Pokemon Black and White spotlight: Zorua and Zoroark

This week we're finally getting around to highlighting the first two Pokemon revealed when Black and White was announced. Zorua and Zoroark are in some ways the Riolu and Lucario of this generation – they seemed almost legendary-esque at first, and they're not as easily obtainable as most non-legendary Pokemon. Unlike Riolu though, Zorua and Zoroark are only obtainable if you have certain event-only Pokemon on your cartridge. Let's take a closer look.

Zorua
#076 Unova / #570 National
Type: Dark
Species classification: Tricky Fox Pokemon
Ability: Illusion – User takes on the appearance of the Pokemon in the final position of the player's party (superficial only – does not change moveset, stats etc). Illusion is broken when user takes damage
Location found (Black/White): Castelia City (by event only)
Egg groups: Ground
Capture rate: 75
Gender ratio: 87.5% male, 12.5% female
Effort values: 1 Special Attack
Evolution family: Zorua > Zoroark at level 30

Zoroark
#077 Unova / #571 National
Type: Dark
Species classification: Illusion Fox Pokemon
Ability: Illusion – User takes on the appearance of the Pokemon in the final position of the player's party (superficial only – does not change moveset, stats etc). Illusion is broken when user takes damage
Location found (Black/White): Lost Forest (by event only)
Egg groups: Ground
Capture rate: 45
Gender ratio: 87.5% male, 12.5% female
Experience at lvl 100: 1,059,860
Base stats: 60 HP / 105 Atk / 60 Def / 120 SAtk / 60 SDef / 105 Spd / 510 Total
Effort values: 2 Special Attack
Evolution family: Zorua > Zoroark at level 30

First off, let's discuss how you can go about obtaining these two. Zoroark is obtainable in B&W via an event in Lost Forest if you've obtained any of thelegendary beasts from the GameStop download event that's going on right now in the US (the Raikou and Entei events have already passed, and the Suicune event happens January 31 – February 6). Zorua should also be obtainable via an event in Castelia City if you have the upcoming event-only Celebi, and although details on that event haven't been announced yet, it's safe to assume at this point that it will be similar to the Japanese event. Don't worry too much though if you miss out on the events – Zorua and Zoroark aren't legendaries, so you should have no problem finding a kind person to breed one for you and trade.

Once you've got your precious Zoroark, using him in battle might prove a little tricky. The main aspect to focus on here is his unique Illusion ability – Zorua and Zoroark are the only two Pokemon that have this ability, and it's the only ability either of them can have. Zoroark's defenses are all around incredibly weak, so to successfully use him in battle it's crucial to use the Illusion ability to your advantage and trick your opponent into thinking you sent out a different Pokemon. Here's how Illusion works: when you send Zorua or Zoroark into battle, they take on the appearance of the Pokemon that's in the last position in your party, including gender, Poke Ball and all. The transformation is completely superficial though, so Zorua/Zoroark's stats, moves and type all remain the same. When he takes direct damage from a foe's attack though, the illusion breaks, revealing his true form. The idea is that you'll be able to sneak in at least one KO before your opponent realizes what's going on. After that, Zoroark doesn't stand much of a chance because again, his HP and defenses are really awful.

Pick at least one good special STAB (and for type coverage, you should pick one other special attack too) to make use of Zoroark's impressive base 120 Special Attack, which you can boost even further with Nasty Plot. Other than that, it's worth experimenting with various Illusion setups that will give you maximum time to get a few hits in. Perhaps you could have Zoroark take the form of a Fighting-type Pokemon to lure your opponent into using a Psychic-type attack, although most Fighting-types would not have a plausible reason for using Nasty Plot. What strategy would you use?