Power up 96 IV Zapdos or 96 IV lugia?
Assuming best moveset on both.
Answers
No real arguments there but I almost never use my Zapdos unless it’s a raid boss weak to electric and Zapdos still comes after Raikou.
I have a 98% Zapdos powered up and even at a higher level, still underperforms compared to my 91% Raikou. Do both, but one is better overall.
*note that my Zapdos has 15 Attack IV and Raikou has 12
Charge beam generates energy faster than any other electric move. It does a smidge less damage, and generates a smidge more energy, allowing the charged attack (which does a lot of damage) to happen faster.
Raikou gets around this by having a best charged attack that is two bars, so it's easier to get it off. But Zapdos generates energy faster, and with Zap Cannon, has the biggest electric attack.
Don't get me wrong, Raikou is good too. But it's not as one sided as people make it out to be. That said, Raikou with Charge Beam would be even more deadly than it is now.
- Zapdos is an excellent Electric Type. While not the best generalist, there's always a place in Zapdos in a team that needs Electric power, as most people don't have 6 super good Raikous, and Zapdos carries resistance to some moves that Raikou doesn't and gets off charged moves quickly.
- Lugia makes a great anchor for having several resistances as well as pretty good damage for its high defense, as well as potion efficiency. Its optimal moveset also leaves it with lots of dodging potential. Psychic coverage has a little more competition if you have a Mewtwo, but Lugia is by far the tankiest Psychic type. Its role can be substituted somewhat by a Gardevoir in its potential for double Fighting-resistance and decent damage output.
