As one of the three original Legendary Birds introduced in the original Pokemon, Zapdos has returned to the world of Pokemon GO as a five-star raid until the beginning of October. If the five-star ranking wasn’t enough of a warning that this fight won’t be an easy one, then the mere status of this Legendary Bird should be. You’ll need more than just the power of friendship to take down this menacing electric bird, which is where our guide on the best counters, moveset, and more comes into play.
Pokemon GO Zapdos - Analysis
If Zapdos’ reputation didn’t proceed it, you could still probably guess that it is an Electric and Flying-type just by looking at it. That means it will only be weak to two types, Rock and Ice. Unlike the other two Legendary Birds, Articuno and Moltres, Zapdos only has regular weaknesses, while the former pair are both 4X weak to Rock. On the other hand, your Gound types will do well to resist its Electric-type attacks, however, Ground moves won’t do any good thanks to Zapdos also being a Flying-type, so a Ground-type with Rock moves is ideal.
Zapdos’ moves are almost all Electric, along with Drill Peck and Ancient Power which are Flying and Rock respectively. Zap Cannon, Thunder, and Thunderbolt are very similar moves, though Zap Cannon is the most dangerous. You should also keep an eye out for Drill Peck since it is so low cost that it can be spammed fairly often.
If it’s raining out, you may want to consider waiting to take on Zapdos, but any other weather is fine. Windy can boost its level when caught, but Partly Cloudy or Snow will work in your favor, boosting Rock and Ice attacks.
Pokemon GO Zapdos - Best Counters
There are a lot of great options to take on Zapdos, but two of the top ones you should have in your lineup are Tyranitar and Rhyperior. These two both have high max CP, great Rock-type moves, and Rhyperior is even a Ground-type and resistant to Electric-type attacks. A Rhyperior with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker is arguably the best counter to Zapdos in the game.
Tyranitar isn’t too much worse, mainly suffering due to the fact that it is a Rock and Dark-type, so won’t have any resistance to Zapdos’ Electric moves. It is resistant to Flying, however, so Drill Peck won’t be as much of an issue at least. Smack Down remains the best quick attack along with Stone Edge for a charge move.
A ton of other Rock and Ground options could easily fit in your team, including Golem, Terrakion, Landorus, and Rampardos. If you want to exploit the Ice weakness then a Mamoswine, Darmanitan, or Mewtwo would make solid choices.
Pokemon Go Zapdos - Best Movesets
Golem - Rock Throw, Stone Edge
Terrakion - Smack Down, Rock Slide
Landorus - Rock Throw, Rock Slide
Rampardos - Smack Down, Rock Slide
Mamoswine - Powder Snow, Avalanche
Darmanitan - Ice Fang, Avalanche
Mewtwo - Psycho Cut, Ice Beam
