[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to Zacian-C's high base Attack backed by Intrepid Sword, it cements itself as one of the strongest physical attackers in the metagame. Its excellent typing allows it to block Dragon-type attacks from Eternatus, Koraidon, and Miraidon; resist Extreme Speed from Arceus; and be immune to Toxic Spikes. However, Zacian-C is checked by multiple defensive Pokemon, most notably Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Ground, as they can take its attacks and force it to switch out. Furthermore, Calyrex-S is a huge threat because of its high Special Attack and Speed, being able to KO Zacian-C after minor chip damage. Choice Scarf Koraidon is also a threat, as it can OHKO Zacian-C with Flare Blitz.
[SET]
Swords Dance (Zacian-Crowned) @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Dark / Fighting
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough / Behemoth Blade
- Wild Charge
- Crunch / Close Combat
[SET COMMENTS]
Play Rough OHKOes Koraidon and Miraidon and 2HKOes Ting-Lu. Alternatively, Behemoth Blade is another high damage STAB move that has 100% accuracy and can hit most Pokemon for neutral damage, such as Arceus-Ground and Eternatus, while doing super effective damage to Arceus-Fairy. Wild Charge hits Ho-Oh, Kyogre, and Arceus-Water, OHKOing or doing major damage to them after Zacian-C uses Swords Dance. Crunch and Close Combat deal with Necrozma-DM, with the former also threatening Calyrex-S and the latter hitting Ting-Lu for Behemoth Blade sets and OHKOing Arceus. Tera Dark boosts Crunch's damage to let it break through Necrozma-DM more easily and prevents Zacian-C from getting 2HKOed by Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage. Tera Fighting increases the damage of Close Combat, which lets Zacian-C OHKO defensive Arceus formes at +3.
Zacian-C struggles with Calyrex-S, which outspeeds it and threatens it with Astral Barrage, so Arceus and special walls such as Ho-Oh and Ting-Lu are needed to help check Calyrex-S. It is also weak to Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Calyrex-S, so it appreciates teammates that can either outspeed or outprioritize threats, such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Choice Scarf Koraidon, and Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Bulky walls such as various Arceus formes can also help with Koraidon. Due to Necrozma-DM's high Defense stat, Zacian-C often struggles to break through it, so special attackers like Calyrex-S, Miraidon, Kyogre, and Calm Mind Arceus-Ground are good options to help deal with it. Multiple layers of Spikes significantly hinder Zacian-C's longevity, making it easier for revenge killers to KO it, so Taunt users like Deoxys-S on hyper offense and various Arceus formes can be useful to have on the team. Other good teammates include physical attackers such as Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, and Swords Dance Koraidon because they can help wear down the checks they share with Zacian-C, allowing them to break through walls more easily.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cutecat1122.604042/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute is a niche option that can take advantage of Eternatus and Pokemon Choice-locked into Dragon-type moves, allowing Zacian-C to set up without interruption. Substitute isn't the best choice for Zacian-C though, as losing important coverage moves like Wild Charge and Crunch lets it get walled by checks such as Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and defensive Arceus formes. Tera Fire is a niche option that grants Zacian-C an immunity to burn from Ho-Oh and defensive Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water and Arceus-Fairy while also allowing it to resist Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire and Koraidon's Flare Blitz. However, Tera Fire makes Zacian-C weak to Stealth Rock, allowing Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Calyrex-S and priority users in Arceus to revenge kill it with ease. An alternate EV spread of 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe allows Zacian-C to outspeed both Koraidon and Miraidon, with the remaining EVs being put into HP, allowing it to survive an Earthquake from Necrozma-DM at -1 and making it harder for Calyrex-S to revenge kill it. However, this EV spread might struggle against opposing Zacian-C with maximum Speed and offensive Necromza-DM, so it is not always the best choice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Necrozma-DM**: Physically defensive Necrozma-DM is one of the most common checks to Zacian-C, as it resists both of Zacian-C's main STAB moves and has moves like Earthquake and Sunsteel Strike that can potentially 2HKO it back.
**Revenge Killers**: Calyrex-S, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Miraidon, are able to outspeed Zacian-C. Calyrex-S can brute force its way through Zacian-C with Astral Barrage after minor chip damage or a Close Combat Special Defense drop, Koraidon is able to OHKO Zacian-C with Flare Blitz, and Miraidon 2HKOes Zacian-C with Electro Drift.
**Defensive Arceus Formes**: Bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water and Arceus-Ground can be a problem for Zacian-C, as they can take hits from it and reliably heal themselves with Recover while also threatening it with Judgment or Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cutecat1122.604042/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
Thanks to Zacian-C's high base Attack backed by Intrepid Sword, it cements itself as one of the strongest physical attackers in the metagame. Its excellent typing allows it to block Dragon-type attacks from Eternatus, Koraidon, and Miraidon; resist Extreme Speed from Arceus; and be immune to Toxic Spikes. However, Zacian-C is checked by multiple defensive Pokemon, most notably Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Ground, as they can take its attacks and force it to switch out. Furthermore, Calyrex-S is a huge threat because of its high Special Attack and Speed, being able to KO Zacian-C after minor chip damage. Choice Scarf Koraidon is also a threat, as it can OHKO Zacian-C with Flare Blitz.
[SET]
Swords Dance (Zacian-Crowned) @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Dark / Fighting
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough / Behemoth Blade
- Wild Charge
- Crunch / Close Combat
[SET COMMENTS]
Play Rough OHKOes Koraidon and Miraidon and 2HKOes Ting-Lu. Alternatively, Behemoth Blade is another high damage STAB move that has 100% accuracy and can hit most Pokemon for neutral damage, such as Arceus-Ground and Eternatus, while doing super effective damage to Arceus-Fairy. Wild Charge hits Ho-Oh, Kyogre, and Arceus-Water, OHKOing or doing major damage to them after Zacian-C uses Swords Dance. Crunch and Close Combat deal with Necrozma-DM, with the former also threatening Calyrex-S and the latter hitting Ting-Lu for Behemoth Blade sets and OHKOing Arceus. Tera Dark boosts Crunch's damage to let it break through Necrozma-DM more easily and prevents Zacian-C from getting 2HKOed by Calyrex-S's Astral Barrage. Tera Fighting increases the damage of Close Combat, which lets Zacian-C OHKO defensive Arceus formes at +3.
Zacian-C struggles with Calyrex-S, which outspeeds it and threatens it with Astral Barrage, so Arceus and special walls such as Ho-Oh and Ting-Lu are needed to help check Calyrex-S. It is also weak to Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Calyrex-S, so it appreciates teammates that can either outspeed or outprioritize threats, such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Choice Scarf Koraidon, and Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Bulky walls such as various Arceus formes can also help with Koraidon. Due to Necrozma-DM's high Defense stat, Zacian-C often struggles to break through it, so special attackers like Calyrex-S, Miraidon, Kyogre, and Calm Mind Arceus-Ground are good options to help deal with it. Multiple layers of Spikes significantly hinder Zacian-C's longevity, making it easier for revenge killers to KO it, so Taunt users like Deoxys-S on hyper offense and various Arceus formes can be useful to have on the team. Other good teammates include physical attackers such as Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, and Swords Dance Koraidon because they can help wear down the checks they share with Zacian-C, allowing them to break through walls more easily.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cutecat1122.604042/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute is a niche option that can take advantage of Eternatus and Pokemon Choice-locked into Dragon-type moves, allowing Zacian-C to set up without interruption. Substitute isn't the best choice for Zacian-C though, as losing important coverage moves like Wild Charge and Crunch lets it get walled by checks such as Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and defensive Arceus formes. Tera Fire is a niche option that grants Zacian-C an immunity to burn from Ho-Oh and defensive Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water and Arceus-Fairy while also allowing it to resist Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire and Koraidon's Flare Blitz. However, Tera Fire makes Zacian-C weak to Stealth Rock, allowing Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Calyrex-S and priority users in Arceus to revenge kill it with ease. An alternate EV spread of 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe allows Zacian-C to outspeed both Koraidon and Miraidon, with the remaining EVs being put into HP, allowing it to survive an Earthquake from Necrozma-DM at -1 and making it harder for Calyrex-S to revenge kill it. However, this EV spread might struggle against opposing Zacian-C with maximum Speed and offensive Necromza-DM, so it is not always the best choice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Necrozma-DM**: Physically defensive Necrozma-DM is one of the most common checks to Zacian-C, as it resists both of Zacian-C's main STAB moves and has moves like Earthquake and Sunsteel Strike that can potentially 2HKO it back.
**Revenge Killers**: Calyrex-S, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon and Miraidon, are able to outspeed Zacian-C. Calyrex-S can brute force its way through Zacian-C with Astral Barrage after minor chip damage or a Close Combat Special Defense drop, Koraidon is able to OHKO Zacian-C with Flare Blitz, and Miraidon 2HKOes Zacian-C with Electro Drift.
**Defensive Arceus Formes**: Bulky Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water and Arceus-Ground can be a problem for Zacian-C, as they can take hits from it and reliably heal themselves with Recover while also threatening it with Judgment or Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cutecat1122.604042/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adhiraj8202.631210/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
Last edited: