Mega Zebstrika has quite a bit going for it. With its 130 base attack, a great ability in Multiscale, and a fast 126 base speed, M-Zebstrika is no slouch on the offensive side. It also has access to Livewire, making it function well as a lead. A secondary fairy typing also helps it considerably, and helps take the edge off certain attacks.
However, this is where the good ends. Zebstrika’s movelist is laughably shallow, and what few moves it can run means Zebstrika can only viably run one proper set. In addition, it also faces competition from Jolteon and Eelektross, with Jolteon sporting higher speed, an immunity to Electric moves and better attacking stats, and Eelektross sporting a useful immunity to Ground moves. In addition, it practically necessitates having entry hazard control on your team, as any entry hazard will ruin its tanking abilites, and it has a mediocre 78 base defense, meaning it faces pressure from powerful physical attackers. Finally, for a Pokemon with a defensive ability like Multiscale, it has no form of healing, and thus is very easily worn down by anything, be it entry hazard damage, status or direct damage.
Despite these issues, M-Zebstrika is not to be underestimated. Even with the flaws presented, it can still tear apart teams if said team doesn’t have the appropriate counters to deal with it.
Final Verdict: RU, maaaaaybe BL2.
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Set 1: Shock Therapy
EV: 252 Atk/4 SpDef/252 Spe Nature: Adamant/Jolly Item: Zebstrikite
- Livewire
- Play Rough
- Wild Charge/Volt Switch
- Return/Flame Charge/
Livewire is the main reason to use M-Zebstrika, as this allows it to setup Livewire on the enemy team, paralyzing most Pokemon on the ground. Play Rough is the main attacking move on this set, as it hits most Pokemon for neutral damage and can dispatch most mons with relative ease. Wild Charge is the other STAB move of the set and hits Water and Flying types hard, though it results in Multiscale breaking. Volt Switch is another alternative that allows Zebstrika to function as a pivot while not sacrificing its Multiscale, at the cost of being noticeably weaker. Flame Charge is the preferred move in the fourth slot, as it allows Zebstrika to accumulate boosts and hit even harder with the boosts, even if it is quite weak. Return on the other hand can hit other Pokemon harder than Flame Charge can, at the cost of not being to hit Steel Types as effectively. Alternatively, Double Edge can hit for similar damage to Wild Charge, with the exact same detrimental effect as it.
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Other Options
A specially-attacking set is an option, with Dazzling Gleam, Thunderbolt, Livewire, and Overheat as moves, but it is generally outclassed by Eelektross, who has better attacking options, and Jolteon, who has a much higher Sp Atk. An all out set is possible, but it takes away from Zebstrika’s leading capabilites and isn’t as effective compared to being a Livewire lead.
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Checks and Counters
Entry Hazards: Not only do they inflict damage on Zebstrika, they also result in a broken Multiscale, heavily weakening its defenses and reducing its ability to tank hits.
Ground types: In addition to being immune to Livewire, Pokemon such as Seismitoad, Camerupt and Rhyperior can also tank anything Zebstrika has to throw at it and OHKO it in return if its Multiscale is broken. Camerupt in particular can handle just about anything Zebstrika can throw at it bar Return, and Rhyperior can tank anything with its high defenses.
Status: Burns and Toxic are bad for Zebstrika, as both serve to break Multiscale and leave it very vulnerable. Burns effectively turn Zebstrika into dead weight, while Toxic puts a timer on it.
Faster Pokemon: Zebstrika is fast, but is still outspeed by certain Pokemon, leaving it prone to being revenge-killed by Choice-Scarf users, Aerodactyl, and Jolteon. Aerodactyl in particular can heavily damage or even OHKO Zebstrika after Stealth Rock damage, and Jolteon can safely switch into Wild Charge. However, neither of them can switch in safely into Zebstrika’s other moves.
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Let me know if anything needs to be changed, or if Zeb is in the wrong tier.