
Zarude Best Moveset
Dark/Grass at 120 Attack and 105 Speed behind dual TermStab that covers Water, Ground, Rock, Psychic, and Ghost. AbilityLeaf Guard prevents status under sun. Held ItemLeftovers with NatureJolly runs fast physical offense backed by 105/105/95 bulk. The moveset outspeeds most threats and fires hard physical damage. A-Tier through balanced offense and defensive stats.
Dark/Grass with 120 Attack in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield). Jungle Healing restored HP and cured status. Bulk Up plus Drain Punch swept while sustaining. Solid debut.
Best Moves
Best Build
Zarude best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Darkest Lariat
- U Turn
- Power Whip
- Drain Punch
Recommended Teammates
Rose slightly in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Jungle Healing support alongside offensive sets. Two gens of niche utility from the mythical that combined offense and healing.
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Knock Off
- Power Whip
- Close Combat
- Bulk Up
Recommended Teammates
Zarude Weakness
Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy moves hit Zarude for super-effective damage. Bug hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Psychic-type moves can't touch it at all. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Zarude's overall bulk (105/105/95) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
What is Zarude Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Zarude
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Zarude View Alomomola builds →Flip Turn5-6% Scald4-5% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityVesselofruin ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves
Damage vs Zarude View Ting-Lu builds →Earthquake11-13% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Rotom-Wash builds →
| ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureSassy Moves View Slowking-Galar builds →
| ||
Evolution
Mythical Pokemon don't breed, and Zarude is no exception. This Dark/Grass type sits at 600 stats with no chain to speak of. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
How to Get Zarude
Zarude is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
This is an event-exclusive or special distribution.
Zarude is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
This is an event-exclusive or special distribution.
Base Stats
Nothing fancy in Zarude's spread. It leans physical with Attack out front. And you'll get 3 Attack EVs per KO for it. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
This Zarude’s special strength stems from its love and care for an orphaned human child that the Pokémon has raised since the child’s infancy.
Zarude Guide
At 600 BST, Zarude is built different. We rank it B-Tier. As a Mythical Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper.
Watch for Genesect (Bug), Cinderace (Fire), and Kyurem (Ice) when using Zarude. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Genesect is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. With 7 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Zarude has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.
Leaf Guard protects against major status ailments during strong sunlight. That's the one you want on Zarude. It's the only ability Zarude has.
Zarude is a physical attacker with base 120 Attack. Tanky enough to absorb a few hits, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 105 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the sweeper role.
Run Knock Off, Powerwhip, Close Combat, and Bulk Up on Zarude. Knock Off is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Introduced in Sword & Shield, Zarude shows up in 2 games across 3 generations. Mythical status keeps it locked behind events or specific story content in most appearances.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShDebut

Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves