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

What is Articuno weak to?

In Black & White, 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 Black & White, Articuno fills the balanced 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.

What counters Articuno?

In Black & White, 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

Special

Balanced

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 EVs 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

PressureTop Pick

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

A legendary bird Pokémon. It can create blizzards by freezing moisture in the air.

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 V Type Chart

Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)

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 Black & White (Best Counters)

In Black & White, Excadrill's Rock Slide hits Articuno for 81-96%. Volcarona deals 64-75% with Fire Blast.

Tyranitar RockDark	S
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChopleberry NatureAdamant Moves PursuitSTAB CrunchSTAB Superpower Thunder Wave Damage vs Articuno Pursuit 16-19% Crunch 32-37% Superpower 31-37% View Tyranitar builds →
Excadrill GroundSteel	A
Recommended Build AbilitySandforce ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves EarthquakeSTAB Rapid Spin Iron Head Rock Slide Damage vs Articuno Rapid Spin 14-16% Rock Slide 4x 81-96% View Excadrill builds →
Volcarona BugFire	A
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemLum Berry NatureTimid Moves Quiver Dance Bug Buzz Giga Drain Fire Blast Damage vs Articuno Giga Drain 7-9% Fire Blast 2x 64-75% View Volcarona builds →
Terrakion RockFighting	A
Recommended Build AbilityJustified ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves Close Combat Stone Edge Quick Attack X Scissor Damage vs Articuno Close Combat 47-55% Stone Edge 4x 157-184%KO View Terrakion builds →
Magnezone ElectricSteel	B
Recommended Build AbilityMagnetpull ItemAir Balloon NatureModest Moves Hidden Power Fire ThunderboltSTAB Flash Cannon Volt Switch Damage vs Articuno Thunderbolt 2x 56-66% Flash Cannon 2x 50-59% Volt Switch 2x 44-52% View Magnezone builds →

Black & White 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

Black & White Articuno Best Moveset

The special wall spread is where Articuno earns its spot. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, Calm nature for the right lean, and Roost handles sustain. Pressure does the rest without needing a move slot.

Best Build

Experimental

Wall

Ability

Pressure

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Best Nature for Articuno

Calm+SPD

Articuno best EVs are HP and Sp. Def

EVs

Def

SpD

Wall Moveset

Ice BeamSTAB
RoostRecovery
HazeUtility
ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

MoltresGood

ZapdosDecent

PolitoedDecent

Moves

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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Gust

D4010035Flying

Lv 1

Powder Snow

—4010025Ice

Lv 8

Mist

———30Ice

Lv 15

Ice Shard+1

D4010030Ice

Lv 22

Mind Reader

———5Normal

Lv 29

Ancient Power

D601005Rock

Lv 36

Agility

C——30Psychic

Lv 43

Ice Beam

S9510010Ice

Lv 50

Reflect

C——20Psychic

Lv 57

Roost

S——10Flying

Lv 64

Tailwind

C——30Flying

Lv 71

Blizzard

B120705Ice

Lv 78

Sheer Cold

——305Ice

Lv 85

Hail

———10Ice

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

C60—20Flying

TM14

Blizzard

B120705Ice

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

HM02

Fly

C909515Flying

TM79

Frost Breath

C609010Ice

TM21

Frustration

——10020Normal

TM68

Giga Impact

C150905Normal

TM07

Hail

———10Ice

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM13

Ice Beam

S9510010Ice

TM88

Pluck

—6010020Flying

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM33

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM05

Roar-6

C—10020Normal

TM94

Rock Smash

D4010015Fighting

TM48

Round

—6010015Normal

TM37

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM58

Sky Drop

—6010010Flying

TM90

Substitute

B——10Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM87

Swagger

——9015Normal

TM06

Toxic

B—9010Poison

TM89

U-turn

D7010020Bug

Egg Moves

Articuno doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Articuno can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen

Gen 4

Air Cutter

C559525Flying

Gen 4

Avalanche-4

C6010010Ice

Gen 4

Defog

D——15Flying

Gen 3

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

Gen 4

Endure+4

D——10Normal

Gen 3

Mimic

———10Normal

Gen 4

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Gen 4

Natural Gift

——10015Normal

Gen 4

Ominous Wind

—601005Ghost

Gen 4

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

Gen 4

Steel Wing

—709025Steel

Gen 4

Swift

—60—20Normal

Gen 4

Twister

—4010020Dragon

Gen 4

Water Pulse

D6010020Water

How to Get Articuno in Black & White

Articuno can't be caught in Black & White. Bring it over from Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.

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

Also found in:

Red Yellow FireRed Platinum HeartGold X

Articuno Guide

In Black & White, Articuno is a Legendary Pokemon rated C-Tier. At 580 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a balanced. Ice Beam with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Black & White, 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.
Pressure is the go-to ability for Articuno. It increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. Its hidden ability Snow Cloak can work in specific setups.
In Black & White, Articuno fills the balanced 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.
In Black & White, 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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