweep, limiting it. Further, while Thousand Arrows does ignore immunities, it offers no respite from Grass- and Bug-types like Mega Scizor, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu who can be a challenge for Zygarde to overcome.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Toxic / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows and Choice Band are a match made in heaven. No immunities, (RC) and few resistances means that Zygarde can simply click this attack and do serious damage. Extreme Speed and Choice Band together also have great synergy. It gives Zygarde great utility assisting teams in revenge killing, or to clean up in the late-game. Outrage, while having no shortage of drawbacks, does prevent Tangrowth from effortlessly walling this set. Toxic is undoubtedly an awkward move to be locked into, but it does put a lot of pressure on defensive roadblocks to Zygarde such as Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Hippowdon. Superpower is a good option to earn a clean 2HKO on a would-be defensive counter Ferrothorn. It also does lasting damage to Chansey and allows Zygarde to pivot out, unlike Outrage. Iron Tail tail crushes Tapu Bulu and Clefable who are quite good counters to this set otherwise, as both are quite resistant or completely immune to Toxic.

Set Details
========

Choice Band is the item that defines this set, (RC); (ASC) with it, Zygarde can 2HKO a scary part of the metagame with the very spammable Thousand Arrows. An Adamant nature is ideal, (RC); (ASC) Zygarde needs the power, and it can use Extreme Speed to make up any Speed it lostes. 252 Attack EVs is optimal, as Zygarde's goal is to deal damage, not take hits. 252 Speed EVs to tie with other neutral base 95s like Tapu Lele is ideal as well.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Zygarde is a mid-game hole puncher that capitalizes on its ability to simply spam Thousand Arrows and to create meaningful breaches in the opponent's defenses. Zygarde is difficult to switch into, but its fairly poor base Attack and Thousand Arrow's base power can be a letdown for OHKOs. It best forces out offensive Pokemon that have already sustained some chip damage. Zygarde's defensive capabilities is another facet of using it effectively. Don't be afraid to absorb predicted attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast to get into battle. Extreme Speed can be a great revenge killing tool. (RP); (ASC) if the opponent has a dangerous sweeper like Volcarona, Zygarde can can keep it at bay. Make sure to keep Zygarde sufficiently healthy in this scenario.

Team Options
========

Hazard support is the biggest boon to any choiced attacker and Zygarde is no exception. Stealth Rock and Spikes from the likes of Greninja, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Chansey will turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and just make the switches Zygarde can force more effective. Toxic Spikes has significant synergy with Zygarde, most Pokemon that are obnoxious to it, such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, (AC) are quite vulnerable to it, while most defensive Pokmemon immune to Toxic Spikes, (AC) such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Zapdos, (AC) cannot wall Zygarde for obvious reasons. In general it wears down opponent nicely. (fluff) Mega Scizor has good synergy with Choice Band Zygarde. (RP); (ASC) Scizor can handle Grass- and Fairy-types that can be a hindrance to Zygarde, and create good chip damage and momentum with U-turn, often against targets that Zygarde can easily force out like Magnezone, Heatran, and Volcarona. Other U-turn users like Tapu Koko, and Ash-Greninja can create switch advantages and chip damage Zygarde can capitalize on too. Both of these Pokemon are exceptionally fast and can act as late-game cleaners once Zygarde has done enough damage. Magnezone is decent at grabbing momentum, and it's quite capable of at trapping and KOing both Ferrothorn, and Scizor, two defensive obstacles for Zygarde.

[SET]
name: SubCoil
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Toxic / Extreme Speed
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack, with its secondary effect it achieves perfect synergy with Toxic, scoring a super effective hit on anything immune to the move. Toxic in combination with Coil and Substitute can stall out or at least significantly pressure traditional counters to Zygarde such as Quagsire or Tangrowth. Extreme Speed is also an option. While it does sacrifice any attempt at stallbreaking, Zygarde's incredible bulk can let it achieve quite a few boosts, with Extreme Speed it prevents the opponent from relying on a fast Pokemon like Greninja or Latios to simply revenge kill Zygarde after letting it get too many Coil boosts. Substitute is key; it allows Zygarde to take advantage of passive Pokemon, and in combination with Coil and Zygarde's high defensive stats a Substitute can often become very difficult to break with one attack. Coil's boosting is what makes this set so deadly. (fluff) With specially defensive investment and Coil boosting physical Defense and Attack, (AC) Zygarde can becomes very bulky and powerful, and quickly.

Set Details
========

240 HP EVs grants Zygarde 101 HP substitutes, which turns Chansey into setup bait. 56 Speed EVs lets Breloom outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Breloom. This is fairly important as it lets Zygarde avoid Spore, (RC) or losing its Leftovers to Knock Off. The choice of nature and remaining 212 EVs get dumped into Special Defense; (ASC) this, combined with a few Coil's defense boostings, (AC) make Zygarde becomes extremely difficult to take down. Leftovers is the only item of choice, the healing that will accumulate as Zygarde uses Substitute, Coil, (AC) and Toxic over many turns in order to wear the opponent down far outdoes any other item's effectiveness. 240 HP / 176 Atk / 36 SpD / 56 Spe and an Adamant nature is ideal if running Extreme Speed. (RP); (ASC) it hits a jump point, (AC) and gets enables Zygarde to get the OHKO on Magearna at +1 and outspeeds both Adamant Bisharp and Breloom.

Usage Tips
========

Try and set up on relatively passive Pokemon like Chansey, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and defensive Mega Scizor. Conserve Zygarde's HP and wait until the late-game until looking to set up. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that simply will be unable to deal with Zygarde once it gets going, and the later the game goes, the higher chance the opponent will be left with only those Pokemon. One of the problems with that Coil Zygarde is that it can simply be phazed, by Skarmory's Whirlwind for example, however this problem can be solved by simply leaving Zygarde as your last Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Coil Zygarde is generally reserved as a late-game win condition and contribution to anti-stall efforts on offensive or balanced teams. Some Stealth Rock support is obligatory for a late-game win condition, (RC); (ASC) indirectly wearing down the opponent pays off. Landorus-T, Terrakion, Heatran, and Chansey are convincing users of the move. Toxic Spikes support is ideal on this set if it lacks Toxic, naturally the targets of Toxic are quite vulnerable to Toxic Spikes too. Toxapex and Greninja are most talented at this. General wallbreakers and attackers will cause wounds to the enemy team that can become big enough for Zygarde to clean up. Greninja, Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, and Mega Metagross are unmatched at this.


[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Dragonium Z / Groundium Z
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack, (RC); (ASC) hitting through Ground-type immunities is an amazing property, especially when paired with a Dragon-type STAB. Outrage achieves good coverage alongside Thousand Arrows. With Dragonium Z, Zygarde can break through some Ground-type Pokemon resistsant to Ground while avoiding the drawbacks of Outrage. Extreme Speed is a great tool for avoiding enemy priority attacks and dealing with faster Choice Scarf users like Latios. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, making it a deadly sweeper.

Set Details
========

252 Attack and Speed EVs are standard for an offensive Dragon Dance user. (RP); (ASC) outrunning as many Pokemon and dealing as much damage as possible do the most to improve chance of a successful sweep. Adamant nature is optimal; Jolly buys Zygarde little and the extra power does more than anything else. Dragonium Z is a great tool for giving Zygarde a very powerful attack with a lot of neutral coverage, letting it break past checks that are otherwise not sufficiently weakened, especially Tangrowth who would otherwise force Zygarde into locking itself into Outrage. Groundinium Z is an option as well, (RC) it; (ASC) Tectonic Rage off of Thousand Arrows (Groundium Z is not what is doing the damage) hits nearly as hard as Z Outrage, (RC) Devastating Drake but it can be used to target various targets that are immune or resistant to Dragon-type attacks like Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Scizor.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Zygarde is a fairly archetypical setup sweeper (Dragon Dance itself does not sweep). It wants to use its setup move late in the game, then clean up. Try and completely conserve its HP and status throughout the early- and mid-game, (RC); (ASC) this will give it the highest chance of success in the later stages of the match. Only use Zygarde defensively if it's absolutely necessary. Factor in the probability of a successful late-game sweep into this decision. Throughout the early- and mid-game, use your entry hazard users and attackers to wear down the opponent. Identify Zygarde's checks and focus on wearing them down. Keep in mind that +1 Devastating Drake will not simply OHKO its primary targets: (RC) (Tangrowth and Landorus-T), they need to be worn down somewhat for Zygarde to avoid taking damage when getting past them. When the late-game hits, try and lure in something that Zygarde can set_up on. (RP); (ASC) Heatran, Magnezone, and Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice are among the most common Pokemon Zygarde can setup on. Choice users locked into the wrong move also suffice. While sweeping is this set's specialty, it's possible for it to act as a mid-game wallbreaker, (RC): (AC) Dragon Dance and a Z-move together are quite devastating. (RP), (AC) and Zygarde is no slouch at bringing in and eliminating the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and other defensive Pokemon. While it will sustain damage in trying to break past these threats, usually too much to sweep, Zygarde will ultimately prevail, and other teammates may capitalize on this.

Team Options
========

General wallbreakers and attackers that put a lot of pressure on the physically defensive Pokemon in the tier are the first thing Zygarde needs for support. Mega Metagross, Mega Medicham, and Mega Mawile are terrifying powerful and, (AC) thanks to their movepools, (AC) somewhat unpredictable attackers that can draw in and crush the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Celesteela, Skarmory, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, Scizor, Clefable, and pretty much anything in the tier that might be able to defensively check Zygarde. Life Orb Garchomp has high redundancy with Zygrade, which can alleviate some of the defensive need for its typing on a team, and can act as a solid lure to the defensive Pokemon that Zygrade struggles against. Entry hazard users make life quite a lot bit easier for any late-game sweeper and Zygarde is no exception. Azelf is a great partner, early game guaranteed hazards add their damage up quickly and substantially. Greninja, Garchomp, and Heatran are generally reliable and effective entry hazard users as well. Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor can be a problem for this set, and but Magnezone is quite capable of trapping and eliminating these threats.

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Dragon Dance
move 4: Coil
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 216 Atk / 28 SpD / 104 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's signature offensive move, getting (fluff) gets good neutral coverage with one slot. Extreme Speed is used to not fall victim to revenge killers. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, (RC); (ASC) it's more useful for trying to sweep through faster teams. Coil boosts Zygarde's Defense rather than Speed. It, (AC) which can be used to set up in the face of relatively weak physical attackers. Using both moves on one set creates more situations where Zygarde can successfully boost.

Set Details
========

104 Speed ensures that Zygarde outpaces Timid Magearna, which can easily check Zygarde should it lack the Speed. It also conveniently beats Greninja at +1, avoiding its deadly Ice Beam. 160 HP EVs have a specific goal in mind; (RSC): (AC) they allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage. 28 Special Defense EVs allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast, and 2 Moonblasts from Tapu Fini, both after Stealth Rock. The remaining 216 EVs are placed into Attack to give Zygarde as much power as it can away with. An Adamant nature is most beneficial, (RC); (ASC) because of Zygarde's Speed tier, a Speed positive nature does little, and the extra power always helps. Sitrus Berry gives Zygarde the ability to deceive the opponent into thinking it's easier to KO than it actually is. With the Sitrus Berry it's often possible to boost for one more turn, which can lead to a sweep. This is especially apparent against Pokemon like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y, who Zygarde can potentially switch into to boost thanks to Sitrus Berry. Earth Plate is another option. (RP): (AC) it gives Zygarde a nice power boost without any defensive drawbacks, (RC); (AC) Life Orb recoil runs too contrary to a defensive booster.


Usage Tips
========

Double Dance Zygarde is another late-game sweeper variant. It's generally ideal to preserve its HP until late-game, and use your wallbreakers, entry hazard users, and pivots to put wear onto the opponent's team during the early- and mid-game. Once the late-game arrives, focus on bringing in Zygarde against Pokemon it can setup against. Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone are some of the more common targets Zygarde can setup on. Choice Users locked into the wrong move, such as Choice Scarf Keldeo's Secret Sword, (AC) are great opportunities as well. Knowing when to use Coil or Dragon Dance is a major key and all about estimating how valuable boosting Speed or Defense may be. Coil has a few uses: it can provide extra turns to boost against relatively weak physical attackers like Excadrill lacking a boosting item, Mega Scizor, and defensive Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice. It also provides protection against physical attackers that Zygarde may be incapable of OHKOing. For example, (AC) Zygarde is capable of 2HKOing Mega Pinsir with a combination of Thousand Arrows and Extreme Speed, in this case the protection of +1 Defense is much more useful than Speed, which ultimately does nothing. It also protects against priority users that Extreme_Speed is a too weak against, such as Bisharp. Dragon Dance's uses are outpacing opposing Pokemon, naturally. Keep in mind this can be offset by Extreme Speed's +2 priority. The question of which move to use is looking at which Pokemon the opponent has, and calculating whether Speed or Defense is better at preserving Zygarde's HP. Coil might give you an extra boost which will grant Extreme Speed a KO on that Greninja, or it may be the case that the extra Speed is necessary to outspeed it, (RC) and Zygarde's natural bulk will be sufficient in surviving the rest of the opponent's attacks.

Team Options
========

As mentioned Zygarde does need its teammates to do significant wear to the opponent in the early- and mid-game to think about cleaning up. Garchomp, Greninja, Terrakion, Heatran, and Azelf are all good entry hazard users that can significant indirect damage to the opponent. Mega Metagross, Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, Tapu Bulu, and Alolan Marowak are powerful physical attackers that can rend open the opponent's team for Zygarde to capitalize on. Mega Scizor, Tapu Koko, Ash Greninja, and Magnezone are all good offensive pivots that can be used to bring in these same attackers in the early- and mid-game. Magnezone is particularly noteworthy for its ability to eliminate opposing Ferrothorn, a large issue for Zygarde.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Lum Berry is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance using sets, (RC); (ASC) it can allow it to setup in the face of Will-o-Wisp users, but these are not really common enough for it to be a consistent item. Protect is an interesting option on the Substitute Coil set, (RC); (ASC) paired with Toxic Spikes support it can get past the same Pokemon that Toxic does, while using Protect to heal excessively. Naturally this is reliant on a lot of support, and runs the risk of being nigh-useless should the opponent be able to play around Toxic Spikes while having an answer to Toxic-less Zygarde. Life Orb is an option to power up all of Zygarde's attacks on its Dragon Dance sets, which is quite useful, especially considering it's the only option for boosting Extreme Speed, but its recoil really runs counter to Zygarde's excellent natural bulk, (AC) making it Life Orb a questionable choice.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu can all be a thorn in Zygarde's side. Clefable can ignore boosts with Unaware, (RC) and has the bulk to survive 2 two Choice Band Thousand Arrows, (RC) while returning the favour with a Moonblast that 2HKOs. Even with Toxic Clefable can still be a problem with Heal Bell, (RC) or Magic Guard. Tapu Fini can check most sets quite well, but it can not switch into Choice Band Thousand Arrows and prevail. Tapu Bulu is a great counter to sets that lack both Toxic or and Iron Tail ('both' implies that there is more than one) thanks to its favorable typing.

*Grass- and Bug-types**: Unlike Flying-type and levitating Pokemon, these resist the Ground-type and thus take advantage of Zygarde's propensity to using a single STAB attack. Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth is the main mention here, (RC): (AC) while it can fall to Toxic, Devastating Drake, and Choice Band Outrage, it still stops Thousand Arrows spam from doing much of anything, and can force Zygarde into a bad spot if healthy. Ferrothorn is also a huge issue for Zygarde, as it can deal with the Choice Band and Dragon Dance sets effectively, (RC). (AP) However, (AC) it will fall to Substitute Coil. Mega Scizor usually is not a good answer to boosting Zygarde, as Coil will usually prevent it from countering Zygarde, (RC). (AP) However, (AC) Scizor does easily avoid a 2HKO from anything Choice Band Zygarde can throw at it, which will result in Zygarde simply being stalled out of PP. Buzzwole possessing Ice Punch is a pretty hard counter to Zygarde outside of Substitute and Toxic shenanigans.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users, (AC) like Garchomp, Greninja, Gengar, Latios and Keldeo, (AC) are an issue for Zygarde. Their ability to simply outspeed it and either OHKO or deal serious damage and lower its Speed with Icy Wind will stifle any attempt at sweeping for Zygarde. Ice Shard from the likes of Mamoswine and Weavile are also quite an issue for Zygarde, (RC); (ASC) they come to close to OHKOing. All of these Pokemon except Gengar are vulernable to Extreme Speed should they be sufficiently worn down, (AC) however.
 
Last edited:

Lumari

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GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Out of the depths Zygarde emerges is as a top threat in SM OU, (AC) and Thousand Arrows is the source of its newfound power. (focuses too much on generation shift as it stands) Because it compresses coverage extremely well and breaks past common answers to Ground-types like Celesteela, Skarmory, and Landorus-T, Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde excellent anti-meta properties, (comma) punishing opponents that rely on immunities immune Pokemon to deal with Ground-type attacks. Extreme Speed, Coil, and Dragon Dance are just the right tools for Zygarde to take advantage of Thousand Arrows. Backed up by excellent defensive stats to provide ample switch in or set up opportunities to switch in or set up, (AC) Zygarde is both a great attacker and a great sweeper. This makes it quite unpredictable, further adding to its effectiveness, as some Pokemon that may counter one set (RC) can be setup bait to another. Though powerful, though, Zygarde does possess mediocre offensive stats, meaning that it often has to boost more than once (RC) or requires excessive chip damage to the opponents team to sweep, limiting it. Further, while Thousand Arrows does ignore immunities, it offers no respite from Grass- and Bug-types like Mega Scizor, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu, (AC) who which can be a challenge for Zygarde to overcome.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Toxic / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows and Choice Band are a match made in heaven. No immunities, Pokemon being immune to it and few resistances resisting it means that Zygarde can simply click this attack and do serious damage. Extreme Speed and Choice Band together also have great synergy. It gives Zygarde great utility assisting teams in revenge killing (RC) or to clean cleaning up in the late-game. Outrage, while having no shortage of drawbacks, does prevent Tangrowth from effortlessly walling this set. Toxic is undoubtedly an awkward move to be locked into, but it does put a lot of pressure on defensive roadblocks to Zygarde such as Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Hippowdon. Superpower is a good option to earn a clean 2HKO on a would-be defensive counter Ferrothorn. It also does lasting damage to Chansey and allows Zygarde to pivot out, unlike Outrage. Iron Tail tail crushes Tapu Bulu and Clefable, (AC) who which are quite good counters to this set otherwise, as both are quite resistant resilient or completely immune to Toxic.

Set Details
========

Choice Band is the item that defines this set; (SC) with it, Zygarde can 2HKO a scary part of the metagame with the very spammable Thousand Arrows. An Adamant nature is ideal, as Zygarde needs the power, and it can use Extreme Speed to make up for any Speed it lost. 252 Attack EVs is are optimal, as Zygarde's goal is to deal damage, not take hits. Running 252 Speed EVs to tie with other neutral base 95s like Tapu Lele is ideal as well.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Zygarde is a mid-game hole puncher that capitalizes on its ability to simply spam Thousand Arrows and create meaningful breaches in the opponent's defenses. Zygarde is difficult to switch into, but its fairly poor base Attack and Thousand Arrow's Arrows's Base Power can be a let down for prevent it from getting OHKOs. It best forces out offensive Pokemon that have already sustained some chip damage. Zygarde's defensive capabilities is are another facet of using it effectively. Dont be afraid to absorb predicted attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast to get into battle. Extreme Speed can be a great revenge killing tool. If the opponent has a dangerous sweeper like Volcarona, Zygarde can can keep it at bay. Make sure to keep Zygarde sufficiently healthy in this scenario.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard Support is the biggest boon to any Choiced attacker, (AC) and Zygarde is no exception. Stealth Rock and Spikes from the likes of Greninja, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Chansey will turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and just make the switches Zygarde can force more effective. Toxic Spikes has significant synergy with Zygarde, as most Pokemon that are obnoxious to it, such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, (AC) are quite vulnerable to it them, while most defensive Pokmemon immune to Toxic Spikes such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Zapdos can not cannot wall Zygarde for obvious reasons. In general it they wears down opponent opposing teams nicely. Mega Scizor has good synergy with Choice Band Zygarde. Scizor can handle Grass- and Fairy-types that can be a hindrance to Zygarde (RC) and create good chip damage and momentum with U-turn, often against targets that Zygarde can easily force out like Magnezone, Heatran, and Volcarona. Other U-turn users like Tapu Koko (RC) and Ash-Greninja can create switch advantage and chip damage Zygarde can capitalize on too. Both of these Pokemon are exceptionally fast and can act as late-game cleaners once Zygarde has done enough damage. Magnezone is decent at grabbing momentum, and its it's quite capable of trapping and KOing both Ferrothorn, and Scizor, two defensive obstacles for Zygarde.

[SET]
name: Subcoil
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Toxic / Extreme Speed
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; (SC) with its secondary effect it achieves perfect synergy with Toxic, scoring a super effective hit on anything immune to the move poison. (not on grass / poisons and ferrothorn and scizor though) Toxic in combination with Coil and Substitute can stall out or at least significantly pressure traditional counters to Zygarde such as Quagsire or and Tangrowth. Extreme Speed is also an option. While it this does sacrifice any attempt at possibility of stallbreaking, Zygarde's incredible bulk can let it achieve quite a few boosts, and with Extreme Speed it prevents the opponent from relying on a fast Pokemon like Greninja or Latios to simply revenge kill Zygarde after letting it get too many Coil boosts. Substitute is key; it allows Zygarde to take advantage of passive Pokemon, and in combination with Coil and Zygarde's high defensive stats a Substitute can often become very difficult to break with one attack. Coil's boosting is what makes this set so deadly. With specially defensive investment and Coil boosting physical Defense and Attack, (AC) Zygarde becomes very bulky and powerful, quickly.

Set Details
========

240 HP grants EVs grant Zygarde 101 HP substitutes, which turns Chansey into setup bait. 56 Speed EVs lets let Breloom Zygarde outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Breloom. This is fairly important, (AC) as it lets Zygarde avoid being put to sleep by (optional-ish, parallel sentence structure) Spore (RC) or losing its Leftovers to Knock Off. The choice of nature and remaining 212 EVs get dumped into are used to increase Zygarde's Special Defense, making it extremely difficult to take down combined with Coil's Defense boosting Zygarde becomes extremely difficult to take down. Leftovers is the only item of choice, as the healing that will accumulate as Zygarde uses Substitute, Coil, (AC) and Toxic over many turns to wear the opponent down far outdoes any other item's effectiveness. 240 HP / 176 Atk / 36 SpD / 56 Spe and an Adamant nature is ideal if running Extreme Speed. It hits a jump point an extra point in Attack, (AC) and gets the OHKO on Magearna at +1, (AC) and outspeeds both Adamant Bisharp and Breloom.

Usage Tips
========

Try and set up on relatively passive Pokemon like Chansey, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and defensive Mega Scizor. Conserve Zygarde's HP and wait until the late-game until looking to set up. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that simply will be unable to deal with Zygarde once it gets going, and the later the game goes, the higher chance the opponent will be left with only those Pokemon. One of the problems that Coil Zygarde is that it can simply be phazed, by Skarmory's Whirlwind for example; (SC) however, (AC) this problem can be solved by simply leaving Zygarde as your last Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Coil Zygarde is generally reserved as a late-game win condition wincon and contribution to anti-stall efforts on offensive or balanced teams. Some Stealth Rock support is obligatory for a late-game win condition, as indirectly wearing down the opponent opposing team pays off. Landorus-T, Terrakion, Heatran, and Chansey are convincing users of the move. Toxic Spikes support is ideal on this set if it lacks Toxic, naturally the targets of Toxic are quite vulnerable to Toxic Spikes too. Toxapex and Greninja are most talented at this. General wallbreakers and attackers will cause wounds to the enemy team that can big enough for Zygarde to clean up. Greninja, Mega Mawile, and Mega Medicham are unmatched at this.


[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Dragonium Z / Groundium Z
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; (SC) hitting through Ground-type immunities is an amazing property, especially when paired with a Dragon STAB attack. Outrage achieves good coverage alongside Thousand Arrows. With Dragonium Z, (AC) Zygarde can break through some foes that resist Ground-type resists while avoiding the drawbacks of Outrage. Extreme Speed is a great tool for avoiding enemy priority attacks and dealing with faster Choice Scarf users like Latios.Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, (AC) making it a deadly sweeper.

Set Details
========

252 Attack and Speed EVs are standard for an offensive Dragon Dance user. Outrunning as many Pokemon and dealing as much damage as possible do the most to improve chance of a successful sweep. Adamant nature is optimal; Jolly buys Zygarde little and the extra power does more than anything else. Dragonium Z is a great tool for giving Zygarde a very powerful attack with a lot of neutral coverage, letting it break past checks that are otherwise not sufficiently weakened, especially Tangrowth, (AC) who which would otherwise force Zygarde into locking itself into Outrage. Groundinium Groundium Z is an option as well; (SC) it Tectonic Rage hits nearly as hard as Z Outrage Devastating Drake, but it can be used to target various targets that are immune or resistant to Dragon-type attacks like Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Scizor.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Zygarde is a fairly archetypical setup sweeper. It wants to use its setup move late in the game (RC) and then clean up. Try and to completely conserve its HP and keep it free of status throughout the early and mid-game, as this will give it the highest chance of success in the later stages of the match. Only use Zygarde defensively if its it's absolutely necessary. Factor in the probability of a successful late-game sweep into this decision. Throughout the early- (AH) and mid-game, (AC) use your entry hazard users and attackers to wear down the opponent opposing team. Identify Zygarde's checks and focus on wearing them down. Keep in mind that +1 Devastating Drake will not simply OHKO its primary targets, (AC) Tangrowth and Landorus-T; (SC) they need to be worn down somewhat for Zygarde to avoid taking damage when getting past them. When the late-game hits, try and to lure in something that Zygarde can setup set up on. Heatran, Magnezone, and Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice are among the most common Pokemon Zygarde can setup on take advantage of. Choice users locked into the wrong move also suffice. While sweeping is this set's specialty, it's possible for it to act as a mid-game wallbreaker, as Dragon Dance and a Z move Z-Move together are quite devastating. Zygarde is no slouch at bringing in and eliminating the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and other defensive Pokemon. While it will sustain damage in trying to break past these threats, usually too much to sweep, Zygarde will ultimately prevail, and other teammates may capitalize on this.

Team Options
========

General wallbreakers and attackers that put a lot of pressure on the physically defensive Pokemon in the tier are the first thing Zygarde needs for support. Mega Medicham (RC) and Mega Mawile are terrifyingly powerful and, (AC) thanks to their movepools, (AC) somewhat unpredictable attackers that can draw in and crush the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Celesteela, Skarmory, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, Scizor, Clefable, and pretty much anything in the tier that might be able to defensively check Zygarde. Life Orb Garchomp has high redundancy with Zygrade, which can alleviate some of the defensive need for its typing on a team, and can act as a solid lure to the defensive Pokemon that Zygrade struggles against. Entry hazard users make life quite a lot easier for any lategame late-game sweeper, (AC) and Zygarde is no exception. Azelf is a great partner, as early-game (AH) guaranteed hazards add their damage up quickly and substantially. Greninja, Garchomp, and Heatran are generally reliable and effective entry hazard users as well. Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor can be a problem for this set, and Magnezone is quite capable of trapping and eliminating these threats.

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Dragon Dance
move 4: Coil
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 216 Atk / 28 SpD / 104 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's signature offensive move, getting good neutral coverage with one slot. Extreme Speed is used to not fall victim to revenge killers. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, and its it's more useful for trying to sweep through faster teams. Coil boosts Zygarde's Defense rather than Speed. It can be used to setup set up in the face of relatively weak physical attackers. Using both moves on one set creates more situations where Zygarde can successfully boost.

Set Details
========

104 Speed EVs ensures that Zygarde outpaces Timid Magearna, which can easily check Zygarde should it lack the Speed. It also conveniently beats Greninja at +1, avoiding its deadly Ice Beam. 160 HP EVs have a specific goal in mind; they allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage. 28 Special Defense EVs allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast (RC) and two Moonblasts from Tapu Fini, both after Stealth Rock. The remaining 216 EVs are placed into Attack to give Zygarde as much power as it can get away with. An Adamant nature is most beneficial, as because of Zygarde's Speed tier, a Speed positive Speed nature does little. (period) and the extra power always helps Sitrus Berry gives Zygarde the ability to deceive the opponent into thinking its it's easier to KO than it actually is. With the Sitrus Berry it's often possible to boost for one more turn, which can lead to a sweep. This is especially apparent against Pokemon like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y, who which Zygarde can potentially switch into to boost thanks to Sitrus Berry. Earth Plate is another option. It gives Zygarde a nice power boost without any defensive drawbacks, as Life Orb recoil runs too contrary to a defensive booster.


Usage Tips
========

Double Dance Zygarde is another late-game sweeper variant. It's generally ideal to preserve its HP until late-game (RC) and use your wallbreakers, entry hazard users, and pivots to put wear onto the opponent's team during the early- (AH) and mid-game. Once the late-game arrives, focus on bringing in Zygarde against Pokemon it can setup set up against, (comma) such as Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone are some of the more common targets Zygarde can setup on. Choice item users locked into the wrong move, such as Choice Scarf Keldeo's locked into Secret Sword, (AC) are great opportunities as well. Knowing when to use Coil or Dragon Dance is a major key and all about estimating how valuable boosting Speed or Defense may be. Coil has a few uses: it can provide extra turns to boost against relatively weak physical attackers like Excadrill lacking a boosting item, Mega Scizor, and defensive Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice. It also provides protection against physical attackers that Zygarde may be incapable of OHKOing. For example Zygarde is capable of 2HKOing Mega Pinsir with a combination of Thousand Arrows and Extreme Speed; (SC) in this case the protection of +1 Defense is much more useful than Speed, which ultimately does nothing. It also protects against priority users that Extremespeed Extreme Speed is a too weak against, such as Bisharp. Dragon Dance's uses are outpacing opposing Pokemon, naturally. Keep in mind this can be offset by Extreme Speed's +2 priority. The question choice of which move to use is comes down to looking at which Pokemon the opponent has (RC) and calculating whether Speed or Defense is better at preserving Zygarde's HP. Coil's Defense boost might give help you get in (?) an extra boost which that will grant Extreme Speed a KO on that an opposing Greninja, or it may be the case that the extra Speed is necessary to outspeed it, and Zygarde's natural bulk will be sufficient in surviving the rest of the opponent's attacks.

Team Options
========

As mentioned, (AC) Zygarde does need its teammates to do significant wear to the opponent in the early and mid-game to think about cleaning up. Garchomp, Greninja, Terrakion, Heatran, and Azelf are all good entry hazard users that can deal significant indirect damage to the opponent opposing team. Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, Tapu Bulu, and Alolan Marowak are powerful physical attackers that can rend open the opponent's team for Zygarde to capitalize on Mega Scizor, Tapu Koko, Ash Greninja, and Magnezone are all good offensive pivots that can be used to bring in these same attackers in the early- (AH) and mid-game. Magnezone is particularly noteworthy for its ability to eliminate opposing Ferrothorn, a large issue for Zygarde.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Lum Berry is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance using sets, as it can allow it to setup set up in the face of Will-o-Wisp Will-O-Wisp users, but these are not really common enough for it to be a consistent item. Protect is an interesting option on the Substitute + Coil set; (SC) paired with Toxic Spikes support it can get past the same Pokemon that Toxic does (RC) while using Protect to heal excessively. Naturally this is reliant on a lot of support (RC) and runs the risk of being nigh useless (RH) should the opponent be able to play around Toxic Spikes while having an answer to Toxic-less Zygarde. Life Orb is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance sets to power up all of Zygarde's its attacks on its Dragon Dance sets, which is quite useful, especially considering its it's the only option for boosting Extreme Speed, but its recoil really runs counter to Zygarde's excellent natural bulk making it a questionable choice.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu can all be a thorn in Zygarde's side. Clefable can ignore boosts with Unaware (RC) and has the bulk to survive two Choice Band-boosted Thousand Arrows (RC) while returning the favour with a 2HKOing in return with Moonblast that 2HKOs. Even with when Zygarde is running Toxic, (AC) Clefable can still be a problem with Heal Bell (RC) or Magic Guard. Tapu Fini can check most sets quite well, but it can not switch into Choice Band Thousand Arrows and prevail. Tapu Bulu is a great counter to sets that lack both Toxic or and Iron Tail thanks to its favorable typing.

*Grass- and Bug-types**: Unlike Flying-type and levitating Pokemon, these resist the Ground-type and thus take advantage of Zygarde's propensity to using a single STAB attack. Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth is the main mention here; (SC) while it can fall to Toxic, Devastating Drake, and Choice Band Outrage, it still stops Thousand Arrow spam from doing much of anything (RC) and can force Zygarde into a bad spot if healthy. Ferrothorn is also a huge issue for Zygarde; (SC) it can deal with the Choice Band and Dragon Dance sets effectively, however but it will fall to Substitute + Coil. Mega Scizor usually is not a good answer to boosting Zygarde, as Coil will usually prevent it from countering Zygarde; (SC) however, (AC) Scizor does easily avoid a 2HKO from anything Choice Band Zygarde can throw at it, which will result in Zygarde simply being stalled out of PP. Buzzwole possessing Ice Punch is a pretty hard counter to Zygarde outside of Substitute and Toxic shenanigans.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users like Garchomp, Greninja, Gengar, Latios, (AC) and Keldeo are an issue for Zygarde. Their ability to simply outspeed it Zygarde and either OHKO it or deal serious damage to it and lower its Speed with Icy Wind will stifle any attempt at sweeping for Zygarde. Ice Shard from the likes of Mamoswine and Weavile are is also quite an issue for Zygarde, they come to as it comes close to OHKOing. All of these Pokemon except Gengar are vulernable vulnerable to Extreme Speed should they be sufficiently worn down, (AC) however.
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
this is <1 min long and will help you implement checks more accurately

GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Zygarde is a top threat in SM OU, and Thousand Arrows is the source of its power. Because it compresses coverage extremely well and breaks past common answers to Ground-types like Celesteela, Skarmory, and Landorus-T, Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde excellent anti-meta properties, punishing opponents that rely on immune Pokemon to deal with Ground-type attacks. Extreme Speed, Coil, and Dragon Dance are just the right tools for Zygarde to take advantage of Thousand Arrows. Backed up by excellent defensive stats to provide ample opportunities to switch in or set up, Zygarde is both a great attacker and a great sweeper. This makes it quite unpredictable, further adding to its effectiveness, as some Pokemon that may counter one set can be setup bait to another. Though powerful, Zygarde does possess mediocre offensive stats, meaning that it often has to boost more than once or requires excessive chip damage to the opponent's team to sweep, limiting it. Further, while Thousand Arrows does ignore immunities, it offers no respite from Grass- and Bug-types like Mega Scizor, Tangrowth, and Tapu Bulu, which can be a challenge for Zygarde to overcome.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Toxic / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows and Choice Band are a match made in heaven. No Pokemon immune to it, (RC) and few resisting it means mean that Zygarde can simply use click this attack and do serious damage. Extreme Speed and Choice Band together also have great synergy. It gives Zygarde great utility assisting teams in revenge killing or cleaning in the late-game. Outrage, while having no shortage of drawbacks, does prevent Tangrowth from effortlessly walling this set. Toxic is undoubtedly an awkward move to be locked into, but it does put a lot of pressure on defensive roadblocks to Zygarde such as Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Hippowdon. Superpower is a good option to earn a clean 2HKO on a would-be defensive counter Ferrothorn. It also does lasting damage to Chansey and allows Zygarde to pivot out, unlike Outrage. Iron Tail tail crushes Tapu Bulu and Clefable, (add comma) which are quite good counters to this set otherwise, as both are quite resilient or completely immune to Toxic.

Set Details
========

With Choice Band is the item that defines this set; with it, Zygarde can 2HKO a scary part of the metagame with the very spammable Thousand Arrows. An Adamant nature is ideal, as Zygarde needs the power, and it can use Extreme Speed to make up for any Speed lost. 252 Attack EVs are optimal, as Zygarde's goal is to deal damage, not take hits. Running 252 Speed EVs to tie with other neutral base 95s like Tapu Lele is ideal as well.

Usage Tips
========

Choice Band Zygarde is a mid-game hole puncher that capitalizes on its ability to simply spam Thousand Arrows and create meaningful breaches in the opponent's defenses. Zygarde is difficult to switch into, but its fairly poor base Attack and Thousand Arrows's Base Power can prevent it fromt from getting OHKOs. It best forces out offensive Pokemon that have already sustained some chip damage. Zygarde's defensive capabilities are another facet of using it effectively. Don't be afraid to let it absorb predicted attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast to get into battle. Extreme Speed can be a great revenge killing tool. If the opponent has a dangerous sweeper like Volcarona, Zygarde can keep it at bay. Make sure to keep Zygarde sufficiently healthy in this scenario.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is the biggest boon to any Choiced Choice attacker, and Zygarde is no exception. Stealth Rock and Spikes from the likes of Greninja, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Chansey will turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs and just make the switches Zygarde can force more effective. Toxic Spikes has significant synergy with Zygarde, as most Pokemon that are obnoxious to it, such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, are quite vulnerable to them, while most defensive Pokmemon immune to Toxic Spikes such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Toxapex, and Zapdos cannot wall Zygarde for obvious reasons. In general they wear down the opponent's team nicely. Mega Scizor has good synergy with Choice Band Zygarde. Scizor can handle Grass- and Fairy-types that can be a hindrance to Zygarde and create good chip damage and momentum with U-turn, often against targets that Zygarde can easily force out like Magnezone, Heatran, and Volcarona. Other U-turn users like Tapu Koko and Ash-Greninja can create switch advantage and chip damage Zygarde can capitalize on too. Both of these Pokemon are exceptionally fast and can act as late-game cleaners once Zygarde has done enough damage. Magnezone is decent at grabbing momentum, and it's quite capable of trapping and KOing both Ferrothorn, (RC) and Scizor, two defensive obstacles for Zygarde.

[SET]
name: Subcoil
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Toxic / Extreme Speed
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Coil
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 240 HP / 212 SpD / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; (add semicolon) with its secondary effect, (add comma) it achieves perfect synergy with Toxic, scoring a super effective hit on almost anything immune to poison. Toxic in combination with Coil and Substitute can stall out or at least significantly pressure traditional counters to Zygarde such as Quagsire and Tangrowth. Extreme Speed is also an option. While this does sacrifice any possibility of stallbreaking, Zygarde's incredible bulk can let it achieve quite a few boosts, and with Extreme Speed it prevents the opponent from relying on a fast Pokemon like Greninja or Latios to simply revenge kill Zygarde after letting it get too many Coil boosts. Substitute is key; it allows Zygarde to take advantage of passive Pokemon, and in combination with Coil and Zygarde's high defensive stats a Substitute can often become very difficult to break with one attack. Coil's boosting is what makes this set so deadly. With specially defensive investment and Coil boosting Defense and Attack, (add comma) Zygarde becomes very bulky and powerful, quickly.

Set Details
========

240 HP EVs grant Zygarde 101 HP substitutes, which turns Chansey into setup bait. 56 Speed EVs let Zygarde outspeed Adamant Bisharp and Breloom. This is fairly important, as it lets Zygarde avoid getting put to sleep by Spore or losing its Leftovers to Knock Off. The nature and remaining 212 EVs are used to increase Special Defense, making it extremely difficult to take down combined with Coil's Defense boosting. Leftovers is the only item of choice, as the healing that will accumulate as Zygarde uses Substitute, Coil, and Toxic over many turns to wear the opponent's team down far outdoes any other item's effectiveness. 240 HP / 176 Atk / 36 SpD / 56 Spe and an Adamant nature is ideal if running Extreme Speed. It hits an extra point in Attack, gets the OHKO on Magearna at +1, and outspeeds both Adamant Bisharp and Breloom.

Usage Tips
========

Try to and set up on relatively passive Pokemon like Chansey, Mega Sableye, Amoonguss, and defensive Mega Scizor. Conserve Zygarde's HP and wait until the late-game until before looking to set up. There are quite a lot of Pokemon that simply will be unable to deal with Zygarde once it gets going, and the later the game goes, the higher chance the opponent will be left with only those Pokemon. One of the problems that Coil Zygarde is that it can simply be phazed, by Skarmory's Whirlwind for example; however, this problem can be solved by simply leaving Zygarde as your last Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Coil Zygarde is generally reserved as a late-game wincon sweeper and contribution to anti-stall efforts on offensive or balanced teams. Some Stealth Rock support is obligatory for a late-game sweep win condition, as indirectly wearing down the opposing team pays off. Landorus-T, Terrakion, Heatran, and Chansey are convincing users of the move. Toxic Spikes support is ideal on this set if it lacks Toxic; (add semicolon) naturally, (add comma) the targets of Toxic are quite vulnerable to Toxic Spikes too. Toxapex and Greninja are most talented at this. General wallbreakers and attackers will cause wounds to the enemy team that can be big enough for Zygarde to clean up. Greninja, Mega Mawile, and Mega Medicham are unmatched at this.


[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Dragon Dance
item: Dragonium Z / Groundium Z
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
======

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's main attack; hitting through Ground-type immunities is an amazing property, especially when paired with a Dragon STAB attack. Outrage achieves good coverage alongside Thousand Arrows. With Dragonium Z, (add comma) Zygarde can break through some foes that resist Ground-type attacks while avoiding the drawbacks of Outrage. Extreme Speed is a great tool for avoiding enemy priority attacks and dealing with faster Choice Scarf users like Latios. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, making it a deadly sweeper.

Set Details
========

252 Attack and Speed EVs are standard for an offensive Dragon Dance user. Outrunning as many Pokemon and dealing as much damage as possible do the most to improve the chance of a successful sweep. An Adamant nature is optimal; Jolly buys Zygarde little and the extra power does more than anything else. Dragonium Z is a great tool for giving Zygarde a very powerful attack with a lot of neutral coverage, letting it break past checks that are otherwise not sufficiently weakened, especially Tangrowth, which would otherwise force Zygarde into locking itself into Outrage. Groundium Z is an option as well; Tectonic Rage hits nearly as hard as Devastating Drake, but it can be used to target various targets Pokemon that are immune or resistant to Dragon-type attacks like Tapu Fini, Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Scizor.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Zygarde is a fairly archetypical setup sweeper. It wants to use its setup move late in the game and then clean up. Try to completely conserve its HP and keep it free of status throughout the early- and mid-game, as this will give it the highest chance of success in the later stages of the match. Only use Zygarde defensively if it's absolutely necessary. Factor in the probability of a successful late-game sweep into this decision. Throughout the early- and mid-game, use your entry hazard users and attackers to wear down the opposing team. Identify Zygarde's checks and focus on wearing them down. Keep in mind that +1 Devastating Drake will not simply OHKO its primary targets, Tangrowth and Landorus-T; they need to be worn down somewhat for Zygarde to avoid taking damage when getting past them. When the late-game hits, try to lure in something that Zygarde can set up on. Heatran, Magnezone, and Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice are among the most common Pokemon Zygarde can take advantage of. Choice users locked into the wrong move also suffice. While sweeping is this set's specialty, it's possible for it to act as a mid-game wallbreaker, as Dragon Dance and a Z-Move together are quite devastating. Zygarde is no slouch at bringing in and eliminating the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and other defensive Pokemon. While it will sustain damage in trying to break past these threats, usually too much to sweep, Zygarde will ultimately prevail, and other teammates may capitalize on this.

Team Options
========

General wallbreakers and attackers that put a lot of pressure on the physically defensive Pokemon in the tier are the first thing Zygarde needs for support. Mega Medicham and Mega Mawile are terrifyingly powerful and, (add comma) thanks to their movepools, somewhat unpredictable attackers that can draw in and crush the likes of Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Celesteela, Skarmory, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, Scizor, Clefable, and pretty much anything in the tier that might be able to defensively check Zygarde. Life Orb Garchomp has high redundancy with Zygarde Zygrade, which can alleviate some of the defensive need for its typing on a team, and can act as a solid lure to the defensive Pokemon that Zygarde Zygrade struggles against. Entry hazard users make life quite a lot easier for any late-game sweeper, and Zygarde is no exception. Azelf is a great partner, as early-game guaranteed hazards add their damage up quickly and substantially. Greninja, Garchomp, and Heatran are generally reliable and effective entry hazard users as well. Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor can be a problem for this set, and Magnezone is quite capable of trapping and eliminating these threats.

[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Thousand Arrows
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Dragon Dance
move 4: Coil
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Aura Break
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 216 Atk / 28 SpD / 104 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's signature offensive move, getting good neutral coverage with one slot. Extreme Speed is used to not fall victim to revenge killers. Dragon Dance boosts Zygarde's Attack and Speed, its and is more useful for trying to sweep through faster teams. Coil boosts Zygarde's Defense rather than Speed. It can be used to set up in the face of relatively weak physical attackers. Using both moves on one set creates more situations where Zygarde can successfully boost.

Set Details
========

104 Speed EVs ensure that Zygarde outpaces Timid Magearna, which can easily check Zygarde should it lack the Speed. It also conveniently beats Greninja at +1, avoiding its deadly Ice Beam. 160 HP EVs have a specific goal in mind; they allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage. 28 Special Defense EVs allow Zygarde to survive Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Moonblast and two Moonblasts from Tapu Fini, both after Stealth Rock. The remaining 216 EVs are placed into Attack to give Zygarde as much power as it can away with. An Adamant nature is most beneficial, as because of Zygarde's Speed tier, a positive nature does little. Sitrus Berry gives Zygarde the ability to deceive the opponent into thinking it's easier to KO than it actually is. With the Sitrus Berry it's often possible to boost for one more turn, which can lead to a sweep. This is especially apparent against Pokemon like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y, which Zygarde can potentially switch into to boost thanks to Sitrus Berry. Earth Plate is another option. It gives Zygarde a nice power boost without any defensive drawbacks, as Life Orb recoil runs too contrary to a defensive booster.


Usage Tips
========

Double Dance Zygarde is another late-game sweeper variant. It's generally ideal to preserve its HP until late-game, (RC) and to use your wallbreakers, entry hazard users, and pivots to put wear onto the opponent's team during the early- and mid-game. Once the late-game arrives, focus on bringing in Zygarde against Pokemon it can set up against, such as Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone. Choice item users locked into the wrong move, such as Choice Scarf Keldeo locked into Secret Sword, are great opportunities as well. Knowing when to use Coil or Dragon Dance is a major key and all about estimating how valuable boosting Speed or Defense may be. Coil has a few uses: it can provide extra turns to boost against relatively weak physical attackers like Excadrill lacking a boosting item, Mega Scizor, and defensive Landorus-T lacking Hidden Power Ice. It also provides protection against physical attackers that Zygarde may be incapable of OHKOing. For example, (add comma) Zygarde is capable of 2HKOing Mega Pinsir with a combination of Thousand Arrows and Extreme Speed; in this case the protection of +1 Defense is much more useful than Speed, which ultimately does nothing. It also protects against priority users that Extreme Speed is a too weak against, such as Bisharp. Dragon Dance's uses are outpacing opposing Pokemon, naturally. Keep in mind this can be offset by Extreme Speed's +2 priority. The choice of which move to use comes down to looking at which Pokemon the opponent has and calculating whether Speed or Defense is better at preserving Zygarde's HP. Coil's +1 Attack boost may be enough to finish off the opponent's Greninja, or it may be the case that the extra Speed is necessary to outspeed it and hit it with a more powerful Thousand Arrows, and Zygarde's natural bulk will be sufficient in surviving the rest of the opponent's attacks.

Team Options
========

As mentioned, Zygarde does need its teammates to do significant wear to the opponent's team in the early- and mid-game to think about cleaning up. Garchomp, Greninja, Terrakion, Heatran, and Azelf are all good entry hazard users that can deal significant indirect damage to the opposing team. Mega Mawile, Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, Tapu Bulu, and Alolan Marowak are powerful physical attackers that can rend open the opponent's team for Zygarde to capitalize on. (add period) Mega Scizor, Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Magnezone are all good offensive pivots that can be used to bring in these same attackers in the early- and mid-game. Magnezone is particularly noteworthy for its ability to eliminate opposing Ferrothorn, a large issue for Zygarde.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Lum Berry is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance sets, as it can allow it to set up in the face of Will-O-Wisp users, but these are not really common enough for it to be a consistent item. Protect is an interesting option on the Substitute + Coil set; paired with Toxic Spikes support it can let Zygarde get past the same Pokemon that Toxic does, (RC) while using Protect to heal excessively. Naturally, (add comma) this is reliant on a lot of support and runs the risk of being nigh-useless should the opponent be able to play around Toxic Spikes while having an answer to Toxic-less Zygarde. Life Orb is an option on Zygarde's Dragon Dance sets to power up all of its attacks, which is quite useful, especially considering it's the only option for boosting Extreme Speed, but its recoil really runs counter to Zygarde's excellent natural bulk, (add comma) making it a questionable choice.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fairy-types**: Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu can all be a thorn in Zygarde's side. Clefable can ignore boosts with Unaware, (RC) and has the bulk to survive two Choice Band-boosted Thousand Arrows, (RC) while 2HKOing in return with Moonblast. Even when Zygarde is running Toxic, (add comma) Clefable can still be a problem with Heal Bell or Magic Guard. Tapu Fini can check most sets quite well, but it cannot switch into Choice Band-boosted Thousand Arrows and prevail. Tapu Bulu is a great counter to sets that lack both Toxic and Iron Tail thanks to its favorable typing.

*Grass- and Bug-types**: Unlike Flying-type and levitating Pokemon, these resist Ground and thus take advantage of Zygarde's propensity to using a single STAB attack. Hidden Power Ice Tangrowth is the main mention here; while it can fall to Toxic, Devastating Drake, and Choice Band Outrage, it still stops Thousand Arrow spam from doing much of anything and can force Zygarde into a bad spot if healthy. Ferrothorn is also a big issue for Zygarde; it can deal with the Choice Band and Dragon Dance sets effectively, but it will fall to Substitute + Coil. Mega Scizor usually is not a good answer to boosting Zygarde, as Coil will usually prevent it from countering Zygarde; however, Scizor does easily avoid a 2HKO from anything Choice Band Zygarde can throw at it, which will result in Zygarde simply being stalled out of PP. Biso quite an issue for Zygarde, they come to close to OHKOing. All of these Pokemon except Gengar are vulernable to Extreme Speed should they be sufficiently worn down however. (I think something went wrong here...? if you didn't mean to remove this sentence here it is again) Buzzwole possessing Ice Punch is a pretty hard counter to Zygarde outside of Substitute and Toxic shenanigans.

**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users like Garchomp, Greninja, Gengar, Latios, and Keldeo are an issue for Zygarde. Their ability to simply outspeed Zygarde and either OHKO it or deal serious damage to it and lower its Speed with Icy Wind will stifle any attempt at sweeping. Ice Shard from the likes of Mamoswine and Weavile is also quite an issue for Zygarde, as it comes close to OHKOing. All of these Pokemon except Gengar are vulnerable to Extreme Speed should they be sufficiently worn down, however.


also Lemonade wants me to paste this I guess.
Why wincon / win condition and not sweeper? This isn't a battle commentary where you are explaining how to create a specific situation for Bisharp to sweep (ex weakening check to x% so Bisharp KOes them without taking damage and thus can survive another attack and KO that mon etc.). Basically what I'm getting at is calling a Pokemon itself a "win condition" is a misuse of the word "condition", and I know you guys are considering your position in the match or all the factors involved in actually winning with the given Pokemon, but newer players tend to pick up this terminology without considering "winning" (ie using it interchangeably with sweeper).

(Examples: Fire Emblem, FF Tactics victory conditions: defeat all enemies, defeat the leader, survive for x turns--all these are based on the state of the game. YGO: reducing opp to 0 LP, having Exodia in your hand, drawing any number of cards that enables you to get Magical Scientist and Catapult Turtle out on the first turn, etc. Basically any game that has defined "winning").

Edit: Here's something else I thought of about why you should care regarding new players and such. Since you are a tutor, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say you feel good when your tutee shows improvement right? Small extension of tutees to newer players, let's say there's a game on stours and peeps are in the lobby. Someone says "What's player X's wincon?" From a rando, would you rather hear "Clefable because it has good defense and can set up Calm Mind" or "Clefable completely wrecks this team cuz all X needs to do is get Pokemon A down to 60% and it can't stop Clef anymore". Definitely the second right? It shows they have at least grasped the basics of each team, and this type of thinking gives them a tool to improve on their own.

Problem is right now new players are going to answer the first because that is the most prevalent way people use "wincon". Bad cuz it offers nothing to the battle discussion. ex from OU forum

"it starts using Bulk Up to patch its low atk and makes it have a good amount of def and spD, being a dangerous win condition late game"

A new player reading this will probably say "Talonflame cuz Bulk Up boosts its attack and defense" instead of "Talonflame cuz if it gets a Bulk Up vs Clef lategame, nothing can stop it", when talking about an actual match.

Ideally people start only using "wincon" in regards to battles, so that when anyone hears the term, they also hear how people assess both sides (teams and position) in regards to actually winning.
 
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