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Is Articuno good and how to best use it in Pokémon Go

This smooth as ice legendary bird can be a good choice.

Articuno is one of many legendary Pokémon you can capture in Pokémon Go. It appears in five-star raids that you typically need a few friends to team up and take them down. The real caveat is that the legendary Pokémon in five-star raids only appear for exclusive times, so when your favorite shows up, you want to act fast. Here’s what you need to know about if Articuno is good and how to best use it in Pokémon Go.

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How to use Articuno

Articuno is an Ice and Flying-type Pokémon. It’s weak to Electric, Fire, Rock, and Steel-type attacks but resistant to Bug, Grass, and Ground-type moves. For PvP, it has a maximum CP of 3,051, an attack of 163, a defense of 198, and a stamina of 175. For PvE, it has an attack of 192, a defense of 236, and a stamina of 207. Because of its lower attack and higher defense value, it’s not as powerful as Zapdos in PvP, but it can be used as a suitable lead Pokémon and is even more deadly when it has time to charge up its attacks.

In PvP, Articuno is a suitable choice for the Master League and the Ultra League. Of the two choices, the Ultra League is a better option, given its lower maximum CP. However, you may need a different variation depending on how you approach Articuno and what Battle League category you want to focus on. When it comes to the Ultra League, the standard Articuno is perfect. It’s right up there, close to the top of Pokémon choices you could go with. When it comes to the Master League, you want to go with the shadow version, which is significantly rarer.

Is Articuno good?

Articuno is capable of besting Master League Pokémon like Groudon, Snorlax, Mewtwo, Swampert, Garchomp, Togekiss, and Dragonite. The problem with it is its lower defenses. You want to build a team that can protect it from its weaknesses, Pokémon like Zekrom, Kyogre, Tangrowth, Virizion, Roserade, Rhyperior, and several others. Articuno is among the top legendary choices you can bring to the table for the Ultra League. Its lower defenses won’t matter as much.

For PvE, Articuno is a solid option. Any Ice-type Pokémon that you can use in five-star raids is always good to have, given how few of them there are that so good. You have Kyurem, Mamoswine, and Mega Abomasnow for some of your top alternatives.

Articuno can be a good choice, and with the best moveset available, it can be difficult to drop. You want to make sure you’re mindful about what Battle League category you want to use Articuno and keep your strategy flexible.


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Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.