With the addition of Zygarde in Season Three, every legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is now legal in Ranked Battles. So, given how significantly legendary Pokemon were already dominating the meta before this change, it’s probably a good idea to ensure you have powerful counters ready to go, as it’s unlikely they’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.
As part of the rules implemented during Season Three, players are no longer permitted to run a team with more than one legendary or mythical Pokemon on it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be seeing less of them. In all likelihood, you should anticipate that at least one opponent in every match, if not more, will be running one of these Pokemon, especially at higher ranks.
Best Counters For Diancie
|
Diancie (Fairy/Rock) |
|
|---|---|
|
Weak To |
Water (x2), Grass (x2), Ground (x2), and Steel (x4) |
|
Immune To |
Dragon |
|
Resistant Against |
Fire, Normal, Bug, Flying, and Dark |
|
Strong Against |
Dark, Fighting, Dragon, Ice, Flying, Fire, and Bug |
Although Diancie isn’t a legendary Pokemon, it is grouped into the ‘special’ category with them since it is extremely powerful and can pose a major threat in Ranked Battles. The main reason this mythical Pokemon is often so deadly is primarily because it’s a great counter to a very popular Pokemon-type frequently seen in Ranked Battles, Dragon-types.
Since Diancie does not change typing when it Mega evolves, this is not something you need to account for.
With that in mind, if you often rely on Dragon-types in Ranked Battles, you’re going to want to have something on backup to deal with Diancie. That said, the reason Xerneas is often chosen over Diancie is that Diancie is weak to other Pokemon types that heavily frequent Ranked Battles: Water and Ground. So, with all that in mind, some great counter options that also make a good addition to any Ranked Battles team are:
|
Pokemon |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
(Mega) Excadrill |
Excadrill, being a strong Ground/Steel type, is already a popular counter-option in Ranked Battles for dealing with Xerneas, and so, that makes it an obvious choice to deal with Diancie as well, especially since Diancie is even weaker to Steel than Xerneas is. With its additional Ground typing, you’re also getting good overall type coverage with this Pokemon as well. |
|
(Mega) Metagross |
If you’re not feeling Excadrill, Metagross is also a popular Fairy-type counter in Ranked Battles. Metagross’s resistance coverage is some of the best in the game, as it is not only immune to Poison, but also resists Psychic, Grass, Normal, Rock, Dragon, Flying, Ice, Steel, and Fairy. Most of which are all part of Z-A’s Ranked Battles Meta. Getting screens up before swapping to Metagross is also a good idea if you’re utilizing a screensetter on your team. That said, you’ll still get plenty of use out of this Pokemon without one, too. This tanky Pokemon is no doubt one of the scariest to see hit the battlefield. However, you will need to keep an eye out for Fire and Ground types that can be popular in Ranked Battles too, if you do opt to run this Pokemon as part of your team. It’s weak to Ghost and Dark as well, but Ground and Fire will likely be your biggest threats. |
Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Best Nuzlocke Teams
Get through your Nuzlocke with minimal casualties.
Best Counters For Yveltal
|
Yveltal (Dark/Flying) |
|
|---|---|
|
Weak To |
Electric (x2), Ice (x2), Rock (x2), and Fairy (x2) |
|
Immune To |
Psychic and Ground |
|
Resistant Against |
Grass, Ghost, and Dark |
|
Strong Against |
Psychic, Fighting, Grass, Bug, and Ghost |
Thankfully, Yveltal seems to be the least popular choice for Ranked Battles, likely due to its typing. While this Legendary Pokemon is a force to be reckoned with in the right matchup, being Dark/Flying means it’s weak to a lot of things that are popular in Ranked Battles, namely Ice and Fairy.
With players already on the defensive against Dragon-types, Ice Pokemon are almost guaranteed in every match and can just as quickly deal with Yveltal. Not to mention, Yveltal’s coverage isn’t that great either. It’s super-effective against a lot of types that either aren’t super common in Ranked Battles or that can be better dealt with by another Pokemon.
So, while you shouldn’t expect to see this special Pokemon as often as the others, especially now that players can only have one of the four per team, it’s still worth knowing which Pokemon can make a good counter, as you may already be running them for other coverage purposes anyway.
|
Pokemon |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
(Mega) Gardevoir |
While Gardevoir is not as popular anymore now that most players have unlocked access to Xerneas, it’s still a decent option for fairy coverage, especially if you’re occupying your singular special Pokemon slot with something other than Xerneas. |
|
(Mega) Tyranitar |
If you’re looking to use something a little less common, Tyranitar is also a great option when it comes to countering Yveltal due to its Dark/Rock typing. Not only is it resistant to Dark, but it’s super effective against several of the common types you’re bound to come across in Ranked Battles, such as Fire, Ice, and Flying. |
|
Xerneas |
Ironically, one of the best counters for Yveltal is Xerneas. Xerneas is a popular choice in Ranked Battles due to its ability to deal with Dragon-types rather swiftly, so Yveltal being weak to Fairy too is just an additional bonus should you happen to come across one. |
Best Counters For Xerneas
|
Xerneas (Fairy) |
|
|---|---|
|
Weak To |
Poison (x2) and Steel (x2) |
|
Immune To |
Dragon |
|
Resistant Against |
Fighting, Bug, and Dark |
|
Strong Against |
Dark, Fighting, and Dragon |
Even though Zygarde is now legal in Ranked Battles, the meta is still likely to revolve around Xerneas due to Zygarde being 4x weak to Ice and its inability to Mega Evolve unless it’s at 50 percent HP or less. So, while you’ll no doubt still see Zygarde in battles, with the new rule limiting players to one legendary or mythical Pokemon per team, Xerneas is likely to remain the most popular, especially since it even counters two of the other ‘Special’ Pokemon.
Since Xerneas is one of the strongest Fairy Pokemon in the game and is thus primarily used to combat the absurdly powerful Dragon-types sprinkled throughout Ranked Battles, you’re going to need to have something on hand specifically designed to deal with Fairy types. Plus, a solid counter for Xerneas also has the added benefit of offering coverage against Diancie and Mega Gardevoir, when needed.
Ideally, you’re going to want a strong Steel type, which means you’re probably going to want something like Excadrill or Metagross, which are also the same recommended counters for Diancie.
|
Pokemon |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
(Mega) Metagross |
Metagross offers the obvious Steel coverage needed to deal with Xerneas, but also has insane resistance coverage, making it a dominating force on the field. If you have another Pokemon setting up screens for you beforehand, Metagross is likely to barrel through opponents, including Xerneas, like they’re nothing. You will need to keep an eye out for Ground and Fire types, though, which can be common in Ranked Battles. |
|
(Mega) Excadrill |
Similar to the reasoning offered against Diancie, Excadrill offers Steel coverage to deal with Fairy-types, with the added benefit of offering great Ground coverage. That said, it is weak to some pretty common types, so it’s a choice you should make with caution. While the weakness to Ground and Fire is shared with Metagross, the additional weakness to Water, another popular type among Ranked Battles, makes Excadrill the riskier option between the two. |
|
(Mega) Skarmory |
While Skarmory isn’t as great a pick against Diancie, it is a great option when it comes to Xerneas’s mono-Fairy typing. Not to mention, Skarmory is also super-effective against Ice and resists Dragon, two types that are heavily prevalent in Ranked Battles. Which means this Pokemon is likely to be an all-around great addition to any team unless the meta changes significantly. |
Best Counters For Zygarde
|
Zygarde (Dragon/Ground) |
|
|---|---|
|
Weak To |
Dragon (x2), Fairy (x2), and Ice (x4) |
|
Immune To |
Electric |
|
Resistant Against |
Fire, Rock, and Poison |
|
Strong Against |
Electric, Rock, Poison, Fire, and Steel |
Zygarde is the newest addition of ‘Special’ Pokemon to Ranked Battles, but it shouldn’t change the meta that significantly. Zygarde shares the exact same typing as another monstrous Pokemon that has been occupying just about every match, Garchomp, which means that while it will be making things a bit more complicated, it won’t be introducing anything entirely new to Ranked Battles. For the most part, players are already running Garchomp counters, and so, those may now be doubly used against Zygarde as well.
Don’t forget that Zygarde doesn’t swap to its Complete Forme until its HP is below half. At that point, it will transform and also gain the ability to Mega Evolve once the meter is full, so you’re going to want something that can do significant amounts of damage to it in a single blow, not something that requires you to steadily chip away at its health.
With it also being a ‘Special’ Pokemon introduced to Ranked Battles around the same time, you may be wondering if Diancie could be a solid counter here, but the answer is no. Diancie is weak to many of the popular types that appear in Ranked Battles, particularly Ground, Water, and Steel. So don’t assume that just because it’s a Mythical Pokemon that it’s somehow better at dealing with powerful Pokemon, because it isn’t.
For an idea of some good Zygarde counters, please see the table below:
|
Pokemon |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
Glaceon |
Galceon has already been making frequent appearances as a solid counter for the numerous Dragon-types in Ranked Battles, and the same remains true here. With Zygarde being 4x weak to Ice and Glaceon having STAB damage, there’s no doubt this tanky eeveelution would make a solid addition to any team, especially if you equip it with Freeze Dry, which will allow you to deal with some of the popular Water-types as well. |
|
Vanilluxe |
While Glaceon is definitely the first choice when it comes to an ice-type to take down Dragon-types in Ranked Battles, Vanilluxe isn’t a bad alternative. With similar well-rounded stats and the ability to learn Freeze Dry naturally, it can offer roughly the same coverage as Glaceon. |
|
(Mega) Garchomp |
It may not be the perfect option for countering Zygarde like Glaceon is, but Garchomp’s overall power to deal with so many of the Pokemon you’re likely to come across makes it impossible to ignore. So, if you’re looking to have something with the option to counter Zygarde, but don’t necessarily want a Pokemon entirely dedicated to eradicating Dragon-types, Garchomp is a solid option for your team. |
|
Xerneas |
Unfortunately, as sick as you might be of Xerneas by now, it remains one of the best picks in the game, and its ability to deal with the newest addition to Ranked Battles, Zygarde, only makes it more likely to remain. It’s not the best direct counter for Zygarde, but when you consider all the other factors that make Xerneas a great choice, it’s still a good overall option. |
Keep in mind that the options listed in this article aren’t all the available options. Plenty of Pokemon are viable options; these are simply the ones that offer additional coverage beyond just being a good counter. While Legendary and Mythical Pokemon will always be prevalent while they’re legal in Ranked Battles, several players will simply be using their favorite Pokemon, so a good Legendary counter with great coverage is always going to be better than the best direct counter with weak overall coverage.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Strongest Pokemon Tier List
The strongest Mega Evolutions stake their claim.
