Special
Support
580Very High
85Moderate
BTier

Articuno's Ice/Flying typing gives it an immunity to Ground. Only 3 weaknesses on top of that — it has plenty of safe switch-in opportunities. Known as the Freeze Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Articuno's spread favors special bulk over offense. Sp. Def leads the defensive side, Attack eats the cost. Yields 3 Sp. Def EVs per defeat. Slow 1.25M XP grind to level.

Base Stats
580Pseudo
HP90
B
Attack85
C
Defense100
B
Sp. Atk95
B
Sp. Def125
A
Speed85
C
Total580
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Articuno yields +3 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+3Spe
Details
Catch3Legendary•Slow1.25M XP•1.7m / 5'07"•55.4kg / 122.1 lbs•290Base XP
Pokedex Entries

A legendary bird POKéMON that is said to appear to doomed people who are lost in icy mountains.

Red / Blue

Articuno Weakness

Avg

Articuno is weak to Rock, Fire, and Electric-type moves. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground-type moves entirely. Articuno's special bulk (base 125 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
Rock
2xWeaki
FireElectric
½xResisti
GrassBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Ground
STAB (6)i
GrassGroundFlyingDragonFightingBug
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Scorei-3
Stealth Rock50% on switch
4x Rock — Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Stealth Rock
Abilities
PressureIncreases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
Snow CloakHAIncreases evasion to 1.25× during hail. Protects against hail damage.

Articuno is strong overall with 580 total stats as a Ice/Flying legendary. Can't breed it, so you're locked to whatever you catch or receive.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Articuno
#144ArticunoDoes not evolve
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Articuno runs a standard setup attacker set. A nature nature with flexible EVs EVs shapes the build, while an item brings extra utility. An ability supports the kit from the background.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Articuno Moveset

  • BlizzardSTAB
  • AgilitySetup
  • Hyper Beam
  • Ice BeamSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Chansey
ChanseyGood

TMs define Articuno's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Sky Attack and Blizzard, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal and Water coverage. That's where the options open up.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
Lv 1
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 51
Blizzard
110905Ice
Lv 55
Agility
——30Psychic
Lv 60
Mist
——30Ice

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110905Ice
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
HM02
Fly
709515Flying
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM02
Razor Wind
8010010Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM43
Sky Attack
140905Flying
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water
TM04
Whirlwind-6
——20Normal

Egg Moves

Articuno doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Articuno can't learn any Tutor moves

Articuno waits at a fixed spot in this game. Head to Seafoam Islands for a one-time encounter. No random spawns or encounter rates involved — it's a set battle at a known location.

Best Locations

Seafoam Islands - B4F
RedInteract with PokemonLv.50LimitedPostWater
HARD
Seafoam Islands - B4F
BlueInteract with PokemonLv.50LimitedPostWater
HARD

  • Articuno is a Legendary Pokemon rated B-Tier on our tier list. At 580 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a support. Base 125 Sp. Def is where it shines.

  • Articuno's biggest threats include Golem (Rock), Charizard (Fire), and Raikou (Electric), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Articuno has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

  • Articuno doesn't evolve. As a Legendary Pokemon, it stands on its own without an evolutionary line. It's a Ice/Flying type with 580 BST.

  • Articuno fills the support role. It's a special attacker with base 95 Sp. Atk. Base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.

  • Articuno appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Articuno has appeared in 20 games since Red & Blue, spanning 9 generations. As a Legendary, it's typically a one-per-save encounter tied to the story or post-game content.