Zapdos
Zapdos raid is a Tier 5 Legendary Raid Boss in Pokémon GO. Zapdos Boss CP is 46418 and it has only two weaknesses due to its Electric and type: Rock and Ice.
- 1930 – 2015 CP catch range (Level 20, no weather boost)
- 2413 – 2519 CP catch range (Level 25, boosted by Windy or Rainy weather)
Ambitious players, with the introduction of friendship, weather, Party Play and Mega Pokémon may attempt a duo, however realistically a group of four or more is a safe bet.
Zapdos Counters
The following Pokémon are considered to be best Zapdos counters in a raid battle:
| # | Attacker | Fast Move | Charge Move | DPS | Faints | TTW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
White Kyurem
|
Ice Fang  |
Ice Burn |
34.76 | 14 | 448s |
| 2. |
Black Kyurem
|
Dragon Tail  |
Freeze Shock |
31.15 | 15 | 499s |
| 3. |
Shadow Rhyperior
|
Smack Down  |
Rock Wrecker |
30.06 | 10 | 511s |
| 4. |
Mega Diancie
|
Rock Throw |
Rock Slide |
31.04 | 23 | 508s |
| 5. |
Shadow Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow |
Avalanche |
29.08 | 16 | 535s |
| 6. |
Shadow Tyrantrum
|
Rock Throw |
Meteor Beam |
29.11 | 20 | 537s |
| 7. |
Mega Tyranitar
|
Smack Down |
Stone Edge |
27.62 | 14 | 560s |
| 8. |
Shadow Rampardos
|
Smack Down |
Rock Slide |
30.53 | 37 | 520s |
| 9. |
Eternatus
|
Poison Jab  |
Dynamax Cannon |
26.25 | 15 | 588s |
| 10. |
Shadow Regigigas
|
Zen Headbutt  |
Crush Grip  |
27.07 | 25 | 577s |
| 11. |
Shadow Tyranitar
|
Smack Down |
Stone Edge |
26.80 | 23 | 583s |
| 12. |
Shadow Gigalith
|
Smack Down |
Meteor Beam |
27.07 | 26 | 576s |
| 13. |
Rhyperior
|
Smack Down |
Rock Wrecker |
24.96 | 10 | 613s |
| 14. |
Mega Rayquaza
|
Dragon Tail |
Breaking Swipe |
25.59 | 24 | 614s |
| 15. |
Shadow Mewtwo
|
Psycho Cut |
Ice Beam |
26.42 | 31 | 600s |
| 16. |
Baxcalibur
|
Ice Fang |
Avalanche |
25.15 | 22 | 621s |
| 17. |
Mega Aerodactyl
|
Rock Throw |
Rock Slide |
26.56 | 32 | 591s |
| 18. |
Dawn Wings Necrozma
|
Psycho Cut |
Moongeist Beam  |
25.04 | 24 | 624s |
| 19. |
Primal Kyogre
|
Waterfall  |
Avalanche |
25.34 | 24 | 615s |
| 20. |
Tyrantrum
|
Rock Throw |
Meteor Beam |
24.53 | 20 | 634s |
| 21. |
Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow |
Avalanche |
24.24 | 16 | 639s |
| 22. |
Rampardos
|
Smack Down |
Rock Slide |
26.48 | 36 | 599s |
| 23. |
Shadow Golem
|
Rock Throw |
Stone Edge |
23.63 | 17 | 654s |
| 24. |
Shadow Weavile
|
Ice Shard |
Triple Axel |
26.48 | 44 | 612s |
| 25. |
Mega Abomasnow
|
Powder Snow |
Weather Ball |
24.27 | 24 | 645s |
| 26. |
Terrakion
|
Smack Down |
Rock Slide |
24.25 | 24 | 646s |
| 27. |
Mega Garchomp
|
Dragon Tail |
Breaking Swipe |
22.55 | 8 | 678s |
| 28. |
Mega Gardevoir
|
Confusion |
Triple Axel |
24.29 | 28 | 648s |
| 29. |
Shadow Aurorus
|
Rock Throw |
Weather Ball |
24.59 | 30 | 643s |
| 30. |
Shadow Aggron
|
Smack Down |
Meteor Beam |
24.03 | 22 | 638s |
Zapdos Stats and Moveset
|
Zapdos
Electric
|
|
|---|---|
| Max CP | 3987 |
| ATK | 253 |
| DEF | 185 |
| HP | 207 |
| Weak to | |
| Resists |       |
| Fast moves |
|
| Charge moves |
|
*Only obtainable via Elite TM.
Zapdos moves are mostly Electric-type moves, with Drill Peck and Ancient Power Rock thrown in the mix for PvP viability and lore fluff. Consequentially, 60% of the time, you will face Zapdos with Electric moves.
Zap Cannon, Thunder and Thunderbolt are all relatively similar, but Zap Cannon will hurt the most. Comparatively speaking, Thunder is often the easiest Electric move to be faced against.
Drill Peck can be problematic, as it’s only a 33 Energy move. Zapdos can charge and fire Drill Peck quite frequently, which makes it quite dangerous in longer raid battles. Eventually, dodge fatigue results in more damage taken compared to Thunderbolt. Drill Peck also deals a significant amount of damage compared to Thunder and Thunderbolt.
Ancient Power is not a major concern, but it does fit in the same problem bucket as Drill Peck: frequent activation, dodge fatigue and unusual typing (Rock!)
Weather
Rainy weather is not going to be your friend with Zapdos, but thankfully its the only concern. Otherwise on the positive end, Windy will merely allow it to be a higher level when caught, and Partly Cloudy and Snow will provide the extra benefits needed to take it down faster.| Weather | Pro | Con |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny | – | – |
| Windy | Allows a Level 25 Encounter from Weather Boost | – |
| Partly Cloudy | Boosts Super Effective Rock attacks | – |
| Cloudy | – | – |
| Snow | Boosts Super Effective Ice attacks | – |
| Rainy | – | Boosts Zapdos’ Electric moves |
| Fog | – | – |
Zapdos Sprites
Zapdos sadly has the weakest shiny of the three Kanto Legendary birds, keep an eye out for those darker feet, and a slightly brighter yellow.
| Regular Sprite | Shiny Sprite |
Zapdos
|
Zapdos
|
