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ohthehypocrisy · 9 months ago

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Zygarde for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Season 2

Prev: Cradily - Hatterene - Tropius - Cacturne - Ditto - Weavile - Ogerpon - Coalossal - Gogoat - Galarian Slowbro - Luxray - Breloom - Uxie, Mesprit, & Azelf - Wobbuffet - Obstagoon - Lanturn - Castform - Dusknoir - Persian - Tatsugiri & Dondozo - Magnezone - Sirfetch'd - Exploud - Smeargle - Palafin

How much of you is you? How much of your cells can be considered a person? How many cells would we have to remove before the sense of self is lost? Truly, we would all prefer to keep all of our cells right where they are, but life is ever changing, ever shifting, just like our planet.

So when threats to the ecosystem arise, the cells within respond to repel the invasive force. For a pokemon like Zygarde, this is its ultimate purpose in life, to protect the cells of the planet from such corruption.

So why has it come to Aeos Island? Is there corruption afoot? We must investigate this mysterious power welling up within its cells...

Assuming that the cells within Zygarde's body can take whichever form it pleases, it's interesting to see that it has chosen the body of a canine. Dogs are fast and bitey, and this form emulates that very well, with average Attack and above average Speed. However, after careful observation, this form is incomplete and only holsters a fraction of its true power. We don't know how or when it will amass its true form, but it's safe to say that such awesome power will be overwhelming. As such, being able to summon this conditional power delegates this collected canine to the role of a...

Speedster (EX)

Basic attack - Melee/Attack

Becomes a boosted attack after 3 hits. The user's Unite Move gauge increases for each opposing pokemon damaged by the boosted attack.

The boosted basic attack is a leaping strike with the pokemon's front paws, landing with a small quake that damages nearby enemies. It is technically a Dash attack, but it travels a short distance, even if the basic attack was locked on.

Your Unite Move gauge increases by 1% for each opposing pokemon damaged by the boosted attack, 2% if it managed to KO.

While this form doesn't pack a lot of power, it is very lithe and fleet-footed. Even so, its basic attack takes a bit of time to fully charge up, requiring 3 hits to become boosted. But when it does boost up, it generates more of this awesome power we observed earlier.

Each boosted attack adds 1% of this power to the Unite Move meter, 2% if the attack resulted in a KO. Sadly, it doesn't seem like Assists affect the meter beyond the initial 1%, as with the rest of its moves, but that's fine for the most part. Speedsters are expected to finish the fight swiftly and suddenly.

Still, requiring 3 hits to fully boost the basic attack tends to slow down your offensive presence a bit. But that's nothing a little X Attack and furious button mashing can't fix. Still, Zygarde seems very insistent on its Unite Move meter filling up as soon as possible. I wonder why that is?

Maybe a look at its Ability can provide some insight.

Ability: Aura Break

Negates the damage and hindrances inflicted on the user by opposing pokemon Abilities.

The pokemon's Unite Move gauge is replaced by a meter that displays the number of cells the user has collected. The user can collect cells by using its moves to KO opposing pokemon, but it will consume Aeos Orbs taken from opposing pokemon to do this.

Aura Break protects the user from damage and hindrances inflicted on it by opposing pokemon's Abilities. It will not protect the user from debuffs, however.

Instead of a traditional Unite Move charge meter, it is replaced by a gauge that counts all the cells the user has collected within its body. The user can collect more cells by damaging opposing pokemon with its boosted basic attack or by KO'ing opposing pokemon with its moves.

Since this is a different kind of Unite Move system, the available meter depends on the amount of KO's you can accrue.

Well, that explains everything. It seems that Zygarde's inconsistent form makes it incapable of using a Unite Move normally, and relies on amassing its own cells during the fight instead. To that end, it substitutes the earthly energy it normally relies on with Aeos Energy instead, duplicating itself with this extra energy.

Personally, what I think is most interesting is its natural power to nullify the damage and hindrances it receives from opposing pokemon, as it is the most common exchange among pokemon mid combat. Think about it, this ability prevents the likes of Garchomp and Espeon from passively dealing damage to Zygarde when it hits them with a move, while also preventing Wigglytuff and Alolan Ninetales from slowing you down. It doesn't seem to stop debuffs from affecting its performance, though, so while Gardevoir's Synchronize will not reflect damage-over-time hindrances onto Zygarde, debuffs will be reflected.

Ah, but all of this makes Zygarde a much better fighter in the long run and enables it to engage with this pokemon much more easily. It becomes much more capable of KO'ing them in order to supply its body with more cells, in addition to its basic attack. It seems that this is out of necessity, as Zygarde cannot generate Unite Move meter passively and actively has to KO pokemon to power up.

As long as the moves themselves are powerful, Zygarde can mitigate this innate weakness.

At the start of the game, Zygarde will be in its 10% form. You can choose between Bite and Land's Wrath as your first move. By Level 3, you'll have learned both.

Move 1: Bite (Dash)

The user dashes while separating its cellular structure, leaving behind some of its cells on opposing pokemon caught in its path. When the user reforms, the cells stuck on opposing pokemon turn into fangs, which bite down and damage opposing pokemon a short while later. 6s cooldown.

The user travels a fair distance while dashing. It is completely invulnerable during the attack.

All opposing pokemon that were passed through by the user during the dash will have some of Zygarde's cells lingering on them. 2 seconds after the attack ends, the cells turn into teeth and bite down, dealing damage.

Bite adds 7% Unite Move meter if it KO's an opposing pokemon, 2% for each wild pokemon.

Most peculiar. While we know that Zygarde can alter the structure of its form through the manipulation of its cells, it maintains some level of control of the cells that have separated from its body. When it uses Bite, it doesn't use the part of its body that we assume is its mouth and teeth. Any of its cells can turn into fangs for biting, so it opts to tag the enemy with its cells and then transform these cells into teeth for this attack. That's amazing!

And it's completely invulnerable during the attack as well! This makes it powerful for diving into the fight as well as retreating, with the bite damage occurring without the pokemon's input. All Zygarde needs to do is phase through an opposing pokemon while its cellular structure is compromised and the cells will tag an enemy as it passes through them. The move has low cooldown as well, meaning that Zygarde can use this attack rather often during a fight.

Hmm, but it's a bit weak, I think. It doesn't Stun or hinder the enemy in any way when the attack actually activates. It seems that Bite is more of a utility move than anything else, which isn't a bad thing. It's just uncommon that Dash attacks don't distract the enemy in any way, like Magikarp's Splash. Still, that doesn't mean this move can't KO, the player can definitely coordinate things so that this attack is the last move to deal damage.

It'll just be a little hard to relay that to an ally, most of the time.

Move 2: Land's Wrath (Area)

The user summons a special wave of earth energy and launches it forward. The energy creates an expanding earthquake that damages opposing pokemon, lingering for a while. The energy wave follows and chases nearby opposing pokemon until the attack ends. 9.5s cooldown.

Land's Wrath is sent outwards as a projectile, activating when it reaches the maximum distance or when it hits an opposing pokemon.

When it is activated, Land's Wrath will slowly expand up to 40% for 4 seconds and follow nearby opposing pokemon at slow speeds. It is similar to how Delphox's Fire Spin works.

Land's Wrath adds 10% Unite Move meter if it KO's an opposing pokemon, 1% for each wild pokemon.

Ah, now this is a powerful attack, harnessing the power of the very earth itself to spread damage to all enemies nearby. Land's Wrath is a fitting name, as the projectile seems to chase and prioritize enemies of Zygarde out in the field. Could it be that some of Zygarde's cells are controlling the seismic waves empowering this attack? We must conduct more research.

In the meantime, Land's Wrath is a powerful move for a Speedster, as it allows Zygarde to control the area around itself and limit the safe space available for the enemy. By launching the waves forward, the earth rumbles with seismic energy, expanding slowly as the attack roils. Land's Wrath also hones in on opposing pokemon, trying to line up its epicenter with that of the enemy. Naturally, opposing pokemon try to keep their distance, but they often tend to retreat towards allies, bringing the danger to them.

It works a lot like Delphox's Fire Spin in the way it targets enemies, so it's very annoying that Zygarde has access to this move as soon as the battle starts. However, Land's Wrath does not hinder the enemy or incapacitate them when the attack connects, so a stray hit will never jeopardize the enemy. Not only that, this makes it easier for the enemy to run away, or even run through, as the attack is just as slow as Fire Spin. Yes, it expands slowly, but not for long, so it really depends on where Zygarde shoots this attack for it to be most effective.

Typically, team fights are where this attack is most profitable, as the enemy will be hunched together to secure important objectives or to defend their Goal Zone. Even so, the damage dealt overall isn't all that impressive, and any KO's that occur will usually be caused by the move's rate of damage rather than any actual power. Even so, this move is most effective against ranged Attackers, as it forces them out of their vantage points and out into the open.

While both Bite and Land's Wrath are effective moves, Zygarde requires a lot more EXP than normal in order to reach its true potential. As such, it will be stuck with these moves until Level 9, an extremely high skill ceiling for most trainers. Of course, Zygarde is not an ordinary pokemon, so it requires the care and training of extraordinary pokemon trainers to get the most out of its inner power.

A shared interest in ecological preservation seems to help with the bonding process.

At Level 9, Bite becomes either Crunch or Extreme Speed and Land's Wrath becomes either Thousand Arrows or Thousand Waves.

Move 1a: Crunch (Dash)

The user separates its cellular structure, becoming capable of dashing repeatedly for a short while. The user can dash again if it hits an opposing pokemon, leaving behind some of its cells on all affected targets. When the move ends, the cells turn into fangs and bite down all at once. All affected opposing pokemon will have their Defense reduced for a short while. The more cells the enemy had, the greater the Defense reduction. 7s cooldown.

At Level 13, Crunch becomes Crunch+.

Extends the duration of time in which the user can dash repeatedly.

Crunch turns the user into a fluid structure of loosely assembled cells for 5 seconds. During this time, you can dash once by using the move. Hitting an enemy allows you to dash again.

Each time you hit an enemy, you deal no damage, but you leave behind some cells on the opposing pokemon you hit. When the move ends, the cells turn into teeth and bite down on all affected pokemon, dealing damage.

Crunch reduces the Defense of affected pokemon by 10% for 6 seconds, stacking the debuff with each hit.

Crunch+ extends the duration of the move to 7 seconds.

Crunch and Crunch+ add 8% Unite Move meter if it KO's an opposing pokemon, 2% for each wild pokemon.

Although it takes a lot of energy, Zygarde seems to hit a noticeable power spike when it reaches Level 9. Not only has its moves upgraded, but it seems to have developed a faster generation of its cells from all the Aeos Energy it has absorbed. That's the only explanation for a move like Crunch to proliferate so many cells without exhausting this pokemon's energy reserves.

Zygarde temporarily deconstructs itself while using Crunch to make it better at dashing and spreading its cells out to opposing pokemon. When it passes through enemies, it leaves behind cells on their bodies, just like with Bite. However, Zygarde can use Crunch again if it hits an opposing pokemon, leaving behind its cells each time. Now, it doesn't do any damage initially, but a hit of 0 damage is still a hit, so it only needs to confirm the attack in order to use Crunch repeatedly.

There's only so many times you can use Crunch with the time you are given, so the player may either choose to compound attacks on a single enemy, or spread the cells out to the enemy team. Optimally, you'll want to hit the enemy team when they're huddled together, but that typically isn't a healthy environment for a Speedster. It may look intangible, but Zygarde is just as susceptible to damage and attacks while using Crunch, so don't overestimate its speed.

Also, missing the attack just once causes the move to end, meaning a well timed Eject Button can terminate the Crunch time you have. There are also plenty of immunity effects like Cinderace's Feint or Talonflame's Fly that can dodge the attack, so mind your mouth when these foes are engaged. I mean, you can use your other move while using Crunch, there's no clause against it, but you don't have a lot of time to use Crunch, and spreading the damage is a good use of time, usually.

Still, the attack is fast, allows Zygarde to dash repeatedly, and has a low cooldown. It's also a lot easier to coordinate a KO with Crunch, as compounding the cells on a fragile enemy is the easier way to secure a KO from far away, like Mewtwo's Future Sight.

Alternatively, you can just hit them really fast, with Extreme Speed.

Move 1b: Extreme Speed (Dash)

The user zooms in and deals a flurry of strikes in a designated area. The user then dashes towards the designated direction when the attack ends. The cooldown of the move is reduced if an opposing pokemon is KO'd. 7.5s cooldown.

At Level 13, Extreme Speed becomes Extreme Speed+.

Increases damage dealt.

Extreme Speed has the user dash forward and then deal damage in a wide area for 0.75 seconds before reappearing in the designated direction.

The user is invincible during the attack.

The cooldown of Extreme Speed is reduced by 1.5 seconds if it KO's an opposing pokemon, 0.75 seconds for each wild pokemon instead.

The base damage of Extreme Speed is increased by 175% when it upgrades to Extreme Speed+.

6% of the Unite Move meter is filled if this move KO's an opposing pokemon, 1% for each wild pokemon.

Hey so, this pokemon has cells all over the planet, right? So when it needs to amass them to gain a stronger form, each individual cell is travelling extremely fast, right? Yeah, I thought so, which explains why Zygarde is able to use Extreme Speed in any of its forms.

For this reason, when Zygarde uses Extreme Speed, it deconstructs itself and splits into small cells during the attack. These cells are tiny, making Zygarde practically invulnerable while attacking. Just as quickly as it comes apart, it reforms at the end of the attack, having dealt many little hits to all enemies within the area of effect.

Now, the attack hits fast and covers a wide area, but the damage is a bit on the weak side. The usefulness of this attack comes from how much distance it lets Zygarde cover in one go. As an attack, it works well enough at picking off weakened stragglers. Although, it should be mentioned that Zygarde's cells get excited when it takes Aeos energy from opposing pokemon, affecting the cooldown of Extreme Speed.

The cooldown of Extreme Speed is reduced each time an opposing pokemon is KO'd, even if it wasn't the attack that dealt the final hit. It comes down a little bit when you take out a wild pokemon, but a lot of time gets taken off if you take out a pokemon on the opposing team. It doesn't seem like it reacts to Assists, though.

Being able to move about while attacking is a solid skill for a Speedster to have, if only it were a little bit stronger. I mean, that's what Extreme Speed+ rectifies, but the base damage isn't reliable enough to jump into a fight with. Well, the ultimate goal is to score points, so maybe Extreme Speed can help you make mad dashes for those dunks.

Now, if it's damage you want, it's damage you'll get with the other move, times a thousand.

Move 2a: Thousand Arrows (Area/Hindrance)

The user fires off some of its cells at the designated area, creating a storm of arrows. The attack spreads outwards for a while as it deals damage. Opposing pokemon damaged by these arrows will be unable to use Dash moves for a short while. 11s cooldown.

At Level 14, Thousand Arrows becomes Thousand Arrows+.

The attack spreads outwards faster and covers more distance.

In a moderately sized area, the user launches a volley of cell arrows that spread outward for 5 seconds, dealing damage continuously. The damage is concentrated in the expanding 'ring' of arrows.

Opposing pokemon will be unable to use Dash moves for 6 seconds if they are hit by this attack.

Thousands Arrows+ expands the area of effect by 35%, though the rate of expansion remains the same.

This move fills the Unite Move meter by 11% if it KO's an opposing pokemon, 3% for each wild pokemon.

We are made of trillions of little cells, none of which will survive for longer than a year before they are replaced. And yet Zygarde is made of eternal cells that not only can accommodate a fraction of the user's form, but can also be ejected out of the body as an attack. If only we had as much control over our corporeal bodies...

In a small area, Zygarde shoots Thousands of Arrows downward, slowly expanding outward as they come down. The attack hurts quite a bit, especially as there are multiple arrows coming down at once, but most of the damage is concentrated in the growing 'ring' of the attack. As the arrows fly, the attack expands, limiting the safe space available to the enemy team. The eye of the storm, so to speak, isn't all that safe either, as plenty of arrows are falling within the center of the attack, just not as much in the outer ring.

These tiny cells piercing the ground are liable to cause some potential nerve damage in the enemy team. If any pokemon gets hit by these arrows, they'll be unable to use Dash moves for a while, similar to how Clefable's Gravity inhibits these moves. As such, it is a powerful attack for dealing with Speedsters and fidgety Attackers trying to keep their distance. By preventing them from being able to run away, Zygarde can then follow up with either Crunch or Extreme Speed to either weaken them or to finish them off.

While Thousand Arrows covers a lot of ground, it lacks the chase property of Land's Wrath and does little to threaten enemies that are out of range of the attack. It can prevent an approach thanks to being able to inhibit Dash moves, but it doesn't stop pokemon from muscling through with Movement Speed buffs, like Crustle's Shell Smash or Metagross's Magnet Rise. It deals plenty enough damage in a given area, making it useful to fight for an Objective, at the very least. Just watch out for the tanky Defenders coming towards you to put an end to your ecological terrorism.

Perhaps you could slow them down with Thousand Waves instead.

Move 2b: Thousand Waves (Ranged/Debuff)

The user launches some of its cells forward as an advancing wave of earth. On hit with an enemy, the earth wave duplicates and attacks an additional enemy. The attack duplicates itself one more time if a new enemy is struck and damaged. Opposing pokemon hit by the waves will have their Movement Speed drastically reduced for a short while. 10s cooldown.

At Level 14, Thousand Waves becomes Thousand Waves+.

Increases the speed of the traveling waves.

Thousand Waves shoots out as a small circle of earth energy. If it hits an opposing pokemon, it will split in two and launch towards other enemies, if any are nearby. It will split like this continuously until no more new enemies are available.

The small area of attack deals damage continuously, even harming nearby pokemon that have already been targeted once by the attack. This move deals a lot of damage in close quarters.

A direct hit will inflict a 50% Movement Speed debuff for 4 seconds.

Thousand Waves+ doubles the projectile speed of each wave.

The user's Unite Move meter increases by 9% if this move KO's an opposing pokemon, 2% if it was a wild pokemon.

There are some out there who consider the planet to be its own living being, like with a heartbeat and everything. It's not unfeasible, given pokemon like Zygarde running around to keep things clean and orderly. I would argue that Zygarde itself is the soul of the planet, since it fights so hard to keep the body healthy, just like we do. For that reason, I theorize that Thousand Waves summons the pulsing breath of the planet as an attack. Yes, the planet itself breathes with enough force to knock down any who would stand in its way.

The power of Thousand Waves comes from its length and reach, as Zygarde ejects some of its cells outward to not only charge the ground, but also to direct it. However, cells have a tendency to multiply, so when Thousand Waves hits an opponent, the wave splits and targets another pokemon nearby. This can only be explained by Zygarde's cells autonomously attacking threats to its being and the planet.

The cells can't waste energy, though, so they take the Aeos energy from opposing pokemon and use it to duplicate itself. This only works against those it hasn't taken energy from, so an earth wave will die if it hits a repeat target. In a scarce crowd, Thousand Waves won't have much of an impact, but against a whole group of enemies, the cells proliferate wildly, spreading damage like crazy as they attack.

Earning the vitriol of the earth, opposing pokemon are also hit by a debilitating Movement Speed debuff. A 50% reduction for 4 seconds makes this debuff just as strong as Slow Smoke, but lasts longer. However, Thousand Waves needs to connect in order to inflict this debuff, which isn't a problem, but it cannot debuff basic attack speed like how Slow Smoke can. Also, Thousand Waves is a projectile that has to be aimed, so the first wave has to hit something, or else the entire attack falls short.

Something that I haven't mentioned up until now is how these moves, Thousand Waves and Thousand Arrows, not only have long cooldown times, but also high level requirements for getting their upgrades. Actually, all 4 moves are unlocked at Level 9, a high level requirement for a Speedster, let alone an EX pokemon. It's stuck with just Bite and Land's Wrath for 8 whole levels, which can be arduous to play with if you're behind on EXP.

Well, that's not entirely true. Unique to Zygarde is its Unite Move meter, which contains a secret power within, the ability to draw power with its cells.

Unite Moves: Core Enforcer/The Power of Many/The Power of All

Core Enforcer (Area)

The user fires a concentrated beam of energy directly forward, drawing a Z-Shape on the ground. Opposing pokemon damaged by this attack will have their abilities nullified for a while. Holding the Unite Move button charges this attack, increasing the attack power. If the Unite Move charges to 50%, The Power of Many is unleashed instead. When fully charged, The Power of All is unleashed.

The Power of Many (Area)

Using 50% of its power, the user transforms. The user fires a concentrated beam of energy forward and can direct the beam, dealing damage for a short while.

The Power of All (Area)

Using 100% of its power, the user transforms. The user fires 5 powerful beams from its snake-like wings and inner core, dealing damage for a short while.

Core Enforcer can be used at any time and is available to the user starting at the beginning of the match. It has a cooldown of 15 seconds.

Core Enforcer consumes a portion of the Unite Move meter when it is used. The button can be held to charge the move, increasing the attack power in exchange for meter.

When Core Enforcer is used, Zygarde stays in place while charging the attack. Without any charge, Core Enforcer consumes 10%.

On hit, Core Enforcer prevents the Ability of opposing pokemon from working for 15 seconds. This will not shut down key Ability boons like Dodrio's Run Away splitting its scores or how Falinks and its Troopers interact with the Brass and its moves.

If Core Enforcer is charged to 50%, The Power of Many is unleashed. Zygarde will change into its 50% form and unleash a powerful dragon laser from its move. For 4 seconds, the beam deals damage with considerable reach, during which time you can aim the attack. Zygarde is immune to Hindrances while using The Power of Many.

If Core Enforcer is charged to 100%, The Power of All is unleashed. Zygarde will change into its Complete Form and unleash 5 dragon beams from its 4 wings and chest mouth. The beam deals drastically high damage for 3 seconds, but you cannot turn and aim. You are completely invulnerable while using The Power of All.

Modifications to the Unite Move charging speed affect the charge speed when holding the button to charge up Core Enforcer. Basically, items like Energy Amplifier that normally hasten the cooldown of Unite Move will instead hasten the charge speed of Core Enforcer when the button is held. Other effects affect the charge rate in this way as well, such as emblems.

The Unite Move meter will be depleted relative to the amount of charge consumed. You will always have 10% meter left over if all meter were consumed or if the amount of meter taken would have equaled less than 10% left over.

The Z shape drawn by Core Enforcer is just for show. Any opposing pokemon caught in the area of effect will be damaged at the same rate every time.

You do not gain any Unite Move meter from KO'ing opposing pokemon; however you do get Aeos Orbs from KO's as normal.

M- ...Magnificent. Astounding. A-...Awesome. I-I can't put it into words the sheer power on display right in front of me, but I shall try.

The culmination of total cellular manipulation has manifested into the awe-inspiring titan you see before you. We were too naive to see the true form of Zygarde. We thought it was just a lithe dog sent by the planet to protect its ecosystems, but nay, nay I say. It is as it has always been. Zygarde is the power of the planet itself!

In its more limited form, Zygarde is able to summon the power of Core Enforcer, an ability it can use in lieu of a Unite Move. The reason why it can do so is because of the way this pokemon processes Aeos Energy, while also lacking a traditional Unite Move meter. No, it gathers Aeos power by KO'ing opposing pokemon with its moves, empowering its cells and adding to a meter that it can draw energy from.

For this reason, Zygarde can use 3 moves instead of 2 throughout the entire match, a trait it technically shares with Dragapult and Blaziken, given the extremely low cooldown times of their Unite Moves. Speaking of which, Core Enforcer has a long cooldown of 15 seconds, so it can only be used once in a while compared to its other moves like Bite and Land's Wrath.

But what exactly is it that Core Enforcer does? Well, it's a long range beam attack that covers a moderate sized area, and it deals loads of damage to match its high cooldown time. Between Bite being used for utility and Land's Wrath for smoking out opposing pokemon, Core Enforcer is a powerful opener and finisher for the pokemon in the early game, especially during crowded fights. It only gets stronger as it scales in power to your Level, helping to finish off enemies caught by Thousand Arrows or Thousand Waves.

Not only does it hit hard, Core Enforcer completely shuts down the Ability of all opposing pokemon hit by the attack. Normally, Zygarde is protected from opposing Abilities with Aura Break, but it doesn't stop the enemy from benefiting from their own effects, usually. When hit by Core Enforcer though, their Ability stops working, meaning they can't affect you or your allies with any potential boosts or status effects. This can result in losing protection, like Glaceon's Snow Cloak or Espeon's Magic Bounce, or becoming susceptible to hindrances, like Duraludons Heavy Metal or Blissey's Natural Cure. You'd be surprised at how dependent certain pokemon are on their ability to deflect effects.

Core Enforcer can be charged to further increase its damage, which is already breaking the limits of damage, potentially. However, extra charge comes at a cost to your Unite Move meter, which functions differently from other pokemon, remember. The cells you're accumulating through KO's get used up when you charge Core Enforcer, so you must make sure that the attack hits its mark. You don't even get back any cells for KO'ing the enemy, so try to avoid using this attack on what could've been an easy KO, like a weakened Attacker or Speedster. That's what Crunch and Extreme Speed are for.

If Core Enforcer is charged up to 50%, though, the attack changes completely. What comes out instead is the Unite Move called 'The Power of Many'. When this happens, Zygarde shifts into its 50% complete form and unleashes a powerful beam in the designated direction. This attack is even stronger than Core Enforcer and has considerable reach, which can be directed at your discretion. It takes a while to charge up, but you can lessen the time with items like Energy Amplifier, which normally lowers the cooldown of Unite Moves on other pokemon.

The Power of Many has Zygarde change into a much stronger form, and your stats are altered momentarily during the attack. It makes sense, since your constitution has increased five-fold, along with the number of cells in your body. Not only that, you're immune to hindrances while attacking, so only the most debilitating effect can stop you from unleashing a powerful dragon beam on the enemy team, like Slowbro's Unite Move Slow Beam, or Mimikyu's Play With Me.

But if you manage to amass your power up to 100%, you'll be able to summon 'The Power of All', Zygarde's most powerful attack. This Unite Move has Zygarde pull together all of its cells to transform into its Complete form, Zygarde 100%. Harnessing the untapped potential of Aeos Energy, Zygarde unleashes 5 dragon beams from all of its mouths and deals devastating damage. This power is so great, it cannot be directed and the beams lack the range of the 50% version, but Zygarde is totally invulnerable during this attack, it absolutely cannot be stopped.

The Power of All deals so much damage, it can take away over 80% of Rayquaza's HP when it appears. Very few pokemon on Aeos Island can rival this power without modifications, so fighting well enough to have amassed 100% cell power will be well worth the effort. It's not an easy attack to land though, since it lacks a lot of range, but being able to threaten frightening amounts of damage in a small area is worth the grinding.

The charging time is rather slow and not something that can be relied upon in the heat of battle. You can use Core Enforcer well enough, even with a little bit of charge to give it some oomph, but it'll take a solid 5 or so seconds to power up to 50%, and double that for 100% to get to The Power of All. Not even the most well structured defense can hold the line well enough to let you get to 100%, so you're better off using Core Enforcer when the situation calls for it.

The reason why the 50% version of the move, The Power of Many, has such long reach is that it works as a middle ground for your Unite Move power. Core Enforcer hits hard, but not hard enough against Defenders and bulky All-Rounders. The Power of All deals overwhelming damage, but it'll take too long to charge in a team fight. Besides, you wouldn't want to exhaust all of your meter for a KO or 2, unless it were for an important objective like Rayquaza. For its power and utility, The Power of Many is a perfectly acceptable compromise, sitting at 50% charge.

We are one. We are many. We are Zygarde.

Achievement

Use up to 250% of your Unite Move meter and deal over 80,000 overall.

As we have just gone over Zygarde's Unite Move and all of its variations, you probably understand how demanding this Achievement is. It's bad enough that you have to exhaust your Unite Move meter 2 and a half times over in a single round, but you have to hit a certain amount of damage overall as well.

Most Speedsters can hit this number well enough, unless they get stifled in EXP, but Zygarde is more demanding of EXP, especially in the early game. It needs to hit Level 9 to unlock both of its moves, so many of its high damaging attacks are stringent on a diligent EXP grind.

There's also the fact that, well, its Unite Move doesn't charge like normal. It relies on getting KO's in order to fill up the meter, so if it isn't getting KO's, it isn't getting meter. And if it falls behind on EXP, getting KO's becomes way more difficult. You can get meter from KO'ing wild pokemon, but the gain is noticeably reduced since they aren't worth much in terms of Aeos Energy.

To earn this Achievement, you must do what master Speedsters do; grind EXP diligently, help the team win fights, make important KO's, and secure objectives. It sounds like the bare minimum for playing a pokemon in Unite, but sometimes that's all it takes to win the game.

Just gotta keep it together, just like Zygarde.

Holowear

So, the concept of putting clothing on an ethereal being like Zygarde is admittedly rather silly. This is the very spirit of the earth itself here to maintain the ecosystem, and we want to tailor holographic clothes for it to make a profit? I can't imagine this would go over well with Zygarde, but in case we are able to convince it, I have a few rough drafts in mind.

Firstly, Ranger Style Holowear gives Zygarde a flashy green hat and outdoorsy coat, along with a loop of lasso hanging off to the side. Then, Park Style Holowear gives it a baseball cap, some glasses, an ascot, and a wide belt around its belly with lots of pockets sewn onto it. Camo Style Holowear makes Zygarde wear one of those old fashion green army helmets, along with a vest loaded with stuffed pockets and a belt hanging a bit from its body. And since this is an EX pokemon, we can pull out all the stops for some extra special holowear. Tree of Life Style Holowear puts a Xerneas mask on its face, along with a suit modeled after the mythical pokemon, complete with a collar fashioned out of its rainbow antlers. On the other hand, Wings of Death Style Holowear gives it an Yveltal mask, a black and red suit modeled after the giant bird, complete with a muffler collar, and some grand wing scarves flowing off of its body and tail.

It's all coming together, now.

Strategy

Hey so, we still don't know what Zygarde is doing on Aeos Island, or how it got here. The scientists running this place were more interested in making a license for it, so we got our Hoopas to bring in more Zygardes from other dimensions so that there would be enough rentals for everyone, like what we did with Miraidon. I can't say for certain this will end well for us, but Zygarde has been surprisingly cooperative. Maybe it actually wants to play with the other pokemon...

Well, I'm a battle scientist myself, so it's my job to analyze Zygarde's potential in Pokemon Unite. Right away at the start of a battle, Zygarde has access to 3 attacks; Bite, Land's Wrath, and Core Enforcer. The first two need to be unlocked together at Level 3, but Core Enforcer is available to you as soon as the match starts. And if Core Enforcer is available to you, so is The Power of Many, as well as The Power of All.

However, remember that it requires the Unite Move meter to be filled with cells earned from KO's, especially from the opposing team. The cells gained from defeating Wild Pokemon just aren't enough to fill up to even close to 50%, so it's better to utilize Core Enforcer for the powerhouse move it is.

Core Enforcer does a lot to help you deal damage when it comes time to actually fight, though. Between Bite boosting your agility and Land's Wrath distracting the enemy, you'll have a surprisingly easy time getting KO's with Core Enforcer. You won't get any cells from landing KO's with Core Enforcer though, so you gotta make sure that it's worth the meter to secure the KO against the enemy team.

There's also something that was glossed over earlier in the post, and it's how Zygarde converts Aeos energy into cells for its Unite Move meter. Now, it's nothing like how Zacian and Miraidon use up Aeos Orbs for their ability or anything like that. No, it's just that, when you defeat a pokemon, wild or otherwise, the Aeos Orbs you would have gained from them are instead converted into cells for your Unite Move meter. Not all of them, mind you, you get, like 1 or 2 left over, but it makes grinding for points much more difficult for when it comes time to score.

There are a few workarounds to this, thankfully. For one, with a Unite Move meter filled to 100%, you don't need to convert Aeos energy anymore, so you can get the orbs normally when defeating pokemon. There's also nothing stopping you from picking up stray orbs and scoring them like normal, they don't get used up or anything while you have them. Also, your basic attack generates cells normally, so nabbing a KO with it gets you Aeos Orbs just as well. Global Aeos Orbs are also given to you normally, like when Rayquaza is defeated by your allies, as it grants all teammates 20 points to try and score with. You can rely on your teammates to pool the points for you at the very least.

What you do need more than anything is EXP. For 8 Levels, you are stuck with Bite, Land's Wrath, and Core Enforcer. Maybe you can get enough meter to use The Power of Many once before then, but you really need to hit Level 9 as soon as possible to upgrade both of your moves. Not just for the power boost, but also to keep up with the rising levels of the enemy team. Eventually, Bite and Land's Wrath won't deal enough damage to threaten the enemy team, and you can't feasibly use Core Enforcer repeatedly if you want to save up meter for The Power of Many, much less The Power of All.

Between Crunch and Extreme Speed, Crunch requires consistent hits in order to use repeatedly, but the payoff is worth it. Spreading cells to set up simultaneous damage to occur all at once sounds inviting, but it must be used carefully, since you are still susceptible to damage while using the move. You could use it to spread damage against an entire group of enemies, but the odds are high you'll get KO'd before the attack actually activates. You're better off limiting yourself to tagging bulky Defenders and All-Rounders to make the most out of the following Defense debuff to break down the enemy team's fortifications.

Extreme Speed, on the other hand, deals fast, quick damage in a wide area while also being invincible, but it doesn't hit very hard. The utility of the move comes from the move having its cooldown reduced each time an enemy is KO'd. It could be any move, not just Extreme Speed, responsible for landing the last hit on an enemy, even Core Enforcer. It works against wild pokemon as well, though the cooldown is only reduced for half the time. Even so, the move works well enough against weakened enemies, so it's useful for ensuring a KO on an opposing pokemon trying to get away.

As for which of the Thousand style moves to go for, it depends on what the enemy team is planning. Thousand Arrows hinders the enemy by preventing them from using Dash moves for a whole 6 seconds, making it effective at inhibiting opposing Speedsters and nimble Attackers like Cinderace and Inteleon. Of course you have to be smart about where you place the attack, since the move has a long cooldown.

Not to say that Thousand Waves also doesn't have a long cooldown, it just hits a bit more reliably than Thousand Arrows. Of course, you need to actually land the initial projectile for it to start doubling itself like crazy. Naturally, the move works best when fired into a crowd of enemies, but you'd need to be a bit more accurate against singular targets. Remember, the first wave needs to hit, so it can be dodged with certain moves like Talonflame's Fly. It does greatly slow down the enemy though, what with its 50% Movement Speed reduction debuff.

Now, with all of that said and done, the true core of Zygarde's power is its Unite Move, Core Enforcer, along with the charged versions. Again, it depends on how many cells you can accumulate through KO's, so managing to hit 100% will be the hard part, but it can be done. It's more of a matter of when and where the fully charged Unite Moves are used that are crucial to the offensive foothold of your team. Choosing between The Power of Many and The Power of All is also a matter of how much time you can afford to sit there and charge the attack.

We've already established the difference in power and speed of both versions of the Unite Move, but it must be emphasized again. The Power of Many fires a singular beam that reaches far and can be directed, making it useful at covering the objective in damage as well as hitting the enemy team in the crossfire. The Power of All, however, deals damage in a much smaller radius, cannot turn, and deals insane damage to all within the area of effect. Between the two attacks, The Power of Many takes about 5 seconds to charge whereas The Power of All takes a little under 10 seconds, making it risky to use during objective fights. But as it was stated before, The Power of All deals extremely high damage to the likes of even Rayquaza, and opposing pokemon have to steer clear of even a stray hit from the attack or else suffer a huge loss of HP.

Of course, amassing 100% of your cells is going to be the hard part. It might be more worth your time sticking to Core Enforcer and The Power of Many for the entire match, as you aren't likely to deal any significant damage and KO's with The Power of All, considering the charge time and the reach of the beams. In fact, having access to 3 moves is your biggest advantage against other pokemon, so it may not be wise to reserve your Unite Move meter for that one big hit that will only matter for the Rayquaza fight.

The true power of the planet comes not from the life it holds, nor from its cycle of death, but rather the order it has maintained for all of time. Come together, Zygarde. We have a world to protect.

And that's Zygarde for Pokemon Unite! Not only that, this is the last post of Season 3! That's it, folks!

Phew, this has been quite the journey, but I'm not quite done yet. I need to make a few more posts about this season, but I'm gonna take a brief moment to rest.

I'll be seeing you again real soon.

#Zygarde #Pokemon Unite

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