Hi trainers,
Can you believe it has been a whole year since the release of Zygarde in special research? I have been attempting to make more of an effort to collect Zygarde cells but it got me thinking about how it was released. The method of collecting cells, and how it seems that even a year on there is still a general seeming apathy towards it, and how the average player still doesn’t even have the 50% form, let alone the finished version.
Lets do a quick dive into Zygarde, its background, its utility, get into the discussion on maybe why players have so far overlooked it and have a reminder on how you can evolve this elusive pokémon for yourself.
A delve into Zygarde lore
Zygarde as a Pokémon is made up of cells and cores and the more you have of them the more ‘complete’ form you have. Zygarde cores do not exist in Pokémon GO but the cells do so it is our job to collect them to evolve Zygarde through its forms.
As is often the case across Pokémon regions, legendary Pokémon are created in trios – the Kanto birds, the Johto beasts, the Hoenn weather trio and regi’s, the Sinnoh creation trio and the forces of nature from Unova. In the Kalos region the powers of Life (Xerneas) and Destruction (Yveltal) are balanced by Zygarde and together make up the XYZ acronym synonymous with this region. Zygarde maintains the harmony of the planets ecosystem and will only intervene of it deems the planet to be in danger.
Want to know more? Delve into Zygarde Lore with this fascinating in-depth exploration!
So, how useful is Zygarde?
Zygarde (Complete)
DragonGround
|
|||||
| Max CP at lvl 40 3722 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max CP at lvl 50 4208 | |||||
| ATK 184 | DEF 207 | HP 389 | |||
| Weak to | Resistances | ||||
| IceDragonFairy | ElectricFirePoisonRock | ||||
For Raiding
Sharing its Dragon and Ground typing with the almighty Garchomp and its Mega evolution was never going to end well, especially with a Shadow version knocking around. Whatever Zygarde can manage, Garchomp does it better and is a lot easier to power up.
Dragon counters are hotly contested and Zygarde suffers due to the competitiveness of the field and a below average attack stat in comparison.
As a Ground counter it fares a little better as it is not as competitive a field but again it struggles due to attack stats and is lacking a Ground fast move.
I would absolutely make more of an effort to have this with me in raids if it performed better or even on par with its peers if only because it looks cool!
For PvP
Great League – The Complete Forme does not register, and the 50% and 10% are very low ranked. This is not the league for it.
Ultra League – Complete Forme is very high here, and should be where you stop if you cannot power it to at least level 40. The 50% form does register but there are a lot of better options, while the 10% form is already struggling and needs to be pretty much maxed to even make a low ranking entry.
Master League – Well… now we’re talking. The Complete Forme is very powerful and truly is a force to be reckoned with, level 40 is a minimum though, but if you have grinded the cells then you probably have the candy for it anyway. 50% is decent as well but if you can hold out for it to be complete then do. The 10% form.. poor thing.
Want to know more? A full analysis is here for trainer battles.
Have trainers evolved it, or why not
I recently conducted two polls on the GO Hub Discord server to see how as a sample trainers generally have progressed. I’d consider the trainers on the GOHub Discord to be fairly active GO players. The results are below but are not exactly surprising…
A massive 85% have less then the cells needed for the 50% form and 87% either choosing to keep it at the base form or unable to evolve it. Some of the obstacles mentioned in the server to me, DM’d or gathered from my local community are –
- Lack of routes
- Lack of awareness
- Lack of motivation (this is me)
Certainly from my own perspective, a lack of motivation comes down to two things:
Firstly, Zygarde it is not a raiding Pokémon so is not of a strong interest to someone who primarily raids and rarely does trainer battles. Without much meta relevancy, there isn’t much motivation to grind the cells.
Secondly, I have also been holding out for another way to obtain cells. I’ve been waiting for a way to walk for cells, a rare drop from gifts or rare research task, another research quest line, an event rewarding cells, literally anything to help but it is not been forthcoming. I have now resigned myself to having to do it the long way, its a shame that cells are not guaranteed from routes and are hard capped at being rewarded from 3 routes per day, its not an incentive in itself even though the end goal is.
A quick chat with sensray
Wayyyy back in October 2023 we reported on the World’s first 100% Zygarde by Pokémon trainer @sensray and I caught up with them to see how they found the grind and if they had any tips for people (like me) with a long way still to go!
What made you so motivated to evolve your Zygarde?
“Ueno in Tokyo is my home base and there are many routes, so I was aiming for the fastest time from the day it was implemented.”
Did you have trouble finding routes near to you?
“There were quite a few routes so it wasn’t too difficult, but when it was first implemented, the route would be completed just by getting close to the goal, so it was quite difficult to get cells.”
What advice would you give to someone struggling to evolve their Zygarde?
“Nowadays, there are many routes and the cell appearance rate is high, so it is hard to walk, but I think it is important to remember to do it every day.”
Well, no surprises there – consistency and determination powered them through to this incredible achievement. Sensray sent me an updated screenshot on how their Zygarde is doing and as you can see they have continued to collect cells and candy XL and is ready for a second Zygarde research or even a shiny drop in the future!
(They did also tell me that their next goal was a PhD Pikachu from the PokéStop showcases, another hardcore goal, good luck!)
A reminder on cells and routes
As much as we might wish otherwise, currently the only way to obtain Zygarde cells is via routes. So when you are out and about, hit that nearby, scout for a route and follow it and hope for the best!
From personal experience, the cells pop up right towards the end and if you finish the route without claiming them they will be gone forever so make sure to scout for a glowing dot on your map before finishing! If you want that Complete forme putting in the mileage on routes is the way to do it so go out and hit the parks, your local town, or anywhere you regularly play.
If you are suffering from a lack of routes don’t forgets trainers can create and submit them for approval so you can influence your local playing area if this is holding you back.
Need a reminder on how routes work, how to submit routes, and how Zygarde link together? A full guide exists here.
How are you getting on with your Zygarde, what do you think could be done to make it more accessible, let us know in the comments!
