[OVERVIEW]
Zapdos is the most versatile special threat in ADV OU. Its Special Attack is off the charts and supported by a good Speed tier and respectable bulk. By compressing coverage into two staple attacks, it utilizes its filler moveslots and customizable EV spreads to insert itself into a broad range of archetypes. Notably, Zapdos fits like a glove on Spikesless offense teams, but it also finds its way into several formulations of Spikes offense, Toxic + Sandstorm + Spikes (TSS), sand-less Spikes stall, and bulky setup teams. As an offensive threat, Zapdos's greatest asset is its immediate power and speed. Its typing also allows it to pivot into bulky Water-types and Metagross with ease. With Agility and Baton Pass, Zapdos can also support powerful teammates or act as a late-game cleaner. Its decent Attack stat also allows it to be a mixed wallbreaker. As a defensive tank, Zapdos boasts being the only specially bulky Spikes-immune Pokemon, and its ability, Pressure, allows it to stall out Pokemon that wall it. However, while Zapdos is fast, there are still a number of Pokemon in the metagame like Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Starmie that outspeed it; though these Pokemon either lack consistent raw power, move flexibility, or opportunities to switch into battle that Zapdos does, respectively, Speed is frequently enough of a reason to choose these threats over it when offensive teams need a fast late-game sweeper. With room for only two coverage moves on special sets, Zapdos has to make a compromise when choosing its intended targets. Zapdos also frequently falls short of 2HKOing Tyranitar, which can exploit this fact to set up a Dragon Dance sweep. Finally, the decent-at-best bulk of the defensive set, which is just enough for walling special attacks, is really appealing in theory, but a single misstep or critical hit may put Zapdos into an endless Rest loop, rendering it useless and making it a momentum drain for the rest of the game. In spite of these shortfalls, Zapdos is still an amazing Pokemon to use and a prevalent threat that every team must have a good strategy against to be viable.
[SET]
name: Standard Offensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 4: Roar / Baton Pass / Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Zapdos looks deceptively linear and straightforward, but it is one of the most temporally versatile Pokemon in ADV OU. Unlike wallbreakers that are early-game one-trick ponies or sweepers that only become potent in the late-game, Zapdos can find a role to play at every stage of the game. As a lead, offensive Zapdos scores an advantage over other common leads with its ability to prevents Spikes by forcing out Skarmory. It also preserves frail offensive teammates by forcing out Choice Band or mixed Salamence leads or neutering opposing Zapdos leads with Thunder Wave. Spikesless offense teams are quite weak to opposing Zapdos, so using one's own Zapdos to paralyze the other in the mirror lead matchup is crucial for success a lot of the time. Zapdos's filler move can be particularly helpful in dealing with unfavorable lead matchups: Baton Pass allows one to anticipate Focus Punch from Tyranitar, while Protect scouts the move of Choice Band Metagross, notably neutering any immediate attempt at using Explosion. Mid-game, Zapdos performs very well at maintaining momentum. As Zapdos is very reliable at forcing out Water-types and drawing in special walls like Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi, one can keep up the offensive pressure by double switching to a wallbreaker like Choice Band or mixed Metagross or mixed Tyranitar. Complementarily, Zapdos supports these wallbreakers very well, following up with a KO when, for instance, Tyranitar's Hidden Power Grass fails to finish off Swampert or Snorlax's Self-Destruct leaves Metagross or Tyranitar hanging by a thread; the opponent will frequently hesitate to switch lest the pivot eat a chunk from Thunderbolt. Notably, Zapdos is so feared because even two of the Pokemon that wall it can be worn down over the course of the game. As offensive Snorlax is 4HKOed by Zapdos under sand, it can only switch into Zapdos twice and may even struggle to do so with Spikes on the field. Zapdos can also put Celebi on a timer with Toxic, repeatedly chip it with Hidden Power Ice as Celebi uses Recover until Toxic's incremental damage is too high to contain, and then deal a heavy blow on the forced switch with Thunderbolt. Finally, while Zapdos is not known to exclusively be a late-game sweeper, its good Speed tier and decent bulk allow it to wipe out weakened teams after their fast Pokemon have been dealt with.
Hidden Power Grass threatens Swampert, and Hidden Power Ice chips Celebi; this comparison is emphasized because Swampert is strong against physical threats but weak against mixed threats, while for Celebi it is the other way around. Thus, on offensive teams, the Hidden Power type is frequently chosen to complement the type coverage of Zapdos's teammates. Another use of Hidden Power Grass is to minimize one's exposure to Swampert, especially on offensive TSS teams that have no good switch-ins against Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Ice has the added benefit of OHKOing Salamence and Flygon; this is helpful when one fits Zapdos on certain mid-paced TSS and bulky offense teams that would otherwise get destroyed by mixed Salamence. The choice of status move tends to depend on the pace of the team and the selected coverage move. Generally, Thunder Wave is favored when the pace is high to completely nullify Pokemon like Gengar and opposing Zapdos that use their Speed to threaten frail, offensive Zapdos teams. Toxic is useful on slower teams like TSS that have the bulk to drag the battle out and rack up Toxic damage. There is a tendency to pair Hidden Power Ice with Toxic to force Celebi to switch eventually and to pressure Swampert; this pairing is by no means exclusive, however. The filler move is more useful than it might seem at first glance, and some of its uses have been explained in the context of leading with Zapdos. On TSS teams, Roar can be used to rack up Spikes damage, but even without Spikes on the field, Roar reverses the momentum gained by Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi pivoting in and prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on Zapdos. The latter benefit is particularly notable when Zapdos is used on offense teams with shaky Tyranitar checks like Metagross and offensive Swampert. Baton Pass maintains momentum by eliminating the need to read switches, complementing hyper offense teams without defensive backbones really well. Protect gives Toxic more turns to do damage. One can even consider a dual status Zapdos set for versatility against offensive and defensive teams. Substitute can function like Protect, with the advantages of blocking status, activating pinch Berries, and being transferred to another Pokemon with Baton Pass. Timid is generally the preferred nature, as there are a number of noteworthy threats that Zapdos can shut down by outspeeding or attempting to win the Speed tie. Timid Zapdos scores the Speed advantage against standard mixed and Dragon Dance Salamence, Timid Moltres, defensive Gengar, and the rare Jynx while Speed tying with opposing Zapdos, Timid Jirachi, Jolly Choice Band Salamence, Timid Celebi, and Charizard. A Modest nature can be considered, however; it greatly improves the odds of 2HKOing offensive Tyranitar and defensive Suicune after the latter has used Calm Mind, as well as scoring certain OHKOs on Dugtrio and offensive Swampert.
Team Options
========
Offensive Zapdos is most notably a staple on Spikesless offense teams, but it can also fit on comfortably on Spikes offense and TSS teams. On offensive teams, Metagross is perhaps its most commonly seen partner, as it comes in comfortably on all of Zapdos's counters—Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi—and threatens to punch through common defensive Pokemon like Skarmory and Swampert either with Choice Band-boosted Meteor Mash, a special attack, or just an unboosted attack if Spikes are down. Metagross also offensively checks Rock-types that Zapdos cannot hold its ground against, while Zapdos, in return, gets opportunities to switch in on Metagross's checks. Other aggressive partners of offensive Zapdos on Spikesless offense teams that can exploit its momentum maintaining capabilities are Tyranitar, Snorlax, and offensive Swampert. Another partner frequently seen on Spikesless offense teams is Dragon Dance Salamence, which complements Zapdos as a sweeper. Zapdos can exert a lot of pressure on bulky Pokemon with average Speed tiers but struggles to maintain supremacy over faster but frail threats like Starmie, Gengar, Jolteon, and even opposing Zapdos. Salamence appreciates bulky Pokemon weakened, and with some chip damage, it annihilates all fast threats after a Dragon Dance. On Spikes offense, the partner used to threaten opposing fast threats is commonly Jolteon, which can come in at multiple points in the game to force switches and accumulate Spikes damage. The synergy of two Electric-types enables complementary Hidden Power type coverage, and one Electric-type can trade Thunder Wave with opposing Electric-types to protect the other from status.
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Rest
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Roar / Rain Dance / Light Screen
Item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Rest Zapdos is notable as the only common specially bulky Spikes-immune Pokemon. On top of this, Pressure allows it to stall out walls over time. Thus, when physical threats have been removed, barring critical hits, Rest Zapdos can seem absolutely impossible to take down. Rest Zapdos generally appears on two archetypes: Spikes stall and bulky setup. On Spikes stall, Zapdos acts as a reliable phazer that has really good longevity and cannot be trapped. To underscore this point, compare Zapdos with Skarmory in their role as a phazer. With a single misprediction, Skarmory can easily be eliminated by Magneton. Even if the opponent does not have Magneton, it is nearly impossible to find a blanket solution that eliminates Skarmory's checks—Zapdos, Jolteon, Starmie, Moltres, and Gengar—to allow Skarmory to rack up Spikes damage. Furthermore, many of these checks are immune to Spikes and can come in repeatedly without a care. The Pokemon that can mount a significant offensive against Zapdos, however, including Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Metagross with the threat of Explosion, are all damaged by Spikes, and with some chip damage they can be trapped and eliminated by Dugtrio. Another function of Rest + Roar Zapdos is that it never allows Calm Mind users such as Celebi, Jirachi, and Suicune to take advantage of the team. This is an important point because Spikes stall tends to rely on Blissey and Celebi as special walls; these Pokemon are too passive to inflict enough damage before an unstoppable number of boosts have been accumulated by the foe. On Spikesless bulky setup teams, Zapdos has three main roles. First, these teams tend to rely on Claydol to remove Spikes, but as Claydol has no real offensive presence, Skarmory can continue to come in indefinitely against it; Zapdos provides the pressure needed to keep Skarmory off the field. Second, Zapdos functions as a mid-game pivot that can protect Snorlax, Suicune, or Jirachi from taking too much chip damage before they start their Curse or Calm Mind sweep. Mid-game maneuvers may include pivoting in on Celebi's Leech Seed, Gengar's and Moltres's Will-O-Wisp, bulky Water-types, opposing Zapdos, Jolteon, Metagross, mixed Salamence, Heracross, and Gyarados. Note that even with all the defensive investment, Zapdos is particularly susceptible to damage, so care should be taken to get Zapdos in on relatively benign moves. Third, Zapdos eliminates sand via Rain Dance to promote the longevity of the aforementioned setup sweepers. As a word of caution, note that Rest Zapdos is extremely vulnerable to super effective damage taken while switching in and critical hits, as it frequently has just enough bulk to survive Rest loops but not any more than that. Having to use Rest prematurely is a huge momentum sink that allows setup threats like Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Curse Snorlax as well as Choice Band-wielding threats Tyranitar and Salamence to come in freely. Even assuming one is successful at navigating around these threats, getting Zapdos to wake up once it gets into a bad Rest situation requires quite a bit of skillful maneuvering. For example, carelessly sending Rest Zapdos into Modest Blissey's Ice Beam under sand and being forced to use Rest as a result means Zapdos will start off with two sleep turns at around 60% of its HP, and it becomes an uphill task to even keep Zapdos alive from there.
Toxic lets Zapdos attempt to damage or force out everything that Thunderbolt cannot damage significantly, including Blissey, Celebi, Swampert, Flygon, and Claydol. As mentioned earlier, Roar goes well with Spikes, and Rain Dance supports Curse Snorlax and Suicune. Rain Dance also markedly improves Zapdos's longevity by removing sand, ensuring that it is almost never 3HKOed by Timid Zapdos's Thunderbolt, defensive Gengar's Ice Punch, or Modest Blissey's Ice Beam. Light Screen can be used on teams that wish to protect Skarmory and Forretress from Magneton and KO it back with Dugtrio or Forretress's Earthquake; it also provides much-needed additional longevity for Zapdos, especially when one wants to keep sand around for indirect damage. It is possible to use both Light Screen and Roar without Toxic, especially when many Claydol and Swampert run Refresh, or if one still needs to patch up the weakness to Calm Mind users, but such a set's inability to hit offensive Swampert is a huge momentum loss. Alternative options in the fourth moveslot are Hidden Power Ice for extra pressure on Celebi and Hidden Power Grass for tackling Refresh Swampert. Thunder Wave can be used to inflict status on Jirachi, Snorlax, and Leftovers Tyranitar. Paralyzing opposing fast Zapdos and Jolteon also allows Rest Zapdos to exploit full paralysis to burn sleep turns. The EVs are selected for maximum special bulk, but one can also run 32 Speed EVs to outspeed all Tyranitar variants. 32 Defense EVs can be used to always survive Dragon Dance Salamence's boosted Rock Slide. It is inadvisable, however, to take too much away from Zapdos's special bulk because Zapdos frequently sits just below the threshold of getting 3HKOed by strong super effective special attacks.
Team Options
========
Rest Zapdos is expected to come into play frequently over a long battle, so it is imperative that all of its physical checks be dealt with reliably. Tyranitar is best removed using Dugtrio, but an early-game check to it is also necessary to tide through periods of physical punishment, and Claydol is perfect for this. Claydol's Rapid Spin is also very useful for reducing Spikes damage for teammates over the course of a long battle, and Zapdos helps to cover the Water-types that Claydol attracts. In the rare instance that one decides not to use Dugtrio as a partner, another Rock-type answer such as Metagross is almost imperative. By virtue of using a slow Zapdos variant without Thunder Wave, Rest Zapdos teams are frequently weak to offensive Suicune and usually have to go out of their way to provide some mitigating measures for it. Blissey is the best answer to Suicune, but when it does not fit the style of the team, one can tweak Celebi to outspeed Suicune or attempt to wear Suicune down with Jirachi.
On Spikes stall teams, Skarmory is the canonical Spiker, and it also checks Snorlax. A spinblocker in Gengar is especially useful, since Rest Zapdos has no direct way of damaging Claydol, many of which carry Refresh. Blissey with Aromatherapy can save Zapdos from dire circumstances when it gets forced into a Rest loop. Heal Bell Celebi provides similar support, and the combination of Zapdos and Celebi shields the team from most special threats that are either Water- or Electric-types. On bulky setup teams, Rest Zapdos supports Curse Snorlax, Rest Suicune, and Calm Mind + Wish Jirachi.
[SET]
name: Agility + Baton Pass
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Agility
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 120 SpD / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is a variant of offensive Zapdos that performs a dual role as an offense supporter and late-game sweeper. Agility lets Zapdos outspeed every conceivable foe and pass the boost to a powerful threat to tackle bulky opposing Pokemon or directly wipe out frail offense teams itself. Zapdos excels at the Speed passing role because of its ability to pressure the common phazers Skarmory, Suicune, Swampert, and Tyranitar. Its versatility in being able to directly do damage ensures that it does not become deadweight in the event that Speed passing is unnecessary. A Modest nature is used not only because Agility makes up for the Speed lost, but also since after taking a hit to set up Agility, Zapdos can't really afford to take any more damage from Swampert or Dugtrio and would like them cleanly KOed. Furthermore, Baton Pass teams tend to make sacrifices defensively in favor of offensive momentum, so threatening the 2HKO may be essential to avoid a sweep from +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar. The EVs allow Zapdos to outspeed Heracross while always surviving Modest Suicune's Calm Mind-boosted Ice Beam under sand.
Team Options
========
Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi is an amazing partner for Zapdos. Not only does Celebi set up its own boosts and maintain the Baton Pass chain, it also has the right tools to stop Zapdos's checks from ruining the chain. For example, its ability Natural Cure lets it absorb Thunder Wave from Blissey and, with its reduced Speed, pass the boosts to the intended recipient, which can come in without taking a single hit. Celebi's Grass typing and boosted Hidden Power Fire also prevent opposing Celebi from trying to foil the plan with Leech Seed. Slow but powerful threats make great Baton Pass recipients. Especially when combined with Calm Mind boosts from Celebi, mixed recipients like offensive Swampert, Metagross, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Charizard appreciate Zapdos's Speed boosts to outspeed and threaten to KO their usual checks like Gengar, Zapdos, and Starmie. Alternatively, the Speed boost can be passed to physical threats, most notably Marowak, which has the advantage of being immune to Thunder Wave and can OHKO almost everything after a Swords Dance boost. Metagross, Machamp, and Rhydon are other possible physical Baton Pass recipients. Building along the same physically offensive path, one can also consider passing boosts with Swords Dance + Baton Pass Celebi with Magneton support.
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Agility / Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Mild
evs: 120 Atk / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Mixed Zapdos is a variant of offensive Zapdos with three attacking moves that hit almost everything for solid damage but usually fall short of scoring the OHKO. This shortfall is made up for by Spikes damage, where on Spikes offense teams, Zapdos performs the role of a mid-game wallbreaker or late-game sweeper. Less commonly, mixed Zapdos gets its power boost passed from Swords Dance Celebi. Drill Peck's main function is to take a chunk off of Pokemon that normally wall Zapdos, such as Celebi and Blissey, while providing the auxiliary benefit of OHKOing Heracross. The sweeper set tends to use Hidden Power Grass + Agility for maximum type coverage with the listed EV spread to outspeed Heracross and to maximize the odds of OHKOing Swampert and Dugtrio. The latter point is especially important, as Zapdos is not expected to be able to survive another hit after already taking damage while using Agility. The wallbreaker set tends to run an EV spread of 252 Atk / 12 SpA / 244 Spe with a Lonely nature to exert maximum pressure on Celebi and Blissey, and Hidden Power Fighting on this set allows Zapdos to 2HKO Blissey under sand with three layers of Spikes on the field. Hidden Power Fighting also prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from getting two boosts on Zapdos and annihilating the entire team. As the Hidden Power Fighting set does not get past Swampert, it tends to be more useful to use a status move in the last slot if it is run. The last slot can also be used for a move that synergizes with the rest of the team, such as Roar or Baton Pass. On TSS teams, Roar can be used to rack up Spikes damage, but even without Spikes on the field, Roar reverses the momentum gained by Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi pivoting in and prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on Zapdos. The latter benefit is particularly notable when Zapdos is used on offense teams with shaky Tyranitar checks like Metagross and offensive Swampert. Baton Pass generally maintains momentum by eliminating the need to read switches, but it notably synergizes with Swords Dance Celebi by helping to maintain the Baton Pass chain. Note that the roles of wallbreaker and sweeper are not entirely exclusive and are matchup dependent, for Zapdos's excellent all-around offensive stats allow its roles to intersect regardless of its EV spread. In its wallbreaking role, Drill Peck and Hidden Power Fighting are best used as surprises when the opponent inadvertently or inevitably lets Celebi or Blissey get chipped into 2HKO range of these moves over the course of a game, although with the alternate EV spread, an observant player might get suspicious the moment lower-than-expected damage from Thunderbolt is revealed.
Team Options
========
Mixed Zapdos is most frequently used on teams with an offensive slant. If Spikes is the method chosen to support mixed Zapdos, the Spiker can be Skarmory—the golden standard—but it can also be Cloyster, which is immune to trapping and uses Explosion and Surf to hold its ground against the premier Rapid Spin user, Claydol. Spikesless offensive support is also possible, albeit less common. Swords Dance + Baton Pass Celebi can also provide Zapdos with the firepower needed to muscle through its counters. Explosion from Gengar, Regice, and Weezing or forcing a trade with Dugtrio can also bring Zapdos's checks within KO range of its physical attacks without losing momentum.
To fulfill its roles effectively, mixed Zapdos differs from standard offensive Zapdos in two ways. First, it relinquishes early-game utility, as it wants to stay damage and status free, leaving the team potentially vulnerable to status from opposing lead Zapdos. Second, its relatively low Speed allows it to be exploited by opposing Zapdos or even Moltres. Making up for the first point is not easy for Spikes teams, for Swampert and Metagross are risky pivots into status moves. Using Tyranitar as a pivot is perhaps the lesser of evils, as it is relatively slow to begin with and can force Zapdos out. Celebi can also be used as a pivot into status moves, but it can be exploited by dangerous threats like Choice Band Salamence, Aerodactyl, Moltres, and Tyranitar, so matching the low (do you mean slow? unsure) pace of Celebi to an offensive team will require some thought. Just like the standard offensive set, Pokemon that put pressure on Blissey and Snorlax like offensive Swampert and Metagross are good partners for mixed Zapdos, as Drill Peck lacks the power to muscle through them early-game. It's also important to emphasize the importance of faster secondary sweepers as partners, not only to cover mixed Zapdos's lack of speed but also to benefit from its wallbreaking abilities. Jolteon, in particular, gets a special mention for its ability to check opposing Zapdos by trading Thunder Wave and to offer complementary Hidden Power type coverage. Jolteon also supports the team through discouraging opposing Zapdos' use of Thunderbolt with Volt Absorb, letting Tyranitar come in to absorb status with less fear of getting chipped too much.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metal Sound can be used to put opposing Celebi and Blissey under increasing pressure until the opponent gives in and switches out to something frail to have it eat a Thunderbolt. It also prevents Curse Snorlax from setting up indefinitely if it is the opponent's last Pokemon. Choice Band can be used to OHKO Tyranitar and 2HKO Blissey with Hidden Power Fighting and to 2HKO Celebi with Drill Peck. Thunder's high-Base(AH) Power and paralysis rate allow Zapdos to muscle through Suicune and Snorlax more quickly, assuming it hits; it is most reliable on Rest Zapdos, which can boost its accuracy with Rain Dance and even out the odds of it hitting over the course of a long battle. Pinch Berries like Salac Berry, Petaya Berry, and Liechi Berry can be used with Substitute + Baton Pass Zapdos to support teammates offensively in the face of Zapdos's checks. Lum Berry can be used on mixed Zapdos to tide through a single turn of status from Blissey as Zapdos wallbreaks. A physically defensive EV spread of 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe with a Bold nature can be used to keep the team safe from Choice Band Metagross and deal with Salamence in a pinch on teams without a bulky Water-type. This defensive variant is useful on paralysis spam teams, for example, which otherwise try to use an awkward combination of Gyarados's Intimidate and Marowak to deal with Salamence, Metagross, and Tyranitar.
Checks and Counters
===================
Blissey and Celebi are the best Zapdos checks in a vacuum, as they both have great special bulk and Natural Cure. Blissey takes almost nothing from Zapdos's special attacks, and Zapdos's mixed sets cannot 2HKO Blissey without some prior chip damage. Celebi is more susceptible to getting worn down by repeated uses of Hidden Power Ice and Toxic but can regain the lost momentum with Leech Seed or Calm Mind + Baton Pass. In practice, however, Zapdos users often maintain pressure on these checks with Metagross or Dugtrio at the back. Blissey and Celebi must also beware of Rest Zapdos, which requires additional offensive support to take down, either with sand or hard-hitting physical threats like Tyranitar and Snorlax.
Snorlax is the standard offensive check to special attackers on Spikesless teams; it has a limited lifetime, especially under sand and with Spikes on the field, due to its lack of access to instant recovery, but it can come in once or twice against Zapdos and threaten to paralyze or KO it with Body Slam or Self-Destruct. Curse Snorlax is a little bulkier, but it otherwise suffers from similar issues. Jolteon is frequently used as an offensive check to Zapdos on Spikes offense teams due to its ability Volt Absorb, but Thunder Wave from Zapdos neuters Jolteon's greatest asset: its Speed. Defensive Jirachi can tank Zapdos's attacks all day and pass Wish,(AC) yet it similarly does not appreciate getting paralyzed. Regice is a niche special wall that is amazing at forcing Zapdos out by threatening to paralyze or OHKO it, though it is very vulnerable to Toxic and Spikes damage.
It should be noted that Zapdos hates to be statused. Paralysis takes away the speed that makes Zapdos so threatening and immediately opens it up to all sorts of strong physical or super effective attacks, even from Pokemon like Swampert it is meant to check; this is an important factor to consider when deciding whether to trade Thunder Wave in the mirror matchup. Even though Zapdos is a specially offensive Pokemon, early-game poison and burn will still accrue a lot of damage on it, as Zapdos is likely to come into play multiple times throughout a game.
Finally, Zapdos has some unique situational pivots and checks. Tyranitar can absorb Thunderbolt and take Zapdos down in a pinch, although it usually wants to save its HP for better uses like a Dragon Dance sweep. Claydol can come in on Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave and potentially use Refresh to eliminate Toxic poison. The opponent can then pivot to a check like Curse Snorlax or Rest Zapdos on Hidden Power to prolong the target's longevity. Dugtrio can do likewise, despite being a much riskier switch-in. Similarly, Magneton can take a Thunderbolt and disable Zapdos with a status move; this maneuver may be used to prolong Snorlax's longevity, especially on offensive teams. Finally, the combination of Swampert and Flygon can be used to cover both of Zapdos's Hidden Power types, but the weakness of this core to Water-types renders it pretty rare.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vapicuno, 5454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [BKC, 52012]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732], [Rabia, 336073]]
Zapdos is the most versatile special threat in ADV OU. Its Special Attack is off the charts and supported by a good Speed tier and respectable bulk. By compressing coverage into two staple attacks, it utilizes its filler moveslots and customizable EV spreads to insert itself into a broad range of archetypes. Notably, Zapdos fits like a glove on Spikesless offense teams, but it also finds its way into several formulations of Spikes offense, Toxic + Sandstorm + Spikes (TSS), sand-less Spikes stall, and bulky setup teams. As an offensive threat, Zapdos's greatest asset is its immediate power and speed. Its typing also allows it to pivot into bulky Water-types and Metagross with ease. With Agility and Baton Pass, Zapdos can also support powerful teammates or act as a late-game cleaner. Its decent Attack stat also allows it to be a mixed wallbreaker. As a defensive tank, Zapdos boasts being the only specially bulky Spikes-immune Pokemon, and its ability, Pressure, allows it to stall out Pokemon that wall it. However, while Zapdos is fast, there are still a number of Pokemon in the metagame like Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Starmie that outspeed it; though these Pokemon either lack consistent raw power, move flexibility, or opportunities to switch into battle that Zapdos does, respectively, Speed is frequently enough of a reason to choose these threats over it when offensive teams need a fast late-game sweeper. With room for only two coverage moves on special sets, Zapdos has to make a compromise when choosing its intended targets. Zapdos also frequently falls short of 2HKOing Tyranitar, which can exploit this fact to set up a Dragon Dance sweep. Finally, the decent-at-best bulk of the defensive set, which is just enough for walling special attacks, is really appealing in theory, but a single misstep or critical hit may put Zapdos into an endless Rest loop, rendering it useless and making it a momentum drain for the rest of the game. In spite of these shortfalls, Zapdos is still an amazing Pokemon to use and a prevalent threat that every team must have a good strategy against to be viable.
[SET]
name: Standard Offensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 4: Roar / Baton Pass / Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Zapdos looks deceptively linear and straightforward, but it is one of the most temporally versatile Pokemon in ADV OU. Unlike wallbreakers that are early-game one-trick ponies or sweepers that only become potent in the late-game, Zapdos can find a role to play at every stage of the game. As a lead, offensive Zapdos scores an advantage over other common leads with its ability to prevents Spikes by forcing out Skarmory. It also preserves frail offensive teammates by forcing out Choice Band or mixed Salamence leads or neutering opposing Zapdos leads with Thunder Wave. Spikesless offense teams are quite weak to opposing Zapdos, so using one's own Zapdos to paralyze the other in the mirror lead matchup is crucial for success a lot of the time. Zapdos's filler move can be particularly helpful in dealing with unfavorable lead matchups: Baton Pass allows one to anticipate Focus Punch from Tyranitar, while Protect scouts the move of Choice Band Metagross, notably neutering any immediate attempt at using Explosion. Mid-game, Zapdos performs very well at maintaining momentum. As Zapdos is very reliable at forcing out Water-types and drawing in special walls like Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi, one can keep up the offensive pressure by double switching to a wallbreaker like Choice Band or mixed Metagross or mixed Tyranitar. Complementarily, Zapdos supports these wallbreakers very well, following up with a KO when, for instance, Tyranitar's Hidden Power Grass fails to finish off Swampert or Snorlax's Self-Destruct leaves Metagross or Tyranitar hanging by a thread; the opponent will frequently hesitate to switch lest the pivot eat a chunk from Thunderbolt. Notably, Zapdos is so feared because even two of the Pokemon that wall it can be worn down over the course of the game. As offensive Snorlax is 4HKOed by Zapdos under sand, it can only switch into Zapdos twice and may even struggle to do so with Spikes on the field. Zapdos can also put Celebi on a timer with Toxic, repeatedly chip it with Hidden Power Ice as Celebi uses Recover until Toxic's incremental damage is too high to contain, and then deal a heavy blow on the forced switch with Thunderbolt. Finally, while Zapdos is not known to exclusively be a late-game sweeper, its good Speed tier and decent bulk allow it to wipe out weakened teams after their fast Pokemon have been dealt with.
Hidden Power Grass threatens Swampert, and Hidden Power Ice chips Celebi; this comparison is emphasized because Swampert is strong against physical threats but weak against mixed threats, while for Celebi it is the other way around. Thus, on offensive teams, the Hidden Power type is frequently chosen to complement the type coverage of Zapdos's teammates. Another use of Hidden Power Grass is to minimize one's exposure to Swampert, especially on offensive TSS teams that have no good switch-ins against Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Ice has the added benefit of OHKOing Salamence and Flygon; this is helpful when one fits Zapdos on certain mid-paced TSS and bulky offense teams that would otherwise get destroyed by mixed Salamence. The choice of status move tends to depend on the pace of the team and the selected coverage move. Generally, Thunder Wave is favored when the pace is high to completely nullify Pokemon like Gengar and opposing Zapdos that use their Speed to threaten frail, offensive Zapdos teams. Toxic is useful on slower teams like TSS that have the bulk to drag the battle out and rack up Toxic damage. There is a tendency to pair Hidden Power Ice with Toxic to force Celebi to switch eventually and to pressure Swampert; this pairing is by no means exclusive, however. The filler move is more useful than it might seem at first glance, and some of its uses have been explained in the context of leading with Zapdos. On TSS teams, Roar can be used to rack up Spikes damage, but even without Spikes on the field, Roar reverses the momentum gained by Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi pivoting in and prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on Zapdos. The latter benefit is particularly notable when Zapdos is used on offense teams with shaky Tyranitar checks like Metagross and offensive Swampert. Baton Pass maintains momentum by eliminating the need to read switches, complementing hyper offense teams without defensive backbones really well. Protect gives Toxic more turns to do damage. One can even consider a dual status Zapdos set for versatility against offensive and defensive teams. Substitute can function like Protect, with the advantages of blocking status, activating pinch Berries, and being transferred to another Pokemon with Baton Pass. Timid is generally the preferred nature, as there are a number of noteworthy threats that Zapdos can shut down by outspeeding or attempting to win the Speed tie. Timid Zapdos scores the Speed advantage against standard mixed and Dragon Dance Salamence, Timid Moltres, defensive Gengar, and the rare Jynx while Speed tying with opposing Zapdos, Timid Jirachi, Jolly Choice Band Salamence, Timid Celebi, and Charizard. A Modest nature can be considered, however; it greatly improves the odds of 2HKOing offensive Tyranitar and defensive Suicune after the latter has used Calm Mind, as well as scoring certain OHKOs on Dugtrio and offensive Swampert.
Team Options
========
Offensive Zapdos is most notably a staple on Spikesless offense teams, but it can also fit on comfortably on Spikes offense and TSS teams. On offensive teams, Metagross is perhaps its most commonly seen partner, as it comes in comfortably on all of Zapdos's counters—Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi—and threatens to punch through common defensive Pokemon like Skarmory and Swampert either with Choice Band-boosted Meteor Mash, a special attack, or just an unboosted attack if Spikes are down. Metagross also offensively checks Rock-types that Zapdos cannot hold its ground against, while Zapdos, in return, gets opportunities to switch in on Metagross's checks. Other aggressive partners of offensive Zapdos on Spikesless offense teams that can exploit its momentum maintaining capabilities are Tyranitar, Snorlax, and offensive Swampert. Another partner frequently seen on Spikesless offense teams is Dragon Dance Salamence, which complements Zapdos as a sweeper. Zapdos can exert a lot of pressure on bulky Pokemon with average Speed tiers but struggles to maintain supremacy over faster but frail threats like Starmie, Gengar, Jolteon, and even opposing Zapdos. Salamence appreciates bulky Pokemon weakened, and with some chip damage, it annihilates all fast threats after a Dragon Dance. On Spikes offense, the partner used to threaten opposing fast threats is commonly Jolteon, which can come in at multiple points in the game to force switches and accumulate Spikes damage. The synergy of two Electric-types enables complementary Hidden Power type coverage, and one Electric-type can trade Thunder Wave with opposing Electric-types to protect the other from status.
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Rest
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Roar / Rain Dance / Light Screen
Item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Rest Zapdos is notable as the only common specially bulky Spikes-immune Pokemon. On top of this, Pressure allows it to stall out walls over time. Thus, when physical threats have been removed, barring critical hits, Rest Zapdos can seem absolutely impossible to take down. Rest Zapdos generally appears on two archetypes: Spikes stall and bulky setup. On Spikes stall, Zapdos acts as a reliable phazer that has really good longevity and cannot be trapped. To underscore this point, compare Zapdos with Skarmory in their role as a phazer. With a single misprediction, Skarmory can easily be eliminated by Magneton. Even if the opponent does not have Magneton, it is nearly impossible to find a blanket solution that eliminates Skarmory's checks—Zapdos, Jolteon, Starmie, Moltres, and Gengar—to allow Skarmory to rack up Spikes damage. Furthermore, many of these checks are immune to Spikes and can come in repeatedly without a care. The Pokemon that can mount a significant offensive against Zapdos, however, including Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Metagross with the threat of Explosion, are all damaged by Spikes, and with some chip damage they can be trapped and eliminated by Dugtrio. Another function of Rest + Roar Zapdos is that it never allows Calm Mind users such as Celebi, Jirachi, and Suicune to take advantage of the team. This is an important point because Spikes stall tends to rely on Blissey and Celebi as special walls; these Pokemon are too passive to inflict enough damage before an unstoppable number of boosts have been accumulated by the foe. On Spikesless bulky setup teams, Zapdos has three main roles. First, these teams tend to rely on Claydol to remove Spikes, but as Claydol has no real offensive presence, Skarmory can continue to come in indefinitely against it; Zapdos provides the pressure needed to keep Skarmory off the field. Second, Zapdos functions as a mid-game pivot that can protect Snorlax, Suicune, or Jirachi from taking too much chip damage before they start their Curse or Calm Mind sweep. Mid-game maneuvers may include pivoting in on Celebi's Leech Seed, Gengar's and Moltres's Will-O-Wisp, bulky Water-types, opposing Zapdos, Jolteon, Metagross, mixed Salamence, Heracross, and Gyarados. Note that even with all the defensive investment, Zapdos is particularly susceptible to damage, so care should be taken to get Zapdos in on relatively benign moves. Third, Zapdos eliminates sand via Rain Dance to promote the longevity of the aforementioned setup sweepers. As a word of caution, note that Rest Zapdos is extremely vulnerable to super effective damage taken while switching in and critical hits, as it frequently has just enough bulk to survive Rest loops but not any more than that. Having to use Rest prematurely is a huge momentum sink that allows setup threats like Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Curse Snorlax as well as Choice Band-wielding threats Tyranitar and Salamence to come in freely. Even assuming one is successful at navigating around these threats, getting Zapdos to wake up once it gets into a bad Rest situation requires quite a bit of skillful maneuvering. For example, carelessly sending Rest Zapdos into Modest Blissey's Ice Beam under sand and being forced to use Rest as a result means Zapdos will start off with two sleep turns at around 60% of its HP, and it becomes an uphill task to even keep Zapdos alive from there.
Toxic lets Zapdos attempt to damage or force out everything that Thunderbolt cannot damage significantly, including Blissey, Celebi, Swampert, Flygon, and Claydol. As mentioned earlier, Roar goes well with Spikes, and Rain Dance supports Curse Snorlax and Suicune. Rain Dance also markedly improves Zapdos's longevity by removing sand, ensuring that it is almost never 3HKOed by Timid Zapdos's Thunderbolt, defensive Gengar's Ice Punch, or Modest Blissey's Ice Beam. Light Screen can be used on teams that wish to protect Skarmory and Forretress from Magneton and KO it back with Dugtrio or Forretress's Earthquake; it also provides much-needed additional longevity for Zapdos, especially when one wants to keep sand around for indirect damage. It is possible to use both Light Screen and Roar without Toxic, especially when many Claydol and Swampert run Refresh, or if one still needs to patch up the weakness to Calm Mind users, but such a set's inability to hit offensive Swampert is a huge momentum loss. Alternative options in the fourth moveslot are Hidden Power Ice for extra pressure on Celebi and Hidden Power Grass for tackling Refresh Swampert. Thunder Wave can be used to inflict status on Jirachi, Snorlax, and Leftovers Tyranitar. Paralyzing opposing fast Zapdos and Jolteon also allows Rest Zapdos to exploit full paralysis to burn sleep turns. The EVs are selected for maximum special bulk, but one can also run 32 Speed EVs to outspeed all Tyranitar variants. 32 Defense EVs can be used to always survive Dragon Dance Salamence's boosted Rock Slide. It is inadvisable, however, to take too much away from Zapdos's special bulk because Zapdos frequently sits just below the threshold of getting 3HKOed by strong super effective special attacks.
Team Options
========
Rest Zapdos is expected to come into play frequently over a long battle, so it is imperative that all of its physical checks be dealt with reliably. Tyranitar is best removed using Dugtrio, but an early-game check to it is also necessary to tide through periods of physical punishment, and Claydol is perfect for this. Claydol's Rapid Spin is also very useful for reducing Spikes damage for teammates over the course of a long battle, and Zapdos helps to cover the Water-types that Claydol attracts. In the rare instance that one decides not to use Dugtrio as a partner, another Rock-type answer such as Metagross is almost imperative. By virtue of using a slow Zapdos variant without Thunder Wave, Rest Zapdos teams are frequently weak to offensive Suicune and usually have to go out of their way to provide some mitigating measures for it. Blissey is the best answer to Suicune, but when it does not fit the style of the team, one can tweak Celebi to outspeed Suicune or attempt to wear Suicune down with Jirachi.
On Spikes stall teams, Skarmory is the canonical Spiker, and it also checks Snorlax. A spinblocker in Gengar is especially useful, since Rest Zapdos has no direct way of damaging Claydol, many of which carry Refresh. Blissey with Aromatherapy can save Zapdos from dire circumstances when it gets forced into a Rest loop. Heal Bell Celebi provides similar support, and the combination of Zapdos and Celebi shields the team from most special threats that are either Water- or Electric-types. On bulky setup teams, Rest Zapdos supports Curse Snorlax, Rest Suicune, and Calm Mind + Wish Jirachi.
[SET]
name: Agility + Baton Pass
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Agility
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 120 SpD / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is a variant of offensive Zapdos that performs a dual role as an offense supporter and late-game sweeper. Agility lets Zapdos outspeed every conceivable foe and pass the boost to a powerful threat to tackle bulky opposing Pokemon or directly wipe out frail offense teams itself. Zapdos excels at the Speed passing role because of its ability to pressure the common phazers Skarmory, Suicune, Swampert, and Tyranitar. Its versatility in being able to directly do damage ensures that it does not become deadweight in the event that Speed passing is unnecessary. A Modest nature is used not only because Agility makes up for the Speed lost, but also since after taking a hit to set up Agility, Zapdos can't really afford to take any more damage from Swampert or Dugtrio and would like them cleanly KOed. Furthermore, Baton Pass teams tend to make sacrifices defensively in favor of offensive momentum, so threatening the 2HKO may be essential to avoid a sweep from +2 Dragon Dance Tyranitar. The EVs allow Zapdos to outspeed Heracross while always surviving Modest Suicune's Calm Mind-boosted Ice Beam under sand.
Team Options
========
Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi is an amazing partner for Zapdos. Not only does Celebi set up its own boosts and maintain the Baton Pass chain, it also has the right tools to stop Zapdos's checks from ruining the chain. For example, its ability Natural Cure lets it absorb Thunder Wave from Blissey and, with its reduced Speed, pass the boosts to the intended recipient, which can come in without taking a single hit. Celebi's Grass typing and boosted Hidden Power Fire also prevent opposing Celebi from trying to foil the plan with Leech Seed. Slow but powerful threats make great Baton Pass recipients. Especially when combined with Calm Mind boosts from Celebi, mixed recipients like offensive Swampert, Metagross, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Charizard appreciate Zapdos's Speed boosts to outspeed and threaten to KO their usual checks like Gengar, Zapdos, and Starmie. Alternatively, the Speed boost can be passed to physical threats, most notably Marowak, which has the advantage of being immune to Thunder Wave and can OHKO almost everything after a Swords Dance boost. Metagross, Machamp, and Rhydon are other possible physical Baton Pass recipients. Building along the same physically offensive path, one can also consider passing boosts with Swords Dance + Baton Pass Celebi with Magneton support.
[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Agility / Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Mild
evs: 120 Atk / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Mixed Zapdos is a variant of offensive Zapdos with three attacking moves that hit almost everything for solid damage but usually fall short of scoring the OHKO. This shortfall is made up for by Spikes damage, where on Spikes offense teams, Zapdos performs the role of a mid-game wallbreaker or late-game sweeper. Less commonly, mixed Zapdos gets its power boost passed from Swords Dance Celebi. Drill Peck's main function is to take a chunk off of Pokemon that normally wall Zapdos, such as Celebi and Blissey, while providing the auxiliary benefit of OHKOing Heracross. The sweeper set tends to use Hidden Power Grass + Agility for maximum type coverage with the listed EV spread to outspeed Heracross and to maximize the odds of OHKOing Swampert and Dugtrio. The latter point is especially important, as Zapdos is not expected to be able to survive another hit after already taking damage while using Agility. The wallbreaker set tends to run an EV spread of 252 Atk / 12 SpA / 244 Spe with a Lonely nature to exert maximum pressure on Celebi and Blissey, and Hidden Power Fighting on this set allows Zapdos to 2HKO Blissey under sand with three layers of Spikes on the field. Hidden Power Fighting also prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from getting two boosts on Zapdos and annihilating the entire team. As the Hidden Power Fighting set does not get past Swampert, it tends to be more useful to use a status move in the last slot if it is run. The last slot can also be used for a move that synergizes with the rest of the team, such as Roar or Baton Pass. On TSS teams, Roar can be used to rack up Spikes damage, but even without Spikes on the field, Roar reverses the momentum gained by Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi pivoting in and prevents Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on Zapdos. The latter benefit is particularly notable when Zapdos is used on offense teams with shaky Tyranitar checks like Metagross and offensive Swampert. Baton Pass generally maintains momentum by eliminating the need to read switches, but it notably synergizes with Swords Dance Celebi by helping to maintain the Baton Pass chain. Note that the roles of wallbreaker and sweeper are not entirely exclusive and are matchup dependent, for Zapdos's excellent all-around offensive stats allow its roles to intersect regardless of its EV spread. In its wallbreaking role, Drill Peck and Hidden Power Fighting are best used as surprises when the opponent inadvertently or inevitably lets Celebi or Blissey get chipped into 2HKO range of these moves over the course of a game, although with the alternate EV spread, an observant player might get suspicious the moment lower-than-expected damage from Thunderbolt is revealed.
Team Options
========
Mixed Zapdos is most frequently used on teams with an offensive slant. If Spikes is the method chosen to support mixed Zapdos, the Spiker can be Skarmory—the golden standard—but it can also be Cloyster, which is immune to trapping and uses Explosion and Surf to hold its ground against the premier Rapid Spin user, Claydol. Spikesless offensive support is also possible, albeit less common. Swords Dance + Baton Pass Celebi can also provide Zapdos with the firepower needed to muscle through its counters. Explosion from Gengar, Regice, and Weezing or forcing a trade with Dugtrio can also bring Zapdos's checks within KO range of its physical attacks without losing momentum.
To fulfill its roles effectively, mixed Zapdos differs from standard offensive Zapdos in two ways. First, it relinquishes early-game utility, as it wants to stay damage and status free, leaving the team potentially vulnerable to status from opposing lead Zapdos. Second, its relatively low Speed allows it to be exploited by opposing Zapdos or even Moltres. Making up for the first point is not easy for Spikes teams, for Swampert and Metagross are risky pivots into status moves. Using Tyranitar as a pivot is perhaps the lesser of evils, as it is relatively slow to begin with and can force Zapdos out. Celebi can also be used as a pivot into status moves, but it can be exploited by dangerous threats like Choice Band Salamence, Aerodactyl, Moltres, and Tyranitar, so matching the low (do you mean slow? unsure) pace of Celebi to an offensive team will require some thought. Just like the standard offensive set, Pokemon that put pressure on Blissey and Snorlax like offensive Swampert and Metagross are good partners for mixed Zapdos, as Drill Peck lacks the power to muscle through them early-game. It's also important to emphasize the importance of faster secondary sweepers as partners, not only to cover mixed Zapdos's lack of speed but also to benefit from its wallbreaking abilities. Jolteon, in particular, gets a special mention for its ability to check opposing Zapdos by trading Thunder Wave and to offer complementary Hidden Power type coverage. Jolteon also supports the team through discouraging opposing Zapdos' use of Thunderbolt with Volt Absorb, letting Tyranitar come in to absorb status with less fear of getting chipped too much.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metal Sound can be used to put opposing Celebi and Blissey under increasing pressure until the opponent gives in and switches out to something frail to have it eat a Thunderbolt. It also prevents Curse Snorlax from setting up indefinitely if it is the opponent's last Pokemon. Choice Band can be used to OHKO Tyranitar and 2HKO Blissey with Hidden Power Fighting and to 2HKO Celebi with Drill Peck. Thunder's high-Base(AH) Power and paralysis rate allow Zapdos to muscle through Suicune and Snorlax more quickly, assuming it hits; it is most reliable on Rest Zapdos, which can boost its accuracy with Rain Dance and even out the odds of it hitting over the course of a long battle. Pinch Berries like Salac Berry, Petaya Berry, and Liechi Berry can be used with Substitute + Baton Pass Zapdos to support teammates offensively in the face of Zapdos's checks. Lum Berry can be used on mixed Zapdos to tide through a single turn of status from Blissey as Zapdos wallbreaks. A physically defensive EV spread of 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe with a Bold nature can be used to keep the team safe from Choice Band Metagross and deal with Salamence in a pinch on teams without a bulky Water-type. This defensive variant is useful on paralysis spam teams, for example, which otherwise try to use an awkward combination of Gyarados's Intimidate and Marowak to deal with Salamence, Metagross, and Tyranitar.
Checks and Counters
===================
Blissey and Celebi are the best Zapdos checks in a vacuum, as they both have great special bulk and Natural Cure. Blissey takes almost nothing from Zapdos's special attacks, and Zapdos's mixed sets cannot 2HKO Blissey without some prior chip damage. Celebi is more susceptible to getting worn down by repeated uses of Hidden Power Ice and Toxic but can regain the lost momentum with Leech Seed or Calm Mind + Baton Pass. In practice, however, Zapdos users often maintain pressure on these checks with Metagross or Dugtrio at the back. Blissey and Celebi must also beware of Rest Zapdos, which requires additional offensive support to take down, either with sand or hard-hitting physical threats like Tyranitar and Snorlax.
Snorlax is the standard offensive check to special attackers on Spikesless teams; it has a limited lifetime, especially under sand and with Spikes on the field, due to its lack of access to instant recovery, but it can come in once or twice against Zapdos and threaten to paralyze or KO it with Body Slam or Self-Destruct. Curse Snorlax is a little bulkier, but it otherwise suffers from similar issues. Jolteon is frequently used as an offensive check to Zapdos on Spikes offense teams due to its ability Volt Absorb, but Thunder Wave from Zapdos neuters Jolteon's greatest asset: its Speed. Defensive Jirachi can tank Zapdos's attacks all day and pass Wish,(AC) yet it similarly does not appreciate getting paralyzed. Regice is a niche special wall that is amazing at forcing Zapdos out by threatening to paralyze or OHKO it, though it is very vulnerable to Toxic and Spikes damage.
It should be noted that Zapdos hates to be statused. Paralysis takes away the speed that makes Zapdos so threatening and immediately opens it up to all sorts of strong physical or super effective attacks, even from Pokemon like Swampert it is meant to check; this is an important factor to consider when deciding whether to trade Thunder Wave in the mirror matchup. Even though Zapdos is a specially offensive Pokemon, early-game poison and burn will still accrue a lot of damage on it, as Zapdos is likely to come into play multiple times throughout a game.
Finally, Zapdos has some unique situational pivots and checks. Tyranitar can absorb Thunderbolt and take Zapdos down in a pinch, although it usually wants to save its HP for better uses like a Dragon Dance sweep. Claydol can come in on Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave and potentially use Refresh to eliminate Toxic poison. The opponent can then pivot to a check like Curse Snorlax or Rest Zapdos on Hidden Power to prolong the target's longevity. Dugtrio can do likewise, despite being a much riskier switch-in. Similarly, Magneton can take a Thunderbolt and disable Zapdos with a status move; this maneuver may be used to prolong Snorlax's longevity, especially on offensive teams. Finally, the combination of Swampert and Flygon can be used to cover both of Zapdos's Hidden Power types, but the weakness of this core to Water-types renders it pretty rare.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vapicuno, 5454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [BKC, 52012]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732], [Rabia, 336073]]
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