Sets
Supporter – Cleric
- Item Held
- Leftovers
- Nature
- Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
- Effort Points
- 252 HP – 96 Defense – 96 Special Defense – 64 Special
Attack
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
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.