dex
Hard as Vince Carter’s knee cartilage is
Galarian Zapdos is an extremely powerful wallbreaker in OU, capable of taking the top off of most teams with its powerful STAB move combination of Brave Bird and Close Combat. Due to Defiant, Galarian Zapdos possesses the unique trait of threatening both Landorus-T and Corviknight's Defog with an Attack boost, which can nearly guarantee a KO. With even a +1 boost from Defiant, Galarian Zapdos threatens a KO on Corviknight with Close Combat, and with a +2 boost, Toxapex is OHKOed with Brave Bird. Furthermore, its access to U-turn allows Galarian Zapdos to act as a strong pivot, as it forces many defensive Pokemon out such as Ferrothorn and Heatran along with slower offensive threats like Tapu Lele and Urshifu-R. U-turn also is a strong midground play against Slowbro, which is a common switch-in to Galarian Zapdos on Regenerator team structures. However, its powerful Brave Bird comes with the drawback of recoil damage, which, when compounded with passive damage caused by Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs, or Stealth Rock, can greatly limit its staying power. On the other hand, locking into Close Combat also comes at a cost, as it gives Fighting-type answers like Dragapult and Tapu Lele a free switch-in.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Thunderous Kick / Stomping Tantrum
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band allows Galarian Zapdos to break through defensively oriented teams with its nearly unresisted STAB move combination of Brave Bird and Close Combat. Thunderous Kick is a middle ground option for breaking through Corviknight even as it heals that does not come with Close Combat's drawback of lowering Galarian Zapdos's defenses. Stomping Tantrum is another option that acts as a way of pressuring bulky Poison-types like Toxapex and Galarian Slowking without Brave Bird recoil while also hitting Tapu Koko on the switch and Aegislash super effectively. Drill Peck is another option for the third moveslot that gives Galarian Zapdos more staying power than using Brave Bird constantly and is good for picking off weakened enemies. U-turn is helpful for generating momentum against healthy Regenerator cores and scouting if locking into Brave Bird or Close Combat is not desirable.
Galarian Zapdos fits best on offensively oriented teams due to its incredible breaking power and ability to build momentum. Pivots like Dragapult and Tapu Fini help Galarian Zapdos get on the field safely while chipping away at foes health to allow Galarian Zapdos to more easily wallbreak. Tornadus-T, particularly Assault Vest variants, is an excellent pivot that pairs well with Galarian Zapdos, as it is able to both spam Knock Off and eat most hits that would otherwise KO Galarian Zapdos. Entry hazard support helps Galarian Zapdos secure easier KOes against bulkier foes and bait the opponent into activating Defiant with Defog, so teammates such as Spikes Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock Landorus-T are good choices. Ferrothorn can more easily chip away at foes with Knock Off and Leech Seed, while Landorus-T can come in on Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zeraora that threaten Galarian Zapdos. Landorus-T can also utilize Toxic to wear down some of Galarian Zapdos's checks like Zapdos and Slowbro. Pairing Galarian Zapdos with another physical wallbreaker like Weavile or Melmetal is suggested, as together they can break through each other's checks. Both Weavile and Melmetal appreciate Galarian Zapdos's ability to deter Defog due to Defiant and blast through defensive walls like Ferrothorn and Toxapex with Brave Bird, while Galarian Zapdos appreciates Weavile removing Toxapex and Clefable's items with Knock Off and Melmetal's ability to both switch into Fairy-type attacks and spread status to bulky Flying-types like Corviknight and Zapdos. Electric-types like Tapu Koko, Magnezone, and Zeraora are excellent choices as teammates as they can bait in Landorus-T, activating Defiant on a double switch. Tapu Koko particularly appreciates Galarian Zapdos beating Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Galarian Slowking, while Magnezone comes with the added benefit of trapping Corviknight and Skarmory with Magnet Pull, allowing Galarian Zapdos to more freely use Brave Bird. Future Sight users like Slowbro and Galarian Slowking allow Galarian Zapdos to more easily break through physical walls like Toxapex and Corviknight. Slowbro deserves special mention for its ability to safely pivot Galarian Zapdos in with Teleport against Ferrothorn and Rillaboom.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[dex, 277988]]
- Quality checked by: [[ausma, 360720], [Clone, 218318]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732]
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Thunderous Kick / Stomping Tantrum
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band allows Galarian Zapdos to break through defensively oriented teams with its nearly unresisted STAB move combination of Brave Bird and Close Combat. Thunderous Kick is a middle ground option for breaking through Corviknight even as it heals that does not come with Close Combat's drawback of lowering Galarian Zapdos's defenses. Stomping Tantrum is another option that acts as a way of pressuring bulky Poison-types like Toxapex and Galarian Slowking without Brave Bird recoil while also hitting Tapu Koko on the switch and Aegislash super effectively. Drill Peck is another option for the third moveslot that gives Galarian Zapdos more staying power than using Brave Bird constantly and is good for picking off weakened enemies. U-turn is helpful for generating momentum against healthy Regenerator cores and scouting if locking into Brave Bird or Close Combat is not desirable.
Galarian Zapdos fits best on offensively oriented teams due to its incredible breaking power and ability to build momentum. Pivots like Dragapult and Tapu Fini help Galarian Zapdos get on the field safely while chipping away at foes health to allow Galarian Zapdos to more easily wallbreak. Tornadus-T, particularly Assault Vest variants, is an excellent pivot that pairs well with Galarian Zapdos, as it is able to both spam Knock Off and eat most hits that would otherwise KO Galarian Zapdos. Entry hazard support helps Galarian Zapdos secure easier KOes against bulkier foes and bait the opponent into activating Defiant with Defog, so teammates such as Spikes Ferrothorn and Stealth Rock Landorus-T are good choices. Ferrothorn can more easily chip away at foes with Knock Off and Leech Seed, while Landorus-T can come in on Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zeraora that threaten Galarian Zapdos. Landorus-T can also utilize Toxic to wear down some of Galarian Zapdos's checks like Zapdos and Slowbro. Pairing Galarian Zapdos with another physical wallbreaker like Weavile or Melmetal is suggested, as together they can break through each other's checks. Both Weavile and Melmetal appreciate Galarian Zapdos's ability to deter Defog due to Defiant and blast through defensive walls like Ferrothorn and Toxapex with Brave Bird, while Galarian Zapdos appreciates Weavile removing Toxapex and Clefable's items with Knock Off and Melmetal's ability to both switch into Fairy-type attacks and spread status to bulky Flying-types like Corviknight and Zapdos. Electric-types like Tapu Koko, Magnezone, and Zeraora are excellent choices as teammates as they can bait in Landorus-T, activating Defiant on a double switch. Tapu Koko particularly appreciates Galarian Zapdos beating Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Galarian Slowking, while Magnezone comes with the added benefit of trapping Corviknight and Skarmory with Magnet Pull, allowing Galarian Zapdos to more freely use Brave Bird. Future Sight users like Slowbro and Galarian Slowking allow Galarian Zapdos to more easily break through physical walls like Toxapex and Corviknight. Slowbro deserves special mention for its ability to safely pivot Galarian Zapdos in with Teleport against Ferrothorn and Rillaboom.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[dex, 277988]]
- Quality checked by: [[ausma, 360720], [Clone, 218318]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732]
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