Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Zacian – Hero. While Zacian – Hero is not useful on its own, it is MANDATORY for Zacian – Crowned Sword, which is one of the best Pokemon in the game, with a strong Adventure Effect. So, it is certainly worth the catch. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.

Course Schedule

This raid will be taking place from September 9th to September 15th. It will be preceded by Mega Gyarados, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, coincide with Mega Beedrill, and be followed by Mega Venasaur and Zamazenta.

Note that Zacian – Hero knows quite a few varied Charge Moves, which can lead to some unwanted surprises if you’re not paying attention to what is being throwing at you.

Effectiveness	Types
Double Resist (0.4x)	Dragon
Resist (0.6x)	Fighting Bug Dark
Neutral	Normal Flying Ground Rock Ghost Fire Water Grass Electric Psychic Ice Fairy
Super Effective (1.6x)	Poison Steel
Double Super Effective (2.6x)	—

Zacian – Hero’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Iron Head
• Play Rough
• Close Combat
• Wild Charge

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Zacian – Hero. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.

Zamazenta - Crowned Shield A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Behemoth Bash

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Behemoth Bash	100%
Ice Fang	Behemoth Bash	89%
Metal Claw	Giga Impact	51%
Metal Claw	Moonblast	45%
Metal Claw	Close Combat	45%
Ice Fang	Giga Impact	34%

Zacian - Crowned Sword A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Behemoth Blade

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Behemoth Blade	100%
Air Slash	Behemoth Blade	73%
Metal Claw	Giga Impact	65%
Metal Claw	Play Rough	62%
Metal Claw	Close Combat	53%
Air Slash	Play Rough	47%

Necrozma - Dusk Mane A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Sunsteel Strike

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Sunsteel Strike	100%
Psycho Cut	Sunsteel Strike	96%
Shadow Claw	Sunsteel Strike	78%
Metal Claw	Iron Head	68%
Metal Claw	Future Sight	59%
Psycho Cut	Iron Head	57%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Close Combat	⚔	—	—
Wild Charge	—	—	—
Play Rough	—	🛡	🛡
Iron Head	🛡	—	🛡

Mega Metagross A

Best Moveset: Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Metagross A

Best Moveset: Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Lucario

We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.

Eternatus A

Best Moveset: Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Gengar A

Best Moveset: Lick / Sludge Bomb

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Regigigas A

Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Crush Grip

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Mewtwo Y A

Best Moveset: Psycho Cut / Psystrike

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Dialga A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Iron Head

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Zacian – Hero. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.

A	MetagrossMega BeedrillMega RayquazaNecrozma - Dawn WingsNihilegoMega Mewtwo XShadow ExcadrillMega VictreebelNaganadelShadow OverqwilDialgaDialga - OriginRegigigasMega AggronWhite KyuremTinkatonMelmetalPrimal GroudonJirachi

Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.

Cloudy

Eternatus (2.0)Mega Gengar (2.1)

Snow

Mega Lucario (2.0)Shadow Dialga (2.1)

Overall, Zacian – Hero is a pretty simple raid. There’s only a couple of weaknesses, which lends to bringing in some generically powerful Pokemon. Just be careful, there are some charge moves that Zacian – Hero knows that you may not expect it to know, so don’t get caught off guard. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Speaking of, we have rolled out a new system that will give a discount to our subscriptions, and I have been graciously granted a code! So, for those lucky readers who make it all the way down here, the code is GEEKBEAK20. This code not only supports the owner of Pokebattler, but also me! And, to be honest, in real life, the presidigious Professor Geekbeak is a broke college student, so I would really appreciate the support. Thank you! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!