Zacian Pokemon Go Guide: Unsheath the Sword

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Emily Medlock, Resident Pokémon Go Expert

Emily is our resident Pokemon Go expert who still wanders streets aimlessly and get's in those steps to get her hands on new and exciting Pokemon walking amongst us in AR form. Outside of Pokemon, she loves mainstream RPGS and survival games, with Ark Survival Evolved being her main squeeze.

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A Zacian Pokémon GO Guide is something I looked into very recently as I’d never seen one before this month. The Legendary wolf in Pokémon has always been alluring to me, despite my lack of knowledge regarding him. In Pokémon GO, Zacian was added to the game as a Raid Boss in 2021.

Not many people have him, so seeing one is still rare. Hopefully, you have one – or have faced one – so this guide can help you.

Zacian Pokémon GO Guide – Need to Know

• Zacian is a Fairy-type Pokémon, weak against Poison and Steel
• When in Crowned Sword form, she is also Steel-type, weak against Fire and Ground
• His best moveset is Snarl and Play Rough
• In Crowned Sword form, his max CP is 4,979
• In Hero form, it is 3,829
• Most likely, Crowned Form will be similar to a Mega Evolution when it hits Pokémon GO

Zacian Hero vs Zacian Crowned Sword

Zacian has two forms. The standard form is called the Hero of Many Battles, but most people know it as the Hero form of Zacian. The other form is stronger and is dual-type, known as the Crowned Sword version.

In most adaptions, Zacian can change to its other form in battle by absorbing metal particles. Crowned Sword Zacian has the highest Attack, Speed, and stat total of all Fairy-type Pokémon. When Hero Zacian transforms into Crowned Sword Zacian, he sprouts wings, a crown, and a sword. Her braids become undone and flow around her, completing the majestic look of the wolf warrior.

Zacian Outside of Pokémon GO

Zacian is a Galar Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield. She is the poster child for Sword, while Zamazenta is the poster child for Shield. The two are heroes who fight together and are possibly siblings. In the anime, Zacian was seen by Ash before disappearing. In later episodes, it was turned into its Crowned form to fight against Eternatus with Zamazenta. Zacian has not appeared in other games or other episodes of the series.

She may appear in future games, but since he is a Legendary, she will most likely only appear under particular conditions. These conditions could be events, trading with Shield and Sword. or via DLCs. 

Zacian Stats, Movesets, and Acquisition in Pokémon GO

Zacian, even in Hero form, is a strong Pokémon. Although we have info on his Crowned Sword form, it isn’t yet available, so the Hero stats are currently relevant.

The Hero version is weak against Poison and Steel, yet strong against Fighting, Bug, Dark, and Dragon (really strong). The Crowned Sword version has twelve strengths and is only weak against Ground and Fire.

Zacian Base Stats

Base stats matter a lot in Pokémon games. That’s why EV training and IV training are a thing. But in Pokémon GO, you can’t IV train without doing a lot of walking, and then the Pokémon you get is semi-random. So you must work with the base stats that the Pokémon is born with – or caught within the wild. Because Legendaries cannot hatch from eggs, Zacian’s stats are decided whenever you encounter her. 

Hero

• Attack – 254
• Defense – 236
• Stamina – 192

Crowned Sword

• Attack – 332
• Defense – 240
• Stamina – 192

Zacian Best Moveset

You can get creative, but this moveset has the highest win rate for Zacian. 

• Fast Attack – Snarl
• Charged Attack – Play Rough

How to Get Zacian

Zacian may roll into Raids or Go League rewards soon, but for now, you can only get him via trade. If you were lucky enough to play during August 2021, you could have gotten him then.

• Raid Battle – August 2021
• Go, League – August 2021
• Trade

Zacian Pokémon GO All Moves

Zacian’s best moveset is Snarl and Play Rough. But you can customize her moveset with any of the moves she can learn. This is the complete list of everything that Zacian can currently learn.

I can’t say whether the Fast Attack or Charged Attack is more important because they are both crucial to a good battle.

Best Counters for Zacian Hero in Pokémon GO

Zacian Hero form is a Fairy-type, so countering him is fairly easy. Focus on choosing Poison and Steel attacks while avoiding Ghost, Dark, and Psychic Pokémon, as Snarl will do a lot of damage to those types. 

Otherwise, type is kind of up to you. Poison and Steel are ideal, but any Pokémon that doesn’t have disadvantages – and still has Steel attacks – will do well against Hero Zacian.

Zacian (Crowned Sword)

• Metal Claw
• Iron Head

Zacian’s Crowned Sword version will be the number one counter against Zacian’s Hero form. However, it isn’t available in the game yet. But keep an eye out for its release as its attack damage is said to be insane. 

Metagross

• Bullet Punch
• Meteor Mash

Metagross is a great choice for any battle because his base stats are great. But when you’re facing a Fairy-type Pokémon, Metagross is a no-brainer. Choose Steel moves, and you should be home free.

Dialga

• Metal Claw
• Iron Head

Dialga is a good tanky choice to face off against Zacian’s Hero form. The two most popular Steel attacks will be your best bet. These two attacks should be your base for any Pokémon that has them.

Deoxys (Attack)

• Poison Jab
• Zap Cannon

Although Deoxys’ attack form doesn’t have any Steel or Poison Charged Attacks, his Zap Cannon is still extremely strong with a base of almost 38 DPS. That said, you likely won’t get to charge it as Poison Jab will take Zacian down.

Roserade

• Poison Jab
• Sludge Bomb

If you prefer the Poison route rather than the Steel route, Roserade should serve you well. Poison Jab is a classic Poison fast attack that does great DPS, especially with Roserade’s STAB damage. 

Eternatus

• Poison Jab
• Cross Poison

If you don’t have Roserade, don’t worry, Eternatus may even be better. He can have two Poison moves. However, if you want to use Eternatus much, you should give him Dragon Tail and Dragon Pulse instead. 

Excadrill

• Metal Claw
• Iron Head

Excadrill is a more common Pokémon than most of the others. He can use two Steel moves and take down Zacian with ease unless there’s a huge CP or stat difference between the two.

Best Counters for Zacian Crowned Sword in Pokémon GO

Zacian Crowned Sword form is both Fairy and Steel. This doesn’t mean she has fewer counters, but it does change things. Zacian Crowned Sword is strong against twelve other types, rather than just a few like most.

Now, at this point, you may be wondering why you should use Fire instead of Ground, and it’s just the DPS and base stats of Fire Pokémon that will give you a better chance of winning against Zacian.

Reshiram

• Fire Fang
• Overheat

Reshiram is an obvious choice if you have one. But this isn’t a common Pokémon; I’ve never seen one that I remember. Because Crowned Sword will be weak against fire, it’s a good route to take. 

Chandelure

• Fire Spin
• Overheat

Another Fire type with good base stats and two of the strongest Fire moves in the game is Chandelure. Another relatively rare Pokémon, but if you have a good one, then it’s worth the stardust to boost him.

Darmanitan

• Fire Fang
• Overheat

I love using Darmanitan. Both versions of him are generally substantial, but the standard version is better against Zacian’s Crowned Sword form. Again, two amazing Fire attacks in GO.

Volcarona

• Fire Spin
• Overheat

Volcarona is one you may have seen coming. After all, a Fire Pokémon with Fire Spin and Overheat is all you need to defeat Zacian Crowned Sword, and Volcarona has naturally good base stats.

Blaziken

• Fire Spin
• Blast Burn

Blaziken is one of my favorite Pokémon. While he’s not in the top five, he is in the top five of my favorite Fire Pokémon. Blast Burn is a special move that only Fire starter evolutions can use. 

Moltres

• Fire Spin
• Overheat

Moltres is another good Fire Pokémon. He isn’t better than the Fire types I mentioned above, but he’s a good choice. I love Moltres too, so I had to add him to the list.

Tough Pokémon That Zacian Can Defeat

While there are a lot of Pokémon GO matchups that Zacian sees as a piece of cake, I chose some of the hardest in Pokémon to defeat that Zacian can shred. Here are some troublesome foes that Zacian counters.

Mega Altaria

Mega Altaria is a tough Pokémon to face. But Zacian can defeat Mega Altaria with Steel moves and Play Rough. It’s an easy fight against an otherwise fantastic Pokémon that can hold its own. 

Kyurem

Another Dragon Pokémon that is weak against Fairy and Steel is Kyurem. No matter which forms you are facing, you can defeat it with a decent Zacian in any form because of the Steel moves and Play Rough. 

Terrakion

Use Steel and Fairy type move again, and Terrakion won’t be a problem. He’s a great attacker, but you can easily take him down before he gets a chance to use three out of four of his possible Charged Attacks. 

Scrafty

Scrafty has been meta for a while; as a well-rounded Pokémon that’s also a good attacker, he is tough to beat. The catch is that he’s very weak (takes 256% damage) against Fairy-type moves. 

Hydreigon

Fairy also does 256% damage to Hydreigon, making this fantastic Pokémon look weak when you take him down in just a couple of attacks. Just make sure to get Play Rough off as soon as possible.

Umbreon

Umbreon will take average disadvantage damage against Zacian’s Play Rough and normal damage against the Steel attacks. However, Umbreon is a popular meta pick, so you need something that can go up against him.

Zororark

Zoroark will also take standard disadvantage damage against Fairy-type moves and normal damage against Steel. So while there are better options against him, Zacian shouldn’t have a problem.

FAQs

Is Zacian Worth the Investment in Pokémon GO?

When it comes to using Candy and Stardust, some Pokémon aren’t worth it. But Zacian is worth it in my opinion. Now, I often have trouble adding single-type Pokémon to my party, but Fairy is different. She is only weak against Steel and Poison. While Steel is fairly common, you can easily work around this in most cases by switching out at the right time. Poison is not common in PvP or Raids. 

Because of this and her decent stats, she’s a good addition to any team. Since Sylveon is decently popular, I would suggest replacing her with Zacian and then replacing Hero form with Crowned form when it is released.