Pokemon GO Zapdos raid guide (July 2023): Best counters, weaknesses, and more

With the return of Pokemon GO's anniversary event, players everywhere are gearing up for a chance to challenge the Kanto trio of legendary birds once again. Arguably the most popular of the trio is Zapdos. First found in the depths of Kanto's abandoned power plant, this creature has made various appearances ever since.

As experienced raiders will know, the 5-star Raid Battles with Legendary Pokemon are some of the mobile game's hardest challenges. As such, you should consider doing some research before jumping into one of these raids.

Having some game knowledge and understanding of the boss will make it easier for you to take it down. In the case of Zapdos, this information is much more important since it is often praised as being the best of the trio of Legendary Birds. Here's what you need to know about Zapdos in Pokemon GO.

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How to counter Zapdos in Pokemon GO

Zapdos as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The first thing you should know about any potential Raid Boss in Pokemon GO before even attempting to challenge it is its elemental typing. This is Zapdos' greatest asset, as its type combination of Electric and Flying is one of the best in the franchise. While this does mitigate some common weaknesses of both elements, Zapdos is still weak to Rock and Ice-type attacks.

Zapdos also continues the trend of Electric-types having very bad movepools to compensate for their lack of abundant weaknesses. Most of Zapdos' attacks belong to the Electric-type, which means you should bring defensive Pokemon of the Ground element to better stall out these attacks.

Thankfully, the franchise is rich with Rock and Ground-types that you can use, and the two best options for this battle are Golem and Rhyperior. These two have a reputation for being the best for raids against the Kanto Bird Trio in Pokemon GO, and this remains consistent for the latest iteration of these raids. Although they can require a bit of work to obtain, they are worth the effort since they can be used in PvP and gym gameplay as well.

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Can Zapdos be shiny in Pokemon GO?

There is some good news for the daring few that wish to compete in these raids for a chance to catch a Shiny Pokemon rather than to complete their Pokedex. Niantic has confirmed that all three Legendary Birds are present and can currently be captured in the mobile game through their respective 5-star Raid Battles.

For those unaware, the rate for encountering Shiny Pokemon through 5-star Raid Battles (1 in 20) is much higher than the rate you typically have when encountering Pokemon in the wild. Although the rate is much better, there is no guarantee that you will find a Shiny Zapdos after a certain number of attempts. As such, it is entirely up to you to decide whether to pursue one.