[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its neat type combination, useful ability in Static, and all-around fantastic stats, Zapdos is a premier Pokemon both offensively and defensively. Reliable recovery in Roost allows Zapdos to stay healthy in the long run so it can consistently come in on Pokemon multiple times in a game. Static is what makes Zapdos unique; it threatens contact attackers with a chance to paralyze them, which can cripple them for the rest of the match. Moves like Volt Switch to pivot out, Hurricane to hit hard with Flying-type STAB, Weather Ball in rain to hit Ground-types for super effective damage, and Heat Wave to hit Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Melmetal make Zapdos a Pokemon that can offensively threaten almost every Pokemon in the metagame. Unfortunately, Zapdos is prone to getting hit by Knock Off from Pokemon it wants to switch into, such as Rillaboom, Kartana, and Tornadus-T, which exploits its weakness to Stealth Rock, limiting how effectively it can check the aforementioned Pokemon. Common special walls like Blissey, Assault Vest Galarian Slowking, specially defensive Tyranitar, and Gastrodon also prevent it from immediately breaking teams.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Hurricane / Heat Wave
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog / Heat Wave / Toxic
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hurricane is Zapdos's Flying-type STAB move of choice, which lets it blow past the Grass- and Fighting-types it is assigned to check like Rillaboom, Buzzwole, and Kartana. Hurricane also weakens the Ground-types that prevent Zapdos from making progress like Garchomp and Landorus-T. Volt Switch gives Zapdos the ability to pivot out of bad matchups and gain momentum against walls like Blissey and especially Heatran and Tyranitar. Roost is Zapdos's main form of recovery and increases its longevity against Pokemon it needs to check over the course of a game. Defog allows it to remove entry hazards against hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Clefable due to their passivity against it and its serviceable bulk and longevity. Heat Wave can be used over Hurricane or Defog as an alternative that hits Steel-types like Melmetal, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn for super effective damage and OHKOes Kartana more reliably due to its better accuracy. However, running Heat Wave comes with some costs; without Hurricane, Zapdos is not able to properly threaten Garchomp, Blaziken, and Volcarona, and without Defog, entry hazard setters like Clefable and Landorus-T are free to set up Stealth Rock against it. Finally, Toxic is an alternate option that puts Ground-types that can otherwise outlast Zapdos such as Gastrodon and Hippowdon on a timer, limiting their ability to check Zapdos and its teammates over the course of a game. Toxic also poisons Electric-types like Tapu Koko and opposing Zapdos and, if running Heat Wave over Hurricane, allows Zapdos to not be completely passive against Garchomp and Landorus-T. Heavy-Duty Boots helps Zapdos avoid Stealth Rock damage completely, maintaining its longevity and making hazard removal a lot easier. Zapdos generally prefers running Static over Pressure to punish contact attackers with paralysis. The given spread allows it to outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon like Modest Volcanion and Adamant Bisharp, with the remaining EVs invested in Defense to maximize its physical bulk.
Team Options
========
Zapdos fits on balance and bulky offense archetypes as a Defogger that can check various threats to these playstyles such as Tornadus-T, Melmetal, and Kartana. Garchomp is an amazing teammate for Zapdos, since it demolishes Zapdos's biggest checks in Blissey, Tyranitar, and Galarian Slowking and can go one-on-one against Ground-types like Landorus-T and Hippowdon with boosted Scale Shot so Zapdos has more freedom to pivot out with Volt Switch, as well as beating Electric-types like Zeraora and opposing Zapdos. Garchomp and Zapdos also provide solid Electric and Ground immunities to their teams. Rillaboom is another Pokemon that greatly benefits from Zapdos's partnership, since it helps beat the Ground-types Zapdos struggles with, while Zapdos helps Rillaboom out by beating the Flying-types that stand in its way like Tornadus-T and Corviknight, as well as non-Flying-type checks like Buzzwole and Ferrothorn. Urshifu-R benefits from checks like Slowbro, Buzzwole, Rillaboom, and Kartana all having very bad matchups against Zapdos, and Zapdos appreciates Urshifu-R being able to break through Ground-types like Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and Gastrodon, as well as special walls such as Blissey, specially defensive Heatran, and Tyranitar. Bulky Water-types like Toxapex and Tapu Fini appreciate Zapdos checking offensive Grass-types like Kartana and Rillaboom, which would otherwise be given free turns to make progress against them. In return, they are able to check Weavile for Zapdos. Steel-types like Heatran and Melmetal love Zapdos's immunity to Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, and Zapdos appreciates Steel-types being able to check threats like Weavile, Dragapult, Tapu Lele, and Tyranitar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Discharge can be used on utility Zapdos over Volt Switch to cripple Ice Punch Dragonite and let it stay in on Toxapex and halve its health, unlike Volt Switch, which forces Zapdos off the field. Rocky Helmet can be used over Heavy-Duty Boots to punish contact attackers like Rillaboom, Melmetal, and Urshifu-R beyond Static's paralysis chance; however, this comes at the cost of taking Stealth Rock damage every time Zapdos switches in, which is not ideal, especially if it is running Defog. Stealth Rock puts Zapdos into 2HKO range of Pokemon like Protective Pads Urshifu-R and Choice Band Rillaboom and OHKO range of Dragapult's Draco Meteor and Weavile's Triple Axel. Leftovers over Heavy-Duty Boots can heal the chip damage Zapdos sustains throughout a match but suffers from the same problem Rocky Helmet does, with the only difference being more passive recovery instead of chipping down contact attackers. A spread of 248 HP / 220 Def / 40 Spe with a Timid nature can be run on utility sets to outspeed Adamant Rillaboom. The downside of running this spread is that Zapdos forgoes a substantial amount of bulk that may be needed to check other threats like Bisharp, Kartana, and Garchomp. Thunderbolt can be used on offensive variants over Volt Switch for more power, and Discharge can paralyze non-contact attackers, but both completely remove Zapdos's ability to function as a defensive pivot. On stall teams, Pressure can be used over Static to stall out Stealth Rock from entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Blissey so they run out of hazard PP before Zapdos runs out of Defog PP; however, this isn't optimal for more offensive teams, since such structures will rarely get into PP wars, and Corviknight generally pulls off this niche far more effectively. Choice Specs is a viable alternative to maximize Zapdos's breaking power, particularly on rain teams, but it comes at the cost of longevity, as without Heavy-Duty Boots to deny Stealth Rock damage or Roost to heal itself, Zapdos runs the risk of being quickly worn down. Substitute is an option when paired with Pressure to take advantage of passive threats that want to come in on Zapdos like Ferrothorn and Clefable, though it generally prefers its coverage moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-types**: Ice-types like Weavile, Alolan Ninetales, and Arctozolt can greatly threaten Zapdos with powerful Ice-type attacks, but Weavile risks getting paralyzed from Static due to Triple Axel being a multi-hit contact move. Due to its frailty, Weavile is not a recommended switch-in. Other niche Ice-types like Mamoswine can also threaten Zapdos.
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as specially defensive Garchomp, Gastrodon, and Hippowdon are immune to Zapdos's Electric-type STAB moves and can take a Hurricane, allowing them to act as decent switch-ins to prevent Zapdos from gaining momentum. While Zapdos can use Toxic to limit their longevity, they can inflict Toxic right back onto Zapdos, while Gastrodon and Hippowdon can recover any chip damage taken from Hurricane. Moreover, specially defensive Garchomp can remove any progress Zapdos makes with its combination of Toxic to badly poison it, Protect to stall it out, and threatening it off the field to keep Stealth Rock up, not giving it opportunities to use Defog.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zeraora are some of the only Pokemon that can resist Zapdos's STAB combination, allowing them to function as switch-ins. Zapdos takes neutral damage from Electric-type attacks and is outsped by both Pokemon, so they can serve as revenge killers if needed. Tapu Koko also has Roost to heal any damage it takes from Zapdos, with Calm Mind variants using it as setup fodder, and Zeraora's Volt Absorb blocks Volt Switch, as well as being able to force progress of its own with Knock Off or Toxic, which can heavily cripple Zapdos if it stays in. That being said, Tapu Koko and Zeraora are vulnerable to Toxic in return.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Blissey, Heatran, and Tyranitar can easily shrug off all of Zapdos's moves. If given a free turn, Blissey can heal any damage it has taken with Soft-Boiled, and Heatran can threaten Zapdos by trapping it with Magma Storm if it lacks Volt Switch. However, repeated Volt Switches can wear down Heatran and Tyranitar, since their only form of recovery is Leftovers.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Zapdos usually gives room for strong special attackers like Dragapult, Blacephalon, and Tapu Lele to come in and threaten it and its teammates. Setup sweepers such as Meteor Beam Nihilego, Calm Mind Clefable, and bulky Quiver Dance Volcarona can use Zapdos as setup fodder, with Clefable and Volcarona beating utility Zapdos in particular due to its lack of Special Attack investment.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsusetsuna.548068/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Thanks to its neat type combination, useful ability in Static, and all-around fantastic stats, Zapdos is a premier Pokemon both offensively and defensively. Reliable recovery in Roost allows Zapdos to stay healthy in the long run so it can consistently come in on Pokemon multiple times in a game. Static is what makes Zapdos unique; it threatens contact attackers with a chance to paralyze them, which can cripple them for the rest of the match. Moves like Volt Switch to pivot out, Hurricane to hit hard with Flying-type STAB, Weather Ball in rain to hit Ground-types for super effective damage, and Heat Wave to hit Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Melmetal make Zapdos a Pokemon that can offensively threaten almost every Pokemon in the metagame. Unfortunately, Zapdos is prone to getting hit by Knock Off from Pokemon it wants to switch into, such as Rillaboom, Kartana, and Tornadus-T, which exploits its weakness to Stealth Rock, limiting how effectively it can check the aforementioned Pokemon. Common special walls like Blissey, Assault Vest Galarian Slowking, specially defensive Tyranitar, and Gastrodon also prevent it from immediately breaking teams.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Hurricane / Heat Wave
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog / Heat Wave / Toxic
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hurricane is Zapdos's Flying-type STAB move of choice, which lets it blow past the Grass- and Fighting-types it is assigned to check like Rillaboom, Buzzwole, and Kartana. Hurricane also weakens the Ground-types that prevent Zapdos from making progress like Garchomp and Landorus-T. Volt Switch gives Zapdos the ability to pivot out of bad matchups and gain momentum against walls like Blissey and especially Heatran and Tyranitar. Roost is Zapdos's main form of recovery and increases its longevity against Pokemon it needs to check over the course of a game. Defog allows it to remove entry hazards against hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Clefable due to their passivity against it and its serviceable bulk and longevity. Heat Wave can be used over Hurricane or Defog as an alternative that hits Steel-types like Melmetal, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn for super effective damage and OHKOes Kartana more reliably due to its better accuracy. However, running Heat Wave comes with some costs; without Hurricane, Zapdos is not able to properly threaten Garchomp, Blaziken, and Volcarona, and without Defog, entry hazard setters like Clefable and Landorus-T are free to set up Stealth Rock against it. Finally, Toxic is an alternate option that puts Ground-types that can otherwise outlast Zapdos such as Gastrodon and Hippowdon on a timer, limiting their ability to check Zapdos and its teammates over the course of a game. Toxic also poisons Electric-types like Tapu Koko and opposing Zapdos and, if running Heat Wave over Hurricane, allows Zapdos to not be completely passive against Garchomp and Landorus-T. Heavy-Duty Boots helps Zapdos avoid Stealth Rock damage completely, maintaining its longevity and making hazard removal a lot easier. Zapdos generally prefers running Static over Pressure to punish contact attackers with paralysis. The given spread allows it to outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon like Modest Volcanion and Adamant Bisharp, with the remaining EVs invested in Defense to maximize its physical bulk.
Team Options
========
Zapdos fits on balance and bulky offense archetypes as a Defogger that can check various threats to these playstyles such as Tornadus-T, Melmetal, and Kartana. Garchomp is an amazing teammate for Zapdos, since it demolishes Zapdos's biggest checks in Blissey, Tyranitar, and Galarian Slowking and can go one-on-one against Ground-types like Landorus-T and Hippowdon with boosted Scale Shot so Zapdos has more freedom to pivot out with Volt Switch, as well as beating Electric-types like Zeraora and opposing Zapdos. Garchomp and Zapdos also provide solid Electric and Ground immunities to their teams. Rillaboom is another Pokemon that greatly benefits from Zapdos's partnership, since it helps beat the Ground-types Zapdos struggles with, while Zapdos helps Rillaboom out by beating the Flying-types that stand in its way like Tornadus-T and Corviknight, as well as non-Flying-type checks like Buzzwole and Ferrothorn. Urshifu-R benefits from checks like Slowbro, Buzzwole, Rillaboom, and Kartana all having very bad matchups against Zapdos, and Zapdos appreciates Urshifu-R being able to break through Ground-types like Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and Gastrodon, as well as special walls such as Blissey, specially defensive Heatran, and Tyranitar. Bulky Water-types like Toxapex and Tapu Fini appreciate Zapdos checking offensive Grass-types like Kartana and Rillaboom, which would otherwise be given free turns to make progress against them. In return, they are able to check Weavile for Zapdos. Steel-types like Heatran and Melmetal love Zapdos's immunity to Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, and Zapdos appreciates Steel-types being able to check threats like Weavile, Dragapult, Tapu Lele, and Tyranitar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Discharge can be used on utility Zapdos over Volt Switch to cripple Ice Punch Dragonite and let it stay in on Toxapex and halve its health, unlike Volt Switch, which forces Zapdos off the field. Rocky Helmet can be used over Heavy-Duty Boots to punish contact attackers like Rillaboom, Melmetal, and Urshifu-R beyond Static's paralysis chance; however, this comes at the cost of taking Stealth Rock damage every time Zapdos switches in, which is not ideal, especially if it is running Defog. Stealth Rock puts Zapdos into 2HKO range of Pokemon like Protective Pads Urshifu-R and Choice Band Rillaboom and OHKO range of Dragapult's Draco Meteor and Weavile's Triple Axel. Leftovers over Heavy-Duty Boots can heal the chip damage Zapdos sustains throughout a match but suffers from the same problem Rocky Helmet does, with the only difference being more passive recovery instead of chipping down contact attackers. A spread of 248 HP / 220 Def / 40 Spe with a Timid nature can be run on utility sets to outspeed Adamant Rillaboom. The downside of running this spread is that Zapdos forgoes a substantial amount of bulk that may be needed to check other threats like Bisharp, Kartana, and Garchomp. Thunderbolt can be used on offensive variants over Volt Switch for more power, and Discharge can paralyze non-contact attackers, but both completely remove Zapdos's ability to function as a defensive pivot. On stall teams, Pressure can be used over Static to stall out Stealth Rock from entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Blissey so they run out of hazard PP before Zapdos runs out of Defog PP; however, this isn't optimal for more offensive teams, since such structures will rarely get into PP wars, and Corviknight generally pulls off this niche far more effectively. Choice Specs is a viable alternative to maximize Zapdos's breaking power, particularly on rain teams, but it comes at the cost of longevity, as without Heavy-Duty Boots to deny Stealth Rock damage or Roost to heal itself, Zapdos runs the risk of being quickly worn down. Substitute is an option when paired with Pressure to take advantage of passive threats that want to come in on Zapdos like Ferrothorn and Clefable, though it generally prefers its coverage moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-types**: Ice-types like Weavile, Alolan Ninetales, and Arctozolt can greatly threaten Zapdos with powerful Ice-type attacks, but Weavile risks getting paralyzed from Static due to Triple Axel being a multi-hit contact move. Due to its frailty, Weavile is not a recommended switch-in. Other niche Ice-types like Mamoswine can also threaten Zapdos.
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as specially defensive Garchomp, Gastrodon, and Hippowdon are immune to Zapdos's Electric-type STAB moves and can take a Hurricane, allowing them to act as decent switch-ins to prevent Zapdos from gaining momentum. While Zapdos can use Toxic to limit their longevity, they can inflict Toxic right back onto Zapdos, while Gastrodon and Hippowdon can recover any chip damage taken from Hurricane. Moreover, specially defensive Garchomp can remove any progress Zapdos makes with its combination of Toxic to badly poison it, Protect to stall it out, and threatening it off the field to keep Stealth Rock up, not giving it opportunities to use Defog.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zeraora are some of the only Pokemon that can resist Zapdos's STAB combination, allowing them to function as switch-ins. Zapdos takes neutral damage from Electric-type attacks and is outsped by both Pokemon, so they can serve as revenge killers if needed. Tapu Koko also has Roost to heal any damage it takes from Zapdos, with Calm Mind variants using it as setup fodder, and Zeraora's Volt Absorb blocks Volt Switch, as well as being able to force progress of its own with Knock Off or Toxic, which can heavily cripple Zapdos if it stays in. That being said, Tapu Koko and Zeraora are vulnerable to Toxic in return.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Blissey, Heatran, and Tyranitar can easily shrug off all of Zapdos's moves. If given a free turn, Blissey can heal any damage it has taken with Soft-Boiled, and Heatran can threaten Zapdos by trapping it with Magma Storm if it lacks Volt Switch. However, repeated Volt Switches can wear down Heatran and Tyranitar, since their only form of recovery is Leftovers.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Zapdos usually gives room for strong special attackers like Dragapult, Blacephalon, and Tapu Lele to come in and threaten it and its teammates. Setup sweepers such as Meteor Beam Nihilego, Calm Mind Clefable, and bulky Quiver Dance Volcarona can use Zapdos as setup fodder, with Clefable and Volcarona beating utility Zapdos in particular due to its lack of Special Attack investment.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsusetsuna.548068/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
