Legendary Pokémon

Pokemon of the Week DP: Articuno

Sets

Supporter - Cleric

Item Held

Leftovers

Nature

Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)

Effort Points

252 HP - 96 Defense - 96 Special Defense - 64 Special Attack

• Roost
• Ice Beam
• Heal Bell / Reflect
• Roar

Articuno's got above average defensive stats so this set is quite good to use on the legendary bird of ice. Heal Bell is the move to choose if you want to use Articuno as a cleric but Reflect is a nice alternative if you cannot get an Articuno with Heal Bell. Roar is there to phaze any attempts of your opponent to boost their stats or just for sending away Pokémon that may pose a threat to Articuno. Of course, having some Spikes or Stealth Rock on the field is recommended. Ice Beam is here for STAB and Roost is obviously Articuno's best option for recovering - not only it gains half of its HP back, but also it loses that 4x weakness to Rock for that turn.

Articuno's EP spread totally depends on its IVs and personnal preference. The suggested spread is just a generally defensive one. You can allocate the EPs in the Defenses and Special Attack in any way you like, depending on what hits you plan to receive. But always keep those 252 EPs in HP.

Toxishuffler

Item Held

Leftovers

Nature

Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)

Effort Points

252 HP - 96 Defense - 96 Special Defense - 64 Special Attack

• Roost
• Ice Beam
• Toxic
• Roar

Actually it's the same set as above but with Toxic replacing the supporting moves. Poison a Pokémon, send it away, poison the next one and so on. With Spikes/Stealth Rock around, passive damage will stack up quickly. Of course, Steel-types laugh at this set. Especially offensive ones like Metagross, which can OHKO Articuno.

Other Possible Options

Articuno's other options are limited. Tailwind can boost your team's Speed for just three turns. Blizzard is an option if Abomasnow's in your team. Protect can be used along with Toxic for PP stalling with Pressure while still inflicting some indirect damage. Rest and Sleep Talk are always good on defensive minded Pokémon. Finally, Mind Reader and Sheer Cold is a combo exclusive to Articuno (and Smearlge of course) and can be used where one-hit KO moves are allowed. However, if your opponent switches out, the effect of Mind Reader ends, thus dropping Sheer Cold's accuracy back to its normal 30%.

Counters

Pokémon that can switch in on an Ice Beam and have a way of damaging Articuno are considered counters to it. And unfortunately for the mighty bird, the list of them isn't short. Steel-types are your best bet as they are immune to the occasional Toxic as well. The aforementioned Metagross as well as Bronzong and Jirachi don't have trouble coming in on Articuno. Fire-types like Infernape, Blaziken and Heatran can also switch in and hit Articuno with their STABed Flamethrower/Flare Blitz/Lava Plume. STABed Electric-type moves will deal some good damage too. Any Rock Slide/Stone Edge makes Articuno think it has better get away as soon as possible. Stealth Rock also hurts it much so using it with Rapid Spin support is suggested.

Opinion & Notes

Sure D/P came with a nice gift to Articuno in the form of Roost. Being able to recover while leaving that quad weakness aside is great for a defensive Pokémon. Nevertheless, another move totally wrecked it. Stealth Rock, robbing Articuno of half its max HP every time it switches in will its already low popularity in battles go even lower. The problem with Articuno is that threre are better Pokémon at doing what it is supposed to do, like Blissey as a cleric or Suicune as a pseudohazer. But Articuno is still here for its fans, all it needs is a reliable partner with Rapid Spin and it can work wonders.

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