Zorua Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Night Daze is Zorua's primary STAB option and has the added bonus of having a high chance to drop a foe's accuracy. However, it is notable that using it reveals Zorua for what it is. Dark Pulse is a great alternative to Night Daze with 100% accuracy and a flinch chance, but it has slightly less power. This choice is mostly up to preference, though. Extrasensory is a powerful Psychic-type move that lets Zorua hit Fighting-types, such as Mienfoo and Croagunk, and Poison-types, such as Foongus and Mareanie. Nasty Plot allows Zorua to set up its Special Attack and potentially even sweep. U-turn is a great option to let Zorua pivot, and its immense prevalence makes it easy to bluff being another Pokemon early on. Hidden Power Fighting can be used to hit Steel- and Dark-types, primarily Pawniard and Scraggy, if you don't want to use U-turn. Knock Off can be used as an alternative to Nasty Plot or U-turn to cripple foes, and it also has the added bonus of being very common, making it another good move to use to bluff being another Pokemon. Set Details 196 Special Attack EVs and a Life Orb are used to maximize Zorua's damage output, which lets it OHKO Pawniard with Hidden Power Fighting and have a chance to OHKO Mienfoo with Extrasensory. 236 Speed EVs as well as either a Timid or a Naive nature are used to help Zorua outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, particularly Pawniard. Choosing between Timid and Naive is mainly up to if you would like to maximize Knock Off and U-turn damage or be slightly more bulky. The rest of Zorua's EVs are put into its defenses to make its bulk a bit better. Illusion makes opponents see Zorua as another Pokemon on its team until it is hit. Usage Tips Deciding upon your team order is very important with Zorua, due to its unique ability. The Pokemon put in the last slot should usually be a Poison- or Fighting-type if your opponent has a Psychic-type such as Abra, as Zorua can bait the Psychic-type moves that it is immune to and hit back with a powerful Dark-type move. Your last Pokemon in other situations should be a Pokemon weak to attacks that Zorua resists, namely Psychic- and Ghost-type moves. Illusion also lets Zorua force switches by disguising itself as Timburr against a Pawniard, for example, allowing it to safely set up Nasty Plot. It can also be good to disguise Zorua as a Pokemon that uses the same moves as it, such as Nasty Plot Croagunk, U-turn Mienfoo, or Knock Off Timburr. If utilizing Nasty Plot, it is always a good idea to remove Zorua's checks and counters before attempting to sweep, as Fighting-types, faster Pokemon, and Fairy-types in particular can be troublesome. Keep careful watch on your team's HP, as Zorua's HP can reveal its disguise to opponents who pay close attention, and as such, try to keep Zorua's HP as close to the Pokemon it's disguised as as possible. Also be wary of switching into Stealth Rock when disguised as a Pokemon weak or resistant to it, as the damage Zorua takes will reveal it to observant opponents. Because of its frailty, Zorua should only be brought in on safe switches or via U-turn or Volt Switch. Team Options Fighting- and Poison-types, such as Mienfoo, Foongus, and Croagunk, can bait Psychic-types in quite well. Similarly, Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Gastly, Pumpkaboo-XL, and Abra can bait in Ghost-types. Fairy-type checks, such as Pawniard and Foongus, are important to keep Zorua safe from its biggest threats. Hazard removers, such as Staryu, Drilbur, and Kabuto, are also important, as they keep Zorua from taking chip damage and potentially revealing itself. Vullaby in particular can also partially check Fighting-types for Zorua and commonly runs Dark Pulse, U-turn, Knock Off, and Nasty Plot, all moves Zorua uses that can therefore help convince opponents Zorua is Vullaby. U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Mienfoo, Vullaby, and Chinchou can help safely get Zorua in. The first also makes it easier for Zorua to disguise itself. Similarly, Knock Off users such as Mienfoo, Timburr, Pawniard, Vullaby, and Scraggy can all make it easier for Zorua to disguise itself.

Moves Nasty Plot boosts Zorua's otherwise mediocre Special Attack, allowing it to sweep through teams if its counters have been worn down. Knock Off can be used instead of Nasty Plot to remove items, as Zorua won't always have the opportunity to set up. Dark Pulse is Zorua's main STAB move, though Night Daze can be used too, as it has a 40% chance to lower the opponent's accuracy. Extrasensory is Zorua's only option to to hurt Fighting-types that would otherwise wall Zorua. U-turn is also another option to hurt Dark-types and gain offensive momentum, while Hidden Power Fighting can be used to deal with Dark-types, notably Pawniard, that might be a problem. Set Details This set uses Life Orb to help Zorua deal more damage, and with maximum investment and positive nature, it hits 17 Speed, which allows it to outspeed Pokemon such as Pawniard. 0 HP IVs are used to make Life Orb recoil deal only one HP. If using Hidden Power Fighting, the EV spread should be changed to 40 Def / 200 SpA / 240 Spe to account for the drop in IVs. Usage Tips Zorua uses Illusion to keep super effective moves away; it mainly disguises itself as a Poison-type to keep Fairy-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks away and trick the opponent into using Psychic-type attacks. If Zorua is using Nasty Plot, it's preferable to not set up with Zorua until its checks and counters have been removed so that it can sweep without the fear of being revenge killed. Instead, try to set up when a Pokemon is forced out by whatever Zorua is disguised by. Also, it's preferred that Zorua is at full health, as a difference in HP between it and the Pokemon it's copying might let the opponent know that it's actually Zorua. Team Options Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Dwebble and Tirtouga can assist Zorua in sweeping. Another great example is Trubbish, as it's able to set up Spikes and also deal with Fairy- and Fighting-types; in return, Zorua deals with Psychic-types that threaten Trubbish. Hazard removers such as Drilbur and Archen are also important, as the damage received from entry hazards might ruin Illusion. Fletchling and other Flying-type Pokemon are also great teammates, as they help take down Fighting-types. Pokemon that can take down Fairy-types that Zorua cannot deal with are also necessary; examples include Magnemite, Pawniard, Trubbish, and Gastly.

Zorua's high Special Attack stat makes it capable of utilizing Nasty Plot. Dark Pulse is the recommended option here as its STAB move, being capable of dealing heavy damage to, if not OHKOing, any Pokemon that does not resist it after a boost. Hidden Power Fighting hits Steel- and Dark-types that Dark Pulse cannot, while Extrasensory deals with Croagunk. Night Daze can be used over Dark Pulse, but be aware that using its signature move will expose its Illusion. Sucker Punch is another option to consider in place of Extrasensory to hit specially defensive attackers on their weaker defense stat if you do not fear Croagunk. In this case, a Naive nature should be used to keep Sucker Punch from losing power. There are many choices for Zorua's disguise, but for the best results on this set, it should appear as a teammate that discourages the opponent from hitting Zorua with priority or a super effective attack, such as a slow Ghost-type such as Yamask or Flying-type such as Swablu. This type of Zorua generally has a harder time setting up as even one extra turn given to the opponent can be a turn when Zorua's disguise is at risk. Like the previous sets, partners such as Natu can function to prevent entry hazards and Wynaut defeats Scarf users that threaten Zorua. Physical attackers such as Timburr and Mienfoo are also appreciated to deal with special tanks such as Munchlax and Mantyke. Dual screen support is also an option to give Zorua more room to set up. Be cautious when using this set, as many faster enemies can come in and cripple Zorua with even a neutral attack.

Zorua is also capable of utilizing a Choice Scarf to be an effective revenge killer. Dark Pulse is used in the first slot primarily for the flinch rate, but Night Daze is still another choice for the chance to lower accuracy. Hidden Power Fighting in conjunction with Zorua's STAB Dark-type move gives him near perfect neutral coverage against everything in Little Cup that isn't named Croagunk. U-turn is used for scouting and allows Zorua to make a quick escape if the opponent switches to a potential counter. The last slot is mainly filler, but Pursuit is generally recommended to cripple fleeing Psychic-types. A Naive or Hasty nature is used here to avoid decreasing the power of U-turn and Pursuit. Since Zorua will be locked into one move anyway, fooling the opponent is not as important, but the element of surprise is still valuable on the switch in. However, to make it more effective of a revenge killer, its disguise should make the opponent oblivious to its role as a revenge killer. In this case, a slow and bulky teammate such as Yamask can work to trick the opponent into staying in or switching to a potential counter, thinking they can set up. Hidden Power Fire can also be used if you want to hit Ferroseed and Bronzor for super effective damage, but Zorua's role for this set is more inclined towards revenge killing weakened sweepers. Extrasensory can also fit in the last slot to deal more damage to Fighting-types with Illusion still intact, but being locked into a Psychic-type move makes room for Dark-types such as Vullaby to switch in. Like the mixed set, this set appreciates a lack of entry hazards on your side of the field to preserve the element of surprise upon switching in. Choice Scarf Zorua also switches in and out more often, so to keep Zorua alive, it is best to have a teammate that can prevent entry hazards, such as Magic Bounce Natu. Rapid Spin users such as Staryu can also help remove entry hazards for Zorua. Again, Wynaut works well here to kill faster Choice Scarf users, but it must be cautious around opponents with strong STAB Dark moves such as Houndour and Sandile.

With the element of surprise on its side, Zorua is easily capable of taking out an unsuspecting opponent or tricking them into switching out. Dark Pulse is Zorua's second strongest STAB move on the special side next to Night Daze, but the former should be used for its flinch rate and higher accuracy. Priority in the form of STAB Sucker Punch hits like a truck against anything that does not resist it. Hidden Power Fighting hits everything that Dark Pulse does not for at least neutral damage, bar Croagunk, who is OHKOed by Extrasensory. The choice of Zorua's disguise should be something that shares at least one move with this set. Croagunk is generally one of the best choices because it lures Psychic-type attacks, resists Fighting and Bug, and has shared access to Dark Pulse. A 2 HP IV is the lowest possible to maximize Hidden Power Fighting's Base Power while getting Zorua to 19 HP for minimized Life Orb recoil. Night Daze has a higher Base Power than Dark Pulse, but is Zorua's signature move, so using it will automatically give away its disguise. Pursuit and U-turn can be useful on this set, but Zorua can't afford to give up a slot for them. Fighting-types tend to be the most problematic for Zorua, especially those with access to Mach Punch, such as Timburr. Residual damage also really hurts Zorua mostly because it has a chance to expose its disguise. When your opponent sees a Croagunk becoming poisoned by Toxic Spikes, chances are that they will become suspicious of Zorua's Illusion. For this problem, Magic Bounce Natu makes a great partner, sporting a 4x resistance to Fighting and being capable of setting up dual screens to increase Zorua's chances of survival. Ghost-types such as Gastly can switch into Bug-type and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Zorua. Wynaut counters Choice Scarf users, which can revenge kill Zorua provided that they are aware of Zorua's Illusion. Entry hazards of your own are also greatly appreciated, so Ferroseed and Bronzor are great partners to lay them down for Zorua.