Zapdos

Zapdos storms into the VGC 2022 metagame as one of the strongest special-attacking Dynamax options in the format. Electric / Flying typing is incredibly effective for both defensive and offensive purposes. It gives Zapdos key resistances or immunities to some of the strongest attacks in the metagame—like Zacian-C's Behemoth Blade and Groudon's Precipice Blades—alongside almost perfect neutral STAB coverage, access to STAB Max Airstream, and STAB super effective moves for top Pokemon like Kyogre, Amoonguss, and Venusaur. Zapdos has a strong niche on Kyogre and Zacian-C teams, as both Pokemon appreciate Zapdos's Max Airstream to quickly fire off their devastating attacks, as well as Zapdos hitting opposing Kyogre and Grass-types for heavy damage. However, Zapdos is fairly limited if it is not used as a Dynamax option, and it can have problems with certain matchups. It struggles when teams can weaken it with Light Screen and/or Snarl, or when they negate its Max Airstream boosts with speed control of their own.