Hello students! My name is Professor Noctowl, and today, I wish to draw attention to Zacian – Hero. While Zacian – Hero is not useful on its own, it is MANDATORY for Zacian – Crowned Sword, which is one of the best Pokemon in the game, with a strong Adventure Effect. So, it is certainly 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NOTE: Some visual guides will be outdated for the duration of GO FEST.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.

Note that Zacian – Hero knows quite a few varied Charge Moves, which can lead to some unwanted surprises if you’re not paying attention to what is being throwing at you.

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

Zacian – Hero’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Iron Head
• Play Rough
• Close Combat
• Wild Charge

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

Zamazenta - Crowned Shield A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Behemoth Bash

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★☆☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Behemoth Bash	100%
Ice Fang	Behemoth Bash	89%
Metal Claw	Giga Impact	51%
Metal Claw	Moonblast	45%
Metal Claw	Close Combat	45%
Ice Fang	Giga Impact	34%

Zacian - Crowned Sword A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Behemoth Blade

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Behemoth Blade	100%
Air Slash	Behemoth Blade	74%
Metal Claw	Giga Impact	65%
Metal Claw	Play Rough	63%
Metal Claw	Close Combat	53%
Air Slash	Play Rough	48%

Necrozma - Dusk Mane A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Sunsteel Strike

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

2

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Metal Claw	Sunsteel Strike	100%
Psycho Cut	Sunsteel Strike	95%
Shadow Claw	Sunsteel Strike	76%
Metal Claw	Iron Head	67%
Metal Claw	Future Sight	58%
Psycho Cut	Iron Head	56%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Close Combat	⚔	—	—
Wild Charge	—	—	—
Play Rough	—	🛡	🛡
Iron Head	🛡	—	🛡

Mega Metagross A

Best Moveset: Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Metagross A

Best Moveset: Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Lucario

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 Regigigas A

Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Crush Grip

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Gengar A

Best Moveset: Lick / Sludge Bomb

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Eternatus A

Best Moveset: Poison Jab / Sludge Bomb

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Dialga A

Best Moveset: Metal Claw / Iron Head

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Metagross A

Best Moveset: Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash

DPS★★☆☆☆

Tank★★☆☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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

A	Mega BeedrillMega RayquazaShadow ExcadrillNihilegoNecrozma - Dawn WingsShadow OverqwilNaganadelMega VictreebelWhite KyuremDialgaRegigigasDialga - OriginShadow GengarMega AggronTinkatonShadow ToxicroakExcadrillShadow MewtwoMelmetal

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.

Partly Cloudy

Shadow Regigigas (2.0)

Cloudy

Eternatus (1.9)Mega Gengar (2.0)

Snow

Mega Lucario (1.8)Shadow Dialga (1.9)Metagross (2.0)

Overall, Zacian – Hero is a pretty simple raid. There’s only a couple of weaknesses, which lends to bringing in some generically powerful Pokemon. Just be careful, there are some charge moves that Zacian – Hero knows that you may not expect it to know, so don’t get caught off guard. 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!