The best moveset for Zamazenta in Pokémon Go

You've got a variety of options.

Zacian and Zamazenta, two dog-like Pokemon, walk forward in a city park.
Image via Niantic

While Zamazenta is in five-star raids, there’s a chance for you to catch one and add it to your Pokémon Go team. After you get a Zamazenta, it all comes down to figuring out how to optimize this Pokémon, which means teaching it the best moveset it can learn.

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Several attacks are available for you to teach Zamazenta, but only a few are considered the best choices. These lean into Zamazenta’s stats, making it a valuable member of your team. If you don’t hit this correct combination, it can feel like Zamazenta will struggle alongside your team, and you could miss out on some heavy opportunities. Here’s what you need to know about the best moveset you can teach Zamazenta in Pokémon Go.

Zamazenta’s best moveset in Pokémon Go

Zamazenta in Pokémon Go
Zamazenta has a robust moveset it can learn from in Pokémon Go. Image via the Pokemon Company, remix by Dot Esports
Move TypeNameTypingDamageEnergy
Fast MoveSnarlDark-typeFive4.3 per turn
Charged MoveClose CombatFighting-type10045
Charged MoveCrunchDark-type7045

As a Legendary Pokémon, Zamazenta exclusively appears in five-star raids in Pokémon Go. You should expect to catch it after completing these raids, which does require you to work alongside other players. Zamazenta is a Fighting-type Pokémon, meaning it is weak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type attacks, but resistant to Bug, Dark, and Rock-type attacks. When you use Zamazenta in a battle, the best moveset to teach it is the fast move Snarl and the charged moves Close Combat and Crunch.

Zamazenta has a massive move pool available in Pokémon Go. Snarl is one of the best fast moves for Zamazenta, capable of dealing five damage and earning 4.3 energy per turn. Your other fast move choices are Ice Fang, Metal Claw, and Quick Attack. Ice Fang is not the best choice because, while it does eight damage, it only produces 2.5 energy per turn, and that’s insufficient to get close to Snarl. Metal Claw is slightly better, dealing five damage and producing 3.5 energy per turn, but it still misses the mark compared to Snarl. Finally, Quick Attack is the one that can get closest at four energy per turn, but it only does five damage. Because of these fallbacks, Snarl sits at the top as the best choice for Zamazenta.

When we move to the charged moves, Zamazenta has a similar problem where it has multiple good options for you to consider. These are all the charged moves Zamazenta can learn in Pokémon Go.

  • Close Combat (Fighting-type)
  • Crunch (Dark-type)
  • Iron Head (Steel-type)
  • Moonblast (Fairy-type)

Having to pick from at least four charged moves is standard for many Pokémon in Pokémon Go, and these are all solid options. Between them all, Close Combat and Crunch sit at the top as the best options. Close Combat is a Fighting-type attack that does 100 damage, but you only need 45 energy to use it. The downside is it gives Zamazenta a debuff, lowering its attack and defense stats by one rank each time you use it. On the other hand, Crunch is a Dark-type move that does 70 damage and requires 45 energy. There are no drawbacks to Crunch beyond doing less damage than Close Combat, but it does have a 30 percent chance to cause a debuff to the opponent, lowering their defense by a rank.

While Moonblast is a good Fairy-type move on any Pokémon, it falls short compared to the other choices available to Zamazenta. It’s an attack that does 110 damage, but requires 60 energy to use, with a 10 percent to debuff an opponent’s attack by one rank. It’s too much energy for Zamazenta to spend and wait to use. Iron Head doesn’t have this problem, but does has a different one: damage. You only need 50 energy to use Iron Head, but it only does 70 damage, making it a lackluster move for Zamazenta in Pokémon Go.

Is Zamazenta good in Pokémon Go?

Compared to other Pokémon and where you can use it, Zamazenta is in an okay place. It’s not a great Legendary Pokémon, but it’s not bad. It’s lower in the rankings than its counterpart, Zacian, but that’s only because Zacian is one of the few Fairy-type Pokémon that can make a significant splash in the Master League. As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Zamazenta lacks robust defenses that can make it stand out against competitors if you use it against other players.

Regardless of how low it could be considered in the rankings, Zamazenta is an excellent choice to bring with you in five-star and Mega Pokémon raids. It’s a superb PvE Pokémon that can shine as a fantastic attacker in Pokémon Go, especially against Team Rocket.

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Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm has been writing about video games for the past five years. He spends his free time trying to learn about a new board, reading high-fantasy series, or working on his latest DnD character.