[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Galarian Zapdos is a strong wallbreaker capable of dismantling defensive cores. Its Fighting- and Flying-type STAB moves have nearly perfect offensive synergy, which means very few Pokemon can safely switch in to its full toolkit. However, it is prone to wearing itself down during games with Brave Bird recoil damage combined with damage from sources such as Stealth Rock and Rocky Helmet, which significantly dampens its staying power during a game. Furthermore, Galarian Zapdos's average Speed makes it prone to getting offensively overwhelmed by more aggressive teams, and it struggles to get around its checks due to its limited movepool outside of its STAB moves, especially since it is often Choice locked.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Galarian Zapdos uses its strong STAB moves and great offensive typing to be an effective wallbreaker, often equipped with a Choice Band to further enhance its damage output.
**Offensive Pivot**: When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Galarian Zapdos can outspeed other fast wallbreakers and setup sweepers, allowing it to revenge kill or pivot around them.
**Setup Sweeper**: Galarian Zapdos can sometimes run setup sets with Bulk Up to break through teams and Agility or Trailblaze to outspeed faster threats. However, these sets often struggle with longevity, as its strongest STAB moves, Close Combat and Brave Bird, allow it to quickly get worn down.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Close Combat, Brave Bird, Thunderous Kick, Drill Peck
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Agility, Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Taunt, Substitute
**Coverage**: Knock Off, Stomping Tantrum
Niche Moves
========
**Rest + Sleep Talk**: Because Galarian Zapdos often only needs its STAB moves to break through opposing defensive cores and is prone to wearing itself down with defensive stat drops and recoil damage, the combination of Rest and Sleep Talk can allow it to remain healthy for longer in a match.
**Acrobatics**: Sets that utilize a consumable item can use Acrobatics for a strong recoil-free Flying-type move.
**Endure**: Galarian Zapdos can make use of Reversal and Endeavor if left at low HP with Endure.
**Brick Break**: Brick Break is useful against opposing drafts featuring dual screens setters like Klefki and Alolan Ninetales.
Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: Galarian Zapdos's combination of solid Attack and Speed stats and access to strong STAB moves and U-turnmake makes it an even more effective wallbreaker with Choice Band.
**Choice Scarf**: Galarian Zapdos can use Choice Scarf to outrun faster wallbreakers and some setup sweepers, making it a solid revenge killer.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Sets that want damage amplification without a Choice lock can make use of items such as Life Orb, Black Belt, and Expert Belt.
**Eject Pack**: Galarian Zapdos can use Eject Pack in conjunction with Close Combat to simultaneously dish out major damage and pivot out.
**Lum Berry**: Galarian Zapdos's susceptibility to burn and paralysis makes Lum Berry useful to it.
**Sitrus Berry**: Setup-based sets can use Sitrus Berry as one-time recovery that also boosts Acrobatics upon its consumption.
**Chesto Berry**: Chesto Berry can be used with Rest on setup-based sets to heal damage taken while setting up while also boosting Acrobatics after use.
Tera
========
Galarian Zapdos isn't the best choice for a Tera Captain because it is satisfied with its typing and offensive coverage. If chosen as a Tera Captain, it most often uses Tera Flying or Fighting to further boost its STAB moves. Alternatively, it could use Tera Dark to boost the power of Knock Off and gain an immunity to Psychic, or Tera Steel to neutralize its weakness to Fairy, Psychic, and Ice; the defensive benefits from both of these types also make setup sets more effective.
Draft Strategy
========
Galarian Zapdos should be added to teams desiring a mid-tier wallbreaker, and it benefits from support that allows it to enter the field as often as possible to break down defensive cores.
**Entry Hazards**: Galarian Zapdos is especially effective at forcing switches, which makes hazard support from Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott particularly useful. Defiant also allows Galarian Zapdos to punish opposing Defog usage.
**Slow Momentum**: Due to Galarian Zapdos's propensity to wear itself down over the course of a game, it appreciates safe entry onto the field via slow pivots such as both Slowking formes, which are further useful due to the Future Sight support they provide.
**Cleaners**: Because it is best situated as a wallbreaker, Galarian Zapdos appreciates having faster teammates capable of cleaning up games, such as Meowscarada and Weavile.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Although Galarian Zapdos is only vulnerable to Stealth Rock, due to its general vulnerability to chip damage, it appreciates partners that can remove hazards such as Iron Treads and Terapagos.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Pokemon**: Galarian Zapdos's average Speed leaves it prone to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Greninja, and Latios. It can also be picked off by strong priority users such as Mamoswine and Scizor.
**Fighting- and Flying-resistant Pokemon**: Although very few Pokemon can effectively deal with Galarian Zapdos's STAB combination, bulky Pokemon that can pivot in on one of its STAB moves such as Galarian Slowking and Uxie can effectively scout what Galarian Zapdos wants to do.
**Contact Effects**: Because all of Galarian Zapdos's moves make contact, it is vulnerable to negative contact effects including Static, Flame Body, and Rocky Helmet. Zapdos in particular is problematic, as it resists Galarian Zapdos's STAB combination and threatens to paralyze it with Static, and it's only truly harmed by losing its Heavy-Duty Boots to Knock Off.
**Status**: Being afflicted with burn or paralysis significantly reduces Galarian Zapdos's wallbreaking capabilities.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Galarian Zapdos is a strong wallbreaker capable of dismantling defensive cores. Its Fighting- and Flying-type STAB moves have nearly perfect offensive synergy, which means very few Pokemon can safely switch in to its full toolkit. However, it is prone to wearing itself down during games with Brave Bird recoil damage combined with damage from sources such as Stealth Rock and Rocky Helmet, which significantly dampens its staying power during a game. Furthermore, Galarian Zapdos's average Speed makes it prone to getting offensively overwhelmed by more aggressive teams, and it struggles to get around its checks due to its limited movepool outside of its STAB moves, especially since it is often Choice locked.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Galarian Zapdos uses its strong STAB moves and great offensive typing to be an effective wallbreaker, often equipped with a Choice Band to further enhance its damage output.
**Offensive Pivot**: When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Galarian Zapdos can outspeed other fast wallbreakers and setup sweepers, allowing it to revenge kill or pivot around them.
**Setup Sweeper**: Galarian Zapdos can sometimes run setup sets with Bulk Up to break through teams and Agility or Trailblaze to outspeed faster threats. However, these sets often struggle with longevity, as its strongest STAB moves, Close Combat and Brave Bird, allow it to quickly get worn down.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Close Combat, Brave Bird, Thunderous Kick, Drill Peck
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Agility, Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Taunt, Substitute
**Coverage**: Knock Off, Stomping Tantrum
Niche Moves
========
**Rest + Sleep Talk**: Because Galarian Zapdos often only needs its STAB moves to break through opposing defensive cores and is prone to wearing itself down with defensive stat drops and recoil damage, the combination of Rest and Sleep Talk can allow it to remain healthy for longer in a match.
**Acrobatics**: Sets that utilize a consumable item can use Acrobatics for a strong recoil-free Flying-type move.
**Endure**: Galarian Zapdos can make use of Reversal and Endeavor if left at low HP with Endure.
**Brick Break**: Brick Break is useful against opposing drafts featuring dual screens setters like Klefki and Alolan Ninetales.
Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: Galarian Zapdos's combination of solid Attack and Speed stats and access to strong STAB moves and U-turn
**Choice Scarf**: Galarian Zapdos can use Choice Scarf to outrun faster wallbreakers and some setup sweepers, making it a solid revenge killer.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Sets that want damage amplification without a Choice lock can make use of items such as Life Orb, Black Belt, and Expert Belt.
**Eject Pack**: Galarian Zapdos can use Eject Pack in conjunction with Close Combat to simultaneously dish out major damage and pivot out.
**Lum Berry**: Galarian Zapdos's susceptibility to burn and paralysis makes Lum Berry useful to it.
**Sitrus Berry**: Setup-based sets can use Sitrus Berry as one-time recovery that also boosts Acrobatics upon its consumption.
**Chesto Berry**: Chesto Berry can be used with Rest on setup-based sets to heal damage taken while setting up while also boosting Acrobatics after use.
Tera
========
Galarian Zapdos isn't the best choice for a Tera Captain because it is satisfied with its typing and offensive coverage. If chosen as a Tera Captain, it most often uses Tera Flying or Fighting to further boost its STAB moves. Alternatively, it could use Tera Dark to boost the power of Knock Off and gain an immunity to Psychic, or Tera Steel to neutralize its weakness to Fairy, Psychic, and Ice; the defensive benefits from both of these types also make setup sets more effective.
Draft Strategy
========
Galarian Zapdos should be added to teams desiring a mid-tier wallbreaker, and it benefits from support that allows it to enter the field as often as possible to break down defensive cores.
**Entry Hazards**: Galarian Zapdos is especially effective at forcing switches, which makes hazard support from Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott particularly useful. Defiant also allows Galarian Zapdos to punish opposing Defog usage.
**Slow Momentum**: Due to Galarian Zapdos's propensity to wear itself down over the course of a game, it appreciates safe entry onto the field via slow pivots such as both Slowking formes, which are further useful due to the Future Sight support they provide.
**Cleaners**: Because it is best situated as a wallbreaker, Galarian Zapdos appreciates having faster teammates capable of cleaning up games, such as Meowscarada and Weavile.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Although Galarian Zapdos is only vulnerable to Stealth Rock, due to its general vulnerability to chip damage, it appreciates partners that can remove hazards such as Iron Treads and Terapagos.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Pokemon**: Galarian Zapdos's average Speed leaves it prone to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Greninja, and Latios. It can also be picked off by strong priority users such as Mamoswine and Scizor.
**Fighting- and Flying-resistant Pokemon**: Although very few Pokemon can effectively deal with Galarian Zapdos's STAB combination, bulky Pokemon that can pivot in on one of its STAB moves such as Galarian Slowking and Uxie can effectively scout what Galarian Zapdos wants to do.
**Contact Effects**: Because all of Galarian Zapdos's moves make contact, it is vulnerable to negative contact effects including Static, Flame Body, and Rocky Helmet. Zapdos in particular is problematic, as it resists Galarian Zapdos's STAB combination and threatens to paralyze it with Static, and it's only truly harmed by losing its Heavy-Duty Boots to Knock Off.
**Status**: Being afflicted with burn or paralysis significantly reduces Galarian Zapdos's wallbreaking capabilities.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
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