Pokemon Go Articuno Raid Guide: Best Counters, Weaknesses and Moveset

Pokemon Go is kicking off July with a returning legendary Pokemon. The legendary ice bird Articuno is appearing in five-star raid battles once again until July 7, giving you another opportunity to add one to your collection. Not only that, but there's also a chance the legendary Pokemon could be shiny.

Here are some tips to help you catch Articuno before it leaves raids.

Articuno Raid Hours

Articuno will appear as a five-star raid boss from July 1 to July 7, but you'll be more likely to encounter the legendary Pokemon on July 6, during Pokemon Go's Raid Hour event. More Articuno raids will occur at gyms from 6 to 7 p.m. local time that evening, giving you more chances to battle and catch the legendary ice bird. 

Articuno weaknesses

Articuno's ice/flying type combination makes it particularly vulnerable to rock types. Rock attacks deal quadruple damage to the legendary Pokemon, making those the best choices to use when facing it. 

If you don't have enough strong rock Pokemon on your team, Articuno is also susceptible to fire, electric and steel types. These won't dish out as much damage to the legendary Pokemon as rock types, but they're still super-effective against it, making them good alternatives.

Best Articuno counters

Here are some recommended Pokemon and moves to use against Articuno:

Rock

• Mega Aerodactyl: Rock Throw, Rock Slide
• Tyranitar: Smack Down, Stone Edge
• Regirock: Rock Throw, Stone Edge
• Rhyperior: Smack Down, Rock Wrecker
• Rampardos: Smack Down, Rock Slide
• Terrakion: Smack Down, Rock Slide

Electric

• Zapdos: Thunder Shock, Thunderbolt
• Raikou: Thunder Shock, Wild Charge
• Mega Manectric: Thunder Fang, Wild Charge
• Electivire: Thunder Shock, Wild Charge
• Therian Forme Thundurus: Volt Switch, Thunderbolt
• Zekrom: Charge Beam, Wild Charge

Fire

• Mega Charizard X/Y: Fire Spin, Blast Burn
• Arcanine: Fire Fang, Flamethrower
• Mega Houndoom: Fire Fang, Flamethrower
• Entei: Fire Fang, Overheat
• Magmortar: Fire Spin, Fire Punch
• Heatran: Fire Spin, Flamethrower

Steel

• Mega Steelix: Iron Tail, Heavy Slam
• Metagross: Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash
• Dialga: Metal Claw, Iron Head
• Cobalion: Metal Claw, Iron Head
• Zacian: Metal Claw, Iron Head
• Zamazenta: Metal Claw, Iron Head

Best moveset for Articuno

Articuno is one of the best ice-type attackers in Pokemon Go, and you'll want to leverage its strengths by teaching it two ice-type attacks. Frost Breath and Ice Beam are the best choices for Fast Attack and Charged Attack, as they'll dish out the most damage per second. However, Blizzard is also a solid alternative. This move is more powerful than Ice Beam, but it takes considerably longer to charge up.

Pokemon Go has a variety of events lined up for July, including in-person Pokemon Go Fest gatherings and a Starly Community Day. You can catch up on everything happening in the game this month in our July events roundup.