Best moveset for Zekrom in Pokémon Go

Day two of Pokémon Go Fest 2021 brought tons of legendary Pokémon into raids around the world to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary and to tease the release of the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa into the world of Pokémon Go. One of the Pokémon brought through Hoopa’s portals was the Dragon and Electric-type Zekrom, who appeared in raids during the Thunder Hour.

Zekrom debuted in Pokémon Black and White alongside its counterpart Reshiram and the hidden third member of the trio, Kyurem. While Zekrom and Reshiram were prominent parts of the player’s journey through the Unova region in these games, their role was increased further with Kyurem in the sequels to these games. Nevertheless, Zekrom has remained one of the strongest legendary Pokémon in the series to date. And like Reshiram, it’s dominated the Go Battle League for over a year.

Unlike Reshiram who prefers a moveset that takes advantage of its Fire-typing over its Dragon-typing, Zekrom flourishes with a moveset that takes into account both of its types. By doing so, Zekrom gains much greater coverage against some of the most prevalent forces in the Go Battle League, especially within the Ultra and Master Leagues.

Dragon Breath is the optimal Quick Attack for Zekrom. It provides the same-type-attack-bonus (STAB) and it dishes out much greater damage than Charge Beam can. Although Charge Beam’s animation comes out faster, Electric-type attacks are normally futile against some of the common faces in the upper-CP leagues, such as Landorus and Giratina.

For Charge Attacks, Zekrom has a few options, all of which are dependent on the coverage that the player has against other types with the other Pokémon on their team. Crunch is a viable option for those looking to use Zekrom as a shield baiter. It charges very quickly but it takes away a great portion of Zekrom’s damage potential. 

Wild Charge is one of the strongest Electric-type attacks in the game and can easily take out prominent Water and Flying-type Pokémon in the Ultra and Master Leagues. But it lowers Zekrom’s Defense by two ranks, making it even further susceptible to super-effective damage from Ground, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy-type attacks.

For players looking for solid Dragon-type damage, Outrage is the best option. Since many legendary Pokémon and generally powerful Pokémon in the Go Battle League are part Dragon-type, this move will ensure that they go down quickly. But sporting a combination of Dragon Breath and Outrage will ensure that Zekrom does no damage to Fairy-type Pokémon, which would then need to be taken care of by the player’s other Pokémon.

Regardless of the moveset that players use on Zekrom, it remains one of the most powerful and versatile forces in all of Pokémon Go. For players who didn’t catch the Deep Black Pokémon during Pokémon Go Fest 2021, it’s unknown when it’ll return to raids. But it will likely be back in rotation at some point in the near future.