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Zapdos in Pokémon Go
Image via the Pokémon Company, remix by Dot Esports

All Dynamax Zapdos weaknesses and best Pokémon counters in Pokémon Go

Challenge Dynamax Zapdos in Max Out raids, and bring your best Pokémon to bring it down using their Dynamax forms.

When challenging Dynamax Pokémon in Pokémon Go, Zapdos can be one of the more formidable challenges awaiting you. Before you embark on this raid, you’ll want to cover all of Dynamax Zapdos’ weaknesses and use the best Pokémon to face off against it.

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You can make a handful of choices before you start this raid. Not only do you want a solid team challenging Dynamax Zapdos, but you also want to bring a handful of friends with you. Max Out raids are some of the most challenging battles in the mobile game, and it’s easy for them to overwhelm you if you don’t come prepared. Here’s a full breakdown all Dynamax Zapdos weaknesses and the best counters you can use against it in Pokémon Go.

All Dynamax Zapdos weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Dynamax legendary birds in Pokemon Go
Challenge Dynamax Zapdos in Max Out battles, and add it to your collection. Image via Niantic

Dynamax Zapdos is an Electric and Flying-type Pokémon, making it weak against Ice and Rock-type moves, but it’s resistant against Bug, Fighting, Flying, Grass, Ground, and Steel-type attacks. For those who could defeat and catch a Dynamax Articuno, bringing an Articuno into these battles would be a good idea, even though it is weak against Electric-type attacks. Although it might not last long, it can do some decent damage.

When facing off against Dynamax Zapdos, knowing what attacks you can expect to see it use against your team is also important. These are all the moves it can use against you during a Max Out raid in Pokémon Go.

Attack NameAttack Type
Ancient PowerRock
Charge BeamElectric
Drill PeckFlying
Thunder Electric
ThunderboltElectric
Thunder ShockElectric
Zap CannonElectric

Most Dynamax Zapdos’ attacks are Electric-types, meaning you want to avoid using Flying or Water-types against it. There aren’t too many Ice-type Pokémon you can potentially use in these battles, but your limited options do have some strengths in this encounter. It all comes down to teaching the correct movesets and properly curating your teams to sync alongside other players during a Max Out raid.

The best Pokémon counters to Dynamax Zapdos in Pokémon Go

When you’re creating a team to go up against Dynamax Zapdos, the best Pokémon you can use are Gigantamax Lapras, Dynamax Excadrill, and Venusaur. Each choice serves a different role, and how you use them does vary.

For Gigantamax Lapras, this is a primary attacker against Dynamax Zapdos. You’ll be able to do the most damage with this Pokémon given the type of Ice-type moves it can use, and how much damage it can unleash against it. The problem is Lapras is an Ice and Water-type Pokémon, making it weak against Electric-type moves, and that can prove problematic for an extended battle. The best moveset to teach Gigantamax Lapras is the fast move Water Gun and the charged moves Blizzard and G-Max Resonance in Pokémon Go.

Next, we have Dynamax Excadrill, a Ground and Steel-type Pokémon. Although Excadrill lacks an Ice-type moves it can utilize during this battle, it’s exceedingly good at being a strong defensive option against Zapdos. As a Ground and Steel-type, it’ll take reduced damage to Electric-type attacks, making it much more difficult for Zapdos to defeat it. The best moveset to teach Dynamax Excadrill is the fast move Mud-Slap and the charged moves Scorching Sands and Drill Run.

The final best Pokémon to use in this five-star Max Out raid is Dynamax Venusaur, but if you have Gigantamax Venusaur, that’s even better. Like Excadrill, Venusaur is a defensive Pokémon that doesn’t take too much damage from Electric-type moves. You want to lean on this during the encounter and have it act defensively, protecting the other Pokémon and healing them when you can use their Max Moves. Healing and defensiveness will be your main priorities when making this choice. The best moveset to teach Dynamax Venusaur is the fast move Vine Whip and the charged moves Frenzy Plant and Sludge Bomb. If you have it, though, you can swap one charged move out for G-Max Vine Lash.

There are a few other choices you might be able to swap out for battling Dynamax Zapdos in Pokémon Go, but you can only have three Pokémon on your team. Here are some other choices you might consider using:

After defeating Dynamax Zapdos, you’ll have a chance to catch and add it to your collection. This specific Zapdos can be used in future Max Out battles, and there’s a chance you could encounter a Shiny version.


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Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Staff Writer
Zack Palm has been writing about video games for the past five years. He spends his free time trying to learn about a new board, reading high-fantasy series, or working on his latest DnD character.