If you’ve been pushing through the endgame content in Legends, chances are you’ve already taken down Hotel Z, wrapped up your battles with Xerneas and Yveltal, and are now staring down the real test waiting beneath Prism Tower. This showdown with Zygarde isn’t just another legendary encounter. It’s a multi-phase boss fight with mechanics that feel more like an action RPG than a turn-based Pokémon game. After going through it myself, here’s everything worth knowing—including the strategies, the mistakes, and the small discoveries that make this fight a lot more manageable.

The Setup: Preparing for the Dog, the Snake, and Everything in Between

Before heading underground, I spent a lot of time catching and training Mega-capable Pokémon, especially alphas. Ice coverage is practically mandatory here. Zygarde’s typing makes it weak to Ice, but in practice, surviving long enough to land meaningful hits is the real challenge. I rotated through options like Dragonite, Greninja, Clefable, and Froslass, all running Ice Beam, Ice Punch, Blizzard, or Icicle Crash.

Something I didn’t expect: the battlefield resets your Mega Energy during the fight. This forces you to pace your evolutions instead of popping them all at once. The fight rewards players who can adapt on the fly, especially when certain attacks lock your Pokémon in place or limit switching.

Phase One: The “Good Boy” Form With Unexpected Bite

The first form of Zygarde looks harmless compared to what comes later, but its speed and sudden directional shifts keep you guessing. Its Thousand Arrows doesn’t leave warning zones on the ground, so you actually need to pay attention to Zygarde’s movement flow rather than just reacting to telegraphed patterns.

Froslass and Greninja felt especially useful early on. Being able to land Ice Beam during stuns helps chunk down its health quickly. Playing aggressively during stun windows is vital, since staying close too long often leads to surprise hits like Extreme Speed or Dragon Pulse.

During this part of the fight, I couldn’t help thinking how convenient it would be if players had easier ways to build a specialized Ice team, similar to when people look around the community trying to buy shiny pokemon to fill certain roles quickly. While that isn't necessary here, it’s definitely tempting when preparing for fights this demanding.

Phase Two: Zygarde 50% and the Real Battle Begins

Once you push through the first health bar, Zygarde’s 50% form appears—and the tone of the entire encounter changes. The arena fills with wide, punishing moves like Rock Slide, Dragon Pulse, and most terrifying of all, Land’s Wrath. This phase is where you start burning through potions, revives, and your remaining Mega Energy.

Clefable was shockingly valuable in my run. Mega Clefable tanked better than most of my other teammates, giving me enough breathing room to throw out Moonblast, Blizzard, and Dazzling Gleam. Even then, timing switch-ins becomes critical, since a poorly timed Rock Slide can wipe out half your team’s momentum.

Some players I know like browsing community trading hubs when preparing for runs like these—things like checking shiny pokemon for sale listings or comparing event Pokémon to optimize builds. It’s not necessary to win, but I get the appeal when a fight pushes your team this hard.

Final Form: Complete Zygarde and a Whole New Level of Chaos

The last phase is where things go from tough to full-on wild. Complete Zygarde becomes massively more aggressive, adds new attacks, and gains the ability to lock your Pokémon on the field with Thousand Waves. Meanwhile, Core Enforcer drops gigantic Z-shaped patterns that can instantly delete your team if you’re positioned badly.

This part becomes a dance of dodging, swapping, reviving, and squeezing in hits whenever possible. Running in circles while your item cooldown resets is just part of the strategy. If you panic or send out a Pokémon at the wrong moment, the fight snowballs fast.

Clefable stayed my MVP all the way through the final phase, and switching out aggressively ended up being the real key to finishing the battle. It’s chaotic, but the kind of chaos that makes the eventual victory feel earned. The fight actually reminded me of some boss encounters in action games where your movement matters as much as your stats.

For newer players, if you're browsing community resources on sites like U4GM, the biggest advice I can give is this: build a balanced team with Ice coverage, bring way more healing items than you think you'll ever need, and practice dodging. This battle is designed to punish players who stand still.

Final Tips From My Run

Keep Ice moves on at least three Pokémon. Always save Mega Energy for the next form—you’ll regret using it too early. Keep someone fast and ranged (like Greninja) for stun windows. If Thousand Waves locks you in, prepare to tank hits instead of switching. Healing is part of the fight’s design, not a crutch. Bring everything.

Once you get a feel for the rhythm—stun windows, dodging patterns, cooldown timing—the fight becomes a satisfying test of everything the game taught you.

The Zygarde battle is one of the most intense and memorable encounters in Legends. With multiple forms, shifting mechanics, and a surprising amount of movement-based gameplay, it forces you to think differently about your team composition and battle flow. With good Ice coverage, smart Mega Evolution timing, and a willingness to adapt under pressure, this showdown becomes a tough but rewarding final trial.