http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/zapdos
What I did:
-Reworked prose on every set
-Fixed various grammatical errors and things that “didn’t sound right”.
-Physically Defensive set: added a bit about how Roost Scizor needs maximum HP to actually beat HeatWave-less Zapdos, since leaving Scizor in against Zapdos is usually retarded.
-Added a bit about Heat Wave on the SubRoost set to prevent Forretress from spinning away TSpikes
-Changed the order of moves on some sets to better represent what the set does from the get-go. (i.e. Metal Sound is now the first move instead of the third on the MS Dos set)
-Added team options to each set
-Added a [Team Options] section in the analysis
-Adding Rain Dance set and Sleep Talk set
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Roost
move 3: Heat Wave / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Roar
nature: Bold
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With only two weaknesses, good stats overall, Roost for recovery and Pressure to waste opponents' PP, this Zapdos makes a great tank. You can come in with relative safety against many of the top OU sweepers, including Metagross, Heracross, Lucario, Gyarados and Scizor, and various tanks and walls such as Skarmory, Hippowdon and Gliscor. They can all pack super effective moves though (a Stone Edge from Heracross, Gyarados, or Lucario is the most threatening), but Zapdos will still survive at least one hit at full health and can Roost off the damage incurred. Make sure that slower Pokemon like Hippowdon and Metagross don't catch on and Earthquake on the same turn Zapdos Roosts, though.</p>
<p>With Heat Wave, Zapdos can run Hidden Power Grass over Hidden Power Ice, losing super-effective coverage on Dragonite, Gliscor, and Salamence but gaining the ability to beat its biggest counter, Swampert. Heat Wave hits Steel-types such as Magnezone, Scizor, and Metagross for super-effective damage. However, if you wish to use only two attacks and a support move such as Roar in the last slot, it is advisable to use Hidden Power Ice to obtain better coverage with only two moves. Be advised that to beat maximum HP Scizor, Heat Wave is needed to prevent it from Roosting off the damage dealt by a neutral Thunderbolt, since you lack Special Attacking power when using this bulky EV spread. </p>
<p>Zapdos also has access to Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Toxic, and U-turn, all of which can be incredibly useful depending on what your team needs. Discharge is a decent option over Thunderbolt to incur status on your opponent's team, especially considering that Zapdos's handy bulkiness allows it to attack quite often. Substitute can be used in this set as well as a way to help take off some pressure needed to predict switches, and to help avoid status. </p>
<p>The EV spread is focused on Defense to absorb hits from the Pokemon mentioned in the opening paragraph. This makes Zapdos one of the most reliable Scizor counters, resisting all of its standard attacks and hitting back with a super-effective Heat Wave. It may be tempting to maximize HP, but if you only use 248 HP EVs, you will be able to switch into Stealth Rock 5 times instead of 4. Using 248 HP EVs instead of 252 also reduces the amount of damage Zapdos takes from Leech Seed and adverse weather effects such as hail and sandstorm. The one advantage of using max HP is that you will hit a Leftovers recovery number with 384 HP, but in most cases, weather will nullify that anyways. 32 Speed EVs lets you outpace Jolly Tyranitar with 252 Speed EVs, and brings you to a very respectable 244 Speed. However, you may wish to make Zapdos a bit faster, since 244 is a very common Speed stat in OU. Zapdos has a great 100 base Speed, so outpacing threats like max Speed Gyarados, Jolly Breloom, and Adamant Lucario and Heracross is entirely feasible with a set like this.</p>
<p>Even though this Zapdos makes a great defensive addition to any team, it is fairly easy to wall. As with any Special-based attacker, Blissey is the most effective counter to this set. Zapdos’ Pressure can help to stall, but since many Blissey carry Toxic or Thunder Wave, you might want to carry a more reliable counter such as Tyranitar, Machamp or Metagross. Metagross is especially appealing since it resists both of Zapdos’ weaknesses. Latias is another Pokemon that does not mind taking attacks from Zapdos, with its high Special Defense, resistance to Electric, Fire and Grass, and its access to Calm Mind. A bulky user of Pursuit can help cover this weakness, as well as Zapdos’ weakness to Blissey. Scizor is a perfect candidate for this, as it resists both of Latias’ STAB moves, although Tyranitar and Metagross also fill this role very well.</p>
<p>Other counters to Zapdos vary a bit depending on which moves you choose. Namely, Swampert can easily stop any Zapdos that lacks Hidden Power Grass. Celebi does not fear Zapdos that lacks Heat Wave. Tyranitar’s high Special Defense and STAB Rock-type moves make it a suitable counter to Zapdos as well. It is important to make sure that you have these problems covered, but there are many creative ways of going about this. For example, you can take advantage of the fact that almost all of Zapdos’ counters are considerably weakened by the presence of Toxic Spikes. Zapdos has great defensive potential, but like any Electric type that has to rely on Hidden Power for coverage, its offensive arsenal is quite limited with a set like this.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Roost
move 3: Light Screen / Sleep Talk
move 4: Heat Wave / Hidden Power Ice
nature: Calm
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 224 SpD / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is similar to the Defensive Roost set mentioned above, but due to a spread focused more on Special Defense, it plays much differently. This makes switching into Heatran much easier, sponging neutral or immune to attacks and then Roosting off the damage. In addition to Heatran, Zapdos also makes a good switch-in to special threats such as Yanmega, Gengar, Milotic, Roserade, and Togekiss. In particular, Gengar will fail to 2HKO with Life Orb Hidden Power Ice or Choice Specs Shadow Ball. Likewise, Zapdos can take attacks from Yanmega fairly well, as a Hidden Power Ice will only 3HKO after Stealth Rock damage is factored in. </p>
<p>With a specially defensive spread, Zapdos can come in on many common sleep inducers with very little risk, making Sleep Talk a great option. The list includes Yanmega, Gengar, Milotic, Roserade, Bronzong, and Breloom (watch out for the occasional Stone Edge, though). If Sleep Talk doesn't appeal to you, a support move such as Thunder Wave, Roar, or Toxic can work in that slot; Light Screen gets special mention as it can work to sponge special attacks even better. Roost is Zapdos's best option for healing, as it is a quite reliable method of recovery. Once again, resist the temptation to simply maximize HP EVs on this set, as doing so forces Zapdos to take more damage from things such as Stealth Rock and Leech Seed.</p>
<p>The EV spread on this set is very similar to the previous set. This set uses 36 Speed EVs instead of 32 because using Hidden Power Ice with a Calm nature is only legal with a Speed IV of 30. The HP is nearly maximized, again, to increase defensive potential while letting you switch into Stealth Rock an additional time. The rest are poured into Special Defense in order to sponge hits from things like Yanmega and Gengar.</p>
<p>Discharge is a pretty good alternative over Thunderbolt on this Zapdos. The low damage output doesn't really hinder Zapdos much as it isn't sweeping anything with a set like this anyway, and the 30% paralysis rate is always welcomed. Stick with Thunderbolt if your team is carrying Toxic Spikes. Heat Wave is useful on this set to allow Zapdos to beat Steel-types and some of the aforementioned sleep-inducing Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice can be used, as it hits many of Zapdos's Fire-weak targets as well, but Heat Wave's ability to hit threats such as Scizor in a pinch makes it a more practical option. Hidden Power Grass is also a valid option to prevent Swampert from walling this set, although since this Specially Defensive Zapdos is designed to take on bulky Water-types, you might find its type coverage redundant.</p>
<p>This set runs into many of the same problems as the previous set. Blissey, Latias and Tyranitar still wall this set. Metagross, Scizor, Tyranitar and Machamp are very good partners to this set to help cover those weaknesses. Swampert and Celebi are also very good Pokemon to switch into this set, although they will struggle to beat this Zapdos one on one. Toxic Spikes are a great compliment to this set as well since Zapdos’ counters are usually Special-based walls that rely on recovery to win. It is also important to note that this set will have more difficulty countering threats such as Lucario, Gyarados and Scizor due to its weaker Defense stat, so make sure to back Zapdos up appropriately with Pokemon like Gliscor, Rotom-A and Skarmory.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Roost
nature: Timid / Modest
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Offensive Zapdos can be quite a threat to teams that expect a weaker, more defensive Zapdos. The given attacks provide surprisingly good coverage in OU and with Zapdos's massive Special Attack can wreak quite some havoc. Only pure Dragons, Giratina, and the Lati twins resist Electric + Fire + Grass. On the other hand, with Hidden Power Ice as your last move, no Pokémon resists all of the moves besides the uncommon Lanturn. Add in the fact that Zapdos is already pretty bulky even with no defensive investment, combined with its ability to Roost off the damage it takes from Life Orb and you'll find it surprisingly difficult to beat this Zapdos. </p>
<p>Life Orb is the recommended item for the extra power, but Leftovers is somewhat viable as well for the extra bulk. If Swampert is of little concern Hidden Power Grass can be dropped for Hidden Power Ice for a psuedo-BoltBeam combo. The EV spread focuses on Special Attack and Speed, since you will want to hit as much as you can, taking advantage of Zapdos' amazing Special Attack stat, Life Orb, and a great 100 base Speed. The choice of nature is up to you; Timid is generally preferred since it gives you more insurance against the likes of Lucario and Salamence, who rarely runs 252 Speed EVs and a +Speed nature.</p>
<p>This set is a bit more difficult to counter than the previous two sets because it emphasizes Zapdos’ impressive Special Attack stat, but it is still stopped cold by Blissey. As usual, bulky physical Pursuit users are a great way to deal with that threat. Because of the lack of defensive investment, this Zapdos is especially prone to revenge killing. When using this offensive set, it is important that you also pair it up with Pokemon that can switch into the likes of Mamoswine’s Ice Shard, Lucario’s ExtremeSpeed and to a lesser extent, Scizor’s Bullet Punch. Skarmory, a Choice Scarf Magnezone or even a Scizor of your own can be used to remedy this weakness. </p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Heat Wave
move 4: U-turn
nature: Timid / Modest
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
evs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Zapdos is meant to lead, and is meant to give issues to common leads like Gyarados, Salamence, Gengar, Yanmega, Jirachi, and Ninjask (if they decide not to Protect first turn). If the opposing lead is not a great match up, Zapdos can U-turn away to the appropriate counter. Hidden Power Ice is chosen because it complements the Electric STAB well, and offers the chance to revenge kill Dragonite and Salamence. If defeating Swampert, Rhyperior, and Gastrodon is of absolute importance, Hidden Power Grass is also completely viable on this set. </p>
<p>With Heat Wave, Zapdos has a reliable way of revenge killing Scizor, Magnezone, Lucario, and Metagross. Speed is not used on Zapdos often, so the element of surprise will certainly be on your side with this set.</p>
<p>The EVs given outspeed give 462 Speed, enough to outspeed +Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon with a Base 90 Speed stat, in addition to Jolly Ninjask before a boost. 80 HP allows Zapdos to retain an odd HP stat of 341 to allow it 4 switches into Stealth Rock with 1 HP left over, assuming it doesn't take a hit in the process. Simply maximizing your Speed stat is also a good option, as Zapdos’ 100 base Speed means that it will be competing with several other common Pokemon such as Jirachi, who commonly uses a TrickScarf set and Salamence, who often uses Dragon Dance to boost its speed and sometimes carries a Choice Scarf of its own.</p>
<p>Choice Specs is a viable item on this set, because 349 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at with a timely boost. 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe would be more a more ideal EV spread for a Choice Specs set, allowing it to outspeed everything up to neutral Base 112 Pokemon. </p>
<p>A recurring theme in this analysis is that Blissey walls Zapdos to death, and this set is no exception. Although if you are keen on prediction, you can U-turn to a counter as they switch Blissey in to give yourself an immediate advantage. This moveset offers great power and the type coverage to go with it, but since you are forced to only pick one move at a time it may be easier to stop than one might think. Swampert has a pretty good matchup against this set, as does Tyranitar. If your opponent is especially gutsy, they could even send in a Water-type to resist Heat Wave or Hidden Power Ice and force you to take more damage from Stealth Rock. Latias also switches into this set with virtual impunity, but it must be wary of U-turn. Zapdos’ weakness to Stealth Rock is a massive hindrance for this set, as without Roost you are sacrificing one of its best assets in its defensive longevity. Because of that, pairing this Zapdos with a Wish user such as Jirachi or Blissey can be very beneficial. This set is powerful, but not unstoppable, so try to handle this set like you would handle any other Zapdos set.</p>
[SET]
name: SubRoost
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Roost
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Roar / Toxic
nature: Timid
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 184 SpD / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Zapdos' best way of annoying the opponent is stalling them out with Substitute and Roost when Toxic Spikes are up, and it does quite a good job at it. The primary aim of this set is to be used in conjunction with Toxic Spikes to accumulate poison damage on some of Zapdos's usual switch-ins, while taking advantage of Pressure to waste your opponent's PP. This includes Tyranitar, Sleep Talk Heatran, non-Cleric Blissey, and Thick Fat Snorlax. Substitute and Roost used wisely will keep you at high health while blocking status. </p>
<p>Almost all Flying Pokemon immune to Toxic Spikes will fall to Zapdos' STAB Thunderbolt, or in Gliscor's case, Hidden Power Ice. However, if you don't use Hidden Power Ice, you can Baton Pass to get in another Pokemon that can beat Gliscor or Roar it away to deal other types of residual damage to your opponent's team. Toxic is also a viable option in the last slot if you decide to not run this set alongside Toxic Spikes, though it is recommended that you do. Toxic has additional usefulness in poisoning those Pokemon immune to Toxic Spikes, namely, every Flying-type. Few Steel Pokemon can reliably switch in (with the exception of Sleep Talking Lava Plume Heatran and Special Defense oriented Jirachi). Adamant Life Orb Lucario is outsped and 2HKOed, provided he attacks. Bronzong and Forretress cannot touch Zapdos, although the latter can survive a Thunderbolt and use Rapid Spin to protect its teammates from the Toxic Spikes stalling strategy. Because of that, Heat Wave may be a useful option in the last moveslot as well. Metagross without Ice Punch can be outstalled and worn down with Thunderbolt, and Empoleon has a very little chance of not falling. </p>
<p>Zapdos does a good job outstalling most walls and outspeeding many Pokemon, and this set combines those two assets perfectly. This version of Zapdos outspeeds Adamant Lucario and can take multiple hits from it. It's the same story with Adamant Heracross, as long as you don't switch into Stone Edge. As long as one of Tyranitar's Stone Edges misses, Zapdos can outstall Tyranitar; however, don't rely on the miss. Another Speed benchmark that may be valuable to reach is 290, which requires 40 more EVs in Speed, but gives you the advantage of outpacing neutral-natured base 95s such as Modest Yanmega and Adamant Electivire. Maximizing Speed can also prove to be a worthwhile investment on this set, as Zapdos has a great 100 base Speed to abuse. This can prove invaluable, letting you set up a fast Substitute before taking hits from things such as Salamence and Jolly Lucario or Heracross. It also gets a free Substitute if it comes in on a locked Earthquake from Choice Band Tyranitar, Salamence, or Mamoswine. The same goes for Heatran's Choiced Earth Power. </p>
<p>Finally, with its Pressure ability, Zapdos can handle the "safer" switch-ins like Cresselia, Cleric Blissey and Sleep Talking Snorlax by PP stalling them until they are forced to Struggle. </p>
<p>Since the nature of this set is to stall, this Zapdos obviously works best when paired with Toxic Spikes. Forretress and Tentacruel both resist Ice and can set the entry hazard up, while also being able to Rapid Spin Stealth Rock away to benefit Zapdos even more. Roserade, Nidoqueen and Smeargle do not particularly work well with Zapdos defensively, but they deserve mention because they are the only other Pokemon that can reliably set Toxic Spikes up for your team in OU. As mentioned in the set description, Zapdos’ usual counters can be stalled out with this set in conjunction with Toxic. However, Taunt users can completely destroy this set, as well as strong priority moves such as Ice Shard from Mamoswine, but once you get the Sub-Roost cycle going it will eventually fall. If you find yourself in a situation where Zapdos is easily countered by your opponent’s team, Baton Pass might prove to be a worthwhile option in conjunction with Substitute on this set, allowing your teammates to get in for free even if Zapdos is incapable of stalling.</p>
<p>Even though this set is great for stalling, it suffers from the tragic “four moveslot syndrome”. Any user of Rest that has a stat boosting move will defeat this set handily if you lack Roar, but using it would cost you precious type coverage if you find yourself having to go on the offensive. Pressure stalling without any way of causing residual damage is largely a futile measure, however, so make sure to use it if your team can support it with things like Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility Sweeper
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Heat Wave / Roost
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 140 HP / 252 SpA / 116 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Zapdos has superb Special Attack and better-than-average defenses, its mediocre Speed can cause it some trouble in a metagame filled with faster threats and enemy Pokemon equipped with Choice Scarf. This slight problem, however, can be fixed with the use of Agility, allowing it to outspeed virtually every threat in the metagame. </p>
<p>Thunderbolt serves as Zapdos's most reliable attack. Ground-types are hit for super effective damage with both Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Ice. Although it may seem that Ice should be the better choice thanks to high usage of threats such as Salamence and Flygon, Salamence is already 2HKOed by Thunderbolt, meaning it is usually better to hit Swampert, who would otherwise be Zapdos's number one counter. Scizor, Metagross, and Bronzong, are hit by Heat Wave, which gives good coverage with Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass. Hidden Power Ice is still an option over Hidden Power Grass; however, it is slightly inferior because of the coverage you lose in exchange for hitting Salamence and Flygon harder. Hidden Power Ice makes a better two-move combination with Thunderbolt if you want to opt for a support move in Zapdos's last slot. Roost is viable and can help recover lost HP due to Life Orb, weather effects, and Stealth Rock. When you are done with sweeping with Zapdos, Baton Pass is a decent option in the last slot so that your Agility can often be put to better use by a teammate. </p>
<p>Life Orb is generally the most useful item in order to maximize damage, although Leftovers can be used for a slightly bulkier Zapdos. For a balance between power and bulk, Expert Belt is a decent choice, especially since Zapdos gets good coverage with the given moveset. The given EVs provide Zapdos with 265 Speed, allowing it to outspeed Neutral Choice Scarf base 125's after an Agility, as well Timid Choice Scarf Gengar. Only 108 Speed EVs are actually necessary to beat Timid Choice Scarf Gengar, but as Scarf 125's only requires an investment of 8 more EVs, the cost is very much worth it; the 8 EVs would seldom be as significant in HP. Special Attack is then maxed out with a Modest nature, with the remaining EVs dumped into HP. Be warned that the given HP EVs, Zapdos ends up with 356 HP, which is divisible by 4, meaning that Zapdos would faint on the fourth switch-in to Stealth Rock. That situation, however, is rare thanks to Life Orb or Leftovers and the prevalence of sandstorm. If you are paranoid about it, or simply want to make sure that you'll never faint on the fourth switch-in to Stealth Rock, you can simply move 4 of the HP Evs into a different stat, such as Defense. </p>
<p>Although the offensive potential of this set is great, it also suffers from the fact that Zapdos does not learn any reliable Special Attack boosting moves. Because of that, you will be hard pressed to get by Blissey and a near-maximum health Tyranitar with this set. It is important to clear these reliable walls before you attempt a sweep with this set. Something like Dugtrio would be good to clear these problem Pokemon. Machamp and Metagross do not have to rely on trapping and can reliably counter both Blissey and Tyranitar. Agility Zapdos works much better against offensive teams, but if you can reliably counter Blissey, this Zapdos can cause havoc against any team. Instead of worrying about being countered straight-up, you can also use Baton Pass in the last moveslot of this set as an option to assist a teammate in taking out Zapdos’ counters. Steel-typed Pokemon resist both of Zapdos’ weaknesses and are often slow, so they would love a boost from this Zapdos. Metagross, Swords Dance Scizor and Life Orb Heatran all make great teammates with this set if you choose to use that option.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility Baton Passer
move 1: Agility
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Thunderbolt / Charge Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
nature: Timid / Modest
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 84 SpA / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set is fairly straightforward: set up an Agility while your opponent switches to a Zapdos counter, then Baton Pass to a threatening sweeper that could use help in the Speed department. Good examples would be Rampardos, Marowak, Rhyperior, and Metagross. Physical attackers are often the best choices as they scare off Blissey, who is a very common switch into Zapdos, while also doing well against generic Electric-types like Jolteon that may also switch into Zapdos. Should you attempt a pass to a special attacker, Charge Beam is an option over Thunderbolt, because if you manage to get that Special Attack boost, you can Baton Pass that as well. It is important to note that this set is meant to be played defensively, utilizing Zapdos’ amazing typing and bulk to get the Baton Pass off instead of just boosting your stats and attempting a sweep like the previous Agility set.</p>
<p> Note that Hidden Power Grass is listed here, as it will maim Swampert, who will otherwise wall you easily and Roar away your boosts. </p>
<p> Roost can be used over Hidden Power for two main reasons. The competitive reasoning is that Roost will increase Zapdos’ longevity, allowing you to potentially gain more than one Agility and it also allows Zapdos to come back to Baton Pass at a later point. The second, less applicable reason is that getting a good Baton Pass Zapdos from XD is a pain to begin with, and finding one with a decent Hidden Power can drive you mad.</p>
<p> This set has a defensive set-up. You can afford to cut down on Speed here because you will be outspeeding everything after Agility except things like Speed Boosted Ninjask/Yanmega, or Choice Scarfed Pokemon that are already very fast. The 36 Speed EVs recommended allow you to beat Jolly Tyranitar even if your Speed IV is 30 (because of Hidden Power), but you may want to use a bit more Speed in order to outpace common Choice Scarfers such as Gengar, Flygon, Heatran and Heracross after an Agility. The Defense is here so you can take some hits from Pokemon like Gyarados or Metagross, but you can shift it to Special Defense so you stand a better chance against Starmie, Suicune, and other special attackers. </p>
<p>As this set is designed to support its teammates, this Zapdos is fairly difficult for your opponent to counter directly. Good supporters would be pokemon such as Metagross or Lucario, who would both be relatively easy to Baton Pass to considering they resist both of Zapdos’ weaknesses. Since Zapdos scares away most of the common phazers in OU, most notably Skarmory, Suicune and Gyarados, you will often find yourself getting a really easy Agility. Other slow-but-powerful Pokemon can use this to their advantage, such as Swords Dance Heracross or Rhyperior, and Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Since nearly every Pokemon in the game benefits from +2 Speed, this Zapdos will surely be an asset to your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 52 SpA / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> The same idea as above, but with Substitute: set it up while your opponent switches out, then Baton Pass to something that benefits greatly from it. For example, if your opponent brings in a Blissey that lacks Calm Mind and a bunch of Special Attack EVs, you can Baton Pass to Focus Punch Gengar. Ice Beam will not break the Substitute and you are free to Focus Punch away. Another situation could be your opponent bringing in a Swampert without Rock Slide or Stone Edge, where you can Baton Pass to Gyarados, Intimidate Swampert and get a risk-free Dragon Dance in. Roost can be used over Hidden Power, for the same reasons mentioned in the Agility Baton Passing set. </p>
<p> The EVs have been shifted to Speed to make sure you can Baton Pass out before your opponent attacks Zapdos and breaks his Substitute. Timid with 152 Speed EVs is a good option as well as it beats any Salamence without a Speed boosting nature. The other important stat to boost for this kind of Zapdos is HP, because it will make for larger Substitutes. </p>
<p>Just like the Agility Baton Passer, you will find that getting a free Substitute away to one of your teammates is fairly easy. The most important question in deciding on what teammates you would like to use this set with then becomes “what benefits the most from a Substitute?” As mentioned earlier, Focus Punch Gengar works very well with this set. Users of Belly Drum such as Charizard or Smeargle would also be creative ways of exploiting this virtually free Substitute. Stat boosters like Infernape and Lucario are also very viable options as they compliment Zapdos both offensively and defensively. </p>
[SET]
name: MS Dos
move 1: Metal Sound
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Roost
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> While Zapdos makes a splendid tank and support partner, one should not easily forget about its good 100 base Speed and extremely threatening 125 base Special Attack. The idea of this set is pretty simple: stay safe until late-game, kill or wear down Zapdos' counters if your opponent has them, then come in on an Earthquake or after a KO and start dishing out damage. Pretty much like any other sweeper, really. Metal Sound is here because after one use, Thunderbolt averages about 40% or 47% damage to Blissey, depending on her EV spread. That means that with some residual damage (Stealth Rock, Spikes, and/or Sand Stream), Zapdos may actually manage to beat Blissey. Calm Mind and/or Ice Beam will make it a lot tougher though. </p>
<p> Hidden Power Ice is highly recommended on this Zapdos, as it provides superior type coverage when compared to its Grass equivalent. Swampert, (the main target of Hidden Power Grass) is 2HKOed (60 - 70% damage against standard Swampert) by Hidden Power Ice after Metal Sound. Most Celebi are OHKOed by HP Ice after a Metal Sound. </p>
<p> Roost is as good as ever for restoring lost HP during a botched sweep attempt if you want Zapdos to retreat to the backlines, so it can come back later to try again. Obviously, it helps to regain HP lost from Life Orb too. Substitute can help you check what your opponent is doing or wait out Poison damage. Roar can be used if you've got Stealth Rock or Spikes down on the opponent. It actually works pretty well if your opponent isn't staying in after you use Metal Sound—Roar on their switch for double pleasure. </p>
<p> Life Orb is suggested to beef up Zapdos' power, and Roost can help to get back lost HP. Leftovers is a good alternative if you want your Zapdos to be a little bulkier. </p>
<p> EVs are focused in Special Attack and Speed to increase sweeping potential. Modest gives more power, while Timid guarantees Zapdos will outrun the likes of Porygon-Z and Electivire. You can drop some Speed EVs for more HP if you wish. 270 (Adamant Heracross) or 280 (Adamant Lucario) are good benchmarks, although you can go as low as 244/245 to beat Jolly Tyranitar. </p>
<p>Even though this Zapdos is designed to be a standalone sweeper, it still runs into a lot of trouble when facing the standard walls of OU. Blissey and Tyranitar will still have a favorable matchup against this set, and without any defensive investment, you will be prone to revenge killing from the likes of Mamoswine, Salamence and Lucario. Metal Sound’s accuracy might also fail you at times, so it is important to carry a back-up plan as usual. The typical Zapdos counters all still apply to this set, Metal Sound just gives them a run for their money while also providing a unique way of forcing switches and causing residual damage.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As mentioned before, Zapdos' movepool is bigger than that of most Electrics, but it is still nothing to write home about. The only other moves worth mentioning have been put into sets, but are worth considering in others if you find yourself having some extra space. </p>
<p>Thunder Wave is good as ever to support a slower team, and Light Screen can help in the Special Defense department. It in no way makes up for having no good counter to any Special Attacker, but it can help as an emergency move or additional coverage. </p>
<p>Thunder can be used over Thunderbolt, most notably in defensive sets that can afford to miss once in a while. The 30% paralysis rate is welcome, but the 70% accuracy is less spectacular. It also has less PP than Thunderbolt, which is why using it on the Sleep Talk set is not a bad idea. The same 30% paralysis rate is what makes Discharge a pretty good move, especially for a Zapdos that is planning on living for a while (those with Roost or Rest/Sleep Talk). Thunder can be especially useful on a set designated to set up Rain Dance for a Rain Dance-themed team. With a Damp Rock equipped, Zapdos can set up Rain Dance for 8 turns helping both itself, as Thunder has perfect accuracy under Rainy weather, and its teammates. </p>
<p>A Choice Band set is viable, though not recommended. With only Drill Peck, U-turn, Steel Wing, and the usual Normal-types moves like Return, Zapdos doesn't have the movepool to use CB effectively. The best you can hope for is getting in a more powerful than usual hit with U-turn against an incoming Tyranitar. </p>
[Hidden Power: Ice vs. Grass]
<p>Although it has been touched upon a few times during the analysis, the decision of which Hidden Power to use on Zapdos bears closer examination. Grass is generally the superior choice in terms of coverage due to Platinum's addition of Heat Wave. When using Heat Wave, Zapdos gets amazing coverage in OU when combined with Hidden Power Grass and Thunderbolt. When considering that Thunderbolt 2HKOes Salamence anyways, the only coverage that you lose by switching to Grass is Gliscor, who is not a big problem for Zapdos due to Gliscor's mediocre Special Defense. When using a set with room for three offensive moves, Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power Grass is usually the best choice; likewise, on a set with room for two offensive moves, Hidden Power Ice is generally a better option to pair with Thunderbolt. Hidden Power can even be dropped altogether on a two-attack set in order to beat Roost Scizor, a feat only possible with Heat Wave. Grass is even acceptable on a defensive set, especially one with Baton Pass, in order to beat Swampert with Roar, who obviously ruins your attempts to Baton Pass. </p>
<p>If you're tearing your hair out trying to get a good Hidden Power Grass or Ice Zapdos for WiFi battles, there are a few acceptable (although admittedly inferior) alternatives if your patience is wearing thin. Water hits Camerupt and Steelix, although both are rare in OU battles, and you still get a super effective hit on the likes of Donphan and Hippowdon and a neutral attack on Magnezone. Ground is an unpleasant surprise for Electric-types like Electivire and Magnezone, and it dents Steelix, Rhyperior, Camerupt and Lanturn. Hidden Power Fighting smacks Tyranitar and Weavile around, and also hurts Steelix, Magnezone, Mamoswine, and Rhyperior. Flying will hurt Grass-types more than Ice thanks to the STAB boost and will also do acceptable damage to most Ground-types, who usually have poor Special Defense. </p>
[EVs]
<p>Generally, you'll want a defensive Zapdos to have nearly maxed out HP and a ton in either of his defenses. It is important to remember that using 248 HP EVs is more beneficial than fully maximizing HP, since it allows you to switch into Stealth Rock 5 times instead of 4, in addition to reducing damage done by Leech Seed and increment weather. Using max HP does allow you recover an additional Hit Point with Leftovers, but the common adverse weather conditions in OU will nullify Leftovers recovery anyways. If you're not sweeping or Baton Passing a Substitute, you should have a minimum stat of 245 in Speed so you can finish off a worn down Tyranitar at any time (unless it has a Dragon Dance in of course). </p>
<p>On sweeping sets, you should invest in Speed. 270 outspeeds Adamant Heracross, while 296 beats Jolly ones, however if you're going to invest that much Speed you may as well go for 299 to tie with Salamence and other 100 base Speed Pokémon that don't use +Speed natures. The Agility Sweeper is quite content with reaching 263 or 265 to beat Timid Choice Scarf Gengar or Modest Choice Scarf base 125's, respectively, after an Agility. When using Timid, you should have a minimum of 307 Speed, enabling Zapdos to outrun max Speed Lucario and Porygon-Z. Beyond that, Zapdos can't hit any other significant "magic numbers" for Speed, besides 318 to outrun rarely +Speed natured Electivire. Using lots of Special Attack EVs is obvious if you're using the more attack minded sets (Special Sweeper, Choice Specs), but you don't necessarily need that if you're going defensive or using Baton Pass. </p>
<p>The defensive Roost sets can opt for a faster spread if you want them to beat Lucario more easily. 176 Speed EVs with a Speed-boosting nature will outspeed all non-Scarfed Lucario. HP should then be maxed and the remaining 80 EVs poured into Special Attack or Defense. </p>
[Team Options]
<p>Like nearly every Special Attack user in the game, Zapdos is walled by Blissey. It is important to carry a Pokemon that can reliably switch into the egg so that the electric bird does not get hit with a harmful status effect. Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Machamp, Metagross and Snorlax are perfect for this role. Latias also laughs at most Zapdos sets due to its typing, but Steel types such as Scizor, Metagross and Bronzong can once again come in handy here. Since most of Zapdos’ counters are vulnerable to Pursuit, you will want to pair Zapdos with a good user of the move. </p>
<p>Bulky Ground-types such as Swampert and Hippowdon can counter Zapdos reliably well. Hidden Power Grass is mentioned on almost every set solely to prevent these Pokemon from walling you as easily as Rhydon and Golem walled Zapdos in RBY. Using a Grass-type such as Celebi or Tangrowth can help to get rid of these counters. Bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Gyarados or your own Swampert could be just as useful in dealing with these threats.</p>
<p>When using a Baton Pass Zapdos, it is important to remember that what you plan on passing to will be taking hits aimed at Zapdos. For that reason, Pokemon such as Lucario and Metagross would be perfect partners for it. Rhyperior also resists Rock and loves having its Speed boosted, and other stat boosters such as Swords Dance Heracross would greatly benefit from that boost as well.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Zapdos has tremendous typing, which includes resistances or immunities to the most common moves of top-tier OU threats such as Scizor, Lucario and Flygon. Although its Electric / Flying typing forces it to lose 25% of its HP every time it comes in when Stealth Rock is on the field, the addition of Roost helps makes up for that. Physically defensive Zapdos is one of the best Scizor counters, while specially defensive variants counter Gengar, Yanmega, and Heatran quite well. Zapdos can also try its hand at countering Gyarados with a bunch of defensive investment, and in the meantime take on some other annoying physical hard-hitters, though it must be wary of Stone Edge or a boosted Ice Fang. </p>
<p>Despite a few flaws, Zapdos is still a very effective Pokemon. Whether it is used as a tank, Baton Passer, or special attacker, the electric bird is a fantastic asset to a team. </p>
[Counters]
<p>Blissey stops any kind of Special Attacking done by Zapdos cold, and Snorlax to a lesser extent; although both must be careful with the rare Metal Sound user. Regice can do well against sets that do not carry Heat Wave, threatening Zapdos with STAB, super effective Ice Beams. Electivire, Jolteon, and Lanturn can benefit from coming into Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave from Zapdos and get rid of him with their neutral Thunderbolts (or in Lanturn's case, Ice Beam) while Zapdos is stuck to using Heat Wave (in Electivire's and Jolteon's case) or Hidden Power (in Lanturn's case) against them. Other Electrics like Raikou and Ampharos work with this principle as well, but they don't benefit from being Thunderbolted. </p>
<p>Flygon and Gliscor have a relatively easy time against a Zapdos without Hidden Power Ice. Swampert and Rhyperior can wall a Zapdos without Hidden Power Grass. Camerupt does a fair bit of damage to Zapdos with Fire or Rock moves and really only cares about Hidden Power Water. Latias takes little damage from any attack Zapdos can throw at it and Calm Mind away. Grass-types such as Celebi or Meganium can do well against some Zapdos, but the prevalence of Heat Wave and U-turn means they need to watch out. Steelix also does alright against versions that lack Heat Wave, and even boasts an immunity to Toxic. </p>
<p>With Sand Stream boosting its Special Defense, Tyranitar makes an excellent counter, particularly the specially defensive versions. Although Zapdos can conceivably stall out Stone Edge's low PP (Pressure only gives Tyranitar 4 chances to use it), Tyranitar will beat Zapdos by using Crunch. Initially, Crunch approximately breaks even with Roost's healing, but once Tyranitar obtains a Defense drop, it wins the matchup. Regirock in a sandstorm performs similarly, though Tyranitar is more efficient due to its Sand Stream ability. </p>
<p>While walling Zapdos is nice, you will usually need some decent power behind a super effective move to win the war against one with Roost or Rest though, because Pressure will bite you. Better hope you're using Ice Beam against a Bold Zapdos or Ice Punch against a Calm one too. Earthquake helps against Zapdos if it's using Roost. </p>
Phew, 13 pages. Feel free to chip away at it, I think its pretty good right now but odds are I made a mistake or two somewhere. Any suggestions are appreciated.
