Zapdos [DONE]

Yoshi

IT'S FINK DUMBASS
[OVERVIEW]

Zapdos is without a doubt the best Electric-type in the metagame thanks to its high stats and two powerful moves in Thunderbolt and Drill Peck. It is an incredible late-game sweeper, being a mixed attacker on top of having access to Agility. However, Rhydon and Golem hinder Zapdos's effectiveness. While they do take slight chip damage from Drill Peck, they can't be hit by any of Zapdos's other moves and must be dealt with by the rest of the team. Due to this, Zapdos generally requires minor support to work effectively in all matchups, keeping it from being considered one of the best Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Agility

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Thunderbolt and Drill Peck are Zapdos's STAB moves. Zapdos hits most targets for strong damage, comfortably 3HKOing Tauros and threatening 3HKOs on Snorlax and Alakazam. However, it should be noted that Thunderbolt cannot paralyze other Electric-types. Drill Peck hits two of the main Pokemon that tank Thunderbolt, Exeggutor and Chansey. Exeggutor is sometimes 2HKOed by Drill Peck, and while Chansey can take two Drill Pecks comfortably, it tends to lose to repeated Drill Pecks, as it can't hit Zapdos very hard, and a single critical hit or full paralysis tends to end the fight in Zapdos's favor. However, Chansey does have access to Reflect to increase its chances of winning the matchup. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze Pokemon such as Tauros and Chansey to give openings for Zapdos to sweep late-game or get a chance to prevent recovery to get an extra turn of damage. Agility can be used on a free turn to allow Zapdos to outspeed faster threats like Alakazam and Tauros. It can also be used to remove the Speed drop from paralysis, which can allow Zapdos to sweep through Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it.

In general, you want to keep Zapdos as healthy as possible throughout the match in order to give it sweeping potential. However, this doesn't mean that you should keep it in the back the whole game, as it has a lot of potential to be useful in the early- and mid-game stages. For example, Zapdos can take advantage of sleeping Pokemon such as Snorlax as long as it comes in on the turn the Pokemon uses Rest. One should try to use Zapdos to spread status through Thunder Wave. This is especially helpful to do on a Pokemon like Chansey, which can be prevented from recovering through status, allowing Zapdos to potentially 3HKO with Drill Peck. Early-game, be sure to scout for the Ground-types of the tier, Rhydon and Golem. Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Tauros, Cloyster, and Lapras, which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. Tauros is probably the best example there, as it has a great matchup versus Exeggutor, Snorlax, Chansey, and Tauros, as well as being a great late-game cleaner on top of that. You could also lure them out with Zapdos itself, which can be done fairly early on, putting you at an information advantage. Whether or not you manage to find a Rock-type, though, you should keep Rock-type checks like Exeggutor and Lapras healthy so they better check them if they come out later in the match. Don't use Agility unless most Pokemon on the opposing team are weakened enough for Zapdos to sweep. To give a reference frame, you should probably wait until Pokemon like Snorlax and Chansey have about a third of their health left. However, if they Rest, you can take advantage of them earlier.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Rest is an option for Zapdos to get some HP back, but you'll rarely ever get the chance to use it. Generally, Zapdos should be attacking or use Thunder Wave anyway; there's not a lot of room to put it on the set, as you lose out on either a pivotal attack, the ability to consistently paralyze opposing Pokemon, or the ability to pull off a late-game sweep. Thunder is usable to OHKO Starmie and to 2HKO Tauros and Slowbro, but it is not as used due to its poor accuracy. Toxic is a nice option in order to pressure the Rock-types, but this is generally not worth using over other moves. Final options for Zapdos are Reflect and Light Screen. Generally you would choose one over the other and replace Agility. Having Reflect or Light Screen up mid-game can be incredibly useful; however, due to Zapdos's lack of recovery without Rest, which is already noted to be unreliable, this option is generally not favored. The combination of Rest and Reflect can also be good at letting Zapdos check the Rock-type Pokemon that it usually loses to, but it risks taking a potential critical hit from Rock Slide.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: The Ground-types of the metagame, Rhydon and Golem, are Zapdos's biggest threats to deal with. They soak up any attack Zapdos has to offer, which forces you to play around them before Zapdos can be effective. One can scout early-game for these Pokemon, but if you spend the whole game trying to play around them, you may find yourself in a pickle by late-game.

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Jolteon can also make good checks to Zapdos, although unlike the above Ground-types, they are susceptible to Thunder Wave. Jolteon would preferably use Rest to better check Zapdos, but ones without Rest work as well. Zapdos itself gets a special mention because it can come in on a Drill Peck to create an even matchup. Despite this, it is still worse than Jolteon as a check, as it is neutral to Thunderbolt damage which should be noted is unable to paralyze Electric-types making it a bit harder for Zapdos to switch in.

**Chansey**: Chansey can act as a good check to Zapdos thanks to its high Special Defense and access to Reflect, but it is generally unfavorable as a check due to the tendency of Drill Peck landing a critical hit.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoshi, 322194]]
- Quality checked by: [[Djokra, 327320], [Zokuru, 263906]]
- Grammar checked by: [[JockeMS, 53214], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Aliss

is a defending SPL Championis a Past SPL Champion
World Defender
[OVERVIEW]

Zapdos is without a doubt the best Electric-type in the metagame, thanks to its high stats and two powerful moves in Thunderbolt and Drill Peck. It is an incredible late-game sweeper, being a mixed attacker on top of having access to Agility. However, Rhydon and Golem, a relatively common and not so common Pokemon respectively, hinder Zapdos’ effectiveness. While they do take minor chip from Drill Peck, they can’t be hit by any of Zapdos’ other moves, and must be dealt with by another Pokemon. Bit more than minor; Zapdos needs rocks gone to do anything really so its kinda mandatory for the other 5 to do this. Due to this, Zapdos generally requires minor support to work effectively in all matchups, keeping it from being considered one of the best Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Agility

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Thunderbolt and Drill Peck are Zapdos’ STAB moves and can hit the majority of the meta. Thunderbolt hits most targets for strong damage, comfortably 3HKOing Tauros and threatening 3HKOs on Snorlax and Alakazam. Drill Peck hits two of the main Pokemon who would like to wall Thunderbolts, Exeggutor and Chansey. Exeggutor is sometimes 2HKOd by Drill Peck, and while Chansey can take two Drill Pecks comfortably, it tends to lose to repeated Drill Pecks as it can’t hit Zapdos very hard and a single critical hit or full paralysis tends to end the fight in Zapdos’ favor. Reflect Chansey's odds against Zapdos aren't as bad (at least better than 'one crit/fp means u lose' most of the time). Thunder Wave is used to paralyze Pokemon such as Tauros or Chansey to give openings for Zapdos to sweep in the late-game, or get a chance to prevent recovery to get an extra turn of damage. Agility can be used on a free turn to allow Zapdos to out speed fast threats like Alakazam and Tauros. It can also be used to remove the Speed drop from paralysis, which can allow Zapdos to sweep through Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it.

In general, you want to keep Zapdos as healthy as possible throughout the match in order to give it sweeping potential. However, this doesn’t mean that you should keep it in the back the whole game, as it has a lot of potential to be useful in the early- and mid-games. Talk about how it can scare out Lax if it gets in on the rest turn and can take advantage of sleeping mons really easily. For example, one should try to use Zapdos to spread status through Thunder Wave. This is especially helpful to do on a Pokemon like Chansey which can be prevented from recovering through status, allowing Zapdos to potentially 3HKO with Drill Peck. In the early-game, be sure to scout for the Ground-types of the tier, Rhydon and Golem. Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Cloyster, or Lapras, which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. You could also lure them out as well with Zapdos itself, which can be done fairly early on, putting you at an information advantage. Talk about wanting to keep Egg healthy if possible if theres a rhydon/golem (or not revealed) so it can deal with rocks for Zapdos. Don’t use Agility unless most Pokemon on the opposing team are weakened enough for Zapdos to sweep. To give a reference frame, you should probably wait until Pokemon like Snorlax and Chansey have about a third of their health left. Mention how sleep/rest can mean earlier is fine.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Rest is an option for Zapdos to get some HP back, but you’ll rarely ever get the chance to click it during battle. Generally, Zapdos should be clicking attacks or Thunder Wave anyway, and there’s not a lot of room to put it on the set, having you either lose out on a pivotal attack, the ability to consistently paralyze, or the ability to pull off a late-game sweep. Thunder is usable to OHKO Starmie and to 2HKO Slowbro and Tauros!, but is not as used due to its inconsistency in accuracy. One final option for Zapdos are the screen moves, Reflect and Light Screen. Generally you would choose one over the other, and would generally replace Agility. They seem like the best other options for Zapdos because while sweeping late-game can be helpful in some matchups, as having Screens up for the mid-game can be incredibly useful as well. However, due to Zapdos’ lack of recovery without Rest, which is already noted to be unreliable, this option is generally not favored. Mention the combination of Reflect + Rest theoretically walling rocks but 1/16th rock slides critting being good odds.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: The Ground-types of the metagame, Rhydon and Golem,, are Zapdos’ biggest threats to deal with. They soak up any attack Zapdos has to offer, and forces you to play around them before Zapdos can be effective in-game. One can scout in the early-game for these Pokemon, but if you spend the whole game trying to play around them, you may find yourself in a pickle by the late-game.

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Jolteon mention how Rest Jolteon does a better job at checking but Rest-less also does fine can also make good checks to Zapdos, although unlike the above Ground-types, are susceptible to Thunder Wave. Zapdos itself gets a special mention because it can come in on a Drill Peck to create an even matchup. Despite this, it is still worse than Jolteon as a check as it is neutral to Thunderbolt damage, making it a bit harder to get in Zapdos in the matchup.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoshi, 322194]]
- Quality checked by: [[Djokra, 327320], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
changes in Purple

1/2, good work :)
 

Zokuru

The Stall Lord
is a Tiering Contributor
I don't know exactly where but I'd talk about the importance of Tauros in the Zapdos vs Rock Match-up.
I think you can put it like this :
Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Cloyster, Lapras, or Tauros which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. The later being an excellent Pokémon in the matchup Big 4 + Zapdos vs Big 4 + Rhydon, being a splendid breaker and win condition.
( Obviously you should change the wording, that's just an example )

Otherwise it looks super nice, so 2/2 I guess
 

xJoelituh

Banned deucer.
Rip, Zokuru beat me, anyway, was going to add as well that Toxic could be added as a OO, not generally worth it but helps pressure rocks a bit more.
Also, mention on C&C, Electric types are immune to Tbolt/Thunder chance of paralysis, so you will never want to try to fish that and it's better to just twave them.

3/2 QC

Good work man :o
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
I would make a mention that you really should only use Agility if you a) get paralyzed or b) know your opp still has an unparalyzed Tauros/Alaka in the back, otherwise there's not much point in clicking it at all even if you're ready to sweep since you outspeed 80% of the meta naturally. Not like Gengar or Persian are super common these days either, and you're gonna be clicking TWave vs Jolteon at first sight.

I would change the Electric-types tag in C&C to just Jolteon, when was the last time you ever saw Raichu or Electrode in a match?

I would also add Chansey and Snorlax to C&C. Ya they can lose, hence the check portion, but Chansey will at the very least Twave you and chip you with Ice Beam (or outright win from full health if you don't get any DPeck crits and it doesn't full para at the wrong time), and worse comes to worse Snorlax is gonna boom on you and isn't 2HKOed without a crit
 
remove add / fix (comments)
AM GP Check
[OVERVIEW]

Zapdos is without a doubt the best Electric-type in the metagame, thanks to its high stats and two powerful moves in Thunderbolt and Drill Peck. It is an incredible late-game sweeper, being a mixed attacker on top of having access to Agility. However, Rhydon and the uncommon Golem, a relatively common and not so common Pokemon respectively, hinder Zapdos’s effectiveness. While they do take slight chip from Drill Peck, they can’t be hit by any of Zapdos’s other moves, and must be dealt with by the rest of the teammates. Due to this, Zapdos generally requires minor support to work effectively in all matchups, keeping it from being considered one of the best Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Agility

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Thunderbolt and Drill Peck are Zapdos’s STAB moves and can hit the majority of the meta. It hits most targets for strong damage, comfortably 3HKOing Tauros and threatening 3HKOs on Snorlax and Alakazam. However, it should be noted that Thunderbolt cannot paralyze other Electric-types. Drill Peck hits two of the main Pokemon who would like to wall Thunderbolts, Exeggutor and Chansey. Exeggutor is sometimes 2HKOd by Drill Peck, and while Chansey can take two Drill Pecks comfortably, it tends to lose to repeated Drill Pecks as it can’t hit Zapdos very hard and a single critical hit or full paralysis tends to end the fight in Zapdos’s favor. However, Chansey does have access to Reflect to increase its chances of winning the match up. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze Pokemon such as Tauros or and Chansey to give openings for Zapdos to sweep in the late-game, or get a chance to prevent recovery to and get an extra turn of damage. Agility can be used on a free turn to allow Zapdos to outspeed (remove space) fast threats like Alakazam and Tauros. It can also be used to remove the Speed drop from paralysis, which can allow Zapdos to sweep through Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it.

In general, you want to keep Zapdos as healthy as possible throughout the match in order to give retain its sweeping potential. However, this doesn’t mean that you should keep it in the back the whole game, as it has a lot of potential to be useful in the early- and or mid-games. For example, Zapdos can take advantage of sleeping Pokemon such as Snorlax, so long as it comes in on the turn the Pokemon uses Rest. One should try to use Zapdos to spread status through with Thunder Wave. This is especially helpful to do on a Pokemon like Chansey which can be prevented from recovering through status a full paralysis, allowing Zapdos to potentially 3HKO with Drill Peck. In the early-game, be sure to scout for the Ground-types of the tier, Rhydon and Golem. Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Tauros, Cloyster, or Lapras, which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. Tauros is probably the best example there as it has a great match up versus Exeggutor, Snorlax, Chansey, and Tauros, as well as being a great win condition on top of that. You could also lure them out as well with Zapdos itself, which can be done fairly early on, putting you at an information advantage. Whether or not you manage to find a Rock-type, though, you should keep Rock-type checks healthy on Zapdos teams like Exeggutor and Lapras so they can better check them if they come out later in the match. Don’t use Agility unless most Pokemon on the opposing team are weakened enough for Zapdos to sweep. To give a reference frame, you should probably wait until Pokemon like Snorlax and Chansey have about a third of their health left. However, if they Rest, you can take advantage of them earlier.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Rest is an option for Zapdos to get some HP back, but you’ll rarely ever get the chance to click it during battle. Generally, Zapdos should be clicking attacks or Thunder Wave anyway, and there’s not a lot of room to put it on the set, having you either lose out on a pivotal attack, the ability to consistently paralyze, or the ability to pull off a late-game sweep. Thunder is usable to OHKO Starmie and to 2HKO Tauros and Slowbro, but is not as used due to its inconsistency in accuracy. Toxic is a nice option in order to pressure the Rock-types, but this is generally not worth using over other moves. One final option for Zapdos are the screen moves, Reflect and or Light Screen, (replace period with comma) Generally you would choose one over the other, and would generally replace replacing Agility. They seem like the best other options for Zapdos because while it helps with a sweeping late-game sweep can be helpful in some matchups, as having Screens up for the mid-game can be incredibly useful as well. However, due to Zapdos’s lack of recovery without Rest, which is already noted to be unreliable, this option is generally not favored. The combination of Rest and Reflect can also be good at checking the Rock-type Pokemon that Zapdos usually loses to, but it risks taking a potential critical hit from Rock Slide, and with it having 16 PP, it is bound to happen eventually.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: The Ground-types of the metagame, Rhydon and Golem, are Zapdos’s biggest threats to deal with. They soak up any attack Zapdos has to offer, and forces you to play around them before Zapdos can be effective in a game (remove hyphen). One can scout in the early-game for these Pokemon, but if you spend the whole game trying to play around them, you may find yourself in a pickle by the late-game.

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Jolteon can also make good checks to Zapdos, although unlike the above Ground-types, they are susceptible to Thunder Wave. Jolteon would preferably use Rest to better check Zapdos, but ones without Rest work as well. Zapdos itself gets a special mention because it can come in on a Drill Peck to create an even matchup. Despite this, it is still worse than Jolteon as a check as it is neutral to Thunderbolt damage, which should be noted to not be able to paralyze Electric-types, making it a bit harder to get in Zapdos in the matchup.

**Chansey**: Chansey can act as a good check to Zapdos thanks to having high Special Defense and access to Reflect, but is generally unfavorable as a check due to the tendency of Drill Peck landing a critical hit.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoshi, 322194]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

Hipmonlee

Have a nice day
is a Community Contributoris a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Four-Time Past WCoP Champion
Screens should only be used with rest. The circumstances where you actually end up getting the turn back that you wasted setting them up are so rare they arent worth mentioning. You would almost certainly be better off with agility.

I think it would be better to spend a bit of time elaborating on how Agility works with paralysis. For a new player its pretty confusing, and its really a big part of how to use Zapdos effectively. I would in some way mention the fact that Agility can often buy you an extra attack even if it doesnt give you a full sweep.

Thunder is for an OHKO on Slowbro, unless you specifically mean after a single Amnesia, but that's generally a weird scenario anyway since Slowbro might Amnesia again.

And I would mention Snorlax as a check. Chansey by itself is an awful Zapdos check (given it has a reasonable chance to die without getting a single attack off if it switches into drill peck), so often people will back that up with Snorlax if they dont have an electric or ground. But to do that Snorlax needs self-destruct or hyperbeam or ideally both.
 

JockeMS

formerly SuperJOCKE
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Add
Remove

[OVERVIEW]

Zapdos is without a doubt the best Electric-type in the metagame,[remove] thanks to its high stats and two powerful moves in Thunderbolt and Drill Peck. It is an incredible late-game sweeper, being a mixed attacker on top of having access to Agility. However, Rhydon and Golem, a relatively common and not so common Pokemon respectively, hinder Zapdos’ Zapdos's effectiveness. While they do take slight chip from Drill Peck, they can't be hit by any of Zapdos’ Zapdos's other moves, and must be dealt with by the rest of the team. Due to this, Zapdos generally requires minor support to work effectively in all matchups, keeping it from being considered one of the best Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Agility

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Thunderbolt and Drill Peck are Zapdos’ Zapdos's STAB moves and can hit the majority of the meta. It Zapdos hits most targets for strong damage, comfortably 3HKOing Tauros and threatening 3HKOs on Snorlax and Alakazam. However, it should be noted that Thunderbolt cannot paralyze other Electric-types. Drill Peck hits two of the main Pokemon who tank would like to wall Thunderbolts, Exeggutor and Chansey. Exeggutor is sometimes 2HKOd 2HKOed by Drill Peck, and while Chansey can take two Drill Pecks comfortably, it tends to lose to repeated Drill Pecks as it can't hit Zapdos very hard and a single critical hit or full paralysis tends to end the fight in Zapdos’ Zapdos's favor. However, Chansey does have access to Reflect to increase its chances of winning the match up. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze Pokemon such as Tauros or and Chansey to give openings for Zapdos to sweep in the late-game, or get a chance to prevent recovery to get an extra turn of damage. Agility can be used on a free turn to allow Zapdos to out speed outspeed faster threats like Alakazam and Tauros. It can also be used to remove the Speed drop from paralysis, which can allow Zapdos to sweep through Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it.

In general, you want to keep Zapdos as healthy as possible throughout the match in order to give it sweeping potential. However, this doesn't mean that you should keep it in the back the whole game, as it has a lot of potential to be useful in the early- and mid-games. For example, Zapdos can take advantage of sleeping Pokemon such as Snorlax, so long as it comes in on the turn the Pokemon uses Rest. One should try to use Zapdos to spread status through Thunder Wave. This is especially helpful to do on a Pokemon like Chansey which can be prevented from recovering through status, allowing Zapdos to potentially 3HKO with Drill Peck. In the early-game, be sure to scout for the Ground-types of the tier, Rhydon and Golem. Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Tauros, Cloyster, or Lapras, which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. Tauros is probably the best example there as it has a great match up versus Exeggutor, Snorlax, Chansey, and Tauros, as well as being a great win condition on top of that. You could also lure them out as well with Zapdos itself, which can be done fairly early on, putting you at an information advantage. Whether or not you manage to find a Rock-type, though, you should keep Rock-type checks healthy on Zapdos teams like Exeggutor and Lapras so they better check them if they come out later in the match. Don't use Agility unless most Pokemon on the opposing team are weakened enough for Zapdos to sweep. To give a reference frame, you should probably wait until Pokemon like Snorlax and Chansey have about a third of their health left. However, if they Rest, you can take advantage of them earlier.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Rest is an option for Zapdos to get some HP back, but you'll rarely ever get the chance to click use it during battle. Generally, Zapdos should be clicking attacks attacking or use Thunder Wave anyway;[add], and there's not a lot of room to put it on the set, having as you either lose out on a pivotal attack, the ability to consistently paralyze, or the ability to pull off a late-game sweep. Thunder is usable to OHKO Starmie and to 2HKO Tauros and Slowbro, but is not as used due to its inconsistency in accuracy. Toxic is a nice option in order to pressure the Rock-types, but this is generally not worth using over other moves. One The final options for Zapdos are the screen moves, Reflect and Light Screen. Generally you would choose one over the other,[remove] and would generally replace Agility. They seem like the best other options for Zapdos because while sweeping late-game can be helpful in some matchups, as having Screens Having Reflect or Light Screen up for the mid-game can be incredibly useful,[add] as well. Hhowever, due to Zapdos’ Zapdos's lack of recovery without Rest, which is already noted to be unreliable, this option is generally not favored. The combination of Rest and Reflect can also be good at checking the Rock-type Pokemon that Zapdos usually loses to, but it risks taking a potential critical hit from Rock Slide, and with it having 16 PP, it is bound to happen eventually.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: The Ground-types of the metagame, Rhydon and Golem, are Zapdos’ Zapdos's biggest threats to deal with. They soak up any attack Zapdos has to offer, and forces you to play around them before Zapdos can be effective in-game. One can scout in the early-game for these Pokemon, but if you spend the whole game trying to play around them, you may find yourself in a pickle by the late-game.

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Jolteon can also make good checks to Zapdos, although unlike the above Ground-types, are susceptible to Thunder Wave. Jolteon would preferably use Rest to better check Zapdos, but ones without Rest work as well. Zapdos itself gets a special mention because it can come in on a Drill Peck to create an even matchup. Despite this, it is still worse than Jolteon as a check as it is neutral to Thunderbolt damage,[remove]— [add]which should be noted to not be able is unable to paralyze Electric-types,[remove]— [add]making it a bit harder for Zapdos to switch in to get in Zapdos in the matchup.

**Chansey**: Chansey can act as a good check to Zapdos thanks to having high Special Defense and access to Reflect, but is generally unfavorable as a check due to the tendency of Drill Peck landing a critical hit.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoshi, 322194]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

I changed all ´ to ' for you, so just go ahead and c/p the entire thing into your OP. Think about using the correct apostrophe in the future. Maybe take a quick glance at the grammar standards as well.

GP 1/2
 

Lumari

empty spaces
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Zapdos is without a doubt the best Electric-type in the metagame thanks to its high stats and two powerful moves in Thunderbolt and Drill Peck. It is an incredible late-game sweeper, being a mixed attacker on top of having access to Agility. However, Rhydon and Golem hinder Zapdos's effectiveness. While they do take slight chip damage from Drill Peck, they can't be hit by any of Zapdos's other moves (RC) and must be dealt with by the rest of the team. Due to this, Zapdos generally requires minor support to work effectively in all matchups, keeping it from being considered one of the best Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Agility

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Thunderbolt and Drill Peck are Zapdos's STAB moves. Zapdos hits most targets for strong damage, comfortably 3HKOing Tauros and threatening 3HKOs on Snorlax and Alakazam. However, it should be noted that Thunderbolt cannot paralyze other Electric-types. Drill Peck hits two of the main Pokemon who that tank Thunderbolt, Exeggutor and Chansey. Exeggutor is sometimes 2HKOed by Drill Peck, and while Chansey can take two Drill Pecks comfortably, it tends to lose to repeated Drill Pecks, (AC) as it can't hit Zapdos very hard, (AC) and a single critical hit or full paralysis tends to end the fight in Zapdos's favor. However, Chansey does have access to Reflect to increase its chances of winning the match up matchup. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze Pokemon such as Tauros and Chansey to give openings for Zapdos to sweep in the late-game (RC) or get a chance to prevent recovery to get an extra turn of damage. Agility can be used on a free turn to allow Zapdos to outspeed faster threats like Alakazam and Tauros. It can also be used to remove the Speed drop from paralysis, which can allow Zapdos to sweep through Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it.

In general, you want to keep Zapdos as healthy as possible throughout the match in order to give it sweeping potential. However, this doesn't mean that you should keep it in the back the whole game, as it has a lot of potential to be useful in the early- and mid-game stages. For example, Zapdos can take advantage of sleeping Pokemon such as Snorlax, so as long as it comes in on the turn the Pokemon uses Rest. One should try to use Zapdos to spread status through Thunder Wave. This is especially helpful to do on a Pokemon like Chansey, (AC) which can be prevented from recovering through status, allowing Zapdos to potentially 3HKO with Drill Peck. In the Early-game, be sure to scout for the Ground-types of the tier, Rhydon and Golem. Do this with Pokemon like Exeggutor, Tauros, Cloyster, or and Lapras, which can pressure them through super effective or status moves. Tauros is probably the best example there, (AC) as it has a great match up matchup versus Exeggutor, Snorlax, Chansey, and Tauros, as well as being a great win condition late-game cleaner on top of that. You could also lure them out with Zapdos itself, which can be done fairly early on, putting you at an information advantage. Whether or not you manage to find a Rock-type, though, you should keep Rock-type checks healthy on Zapdos teams like Exeggutor and Lapras healthy so they better check them if they come out later in the match. Don't use Agility unless most Pokemon on the opposing team are weakened enough for Zapdos to sweep. To give a reference frame, you should probably wait until Pokemon like Snorlax and Chansey have about a third of their health left. However, if they Rest, you can take advantage of them earlier.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Rest is an option for Zapdos to get some HP back, but you'll rarely ever get the chance to use it. Generally, Zapdos should be attacking or use Thunder Wave anyway; there's not a lot of room to put it on the set, as you either lose out on either a pivotal attack, the ability to consistently paralyze opposing Pokemon, or the ability to pull off a late-game sweep. Thunder is usable to OHKO Starmie and to 2HKO Tauros and Slowbro, but it is not as used due to its poor accuracy. Toxic is a nice option in order to pressure the Rock-types, but this is generally not worth using over other moves. Final options for Zapdos are Reflect and Light Screen. Generally you would choose one over the other and replace Agility. Having Reflect or Light Screen up for the mid-game can be incredibly useful; (SC) however, due to Zapdos's lack of recovery without Rest, which is already noted to be unreliable, this option is generally not favored. The combination of Rest and Reflect can also be good at checking letting Zapdos check the Rock-type Pokemon that Zapdos it usually loses to, but it risks taking a potential critical hit from Rock Slide.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: The Ground-types of the metagame, Rhydon and Golem, are Zapdos's biggest threats to deal with. They soak up any attack Zapdos has to offer, and which forces you to play around them before Zapdos can be effective. One can scout in the early-game for these Pokemon, but if you spend the whole game trying to play around them, you may find yourself in a pickle by the late-game.

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Jolteon can also make good checks to Zapdos, although unlike the above Ground-types, they are susceptible to Thunder Wave. Jolteon would preferably use Rest to better check Zapdos, but ones without Rest work as well. Zapdos itself gets a special mention because it can come in on a Drill Peck to create an even matchup. Despite this, it is still worse than Jolteon as a check, (AC) as it is neutral to Thunderbolt damage—which should be noted is unable to paralyze Electric-types—making it a bit harder for Zapdos to switch in.

**Chansey**: Chansey can act as a good check to Zapdos thanks to having its high Special Defense and access to Reflect, but it is generally unfavorable as a check due to the tendency of Drill Peck landing a critical hit.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Yoshi, 322194]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

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