What is a good moveset for Articuno?

Question

This thread is for Kantonian Articuno. For Galarian Articuno, please go here.

If you have a good competitive moveset for Articuno, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Articuno Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

ZU support set

Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roost
- Toxic
- Freeze-Dry

Articuno is one of if not the bulkiest defogger in ZU. It has access to reliable recovery and has balanced stats. The only thing it lacks is a decent ability.

Answer 2

Gen 8 ZU

Articuno @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Triple Axel
- Ice Shard
- U-turn

If you want to use a Choice Band Articuno for some reason, here you go. Brave Bird is for flying STAB. Triple Axel is for ice STAB that can hit more than once. Ice Shard is for priority ice STAB that's useful for revenge killing weakened Pokemon. U-Turn is for pivoting.

Comments

band articuno


yes

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Yes this is amazing. Me thinking about physical Moltres:

Answer 3

With Abomasnow support and Hidden Ability I have found that this is amazing

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 128 Def / 252 SpA / 128 SpD
Modest Nature
- Blizzard
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Ancient Power / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Fighting] / Hidden Power [Fire]

• Blizzard: With Snow Warning support, KABAM!
• Tailwind: Now you're bulky and fast
• Roost: Never dies!
• Ancient Power / Hidden Power ([Ground] / [Fighting] / [Fire]): A weak boosting move or a decent powered coverage move

Comments

A spread of that splits between both defenses is inefficient in comparison to just investing in HP.

Answer 4

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 10 HP / 200 Def / 200 SpD / 100 Spe
Bold / Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Roost
- Blizzard / Fly

Here is a great staller with Hail support. First you inflict Toxic poison on them, then you use Protect. This causes them to lose HP from both Toxic AND Hail at the same time. Roost heals you and gets rid of your 4x Rock weakness for that turn and there are only a few rock types that with some kind of support or Scarf can outspeed you and hit you before you use it (Terrakion, Aerodactyl, Archeops) but even then, Stone Edge is pretty inaccurate, especially with Snow Cloak. Blizzard is STAB and has 100% accuracy in Hail, or you can use Fly for STAB and stalling at the same time.

Answer 5

Gen V

Articuno @ Life Orb / Weakness Policy (Gen VI)
Ability: Pressure
Modest Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 6 SpD
- Ice Beam
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Agility

Articuno's type is good offensively, and while some would want a coverage move, Articuno can manage since Ice/Flying cover each other decently, and Roost is just too good to pass up. With something as bulky as Articuno, that is. But, Articuno's defensive type is quite poor, and while its good offensively, its base Special Attack is average at best, and base 85 Speed leaves even more to be desired. A moveset with Agility lets it pump all its EVs into its bulk and fully maximize its Special Attack with a Modest Nature, thereby softening up its offensive flaw and capitalizing on its bulk. This set does really well as a Special Tank because of its sheer raw stats and access to Roost, as most Special Attackers are unable to 2HKO it without a super effective move; without it Articuno can just tank them to death at its pleasure. Agility is great in general since it gives a good feel and sweeping potential and makes its weakness a lot more manageable (Your opponent has to eat one of your STABs before they can hurt you!).

Life Orb is good for Gen V, but the Nerf to Special Attacks in Gen VI makes it even harder for Articuno to get by with 95 Base Sp. Attack, and while it also means Articuno can take Special hits better that ever could, it's fair to say that the transition was more of a Nerf than a buff. However, Weakness Policy is an interesting item for this set since it boosts its Special Attack through the roof, well beyond Gen V Life Orb (+No Recoil), and Articuno can easily use Roost to lure enemies and take a Super-effective Attack such as Fire Blast or (non-STAB) Stone Edge, although it's a rather gimmicky item as a whole. Electric type moves are extremely easy to handle since even a Life Orb Thundurus stands no chance at OHKOing with Thunderbolt, and Articuno can outspeed with Agility and Roost back its HP to decent levels. Maybe not on Thundurus, but there are many Pokemon that are weaker than Thundurus.

Comments

What ability?

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It's generally not important which Ability you use as both of Articuno's abilities are rather weak.  Pressure is generally better every once in a blue moon for stalling with Roost, especially moves with low PP or Electric-type moves.  Roost cancels its Electric Weakness, but the possibility of moves like Thunderbolt causing paralysis can make it very risky to stall.  Snow Cloak does nothing on its own.  But even then, Pressure comes into play so infrequently that it's realistic to weigh it against the scant possibility that you run into a hail team.  It can give Snow Cloak Articuno the possibility of a crucial free turn at some point, particularly enabled by Roost Stall.  Articuno would be a much more realistically useful hail abuser if the weather condition were still permanent, but as is it isn't a recommended strategy since you only have a handful or turns to fish for misses.

Answer 6

Role: Tank

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 228 HP / 240 Def / 40 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Avalanche
- Fly
- Toxic
- Roost

Avalanche and its negative priority and " If you've been hit it'll do more damage " style really appeals to me. Fly is for stalling out... Toxic! Toxic is for doing damage and supports the Fly turn wait. Roost keeps you alive.

Comments

Where does it tell you that Articuno learns Avalanche?

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It learns Avalanche from a TM in Gen 4. You need to transfer it over.

Answer 7

Rain Support Articuno

Articuno @ Waterium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hurricane
- Freeze-Dry
- Rain Dance
- Water Pulse

Explanation: Time for some Z-Rain Dance shenanigans. Hurricane is power and STAB and it gets a 100% accuracy boost in the Rain. Freeze-Dry is STAB and hits Water-types super effectively. Rain Dance is to power up Water type moves and to power down Fire type moves and when you turn Rain Dance into Z-Rain Dance, it raises Articuno's speed by one stage. Water Pulse is Fire and Rock type coverage, with a chance to confuse the foe.

Answer 8

Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Weakness Policy
Ability: Snow Cloak
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 SpD / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry / Ice Beam
- Roost / Tailwind (for doubles)
- U-turn
- Hurricane
Freeze-Dry might not be as strong as Ice Beam, but it has better coverage that Articuno desperately needs. With lots of common weaknesses, Roost can heal up Articuno to help deal more damage and let it last longer, while Tailwind can easily make Articuno the fastest Pokemon on the field, which helps. U-turn can help you trap your opponent into using a move that is not very effective, while Hurricane have STAB and confuses opponents.

Recommended teammates:
Alolan Ninetales (to set Hail)
Decidueye (Good coverage against Rock types)

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Articuno-Galar @ Choice Specs / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Freezing Glare
- Hurricane / Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
- U-turn
Freezing Glare can be spammed with STAB, Competitive, and Choice Specs on Pokemon that aren't Dark types, Hurricane like I mentioned above have a good chance of confusing, Air Slash is also recommended for its flinch chance and how fast Articuno is now, Shadow Ball has a 20% chance of lowering the Special Defense of other Pokemon, which makes other moves even better, U-turn can be used against Dark types to switch into better teammates.

Recommended teammates:
Pelipper (Sets Rain for Hurricane Accuracy check)
Gardevoir (Fast and offensive enough to OHKO most Dark types)
Excadrill (Let Electric types waste a turn)

Comments

Nice set you got there.

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Galarian movesets will probably have their own question shortly.

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You should post your second moveset into the Galarian Articuno thread now, and remove it from this one.

Answer 9

Gen 8 ZU

Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 112 SpD / 140 Spe
Careful Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Defog

U-turn is to pivot out and rack up Stealth Rock damage. Roost is reliable recovery, a necessity on defensive Pokemon. STAB Brave Bird hits hard and is a strong hit on Centiskorch and Frosmoth. Defog removes entry hazards.

Comments

steel types is a major threat on this, and articuno`s attacks are not that high and you even make it lower by putting a bold nature and another thing I won`t really open up this topic if you are not using U-TURN

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U-turn isn't used to deal damage, its used to switch to another teammate. The main point of this set is to stall with Articuno's good defenses, this wont be OHKOing anything soon. Also if there's a steel type U-Turn exists

Answer 10

Don't really like the idea of making multiple posts, but with the Crown Tundra bolstering my favorite Pokemon, I can't really resist. I'll just leave these with minimal commentary, and you can leave a comment if you want to discuss. The Bulky Agility set I mentioned a long time ago is still usable, but probably the worst of the three compared to the two movesets I'm about to mention.

Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 6 Atk / 252 Sp. Def or 252 HP / 6 Def / 252 Sp. Def
Careful / Calm Nature
- Triple Axel / Freeze-Dry
- Roost
- Defog / U-Turn
- Heal Bell / U-Turn

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Roost
- Ice Shard
- Brave Bird

*Triple Axel isn't here just because it's new. Though Articuno's Attack stat is lower than its Sp. Attack, many common special attackers have significantly lower Defense than Sp. Def. This in addition to its high Base Power when it hits (120) makes it easier for Articuno to do significant damage against many targets. Being a physical move, it also ignores Calm Mind Sp. Def boosts, which would otherwise be a serious problem for Freeze-Dry variants. Even the multi-hit property of the attack can be useful, such as against Substitute users. It certainly isn't better than Freeze-Dry in every situation, but without question there's a lot to gain from choosing Triple Axel as choice of STAB.

**Heavy-Duty Boots is very tempting, but in practice this Curse Set relies so heavily on Leftovers that switching out the item really isn't a good idea. If you're worried about Stealth Rock, I recommend either providing Articuno with hazard support or to simply not use this moveset. Fortunately, clearing hazards has never been easier as of Gen 8, so this isn't actually too tall of a task.

Answer 11

Gen 8 PU

Articuno @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Hurricane / Air Slash
- Freeze-Dry
- U-turn

Most people probably expect a defensive Articuno of some sort, so why not surprise them with a Specs set? Ice Beam is STAB. Hurricane is STAB and has more power, but less accuracy. You could use Air Slash instead of Hurricane. Freeze Dry deals with water types. U-Turn is for pivoting.

Comments

I like this one! 1+

Answer 12

Gen V

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Ice Beam
- Hail
- Reflect
- Roost

Hail activates Snow Cloak and also damages the foe. Yay! Reflect gives you better defenses, while Roost heals you. Since you only have one attacking move, Ice Beam is the best choice, as Blizzard has too low of PP. Leftovers gives you healing. Your EVs are intended to max out your defensive stats.

Answer 13

Double/Triple battle

Articuno @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tailwind
- Water Pulse
- Blizzard
- Air Cutter

Tailwind provides team support. Water Pulse can hit any foe in a Triple Battle. Air Cutter and Blizzard are STAB that hit multiple foes.

Answer 14

What? This is a legendary and it's this bad? Bad typing, poor stat distribution, narrow movepool and no niche. If you wanted a decent legendary, don't choose Articuno.

Articuno @ Leftovers / Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Modest
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 10 SpD
- Ice Beam / Blizzard / Freeze-Dry
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Electric] / Hidden Power [Ground]
- Roost / Ancient Power

You can also change the EVs to max Speed and Special Attack with a Life Orb, but since Articuno's bulk is its specialty, there is no reason to use a fully offensive Articuno as there's a lot of better sweepers.

Comments

Hidden Power Electric is pointless in many aspects, and is by far one of the worthless hidden powers you could run on an Ice Type, especially on Articuno.  An all-out tanking set doesn't work well for Articuno, or any Pokemon with bad Defensive typings, , unless it can outspeed key threats.

Answer 15

Ive been using this for my Articuno in Uber tier and it's been going pretty well for me, so I thought I'd share it.

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Toxic

With all its physical and special bulk, Articuno just doesn't go down for me - It can tank a STAB Blue Flare from a special Reshiram with ease - and with Roost and Protect, it can faint pretty much everything it comes up against, and it would be even better in hail with Snow Cloak shenanigans. Hope this helped :)

Answer 16

(PS: This is a troll team on PS and more.)

Articuno @ Leftovers
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Nature: Modest
- Mind Reader
- Sheer Cold
- Blizzard
- Protect

The thing is:
Mind Reader ensures that your move hits next turn.
Sheer Cold 1 hit KOs your opponent active Pokémon but has a hit rate of 30%, so use Mind Reader then this.
Blizzard is when your Mind Reader/Sheer Colds PP goes out (+STAB).
Protect is for when your opponent has a SUPER strong move that can KO you in one hit.
(Sheer Cold does not count as STAB, even it's a Ice type move. Because Sheer Cold 1 hit KOs your opponent (if it hits lololol) so it's no idea at all for STAB.)

Answer 17

Articuno @ Light Clay
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry / U-Turn

• Reflect: Boosted by Light Clay, dampens Rock attacks which are usually physical
• Tailwind: Boosts Speed
• Roost: Heals it up
• Freeze-Dry / U-Turn: Coverage and damage / Chip for when you switch.

Or a Hail support set:

Articuno @ Leftovers / Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hail
- Aurora Veil
- Roost
- U-turn / Blizzard / Ice Beam / Tailwind

• Hail: What kind of hail support doesn't make hail?
• Aurora Veil: Support.
• Roost: Health
• U-turn / Blizzard / Ice Beam / Tailwind: More support

Answer 18

Articuno @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Agility

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With Articuno's pretty good bulk and Ice typing, it is able to draw in super effective hits and sponge them (except rock type ones), activating Weakness policy. Once Agility is set up...

The EVs are used to maximize Articuno's Sweeping potential, making faster and giving its SpA stat a buff. Freeze-Dry is STAB that hits Water-types Super for super effective damage. Hurricane while having unreliable accuracy, is Articuno's only SpA flying STAB outside of Gust. Hidden Power [Ground] hits Rock, Steel, Electric and Fire (Articuno's Weaknesses) for super effective damage. Agility boosts Articuno's speed, allowing it to sweep.

Answer 19

Articuno @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Ice Beam
- Fly
- Hail
- Roost

Ice Beam is good STAB, Fly is good STAB, and you get to protect yourself against a move. Roost is good healing, and Hail to help with Snow Cloak. Weakness Policy because it raises both Attack and Special Attack, which helps with both Ice Beam and Fly.

Answer 20

Pwew, it's been a while since I don't do a set myself, so here I go!!

Gen VIII PU/ ZU
Offensive Support
Articuno @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Freeze Dry
- U-turn/ Air Slash/ Ice Beam
Defog is for getting rid of hazards
Roost is for longer longevity
Freeze Dry is for punishing taunts or simply attacking
U-turn for pivoting, or you could go with another attacking move