Got a Zacian (Crowned Sword) you've been scraping XL for, and it didn't come out 100%? Before you power up — 30 seconds. We simulated the entire Master top 100 to see whether that spread is fine to build.
For Zacian (Crowned Sword), attack 15 is effectively mandatory, and the compromise line is about 15/15/14. Below is the result of running the Master top 100 through a battle simulator, plus the mirror and best buddy. (Hundo 1-shield record: 59W 41L.)
Compromise IVs
15/15/14
At L50, at or above this the win/loss matchups match a hundo.
Build it or not — at a glance
✅
Just build · 15/15/14 or better
Win/loss matchups are effectively identical to a hundo. Just power it up.
⚠️
Conditional · around 15/15/13
You start dropping Golisopod (Shadow) and similar. If you rarely face them (low real pick rate), it's fine to run.
❌
Don't build yet · Attack 14 or below
Zacian (Crowned Sword) always loses CMP priority to the mirror at attack 14. Don't build it — wait for a better one.
🔬 Full-meta sim — all 100, who you meet & beat
1-on-1 battles vs the Master League top 100, per shield. Green = win, red = loss. (Rating 500 = even; higher = more comfortable.)
59W59%41L
491
500
621
154
563
459
670
418
705
627
173
693
165
440
563
583
222
236
284
459
641
158
478
575
322
265
191
230
592
202
586
612
192
456
708
202
552
661
736
809
520
376
656
710
560
702
478
823
572
760
684
595
269
719
716
158
560
505
734
586
432
618
687
742
656
290
606
352
298
768
98
751
586
670
774
754
589
592
667
713
757
116
448
470
774
98
204
439
459
244
208
627
572
745
502
676
823
540
211
791
⭐ Best Buddy (L51) effect — newly won matchups
Opponents you newly beat once best-buddied. The result depends on whether the opponent is best-buddied too, so both cases are shown.
Opp not BB (L50) · +3W
⭐
⭐
⭐
Opp also BB (L51) · +0W
none
※ The mirror and same-stat rival return to a tie when the opponent is best-buddied too (both L51). So Best Buddy only wins the mirror when the opponent isn't best-buddied.
Why attack 15 is mandatory — CMP
Attack decides priority. Attack 14 always loses to a same-stat rival.
vsMirror (Zacian (Crowned Sword) vs Zacian (Crowned Sword))
Mine (atk 14) vs Foe (atk 15)
shields0
L
497
shields1
L
263
shields2
L
404
Verdict by IV spread (Master League sim)
💡 15/15/15 at the top is the perfect IV (best); rows go to lower IVs downward.
Perfect·Battle-equal= win/loss identical to a hundo (no disadvantage — just use it).
Fine= it only loses to weaker (non-top) opponents, so it's acceptable to run.
N lost= it starts losing to N strong top-10 opponents — a real disadvantage.
CMP loss= at attack 14 you always lose the mirror / same-stat rivals.
‘Matchups lost’ = opponents you newly lose to at that spread (0/1/2 shields = how many shields are used).
Master League has no CP cap, so everyone is max level. When same-species (mirror) or same-stat Pokémon fire a charged move on the same turn, the higher effective attack goes first (CMP). An attack-14 Zacian (Crowned Sword) loses that priority to an attack-15 opponent. In the sim, the attack-14 mirror came out 0-shield=loss, 1-shield=loss, 2-shield=loss. In a mirror-heavy meta, attack 15 is effectively mandatory.
Where win/loss starts to split
Down to 15/15/14, win/loss matches a hundo. Below that, at 15/15/13, you begin losing Golisopod (Shadow) — that's the breakpoint line.
Best Buddy — depends on whether the opponent is too
Best Buddy (level +1) depends on whether the opponent is best-buddied. Against a non-best-buddied opponent (L50) you newly win 3 matchups at 1 shield; against a best-buddied one (L51), 0. Top Master legendaries are usually best-buddied, so the mirror and same-stat rivals go back to a tie when both are L51. It never hurts, but it doesn't magically win the mirror.
Note that this line moves with the meta. If usage shifts or a new Pokémon arrives, the breakpoints move and a spread that's fine today can get shaky. This analysis is for Season 28 (2026.09.08~12.01); when the season changes we re-run the full top-100 sim and update it.
⭐Best Buddy (L51) effectBB CP 5696 · L51
Best-buddying even a compromise improves every matchup and beats same-stat rivals.
Hundo record by shield count
shields 0
65W · 35L
shields 1
59W · 41L
shields 2
50W · 50L
Bottom line — attack 15 is non-negotiable (mirror CMP), compromise line 15/15/14. Based on the Season 28 (2026.09.08~12.01) meta; updated when the season changes.
FAQ
Q. Do I need a hundo Zacian (Crowned Sword)?
No. Down to 15/15/14, win/loss matchups are effectively identical to a hundo. At or above that, just power it up.
Q. Attack is 14 — can I just build it?
Not recommended. At attack 14 you lose CMP priority to the mirror and same-stat rivals — a fight that should be 50:50 becomes 0:100.
Q. How long does this hold?
It's the Season 28 (2026.09.08~12.01) meta. When the meta shifts, the breakpoints and the compromise line move, so we re-run the full top-100 sim each season and update it.
Method
BasisSeason 28 (2026.09.08~12.01)ScopeMaster League Top 100Shields0 · 1 · 2Level50 / Best Buddy 51Battle engineGBL Note Simulator (PvPoke-based)Baseline15/15/15Last calculated2026-10-09
✔ Calculated & analyzed by GBL Note
These verdicts come from simulating each spread against the entire Master League top-100 across 0/1/2-shield scenarios with the open-source PvPoke engine. If no matchup flips versus a hundo it's 'Perfect/Battle-equal'; if it only loses to weaker (non-top) opponents it's 'Fine'; once it loses to a top-10 opponent it's 'N lost' by the number of losses. Attack 14 loses mirror priority — 'CMP loss'.
