What it does
Night Daze is a Dark-type special move. In the Champions format it runs at 90 base power, bumped from the standard 85 in base SV. On hit, there's roughly a 40% chance to lower the target's accuracy by one stage. That secondary effect is pressure accumulation — not the reason you use this move. It's single-target, hitting one opposing Pokémon only.
The mechanical context that matters is Illusion. When Zoroark enters, it disguises itself as the last Pokémon in your party. The opponent sees a different Pokémon's sprite, name, and typing until the disguise breaks — usually when Zoroark takes a hit. Until that reveal, the opponent is calculating type matchups against the wrong target. Night Daze landing before that reveal means the opponent potentially didn't switch in their best answer, didn't Protect the right Pokémon, or even attacked into a Pokémon they wouldn't have hit.
Who runs it
Zoroark at 56% runs Night Daze as its primary Dark STAB. Speed is strong, Sp. Atk is strong, and 90 base power with same-type bonus puts meaningful pressure on most unspecialized defensive targets even without setup.
How to use it
The basic flow: Zoroark enters disguised, the opponent misreads the situation, and Night Daze punishes whatever decision they made based on wrong information. Ideal targets are Pokémon the opponent would have switched out or Protected if they'd known Zoroark was coming.
Once the disguise breaks, Zoroark is a fast, hard-hitting special attacker — nothing more. Night Daze's 90 power and Dark coverage still work fine, but the psychological advantage is gone. This is when the accuracy drop secondary starts paying dividends: a -1 accuracy target will miss moves directed at your partner over the next few turns at a meaningful rate.
Tips & strategy
Illusion only activates if the last Pokémon in your party is still alive when Zoroark switches in. If that Pokémon faints first, Zoroark enters without a disguise — the setup is over. Build your team order so the 'disguise anchor' stays alive as long as possible.
The accuracy drop isn't worth chasing directly, but it compounds over a long game. Against opponents who need accuracy to apply their win condition — spread moves, Thunder users — landing a -1 early can shift probability in your favor by the time the game-deciding turns arrive.