For the Crystal meta, At 580 BST, Zapdos is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper. Hiddenpowerice with Leftovers is the standard set.

What is Zapdos weak to?

In Crystal, watch for Cloyster (Ice) and Golem (Rock) when using Zapdos. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

What role does Zapdos play in battle?

Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zapdos is a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 125 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

What counters Zapdos?

For Crystal, Zapdos has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.

What are the best moves for Zapdos?

In Crystal, run Hiddenpowerice, Thunder, Rest, and Sleep Talk on Zapdos. Hiddenpowerice is the most common pick at 17% usage. Thunder provides reliable STAB damage.

Zapdos - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Sweeper

STier

100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Sp. Atk and Speed carry the offense, Defense doesn't even come close. An Electric Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 3 Sp. Atk stat exp per KO.

Base Stats

Pseudo

HP90

Attack90

Defense85

Sp. Atk125

Sp. Def90

Speed100

Total580

Details

Catch Rate

Legendary3 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.6 m

Weight52.6 kg

Base XP290

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Pressure

Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

StaticHA

Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpA+3SpDSpe

Strong Special Attack training target

Pokedex Entries

Legendary bird POKéMON. They say lightning caused by the flapping of its wings causes summer storms.

Crystal

Zapdos Weakness

Ice and Rock moves hit Zapdos for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Zapdos can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Zapdos Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Ice, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel
0x (Immune)	Ground

Type ChartExcellent

2Weak

5Resist

1Immune

Score+4

Gen II Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Ice Rock

½xResist

Grass Fighting Flying Bug Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Ground

STAB (5)

Water Flying Grass Fighting Bug

How to Beat Zapdos in Crystal (Best Counters)

In Crystal, Cloyster's Explosion hits Zapdos for 61-72%. Forretress deals 59-69% with Explosion.

CloysterWears down with Toxic, walls physical sets WaterIce	S
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves SpikesHazard SurfSTAB Explosion ToxicUtility Damage vs Zapdos Surf 29-35% Explosion 61-72% View Cloyster builds →
SkarmoryResists Flying, wears down with Toxic, sturdy guarantees survival SteelFlying	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Drill Peck RestRecovery CurseSetup WhirlwindUtility Damage vs Zapdos Drill Peck 13-15% View Skarmory builds →
ForretressWears down with Toxic, sturdy guarantees survival, walls physical sets BugSteel	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves SpikesHazard Explosion Rapid Spin ToxicUtility Damage vs Zapdos Explosion 59-69% Rapid Spin 12-14% View Forretress builds →
StarmieRecovers with Recover, cures status via Natural Cure, outspeeds WaterPsychic	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves SurfSTAB RecoverRecovery Rapid Spin Thunder Wave Damage vs Zapdos Surf 33-39% Rapid Spin 10-12% View Starmie builds →
SuicuneWears down with Toxic, threatens with Ice Beam, excellent bulk Water	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves SurfSTAB RestRecovery Sleep Talk Ice Beam Damage vs Zapdos Surf 31-36% Ice Beam 2x 40-48% View Suicune builds →

Crystal Evolution

A Electric/Flying-type legendary, Zapdos doesn't evolve or breed. At 580 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#145ZapdosDoes not evolve

Breeding

Unavailable

Undiscovered egg group

Crystal Zapdos Best Moveset

Best Build

Recommended

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Utility Moveset

Hidden Power Ice
ThunderSTAB
RestRecovery
Sleep Talk

Recommended Teammates

SnorlaxGood

CloysterGood

TyranitarDecent

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Zapdos. TMs unlock Normal and Ground coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Zap Cannon and Thunder into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Peck

—3510035Flying

Lv 1

Thunder Shock

—4010030Electric

Lv 13

Thunder Wave

B—10020Electric

Lv 25

Agility

C——30Psychic

Lv 37

Detect+4

D——5Fighting

Lv 49

Drill Peck

C8010020Flying

Lv 61

Light Screen

C——30Psychic

Lv 73

Thunder

S1207010Electric

TM Moves

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

TM43

Detect+4

D——5Fighting

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

HM05

Flash

D—7020Normal

HM02

Fly

C709515Flying

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM31

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

A——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM05

Roar-6

C——20Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM37

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM35

Sleep Talk

A——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

TM47

Steel Wing

D709025Steel

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM39

Swift

C60—20Normal

TM25

Thunder

S1207010Electric

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

TM07

Zap Cannon

C100505Electric

Egg Moves

Zapdos doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Thunderbolt

A9510015Electric

How to Get Zapdos in Crystal

Zapdos can't be caught in Crystal. Bring it over from Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.

Zapdos is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

Red Yellow FireRed Platinum HeartGold X

Zapdos Guide

For the Crystal meta, At 580 BST, Zapdos is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper. Hiddenpowerice with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Crystal, watch for Cloyster (Ice) and Golem (Rock) when using Zapdos. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zapdos is a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 125 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.
For Crystal, Zapdos has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.
In Crystal, run Hiddenpowerice, Thunder, Rest, and Sleep Talk on Zapdos. Hiddenpowerice is the most common pick at 17% usage. Thunder provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

First obtainable in Red & Blue, Zapdos has been featured in 20 titles across 10 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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