[overview]
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: 18-19 points
**Overview**: With its beyond elite Speed, strong and diverse coverage, and mixed setup capabilities, Zeraora is one of the most centralizing and flexible Pokemon in the metagame. It is also an incredible user of Z-Crystals, as it moves first against every relevant foe beyond Speed-boosted ones and can use an incredibly strong move—usually tailored to defeat its typical checks—or simply remove a looming threat. It is only ever so slightly held back by mediocre bulk and relatively average attacking stats when unboosted, but even so, it may easily circumvent these weaknesses.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast Wallbreaker**: Zeraora can use its amazing Speed to attack before nearly any foe with its wide and powerful coverage. These sets often use a Z-Crystal or damage-boosting item to hit desired thresholds and wear down the opposing team. It can be run both physically and specially, and it usually keeps up momentum in the game with fast STAB Volt Switch.
**Setup Sweeper**: With either Bulk Up or Calm Mind, Zeraora can become stronger and bulkier simultaneously to either sweep an entire game or create massive holes in the opposing team. These sets can use Z-Crystals to KO targets that usually survive. Another result of its elite Speed is the flexibility to invest heavily in bulk, which makes revenge killing these sets even more of a nightmare.
**Late-game Cleaner**: Once an opposing team is weakened, Zeraora can often close out games with ease due to its near-uncontested Speed. With one of its few drawbacks being good albeit unremarkable attacking stats, early-game wallbreaking from teammates can often facilitate it to be an elite closer once it is well positioned.
**Utility Pivot**: in a pinch, Zeraora can make for a great supportive Pokemon by pivoting with Volt Switch and removing items with Knock Off. These sets may also spread status with Toxic, Thunder Wave, and even employ Discharge to hamper the opposing team for teammates to thrive late-game. These sets often go on the bulkier end, using items such as Assault Vest and healing items to shore up longevity if non-damaging moves are not required.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Plasma Fists, Thunderbolt, Discharge
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Calm Mind
**Utility Moves**: Volt Switch, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic, Thunder Wave, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Knock Off, Low Kick, Fire Punch, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, Iron Tail, Focus Blast, Drain Punch, Acrobatics, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Due to its high Speed, Zeraora can usually get off an Endeavor on any foe as a way to quickly weaken it if Zeraora is low on health.
**Giga Impact**: Giga Impact is used in conjunction with Normalium Z as its strongest means of hitting some targets that are not weak to any of its coverage and resist its Electric-type STAB moves.
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack is used as Zeraora's sole priority option to move before foe that use their own priority or outspeed it.
**Throat Chop**: Zeraora may use Throat Chop as a way to prevent sound moves or against Dark-weak Pokemon that will likely be holding a Z-Crystal, thus leaving Knock Off unboosted. This also has the niche application of being a stronger Z-Move than Knock Off.
**Bounce**: Bounce can be used in conjunction with Flyinium Z as Zeraora's strongest way to hit some Flying-weak foes that check it, mainly Grass-types.
**Work Up**: Work Up can very occasionally outclass Calm Mind and Bulk Up, as although it does not increase Zeraora's bulk it can allow mixed sets to boost both its attacking stats simultaneously.
Common Items
========
**Z-Crystal**: Zeraora can use a wide variety of Z-Crystals to make it an incredibly effective wallbreaker, sweeper, and cleaner. It commonly uses Electrium Z to makes its STAB moves incredibly difficult for foes to absorb. Common coverage options such as Fightinium Z, Firium Z, and Grassium Z can be used to blow through checks, but there are niche applications for even more Z-Moves to beat foes, making Zeraora one of the very best Z-Captain options.
**Expert Belt**: With excellent Speed and coverage, a kick from Expert Belt can be all that Zeraora need to begin picking up many OHKOs and 2HKOs. Its common coverage options can often hit entire teams super effectively, thus making the lack of drawback and noticeable damage boost of this item stand out.
**Shuca Berry**: One of the most common answers to Zeraora is an opposing Ground-type absorbing its Plasma Fists or Volt Switch and threatening a KO in return. Shuca Berry can allow it to withstand a Ground-type attack and use moves such as Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice to handle its most notable checks; even if they are resistance Berry lures, it likely comes out on top with a Shuca Berry.
**Pinch Berries**: Pinch Berries may be used to give Zeraora greatly appreciated additional longevity. This can be used to wallbreak early-game and keep it as an option to clean up later on, as it becomes more challenging to remove. These also find use to give a second life to utility sets.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band is incredibly valuable on Zeraora to boost its strong physical moves to greater heights. It can outspeed virtually any foe and deal huge damage with spammable options such as Plasma Fists and Close Combat, although these sets can be prediction-reliant.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is useful to improve the longevity of setup sets and utility sets. In particular, setup sets sometimes use Substitute with Bulk Up or Calm Mind, which greatly appreciate Leftovers lengthening their lifetime on the field.
**Lum Berry**: When Taunt or Substitute cannot be fit due to other moves being required, Zeraora can use a Lum Berry to avoid a Burn, which mitigates physical sets, or a poison, which removes the longevity of slower-paced sweeping sets.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs can be used when Zeraora has a good matchup with its special coverage and can freely dish off Volt Switch to weaken walls and maintain momentum.
**Assault Vest**: Zeraora can shore up its special bulk with an Assault Vest to withstand and sponge many extra hits. These sets are not be passive by any means, but they can function in more of a supportive way by pivoting and removing items.
**Choice Scarf**: Although it is not commonly needed due to Zeraora's elite unboosted Speed, a Choice Scarf lets it outspeed the entire meta as a form of ultimate insurance and even outpaces a vast majority of foes with +2 Speed.
**Air Balloon**: Similarly to Shuca Berry, Air Balloon can be used to avoid super effective Ground-type attacks that threaten Zeraora. An added benefit of this item in particular is the ability to switch directly into said attacks if it is intact.
Draft Strategy
========
As a near consensus early first-round pick, Zeraora is the star of the show that you should be looking to support and enable. It should be drafted with the intention of being a Z-Captain on any roster, and teammates should be able to allow its wealth of different offensive roles to flourish while covering for its weaknesses. The following teammates will help Zeraora flourish:
**Entry Hazards**: With elite Speed and a good but not great Attack, Zeraora loves the extra chip damage of entry hazards to put foes in KO range. This support allows it to focus on cleaning or sweeping weakened teams, which is what it does best, especially as a Z-Crystal user. Hazard setters such as Uxie, Skarmory, and Nidoking make good teammates.
**Ground-type Checks**: Zeraora matches the worst against opposing Ground-types due to a weakness to their STAB moves and limited special options to attack them that usually do not deal quite enough damage. Flying-immune or -resistant Pokemon such as Latios, Serperior, and Celesteela that can check most Ground-types defensively and offensively help facilitate Zeraora tremendously.
**Wallbreakers**: Without the use of its Z-Crystal or a Choice item, Zeraora can deal slightly underwhelming damage, especially if its STAB moves are not free to use. Some wallbreakers that can soften up opposing teams and allow it to clean and sweep, like Zygarde, Mega Garchomp, and Kartana, greatly aid it.
**Pivots**: Unless it is a bulkier utility-oriented set, wallbreaking and sweeping Zeraora variants need good positioning and safe entry to thrive due to its solid but not great bulk. Tornadus-T, Scizor, and Mesprit can all force switches that bring it in to do what it does best.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon are almost always the best check to Zeraora, as they can usually absorb its coverage with ease and KO it back. These Pokemon can force items like Shuca Berry, disrupt momentum, and also force mixed or special sets with Grass Knot or Hidden power Ice. Foes like the Landorus formes and Garchomp are excellent offensive checks that can heavily pressure Zeraora, whereas defensive checks like Nidoking, Steelix, and Stunfisk can also check it by threatening solid damage while additionally being harder to break.
**Choice Scarf users**: Although Zeraora's Speed is incredible, many Pokemon can equip a Choice Scarf to get the jump on it and KO it. It does not have any ways to boost its Speed beyond an item, thus opposing Speed boosters like Infernape, Kartana, and Latios can be problematic and force it out often.
**Chip Damage**: Besides sweeping variants, most Zeraora sets want to enter the battle on multiple occasions and thus can get worn down into KO range over the course of a match with their middling bulk. Entry hazards can quickly wear it down as it enters the field, Rocky Helmet can often punish its plethora of common contact moves, and status such as burn and poison racks up quickly, all causing it to become more easily revenge killed.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/odinrm.613514/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: 18-19 points
**Overview**: With its beyond elite Speed, strong and diverse coverage, and mixed setup capabilities, Zeraora is one of the most centralizing and flexible Pokemon in the metagame. It is also an incredible user of Z-Crystals, as it moves first against every relevant foe beyond Speed-boosted ones and can use an incredibly strong move—usually tailored to defeat its typical checks—or simply remove a looming threat. It is only ever so slightly held back by mediocre bulk and relatively average attacking stats when unboosted, but even so, it may easily circumvent these weaknesses.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Fast Wallbreaker**: Zeraora can use its amazing Speed to attack before nearly any foe with its wide and powerful coverage. These sets often use a Z-Crystal or damage-boosting item to hit desired thresholds and wear down the opposing team. It can be run both physically and specially, and it usually keeps up momentum in the game with fast STAB Volt Switch.
**Setup Sweeper**: With either Bulk Up or Calm Mind, Zeraora can become stronger and bulkier simultaneously to either sweep an entire game or create massive holes in the opposing team. These sets can use Z-Crystals to KO targets that usually survive. Another result of its elite Speed is the flexibility to invest heavily in bulk, which makes revenge killing these sets even more of a nightmare.
**Late-game Cleaner**: Once an opposing team is weakened, Zeraora can often close out games with ease due to its near-uncontested Speed. With one of its few drawbacks being good albeit unremarkable attacking stats, early-game wallbreaking from teammates can often facilitate it to be an elite closer once it is well positioned.
**Utility Pivot**: in a pinch, Zeraora can make for a great supportive Pokemon by pivoting with Volt Switch and removing items with Knock Off. These sets may also spread status with Toxic, Thunder Wave, and even employ Discharge to hamper the opposing team for teammates to thrive late-game. These sets often go on the bulkier end, using items such as Assault Vest and healing items to shore up longevity if non-damaging moves are not required.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Plasma Fists, Thunderbolt, Discharge
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Calm Mind
**Utility Moves**: Volt Switch, Taunt, Substitute, Toxic, Thunder Wave, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Knock Off, Low Kick, Fire Punch, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, Iron Tail, Focus Blast, Drain Punch, Acrobatics, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Due to its high Speed, Zeraora can usually get off an Endeavor on any foe as a way to quickly weaken it if Zeraora is low on health.
**Giga Impact**: Giga Impact is used in conjunction with Normalium Z as its strongest means of hitting some targets that are not weak to any of its coverage and resist its Electric-type STAB moves.
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack is used as Zeraora's sole priority option to move before foe that use their own priority or outspeed it.
**Throat Chop**: Zeraora may use Throat Chop as a way to prevent sound moves or against Dark-weak Pokemon that will likely be holding a Z-Crystal, thus leaving Knock Off unboosted. This also has the niche application of being a stronger Z-Move than Knock Off.
**Bounce**: Bounce can be used in conjunction with Flyinium Z as Zeraora's strongest way to hit some Flying-weak foes that check it, mainly Grass-types.
**Work Up**: Work Up can very occasionally outclass Calm Mind and Bulk Up, as although it does not increase Zeraora's bulk it can allow mixed sets to boost both its attacking stats simultaneously.
Common Items
========
**Z-Crystal**: Zeraora can use a wide variety of Z-Crystals to make it an incredibly effective wallbreaker, sweeper, and cleaner. It commonly uses Electrium Z to makes its STAB moves incredibly difficult for foes to absorb. Common coverage options such as Fightinium Z, Firium Z, and Grassium Z can be used to blow through checks, but there are niche applications for even more Z-Moves to beat foes, making Zeraora one of the very best Z-Captain options.
**Expert Belt**: With excellent Speed and coverage, a kick from Expert Belt can be all that Zeraora need to begin picking up many OHKOs and 2HKOs. Its common coverage options can often hit entire teams super effectively, thus making the lack of drawback and noticeable damage boost of this item stand out.
**Shuca Berry**: One of the most common answers to Zeraora is an opposing Ground-type absorbing its Plasma Fists or Volt Switch and threatening a KO in return. Shuca Berry can allow it to withstand a Ground-type attack and use moves such as Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice to handle its most notable checks; even if they are resistance Berry lures, it likely comes out on top with a Shuca Berry.
**Pinch Berries**: Pinch Berries may be used to give Zeraora greatly appreciated additional longevity. This can be used to wallbreak early-game and keep it as an option to clean up later on, as it becomes more challenging to remove. These also find use to give a second life to utility sets.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band is incredibly valuable on Zeraora to boost its strong physical moves to greater heights. It can outspeed virtually any foe and deal huge damage with spammable options such as Plasma Fists and Close Combat, although these sets can be prediction-reliant.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is useful to improve the longevity of setup sets and utility sets. In particular, setup sets sometimes use Substitute with Bulk Up or Calm Mind, which greatly appreciate Leftovers lengthening their lifetime on the field.
**Lum Berry**: When Taunt or Substitute cannot be fit due to other moves being required, Zeraora can use a Lum Berry to avoid a Burn, which mitigates physical sets, or a poison, which removes the longevity of slower-paced sweeping sets.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs can be used when Zeraora has a good matchup with its special coverage and can freely dish off Volt Switch to weaken walls and maintain momentum.
**Assault Vest**: Zeraora can shore up its special bulk with an Assault Vest to withstand and sponge many extra hits. These sets are not be passive by any means, but they can function in more of a supportive way by pivoting and removing items.
**Choice Scarf**: Although it is not commonly needed due to Zeraora's elite unboosted Speed, a Choice Scarf lets it outspeed the entire meta as a form of ultimate insurance and even outpaces a vast majority of foes with +2 Speed.
**Air Balloon**: Similarly to Shuca Berry, Air Balloon can be used to avoid super effective Ground-type attacks that threaten Zeraora. An added benefit of this item in particular is the ability to switch directly into said attacks if it is intact.
Draft Strategy
========
As a near consensus early first-round pick, Zeraora is the star of the show that you should be looking to support and enable. It should be drafted with the intention of being a Z-Captain on any roster, and teammates should be able to allow its wealth of different offensive roles to flourish while covering for its weaknesses. The following teammates will help Zeraora flourish:
**Entry Hazards**: With elite Speed and a good but not great Attack, Zeraora loves the extra chip damage of entry hazards to put foes in KO range. This support allows it to focus on cleaning or sweeping weakened teams, which is what it does best, especially as a Z-Crystal user. Hazard setters such as Uxie, Skarmory, and Nidoking make good teammates.
**Ground-type Checks**: Zeraora matches the worst against opposing Ground-types due to a weakness to their STAB moves and limited special options to attack them that usually do not deal quite enough damage. Flying-immune or -resistant Pokemon such as Latios, Serperior, and Celesteela that can check most Ground-types defensively and offensively help facilitate Zeraora tremendously.
**Wallbreakers**: Without the use of its Z-Crystal or a Choice item, Zeraora can deal slightly underwhelming damage, especially if its STAB moves are not free to use. Some wallbreakers that can soften up opposing teams and allow it to clean and sweep, like Zygarde, Mega Garchomp, and Kartana, greatly aid it.
**Pivots**: Unless it is a bulkier utility-oriented set, wallbreaking and sweeping Zeraora variants need good positioning and safe entry to thrive due to its solid but not great bulk. Tornadus-T, Scizor, and Mesprit can all force switches that bring it in to do what it does best.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon are almost always the best check to Zeraora, as they can usually absorb its coverage with ease and KO it back. These Pokemon can force items like Shuca Berry, disrupt momentum, and also force mixed or special sets with Grass Knot or Hidden power Ice. Foes like the Landorus formes and Garchomp are excellent offensive checks that can heavily pressure Zeraora, whereas defensive checks like Nidoking, Steelix, and Stunfisk can also check it by threatening solid damage while additionally being harder to break.
**Choice Scarf users**: Although Zeraora's Speed is incredible, many Pokemon can equip a Choice Scarf to get the jump on it and KO it. It does not have any ways to boost its Speed beyond an item, thus opposing Speed boosters like Infernape, Kartana, and Latios can be problematic and force it out often.
**Chip Damage**: Besides sweeping variants, most Zeraora sets want to enter the battle on multiple occasions and thus can get worn down into KO range over the course of a match with their middling bulk. Entry hazards can quickly wear it down as it enters the field, Rocky Helmet can often punish its plethora of common contact moves, and status such as burn and poison racks up quickly, all causing it to become more easily revenge killed.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/odinrm.613514/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
