Pokemon GO raid guide: Zacian's counters and weaknesses

Pokemon GO trainers are going to be tested like never before when Zacian shows up as a raid boss.

The mascot of Pokemon Sword is being introduced through part 3 of the Ultra Unlock along with Zamazenta.

Considering how incredibly powerful Zacian was in the main series game, one could imagine how threatening it will be in Pokemon GO. It will have a base 254 Attack, as well as solid defenses to back it up.

Now is definitely the time for trainers to start thinking of how they’re going to combat this legendary beast.

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How can trainers combat this immensly powerful legendary Pokemon?

While details on Zacian are still a tad bit scarce, it is guaranteed to be a Fairy-type Pokemon. Therefore, the easy thing to do is to bring Steel-types, as they are usually the best Fairy counters in the game.

There is one potential pitfall for any trainer who simply want to bring a Steel-type and be done with it, though.

Judging by what Zacian learns in Pokemon Sword and Shield, there is a good chance that it will receive a Fighting-type move; Zacian naturally learns both Sacred Sword and Close Combat.

Either of these moves could spell danger for the ordinary Steel-type.

A strong Sacred Sword or Close Combat would easily one shot Pokemon like Aggron or Bisharp. Other Steel-types like Galarian Stunfisk likely won’t do enough damage before Zacian wipes them out.

On the other hand, there are other Steel-types that take neutral damage from Fighting moves like Skarmory and Metagross. So, any trainer with these Pokemon shouldn’t have an issue.

In the event that Zacian does get a Fighting move, there are other Pokemon that should perform well outside of the Steel-types.

Mega Gengar is typically known for ending raid battles quickly, and it should do well against Zacian. This Pokemon, being Ghost and Poison-type, resists Zacian’s Fairy moves and the potential Sacred Sword or Close Combat. This should allow Mega Gengar to spam Shadow Balls until Zacian falls.

Outside of Mega Gengar, there aren’t too many elite Poison-types. Considering that they hit Fairies for super effective damage, though, they can be good to bring against Zacian.

Roserade and Vileplume tend to do well in other Fairy-type raids, so trainers might want to consider these.

Another mega evolution that is guaranteed to counter Zacian well is Mega Charizard. It also has a dual typing (Fire and Flying) that resists Fairy and Fighting moves.

Even though it has 236 Defense, Zacian is guaranteed to go down after a couple of Blast Burns.