[OVERVIEW]
* Zapdos is a good check to Pokemon like Tornadus-T, Hawlucha, and Landorus-T that can be really annoying to deal with thanks to a combination of different attributes.
* While it's pretty similar in the Pokemon it checks, Zapdos has a few advantages over Rotom-W. Most notably, it has access to Heat Wave, which means that it is not bait for Pokemon like Necturna and Ferrothorn, Roost, making Zapdos significantly harder to wear down, as well as Static, which is just a general annoyance for many teams to deal with.
* Additionally, as a Defogger, Zapdos has a good matchup against common Spikes users, namely Arghonaut and Ferrothorn, which can be a great boon for teams.
* However, it does suffer from four-moveslot syndrome. This is especially troublesome because it'll have to pick between Hidden Power Ice and Defog, either making it unable to hit Garchomp, or forfeiting its good matchup against common Spikes users.
* In addition to this, as a Defogger, Zapdos has an awkward matchup against common Stealth Rock setters like Heatran, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Diancie.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Discharge
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Roost
item: Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Discharge is preferred over Thunderbolt to punish checks like Heatran and Tyranitar.
* Heat Wave allows Zapdos to hit Grass- and Steel-types like Necturna, Kartana, Ferrothorn, Equilibra, and Magearna.
* Hidden Power Ice lets Zapdos hit Garchomp, which would otherwise be able to take advantage of Zapdos.
* Defog can be used instead of Hidden Power Ice for Zapdos' great matchup against Ferrothorn and Arghonaut, but being unable to hit Garchomp is often undesirable.
Set Details
========
* Zapdos prefers to run Static to annoy Pokemon like Tornadus-T, Kartana, and Kitsunoh.
* 72 Speed EVs allow Zapdos to outrun Modest Heatran.
* Rocky Helmet lets Zapdos harass the aforementioned Pokemon even more.
* Leftovers can be used to counteract chip damage taken from Stealth Rock, which can rack up rather quickly without any passive recovery from Rocky Helmet.
* If it's running Defog, Pressure can be run instead of Static to PP stall Spikes easier.
Usage Tips
========
* Using Zapdos is really straight forward and shouldn't take too much thought. You should mainly send it into Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Kartana, which it checks, to attempt to cripple them with Static and force them out.
* However, you shouldn't do this very liberally if Stealth Rock is up, because Zapdos is easily worn down if it isn't running Leftovers, meaning that you will have to use turns to use Roost with Zapdos.
* Additionally, there are many Pokemon that will often want to switch into Zapdos because of its general passivity, such as Heatran, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Diancie, so you should often use Discharge if they are anticipated to switch in.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Fini tends to struggle with Grass-types like Ferrothorn and Kartana, which Zapdos can easily deal with. In return, Tapu Fini can keep Stealth Rock off the field and deal with Pokemon such as Garchomp and Heatran. Another option for a bulky Water-type is Arghonaut, which also struggles against Grass-types, but can set Spikes, while still checking Pokemon like Garchomp and Heatran, as well as Rock-types like Mega Tyranitar.
* Grass-types such as Necturna, Kartana, and Tangrowth appreciate Zapdos' ability to deal with Tornadus-T and spread paralysis.
* Zapdos tends to struggle against specially offensive Psychic-types, such as Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Because of this, specially defensive Steel-types like Magearna and Celesteela are good team mates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Volt Switch can be used instead of Discharge so that Zapdos can function more like a pivot, but being forced out to hit Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Hawlucha can be undesirable in certain situations.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Mega Tyranitar, Tyranitar, and Mega Crucibelle can put massive pressure on Zapdos with their STAB moves.
**Chansey**: Zapdos is unable to do any significant damage to Chansey; it'll simply lose by Toxic damage while struggling to do anything back.
**Pajantom**: Pajantom is immune to paralysis thanks to Comatose and doesn't really mind anything else Zapdos can throw at it either, while Pajantom can wear it down very easily with repeated attacks thanks to Heal Block.
**Ground-types**: If Zapdos elects to drop Hidden Power Ice for Defog, Ground-types such as Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T can become really annoying to deal with.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Zapdos' bulk is pretty underwhelming on the special side of the spectrum, so special wallbreakers like Heatran, Mega Alakazam, and Tapu Lele can force it out relatively easily. They should all be wary of directly switching into Zapdos, though, as they do not appreciate being paralyzed.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Jordy, 395754]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
* Zapdos is a good check to Pokemon like Tornadus-T, Hawlucha, and Landorus-T that can be really annoying to deal with thanks to a combination of different attributes.
* While it's pretty similar in the Pokemon it checks, Zapdos has a few advantages over Rotom-W. Most notably, it has access to Heat Wave, which means that it is not bait for Pokemon like Necturna and Ferrothorn, Roost, making Zapdos significantly harder to wear down, as well as Static, which is just a general annoyance for many teams to deal with.
* Additionally, as a Defogger, Zapdos has a good matchup against common Spikes users, namely Arghonaut and Ferrothorn, which can be a great boon for teams.
* However, it does suffer from four-moveslot syndrome. This is especially troublesome because it'll have to pick between Hidden Power Ice and Defog, either making it unable to hit Garchomp, or forfeiting its good matchup against common Spikes users.
* In addition to this, as a Defogger, Zapdos has an awkward matchup against common Stealth Rock setters like Heatran, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Diancie.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Discharge
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Roost
item: Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Discharge is preferred over Thunderbolt to punish checks like Heatran and Tyranitar.
* Heat Wave allows Zapdos to hit Grass- and Steel-types like Necturna, Kartana, Ferrothorn, Equilibra, and Magearna.
* Hidden Power Ice lets Zapdos hit Garchomp, which would otherwise be able to take advantage of Zapdos.
* Defog can be used instead of Hidden Power Ice for Zapdos' great matchup against Ferrothorn and Arghonaut, but being unable to hit Garchomp is often undesirable.
Set Details
========
* Zapdos prefers to run Static to annoy Pokemon like Tornadus-T, Kartana, and Kitsunoh.
* 72 Speed EVs allow Zapdos to outrun Modest Heatran.
* Rocky Helmet lets Zapdos harass the aforementioned Pokemon even more.
* Leftovers can be used to counteract chip damage taken from Stealth Rock, which can rack up rather quickly without any passive recovery from Rocky Helmet.
* If it's running Defog, Pressure can be run instead of Static to PP stall Spikes easier.
Usage Tips
========
* Using Zapdos is really straight forward and shouldn't take too much thought. You should mainly send it into Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Kartana, which it checks, to attempt to cripple them with Static and force them out.
* However, you shouldn't do this very liberally if Stealth Rock is up, because Zapdos is easily worn down if it isn't running Leftovers, meaning that you will have to use turns to use Roost with Zapdos.
* Additionally, there are many Pokemon that will often want to switch into Zapdos because of its general passivity, such as Heatran, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Diancie, so you should often use Discharge if they are anticipated to switch in.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Fini tends to struggle with Grass-types like Ferrothorn and Kartana, which Zapdos can easily deal with. In return, Tapu Fini can keep Stealth Rock off the field and deal with Pokemon such as Garchomp and Heatran. Another option for a bulky Water-type is Arghonaut, which also struggles against Grass-types, but can set Spikes, while still checking Pokemon like Garchomp and Heatran, as well as Rock-types like Mega Tyranitar.
* Grass-types such as Necturna, Kartana, and Tangrowth appreciate Zapdos' ability to deal with Tornadus-T and spread paralysis.
* Zapdos tends to struggle against specially offensive Psychic-types, such as Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele. Because of this, specially defensive Steel-types like Magearna and Celesteela are good team mates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Volt Switch can be used instead of Discharge so that Zapdos can function more like a pivot, but being forced out to hit Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Hawlucha can be undesirable in certain situations.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Mega Tyranitar, Tyranitar, and Mega Crucibelle can put massive pressure on Zapdos with their STAB moves.
**Chansey**: Zapdos is unable to do any significant damage to Chansey; it'll simply lose by Toxic damage while struggling to do anything back.
**Pajantom**: Pajantom is immune to paralysis thanks to Comatose and doesn't really mind anything else Zapdos can throw at it either, while Pajantom can wear it down very easily with repeated attacks thanks to Heal Block.
**Ground-types**: If Zapdos elects to drop Hidden Power Ice for Defog, Ground-types such as Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T can become really annoying to deal with.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Zapdos' bulk is pretty underwhelming on the special side of the spectrum, so special wallbreakers like Heatran, Mega Alakazam, and Tapu Lele can force it out relatively easily. They should all be wary of directly switching into Zapdos, though, as they do not appreciate being paralyzed.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Jordy, 395754]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Last edited: