Zacian, the Legendary wolf from the Galar region, debuted in Pokémon Go in August 2021 in its Hero of Many Battles form. As part of Pokémon Go Fest 2025, players will be able to raid against its Crowned Sword form, earning Crowned Sword Energy to get their own beefier sword dog.
Like fellow Sword and Shield legendary Zamazenta, Zacian notably has two different forms. Its plain Hero of Many Battles version is only fairy-type, whereas it gains a steel-typing with its Crowned Sword form.
In its Hero of Many Battles form, Zacian is a pure fairy-type Pokémon, which means it’s weak against poison and steel-type moves. This form is resistant to bug, dark, dragon, and fighting-type moves. It takes reduced damage from these types, so you’ll want to avoid using them in battle.
Its Crowned Sword form is weak against ground- and fire-type moves. Crowned Sword Zacian resists a ton of types: normal, flying, rock, bug, grass, psychic, ice, dark, and fairy. Yeesh.
Image: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
If you’re raiding against Crowned Sword Zacian, you’ll want to use the following:
- Blacephalon with Incinerate and Mystical Fire
- Reshiram with Fire Fang and Fusion Flare
- Heatran with Fire Spin and Magma Storm
- Therian Forme Landorus with Mudshot and Sandsear Storm
- Chandelure with Fire Spin and Overheat
- Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades
Mega Evolutions will help a lot, too. Consider Mega Evolving a Charizard or Blaziken with Fire Spin and Blast Burn or a Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power. The most effective thing to use will be a Primal Reversion’d Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades.
Here are some of the best counters you can use against Hero of Many Battles Zacian:
- Dusk Forme Necrozma with Metal Claw and Sunsteel Strike
- Dialga with Metal Claw and Iron Head
- Nihilego with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb
- Genesect with Metal Claw and Magnet Bomb
- Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
- Excadrill with Metal Claw and Iron Head
- Roserade with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb
If you have enough Mega Energy, you can also use Mega Gengar with Lick or Shadow Ball paired with Sludge Bomb. Mega Beedrill with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb will also do quite a bit of damage, as will Mega Aggron with Iron Tail and Heavy Slam.
For raids and gyms, Hero of Many Battles Zacian’s best moveset is Snarl and Play Rough. Although this legendary Pokémon sadly lacks a fairy-type fast move, it can still be a very effective fairy-type attacker. Thanks to Snarl, it can generate energy fast enough to unleash the powerful Play Rough fairly frequently.
As for Crowned Sword Zacian, you’ll want to use it a steel-type attacker with Metal Claw and Behemoth Blade, making it one of the top attackers in the whole game.
This is also to say that in PvP, Crowned Sword Zacian is the #1 Pokémon in the Master League, according to PvPoke. Set it up with Metal Claw and Close Combat with Behemoth Blade to sweep your opponents.
Is Zacian shiny in Pokémon Go?
Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Niantic
Shiny Zacian is available to encounter in Pokémon Go. This rare variant made its long-awaited debut during the Legendary Heroes event in September 2024.
Just like all shiny Pokémon, the chances of finding a shiny Zacian are very slim. There’s no way to boost your odds – it’s simply a case of taking part in as many raids as you can and hoping for the best. Good luck!
