[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Heat Wave / Roar
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 228 SpD / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Zapdos can run a specially defensive set thanks to its fantastic defensive typing, allowing it to take special attacks that would usually force it out. Therefore, Zapdos is able to put pressure on the opposing team with its special bulk that allows it to survive the most powerful special attacks of the tier including Draco Meteor from Dragonite, Kingdra, Latias, and Flygon, Overheat from Choice Specs Heatran, and other strong special attacks from Starmie, Gengar, Empoleon, and Infernape. Then, Zapdos is able to retaliate quite hard, since most special attackers are frail or can heal off the damage depending on the situation. On the other hand, if Zapdos is healthy enough, its natural physical bulk with HP investment is sufficient to let it act as a decent switch-in to Fighting- and Steel-type Pokemon, giving it the ability to reasonably check a great portion of the metagame including foes like Jirachi, Scizor, Metagross, Lucario, and Breloom.
Thunderbolt is the standard option for a primary attack, especially if Zapdos is coupled with status inducers, mainly those with access to Toxic Spikes, and the move's higher power compared to Discharge can be valuable if you are scared to fail to finish off a weakened Kingdra or Machamp. However, Discharge remains a very nice option thanks to its 30% paralysis rate, which can potentially cripple threats that can check bulky Zapdos such as Tyranitar, Latias, and Heatran. Hidden Power Ice and an Electric-type coverage move create a pseudo-BoltBeam combo that hits almost every Pokemon in the metagame for neutral damage. Hidden Power Ice also allows Zapdos to better handle Gliscor and Dragon-types, which would otherwise benefit from its lack of coverage. Also, specially defensive Zapdos does extremely well versus mixed Dragon-types, which is why it makes such great use of the move. Heat Wave is useful to hit Steel- and Grass-type foes such as Metagross, Jirachi, Lucario, Celebi, and Breloom for a more consequential portion of damage than Hidden Power Ice or neutral Thunderbolt would. Roost allows Zapdos to restore 50% of its health in one turn, which helps on such a defensive Pokemon. Alternatively, Roar deals with Calm Mind users, such as Suicune and Jirachi, which can easily handle Zapdos's uninvested Thunderbolts.
Status-inducing moves such as Toxic and Thunder Wave are also great options to consider. Toxic is viable if you decide not to run this set alongside Toxic Spikes, as it can cripple Tyranitar and common Ground-types switch-ins like Swampert or Hippowdon, while Thunder Wave works decently well on paralysis centric archetypes.
Set Details
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The given EVs maximize Zapdos's HP and Special Defense, helping Zapdos switch into weak special moves like non-STAB Ice Beam, uninvested Thunderbolt, or and Surf after Stealth Rock damage with much more ease. On top of that, it allows Zapdos to decently check threats like Gengar, Starmie, and mixed Infernape. Also, Zapdos can survive the most powerful special attacks of the tier such as Choice Specs Heatran's Overheat, Latias's Draco Meteor, and Torrent, rain, or Calm Mind-boosted Hydro Pump or Ice Beam from Empoleon, Kingdra, and Suicune. It is important to remember that using 248 HP EVs is more beneficial than fully maximizing HP, since that allows Zapdos to switch into Stealth Rock five times instead of four. 32 Speed EVs let Zapdos outrun maximum Speed non-Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Leftovers is the item of choice for a defensive Pokemon like Zapdos, making it match up significantly better versus Iron Head Jirachi, which may otherwise have an easier time chipping down Zapdos and causing it to flinch.
Usage Tips
=======
Bring Zapdos onto the field against a foe it can threaten, heal off the damage with Roost until it's at full HP, and repeat. Because of Discharge's nice paralysis chance, it's often a good idea to spam the move; Pokemon that can otherwise absorb Zapdos's uninvested special attacks like Latias, Heatran, and Tyranitar have a harder time when paralyzed. Remember to take advantage of Pressure when possible. Zapdos's ability to just use Roost over and over in the face of attacks makes it much easier to PP stall foes that use moves like Focus Blast, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, and Draco Meteor.
Specially defensive Zapdos can be played as a lead thanks to its dual typing, which provides it with a good matchup against special attacking leads such as Empoleon, Heatran, Dragonite, and even opposing Zapdos while doing a great job against leads that have type disadvantages like Metagross and Jirachi, even if the EV spread is not meant to beat them. If Zapdos is played as a lead, consider running U-turn, as it can potentially keep momentum against leads that Zapdos naturally scares out such as Gyarados, Gliscor, and Starmie and frail Choice Scarf users like Infernape and Flygon. Also, you should probably run Heat Wave instead of Hidden Power Ice, as it is able to land a clean 2HKO on lead non-Occa Berry Metagross, which is important in preventing it from getting off a free Explosion after it sets up Stealth Rock. Also, Discharge has a small chance of not damaging Empoleon enough to where it would be boosted by Torrent. Keep in mind that specially defensive Zapdos can have trouble switching into popular, primarily physical types like Fighting, Bug, and Steel, whereas it hardly has any resistances to the common special types such as Dragon, Water, Fire, and Electric.
Team Options
=======
Specially defensive Zapdos fits well on both balanced and stall teams alike, coveted for its fairly useful set of targets that it can shut down. In terms of teammates, Starmie can provide useful Rapid Spin support. It can also act as a secondary switch-in to Fighting-types and absorb status aimed at Zapdos thanks to Natural Cure. Clefable and Tyranitar wall this set; therefore, Machamp, Scizor, Tyranitar, and Jirachi are very good partners to help cover Zapdos's weakness to those Pokemon. The same goes for Dugtrio because it supports Zapdos by eliminating some grounded Pokemon. When paired with Dugtrio, Zapdos can capitalize on its U-turn to pivot into Dugtrio freely on threats such as faster Heatran. Great partners to run with Zapdos alongside Dugtrio include Heatran, Starmie, Celebi, and Clefable, as they all benefit from having Tyranitar and Steel-types taken down. Celebi can run U-turn, to form a devastating U-turn core to pressure the aforementioned foes. Breloom is helpful to break through stall reliant archetypes, which give this set trouble. Toxic Spikes support is a great complement to this set, since Zapdos's counters are usually grounded. Roserade and Nidoqueen are great partners for this reason. Roserade can also handle status ailments aimed at Zapdos, while Nidoqueen can decently check Tyranitar. It is also important to note that this set will have difficulty checking powerful physical threats due to Zapdos's lower Defense stat, so make sure to back it up appropriately with additional Fighting-resistant and physically bulky Pokemon as teammates. Gliscor and Latias are both great Fighting-resistant Pokemon that can help Zapdos in the long term. Latias does well at supporting teams that have trouble against Breloom, especially if coupled with Dugtrio, while Gliscor can stallbreak archetypes that contain Skarmory and Clefable and check Tyranitar. Physically defensive Swampert can set up Stealth Rock and do very well versus Tyranitar, while Zapdos can switch into most Grass-type attacks aimed at Swampert. Physically defensive Skarmory also has great defensive synergy with specially defensive Zapdos and Spikes to compensate for Zapdos's minimal investment in Special Attack.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Emeral,72767]]
- Quality checked by: [[Excal,456373], [H.M.N.I.P.,291057]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah,297659], [Empress,175616]]
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