Zamazenta is a Fighting-type Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Galar region. This Pokémon slept for aeons while in the form of a statue—it was asleep for so long, people forgot that it ever existed. Learn which Pokémon will be most effective in Raid Battles against Zamazenta, how to catch Zamazenta after winning a Raid Battle, and how best to use the Warrior Pokémon after you’ve caught it.

Which Pokémon to Use in a Zamazenta Raid in Pokémon GO

As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Zamazenta is vulnerable to Flying-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type attacks. When selecting Pokémon for your Zamazenta Raid Battle lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have a Fast Attack and a Charged Attack of one of these types if you want to deal as much damage as possible. It’s not necessary to choose only Flying-, Psychic-, or Fairy-type Pokémon, but a Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage. Remember that you’ll be battling Zamazenta’s Hero of Many Battles form, which is exclusively a Fighting type, unlike its Fighting- and Steel-type Crowned Shield form.

If you have multiple Pokémon that know Flying-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type attacks, choose the Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive at the conclusion of a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Zamazenta as quickly as you can.

• Pidgeot / Mega Pidgeot (Normal/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Air Slash (Flying), Gust (Flying), Wing Attack (Flying)

  • Charged Attack: Aerial Ace (Flying), Air Cutter (Flying), Brave Bird (Flying), Feather Dance (Flying), Hurricane (Flying)

• Moltres / Shadow Moltres (Fire/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Wing Attack (Flying)

  • Charged Attack: Sky Attack (Flying)

• Ho-Oh / Shadow Ho-Oh (Fire/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Extrasensory (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Brave Bird (Flying)

• Alakazam / Shadow Alakazam (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Psycho Cut (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Dazzling Gleam (Fairy), Future Sight (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic)

• Exeggutor / Shadow Exeggutor (Grass/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Extrasensory (Psychic), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic)

• Mewtwo / Shadow Mewtwo (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Psycho Cut (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic), Psystrike (Psychic)

• Espeon (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Future Sight (Psychic), Psybeam (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic)

• Lugia / Shadow Lugia (Psychic/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Extrasensory (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Aeroblast (Flying), Future Sight (Psychic), Sky Attack (Flying)

• Metagross / Shadow Metagross (Steel/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic)

• Latias / Mega Latias (Dragon / Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Mist Ball (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic)

• Latios / Mega Latios (Dragon/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic)

• Gallade (Psychic/Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Charm (Fairy), Confusion (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Psychic (Psychic), Synchronoise (Psychic)

• Gardevoir / Shadow Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)

  • Fast Attack: Charm (Fairy), Confusion (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Dazzling Gleam (Charm), Psychic (Psychic), Synchronoise (Psychic)

• Togekiss (Fairy/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Air Slash (Flying), Charm (Fairy)

  • Charged Attack: Aerial Ace (Flying), Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)

• Hero of Many Battles Zacian (Fairy)

  • Fast Attack: Fire Fang (Fire)

  • Charged Attack: Play Rough (Fairy)

Make the Most of Premier Balls and Berries

After a successful Zamazenta raid, you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls you can use to catch Zamazenta, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Zamazenta more quickly.

In an encounter with Zamazenta, your chance of catching it is greatest when the target ring is small enough for you to score Excellent Throws. Throwing Curveballs can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Zamazenta isn’t going to make it easy on you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Zamazenta to get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Zamazenta. A Razz Berry will make Zamazenta easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry will calm Zamazenta, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Zamazenta Candy, using a Silver Pinap Berry will make Zamazenta easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you catch it.

Buddy Pokémon with a Buddy Level of Great Buddy or higher have the Catch Assist Perk. If a Pokémon—even a Legendary Pokémon—deflects a Poké Ball, your buddy might bounce it back for a second catch opportunity!

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Zamazenta is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

What to Do with Zamazenta Once You’ve Caught It

As a Fighting-type Legendary Pokémon, Zamazenta is resistant to Bug-, Rock-, and Dark-type attacks. This makes Zamazenta  useful against many Raid Bosses, including Mega Gyarados, Snorlax, Mega Houndoom, Tyranitar, Aggron, Metagross, Regirock, Mega Abomasnow, Regigigas, Darkrai, and Yveltal. Given that Zamazenta has the highest maximum CP of any Fighting-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO, it can be a major asset in raids, especially if it’s powered up to its fullest potential.

Given the prevalence of Dark-type Pokémon in the Master League, Zamazenta can also be a useful addition to your GO Battle League team—with a few caveats. While Zamazenta is not considered a top-tier Pokémon in the GO Battle League, the right team and strategy could make good use of a Fighting-type Pokémon with a high maximum CP. In terms of Fast Attacks, both the Dark-type attack Snarl and the Ice-type attack Ice Fang benefit from high energy generation. And given that Snarl is highly effective against Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon—both of which are popular in the Master League—this is certainly an attack worth considering.

When it comes to Charged Attacks, Zamazenta has access to four different types, none of which require an Elite TM, which can help you save resources. Out of these options, the Fighting-type Charged Attack Close Combat benefits from a same-type attack bonus and is therefore a strong option. As always in the GO Battle League, you should teach your Pokémon a second Charged Attack to maximize its effectiveness. Which attack you choose will depend on the rest of your lineup and strategy, but you’ll want to choose a Charged Attack that provides type coverage you don’t already have.

Raising Zamazenta’s CP to its maximum requires a lot of Zamazenta Candy and Stardust—as does teaching it a second Charged Attack—so try to catch as many Zamazenta as possible to get you there faster.

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.