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[GAL=53727]Zoroark[/GAL]
Review written by: Shino Bug Master
“Each has the ability to fool a large group of people simultaneously. They protect their lair with illusory secenery.”
~White Pokedex Entry
All Hollow’s Eve is still just on the tip of our fingers. Trainer’s everywhere certainly got to see ghosts, ghouls, fairies, superheroes and possibly even Pokemon gather to their doorsteps in search of sugary treats. But with the night done and the world back on its schedule, one devious Pokemon will not shed his Halloween costume.
Zoroark is a Pokemon who only joined the ranks in last year’s installments, Pokemon Black and White. He himself was a treat for some lucky players able to get an exclusive download of his pre-evolution, Zorua and train him up. This coupled with his own Pokemon movie and an exclusive ability that is one of the most unique in Pokemon, Zoroark cemented a name for himself quickly. With the release of Black and White 2, this little fox is a much easier gift to obtain. But make no mistake, owning one and understanding how to make use it is no easy task. And defeating one is harder still.
Zoroarks ability Illusion, as mentioned earlier, is unique to his evolution line. When you send out a Zoroark, it will appear with the name and look of whatever non-fainted Pokemon is last in your current party. This means that you must be careful to keep Zoroark out of that slot, or his Illusion will not work! Additionally, when struck by another Pokemon’s damaging move, the Illusion will be broken for as long as Zoroark stays in battle. This makes taking advantage of the Illusion difficult at best, but when you can lure your opponent into the trick, it can be devastating.
Before getting into the many sets and moves our eternal costume contest champion can utilize, I want to go a bit more in-depth into what Illusion can do and how to catch the fox, even with his disguise.
While Illusion can copy any Pokemon, you have to be very careful of what Pokemon you chose for it to portray. On the first turn of the game, Illusion is the easiest to pull off, so be weary of your opponent’s lead if they have a Zoroark. There are several Pokemon who can only have abilities that activate upon entry, something a hidden Zoroark will not have.
For instance, if your opponent send out a Tyranitar for instance, and it’s ability Sand Stream does not activate, and his Unerve ability doesn’t activate either, it is more than likely a Zoroark! Some other abilities to watch out for that will also tell you when they are present are: Pressure, Drizzle, Drought, Snow Warning, Airlock, Download, Slow Start, Forewarn, Frisk and Trace. Speaking of Trace, this is an ability that you can use to find disguised Zoroarks as well, although snagging Illusion won’t be of much help. Abilities like the aforementioned Snow Warning and Sand Stream may also help reveal Zoroark, if he is trying to disguise as a Pokemon who wouldn’t take damage from these weathers.
And on the subject of passive damages comes Illusion’s biggest limiter; entry hazards. Stealth Rocks will always deal 12% damage to Zoroark, meaning that if he tries to copy a Pokemon who would take more or less damage, the gig is up! Spikes and Toxic Spikes are slightly less useful, but they do eliminate Magic Guard and Levitate baring Pokemon and the latter shows grounded Poison types.
That concludes the ways to tell a Zoroark before it has the chance to strike, and the limits to picking a perfect Illusion target. With that in mind, there are a few benefits to picking certain types of Pokemon.
The first is Zoroark’s typing. Dark has only two weaknesses, has two resistances and most importantly an immunity to Psychic. Choosing a Pokemon, within the parameters set earlier, who makes use of these can be quite easy. If Zoroark copies Toxicroak for example, you may be tempted into going for a Psychic type attack, with Toxicroaks 4x weakness to it, and be wear of using a Fighting or Bug type move because he resists both. That’s a mighty fine use of Illusion! Unfortunately, if Stealth Rocks hit the fields, this pairing will not work again as long as they are up. The only other type Psychic hits super effectively, Poison, will also fail to Toxic Spikes. This makes it very hard to truly make perfect use of typing to Illusion’s benefit, past the first turn.
The second way Illusion comes into play is in Zoroark’s stats.
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60
Sp. Attack: 120
Sp. Defense: 60
Speed: 105
Certainly, this Pokemon’s defenses are nothing to brag about, while its offensive stats are all quite good. This is where Illusion becomes most deadly. When facing down a Pokemon like Chancey, Amoongus, Ferrothorn, Slowbro or Shuckle, you recognize that these Pokemon are slow and bulky. You form a plan of how to deal with them, through passive damage like Poison or Burn, or using a Super Effective move. But you aren’t expecting so take too much damage. If your opponent has a Zoroark though, how do you approach? Luring in Pokemon who are slower than Zoroark or best at dealing slow passive damage or well versed in taking only physical or special moves gives Illusion its true power.
So how do you build a Zoroark set to its fullest? Truly, this is a Pokemon who needs quite a bit of premeditation in Illusion targets and purpose before you build a set. I’ll run through the best moves he can use and provide a few base sets to start you off,
Moves:
Physical:
U-Turn: Bug Type, Base Damage 70, Accuracy 100.
U-Turn allows you to use this Pokemon’s stellar speed to get off a hit and then switch back to your party to preserve its true identity against a Pokemon it can’t otherwise deal with it. Running a partner for Zoroark with U-turn can help you keep your opponent on edge about which is the real one.
Sucker Punch: Dark type, Base Damage 80, Accuracy 100.
Sucker Punch has priority + 1, which may not seem needed on a Pokemon as fast as Zoroark. However, getting the Same Type Attack Boost (STAB) from being a Dark type move, this move can be great for dealing heavy damage to frail Pokemon, or faster ones before Illusion breaks.
Low Kick: Fighting type, Base damage --. Accuracy 100
While not packing the needed punch versus many Pokemon weak to it, this can deal with specific threats.
Foul Play: Dark type, Base damage 95, Accuracy 100
This is a very interesting physical option for mostly special Zoroarks, because it bases its damage off its targets attacks. This can heavily hit physically oriented Pokemon without having to train Zoroark in attack.
Special:
Flamethrower: Fire type, Base Damage 95 Accuracy 100
Coverage moves like this are some of the most dangerous on a Pokemon with Illusion. Flamethrower deals with Steel, Grass, Ice and Bug type Pokemon, increasing the reach of Pokemon who Zoroark can prey on with its charade. This is likely the absolute best move to utilize with this Pokemon, even on mostly Physical sets, the coverage is hard to ignore.
Focus Blast: Fighting type, Base Damage 120 Accuracy 70
Another move used for coverage, hitting Dark, Ice, Steel, Rock and Normal types Super Effectively, and pairing great with this Pokemon’s Dark type moves (Dark and Fighting hit all but Heracross and Toxicroak for at least neutral damage!) Unfortunately, its accuracy makes it a liability on a Pokemon who has to make the most of his pre-emptive attacks. Still, this moves power makes it a very usable option.
Dark Pulse: Dark type, Base Damage 80 Accuracy 100
The safest special STAB move, Dark Pulse is the safest option for Zoroark, dealing heavy damage of its highest stat and having a chance to flinch the target. It’s also a generally widespread move, meaning it won’t give away your Pokemon’s identity with the right partner.
Hidden Power: “Normal” type, Base Damage: --- Accuracy 100
A versatile move for this versatile Pokemon. This move’s power and type is based off of IVs, which are determined when you receive the Pokemon. You can’t really control how useful this move will be, but if you can determine the power and the type, this move can help you hit any Pokemon you want this Pokemon to deal with. Ice in particular is a fantastic type for hitting Dragon types which he can’t otherwise touch.
Extrasensory: Psychic type, Base Damage: 80, Accuracy 100
Really not much to say on this move. It can be nice to hit Fighting type Pokemon who threaten Zoroark, and that makes it viable, but it’s not fantastic for coverage.
Grass Knot: Grass type, Base Damage ---, Accuracy 100
Another coverage move, based off of Pokemon’s weight. This is the best move for dealing with heavy Ground, Rock and Water type Pokemon. If you want to deal with Swamperts, Rhyperriors or Seismitoad, this is the move for you.
Other:
Trick:
As if Zoroark didn’t have enough Tricks up its sleeves, it literally can Trick you! Giving you an item like Choice Scarf, Band or Specs can cripple Pokemon thinking they are dealing with such a wide spread of Pokemon. You can get very tricky with items like Ring Target or Iron Ball to gain advantages as well, making this a very cool move.
Nasty Plot:
Boosting Zoroark’s already high special attack on a turn where he’s hidden is an amazing use of its disguise and with Dark Pulse and Flamethrower will let this Pokemon tear through unprepared teams.
Swords Dance:
The same move as Nasty Plot, but for the attack stat. Slightly worse for this Pokemon than NP, but still useful on some sets.
There are even more options than those listed, but these are the main things that make it worth its while. Here are just a few that can work in general, but keep in mind this Pokemon is so versatile it is better to customize it.
Sets:
Zoroark @ Choice Scarf
Naïve Nature (Speed Up, Sp. Def down) 252 Speed EVs, 252 Sp. Attack EVs, 4 Attack EVs.
Dark Pulse
U-Turn
Flamethrower
Trick
Zoroark @ Leftovers
Timid Nature (Speed Up, Attack down) 252 Speed, 252 Sp. Attack, 4 HP
Swagger
Foul Play
Flamethrower
Substitute
Zoroark @ Lum Berry
Timid Nature 252 Speed, 252 Sp. Attack, 4 HP
Nasty Plot
Dark Pulse
Flamethrower
Grass Knot/Hidden Power Ice
Zoroark isn’t terribly effective in double battles like the VGC format, because of its offensive nature, and because of the popularity of moves that hit both Pokemon, which make Illusion harder to keep up. Although, because you start with a full team of 6 and only bring 4 Pokemon, Zoroark can be a huge mind game in VGC, where your opponent can’t trust any of your Pokemon to be what it truly appears to be. Zoroark is an easily customizable Pokemon with amazing options that you can pull off right under your opponent’s nose. This Halloween, while you admire all the creative and cool costumes of kids in your neighborhoods, keep in mind the Pokemon who lives like every night is Halloween.
