Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Zacian – Crowned Sword. Not only is Zacian – Crowned Sword a very strong Pokemon in both of its types, it also has a great Adventure Effect. Behemoth Blade is a simple effect, increasing raid damage by 10% and max raid damage by 5%. So, even if this dog was not useful in raids, that effect is a 10% efficacy buff in ALL RAIDs. I respect your intelligence enough to not tell you why that’s good. 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.

NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST. They will remain mostly accurate, but lack modern counters, such as the Mega Mewtwo duo, or Eternatus. Not only that, please note that some raids will not be covered in an article for GO FEST, due to the sheer volume. Our team has decided that the best call is to only cover raids who are within the top 10 counters in their type. If you’re looking for a counter that does not have an article, feel free to use pokebattler.com

Course Schedule

This counter is one of many GO FEST raids. There are too many to put a coherent schedule here, but rest assured, pretty much every legendary, mega, and shadow under the sun will be going at some point. Look to your local GO FEST event or the Pokebattler.com raid schedule to see exactly what raids will be going.

Sharing both of the types that lack weaknesses (Steel and Fairy) leaves very little holes in this Dog’s defense. Not only that, Close Combat is in its charge move set, which will hit hard on some particular strong Ground or Fire types.

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

Zacian – Crowned Sword’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Play Rough
• Close Combat
• Giga Impact
• Behemoth Blade

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Zacian – Crowned Sword. 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.

Primal Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Mud Shot	Precipice Blades	100%
Mud Shot	Earthquake	89%
Mud Shot	Fire Blast	85%
Mud Shot	Fire Punch	84%
Dragon Tail	Fire Punch	59%
Dragon Tail	Precipice Blades	55%

Blacephalon A

Best Moveset: Incinerate / Mind Blown

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Incinerate	Mind Blown	100%
Astonish	Mind Blown	98%
Incinerate	Mystical Fire	87%
Incinerate	Overheat	80%
Astonish	Mystical Fire	80%
Incinerate	Shadow Ball	70%

Shadow Heatran A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Magma Storm

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Spin	Magma Storm	100%
Fire Spin	Flamethrower	91%
Fire Spin	Fire Blast	86%
Bug Bite	Magma Storm	83%
Fire Spin	Earth Power	82%
Fire Spin	Iron Head	71%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Giga Impact	—	🛡🛡	🛡
Play Rough	🛡	🛡	🛡🛡
Close Combat	—	🛡🛡	⚔

Mega Charizard Y A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Reshiram A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Garchomp

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.

Shadow Chandelure A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Overheat

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Blaziken A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Reshiram A

Best Moveset: Fire Fang / Fusion Flare

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Mewtwo X A

Best Moveset: Counter / Flamethrower

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	HeatranShadow Ho-OhMega Mewtwo YGroudonChandelureMega Charizard XHo-OhShadow CharizardShadow MoltresShadow RhyperiorZamazenta - Crowned ShieldShadow EnteiLandorus TherianNecrozma - Dusk ManeShadow BlazikenShadow DarmanitanMega SwampertZacian - Crowned SwordVictini

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.

Sunny/Clear

Shadow Chandelure (1.9)Mega Blaziken (2.0)Mega Garchomp (2.0)

Overall, Zacian – Crowned Sword is a very difficult raid. So few weaknesses, plus an incredible amount of defence, makes this raid take many more people than usual, needing 3 trainers at the very least, assuming level 40 and perfect counters. So, bring a friend or 4 to tame this dog. 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! 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!