Zacian raid weaknesses and counters in Pokemon GO

In celebration of the upcoming 2022 World Championship event for the Pokemon franchise, Niantic is bringing something special to Pokemon GO.

Players who play the game during this upcoming event, starting on August 18, will be able to challenge Zacian, one of Galar's Legendary Pokemon, in a Raid Battle.

However, like every other Legendary Pokemon Raid Battle in Niantic's mobile game, this fight can be quite difficult for most players. For this reason, having a bit of information about the Raid Boss ahead of time is always useful. But what exactly should a player keep in mind?

When going into one of Pokemon GO's five-star Raid Battles, where Zacian resides, having a solid grasp on the strengths and weaknesses of the boss is the key to victory. Knowing things like the boss' typing, stat spread, and the best counters to use against it can make it easier for teams to get through these battles.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer

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Zacian is weak to Poison and Steel-type attacks in Pokemon GO

Official artwork for Zacian used throughout the series (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The first thing to keep in mind about this variant of Zacian is that it is in the Hero of Many Battles form. This means that Zacian does not have its secondary Steel typing. The form that players will be battling is exclusively a Fairy-type Pokemon. This makes preparation for the battle much easier.

Since it lacks the best defensive type in the game, Zacian is left much more vulnerable against burst damage from various players.

As a pure Fairy-type Pokemon, Zacian is weak to Poison and Steel-type attacks. However, its wide array of coverage moves makes it a much harder Pokemon to prepare for.

Typically, Metagross would be the best Pokemon to bring to this Raid. However, Zacian has access to both Fire and Steel-type attacks, Metagross' biggest weaknesses.

This means the best offensive counters to Zacian are pure Poison-type Pokemon because it has no moves that can deal massive damage to them.

For both offense and defense, players may want to pick an Alolan Muk for this battle. Alolan Muk's Poison and Dark typing is considered to be one of the best defensive typings in the franchise as it only has one weakness: Ground-type attacks. Luckily, Zacian has no Ground-type attacks.

Zacian's offensive-oriented stat spread also makes it easier to take down in Pokemon GO. Having a defensively-oriented team against an all-out offensive Pokemon makes it easier for a team to chip away at the Raid Boss until it eventually falls to defeat. Drapion and Skuntank can be used for this purpose.

In terms of optimal team size, five-star Raid Battles in Pokemon GO are usually best done in teams of five or six. More teammates will always make a Raid Battle easier.

In terms of the recommended team size, a team of six or seven will do the trick. The construction of these teams should be relatively simple, thanks to Pokemon GO's Remote Raid Passes.