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Pokémon Go Zapdos counters, weaknesses and best moveset

It's time to battle the electric legendary bird in Pokémon Go!

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Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor
Updated on

Zapdos enjoys making appearances in Pokémon Go raids where you can battle and, fingers crossed, catch it.

Before you attempt to catch the electric-type legendary bird, we recommend you learn the various Zapdos weaknesses and counters are - that way you can easily pull the battle in your favour!

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Zapdos will appear in five-star raids. You may discover that you need to team up with a group of trainers to defeat Zapdos and now, due to Remote Raiding, you can do this wherever you please.

Zapdos makes a reappearance during the Season of Go, appearing alongside Articuno and Moltres during July 2022.

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Zapdos counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Below you can find the weaknesses and counters that you need to know to defeat Zapdos in Pokémon Go:

  • Zapdos type - Electric and flying-type
  • Zapdos is weak against - Ice and rock-type Pokémon
  • Zapdos counters - Tyranitar, Glaceon, Mamoswine, Weavile, Rampardos and Terrakion
  • Other Zapdos notes - Ideally you'll want to start this battle using your strongest rock-type Pokémon, before, if needed, moving onto your ice-type Pokémon.

Zapdos CP in Pokémon Go

Here are the CP levels you can expect to see when battling and catching Zapdos in Pokémon Go:

  • Raid Boss CP - 46,418 CP
  • CP when being caught - 2,015 CP
  • Weather boosted CP (Rain) when being caught - 2,519 CP

Zapdos Moveset in Pokémon Go

Like every Pokémon in Pokémon Go, Zapdos can learn and use a variety of Fast and Charged moves, which are:

Zapdos.

Fast Move:

  • Charge Beam (Electric)

Possible Charged Moves:

  • Ancient Power (Rock)
  • Drill Peck (Flying)
  • Thunderbolt (Electric)
  • Thunder (Electric)
  • Zap Cannon (Electric)

The World of Wonders season has come to Pokémon Go, which has brought the World of Wonders quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Everything we know about Zapdos

Zapdos is a member of the legendary bird trio, which is sometimes referred to as the Winged Mirages, alongside Articuno and Moltres. It's name refers to both it's typing and it's placement within the legendary bird trio.

'Zap' is an obvious reference to a sound that is connected to electricity. Meanwhile, 'dos' is Spanish for the number two, reflecting how Zapdos is the second member of the legendary bird trio. Articuno is the first, with uno meaning one, and Moltres is the third, as it's name ends with 'tres,' which means three.

Interestingly, Zapdos has a type advantage over the other members of the legendary bird trio, due to how electric-type Pokémon are highly effective against flying-types. This advantage even extends to Lugia, the master of the trio.

Zapdos appears to take inspiration from the Thunderbird from Native American legends. Though the myths surrounding the Thunderbird vary, it's generally described as being a large bird that was created to fight underwater spirits and has the ability to create thunder by flapping its wings.

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