What are Zamazenta's weaknesses likely to be in Pokemon GO?

The legendary mascot of Pokemon Shield, Zamazenta, is coming to Pokemon GO, and trainers are going to need a pretty solid game plan if they encounter it.

There is still no official word on what Zamazenta’s moveset will be, but its stats have been released. This legendary Pokemon will have a sizable 254 Attack stat, along with a 236 Defense stat. This creates a conundrum for Pokemon GO trainers, since their counters will probably have a slow time to win and will need to take severe damage before coming out victorious, if they can.

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How can trainers counter this legendary Pokemon?

Since Zamazenta is a Fighting-type, the obvious answer to this Pokemon would be Fairies with Charm. Pokemon like Gardevoir and Togekiss should be able to melt Zamazenta’s health away by spamming Charm before finishing it up with a Dazzling Gleam.

There might be one issue with using these Pokemon, though. Of course, we don’t know for sure which moves Zamazenta will have, but the chances of it having access to a Steel move are very high. In the main series games, it gets access to Metal Burst, Metal Claw and even Iron Head.

This could spell out trouble for any trainer that brings a Fairy with low CP to this raid battle. If, for instance, a low CP Togekiss were to fight Zamazenta, its high defense might allow it to live long enough to charge an Iron Head. It’s doubtful a Togekiss will be living an Iron Head from a Pokemon with 254 Attack.

For any trainers that want to bring a Gardevoir or other Fairy-type to this battle, it’s highly recommended that they use one with Dazzling Gleam. No Fairy Pokemon will want to take an Iron Head before their Moonblast is charged.

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Psychic Types can work well

Image via The Pokemon Company

If any trainers simply want to avoid this issue all together, they can simply use Psychic-types. These Pokemon will certainly have enough firepower to break through Zamazenta’s defenses, and they aren’t weak to Steel moves either.

Of course, titans like Mewtwo and Alakazam should have no trouble putting Zamazenta away. Players who are looking for a more accessible option could consider Espeon, though. Eevee just had a Community Day, and Espeon could blaze through Zamazenta with its Confusion and Psybeam set.

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Moltres can be a great asset

EnImage via Niantic

One other Pokemon that could hard counter it is Moltres. Due to its Fire and Flying typing, it could resist Zamazenta’s Fighting moves and potential Steel move. For the best results, trainers could run Wing Attack and Sky Attack to double down on beating Zamazenta.