Is Articuno good in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Articuno is A-tier for Max Battle tank and has 5 other ranked roles.

What are the best Articuno IVs for Great League?

The rank-1 Great League spread is 4/7/13 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 18.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

What are the best Articuno IVs for Ultra League?

The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 4/15/11 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 31. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

Is Articuno a good raid attacker?

Articuno ranks #47 of 231 ice attackers with 10.6 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Articuno be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Articuno is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Articuno worth keeping?

Shadow Articuno hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is C-tier for Ice raid attacker, so keep it.

#144 · Generation 1

Articuno

ice flyingLegendary

Forms & variants

Max CP (L40 / L50): 3,051 / 3,450
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 1,743 / 2,179
Research CP (L15): 1,308
Buddy distance: 20 km
2nd charged move: 100,000 dust · 100 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Articuno earns its spot: A-tier Max Battle tank.

Battle roles

A
Max Battle tankdynamax#13 of 157 tanks
A-tier Max Battle tank (#13 of 157 by Defence × HP): it takes the boss's hits and shields the party with Max Guard.
B
Ultra League#80 of 851 · score 86.9
It is ranked #80 in Ultra League on PvPoke with Powder Snow / Icy Wind / Hurricane.
C
Great League#210 of 1154 · score 82.1
It is ranked #210 in Great League on PvPoke with Powder Snow / Icy Wind / Hurricane.
C
Master League#128 of 409 · score 72.6
It is ranked #128 in Master League on PvPoke with Powder Snow / Icy Wind / Hurricane.
C
Ice raid attackershadow#25 Ice · 12.7 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #25 of 231 Ice-type attackers with Frost Breath / Triple Axel.
C
Max Battle healerdynamax#34 of 157 healers
C-tier Max Battle healer (heals 28 HP per Max Spirit, #34 of 157): Max Spirit heals a share of its own HP to every ally.

Collection value

Legendary: keep at least one, and hold on to hundos and shinies.
Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack192

Defense236

Stamina207

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

rock×2.56
electric×1.6
fire×1.6
steel×1.6

Resists

ground×0.391
bug×0.625
grass×0.625

Evolution line

Does not evolve.

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

Loading IV checker…

PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Great League	C	#210 / 1154	82.1	Powder Snow · Icy Wind · Hurricane	L18.5 · 4/7/13
Great LeagueShadow	–	#506 / 1154	74.7	Powder Snow · Triple Axel · Hurricane	L18.5 · 4/7/13
Ultra League	B	#80 / 851	86.9	Powder Snow · Icy Wind · Hurricane	L31 · 4/15/11
Ultra LeagueShadow	B	#113 / 851	85.4	Powder Snow · Icy Wind · Hurricane	L31 · 4/15/11
Master League	C	#128 / 409	72.6	Powder Snow · Icy Wind · Hurricane	L50 · 15/15/15
Master LeagueShadow	–	#151 / 409	69.3	Powder Snow · Icy Wind · Hurricane	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Articuno can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

iceMax Hailstormfrom Frost Breath250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

Tank (Max Guard)A Dynamax
Healer (Max Spirit)C Dynamax

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
iceShadow	C	#25 / 231	12.7	274	Frost Breath · Triple Axel
ice	–	#47 / 231	10.6	276	Frost Breath · Triple Axel
flyingShadow	–	#68 / 238	11.1	239	Frost Breath · HurricaneElite TM
flying	–	#87 / 238	9.4	244	Frost Breath · HurricaneElite TM
rockShadow	–	#116 / 294	9.6	207	Frost Breath · Ancient Power
rock	–	#148 / 294	8.1	208	Frost Breath · Ancient Power

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Frost BreathSTAB	ice	11	+9	1.0s	11.0	7	+5	2 turns
Ice ShardSTAB	ice	10	+10	1.0s	10.0	9	+10	3 turns
Powder SnowSTAB	ice	6	+15	1.0s	6.0	6	+8	2 turns

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Ice BeamSTAB	ice	95	-50	3.5s	1.90	90	-55
Icy WindSTAB	ice	65	-33	3.5s	1.97	60	-45	100% chance: -1 foe Atk
BlizzardSTAB	ice	130	-100	3.0s	1.30	140	-75
Ancient Power	rock	70	-33	3.5s	2.12	60	-45	10% chance: +1 own Atk, +1 own Def
Triple AxelSTAB	ice	60	-33	2.0s	1.82	60	-45	100% chance: +1 own Atk
HurricaneElite TMSTAB	flying	105	-100	2.5s	1.05	110	-60

Questions people ask

Is Articuno good in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Articuno is A-tier for Max Battle tank and has 5 other ranked roles.
Should I keep or transfer Articuno?: Articuno earns its spot: A-tier Max Battle tank.
What are the best Articuno IVs for Great League?: The rank-1 Great League spread is 4/7/13 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 18.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
What are the best Articuno IVs for Ultra League?: The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 4/15/11 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 31. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
Is Articuno a good raid attacker?: Articuno ranks #47 of 231 ice attackers with 10.6 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Articuno be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Articuno is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Articuno worth keeping?: Shadow Articuno hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is C-tier for Ice raid attacker, so keep it.

PoGo Dex is free and gets fresh data every week. If it saved you from a bad transfer, you can buy me a coffee.

Donate on Ko-fi

Verdict: Keep