Zacian - Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Battle

This is a strategy guide for using Zacian in competitive play for the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, and Held Items to use with Zacian, as well as its strengths and weak points.

Zacian - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Build for Ranked Battle

Basic Information for Zacian

Types and Abilities

Pokemon	Type 1	Type 2
Zacian
Abilities
Intrepid Sword	Boosts the Pokémon’s Attack stat when the Pokémon enters a battle.

Zacian Weaknesses and Resistances

	Type
Takes 4x damage	-
Takes 2x damage
Takes 0.5x damage
Takes 1/4x damage
Takes 0x damage

What is Type Effectiveness?

Base Stats

HP	Attack	Defense	Sp. Atk	Sp. Def	Speed
92	170	115	80	115	148

Best Nature for Zacian

Best Natures
Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)	Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)

Singles Movesets for Zacian

Physical Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252
Final Stat Values	HP 167 / Atk 182 / Def 136 / Sp.Def 135 / Spd 209 (Hero of Many Battles) HP 168 / Atk 244 / Def 136 / Sp.Def 135 / Spd 209 (Crowned Sword)
Ability	Intrepid Sword
Held Item	Rusted Sword
Moveset	・Iron Head (Behemoth Blade) ・Close Combat ・Swords Dance ・Play Rough

Zacian is one of the most powerful physical attackers in the game and is an oppresive force in competitive battle that pushed the metagame into its current state of hyper offense.

About Zacian's Moves

Iron Head is Zacian's main STAB move, and turns into Behemoth Blade when it transforms into its Crowned Sword form. The latter's base power doubles to 200 when used against Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokemon.

Close Combat is its main coverage move, and provides Zacian great neutral coverage - hitting Dark, Steel, and Ice-types for super effective damage. Keep in mind that this move lowers Zacian's Defense and Special Defense by 1 stage.

Swords Dance boosts Zacian's Attack by 2 stages, making it even more difficult to switch into. Its last move is Play Rough and is its secondary STAB move, and alows the Warrior Pokemon to take on and easily KO Dragon-types.

About Zacian's EV Spread

We're using a standard physical attacking set with full investment in Attack and Speed to ensure Zacian hits as hard and as fast as possible. The remaining 4 EVs are invested in Defense to boost its natural bulk.

About Zacian's Ability

Intrepid Sword is Zacian's only Ability, which boosts its Attack by 1 stage upon entering the battle.

About Zacian's Held Item

Zacian's best held item is the Rusted Sword since this is what transforms it into its Crowned Sword form. This item also turns Iron Head into Behemoth Blade.

Other Viable Moves

Wild Charge	Electric-type coverage move that lets Zacian hit Flying-types and Bulky Water-types.
Crunch	Dark-type coverage that lets Zacian threaten Psychic-types such as Necrozma and Mewtwo.
Substitute	Can replace Close Combat so that Zacian can safely set up with Swords Dance, and also protects it from Will-O-Wisp.
Sacred Sword	A good alternative to Close Combat that's weaker but doesn't lower Zacian's Defense and Special Defense, and also ignores the target's Defense and Evasion boosts.
Ice Fang	An Ice-type coverage move that lets Zacian hit Ground-types such as Landorus.
Quick Attack	Allows Zacian to hit Focus Sash and Sturdy users on the next turn before they can move.
Psychic Fangs	A Psychic-type coverage move that destroys Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil.

Bulky Physical Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk 92 / Def 20 / Sp.Def 132 / Spd 12
Final Stat Values	HP 199 / Atk 178 / Def 138 / Sp.Def 152 / Spd 160 (Hero of Many Battles) HP 199 / Atk 222 / Def 138 / Sp.Def 152 / Spd 160 (Crowned Sword)
Ability	Intrepid Sword
Held Item	Rusted Sword
Moveset	・Iron Head ・Play Rough ・Psychic Fangs ・Quick Attack

Zacian's great typing allows it to run a bulkier build while still having enough raw attack to threaten opposing teams. This bulky Zacian was used by Japanese competitive player Chihaya to reach first place in the current Ranked Battle Season.

This bulkier Zacian is great at surprising its usual checks and counters, and has the ability to survive powerful and staple moves in the current generation such as Choice Scarf Kyogre's Water Spout. As a result, it's a good choice for more balanced teams.

About Zacian's Moves

Iron Head is Zacian's main STAB move, and turns into Behemoth Blade when it transforms into its Crowned Sword form. The latter's base power doubles to 200 when used against Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokemon.

Play Rough is its secondary STAB move, hitting Dragon, Fighting, and Dark-types for super effective damage. Both these STAB moves still hit hard even without full Attack investment.

Psychic Fangs is both a coverage move and used for utility as it allows Zacian to break Light Screen, Reflect, and Aurora Veil.

Quick Attack is its last move and allows Zacian to hit faster and frailer attackers and is very useful against Focus Sash leads.

About Zacian's EV Spread

We're using a bulkier EV spread for this Zacian focusing more on survivability than straightforward attack. 252 HP, 20 Def, and 132 Sp.Def EVs make it as bulky as possible while 92 Atk and 12 Spd allow it to hit reasonably hard and as fast as possible.

About Zacian's Ability

Intrepid Sword is Zacian's only Ability, which boosts its Attack by 1 stage upon entering the battle.

About Zacian's Held Item

Zacian's best held item is the Rusted Sword since this is what transforms it into its Crowned Sword form. This item also turns Iron Head into Behemoth Blade.

Doubles Movesets for Zacian

Physical Attacker Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk)
EV Spread	HP 252 / Atk 44 / Spe 212
Final Stat Values	HP 398 / Atk 215 / Def 135 / Sp. Def 135 / Spe 195 (Crowned Sword)
Ability	Intrepid Sword
Held Item	Rusted Sword
Moveset	・Iron Head (Behemoth Blade) ・Sacred Sword ・Substitute ・Protect

Zacian is one of the most powerful physical attackers in the game and is an oppressive force in competitive battle that pushed the metagame into its current state of hyper offense.

About Zacian's Moves

Behemoth Blade is Zacian's signature move. This move allows Zacian to essentially be a 'second Dynamax' because of the damage it is able to put out. It is able to deal massive chunks of damage even on Pokemon who resist it.

Sacred Sword allows Zacian to effectively attack even if an opponent has Max Steelspike Defense boosts. This is good against Pokemon who would try to abuse Iron Defense such as Registeel or Ferrothorn.

Substitute is good for prolonging Zacian's stay on the battlefield. It can work as a second 'Protect'. Because Zacian is usually the fastest Pokemon in the field, its Substitute will always come first, sponging an opponent's move. This is good for stalling out an opponent's Dynamax.

Protect is a good option for Zacian to have. Because of its blazing Speed, it will always be the target of Fake Out users. Zacian is also prone to being double targeted. Its modest bulk allows Zacian to comfortably take a super-effective Max move through Protect.

About Zacian's EV Spread

Putting 252 EV's into HP gives Zacian as much HP as possible, giving it survivability while still having more than enough for Attack and Speed. 44 Attack EV's and an Adamant Nature gives Zacian an astronomical 322 Attack stat after an Intrepid Sword boost and a safe 215 if Intimidated.

212 Speed EVs puts Zacian at 195 Speed. At this speed, it will always be the fastest Pokemon on the field outside of Regieleki, Pheromosa, Tailwind or Weather abusers.

About Zacian's Ability

Intrepid Sword is Zacian's only Ability, which boosts its Attack by 1 stage upon entering the battle.

About Zacian's Held Item

Zacian's best held item is the Rusted Sword since this is what transforms it into its Crowned Sword form. This item also turns Iron Head into Behemoth Blade.

Other Viable Moves

Play Rough	Another STAB option. This move is sure to take decisive knock outs on Dragon-type Pokemon.
Wild Charge	Electric-type coverage move that lets Zacian hit Flying-types and Bulky Water-types.
Close Combat	An alternative to Sacred Sword. Close Combat is able to give Zacian Fighting-type burst damage at the cost of lowering its defenses.
Crunch	Dark-type coverage that lets Zacian threaten Psychic-types such as Necrozma and Mewtwo.

How to Use Zacian Effectively

A Powerful Physical Attacker

Zacian is one of the most powerful physical attackers in the current metagame, with its Ability boosting its Attack by 1 stage simply by switching in.

A combination of great dual STAB, powerful moves, and excellent Attack and Speed make it an exceedingly powerful sweeper that's hard to check and even more difficult to counter - especially if it accumulates even more boosts!

An Anti-Dynamax Lead

With how common Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokemon are in the current metagame, Zacian stands out as one of the few that can directly take on these giant Pokemon with its signature move, Behemoth Blade. This move becomes a 200 Base Power Steel-type move when targeting Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokemon.

This move makes Zacian one of the best Dynamax counters in the game, and is often used as an Anti-Dynamax Lead to instantly turn the tide of battle as soon as the match starts.

How to Build a Team with Zacian

Zacian is easy to fit into many teams whether on a Defensive or Offensive Team, providing great offense thanks to its ability to directly take on Dynamax Pokemon.

Use it as an Anti-Dynamax Lead

Zacian is best used as a lead to take on opposing Dynamax Leads, cutting them down with Behemoth Blade before they can boost their teammates stats with Max Moves.

Example Hyper Offense Team

Rain Offense	Attacker	Defiant Attacker
Kyogre	Zacian	Thundurus

While Zacian fits perfectly into most teams, it shines in offense-oriented teams. Kyogre can knock out popular Intimidate users such as Incineroar and Landorus. Thundurus with Defiant can work as a deterrent against Intimidate.

Equipping Thundurus with Safety Goggles also makes it a great Pokemon to use against Sun teams.

How to Build an Offensive Team

Counters for Zacian

Weakness

Counter Zacian with Fire-types

Super-effective moves are still important against Zacian. A turn where you can safely double target it are also good if you want to knock out a Zacian. These are usually turns after it has used Protect.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Venusaur	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Venusaur can outspeed Zacian in sun. ・Has access to Fire-type coverage in Weather Ball if used in Sun. Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Venusaur
Charizard	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Can tank a Behemoth Blade. ・Can knock out Zacian with G-Max Wildfire. Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Charizard
Chandelure	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Can tank a Behemoth Blade if holding a Focus Sash. ・Can hit Zacian with a powerful Fire-type move. ・Can survive a hit and set up Trick Room. Moveset & Best Build for Ranked Chandelure

Related Links

All Competitive Builds for Ranked Battle

Competitive Guides for Pokemon Sword and Shield

Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides
Tier List		Best Builds		Series 10 List of Contenders
Doubles Tier List		Team Building		Rental Teams

Best Builds for New Pokemon

Movesets & Best Builds for New Pokemon
Dragapult	Galarian Corsola	Toxtricity
Galarian Darmanitan	Corviknight	Dracovish
Grimmsnarl	Rillaboom	Duraludon
Cinderace	Alcremie	Dracozolt
Hatterene	Eiscue	Inteleon
Pincurchin	Frosmoth	Zacian
Sirfetch'd	Flapple	Coalossal
Centiskorch	Arctozolt	Zarude
Galarian Weezing	Eternatus	Indeedee (Female)
Sandaconda	Zamazenta