Is Articuno Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Seafoam Islands in Kanto, postgame only. Ice/Flying with strong special stats. Articuno handles Lance rematch prep and any Dragon trainers in Kanto. Postgame timing limits the value, but the raw power is still impressive against Red's team.
Articuno resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Articuno resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Trade
Articuno cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 5)
- LV 5FlyingGustPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 35
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 105Accuracy 95%PP 15Cianwood City
- After Pryce
- TM16IceIcy WindPower 83Accuracy 95%PP 15Prize for defeating Pryce
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner prize (7500 coins)
- TM47SteelSteel WingPower 70Accuracy 90%PP 25Route 28
- TM06PoisonToxicPower —Accuracy 85%PP 10Prize for defeating Janine
- LV 49IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 73IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5
How to Get Articuno in Crystal
Articuno isn't catchable in Crystal. The legendary birds never appear in Johto or Kanto here, so the only way to one is trading it from a Gen 1 game where it roams.
Articuno is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
How to Get Shiny Articuno in Crystal
Articuno stays out of Crystal completely, with no in-game meeting for the Kanto bird here, so the only shiny one has to be brought in by trade. See every game where Shiny Articuno can be hunted
Shiny Articuno Evolution
Does Not EvolveArticuno Weakness
Articuno is weak to Rock, Fire, Electric, and Steel. 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Electric, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Articuno Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Articuno
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Tyranitar builds →Rock Slide 4x135-159%KO Iron Tail 2x59-69% Fire Blast 2x44-52% | ||
 Ho-Oh Fire | S | |
Obtain MethodTin Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Ho-Oh builds →Fire Blast 2x74-87% Thunder 2x49-58% Steel Wing 2x40-48% | ||
 Entei Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Entei builds →Fire Blast 2x63-75% Iron Tail 2x52-61% | ||
 Raikou Electric | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Raikou builds →Thunder 2x78-92% Iron Tail 2x40-48% | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x69-81% Iron Tail 2x50-59% | ||
 Typhlosion Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Typhlosion builds →Fire Blast 2x74-87% Thunder Punch 2x31-37% Iron Tail 2x40-48% Rollout 4x26-31% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 4x107-126%KO Fire Punch 2x13-15% Thunder Punch 2x13-15% | ||
 Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Magneton builds →Thunder 2x81-95% Rollout 4x20-24% | ||
 Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Jolteon builds →Thunder 2x74-87% Iron Tail 2x33-39% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Houndoom builds →Fire Blast 2x74-87% Iron Tail 2x42-50% | ||
 Electabuzz Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Electabuzz builds →Thunderbolt 2x53-63% Fire Punch 2x28-33% Iron Tail 2x40-47% | ||
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Magcargo builds →Fire Blast 2x63-75% Rock Slide 4x62-73% | ||
 Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x69-81% Thunder Punch 2x29-35% Iron Tail 2x44-52% | ||
 Raichu Electric | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Pichu (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Raichu builds →Thunderbolt 2x51-60% Iron Tail 2x42-50% Rollout 4x28-33% | ||
Articuno Evolutions
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
C Articuno Best Moveset
125 Sp. Atk fires MoveIce Beam for powerful Ice TermStab. MoveRest plus MoveSleep Talk sustains the bulky frame through recovery turns, and MoveRoar forces out opponents into MoveSpikes chip. Held ItemLeftovers adds passive healing. Defensive Ice attacker that pressures through forcing switches and sustained damage.
Best Build
Support Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Toxic
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
TMs define Articuno's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Blizzard and Ice Beam, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal and Ground coverage and more. That's where the options open up.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
19 of 25 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Legendary bird POKéMON. As it flies through the sky, it cools the air, causing snow to fall.
Articuno Crystal Guide
In Crystal, Articuno plays as a support. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully.
Yes. Galarian Articuno is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.
Game Availability
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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGalarian
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Articuno.
Keep playing · CrystalCrystal Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Crystal Tier List