Zapdos Pokémon GO Raid Battle Strategy

Zapdos is an Electric- and
Flying-type Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Kanto region. This
Pokémon has complete control over electricity. There are tales of Zapdos nesting
in the dark depths of pitch-black thunderclouds. Learn which Pokémon will be
most effective in Raid Battles against Zapdos, how to catch Zapdos after
winning a Raid Battle, and how best to use the Electric Pokémon after you’ve
caught it.

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Zapdos is
vulnerable to Ice- and Rock-type attacks. When selecting Pokémon for your
Zapdos Raid Battle lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have a Fast Attack
and a Charged Attack of one of these types if you want to deal as much damage
as possible. It’s not necessary to choose only Ice- or Rock-type Pokémon, but a
Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type
attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage.

If you have multiple Pokémon that know Ice- or Rock-type
attacks, choose the Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember
that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive at the
conclusion of a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and
defeat Zapdos as quickly as you can.

• Articuno (Ice/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Frost Breath (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock), Blizzard (Ice), Ice Beam (Ice), Icy Wind (Ice)

• Abomasnow / Mega Abomasnow (Grass/Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Blizzard (Ice), Weather Ball (Ice)

• Weavile / Shadow Weavile (Dark/Ice)

• Glaceon (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Frost Breath (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Ice Beam (Ice), Icy Wind (Ice)

• Mamoswine / Shadow Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock), Avalanche (Ice), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Galarian Darmanitan (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Fang (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Ice Punch (Ice)

• Alolan Golem (Rock/Electric)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Blast (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Aerodactyl / Mega Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Ancient Power (Rock), Rock Slide (Rock)

• Tyranitar / Shadow Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)

• Rampardos (Rock)

• Rhyperior (Ground/Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Wrecker (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Gigalith (Rock)

• Terrakion (Rock/Fighting)

• Nihilego (Rock/Poison)

  • Fast Attack: Acid (Poison)

  • Charged Attack: Power Gem (Rock), Rock Slide (Rock)

After a successful Zapdos raid, you’ll have a limited number
of Premier Balls you can use to catch Zapdos, so make each one count. You can
earn extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Zapdos more
quickly.

In an encounter with Zapdos, your chance of catching it is
greatest when the target ring is small enough for you to score Excellent Throws.
Throwing Curveballs
can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t
think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or
Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Zapdos isn’t going to make it easy on you
by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier
Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Zapdos to get a
feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During one
of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it
starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an
Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Zapdos. A Razz
Berry will make it easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much
easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry
will calm Zapdos, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make
precise throws more easily. If you need extra Zapdos Candy, using a Silver
Pinap Berry will make Zapdos easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you
catch it.

Buddy Pokémon with a
Buddy Level of Great Buddy or higher have the Catch Assist Perk. If a
Pokémon—even a Legendary Pokémon—deflects a Poké Ball, your buddy might bounce
it back for a second catch opportunity!

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Zapdos is
tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by
stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz
Berries—and try again.

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Zapdos has a type
advantage against Water-, Grass-, Fighting-, Flying-, and Bug-type Pokémon and is
resistant to Grass-, Fighting-, Ground-, Flying-, Bug-, and Steel-type attacks.
Zapdos can make for a powerful addition to your Raid Battle lineups, especially
when battling against Mega Blastoise, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Slowbro, Mega
Gyarados, Articuno, Moltres, Lugia, and Mega Altaria. In the GO Battle League,
the Electric Pokémon is most useful in the Master League, where its high max CP
puts it at a considerable advantage against popular Pokémon like Gyarados, Lugia,
Ho-Oh, Kyogre, and Togekiss.

When choosing moves for Zapdos, the most important thing to keep
in mind is that its Electric- and Flying-type attacks benefit from a same-type
attack bonus. In terms of Zapdos’s Fast Attacks, Thunder Shock deals greater
damage per second but requires an Elite Fast TM, while Charge Beam generates more
energy per second and doesn’t require an Elite Fast TM.

If you’re aiming to bring Zapdos to the GO Battle League,
you should increase its CP and teach it a second Charged Attack. The
Flying-type Charged Attack Drill Peck charges up quickly and is extremely
useful for baiting opponents into using their Protect Shields. Out of Zapdos’s Electric-type
Charged Attacks, Thunderbolt costs the least amount of energy but deals the lowest
amount of damage, whereas Zap Cannon deals a punishing amount of damage at a
higher energy cost.

It’s also worth noting that in the GO Battle League, Shadow
Zapdos is a menace—in the best way possible—because its low initial CP allows
it to be used across the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League.
You can’t catch Shadow Zapdos in Raid Battles, but if you’re lucky enough to
have already caught one, this event is the perfect opportunity to earn more
Zapdos Candy. Shadow
Pokémon cost extra Candy and Stardust to power up, but it’s well worth the
effort to strengthen Shadow Zapdos.

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.

Source: Pokemon