Articuno
Articuno is a Legendary Level 5 Raid Boss in Pokemon GO. Best Articuno counters are strong Rock type attackers, but Steel, Electric and Fire type attackers can also help you take down the Team Mystic bird. Articuno is an Ice and type Pokemon, with 40165 Boss CP and it can be caught with following perfect CPs:
- 1665 – 1743 CP (raid catch with no weather boost, level 20)
- 2082 – 2179 CP (raid catch with Snow or Windy weather boost, level 25)
A minimum of 2-3 Trainers is required to defeat Articuno when using the most optimal counters, with 4-6 being an ideal group for lower-level raiders. Shiny Articuno is available in Pokémon GO.
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Articuno Counters
Articuno is double weak to Rock-type attacks, so this type will dominate the majority of the counters list. However, some other counters also do show up. The table below shows the best Articuno counters (last updated on July 2022):
| # | Pokemon | Fast Move | Charge Move | Time to win | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Aerodactyl (Mega)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 332.07s | 14.88 |
| 2. |
Rampardos
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 432.65s | 19.13 |
| 3. |
Charizard (Mega Y)
|
Fire Spin Fire | Blast Burn Fire | 452.62s | 17.38 |
| 4. |
Rhyperior
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Wrecker Rock | 476.98s | 16.13 |
| 5. |
Terrakion
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 505.05s | 14.38 |
| 6. |
Manectric (Mega)
|
Thunder Fang Electric | Wild Charge Electric | 509.31s | 18.00 |
| 7. |
Charizard (Mega X)
|
Fire Spin Fire | Blast Burn Fire | 514.44s | 17.13 |
| 8. |
Tyranitar
|
Smack Down Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 526.33s | 13.38 |
| 9. |
Houndoom (Mega)
|
Fire Fang Fire | Flamethrower Fire | 532.47s | 13.88 |
| 10. |
Ampharos (Mega)
|
Charge Beam Electric | Power Gem Rock | 528.07s | 20.50 |
| 11. |
Gigalith
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 573.63s | 16.88 |
| 12. |
Lycanroc (Dusk)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 558.22s | 23.75 |
| 13. |
Lycanroc
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 561.17s | 23.63 |
| 14. |
Lycanroc (Midday)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 561.90s | 23.50 |
| 15. |
Omastar
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 600.67s | 14.25 |
| 16. |
Lycanroc (Midnight)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 582.13s | 20.38 |
| 17. |
Aerodactyl
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 566.16s | 31.13 |
| 18. |
Tyrantrum
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 583.28s | 25.50 |
| 19. |
Golem (Alola)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 617.34s | 19.00 |
| 20. |
Darmanitan
|
Fire Fang Fire | Rock Slide Rock | 615.89s | 20.00 |
| 21. |
Darmanitan (Standard)
|
Fire Fang Fire | Rock Slide Rock | 618.52s | 19.75 |
| 22. |
Landorus
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 578.00s | 34.38 |
| 23. |
Landorus (Incarnate)
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 578.70s | 34.25 |
| 24. |
Excadrill
|
Metal Claw Steel | Rock Slide Rock | 632.60s | 19.13 |
| 25. |
Nihilego
|
Acid Poison | Rock Slide Rock | 648.91s | 15.00 |
| 26. |
Golem
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 618.47s | 25.13 |
| 27. |
Reshiram
|
Fire Fang Fire | Stone Edge Rock | 646.68s | 19.38 |
| 28. |
Aggron
|
Smack Down Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 674.03s | 11.63 |
| 29. |
Archeops
|
Steel Wing Steel | Ancient Power Rock | 600.89s | 35.14 |
| 30. |
Xurkitree
|
Thunder Shock Electric | Discharge Electric | 642.27s | 23.88 |
| 31. |
Gengar (Mega)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost | Shadow Ball Ghost | 653.64s | 22.50 |
| 32. |
Metagross
|
Bullet Punch Steel | Meteor Mash Steel | 692.39s | 12.00 |
| 33. |
Regirock
|
Rock Throw Rock | Stone Edge Rock | 698.23s | 14.38 |
| 34. |
Heatran
|
Fire Spin Fire | Stone Edge Rock | 715.54s | 9.75 |
| 35. |
Solrock
|
Rock Throw Rock | Rock Slide Rock | 672.86s | 22.88 |
Articuno Movesets
Articuno is easy to predict, as it mostly has Ice type moves available, and the time to win is relatively the same for each moveset. Although most Rock type counters don’t resist ice type attacks, their damage output thanks to Articuno’s double weakness to rock type moves makes them amazing counters in these raids.
| Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|
|
|
Articuno Raid Counters in-depth
We already explained these counters above, but let’s recap once again. Articuno’s type chart reveals a glaring weakness to Rock (196% damage taken from it) and we use that to defeat it easily. Smack Down / Rock Slide Rampardos is the best non-mega counter under every weather, no exceptions. Should you not have a Rampardos yet though, Rock Wrecker Rhyperior makes for an excellent alternative, and Smack Down Tyranitar can also do the trick despite falling a bit behind in terms of performance. If your Smack Down Tyranitar is shadow though, that changes things a bit. As a rock type attacker, shadow Smack Down Tyranitar is almost as good if not slightly better than Rampardos.
If you do have a Mega Aerodactyl powered up, I have good news for you. Mega Aerodactyl is gonna have a blast this month, as it will probably be the best (or one of the best) counters against all the legendary birds.
All in all, a team of solid Rock attackers are a great option to counter Articuno in every weather, hands down, being boosted by Partly Cloudy weather. We really encourage you to use the following Pokémon: Mega-Aerodactyl, Rampardos, Rock Wrecker Rhyperior, (shadow) Smack Down Tyranitar and Terrakion. All of them with their optimal rock type movesets.
