In Gold & Silver, Articuno is a Legendary Pokemon rated C-Tier. At 580 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a support. Ice Beam with Leftovers is the standard set.

What is Articuno weak to?

In Gold & Silver, 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. Steel-type attackers are also a problem. Articuno has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

What role does Articuno play in battle?

In Gold & Silver, Articuno fills the support role. It's a mixed attacker with base 85 Attack and 95 Sp. Atk. Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.

What are the best moves for Articuno?

For Gold & Silver, the core moveset is Ice Beam, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Toxic. Ice Beam leads at 24% usage. This set covers the support role with a mix of damage and utility.

What counters Articuno?

In Gold & Silver, the best way to handle Articuno: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Rock, Fire, and Electric-type attackers hit hardest.

Articuno - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Support

CTier

85Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

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

Base Stats

Pseudo

HP90

Attack85

Defense100

Sp. Atk95

Sp. Def125

Speed85

Total580

Details

Catch Rate

Legendary3 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.7 m

Weight55.4 kg

Base XP290

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Pressure

Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

Snow CloakHA

Increases evasion to 1.25× during hail. Protects against hail damage.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpD+3Spe

Strong Special Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

The magnificent, seemingly translucent wings of this legendary bird POKéMON are said to be made of ice.

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.

Articuno Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
4x (Critical)	Rock
2x (Weak)	Fire, Electric, Steel
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Bug
0x (Immune)	Ground

Type ChartVulnerable

4Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score-5

Gen II Type Chart

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

4xCritical

Rock

2xWeak

Fire Electric Steel

½xResist

Grass Bug

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Ground

STAB (6)

Grass Ground Flying Dragon Fighting Bug

How to Beat Articuno in Gold & Silver (Best Counters)

In Gold & Silver, Tyranitar can KO Articuno with Rock Slide (132-155%). Golem deals 65-77% with Explosion.

Tyranitar RockDark	S
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Rock Slide Earthquake RoarUtility Fire Blast Damage vs Articuno Rock Slide 4x 132-155%KO Fire Blast 2x 40-47% View Tyranitar builds →
SkarmoryResists Flying, wears down with Toxic, sturdy guarantees survival SteelFlying	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Drill Peck RestRecovery CurseSetup WhirlwindUtility Damage vs Articuno Drill Peck 22-26% View Skarmory builds →
Golem RockGround	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Explosion Rapid Spin RoarUtility Damage vs Articuno Explosion 65-77% Rapid Spin 13-16% View Golem builds →
NidokingThreatens with Thunder PoisonGround	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Ice Beam Lovely Kiss Thunder Damage vs Articuno Ice Beam 15-17% Thunder 2x 36-42% View Nidoking builds →
Houndoom DarkFire	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Fire Blast CrunchSTAB PursuitSTAB Sunny Day Damage vs Articuno Fire Blast 2x 67-79% Crunch 25-29% Pursuit 12-15% View Houndoom builds →

Gold & Silver Evolution

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

No Evolution

#144ArticunoDoes not evolve

Breeding

Unavailable

Undiscovered egg group

Gold & Silver Articuno Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Support

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Support Moveset

Ice BeamSTAB
RestRecovery
Sleep Talk
ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

SnorlaxGood

CloysterGood

SkarmoryGood

Moves

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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Gust

—4010035Flying

Lv 1

Powder Snow

—4010025Ice

Lv 13

Mist

———30Ice

Lv 25

Agility

C——30Psychic

Lv 37

Mind Reader

——1005Normal

Lv 49

Ice Beam

S9510010Ice

Lv 61

Reflect

C——20Psychic

Lv 73

Blizzard

C120705Ice

TM Moves

TM14

Blizzard

C120705Ice

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

TM43

Detect+4

D——5Fighting

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

HM02

Fly

C709515Flying

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM16

Icy Wind

C559515Ice

TM31

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

S——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM05

Roar-6

C——20Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM37

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM35

Sleep Talk

S——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

TM47

Steel Wing

D709025Steel

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM39

Swift

D60—20Normal

TM06

Toxic

S—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Articuno doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Articuno can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Articuno in Gold & Silver

No wild encounters for Articuno in Gold & Silver. It's available in Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Articuno is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

Red Yellow FireRed Platinum HeartGold X

Articuno Guide

In Gold & Silver, Articuno is a Legendary Pokemon rated C-Tier. At 580 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a support. Ice Beam with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Gold & Silver, 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. Steel-type attackers are also a problem. Articuno has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.
In Gold & Silver, Articuno fills the support role. It's a mixed attacker with base 85 Attack and 95 Sp. Atk. Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.
For Gold & Silver, the core moveset is Ice Beam, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Toxic. Ice Beam leads at 24% usage. This set covers the support role with a mix of damage and utility.
In Gold & Silver, the best way to handle Articuno: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Rock, Fire, and Electric-type attackers hit hardest.

Game Availability

Articuno has appeared in 20 games since Red & Blue, spanning 10 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

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