The last of the three original Legendary Birds is finally here!
[dropcap size=small]A[/dropcap]s of Tuesday, Niantic released the last of the Legendary Birds in the 1st generation: Zapdos!
Zapdos is by far the hardest of the 1st gen birds to defeat solely because its an electric-type and the fact that not many people have a lot of powerful rock and ground-types (Unless you went after every Tyranitar raid and caught most or all of them.) Zapdos also has the best CP level of the 3 with 42,691. Almost even with Moltres, but not everyone will have a powerful rock-type to counter Zapdos.
But here are some Pokemon to power up to make beating Zapdos a little easier. Your best option is Golem, a rock-type thats resistant to electric-types and can counter with Rock Throw and Stone Edge. If you have a lot of Geodude candies, its time to put them to use!
Rhydon and Tyranitar are solid options as well. Both can learn Stone Edge, but their fast moves won’t be very effective against Zapdos. Another rock-type that you can add is Aerodactyl. Those four Pokemon will be most common against Zapdos, but here are a few that you will probably see, but not as often and may help round out your 6-Pokemon lineup!
Although not a very popular choice, Piloswine is a ice-ground type Pokemon that will be resistant to Zapdos’s attacks. Although most people wouldn’t suspect it, Piloswine can learn Stone Edge for it’s charge attack. Not only that, but it’s ice-type moves can also deal significant damage to Zapdos with Ice Shard and Avalanche. Other ice-types that you can add to your line up include Jynx and Articuno, although the flying aspect should have you thinking twice before adding Articuno to your lineup.
If you need just a stalling Pokemon that resistant to Zapdos and has a fast dodge, I recommend Jolteon in the middle of your lineup. Although the defense isn’t very good, this is a good choice for Trainers that don’t have a huge variety of Pokemon to choose from and need a high CP Pokemon to add to their lineup.
Other Pokemon you can add to your lineup that don’t have a damage advantage on Zapdos but deal plenty of damage are as follows (and in order:) Gengar, Alakazam, Dragonite, and Flareon. Dragonite will be the most popular choice of the four because he’s resistant to Zapdos’s attacks.
Zapdos is not very easy to catch, so make sure to use Golden Razz Berries when attempting to catch him (you know what, use that Pinap Berry, I dare you!) Also, if you haven’t practiced getting Great and Excellent hits on Pokemon, legendaries would be a good time to do that. Not many people will tell you that they caught a Legendary Bird on a Nice or even on just a hit. The best time to throw is after it attacks to knock the ball away. Throw it right before it’s done attacking to time the ball to hitting Zapdos right after the attack. Personally, Zapdos is easier to hit than Moltres was, but getting Great and Excellent throws are key Trainers.
It wasn’t easy, but I was able to catch him and so can you! Get out there and catch Zapdos before he disappears on August 14th!
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