Common Roles

Bulky Pivot: Zapdos can be a reliable bulky pivot that can stay healthy with Roost and deal solid damage to most foes with its STAB attacks and Heat Wave. It can choose to use U-turn over Volt Switch against specially defensive Ground-types that it struggles to break through otherwise. Thunder Wave is also a great option for slowing down wallbreakers or potential switch-ins.

Offensive Pivot: Similar to the bulky pivot set, Zapdos can be used more offensively in order to deal more immediate damage. This can be good when opposing teams struggle against Zapdos's coverage or if it is not needed defensively. Agility can also be run on offensive sets to outspeed faster threats that would normally be able to revenge kill it.

All-out Attacker: With Zapdos's strong base Special Attack, it can deal massive amounts of damage with EV investment or damage-boosting items. The focus of this set is dealing large amounts of damage rather than providing utility or pivoting. Choice Specs or Life Orb allows Zapdos to deal even more damage, especially against resistances and specially defensive walls.

Common Moves

Primary STAB Moves: Discharge, Thunderbolt, Hurricane, Volt Switch, Thunder

Setup Moves: Agility

Utility Moves: Thunder Wave, Roost, U-turn, Substitute

Coverage: Heat Wave, Weather Ball, Ancient Power, Tera Blast

Niche Moves

Eerie Impulse: Eerie Impulse makes it more difficult for specially offensive Pokemon and setup sweepers—notably, Raging Bolt—to break through Zapdos.

Metal Sound: Metal Sound allows Zapdos to deal massive damage to its typical checks or force switches. Combining it with Throat Spray to immediately gain a Special Attack boost makes Zapdos even more threatening.

Rain Dance: Rain Dance is good for removing opposing weather and making Zapdos a much scarier offensive threat with Weather Ball as well as Hurricane and Thunder.

Charge: Charge makes Zapdos's Electric-type moves immediately more threatening while also boosting its Special Defense.

Common Items

Heavy-Duty Boots: By far the most common item on Zapdos, Heavy-Duty Boots allows it to easily pivot and switch in multiple times throughout the game without getting quickly worn down by Stealth Rock.

Rocky Helmet: Rocky Helmet paired with Static makes Zapdos a very annoying switch-in against physical attackers while also further punishing pivoting and Knock Off users.

Niche Items

Resistance Berries: Charti Berry and Yache Berry are both solid options for checking faster offensive Rock- and Ice-types, respectively.

Leftovers: Leftovers is good for extra longevity, especially when paired with great entry hazard removal or if the opposing team has no Stealth Rock users. It is also useful on Substitute sets to regain health without needing to use Roost.

Choice Specs / Life Orb: Choice Specs on top of Zapdos's great base Special Attack allows it to become an immediate terrifying wallbreaker. Alternatively, it can use Life Orb to maintain the freedom to switch moves.

Eject Button: Eject Button allows Zapdos to quickly take a hit and switch out to a wincon or wallbreaker for better positioning.

Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf allows Zapdos to outspeed fast wallbreakers and become a fast offensive pivot on its own.

Throat Spray: Throat Spray can be combined with Metal Sound to give Zapdos a Special Attack boost.

Tera

Zapdos generally struggles as a high-cost Tera Captain due to its lack of setup options and its already-solid typing. However, it can occasionally benefit from alternative defensive typings such as Tera Fairy and Steel, and it appreciates additional coverage from types like Tera Grass and Ground to beat typical checks.

Draft Strategy

Zapdos fits well on many teams as a strong defensive or offensive pivot with many different options. It makes for a solid check to many of the format's biggest threats, including Zarude, Great Tusk, and Raging Bolt, and it can easily take hits and pivot to teammates as needed.

Physical Wallbreakers: Zapdos's high Special Attack forces its checks to run special bulk, which allows it to pivot to a strong physical wallbreaker such as Iron Valiant or Meowscarada to be immediately threatening.

Entry Hazard Removal: Drafting a high-price Flying-type without Defog is a major downside of Zapdos, especially with its weakness to Stealth Rock. Good Rapid Spin users like Great Tusk and Iron Treads are key, especially if it gets its Heavy-Duty Boots removed with Knock Off.

Electric- and Ground-type Counters: Zapdos struggles with dealing damage to Electric- and Ground-types, but it can easily pivot to teammates that can threaten them, like Greninja, Great Tusk, and Ogerpon.

High-tier Tera Captains: Zapdos is unreliant on Terastallization, making it pair well with strong Tera Captains like Zarude, Ogerpon-W, and Iron Boulder.

Checks and Counters

Defensive Ground-types: Ground-types are immune to Zapdos's Volt Switch, forcing it to run the unreliable Hurricane for damage and the weak U-turn for pivoting. Examples include Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, and Clodsire.

Electric-types: Electric-types resist both of Zapdos's STAB attacks, and some can block Volt Switch via abilities, such as Thundurus-T and Jolteon. Bulky Electric-types that wall Zapdos include Raging Bolt and Bellibolt.

Stealth Rock: Zapdos lacks entry hazard removal, making Stealth Rock very annoying for it to handle, especially if its Heavy-Duty Boots get removed via Knock Off.

Specially Defensive Pokemon: Zapdos cannot increase its Special Attack, so it struggles a lot with breaking through specially defensive walls, especially ones with recovery, such as Galarian Slowking and Deoxys-D.

Toxic: Zapdos likes being on the field for multiple turns, so if it gets inflicted with Toxic, it can quickly get worn down without being able to reliably heal the damage off.