Zapdos
Electric
Best attacking moveset: Thunder Shock and Zap Cannon, worth 13.3 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Zapdos can learn 12 combinations. Thunder Shock with Zap Cannon does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
That set is legacy. Thunder Shock is only obtainable with an Elite TM or from the event that gave it out, so the Zapdos you catch today cannot learn it. The best set it can learn now is Charge Beam and Drill Peck, worth 12.7 damage per second.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charge Beam | Electric | 7 | 1.0s | +14 |
| Thunder Shock Legacy | Electric | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Power | Rock | 70 | 3.5s | -33 |
| Drill Peck | 70 | 2.5s | -33 | |
| Heat Wave | Fire | 95 | 3.0s | -100 |
| Thunder | Electric | 100 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Thunderbolt | Electric | 80 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Zap Cannon | Electric | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Zapdos has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Other forms
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,987 at level 50, 3,527 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 2,015 CP at level 20, or 2,519 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,930 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 253 attack · 185 defense · 207 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 100,000 Stardust and 100 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 20 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 20,000 Stardust and 20 Candy |
| Size | 1.6 m and 52.6 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Zapdos does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Flying, Water, Fighting.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 21.7 | |
| Water | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 21.7 |
| Fighting | Thunder Shock + Drill Peck | 19.4 |
| Bug | Thunder Shock + Drill Peck | 19.4 |
| Grass | Charge Beam + Drill Peck | 18.4 |
| Fire | Thunder Shock + Ancient Power | 13.7 |
| Ice | Thunder Shock + Ancient Power | 13.7 |
| Normal | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Poison | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Rock | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Ghost | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Steel | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Psychic | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Dark | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Fairy | Thunder Shock + Zap Cannon | 13.3 |
| Ground | Thunder Shock + Drill Peck | 12.2 |
| Dragon | Charge Beam + Drill Peck | 12.2 |
| Electric | Charge Beam + Ancient Power | 8.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Zapdos is actually for.
Counters: what beats Zapdos
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Glimmora | RockPoison | Rock Throw + Meteor Beam | 26.1 |
 Rampardos | Rock | Smack Down + Rock Slide | 25.9 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 25.1 |
 Gigalith | Rock | Lock On + Meteor Beam Legacy | 24.9 |
 Tyrantrum | RockDragon | Rock Throw + Meteor Beam | 24.2 |
 Chien-Pao | DarkIce | Powder Snow + Avalanche | 23.9 |
 Baxcalibur | DragonIce | Ice Fang + Avalanche | 23.8 |
 Rhyperior | GroundRock | Smack Down + Rock Wrecker Legacy | 23.4 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Hidden Power + Crush Grip Legacy | 23.4 |
 Terrakion | RockFighting | Smack Down + Rock Slide | 23.0 |
Ranked by damage per second against Zapdos's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.