When it comes to finding out how to best use a Pokémon in Pokémon Go, it all comes down to the stats and moves it can learn. For Zarude, you can expect to see him appear in the mobile game during the Master League once players have upgraded him and found a good team to place him on. Before you invest Stardust and give him rare candies, Zarude is good and how can you best use him in Pokémon Go?
Zarude is a Dark and Grass type Pokémon. It is weak against Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-type moves, but is resistant to Dark, Electric, Ghost, Grass, Earth, Psychic, and Water-type attacks. Zarude has a maximum CP of 3.833, an attack of 203, a defense of 181, and a stamina of 195.
Overall, he's much more invested in attacking during a battle and being the offensive choice. You don't want to rely on its defenses to hold out forever, especially against the many Legendary Pokémon that appear frequently in the Master League, making it a solid Switch Pokémon.
Zarude specifically wants to fight the many Ghost and Psychic-type Pokémon in this category. Therefore, you can expect to use it to counter Mewtwo, Gallade, Mew, Gengar, Xerneas, Giratina (Altered and Origin) or even Zacian. However, he is also powerful against Gyarados, Lapras, Tyranitar, Groudon, Landorus (Incarnate and Therian), Excadrill, and Swampert.
It all depends on where you place this Pokémon on your team and who you pair it with, which makes the most sense for the Master League. Due to how specific it can be in battle, we recommend that you don't start with it, but having it as your Switch is your best option, followed by potentially using it as a Closer.
Zarude is a welcome addition to the Master League. Although it is a Mythical Pokémon, you can expect to see several trainers use it in future Master League competitions.
