Pokemon GO Shadow Zapdos PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Modified Dec 09, 2023 16:15 GMT

Shadow Zapdos in Pokemon GO (Image via Sportskeeda)

December marks the beginning of a brand new season in Pokemon GO called Timeless Travels. This new episode has a lot to offer to the player base, of which one of the major highlights is the appearance of Shadow Zapdos as a five-star Shadow Raid Boss. The Electric-type Legendary Bird will appear in the Shadow Raids every Saturday and Sunday till the end of the season.

Since Remote Raid Passes will not work in this type of raid, players will have to appear in person at the gyms to catch this legendary Pokemon.

Once you have Shadow Zapdos in your Pokemon GO collection, you would want to teach it the best attacks possible to make the most out of its combat prowess. This article will help you choose them as well as delve into which Pocket Monsters are best to counter Shadow Zapdos, should you encounter them in trainer battles.

Check out the current Pokemon GO raid bosses that you can encounter in-game

Which moves can Shadow Zapdos perform in Pokemon GO?

Shadow Zapdos can learn the following Fast Attacks:

Charge Beam
Thunder Shock (Legacy Move that requires Elite Fast TM)

The Charged Attacks Shadow Zapdos can learn are

Drill Peck
Ancient Power
Thunder
Thunderbolt
Zap Cannon
Frustration
Return

Before moving on to the best moveset for Shadow Zapdos, note that being an Electric- and Flying-type critter, it gets same-type-attack-bonus (STAB) for these two types. This info will help determine the best attacks for the Pocket Monster.

Best PvP moveset for Shadow Zapdos in Pokemon GO

Zapdos in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The best attacks for Shadow Zapdos in trainer battles are as follows:

Fast Attack: Thunder Shock
Charged Attack: Drill Peck and Thunderbolt

Thunder Shock is tied for third place when it comes to most rapid energy generation. Although it does a meager 1.5 damage per turn, the 4.5 energy it produces every turn compensates for it. This is one Fast Attack worth spending an Elite Fast TM on.

Drill Peck is Shadow Zapdos' best bait Charged Attack. With the quick energy generation of Thunder Shock, the critter reaches one this move in five turns. Taking STAB and Shadow bonus into consideration, the attack deals 93.6 damage and costs only 40 energy, bringing its damage per energy (DPE) to 2.34. This exerts immense shield pressure on the opponent.

Thunderbolt is Shadow Zapdos' nuke attack of choice. With STAB and Shadow Bonus, it does 129.6 damage at costs 55 energy, bringing its DPE to 2.35. When used at the right moment, it will take out most opponents that are vulnerable to Electric-type attacks.

Best PvE moveset for Shadow Zapdos in Pokemon GO

The best moveset for Shadow Zapdos in raids and Gym battles is

Fast Attack: Thunder Shock
Charged Attack: Drill Peck and Thunderbolt

Although the exact numbers are different for PvP and PvE settings, these attacks have the same overall impact on the outcome of the battle. Shadow Zapdos shines as a raid and Gym attacker thanks to its high damage output.