Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Zamazenta – Crowned Shield. Like its sword wielding counterpart, not only is Zamazenta – Crowned Shield a very strong Pokemon in its types, it also holds an Adventure Effect. Behemoth Bash increases defensive effects by 10% in all raids, and 5% in max raids. So, even ignoring its abilities, the Adventure Effect makes it worth the catch. 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NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST.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.

While not as resistant as its Sif cosplaying companion, Steel still lends very well to defense. Not only that, Zamazenta – Crowned Shield also wields Close Combat, which still can hit some of the strong Fire and Ground types super effectively.

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

Zamazenta – Crowned Shield’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Moonblast
• Close Combat
• Giga Impact
• Behemoth Bash

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Zamazenta – Crowned Shield. 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.

Mega Mewtwo X A

Best Moveset: Counter / Focus Blast

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Counter	Focus Blast	100%
Counter	Flamethrower	91%
Psycho Cut	Focus Blast	88%
Counter	Psystrike	88%
Confusion	Focus Blast	81%
Counter	Psychic	80%

Mega Blaziken A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Fire Spin	Aura Sphere	100%
Counter	Aura Sphere	100%
Ember	Aura Sphere	95%
Fire Spin	Blast Burn	88%
Counter	Blast Burn	88%
Fire Spin	Blaze Kick	84%

Mega Lucario A

Best Moveset: Force Palm / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Force Palm	Aura Sphere	100%
Counter	Aura Sphere	91%
Counter	Blaze Kick	72%
Force Palm	Blaze Kick	72%
Counter	Power-Up Punch	69%
Force Palm	Close Combat	69%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Giga Impact	—	—	🛡
Close Combat	🛡	—	⚔
Moonblast	⚔	—	—

Keldeo A

Best Moveset: Low Kick / Secret Sword

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: Primal Groudon

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.

Blacephalon A

Best Moveset: Incinerate / Mind Blown

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Charizard Y A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Blast Burn

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Mewtwo Y A

Best Moveset: Counter / Focus Blast

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Heatran A

Best Moveset: Fire Spin / Magma Storm

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Shadow ChandelureMega GarchompShadow BlazikenMega HeracrossTerrakionReshiramMega LatiosMega Charizard XShadow EnteiShadow RaikouShadow Ho-OhLandorus TherianShadow MoltresMega RayquazaShadow MewtwoMega GalladeHeatranGroudonVolcarona

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

Mega Charizard Y (2.0)Primal Groudon (2.0)Blacephalon (2.0)

Cloudy

Mega Mewtwo Y (2.1)

Overall, Zamazenta – Crowned Shield is another difficult raid. As one could expect from a dog with a shield around its neck, Zamazenta – Crowned Shield can take a lot of damage, and holds a lot of resistances due to that Steel typing. 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!