Take Azelfie
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[OVERVIEW]
* Zygarde is blessed with a new signature move in Thousand Arrows which lets it beat Flying-types in one coverage move.
* Has two forms of boosting in Coil and Dragon Dance which lets Zygarde not only boast some unpredictability but let it choose to run through bulkier or faster teams.
* Zygarde is amazing at pressuring the opponent into tight posistions due to all of its amazing assets.
* Has amazing bulk and typing that gives it many useful resistances and lets it have a better chance setting up in a match.
* Average speed tier and high attack with a great STAB makes it offensively threatening to.
* Can be very reliant on team matchup since a things like Toxic Spikes or bulky Grass-types can hinder its matchup extremely.
* Major weakness to Ice leaves Dragon Dance sets fearing Ice Shard and Coil sets being unable to sweep with strong Ice-type coverage is present.
[SET]
name: SubCoil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Thousand Arrows
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpDef / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Coil lets Zygarde build up physical bulk and attack simultaneously letting it match up much better against bulkier builds.
* Thousand Arrows is a great STAB move that has consistent damage and no immunities because it is able to hit Ground immune Pokemon.
* RestTalk let's Zygarde shrug off status effects and replenish HP while still being able to set up or attack while sleeping off the two turns.
* Sleep Talk could be replaced with Toxic which lets Zygarde cripple and wear down Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire and Clefable or bulky Pokemon that can take on Zygarde's STAB like Tangrowth and Buzzwhole.
* Substitute could be used as an alternative way to evade being worn down quickly and has the plus side of actually choosing your attacks all the time and evading Leech Seed.
Set Details
========
* Careful nature and maximum Special Defense EVs give Zygarde as much special bulk as possible to compliment the physical defense boost Coil gives you.
* 200 HP EVs lets it create Substitute's with 101 HP meaning Seismic Toss is unable to break it.
* 56 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed Adamant Bisharp and KO it with a Thousand Arrows or set up a Substitute before it could Knock Off your Leftovers.
* Leftovers aids in keeping Zygarde as healthy as possible and is the main form of recovery on sets using Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
* Zygarde should be brought onto Pokemon like Toxapex and Chansey and set up a Substitute immediately. From there Zygarde should choose to set up to clean the rest of the team or cripple the opponent with an attack or Toxic.
* Try to keep Zygarde from recieving any status effects as it severely hinders its ability to work from behind a Substitute so try to bring it in via U-turn or Volt Switch or when Misty Terrain is active.
* Zygarde can win the 1v1 against Tapu-Bulu if Zygarde has a Substitute up and hits Tapu-Bulu on the switch. Otherwise try to not let Zygarde waste too much HP setting up Substitute when itll just get removed.
Team Options
========
* Poison-types like Nihilego, Nidoking, and Gengar all help versus random Fairy- and Grass-types that could be a nuisance in Zygarde's way and remove Toxic Spikes that would otherwise limit Zygarde's ability to set up Substitutes. In return Zygarde can set up on most Steel-types that are immune to the Poison-types precious STAB.
* Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela help Zygarde by checking various Fairy- and Ice-types for Zygarde. Zygarde also gives them a useful Fire-type switch in.
* Tapu-Fini lets Zygarde come in freely on Pokemon like Slowbro or Toxapex without fear of getting burned by a Scald while also checking some of Zygarde's revenge killers like Weavile and Choice Scarf Latios.
* Psychic-types like Mega Metagross, Tapu-Lele, and Alakazam all benefit from Zygarde's ability to pressure Steel-types and can even opt for better coverage so they can hit different instead.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance + Substitute
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Thousand Arrows
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Extremespeed / Outrage / Iron Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Dragon Dance allows Zygarde to boost its speed to outpace every non boosted Pokemon and increase Zygarde's Attack to threatening high levels.
* Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde a powerful STAB that has no immunities.
* Substitute lets it stop defensive Pokemon from inflicting Zygarde with a status effect or to prevent Zygarde from being revenge killed easily.
* Extremespeed can be used to outpace other priority users, mainly Weavile, and have a revenge killing tool for Pokemon like Pheromosa and Greninja.
* Outrage is a high powered STAB that is good late game when there are a lack of healthy resist.
* Iron Tail is able to deal a large amount of damage to certain Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu-Bulu, but it has low accuracy making it less reliable than the other options.
* Toxic could be used instead and it lets Zygarde out last Pokemon like Quagsire and Pyukumuku without fear of being unable to beat them and cripples defensive Pokemon like Tangrowth and Unaware Clefable throughout the entirety of the match.
Set Details
========
* The Speed EVs and Jolly let Zygarde outpace as much as possible while Attack EVs give it as much power as it can get.
* Leftovers allows Zygarde to recover HP slowly so it can set up multiple Substitutes throughout the match.
* Groundium Z could be used instead of Leftovers and it allows Zygarde to overpower many physically defensive Pokemon like Hippodown, Defensive Garchomp, and Magic Guard Clefable, but Zygarde loses its ability to keep Substitutes up throughout the match and restricts the teams Z-move.
Usage Tips
========
* Zygarde should be brought onto Pokemon like Toxapex and Chansey and set up a Substitute immediately. From there Zygarde should choose to set up to clean the rest of the team or cripple the opponent with an attack or Toxic.
* Try to keep Zygarde from recieving any status effects as it severely hinders its ability to work from behind a Substitute so try to bring it in via U-turn or Volt Switch or when Misty Terrain is active.
* Zygarde can win the 1v1 against Tapu-Bulu if Zygarde has a Substitute up and hits Tapu-Bulu on the switch. Otherwise try to not let Zygarde waste too much HP setting up Substitute when itll just get removed.
Team Options
========
* Poison-types like Nihilego, Nidoking, and Gengar all help versus random Fairy- and Grass-types that could be a nuisance in Zygarde's way and remove Toxic Spikes that would otherwise limit Zygarde's ability to set up Substitutes. In return Zygarde can set up on most Steel-types that are immune to the Poison-types precious STAB.
* Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela help Zygarde by checking various Fairy- and Ice-types for Zygarde. Zygarde also gives them a useful Fire-type switch in.
* Tapu-Fini lets Zygarde come in freely on Pokemon like Slowbro or Toxapex without fear of getting burned by a Scald while also checking some of Zygarde's revenge killers like Weavile and Choice Scarf Latios.
* Psychic-types like Mega Metagross, Tapu-Lele, and Alakazam all benefit from Zygarde's ability to pressure Steel-types and can even opt for better coverage so they can hit different instead.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Sludge Wave in tandem with Life Orb can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Tapu-Bulu and Tangrowth and although that is useful, usually isn't worth the slot due to the amount of prediction it needs and limited scenarios it would be usable.
* Dragon Tail can be used on Coil sets to rack up damage on the opponent while surviving many hits, but because it is slow and has a multitude of weaknesses it can be rather difficult to pull off.
* 152 Speed EVs creeps Defensive Garchomp but sacrifices bulk.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Tangrowth and Tapu-Bulu**: Both of these Pokemon resist the Zygarde's main STAB and can shrug off most of Zygarde's other options. Not only can they take on its attacks though but they both are incredibly hard to weaken throughout the match with Regenerator and Grassy Terrain respectively and can pressure both of Zygarde's sets.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Many physically defensive Pokemon like Hippodown, Buzzwhole, and Quagsire can all tackle Zygarde's sets and usually have a way of beating them whether it would be through phazing, setting up alongside it, or packing super effective coverage.
**Fast Special Attackers**: Pokemon like Greninja, Pheromosa, Latios, and Tapu-Lele can all deal a large amount of damage to both of Zygarde's sets and the latter three can also revenge kill a +1 Zygarde when using a Choice Scarf. Although all of them bar Tapu-Lele must be wary of being in Extremespeed range and they must all be afraid of Substitute variants.
* Zygarde is blessed with a new signature move in Thousand Arrows which lets it beat Flying-types in one coverage move.
* Has two forms of boosting in Coil and Dragon Dance which lets Zygarde not only boast some unpredictability but let it choose to run through bulkier or faster teams.
* Zygarde is amazing at pressuring the opponent into tight posistions due to all of its amazing assets.
* Has amazing bulk and typing that gives it many useful resistances and lets it have a better chance setting up in a match.
* Average speed tier and high attack with a great STAB makes it offensively threatening to.
* Can be very reliant on team matchup since a things like Toxic Spikes or bulky Grass-types can hinder its matchup extremely.
* Major weakness to Ice leaves Dragon Dance sets fearing Ice Shard and Coil sets being unable to sweep with strong Ice-type coverage is present.
[SET]
name: SubCoil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Thousand Arrows
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Extreme Speed
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Careful
evs: 200 HP / 252 SpDef / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Coil lets Zygarde build up physical bulk and attack simultaneously letting it match up much better against bulkier builds.
* Thousand Arrows is a great STAB move that has consistent damage and no immunities because it is able to hit Ground immune Pokemon.
* RestTalk let's Zygarde shrug off status effects and replenish HP while still being able to set up or attack while sleeping off the two turns.
* Sleep Talk could be replaced with Toxic which lets Zygarde cripple and wear down Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire and Clefable or bulky Pokemon that can take on Zygarde's STAB like Tangrowth and Buzzwhole.
* Substitute could be used as an alternative way to evade being worn down quickly and has the plus side of actually choosing your attacks all the time and evading Leech Seed.
Set Details
========
* Careful nature and maximum Special Defense EVs give Zygarde as much special bulk as possible to compliment the physical defense boost Coil gives you.
* 200 HP EVs lets it create Substitute's with 101 HP meaning Seismic Toss is unable to break it.
* 56 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed Adamant Bisharp and KO it with a Thousand Arrows or set up a Substitute before it could Knock Off your Leftovers.
* Leftovers aids in keeping Zygarde as healthy as possible and is the main form of recovery on sets using Substitute.
Usage Tips
========
* Zygarde should be brought onto Pokemon like Toxapex and Chansey and set up a Substitute immediately. From there Zygarde should choose to set up to clean the rest of the team or cripple the opponent with an attack or Toxic.
* Try to keep Zygarde from recieving any status effects as it severely hinders its ability to work from behind a Substitute so try to bring it in via U-turn or Volt Switch or when Misty Terrain is active.
* Zygarde can win the 1v1 against Tapu-Bulu if Zygarde has a Substitute up and hits Tapu-Bulu on the switch. Otherwise try to not let Zygarde waste too much HP setting up Substitute when itll just get removed.
Team Options
========
* Poison-types like Nihilego, Nidoking, and Gengar all help versus random Fairy- and Grass-types that could be a nuisance in Zygarde's way and remove Toxic Spikes that would otherwise limit Zygarde's ability to set up Substitutes. In return Zygarde can set up on most Steel-types that are immune to the Poison-types precious STAB.
* Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela help Zygarde by checking various Fairy- and Ice-types for Zygarde. Zygarde also gives them a useful Fire-type switch in.
* Tapu-Fini lets Zygarde come in freely on Pokemon like Slowbro or Toxapex without fear of getting burned by a Scald while also checking some of Zygarde's revenge killers like Weavile and Choice Scarf Latios.
* Psychic-types like Mega Metagross, Tapu-Lele, and Alakazam all benefit from Zygarde's ability to pressure Steel-types and can even opt for better coverage so they can hit different instead.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance + Substitute
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Thousand Arrows
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Extremespeed / Outrage / Iron Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Aura Break
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Dragon Dance allows Zygarde to boost its speed to outpace every non boosted Pokemon and increase Zygarde's Attack to threatening high levels.
* Thousand Arrows gives Zygarde a powerful STAB that has no immunities.
* Substitute lets it stop defensive Pokemon from inflicting Zygarde with a status effect or to prevent Zygarde from being revenge killed easily.
* Extremespeed can be used to outpace other priority users, mainly Weavile, and have a revenge killing tool for Pokemon like Pheromosa and Greninja.
* Outrage is a high powered STAB that is good late game when there are a lack of healthy resist.
* Iron Tail is able to deal a large amount of damage to certain Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu-Bulu, but it has low accuracy making it less reliable than the other options.
* Toxic could be used instead and it lets Zygarde out last Pokemon like Quagsire and Pyukumuku without fear of being unable to beat them and cripples defensive Pokemon like Tangrowth and Unaware Clefable throughout the entirety of the match.
Set Details
========
* The Speed EVs and Jolly let Zygarde outpace as much as possible while Attack EVs give it as much power as it can get.
* Leftovers allows Zygarde to recover HP slowly so it can set up multiple Substitutes throughout the match.
* Groundium Z could be used instead of Leftovers and it allows Zygarde to overpower many physically defensive Pokemon like Hippodown, Defensive Garchomp, and Magic Guard Clefable, but Zygarde loses its ability to keep Substitutes up throughout the match and restricts the teams Z-move.
Usage Tips
========
* Zygarde should be brought onto Pokemon like Toxapex and Chansey and set up a Substitute immediately. From there Zygarde should choose to set up to clean the rest of the team or cripple the opponent with an attack or Toxic.
* Try to keep Zygarde from recieving any status effects as it severely hinders its ability to work from behind a Substitute so try to bring it in via U-turn or Volt Switch or when Misty Terrain is active.
* Zygarde can win the 1v1 against Tapu-Bulu if Zygarde has a Substitute up and hits Tapu-Bulu on the switch. Otherwise try to not let Zygarde waste too much HP setting up Substitute when itll just get removed.
Team Options
========
* Poison-types like Nihilego, Nidoking, and Gengar all help versus random Fairy- and Grass-types that could be a nuisance in Zygarde's way and remove Toxic Spikes that would otherwise limit Zygarde's ability to set up Substitutes. In return Zygarde can set up on most Steel-types that are immune to the Poison-types precious STAB.
* Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela help Zygarde by checking various Fairy- and Ice-types for Zygarde. Zygarde also gives them a useful Fire-type switch in.
* Tapu-Fini lets Zygarde come in freely on Pokemon like Slowbro or Toxapex without fear of getting burned by a Scald while also checking some of Zygarde's revenge killers like Weavile and Choice Scarf Latios.
* Psychic-types like Mega Metagross, Tapu-Lele, and Alakazam all benefit from Zygarde's ability to pressure Steel-types and can even opt for better coverage so they can hit different instead.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Sludge Wave in tandem with Life Orb can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Tapu-Bulu and Tangrowth and although that is useful, usually isn't worth the slot due to the amount of prediction it needs and limited scenarios it would be usable.
* Dragon Tail can be used on Coil sets to rack up damage on the opponent while surviving many hits, but because it is slow and has a multitude of weaknesses it can be rather difficult to pull off.
* 152 Speed EVs creeps Defensive Garchomp but sacrifices bulk.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Tangrowth and Tapu-Bulu**: Both of these Pokemon resist the Zygarde's main STAB and can shrug off most of Zygarde's other options. Not only can they take on its attacks though but they both are incredibly hard to weaken throughout the match with Regenerator and Grassy Terrain respectively and can pressure both of Zygarde's sets.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Many physically defensive Pokemon like Hippodown, Buzzwhole, and Quagsire can all tackle Zygarde's sets and usually have a way of beating them whether it would be through phazing, setting up alongside it, or packing super effective coverage.
**Fast Special Attackers**: Pokemon like Greninja, Pheromosa, Latios, and Tapu-Lele can all deal a large amount of damage to both of Zygarde's sets and the latter three can also revenge kill a +1 Zygarde when using a Choice Scarf. Although all of them bar Tapu-Lele must be wary of being in Extremespeed range and they must all be afraid of Substitute variants.
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