Special
Sweeper
CTier
105Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Sp. Atk and Attack carry the offense, HP doesn't even come close. An Illusion Fox Pokemon on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve, worth 2 Sp. Atk EVs per KO.

Base Stats
High
HP60
C
Attack105
B
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk120
A
Sp. Def60
C
Speed105
B
Total510
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.6 m
5'03"Average
Weight81.1 kg
178.8 lbsStandard
Base XP179
Average
Abilities
IllusionTop Pick
Takes the appearance of the last conscious party Pokémon upon being sent out until hit by a damaging move.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

This Pokémon cares deeply about others of its kind, and it will conjure terrifying illusions to keep its den and pack safe.

Zoroark Weakness

Zoroark's Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. At base 105 Speed, Zoroark outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

Zoroark Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fighting, Bug, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Ghost, Dark
0x (Immune)Psychic
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
FightingBugFairy
½xResist
GhostDark
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Psychic
STAB (2)
PsychicGhost
How to Beat Zoroark in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Scizor's Bullet Punch hits Zoroark for 36-42%. Clefable threatens a KO with Moonblast (113-133%). Cobalion's Close Combat also KOs at 178-209%.

Scizor
Scizor
BugSteel
A
Recommended Build
AbilityTechnician
ItemHeavy-Duty Boots
NatureAdamant
Moves
  • Bullet Punch
  • Knock Off
  • RoostRecovery
  • Swords Dance
Damage vs Zoroark
Bullet Punch
36-42%
Knock Off
19-22%
View Scizor builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Evolved from Zorua. Zoroark is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Attack grew the most through evolution (+40 over Zorua), and Zoroark peaks at 510 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Zorua
#570Zorua
30
Level 30
Zoroark
#571Zoroark
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Zorua
Dark
Zoroark
Dark
HP
40
60+20
ATK
65
105+40
DEF
40
60+20
SP.ATK
80
120+40
SP.DEF
40
60+20
SPE
65
105+40
BST
330D-Tier
510B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Mixed

Breeding

Moderate

Breed with Zoroark to get Zorua eggs using 152 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Copycat, Counter, Detect and 3 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckrhydonshiftryexploudquagsiremawilenidorinofarfetchdloudred
12 of 152·

Sword & Shield Zoroark Best Moveset

Find one free turn for Nasty Plot and Zoroark can run through teams. Timid nature leans fast special, Illusion supports the sweep, and Fire coverage stops anything from walling it cleanly.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Illusion
Item
Ring Target
Best Nature for Zoroark
Timid+SPE

Zoroark best EVs are HP and Speed

EVs

Bulky Support Moveset

  • TrickUtility
  • TauntUtility
  • MementoUtility
  • RoarSLOW -6Utility

Recommended Teammates

Whimsicott
WhimsicottGood
Uxie
UxieGood
Incineroar
IncineroarDecent

Moves

STAB runs through Foul Play and Night Daze for the basics, but Zoroark's real strength is the 10-type coverage spread. Normal and Bug hit common defensive types, and the movepool keeps going.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Hone Claws
C——15Dark
Lv 1
Leer
D—10030Normal
Lv 1
Night Slash
C7010015Dark
Lv 1
Scratch
—4010035Normal
Lv 1
Torment
D—10015Dark
Lv 1
U-turn
A7010020Bug
Lv 12
Fury Swipes
—188015Normal
Lv 16
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Lv 20
Taunt
S—10020Dark
Lv 24
Knock Off
C6510020Dark
Lv 28
Fake Tears
D—10020Dark
Lv 34
Agility
C——30Psychic
Lv 40
Imprison
D——10Psychic
Lv 46
Night Daze
—859510Dark
Lv 52
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
Lv 58
Foul Play
A9510015Dark

TM Moves

TM
TR12
Agility
C——30Psychic
TM58
Assurance
—6010010Dark
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM52
Bounce
C85855Flying
TR49
Calm Mind
C——20Psychic
TR58
Dark Pulse
S8010015Dark
TM15
Dig
C8010010Ground
TR30
Encore
C—1005Normal
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM47
Fake Tears
D—10020Dark
TR02
Flamethrower
S9010015Fire
TM59
Fling
——10010Dark
TR64
Focus Blast
A120705Fighting
TR81
Foul Play
A9510015Dark
TM09
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TR77
Grass Knot
D—10020Grass
TM77
Hex
C6510010Ghost
TM08
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TR42
Hyper Voice
C9010010Normal
TM44
Imprison
D——10Psychic
TR07
Low Kick
D—10020Fighting
TM75
Low Sweep
—6510020Fighting
TM01
Mega Kick
C120755Normal
TM
Mega Punch
C808520Normal
TR68
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
TM57
Payback
C5010010Dark
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM79
Retaliate
C701005Normal
TM42
Revenge-4
C6010010Fighting
TM76
Round
C6010015Normal
TM26
Scary Face
——10010Normal
TR33
Shadow Ball
S8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
C7010015Ghost
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TR22
Sludge Bomb
A9010010Poison
TM85
Snarl
C559515Dark
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM40
Swift
C60—20Normal
TM
Swords Dance
C——20Normal
TR37
Taunt
S—10020Dark
TM23
Thief
C6010025Dark
TR95
Throat Chop
B8010015Dark
TR38
Trick
S—10010Psychic
TM56
U-turn
A7010020Bug
TR35
Uproar
C9010010Normal

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Copycat
C——20Normal
Egg
Counter-5
A—10020Fighting
Egg
Detect+4
A——5Fighting
Egg
Extrasensory
C8010020Psychic
Egg
Memento
S—10010Dark
Egg
Sucker Punch+1
A701005Dark

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Burning Jealousy
C701005Fire
Tutor
Lash Out
C751005Dark
Tutor
Skitter Smack
C709010Bug

How to Get Zoroark in Sword & Shield

No wild encounters for Zoroark. The 2-stage line runs through Zorua, which you can catch at decent rates from the locations below. Evolve at level 30 once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Zoroark in Sword & Shield

Zorua is your first catch on the way to Zoroark. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 10-18 across 4 total spots in the chain.

  1. Zorua
    Step 1Catch Zorua
    Forest of Focus
    ShieldGrass Lv.13-18 Forest
    15%Early
    Heavy Fog
    Forest of Focus
    SwordGrass Lv.13-18 Forest
    15%Early
    Heavy Fog
    Forest of Focus
    ShieldOverworld Lv.10-15 Forest
    10%Early
    Heavy Fog
    Forest of Focus
    SwordOverworld Lv.10-15 Forest
    10%Early
    Heavy Fog
  2. Zoroark
    Step 2Zoroark ✓

Zoroark Guide

  • For Sword & Shield, we rate Zoroark C-Tier: a niche pick in Sword & Shield's meta. At 510 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Flamethrower with Focus Sash is the standard set.

  • In Sword & Shield, watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting), Heracross (Bug), and Clefable (Fairy) when using Zoroark. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Zoroark's base 105 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Illusion takes the appearance of the last conscious party Pokémon upon being sent out until hit by a damaging move. That's the one you want on Zoroark. It's the only ability Zoroark has.

  • Base 105 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zoroark is a special attacker with base 120 Sp. Atk. Best used as a sweeper.

  • In Sword & Shield, run Flamethrower, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, and Nasty Plot on Zoroark. Flamethrower is the most common pick at 16% usage. This set covers the sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Black & White, Zoroark has appeared in 9 titles over 6 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback