Zacian
FairySteel
Best attacking moveset: Metal Claw and Play Rough, worth 14.2 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Zacian can learn 16 combinations. Metal Claw with Play Rough does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Fang | Fire | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Metal Claw | Steel | 6 | 0.5s | +5 |
| Quick Attack | Normal | 10 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Snarl | Dark | 11 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Combat | Fighting | 105 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Iron Head | Steel | 60 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Play Rough | Fairy | 90 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Wild Charge | Electric | 90 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Zacian has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Numbers
| Max CP | 4,329 at level 50, 3,829 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 2,188 CP at level 20, or 2,735 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 2,100 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 254 attack · 236 defense · 192 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 100,000 Stardust and 100 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 20 km per Candy |
| Size | 2.8 m and 110 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Zacian does not have one best moveset, it has 8. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Rock, Ice, Fairy.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Metal Claw + Iron Head | 19.9 |
| Ice | Metal Claw + Iron Head | 19.9 |
| Fairy | Metal Claw + Iron Head | 19.9 |
| Fighting | Metal Claw + Play Rough | 19.1 |
| Dragon | Metal Claw + Play Rough | 19.1 |
| Dark | Metal Claw + Play Rough | 19.1 |
| Metal Claw + Wild Charge | 18.1 | |
| Steel | Fire Fang + Close Combat | 18.0 |
| Water | Snarl + Wild Charge | 17.8 |
| Normal | Metal Claw + Close Combat | 16.0 |
| Bug | Fire Fang + Play Rough | 15.9 |
| Grass | Fire Fang + Play Rough | 15.9 |
| Ghost | Snarl + Play Rough | 15.5 |
| Psychic | Snarl + Play Rough | 15.5 |
| Ground | Metal Claw + Play Rough | 14.2 |
| Poison | Metal Claw + Wild Charge | 13.9 |
| Electric | Snarl + Play Rough | 13.3 |
| Fire | Snarl + Wild Charge | 12.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Zacian is actually for.
Counters: what beats Zacian
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 29.0 |
 Reshiram | DragonFire | Fire Fang + Fusion Flare Legacy | 24.1 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 22.0 |
 Cinderace | Fire | Fire Spin + Pyroball | 21.7 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 21.5 |
 Darmanitan | Fire | Fire Fang + Overheat | 21.4 |
 Blaziken | FireFighting | Fire Spin + Blast Burn Legacy | 20.7 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 20.7 |
 Moltres | Fire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 20.5 |
 Volcanion | FireWater | Incinerate + Overheat | 20.3 |
Ranked by damage per second against Zacian's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.