Pokémon GO Crowned Zacian and Zamazenta Meta Guide (PvE/PvP)

Pokémon GO Fest 2025 season is here and with it, two of the strongest Pokémon in the game grace the meta: Zacian Crowned Sword and Zamazenta Crowned Shield. These two warrior doggos have dominated the Sword and Shield games, and are undoubtedly two of the most sought-after finds for trainers.

With Iron Head as a Charged Move on these Legendaries, you can get their powerful signature moves, Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash. Moreover, paying homage to their lore, you can use these mons in Max Battles! At this juncture, check out how to get Zacian Crowned Sword and Zamazenta Crowned Shield here.

The new moves also bring with them new Adventure Effects. So no points for guessing if Crowned Zacian and Zamazenta are good in Pokémon GO, but just how good are they? We’ll talk all details for PvE, Max Battles, and PvP,  but before we do that, let’s have a look at their stats and signature moves.

Zacian Crowned Sword and Zamazenta Crowned Shield Comparison

	Crowned Sword Zacian	Crowned Shield Zamazenta
Max CP	5629	4717
ATK	332	250
DEF	240	292
HP	192	192
Weak to
Resists
Fast moves	Metal Claw Air Slash	Metal Claw Ice Fang
Charge moves	Behemoth Blade Play Rough Close Combat Giga Impact	Behemoth Bash Moonblast Close Combat Giga Impact

• Zacian and Zamazenta Crowned will be mostly used as Steel types not only because of their signature attacks, but also because they lack a Fairy and Fighting Fast Move.
• Zacian doesn’t learn any of the Fairy Fast Moves like Charm and Fairy Wind and neither does Zamazenta.
• However, that doesn’t hamper Zacian’s performance as a Fairy-type! Zacian is a monster as a Fairy-type attacker with Play Rough !
• Zamazenta learns Fighting moves like Coaching, Reversal, and Revenge, which can be implemented as Fast Moves in Pokémon GO.
• Zacian and Zamazenta Crowned can be used in both Raids and Max Battles, with their signature attacks offering Adventure Effects. Behemoth Blade boosts ATK of all battlers while Behemoth Bash boosts the DEF.

Now, here are all the details about these signature moves.

Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash Comparison

Behemoth Blade

Behemoth Blade has the following stats in Pokémon GO:

• Behemoth Blade is a 1-bar Steel type Charged Move with a crazy 200 DMG and a cooldown of 3.50s. This gives it a DPS of 57.14. Metal Claw and Behemoth Blade, along with a phenomenal 332 ATK, make Zacian Crowned Sword an astronomically powerful Steel type attacker in Raids and Max Battles. It is the best but is it actually THE best? We’ll find out soon enough!
• In PvP, Behemoth Blade deals 100 DMG for 55 energy. Also, there’s a 30% chance to drop the opponent’s DEF by 1 stage. In fact, this move is a stat clone of moves like Shadow Ball and Stone Edge, additionally backed with the insane offensive power of Zacian Crowned Sword. It’s superb!

Behemoth Bash

Behemoth Bash has the following stats in Pokémon GO:

• Behemoth Bash is a 2-bar Steel type Charged Move with 125 DMG and a cooldown of 1.50s. This gives it a DPS of 83.33! Hang on… this move is OP?! In the mainline games, Behemoth Blade and Bash are clones, only differing in their ATK/DEF boosting effects.
• Zacian has always been more popular but Zamazenta chimes in with an overtuned move in Pokémon GO. Are you seeing this, Zac? Zamazenta is the deal. Jokes aside, we’ll see their meta profile in the next section.
• In PvP, Behemoth Bash deals 80 DMG for 45 energy. Also, there’s a 30% chance to drop the opponent’s ATK by 1 stage. This makes it a stat clone of Charged Moves such as Drill Run, Fly, and Sparkling Aria. 

Zacian Crowned Sword and Zamazenta Crowned Shield in PvE

Zacian as a Fairy Attacker

Somewhat surprisingly, Crowned Sword Zacian is the #2 best Fairy-type attacker in the game, only surpassed by Mega Gardevoir. Zacian performs better than all the Tapus, Xerneas, and Mega Alakazam, despite not having a Fairy-type Fast Move! Surprising result, especially considering how many resistances Zacian has, it should be quite a versatile attacker.

Crowned Zacian and Zamazenta as Steel Attackers

On the surface, it appears that the ATK-inclined Zacian Crowned would take the crown (no pun intended) but Zamazenta’s Behemoth Bash is a stronger move statwise.

Zacian Crowned does indeed take the DPS (Damage Per Second) crown, boasting the highest damage output among Steel types in Pokémon GO. Complemented by resistances to Fairy, Ice, and Rock (the types that Steel Pokémon counter), it is a divine pick. 

Dusk Mane Necrozma is second in DPS and Zamazenta Crowned is a close third. The difference between the damage output Dusk Mane Necrozma and Zamazenta Crowned is negligible! This brings us to TDO (Total Damage Output) wherein Zamazenta Crowned is the undisputed Steel leader.

While the DPS difference between Zacian Crowned and Zamazenta Crowned isn’t much, Zamazenta Crowned gets a convincing edge in TDO, overtaking Zacian Crowned and the eventual Mega Metagross by an appreciable margin.

Overall, Zacian Crowned is neck-to-neck with Zamazenta Crowned in performance, and they surpass Dusk Mane Necrozma and Mega Metagross as premier Steel type attackers.

This similar performance among the Crowned doggos is specifically against Ice and Rock type Bosses, Zacian Crowned is clearly better against Fairy types since it resists Fairy Pokémon.

Crowned Duo versus D-Max and G-Max Bosses

Zacian Crowned and Zamazenta Crowned possess the unique trait of being able to participating Max Battles without undergoing Dynamax themselves!

Zacian Crowned excels with Behemoth Blade’s raw power and it also boosts the attacking power of fellow battlers. Additionally, it has tons of resistances and bulk to boot, making it a Swiss Army Knife in these matches. On the other hand, Zamazenta Crowned is an absolute tank, taking advantage of its high bulk. Not to mention, Behemoth Bash’s Max version throws in some respectable damage as well, giving Zamazenta Crowned exceptional utility. 

Both should be good as attackers and as defenders in Dynamax and Gigantamax fights.

Zacian Crowned Sword in PvP

Here are some snippets to give you an outline of how the Crowned doggos fare in the Master League, starting with Zacian Crowned Sword.

• The Metal Claw, Behemoth Blade, and Close Combat set is the way to go, helping Zacian Crowned clinch convincing wins against a large section of the meta, including Excadrill, Black and White Kyurem, Mamoswine, Zygarde Complete, Togekiss, Dragonite, Dialga regular and Origin, Melmetal, Zacian Hero, Mewtwo, Yveltal, Palkia regular and Origin, Xerneas, and Enamorus Incarnate in shielded scenarios.
• Drop the shields and it even claims Rhyperior regular and Shadow, as well as Urshifu Single Strike.
• Metagross, Ground types, and Fire types trouble Zacian Crowned. Lando T, Groudon, Reshiram, Ho-Oh, DM and DW Necrozma, and brand new Volcanion are usual suspects.
• Chance at dropping the opponent’s DEF is handy, with a switch-in working in your favor.
• In a nutshell, Zacian Crowned is among the best Pokémon in the Master League, a must-have in fact, so try getting a 100 IV variant!

With only two weaknesses in tow (Fire and Ground), pair Zacian Crowned with a Water type like Kyogre or Waterfall Primarina (maybe even Waterfall Gyarados), and a Ground type possibly… and you’re quite sorted.

Zamazenta Crowned Shield in PvP

• Zamazenta Crowned may have a lower ATK than Zacian Crowned but Behemoth Bash is cheaper to use.
• Rocking Metal Claw, Behemoth Bash, and Close Combat, Zamazenta Crowned ousts more or less the same victims as Zacian Crowned but drops some Dragon types (Zygarde Complete and Dragonite), and Mewtwo. Its wins include Excadrill, Black and White Kyurem, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Dialga regular and Origin, Melmetal, Zacian Hero, Yveltal, Palkia regular and Origin, Xerneas, and Enamorus Incarnate. Notably, it also beats regular and Shadow Rhyperior.
• Without shields in play, Zamazenta Crowned is even more dominant, adding Dragonite, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Metagross, and Urshifu Single Strike to its belt.
• The typical Ground and Fire weaknesses are there, of course, with Fighting in the mix. Its losses are quite similar to Zacian Crowned.

Zamazenta Crowned, however, has a trick up its sleeve that gives it an upper hand over Zacian Crowned in utility: access to Ice Fang.

• In a meta full of Dragon, Ground, and Flying types, Ice Fang is a major perk and Zamazenta Crowned takes full advantage of this tool.
• Dragonite, Zygarde Complete, Landorus Therian, and Rhyperior fall to Ice Fang Zamazenta Crowned but it loses to Shadow Rhyperior, Groudon, and White Kyurem.
• Without shields though, Ice Fang Zamazenta Crowned slays Shadow Rhyperior, Landorus Therian, and White Kyurem but loses Xerneas.
• Ice Fang is arguably deadlier on Zamazenta Crowned and gives it a shade of unpredictability. 
• The chance to drop the opponent’s ATK makes you bulkier and may force them to switch out, given how Zamazenta Crowned is inherently tanky.

Just like Zacian Crowned, good teammates for Zamazenta Crowned are Water and Ground types.

Note: In a head-to-head battle, Zacian Crowned (Behemoth Blade or Play Rough) beats Zamazenta Crowned (Metal Claw or Ice Fang) in all shield scenarios.

Zacian Crowned Sword and Zamazenta Crowned Shield are the epitome of meta-defining additions, taking over the Raids, Max Battles, and Master League landscapes of Pokémon GO. They are prized catches so grind all you can to grab high IV versions of these iconic Legendaries.

All the best, trainers!