[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Heavy Slam
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
tera type: Steel / Stellar
ability: Dauntless Shield
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With an outstanding Speed tier, fantastic natural bulk and the raw power to match, all-out attacking Zamazenta is one of the tier's best natural forms of speed control and a great one-time check to some of the tier's most dominant physical threats like Kingambit and Gouging Fire with Dauntless Shield. A powerful Close Combat is backed up by Heavy Slam to hit Fairy-types like Hatterene, Clefable, and Iron Valiant, while Crunch allows for Zamazenta to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Galarian Slowking. Stone Edge lets Zamazenta OHKO Volcarona, secure a 2HKO on Gouging Fire, specially defensive Skeledirge, and Tera Flying Roaring Moon, and deal heavy damage to both Pelipper and Torkoal. Alternatively, Zamazenta can opt to run Ice Fang as its strongest move against Gliscor and Landorus-T, coming with the additional benefit of comfortably 2HKOing Dragonite, while Psychic Fangs is a niche option that allows for Zamazenta to hit both Clodsire and Toxapex while improving its matchup against dual screens hyper offense teams. Heavy-Duty Boots allows for Zamazenta to switch in safely regardless of entry hazards and fully leverage its bulk, allowing for it to come in multiple times over the course of a game. Choice Band can instead be used to greatly enhance its wallbreaking power, granting it key 2HKOs on Skarmory, Corviknight, and offensive Great Tusk, but this comes at the expense of Zamazenta losing out on longevity and the ability to hit subsequent switch-ins with its coverage options. An alternative spread of 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe, again with a Jolly nature, allows for Zamazenta to still outrun +1 Adamant Dragonite, Weavile, and Darkrai while improving its bulk. This HP investment notably allows for Zamazenta to live Enamorus's Moonblast and even +1 Dragon Dance Roaring Moon's Acrobatics with Dauntless Shield active, but the lack of Speed is detrimental for the matchup against opposing Zamazenta. Tera Steel is selected to flip Zamazenta's matchup against Fairy-, Psychic-, and Flying-type attacks from Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Galarian Slowking, and Dragon Dance Roaring Moon while also turning Heavy Slam into a powerful STAB option that cleanly OHKOes both Iron Valiant and Enamorus and providing Zamazenta with an immunity to Toxic from Galarian Slowking. Tera Stellar can instead be considered as an option that gives a one-time boost to all of its moves; this boost is strong enough to allow for Zamazenta to OHKO offensive Cinderace and a slightly chipped Ogerpon-W with Close Combat, while also giving it 2HKOs on both Raging Bolt and Pelipper with Close Combat and Stone Edge, respectively. This also gives Zamazenta a one-time nuke to break through weakened checks like Skarmory and Corviknight. However, this comes at the expense of Tera Stellar having no defensive value. Tera Fighting is a more niche option without any defensive merit that Zamazenta can opt to run, only boosting its Close Combat but crucially letting it 2HKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock.
Zamazenta is a great fit for both balance and offense teams lacking speed control while giving these builds a check to Dark-types like Kingambit, Weavile, Meowscarada, and Darkrai. It appreciates entry hazard support to take full advantage of the switches it forces, pairing well with hazard setters such as Skarmory, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor on balance and Landorus-T and Glimmora on offense. Zamazenta's ability to check both Weavile and Meowscarada pairs particularly well with Pokemon like Gliscor and Landorus-T; Zamazenta's lack of recovery means that it struggles to switch in consistently on these Pokemon though. This makes bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking and Alomomola much appreciated to allow it safe entry onto the field, the former also providing a much-needed switch-in to Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Galarian Slowking in particular forms a potent combination with Zamazenta, as Zamazenta's Close Combat dissuades Dark- and Steel-types like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Roaring Moon from switching into Galarian Slowking's Future Sight, while common switch-ins to Zamazenta such as Gliscor, Great Tusk, and Skarmory cannot safely come in and take both hits. Although Zamazenta's Speed tier is impressive by OU standards, it is still outsped by Dragapult, Deoxys-S, and Choice Scarf users like Enamorus and Gholdengo, which are able to threaten it with heavy damage; priority attackers that can revenge kill these faster threats are therefore much appreciated. Kingambit in particular is a strong partner that can switch into Dragapult and Gholdengo and threaten both of these targets along with Deoxys-S with Sucker Punch, while Weavile cannot freely switch into these threats but is able to provide an alternative form of speed control that can also threaten Dragapult, Enamorus, and Dragon Dance Roaring Moon with Ice Shard. With Booster Energy, Iron Valiant is also able to outspeed and threaten Zamazenta with Moonblast; Gholdengo makes for a solid check to Iron Valiant, also being able to come in on Galarian Slowking and Clefable that would live a hit and threaten Zamazenta back. In turn, Gholdengo appreciates Zamazenta's ability to threaten many of its common checks like Kingambit, Weavile, and Meowscarada. Rillaboom also makes for a great partner to pick off Deoxys-S and Iron Valiant with Grassy Glide while weakening shared checks like Skarmory and Corviknight with Knock Off to allow for Zamazenta to freely attack them without taking Rocky Helmet damage. Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain is particularly useful for providing Zamazenta with recovery to help maintain its longevity; Alomomola can similarly help to alleviate this issue by providing Wish support while also appreciating Zamazenta's ability to check Ogerpon-W. Zamazenta is walled by Gliscor and Clodsire when using Stone Edge as its coverage option, and so switch-ins to these Pokemon such as Gliscor itself and Clefable on balance and Hatterene on offense make valuable partners, along with powerful attackers like Weavile, Kyurem, and Meowscarada to directly threaten them out. Zamazenta pressures some of the tier's common physical walls like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Skarmory; teammates like Kingambit and Weavile appreciate its ability to weaken these targets. Volcarona is a great pairing that not only finds free entry points against Skarmory but is able to switch in on both Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Enamorus and use the latter as setup fodder.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kd458.633798/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/marnie.493260/
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Heavy Slam
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
tera type: Steel / Stellar
ability: Dauntless Shield
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With an outstanding Speed tier, fantastic natural bulk and the raw power to match, all-out attacking Zamazenta is one of the tier's best natural forms of speed control and a great one-time check to some of the tier's most dominant physical threats like Kingambit and Gouging Fire with Dauntless Shield. A powerful Close Combat is backed up by Heavy Slam to hit Fairy-types like Hatterene, Clefable, and Iron Valiant, while Crunch allows for Zamazenta to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Galarian Slowking. Stone Edge lets Zamazenta OHKO Volcarona, secure a 2HKO on Gouging Fire, specially defensive Skeledirge, and Tera Flying Roaring Moon, and deal heavy damage to both Pelipper and Torkoal. Alternatively, Zamazenta can opt to run Ice Fang as its strongest move against Gliscor and Landorus-T, coming with the additional benefit of comfortably 2HKOing Dragonite, while Psychic Fangs is a niche option that allows for Zamazenta to hit both Clodsire and Toxapex while improving its matchup against dual screens hyper offense teams. Heavy-Duty Boots allows for Zamazenta to switch in safely regardless of entry hazards and fully leverage its bulk, allowing for it to come in multiple times over the course of a game. Choice Band can instead be used to greatly enhance its wallbreaking power, granting it key 2HKOs on Skarmory, Corviknight, and offensive Great Tusk, but this comes at the expense of Zamazenta losing out on longevity and the ability to hit subsequent switch-ins with its coverage options. An alternative spread of 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe, again with a Jolly nature, allows for Zamazenta to still outrun +1 Adamant Dragonite, Weavile, and Darkrai while improving its bulk. This HP investment notably allows for Zamazenta to live Enamorus's Moonblast and even +1 Dragon Dance Roaring Moon's Acrobatics with Dauntless Shield active, but the lack of Speed is detrimental for the matchup against opposing Zamazenta. Tera Steel is selected to flip Zamazenta's matchup against Fairy-, Psychic-, and Flying-type attacks from Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Galarian Slowking, and Dragon Dance Roaring Moon while also turning Heavy Slam into a powerful STAB option that cleanly OHKOes both Iron Valiant and Enamorus and providing Zamazenta with an immunity to Toxic from Galarian Slowking. Tera Stellar can instead be considered as an option that gives a one-time boost to all of its moves; this boost is strong enough to allow for Zamazenta to OHKO offensive Cinderace and a slightly chipped Ogerpon-W with Close Combat, while also giving it 2HKOs on both Raging Bolt and Pelipper with Close Combat and Stone Edge, respectively. This also gives Zamazenta a one-time nuke to break through weakened checks like Skarmory and Corviknight. However, this comes at the expense of Tera Stellar having no defensive value. Tera Fighting is a more niche option without any defensive merit that Zamazenta can opt to run, only boosting its Close Combat but crucially letting it 2HKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock.
Zamazenta is a great fit for both balance and offense teams lacking speed control while giving these builds a check to Dark-types like Kingambit, Weavile, Meowscarada, and Darkrai. It appreciates entry hazard support to take full advantage of the switches it forces, pairing well with hazard setters such as Skarmory, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor on balance and Landorus-T and Glimmora on offense. Zamazenta's ability to check both Weavile and Meowscarada pairs particularly well with Pokemon like Gliscor and Landorus-T; Zamazenta's lack of recovery means that it struggles to switch in consistently on these Pokemon though. This makes bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking and Alomomola much appreciated to allow it safe entry onto the field, the former also providing a much-needed switch-in to Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Galarian Slowking in particular forms a potent combination with Zamazenta, as Zamazenta's Close Combat dissuades Dark- and Steel-types like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Roaring Moon from switching into Galarian Slowking's Future Sight, while common switch-ins to Zamazenta such as Gliscor, Great Tusk, and Skarmory cannot safely come in and take both hits. Although Zamazenta's Speed tier is impressive by OU standards, it is still outsped by Dragapult, Deoxys-S, and Choice Scarf users like Enamorus and Gholdengo, which are able to threaten it with heavy damage; priority attackers that can revenge kill these faster threats are therefore much appreciated. Kingambit in particular is a strong partner that can switch into Dragapult and Gholdengo and threaten both of these targets along with Deoxys-S with Sucker Punch, while Weavile cannot freely switch into these threats but is able to provide an alternative form of speed control that can also threaten Dragapult, Enamorus, and Dragon Dance Roaring Moon with Ice Shard. With Booster Energy, Iron Valiant is also able to outspeed and threaten Zamazenta with Moonblast; Gholdengo makes for a solid check to Iron Valiant, also being able to come in on Galarian Slowking and Clefable that would live a hit and threaten Zamazenta back. In turn, Gholdengo appreciates Zamazenta's ability to threaten many of its common checks like Kingambit, Weavile, and Meowscarada. Rillaboom also makes for a great partner to pick off Deoxys-S and Iron Valiant with Grassy Glide while weakening shared checks like Skarmory and Corviknight with Knock Off to allow for Zamazenta to freely attack them without taking Rocky Helmet damage. Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain is particularly useful for providing Zamazenta with recovery to help maintain its longevity; Alomomola can similarly help to alleviate this issue by providing Wish support while also appreciating Zamazenta's ability to check Ogerpon-W. Zamazenta is walled by Gliscor and Clodsire when using Stone Edge as its coverage option, and so switch-ins to these Pokemon such as Gliscor itself and Clefable on balance and Hatterene on offense make valuable partners, along with powerful attackers like Weavile, Kyurem, and Meowscarada to directly threaten them out. Zamazenta pressures some of the tier's common physical walls like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Skarmory; teammates like Kingambit and Weavile appreciate its ability to weaken these targets. Volcarona is a great pairing that not only finds free entry points against Skarmory but is able to switch in on both Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Enamorus and use the latter as setup fodder.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kd458.633798/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/marnie.493260/
Last edited:
