Is Zapdos Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Ramanas Park catch in Shining Pearl only. Best of the three birds with Electric/Flying typing that would've dominated Wake, Byron, and Aaron. Postgame timing wastes that potential.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Zapdos resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos resists most of Maylene's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Zapdos resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Zapdos resists most of Aaron's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
How to Get Zapdos in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Zapdos can't be caught in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Bring it over from Red & Blue, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Zapdos is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
Zapdos Weakness
Ice and Rock moves hit Zapdos for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Zapdos can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
What is Zapdos Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Zapdos
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Abomasnow builds →Ice Beam 2x64-75% Rock Slide 2x36-43% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Mamoswine builds →Ice Fang 2x64-75% Stone Edge 2x64-76% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Abomasnow builds →Ice Beam 2x64-75% Rock Slide 2x36-43% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Mamoswine builds →Ice Fang 2x64-75% Stone Edge 2x64-76% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x97-114%KO Avalanche 2x40-47% | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Abomasnow builds →Ice Beam 2x63-74% Rock Slide 2x36-43% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemRocky Helmet NatureBold Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Slowbro builds →Scald16-20% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemRocky Helmet NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Tangrowth builds →Knock Off10-12% Giga Drain8-10% Focus Blast13-16% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Scizor builds →Bullet Punch5-6% Knock Off16-20% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemDamprock NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Pelipper builds →U Turn3-4% Hurricane11-13% | ||
Zapdos Evolutions
A Electric/Flying-type legendary, Zapdos doesn't evolve or breed. At 580 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
BDSP Zapdos Best Moveset
One of the few Pokemon that held S-tier from the original Gen 4 through the modern assessment. 125 Sp. Atk at 100 Speed behind Electric/Flying TermStab with AbilityPressure doubling PP consumption. Hidden AbilityStatic threatens paralysis on contact. The moveset hits hard, fast, and from a typing with only Ice and Rock weaknesses.
Best Build
Zapdos best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Roost
- Hurricane
- Volt Switch
- Heat Wave
Moves List
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Zapdos picks up Thunder and Zap Cannon along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add Rock and Normal coverage and more, but the foundation's already strong by then.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
This legendary Pokémon is said to live in thunderclouds. It freely controls lightning bolts.
Zapdos Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
For the Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl meta, At 580 BST, Zapdos is built different. We rank it A-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a support. Roost with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.
Pressure increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. That's the one you want on Zapdos. Static is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Zapdos is a special attacker with base 125 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a support.
For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Zapdos has answers, but so do you. Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Ice and Rock-type attackers hit hardest.
Game Availability
First obtainable in Red & Blue, Zapdos has been featured in 20 titles across 10 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGalarian
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves