Pokemon GO Zygarde PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Modified Sep 28, 2023 18:36 GMT

Zygarde Pokemon GO moveset (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Zygarde, the apex Legendary from the Kalos region, was released in Pokemon GO alongside the Routes mechanic on July 30, 2023. It is available to all players for free as a reward for completing the third part of the From A to Zygarde Special Research. It is interesting to note that you will receive Zygarde in its 10% Forme, and you can upgrade it to its 50% and Complete Forme using Zygarde Cells found while completing Routes.

Players who wish to use Zygarde in Pokemon GO battles may want to know its best moveset for different situations and which critters are best at countering it. This article will give you an overview of everything you need to know.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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What moves can Zygarde learn in Pokemon GO?

Zygarde moveset in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Irrespective of the form Zygarde is in, it can learn the same moves. The Fast Attacks it has in its kit are:

Dragon Tail
Bite
Zen Headbutt

The Charged Attacks that Zygarde can learn are:

Crunch
Outrage
Earthquake
Bulldoze
Hyper Beam

It is also important to note Zygarde's elemental typing and stats to determine its best movesets in Niantic's mobile game.

Across all three forms, Zygarde is a Ground and Dragon-type Pocket Monster. This means it gets the benefit of same-type-attack-bonus (STAB) when using moves of these types.

Across three forms, it has different stats, which are as follows:

10% Forme - 205 Attack, 173 Defense, 144 Stamina
50% Forme - 203 Attack, 232 Defense, 239 Stamina
Complete Forme - 184 Attack, 207 Defense, 389 Stamina

Best PvP moveset for Zygarde in Pokemon GO

At the outset, you should know that only Zygarde's Complete Forme performs consistently well in trainer battles. However, owing to the dearth of Zygarde Cells, it might be quite difficult for most players to acquire this form of the Pocket Monsters.

That said, the recommended PvP moveset for the creature across all three main formats of the GO Battle League is the same and is as follows:

Fast Attack: Dragon Tail
Charged Attack: Crunch and Earthquake

Dragon Tail is a very powerful Dragon-type Fast Attack that deals nearly 5.2 damage per turn and generates energy at a rate of 3 per turn.

It takes Zygarde five turns to reach Crunch and eight turns to reach Earthquake. The former is a Dark-type attack that deals 70 damage and costs 45 energy. Additionally, it has a 30% chance of lowering the enemy's Defense by 1 stage.

Earthquake is a Ground-type attack that deals base 132 damage (STAB included) and costs 65 energy.

Best PvE moveset for Zygarde in Pokemon GO

Zygarde in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Zygarde is quite difficult to build in Pokemon GO as Zygarde Cells are extremely hard to come by. Even when you successfully maximize its powers, it is still outclassed by less resource-intensive options when it comes to attacking Gyms and raids. That said, if you plan on using this creature in PvE formats, you should use the following moves:

Fast Attack: Dragon Tail
Charged Attack: Outrage

Dragon Tail has a reliable damage output, and Outrage is the perfect option for PvE battles since it deals nearly 132 damage but costs only 12.8 energy, therefore delivering brilliantly in terms of both damage dealt per second and per energy.