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.

Which Pokémon to Use in a Zapdos Raid in Pokémon GO

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.

• Glalie / Mega Glalie (Ice)

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

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Abomasnow / Mega Abomasnow (Grass/Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

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

• Weavile / Shadow Weavile (Dark/Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (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)

• Golem / Shadow Golem (Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

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

• Aerodactyl / Shadow Aerodactyl / Mega Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

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

• Tyranitar / Shadow Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)*

  • Charged Attack: Stone Edge (Rock)

• Aggron / Shadow Aggron (Steel/Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Meteor Beam (Rock), Rock Tomb (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

• Rampardos (Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Slide (Rock)

• Rhyperior (Ground/Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

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

• Gigalith (Rock)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Meteor Beam (Rock)*, Rock Slide (Rock)

• Terrakion (Rock/Fighting)

  • Fast Attack: Smack Down (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Rock Slide (Rock)

• Tyrantrum (Rock/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Rock Throw (Rock)

  • Charged Attack: Meteor Beam (Rock), Stone Edge (Rock)

* An Elite Fast TM or an Elite Charged TM is typically required to teach this Pokémon this attack.

Make the Most of Premier Balls and Berries

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.

What To Do with Zapdos Once You’ve Caught It

As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Zapdos is resistant to Grass-, Fighting-, Ground-, Flying-, Bug-, and Steel-type attacks. Combined with its reasonably high max CP, these resistances make Zapdos a powerful addition to Raid Battle lineups, especially when taking on Raid Bosses such as Mega Blastoise, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Slowbro, Mega Gyarados, Articuno, Moltres, Lugia, or Mega Altaria. Zapdos is a solid Electric-type choice, although as a Flying-type Pokémon it is vulnerable to Ice-type attacks, and many Water-type Raid Bosses can learn an Ice-type attack. Despite this, it’s well worth powering up Zapdos as an Electric-type option for Raid Battles—make sure Zapdos has access to an Electric-type Fast Attack and Charged Attack to maximize its effectiveness.

In the GO Battle League, the Electric Pokémon is most useful in the Master League. There, its high max CP and type give it an advantage against popular Pokémon such as Gyarados, Togekiss, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Kyogre. While Zapdos doesn’t appear very frequently in the Master League, a Trainer who wants to use Zapdos could build a team to help bolster its strengths and minimize its vulnerabilities. When choosing attacks 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. Zapdos’s Thunder Shock Fast Attack deals greater damage per second than Charge Beam, but it requires an Elite Fast TM to learn. Charge Beam is a better choice if you want to generate more energy per second to fire off Charged Attacks.

If you plan to bring Zapdos to the GO Battle League, you should max out its CP and teach it a second Charged Attack. The Flying-type Drill Peck charges 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 raids and 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 currently 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 Zapdos Candy to power it up. Shadow Pokémon require extra Candy and Stardust to power up, but it’s worth the effort to strengthen Shadow Zapdos.

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