Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover
Gastrodon works excellently as a second team member since it fulfills some critical defensive roles that Zarude really,
really appreciates. It acts not only as a secondary Ash Greninja answer (which is excellent because Zarude, while functional as an Ash Gren answer, does get worn down since its main healing is Jungle Healing), but also as a general answer to Electrics, something Zarude really appreciates since it has the unfortunate status of being threatened by the likes of Tapu Koko, Zeraora, and Zapdos, something which unfortunately inhibits it defensive capabilities as a Grass. Being able to pivot into those mons is extremely useful, as is its ability to block their Volt Switches, turning what would otherwise be a momentum sink for this team into a momentum oppourtunity. On top of that, it also gives the team a solid answer to both Heatran and Volcarona, both of which Zarude is extremely weak to (though if you really want to shore up the Volc MU you can go Clear Smog over EQ but EQ is preferred here for Heatran). The given nature maximizes Spdef and Sassy further bolsters that bulk without weakening EQ.
Gastro also works really well here because of what Zarude proves
it, i.e a Dark resist, Grass resist, Ground resist, and a pivot into the status moves that cripple Zarude like Toxic and Will O Wisp.
All in all, Gastrodon serves as an excellent second slot for the team, fulfilling key defensive roles and pairing quite nicely with Zarude. Perhaps if paired with a Fire we could get a really nice FWG core but I digress