Zekrom is a major threat to balance and stall teams in Anything Goes, as it's able to take advantage of common defensive Pokemon and lacks consistent defensive counterplay outside of Arceus-Ground and Lunala. Substitute allows Zekrom to safely set up on Pokemon that cannot break it in a single hit, including Ferrothorn, Ho-Oh, and Stealth Rock Necrozma-DM. It also prevents Choice Scarf users like Ditto and Mega Rayquaza from revenge killing it, eases prediction if the opponent tries to pivot around Zekrom's STAB moves, and stalls out foes' Dynamax turns. Outrage is needed for its high damage output, allowing Zekrom to OHKO base forme Zygarde at +1, although it has the detrimental side effect of locking Zekrom into the move if it doesn't Dynamax. Dragon Claw gives Zekrom a safer Dragon-type STAB move to use, but it's extremely weak and doesn't OHKO base forme Zygarde at +1 even when boosted by Life Orb; it also makes Ditto more dangerous, since it can Dynamax to break its Choice lock after it revenge kills Zekrom. A Jolly nature allows Zekrom to outspeed Zacian-C at +1 and Modest Xerneas and Yveltal unboosted. Leftovers increases the number of times Zekrom is able to use Substitute, helping it to break through foes like Ferrothorn more easily. Haban Berry is an option that lets Zekrom survive a boosted Outrage from Ditto while Dynamaxed, as well as Draco Meteor from Choice Scarf Mega Rayquaza and Dynamax Cannon from Eternatus, in order to KO these threats back; however, Leftovers is hard to give up, and a Ditto that's locked into Outrage is already easy to exploit with partners like Xerneas. Life Orb is another option that gives a nice boost to Zekrom's damage output, but it can severely hurt its longevity in tandem with Substitute. Teravolt notably allows Zekrom to bypass abilities like Multiscale, Sturdy, Unaware, and Wonder Guard, although it doesn't ignore Lunala's Shadow Shield.

Zekrom has great Dynamaxing potential. Under Dynamax, Bolt Strike turns into Max Lightning, powering up Zekrom's Electric-type moves even further by setting Electric Terrain; Zekrom can potentially break past defensive Lunala with two boosted Max Lightnings if it manages to play around Will-O-Wisp correctly. Max Wyrmwind allows Zekrom to break through Ground-types without being forced to lock into a move; it 2HKOes Arceus-Ground and defensive Primal Groudon at +1. It also helpfully lowers Primal Groudon's Attack stat, rendering said foe unable to deal much damage to Zekrom when also accounting for the extra bulk from Dynamax. However, it's important to note that Dynamaxing will cause Zekrom to lose its Substitute, leaving it susceptible to revenge killing from the likes of Ditto. Also, Zekrom cannot Dynamax or change moves while it's locked into Outrage, so in the meantime, it can be taken advantage of by foes like Geomancy Xerneas.

Zekrom fits best on bulky offense teams that can make up for the momentum loss it creates when it uses Outrage. Defensive Necrozma-DM is a strongly recommended partner, as it's able to handle Xerneas and Zacian-C if they try to take advantage of Zekrom while it's locked into the move. Ditto can also revenge kill these threats, but it needs prior chip damage on Xerneas to KO it, especially if Xerneas can still Dynamax. Ho-Oh is a fantastic teammate that shuts down Zekrom's most reliable checks in support Arceus-Ground and Lunala, while Zekrom can pressure teams with Zygarde-C for Ho-Oh. Similarly, Arceus-Ground checks Primal Groudon for Zekrom, while Zekrom can pressure teams with Ho-Oh for Arceus-Ground. Xerneas and Zacian-C are helpful partners to revenge kill opposing Ditto; if Ditto has locked into Outrage, it won't be able to Dynamax to break its Choice lock. Zacian-C can also weaken shared checks like Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Lunala for Zekrom. Yveltal is a strong offensive partner that can switch into Ground-type attacks and clean late-game once Zekrom has weakened the opposition.