The most iconic Gen 6 Pokemon destroys Pokemon Legends: ZA Battles

Pokemon Legends: ZA is undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary Pokémon game ever, as it dramatically changes how animal combat happens and where player agency goes. Normally, in a turn-based environment, the Pokémon the players choose and the moves they use have a specific function that changes depending on the overall strategy, the format of the battles (i.e. singles, doubles, etc.), and what role each animal will fill. Pokemon Legends: ZA has all these elements, but they are completely offset both during the main story and in online battles. Now, a specific Gen 6 Pokemon is ruining the experience for most fans, making certain battles outright unplayable.

Although not all Mega Evolutions in the series are back in the game, Pokemon Legends: ZAs best teams usually run the usual suspects, like Metagross, Gyarados, Greninja, and other popular mons. However, with the launch of Season 2 just a week ago, the online environment has changed significantly due to Xerneas. This is due to a few reasons:

Xerneas became playable in ranked battles with Season 2 along with Yveltal and Mega Delphox, as Delphoxite is a reward for reaching Rank S. This means that there is something new in using Xerneas in Pokemon Legends: ZA.
Xerneas is one of the best Fairy-type Pokémon in the series, and even without its signature ability, it still has incredible stats and a powerful move in Geomancy. IN PLEASEGeomancy is particularly strong as it also increases Xernea's movement speed, meaning it can more easily dodge attacks from other directions.
Dragon type Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: ZA are extremely common in online battles, meaning it's easy to lead with Xerneas and take care of them or force opponents to switch.
Xerneas has incredible cover moves and great accompanying stats, meaning it can handle even some of its best counters.
One of the best Xerneas counters is Metagross, currently. However, most Metagross movesets run Heavy Slam, which does little damage to Xerneas due to the latter's weight. Since using two Steel moves is often not optimal, Xerneas can avoid Heavy Slam with increased movement speed and let Metagross hang.

Xerneas is arguably the most iconic Gen 6 Pokemon as it is the mascot for Pokemon X, which outsold Pokemon Y when they were released.

Say hello to The Best Pokémon in Legends: ZA's Ranked Battles

For starters, Xerneas has a BST of 680, which is incredible even for some of the best legendary Pokemon out there. With 126 HP, 131 Attack, 95 Defense, 131 Sp. Attack, 98 Sp. Defense and 99 Speed, Xerneas have better stats than most animals, even when using a Mega Evolution.

Since Xerneas has high Attack and Special Attack, it can be built with both, but Special Attack is the better choice if using Geomancy, which should always be the case. Giving Xerneas a buff to Special Attack and Special Defense with Geomancy, while also increasing its movement speed, is extremely easy, as all it takes is targeting an opponent and pressing the button associated with Geomancy.

Unlike turn-based games, Geomancy offers a 1-step buff to Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense instead of 2 steps, and it improves movement speed instead of Speed. It also takes a bit longer to use than normal moves, but it doesn't need a full turn to charge like it usually does.

With Sp. Attack investment, HP, and maybe point into defense or special defense, Xerneas is very hard to take down, even with super effective moves. Pokemon Legends: ZA's Plus Moves help Xerneas further, as it can use them regardless of the lack of a Mega Evolution, making certain attacks more lethal. An optimal moveset for Xerneas in PLEASE would be:

Geomancy
Moonblast
Focus Blast
Flash

The Best Xerneas Counters in Pokemon Legends: ZA Explained

There are various ways to counter Xerneas, but it can be difficult even for the best team compositions in the game. Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Scizor is a good counter for Xerneas since the latter doesn't have access to Fire moves, which are 4x effective on Scizor. Bullet Punch is also a good move to use against Xerneas, which Metagross also learns, as it is a priority attack that also moves the user towards the target very quickly.

Physical attackers with Dig and Fly can find success against Xerneas, as they score targets that follow the target and then hit. For this reason, Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Skarmory and Mega Excadrill are perfect choices, as they have access to Fly and Dig respectively and can then use a Steel move to secure the KO. This is especially true if they use Swords Dance. Overall best Xerneas counters in Pokemon Legends: ZA include: