The arrival of Eternatus inPokémon GOalso sees the return of other Galar Legendary Pokémon, namely Zacian and Zamazenta as Five-Star Raid bosses. These two Legendaries are a must-have for an eventual encounter with Eternatus' Eternatmax form, so you’ll want to defeat and capture them quickly. To do this, you’ll need to know each Legendary’s weaknesses, as well as which Pokémon counter them best.
Following theDark Skies event inPokémon GO,where you could catch a number of Legendary Dynamax Pokémon, Zamazenta and Zacian arrive right on time for the game’s next major challenge.Both Legendary Pokémon show up as Raids from August 18-22, giving you a limited amount of time to catch them. Along with Necrozma, these two canine Legendary Pokémon are forces you need to be prepared to face.
Zamazenta Weaknesses & Resistances In Pokémon GO
Pure Brawler Can Be Outdone By Multiple Typings
Also known as the Hero of Many Battles,Zamazenta is a pure Fighting-type Pokémon, acting as the cover Legendary forPokémon Shield. As a 5-Star Raid boss inPokémon GO, Zamazenta can also transform into their Crowned Shield form, giving it extra defenses that outclass even other Legendaries in the game.
Cloudy weather conditions boost the CP of both Zamazenta and Zacian, so you have a better chance of beating them if you don’t fight either Legendary while the sky is overcast.
However, Zamazenta’s Fighting-type status makes itweak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type Pokémon, giving you a wide variety of possible counters. At the same time, Zamazentaresists the Bug, Dark, and Rock-types, restricting what Pokémon you may have on your team when going into battle against it.
Similar to the battles inPokémon GO’s Master League, you’ll want to avoid using Pokémon with typings that Zamazenta resists and focus on adding team members who exploit its weaknesses instead. Keep in mind, though, thatZamazenta can learn moves beyond just the Fighting-type, having Steel, Fairy, and Dark-type attacks that could be super-effective against some of the counters you bring.
Best Counters Against Zamazenta
Pokémon Best Suited To Battle The Fighting-Type Legendary
When looking to counter Zamazenta, here are some of the best Pokémon to exploit its weaknesses:
Arguably,Mega Gallade or Mega Rayquazaare the strongest counters to Zamazentasolely due to how their typings directly go against the Galar Legendary. Gallade’s Psychic-type moves will tear through Zamazenta’s health, while Rayquaza’s Speed and strength of their S.T.A.B (Same Type Attack Bonus) boosted Flying-type moves will have the Hero Pokémon knocked out in no time.
Although Alakazam’s health isn’t as sturdy asother strong Psychic-types, it might be able to resist Zamazenta’s attacks long enough to deal super-effective strikes. Similarly, Shadow Metagross can endure Zamazenta too, only with less resistance to Fighting-type strikes.Be careful using Dragon and Psychic-types against Zamazenta, though, as his wide variety of moves might surprise you in battle.
Zacian Weaknesses & Resistances In Pokémon GO
Fewer Vulnerabilities Makes For A Less Predictable Encounter
Unlike Zamazenta,Zacian is a pure Fairy-type Pokémon, giving it only two major weaknesses compared to the three of its cousin. The front-facing Pokemon ofPokemon Sword, Zacianis only weak to Steel and Poison-type attacks, which only a select few pocket monsters are capable of using.
In contrast, you’ll find that Zacian’s typing gives it more resistances than Zamazenta, even having doubly strong protection against one of the game’s strongest types. Even if you have one of thestrongest Dragon-type Pokémon,Zacian has a 60.9% resistance to Dragon-type moves, making them practically useless against it.
Zacian also has resistance to Bug, Dark, and Fighting-type moves, giving it a natural defense against some aggressive Pokémon who possess those attributes. Much like Zamazenta, you’re able to’t rely completely on Zacian’s Fairy typing to inform your counters, as Zacian is easily capable of throwing out Fire, Fairy, Fighting, Steel, and Electric-type moves as a potent attacker on anyone’s team.
Raid boss Pokémon typically have a very high CP already, but Zacian can boost their stats further by transforming into their Crowned Sword form.
Notably, Zacian has the exact same base stats as Zamazenta, so the only difference between the two is their typing and potential move list.Zacian has a wider variety of attacks with different typings than Zamazenta, making their counters trickier to pick.
Best Counters Against Zacian
Defensive Powerhouses Who Can Resist The Legendary Fairy-Type
Keeping in mind a more careful selection of counters, here are some of the Pokémon best suited for taking on Zacian:
The perfect Pokémon to use as counters against Zacian are likelyMega Gengar or Mega Beedril, mainlydue to both Pokémon’s ability to use S.T.A.B. to boost their Poison-type moves. The corrosive attacks from Beedril or Gengar will greatly impact Zacian on every strike, making it easy to take down in a war of attrition.
Speaking of a drawn-out battle, theSteel-type affinity of Dialga, Metagross, or Dusk Mane Necrozma are all suitable countersin long, drawn-out battles against Zacian as well. Yet, each of these Pokémon could be injured through Zacian’s assortment of Fairy, Fire, and Dark-type options, so try to be aggressive if you’re forced to use these less-effective counters.
No matter what team of Pokémon you use, managing to beat either Legendary will give you an opportunity to catch them, giving you a powerful creature for the other. Should you manage to defeat Zacian, they could end up being the one to exploit the weaknesses of Zamazenta inPokémon GO, becoming just the counter you need.
