Is Articuno Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Seafoam Islands static encounter in Kanto at level 50. Ice/Flying with AbilityPressure. The strongest Ice-type you can catch in HGSS. Handles Lance's Dragonite through Ice and dominates the Battle Frontier. Post-E4 timing.
Articuno resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up 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 Brock's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge'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 has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Articuno trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Articuno resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Articuno resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Articuno has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Articuno resists most of Lance's coverage and hits back hard.
Catchable
Catch Articuno on Seafoam Islands (interact, Lv 50, limited). Encounter in Seafoam Islands after obtaining the National Pokedex.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Morty
- TM88FlyingPluckPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 40
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- After Pryce
- TM72IceAvalanchePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Ice Path
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 71IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5
How to Get Articuno in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Articuno waits in the Seafoam Islands at level 50, a one-time legendary with a catch rate of 3. There is exactly one, so it will not come back if you knock it out. Stock up on Ultra Balls first.
1 location to catch Articuno
Badge 8How to Get Articuno in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Articuno in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Articuno waits deep in the Seafoam Islands, so save in front of it and soft-reset the encounter until it shines. Compare Shiny Articuno odds across every game
Shiny Articuno Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Articuno Calculator
1 MethodThe only route here is Soft Reset, about 1 in 8,192 on each try.
Soft Reset: Save in front of a static, gift, or legendary encounter, then reset until it sparkles.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Articuno.
Articuno 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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Articuno Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Articuno
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 4x317-373%KO Iron Tail 2x70-83% Fire Blast 2x32-38% Thunderbolt 2x26-31% | ||
 Ho-Oh Fire | S | |
Obtain MethodBell Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Ho-Oh builds →Overheat 2x86-102%KO Ancient Power 4x51-60% Thunderbolt 2x40-47% Steel Wing 2x40-48% | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) | ||
 Metagross SteelPsychic | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Metagross builds →Rock Slide 4x90-106%KO Meteor Mash 2x80-94% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x65-77% Flash Cannon 2x37-44% Thunderbolt 2x29-34% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Tyranitar builds →Stone Edge 4x177-209%KO Iron Tail 2x59-70% Fire Blast 2x43-51% Thunderbolt 2x35-41% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Armaldo builds →Stone Edge 4x166-196%KO Iron Tail 2x55-65% | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Bronzong builds →Rock Slide 4x63-74% Flash Cannon 2x38-45% Charge Beam 2x16-19% | ||
 Entei Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Entei builds →Stone Edge 4x103-122%KO Overheat 2x73-86% Iron Tail 2x52-61% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x62-73% Iron Tail 2x40-48% | ||
 Bastiodon RockSteel | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Shieldon (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Bastiodon builds →Stone Edge 4x83-98% Iron Head 2x33-40% Fire Blast 2x25-30% Thunderbolt 2x21-25% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Magnezone builds →Thunderbolt 2x67-79% Flash Cannon 2x57-67% | ||
 Charizard Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Pallet Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Charizard builds →Overheat 2x85-100%KO Rock Slide 4x61-72% Iron Tail 2x40-48% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Articuno View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 4x173-204%KO Iron Tail 2x57-68% Fire Blast 2x25-29% Thunderbolt 2x20-24% | ||
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
HGSS Articuno Best Moveset
Ice/Flying defensive stats at 90 HP, 100 Defense, and 125 Sp. Def absorb hits from both sides. The moveset fires special Ice attacks off 95 Sp. Atk. AbilityPressure doubles PP consumption. 25% HP from MoveStealth Rock per switch undercuts the bulk entirely.
Best Build
Articuno best EVs are HP and Speed
Wall Moveset
- Roost
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Articuno develops a solid moveset just through leveling. Ice Beam and Blizzard show up naturally, and the progression handles both STAB and utility without leaning on TMs for the core attacks.
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. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
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
26 of 27 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
The magnificent, seemingly translucent wings of this legendary bird Pokémon are said to be made of ice.
One of the legendary bird Pokémon, it chills moisture in the atmosphere to create snow while flying.
Articuno HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Articuno is a static encounter at Seafoam Islands in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Articuno appears at level 50. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
Yes. Articuno is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Articuno becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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