Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) Movesets & Competitive Sets

Zamazenta-C donates excellent all-around stats to its teammates while also being a fearsome attacker that can use its combination of bulk, Speed, and power to clean late-game. Its combination of Behemoth Bash and Close Combat lets it hit many defensive staples like Heatran, Clefable, and Ferrothorn super effectively. It is also able to hit the vast majority of the meta for neutral damage, including Pokemon like Rotom-W, Tangrowth, and Gastrodon. Wild Charge is used to chunk bulky Water- and Flying-types like Slowbro, Slowking, and Ho-Oh that would otherwise give it trouble. Howl turns Zamazenta-C into a threat to sweep, especially as its natural bulk and Dauntless Shield often afford it the room to set up. 152 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allow it to outspeed Zygarde-10% and Alolan Persian, while the leftover EVs are put into HP to give it more bulk. Since Zamazenta-C still donates Zamazenta-H's stats, it offers an excellent 138 Speed, very good 130 Attack, and solid 115 Defense and Special Defense, letting it support offensive and defensive receivers alike. Pokemon like Dhelmise and Volcanion can take advantage of this excellent Speed, transforming them into fast wallbreakers that outspeed Tapu Koko, Mewtwo, and most Speed receivers. In most cases, Zamazenta-C's Speed receiver will be the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the match, making it an exceedingly valuable donation. Pokemon like Zeraora and Victini appreciate the boosted Attack stat they receive and can create holes in the opposing team for Zamazenta-C to clean late-game hyphen, while defensive Pokemon like Tangrowth, Rotom-W, and Landorus-T enjoy their newfound bulk. Despite being primarily an offensive cleaner, Zamazenta-C can still help check dangerous attackers like Weavile and Rillaboom for its teammates. Even after a Howl boost, Zamazenta-C can still struggle to break through common defensive stalwarts like Skarmory and Slowbro, but teammates like Volcanion and Zeraora can help get past them. Zamazenta-C, despite its high natural bulk, can still struggle with Pokemon like Nidoking and Tapu Koko, so teammates like Gastrodon and Tangrowth can help patch up this weakness. Its lack of any recovery makes it susceptible to being chipped down by entry hazards, so it appreciates teammates like Landorus-T and Corviknight that can act as hazard removal as well as pivot support. Rillaboom synergizes well with Zamazenta-C thanks to its Grassy Terrain providing passive recovery and halving Earthquake's damage, allowing it to set up even against Earthquake users such as Landorus-T.

Despite having high, well-rounded stats, Zamazenta-C has a very limited movepool and must run Rusted Shield and Dauntless Shield, severely limiting its viability; however, it still carves itself a niche in bulky teams, as its blend of offense and bulk offers a unique check to common wallbreakers like Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Zarude, and Terrakion. Furthermore, Rusted Shield cannot be removed, so it is a nice deterrent to Trick users like Azelf and Dhelmise. Its Speed tier also puts it above key threats like Cinderace and Terrakion, making it annoying for offensive teams to handle. Close Combat is Zamazenta-C's strongest STAB move, allowing it to revenge kill Zarude and Terrakion, while also OHKOing Heatran and Blissey. Behemoth Bash notably hits Fairy-types, namely Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Bulu. Wild Charge is its best option against Water- and Flying-types like Tapu Fini, Toxapex, and Talonflame. Howl is Zamazenta-C's only Attack-boosting move, though its bulk usually allows it to boost multiple times. After one boost, it can 2HKO Swampert and Tapu Fini and OHKO Talonflame and Cinderace. Alternatively, running RestTalk with both STAB moves gives Zamazenta-C a source of recovery while alleviating its low PP thanks to Sleep Talk; this sacrifices its ability to boost or hit Tapu Fini, however. A Jolly nature is preferred so that Cinderace and Talonflame cannot revenge kill it. Zamazenta-C best fits on bulkier teams in need of a Pokemon to close out games, as it can clean up after its teammates have sufficiently weakened the opposing team. Its combination of bulk, high Speed, and resistance or neutrality to most priority attacks makes it difficult for offensive teams to revenge kill reliably. It appreciates Wish and Heal Bell support on these teams, notably from Vaporeon, allowing it to come in multiple times throughout a game. To further alleviate Zamazenta-C's lack of recovery, teammates that can bring in Zamazenta-C safely are useful, such as Blissey, Jirachi, and Vaporeon; they also invite in Pokemon like Heatran, Terrakion, and Tapu Koko, all of which Zamazenta-C can force out. It also greatly appreciates entry hazards support from setters like Swampert and Garchomp, which let it rack up chip damage on switches that it forces. Furthermore, these setters can threaten Fire-types like Volcarona and Cinderace, as well as Zapdos, which force out Zamazenta-C. Lastly, it appreciates teammates that can wear down Corviknight and Dauntless Shield Mew, such as Zygarde-10% and Pixilate Tapu Koko, so that it can clean up more easily late-game.

Zamazenta-C's Steel typing and excellent base stats make it one of the tier's most reliable mixed walls. Fur Coat and Ice Scales maximize Zamazenta-C's bulk in either attacking spectrum, allowing it to easily withstand hits from some of the tier's most dangerous attackers like Xerneas, Regigigas, and Eternatus. Anchor Shot can trap and eliminate targets that its ability walls, allowing Zamazenta-C to dispatch sets of almost every common threat. Thunderous Kick is Zamazenta-C's primary Fighting-type STAB move, as its Defense drops excel at forcing targets out or eliminating them if they cannot switch. Body Press and Low Kick can be used on Fur Coat sets and allow Zamazenta-C to trap and eliminate any Imposter users that copy it - Low Kick deals more overall damage, but Body Press is safer for Imposter-proofing and also meaningfully damages Kartana. Ice Scales sets can't Imposter-proof themselves if they use Fighting-type coverage, so alternative utility options like Knock Off and Entrainment can be used. Spectral Thief removes stat boosts from threats that can potentially boost past Zamazenta-C, such as Simple Eternatus and Quiver Dance Xerneas, with Topsy-Turvy as an option to deny Regigigas from breaking through with Swords Dance. Aromatherapy is a useful tool to cleanse status whilst also maintaining an offensive profile, helping combat Zamazenta-C's biggest limiting factor in paralysis. Rusted Shield can be used to block Knock Off and Trick, which is mainly used to help limit Choice-locked wallbreakers like Eternatus. Alternatively, Rocky Helmet punishes physical attackers that rely on contact moves, such as Regigigas, Zekrom, and Palkia. Zamazenta-C with Fur Coat or Ice Scales tends to be a team's primary wall to physical or special attackers, respectively, so team support to help limit the threats that can break past it is recommended. Zygarde-C makes a good teammate, as most of the threats that can break past Fur Coat Zamazenta-C, such as Desolate Land Ho-Oh and Swords Dance Regigigas with Nuzzle and Precipice Blades, can't easily break through Zygarde-C. Zamazenta-C also hates paralysis, so Zygarde-C doubles as a switch-in to most Nuzzle users like Lunala and RegenVest users. Ice Scales sets tend to lose mostly to mixed attackers or to explosive setup threats, such as Aerilate Rayquaza, Simple Eternatus with Blue Flare, and Simple Lunala with Final Gambit, so Prankster users like Groudon and RegenVest users like Kyogre can help check these threats. Imposter-proofing these sets is typically either done by itself (for Fur Coat variants), Zygarde-C, or Ghost-types like Lunala and Giratina, as these aren't massively bothered by Zamazenta-C's damage and can threaten back with Thousand Waves or Nuzzle, respectively.

Zamazenta-C sets itself apart from other Choice Band users with its useful STAB combination, powerful defensive profile, and surprise factor derived from it usually fulfilling a defensive role. Close Combat serves as Zamazenta-C's primary STAB move. Sunsteel Strike as a secondary STAB move is useful for breaking through the omnipresent Xerneas and muscling through Fur Coat users that resist its other options, like Lunala. Glacial Lance lets Zamazenta-C OHKO Zygarde-C and is also its best option against other threats like Eternatus, Groudon, and Ho-Oh. U-turn lets it maintain pressure on Pokemon that counter it. Fishious Rend provides a super effective option against Ho-Oh and Groudon in addition to solid neutral coverage. Zamazenta-C fits best on offensive teams, which enjoy it maintaining offensive pressure as a wallbreaker and pivot while switching into opposing offensive threats. Zamazenta-C struggles to make its way past Ho-Oh and bulky Dragon-types like Zygarde-C and Giratina despite its coverage, so Palkia, Zekrom, and Diamond Storm Xerneas make for excellent partners. In turn. these Pokemon appreciate Zamazenta-C bringing them in with U-turn and dealing with faster threats like Kartana. The aforementioned Ho-Oh forms a solid defensive core with Zamazenta-C: Ho-Oh walls Xerneas and opposing Fire-types while Imposter-proofing Zamazenta-C, and Zamazenta-C handles Regigigas.

With Zamazenta-C's ability granting it an immunity to Fire-type attacks, it can blanket check most of the tier, as most wallbreakers rely on V-create or Blue Flare to break Zamazenta-C. Primordial Sea cannot be negated by Mold Breaker users such as Kyurem-B and allows use of a rain-boosted Fishious Rend, which allows Zamazenta-C to directly threaten Groudon and Ho-Oh. Flash Fire doesn't announce itself when Zamazenta-C enters the field, grants an immunity to Will-O-Wisp, and also retains effectiveness if a Desolate Land user switches in to Zamazenta-C. Spectral Thief and Topsy-Turvy can stop certain threats such as Simple Eternatus and Shift Gear Ho-Oh from boosting past Zamazenta-C and through the rest of the team. Knock Off can be used to remove Leftovers, Assault Vest, and Rocky Helmet from common switch-ins such as Zygarde-C, Lunala, Giratina, and Kyogre. Flip Turn generates momentum while dealing non-trivial damage thanks to Primordial Sea. Expert Belt with three attacks allows Zamazenta-C to more easily threaten the Pokemon it checks, guaranteeing important damage milestones such as a 2HKO on Xerneas with Anchor Shot and an OHKO on Groudon with Fishious Rend. Threats easily checked by Primordial Sea and Flash Fire Zamazenta-C, such as Kyurem-B, Simple Eternatus, and Desolate Land Ho-Oh, often run coverage to beat it such as Ground-type moves or Nuzzle. As such, backup checks to these threats such as Imposter Chansey and Heal Bell users are recommended to offset these shortcomings. Zamazenta-C can struggle to wall some Regigigas, Xerneas, and Eternatus sets long-term despite the Fire-type immunity, so Zygarde-C, Solgaleo, and Dialga can act as more stable answers. Pixilate Xerneas is appreciated as it keeps the field clear of entry hazards and can often come in safely through Flip Turn. Imposter-proofing this set is usually done with a Fighting-resistant or immune wall like Desolate Land Ho-Oh, Fur Coat Lunala, and Giratina, the last of which can run Griseous Orb which cannot be removed by the Imposter user's Knock Off.