Dynamax Zapdos is the second Legendary we’re seeing in Max Battles for Pokémon Go. It’s making its debut during Max Monday on Jan. 27 from 6-7 p.m. and will be available until Feb. 3 when Dynamax Moltres will debut.
While Dynamax Zapdos isn’t as hard as the very tough Gigantamax battles we’ve seen in the past, it can be tricky as there’s not many Dynamax Pokémon to use to counter it.
Below, we list out some general Max Battle tips and counters for Dynamax Zapdos in Pokémon Go.
Dynamax Zapdos weakness
Zapdos is electric- and flying-type, so it only has two weaknesses to exploit: rock– and ice-type moves. Just like its sibling Articuno, the problem is that there aren’t any Dynamax Pokémon that have rock-type Dynamax moves (as of this writing).
There aren’t really many Dynamax Pokémon out there that will help you beat down Zapdos, but there are a few that will resist its attacks, allowing you to take advantage of bulk to play the defensive option.
Dynamax Zapdos best counters
With the above in mind, there are a few counters to bring to Zapdos. We recommend the following to focus on offensive moves:
- Gigantamax Lapras with Water Gun
- Dynamax Cryogonal with Frost Breath
- Dynamax Articuno with Frost Breath
- Dynamax/Gigantamax Gengar with Lick
For the most part, you’ll want to keep your offensive Pokémon stocked away while your tanks soak up hits and charge the max meter. Swap to these when it’s time to Dynamax or Gigantamax, but keep them in reserve otherwise, as Zapdos’ moveset can take these out quickly.
As for defense, you should bring the following with Max Guard and Max Spirit:
- Dynamax Excadrill with Metal Claw
- Dynamax/Gigantamax Venusaur with Vine Whip
- Dynamax/Gigantamax Rillaboom with Scratch
- Dynamax Metagross with Zen Headbutt
These Pokémon are just meant to tank hits from Zapdos while they quickly charge up the max meter with their fast moves. Excadrill can resist just about everything Zapdos can throw at it, while the two grass-types will struggle against Drill Peck. Metagross will also hold its weight decently against Zapdos, so use what you have and pay attention to Zapdos’ movesets.
Even if you don’t have these powered up, consider just bringing the strongest Dynamax Pokémon you have. If you have a maxed out Dynamax Gengar and your Dynamax Cryogonal isn’t leveled (and you don’t have the means to power it up), just bring your Gengar.
General Max Battle tips
If you’ve been struggling in Max Battles, here are some general tips to survive — and make sure you’re an asset to your team. While Gigantamax Battles are tough, a Legendary Max Battle shouldn’t be as tough as that. You can slack a little, but you should still heed our advice:
- Make sure you have enough players. High-efficiency players with maxed out investments will likely be able to solo Zapdos, but this isn’t going to be realistic for most people. Try to go at it with three other players for the highest chance of winning. Note that unlike Gigantamax Pokémon, the Dynamax Legendary Pokémon have a max party size of four (rather than 40).
- Don’t sleep on Max Spirit and Max Guard. Teams work best when there’s a variety of moves, not just maxed-out attacks. Each player should bring Pokémon with the defensive and healing moves unlocked as well. Max Guard will focus single-target damage towards you and reduce the damage taken and Max Spirit will heal the whole party, so these moves are really important to make sure your damage-dealers can keep dishing.
- Remember to swap to super effective moves when it’s time to Dynamax. For Dynamax Pokémon, their max moves are determined by whatever type their fast move is. This means if you have a Cryogonal with Frost Breath, it will know Max Hailstorm. A Gengar with Lick will know Max Phantasm. Take advantage of this and make sure to swap to a Pokémon that will deal super effective damage to your target before Dynamaxing, if you can.
- Focus on your fast moves. You want to spam your fast moves to build up that Dynamax meter and often times, using your charge move is actually a DPS loss when compared to the damage you could be doing with your max move will be. Spam those attacks!
- Level up a few ‘mons, but you don’t have to go too hard. Depending on your group size, you absolutely do not need to max out all your Dynamax Pokémon to level 40-50. While this will make it easier on the rest of your group, if this isn’t an investment you can make, you don’t have to stress about it. Power things up as high as you can afford to, but don’t fret if you don’t have a maxed out Pokémon.
- That all being said, make sure to come as prepared as you can be. This is a team effort and there’s a chance that a full group of four can still fail. Do not just bring your unleveled Dynamax Wooloo expecting a free ride to a powerful Pokémon. (After all, if everyone does that, then you certainly won’t clear the battle.) Again, you don’t have to completely max out your Pokémon, but it will be better for everyone involved if you bring something helpful to the table.
- Keep your eye out for a shiny Zapdos! If you clear the raid, there is a chance that the Zapdos you catch will be shiny — which also means it’ll be a guaranteed catch. Use a Pinap Berry to score extra candy if you get lucky enough to find a sparkly Zapdos.
The post Dynamax Zapdos counters, weakness, and battle tips in Pokémon Go appeared first on Polygon.
