Zapdos Analysis




With the introduction of terrains and thunder wave nerfs, Zapdos now surpasses Thundurus as the prime Electric type for damage and speed control. A trifecta of decent bulk, passable speed, and decent Special Attack, Zapdos serves as both speed control and an offensive threat.



Pros
*90 / 85 / 90 Bulk allows Zapdos to handle many attacks effectively and Roost back to recover
*Electric / Flying typing means that Zapdos has only two weaknesses
*125 Special Attack stat allows Zapdos to invest more heavily in bulk while still dealing decent damage
*A wonderful partner for Landorus, as they cover each other’s weaknesses very well
Cons
*Very linear usage, always used to set up Tailwind for speed control
*Rather restricted movepool; Zapdos really only has six viable moves which are easy to discern based on team preview
*Suffers from 4 Moveslot syndrome; wants to have three attacks but can not afford it
*Easily walled by common Pokemon such as Amoongus, Landorus, and Ferrothorn
Set - All Encompassing Zapdos Spread
Zapdos @ Misty Seed / Electrium Z / Pinch Berry
Ability: Pressure  
Level: 50  
EVs: 236 HP / 92 Def / 36 SpA / 76 SpD / 68 Spe  
Modest Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Thunderbolt  
- Heat Wave / HP Ice
- Tailwind
- Roost / Protect
*This is the one Zapdos spread I use no matter which of the three items I may be using
*Thunderbolt provides hard-hitting STAB, 2HKOing all Tapu Fini and Celesteela
*It also chunks Azumarill to over 80%, rendering Belly Drum useless
*Heat Wave and HP Ice compete for the second attacking move slot on all Zapdos
*If your team is particularly weak to Ferrothorn and Amoongus, pick Heatwave
*Keep in mind that with Pinch Berry, Heatwave will be a 3HKO on both
*HP Ice is used on teams that struggle in dealing with Landorus
*Typically a 2HKO on even uninvested Landorus
*Roost and Protect are interchangeable depending on what set you are running
*Seed Zapdos, because of its added bulk, is generally able to run Roost to continually replenish HP
*Protect is run on Pinch Berry sets, because berry provides an alternate form of recovery
*Electrium Z can run either, though Protect is probably better to better position for Z move
*236 / 92 Defense makes +252 Atk Landorus Rockslide a 3HKO (4HKO with Berry), and also survives 252 Atk Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt in Psychic Terrain
*236 / 76 Special Defense survives many STAB moves such as +252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic in Terrain
*With +1 boost, Zapdos can survive +252 SpA Mega Char Y Overheat in the sun, +252 SpA Tapu Lele Z Psychic in Terrain, and +252 SpA Ludicolo Hydro Vortex in rain
*+36 SpA Gigavolt Havoc OHKOs incredibly bulky Celesteela and Tapu Fini
*Without Z Move, Thunderbolt usually 2HKO’s instead
*68 Speed EV’s allows Zapdos to hit 129, always outspeeding Timid 252 Pelipper and outspeeding Ludicolo under Tailwind
Using Zapdos
*If running Misty or Psychic Seed, Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele are obviously required
*Remember that Zapdos will not survive Z Moves without seed activated, so when running seed it is often good to lead with Tapu + Zapdos
*The most consistent, safe item would be Wiki Berry, as it allows you to run Protect while also staying on the field with extra recovery
*If running Electrium Z, you can also consider running max speed investment to simply get off Gigavolt Havoc and clearing an immediate threat, then setting up Tailwind the following turn
*Zapdos enjoys Intimidate support to help ensure Tailwind is set up
*As mentioned earlier, Landorus is a perfect partner for Zapdos both offensively and defensively
*Fake Out support from Pokemon such as Kangaskhan and Incineroar are also useful
*The most popular Zapdos core revolves around Zapdos + Tapu Fini + Landorus
*These three Pokemon provide excellent pivots and switch ins for each other, while providing offensive pressure as well
*It is usually not a good idea to bring Zapdos in matchups against any Trick Room team, as it often feels useless and provides nothing but the occasional Thunderbolt

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