What is a good moveset for Zarude?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Zarude, post an answer below and upvote the best ones.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some explanation, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Zarude Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Zarude @ Leftovers
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 140 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Jungle Healing
- Bulk Up
- Darkest Lariat

Probably won’t be very popular, but this is a bulky attacker/cleric. Leftovers allow it to gradually regain health. I chose those EVs because they allow it to be decently fast, pretty bulky, and hit like a truck with Bulk Up. Jolly is to give an increase to Speed. Power Whip is STAB. Jungle Healing is to heal your team, and it works well if you’re against a Toxic Staller who sets up Toxic Spikes, such as Toxapex. Bulk Up is to raise your Defense and Attack, the main reason why I didn’t put 252 EVs in Attack. Darkest Lariat is STAB that ignores your opponent’s stat changes.

Comments

I might go for Crunch instead of Darkest Lariat for the chance of a Defense drop, but I suppose both options work. have a nice day :D

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Darkest Lariat is to counter dancers, with moves like bulk up, because it does damage regardless of the opponents stat changes. But crunch would probably work as well

Answer 2

Doubles supporter

Zarude @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 12 SpD / 128 Spe
Careful Nature / Jolly Nature
- Jungle Healing
- Snarl
- Taunt
- Power Whip

Seems a good support Pokemon. Leftovers is not as good as Sitrus Berry for doubles. Jungle Healing heals the ally. Snarl lowers opponent's Special Attack, which is useful for lower special defence Pokemon like Rhyperior. Taunt helps prevent Trick Room. Power Whip is your offence move.

Answer 3

SS Ubers

Zarude-Dada @ Leftovers
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 120 SpD / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Power Whip
- Darkest Lariat
- Jungle Healing / Synthesis

This set is primarily used in Bulky Offense teams with another Calyrex-S soft check (eg. Ho-Oh or offensive Yveltal). Apart from switching to Calyrex-Shadow, it can also soft check non Choice Specs Kyogre sets as well as defensive Zygarde sets. If your Groudon / DD Zygarde matchup is worse, then you could invest the SpD EVs in Def rather for tanking physical hits better. 136 Spe along with Jolly Nature outspeeds maximum Spe base 90s, mainly Zekrom, Groudon and Kyogre.

Bulk Up allows you to set-up snowball, it also ensures that you keep up with set-up sweepers like SD Groudon, DD Necrozma-DM, Zygarde, Zekrom, etc. Power Whip hits Groudon and Kyogre for good damage while Darkest Lariat ignores defense buffs, and hits the aforementioned Necrozma-DM and Lunala. Jungle Healing has higher PP and is useful vs Scald burns, paralysis and Toxic coming from Kyogre, Zygarde. etc. while Synthesis heals for more amount of HP. Leftovers provides good passive recovery, while Leaf Guard is his only ability.

NOTE: Obligatory reminder that it needs to be Zarude-Dada for the coolness and Dada Swag

Comments

very nice Zarude set, might try this one out.

Answer 4

National Dex Monotype (Dark)

Zarude-Dada @ Grassium Z / Chople Berry
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Power Whip
- Close Combat / Darkest Lariat
- Jungle Healing

This is the Bulk Up set used on Dark-type teams in National Dex Monotype. Bulk Up is used to boost your attack and defense so you can hit hard and live a physical hit. Power Whip is incredibly powerful Grass STAB. Close Combat is used as coverage to hit Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Heatran, Kyurem, and Hydreigon super effectively. Darkest Lariat can be used instead for Dark STAB that can enable you to deal with Pokemon like the Lati twins and Aegislash, but generally Close Combat is preferred due to the coverage it provides. Jungle Healing gives you some recovery and allows you to get rid of status that would cripple you such as burns.

This set can be used on Balance and HO for Dark-type teams. If you use this set on Dark Balance, Chople Berry is the item you use so you can potentially live a Fighting-type move. If you use this set on Dark HO, Grassium Z should be used as you will have a generally powerful Grass STAB nuke that allows you to OHKO physically defensive Toxapex at a +2 attack boost, as shown in this calc:

+2 252 Atk Zarude-Dada Bloom Doom (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 313-369 (102.9 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Answer 5

Zarude @ Life Orb
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature / Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Darkest Lariat
- Rock Slide
- U-turn

Power Whip: Strong STAB
Darkest Lariat: Strong STAB
Rock Slide: Covers Bug, Fire, Ice, and Flying
U-turn: To escape a sticky situation

Answer 6

Revenge Killer

Zarude @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Power Whip
- U-turn
- Close Combat

I feel like Zarude's terrible typing doesn't allow it to stay in for more than a few turns. This is just meant to come in, punish a Pokemon, and switch out. Darkest Lariat and Power Whip are strong STABs. U-turn in for pivoting. Close Combat is cool coverage for Ice types.

Comments

i use this exact same set, evs, and item lol

Answer 7

Zarude @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip / Grassy Glide
- Darkest Lariat
- U-turn
- Close Combat

Grassy Glide is only if you are using it with grassy terrain. U-Turn is to escape with a bad matchup and reset scarf. Darkest Lariat is for dancers, because it does damage regardless of Opponent stat changes. Close Combat is for coverage.

Comments

There is no Pokemon with Grassy Surge in RU (unless you count Thwackey), and using a turn to set up Terrain isn't a good idea. Thus, Power Whip is almost always better than Grassy Glide -- Glide is only a good pick if you're playing another format in which both Zarude is viable and you can set up Grassy Terrain via Ability.

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Im playing on Ubers tier, so Rillaboom is legal I believe
But I still prefer Power Whip

Answer 8

Gen 8 1v1

Zarude @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 76 Atk / 32 Def / 168 SpD / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Power Whip
- Bulk Up
- Encore

Darkest Lariat is STAB that ignores the opponent's stat changes. Power Whip is also STAB. Bulk Up boosts your attack and defense. Encore forces Pokemon trying to use moves like Calm Mind, Fake Tears, etc to repeat the move for a few turns, allowing you to set up and sweep.

Comments

What nature?

Answer 9

Zarude @ Leftovers
Ability: Leaf Gaurd
EVs: 240 HP / 240 Atk / 28 Def
Jolly Nature
- Jungle Healing
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide
- Throat Chop / Darkest Lariat

Jungle Healing is it's signature move, and is a really good healing move, Power Whip is it's strongest Grass STAB Move, and Darkest Lariat is it's strongest Dark STAB. I used Rock Slide because it is super effective to a bunch of it's weaknesses, and is incredible coverage. It also, because of it's EVs, will last pretty long, do a ton of damage.

Comments

You said you use Superpower, but you put Rock Slide?

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Woops, I accidentally put the wrong move.

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There, Rock Slide was the right move, I just accidentally put Superpower in the description.