[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: U-Turn
move 4: Thunderous Kick
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Galarian Zapdos is a niche wallbreaker that fits on offensive teams, utilizing its solid offensive typing and ability to take advantage of Pokemon such as Landorus-T and discourage Landorus-T and Gliscor from using Defog. Furthermore, its solid Speed tier and decent defensive presence allow it to act as a soft check to the likes of Scarf Kartana and Serperior, (comma) which can threaten the offensive teams Galarian Zapdos fits on, and also get the jump on threats such as Victini, Tapu Lele, and Urshifu-R. However, Galarian Zapdos's STAB combination has its flaws, being completely walled by its Kantonian counterpart, as well as not being hard to pivot around for sturdier defensive cores. Furthermore, it also faces competition as a Fighting-type from Mega Medicham and Mega Lopunny, which boast significantly stronger offenses and a much better Speed tier, respecitvely. Brave Bird is Galarian Zapdos's most spammable move, cleanly 2HKOing the likes of Toxapex and Slowbro, while also taking advantage of the tier's lack of sturdy Flying-resistant checks. Close Comba threatens common Flying-resistant Pokemon such as Corviknight, Heatran, and Rotom-W, outright KOing them or putting them in range of Brave Bird. U-Turn pivots out of unfavorable situations, especially against defensive cores that are tougher for it to break, but it also has to be wary of contact effects. Thunderous Kick is a decent middle ground option that lets it break through the aforementioned Flying-resistant checks without the defense drops from Close Combat, trading away the immediate damage.
Galarian Zapdos fits on offensive teams that appreciate it forcing damage on Pokemon like Corviknight and Toxapex, allowing teammates like Kartana, Tapu Lele, and Weavile to blow past them. Due to Defiant deterring Defog, Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Greninja also fit extremely well with it, as they can set Spikes relatively unpunished. Rock-types like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Diancie are stellar partners due to their ability to threaten out Zapdos, and the former especially is able to Pursuit trap it, potentially wearing it down enough for Galarian Zapdos to break through it. Mega Diancie on the other hand can form a potent entry hazard stack core by reflecting opposing hazards, while setting its own Stealth Rock. Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp can help out against Electric-types trying to revenge kill Galarian Zapdos, while simultaneously wearing down Zapdos and Corviknight for it, allowing Galarian Zapdos to more freely use Brave Bird. Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Rotom-W also work well with Galarian Zapdos, as it takes advantage of Ground- and Grass-types for them. Lastly, Steel-types such as Melmetal and Mega Scizor comfortably deal with both Weavile and Fairy-types such as Tapu Lele and Mega Diancie, which pressure Galarian Zapdos offensively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Bulk Up set utilizing Flyinium Z can KO would-be checks such as Toxapex and Slowbro while making it much harder for teams to play around it. This set can also be run with Substitute, as Galarian Zapdos does not require coverage options courtesy of its good neutral STAB combination. However, in practice, (comma) it is much too difficult to consistently set up, and it is often taken advantage off. Choice Scarf turns Galarian Zapdos into a revenge killer for a myriad of threats and can potentially clean a weakened team, although it is outshined by other revenge killers such as Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. Stomping Tantrum is an option to hit Tapu Koko harder, although it does not have much use outside of that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Zapdos completely stonewalls Galarian Zapdos if healthy, pivoting into it endlessly and recovering off damage while threatening it with Static. Other Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Rotom-W can also pivot into it, although the former's aphostrophy lack of bulk and the latter faltering to Close Combat makes them short term pivots at best.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to its average Speed, Galarian Zapdos is easily revenge killed by fast Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Weavile. However, these Pokemon can't switch in due to their low bulk.
**Slowbro and Toxapex**: Slowbro and Toxapex can pivot into Galarian Zapdos to scout what move it locks into and either pivot out or threaten it with a Scald burn or Toxic. However, these Pokemon can be easily overwhelmed and forced out by Brave Bird.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[adem, 529732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Solaros & Lunaris, 471780], [Kaede, 483087]]
- Grammar checked by: [[UT, 523866]]
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