Articuno (full revamp) [GP 2/2]

Nix_Hex

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[Overview]

<p>Boasting one of the highest Special stats in the game along with the most powerful special move in OU, Blizzard, there's no denying that Articuno is a powerhouse. OHKOing Golem and Rhydon and 2HKOing Exeggutor are feats few Pokemon can muster, but Blizzard allows Articuno to do just that. It can force switches and deal heavy damage throughout the match, softening up your opponent's team and possibly causing a freeze. It can even make for a very nice end-game sweeper by boosting its mediocre base 85 Speed with Agility and blasting away with its STAB Blizzard, potentially getting a freeze in the process.</p>

<p>Why isn't Articuno an OU standard, then? Again, its Speed stat is frustratingly low, as it is not able to outspeed Pokemon like Tauros and Alakazam without a boost, while both are capable of paralyzing Articuno. It is walled to kingdom come by the many OU Pokemon that resist Blizzard, namely Lapras, Starmie, Cloyster, and to an extent, Slowbro, as well as Chansey with its massive 250/105 Special bulk. Its movepool is shallow as well, as it leaves Articuno relying on mediocre Ice / Normal coverage, the latter of which runs off its so-so Attack stat. Lapras has several advantages over Articuno as an Ice-type, with higher HP stat and much better coverage and utility with Confuse Ray, Body Slam, and Thunderbolt. However, even Lapras can never dream of matching the raw power of Articuno's Blizzard. All-in-all, if you are looking to unleash a nasty surprise on your opponent, don't overlook Articuno.</p>

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Agility
move 3: Double-Edge / Ice Beam / Rest
move 4: Hyper Beam

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best way to get Articuno on the field is to switch it in when you predict that your opponent will switch in Exeggutor; if it has lost over 33% of its health already, Blizzard is a guaranteed KO. It can also switch in on a predicted Earthquake from Snorlax or Tauros, dealing heavy damage with Blizzard and hopefully causing a freeze. Rhydon and Golem are a bit harder to switch in on, as Rock Slide will KO Articuno, but if you are fortunate enough to switch in on Earthquake, Blizzard will OHKO either. Double-Edge does chip damage to Lapras, who laughs at a 4x resisted Blizzard, as well as Starmie. Don't use Double-Edge against Chansey though, as it only does 5% more than Blizzard, causes recoil, and does not have a freeze chance. Don't use Agility until the late-game, when the remains of your opponent's team are within KO range. Finally, Hyper Beam is there to finish off weakened Chansey and Alakazam.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Ice Beam is a viable alternative over Double-Edge for a 99.6% accurate STAB, but it is significantly weaker than Blizzard and leaves Articuno walled completely by Lapras and Starmie. Rest is great for recovering from status, allowing Articuno to act as a status sponge throughout the battle until you need it again. Another interesting option Articuno has is Sky Attack, which is its most powerful physical attack, possessing a huge 210 Base Power after STAB. With a critical hit, it is guaranteed to OHKO Chansey and has a 52% chance to OHKO Starmie; without a critical hit, it has a 46% chance to OHKO Alakazam, whom would normally be 3HKOed by Blizzard. However, it forces you to lose an entire turn and is difficult to find a slot for on this set.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>With Articuno's barren yet focused movepool, there are very few other options it can run. Mimic is probably the best unlisted option, as if Articuno gets lucky enough to copy Thunderbolt from Starmie, it will always 2HKO back. Reflect is another option to help Articuno absorb Body Slam from Snorlax and even Rock Slide from Golem and Rhydon should it find itself paralyzed against them. It also helps Articuno win against Tauros, who needs Body Slam critical hits to win. However, it is typically only useful when your opponent's special walls are gone, as they don't care at all whether Reflect is up.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Articuno's Blizzard is a frosty nuke and no Pokemon enjoys a freeze, there are quite a few solid counters to it. Lapras is the best Articuno counter, as it 4x resists Blizzard. Once it's in, it can wear down Articuno with repeated Thunderbolts or Body Slams or, if it has a free turn, use Confuse Ray on a switch-in. Everything about Starmie makes Articuno's life difficult. It 2x resists Blizzard and can attack with repeated Thunderbolts, paralyze either Articuno or the switch-in with Thunder Wave (except for Rhydon and Golem, who have no business facing a Starmie anyway), and then use any free turns to Recover. Cloyster also 4x resists Blizzard and has a ton of physical bulk, allowing it to absorb any physical attacks that Articuno might be running, then threaten either Articuno or a switch-in with Clamp, Blizzard, or Explosion. Chansey is as good a special wall as ever, paralyzing Articuno while firing off Thunderbolts or recovering with Softboiled, but it should be healthy and preferably paralyzed to block a freeze. It also takes 37.9 - 44.6% from Hyper Beam, so it has little hope in getting the chance to use Softboiled if its health is low. Alakazam can also use Thunder Wave, Recover off any damage, and spam Psychic until Articuno eventually faints, but it is 3HKOed by Blizzard, providing it with little time to do all of these things. Finally, Slowbro is a decent Pokemon to send out against Articuno one-on-one because it can paralyze it with Thunder Wave, but switching in is not recommended because it takes about 50% from two Blizzards before it even has a chance to move.</p>
 

Jorgen

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Toxic and Bubblebeam need to leave OO. Add Sky Attack.

Reflect is more for making Articuno Boom-proof against Cloyster and Snorlax (and Egg, since it isn't OHKOed). It also helps it out when it's paralyzed so it can tank a Rock Slide from Goldon. It's also handy for allowing you to Rest-loop an endgame Tauros much more easily, thereby making you a good bit more luck-proof since Tauros needs to get two critslams or go for a crit Hyper Beam to beat you instead of just needing a single critslam. It doesn't give you "leverage" against Tauros, since with heavy damage from Blizzard you kind of already have that. It just gives you a more certain position.

Articuno has a lot of walls, so it feels like you're overstating its sweeping capabilities. At the same time, against opposing teams without an Ice-type, Articuno is great at forcing switches and therefore getting free opportunities to score a freeze, and it feels like you're downplaying its freezing capabilities a bit (by the by, Ice Beam is viable over the normal move because, aside from the normal move being piss-weak, it gives you more PP to freeze things with).


Don't let the length of my comments fool you, it's mostly me rambling. This is pretty well-done.
 
Sky Attack should probably deserve a mention since it can OHKO Chansey and Starmie with a crit, as that's the only way Articuno may be beating them outside of freezes if they are not paralysed. It also does some good damage to Lapras; If you predict a switch out to Lapras and use Sky Attack, Articuno can rack up around 65% of Lapras health with SA+Hype Beam while taking only one tbolt back. Still, SA is mostly to luck Chansey since Starmie is extremely difficult to take out this way and you are taking SE tbolts back. I know SA is very unreliable (especially when Articuno is paralyzed) and almost completely unusable if your opponent packs Golem/Rhydon but it's certainly better than crap like Toxic, Substitute and BlubbleBeam (lol) and migth prove useful. Plus, it's not that Articuno's last move offers much; Articuno is almost always dying before using all Blizzard PP and D-E manages just 5% more to Chansey than Blizzard, and you take lots of recoil damage back. D-E is neat to wear down Lapras or even Slowbro if need be though, and it's certainly a better option than Ice Beam imo. Mimic is not a bad option either since you have a 50/50 chance of getting something excellent from Starmie and Articuno's tbolt would 2HKO Starmie and OHKO with a crit if Starmie tries to just spam recover.

Rest and especially Reflect are just too situational imo. One's OK in the last slot, but there's really no point on dropping Hyper Beam to use both. It's a combination of being outclassed by Lapras even moreso at using a Rest set, and Reflect feeling redundant on Articuno. Physical attackers aren't staying in unless they can ko articuno in the next hit anyway, so Reflect isn't really going to do much outside of specific last pokemon matchups or something. I'd strongly consider removing the set entirely and slashing Rest in the first set if anything (with D-E / Ice Beam, possibly SA goes there too), and moving Reflect to other options.
 

Jorgen

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Seconding Crystal_'s Rest/Reflect suggestion (the bit about removing defensive Cuno).
 

Nix_Hex

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BubbleBeam and Toxic were mainly there as a joke (they came up during a convo with Yanbro on PS). Anyway, I made some big changes.
-Removed the Defensive set.
-Renamed the Offensive set to Standard.
-Mimic and Reflect in OO.
-Rest slashed next to Double Edge / Ice Beam.
-Gave Sky Attack an AC mention to avoid slashitis and because it's more effective than most of the OO. May move to OO if I can fill up AC more.

Thank you Jordan and Crystal_, I knew I could count on you two to help me out! Anyway I'd like to say this is ready to go. Just give me the go-ahead / whatever the formal process is nowadays and I can start writing this.

Edit: Added Calcs.
 
Damage calculations are not necessary. The other updates are fine though. Not sure if the old Staller set is good anymore. Not a lot can kill it quickly, but it doesn't do much except sit there and waste time, which I think is a risky thing to do in RBY when someone can just status you and position themselves. So just the standard is good enough.
 

Nix_Hex

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Okay, this is all written up. If any of the RBY guys want to give this some QC stamps or something, I'd appreciate it.
 
I'm not sure about calling Slowbro a so good Articuno counter. Lapras, Starmie, Cloyster and even Chansey are certainly in a different league. This is because Slowbro takes around 25% from Articuno's Blizzard which potentially translates to 50% before being able to move if it's switching in, and over 70% if one Blizzard crits. Slowbro is good one-on-one but should certainly be careful when switching in. I'd put more enphasis on that.

Also it feels weird to talk about the threat of Cloyster's Explosion everytime; it almost sounds like Explosion is the only thing Cloyster can do to beat Articuno but it can also be a threat with Blizzard and Clamp. I mean, Cloyster doesn't have to explode to counter or beat Articuno.

Put more emphasis on that Reflect is almost only good late game in some specific physical matchups as otherwise Articuno has no business wasting its free turns to use Reflect against the incoming special wall in the form of Chansey / Starmie / Lapras / Cloyster / Alakazam / Slowbro who couldn't careless about Articuno using Reflect and would generally force it out regardless. Plus, if Snorlax or Exeggutor are looking to explode they are probably in the ko range of blizzard anyway, so using reflect there would generally be pointless except for some odd late-game matchups.
 

Nix_Hex

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I'm not sure about calling Slowbro a so good Articuno counter. Lapras, Starmie, Cloyster and even Chansey are certainly in a different league. This is because Slowbro takes around 25% from Articuno's Blizzard which potentially translates to 50% before being able to move if it's switching in, and over 70% if one Blizzard crits. Slowbro is good one-on-one but should certainly be careful when switching in. I'd put more enphasis on that.
Okay, Slowbro has been moved to the last sentence of Checks and Counters for the reasons you stated, good points.

Also it feels weird to talk about the threat of Cloyster's Explosion everytime; it almost sounds like Explosion is the only thing Cloyster can do to beat Articuno but it can also be a threat with Blizzard and Clamp. I mean, Cloyster doesn't have to explode to counter or beat Articuno.
All right, I added mentions of Clamp and Blizzard, but kept Gengar an option since it is the only thing that is immune to Explosion if Cloyster really does use it for whatever reason.

Put more emphasis on that Reflect is almost only good late game in some specific physical matchups as otherwise Articuno has no business wasting its free turns to use Reflect against the incoming special wall in the form of Chansey / Starmie / Lapras / Cloyster / Alakazam / Slowbro who couldn't careless about Articuno using Reflect and would generally force it out regardless. Plus, if Snorlax or Exeggutor are looking to explode they are probably in the ko range of blizzard anyway, so using reflect there would generally be pointless except for some odd late-game matchups.
All right, did this. Thanks Crystal_.
 
Thanks for implementing my suggestions!

Gengar is probably the safest switch-in to Cloyster if only for its immunity to Explosion and ability to sleep it with Hypnosis, although it does not want to catch a freeze from Blizzard.
I think most people would agree that Starmie is the best Cloyster check since Gengar gets worn down by Blizzard quickly and is also kinda susceptible to Clamp but I guess how well Gengar matches up against Cloyster doesn't really matter that much in an Articuno analysis. If anything, I might say something like that Gengar is an interesting teammate for Articuno because it can sometimes lure earthquakes and also matches up well against the water types articuno tends to struggle aagainst. This is just an idea though, my main point was that the line I quoted isnt 100% accurate and doesn't fit very well in this article imo.

Alakazam can also use Thunder Wave, Recover off the HP, and spam Psychic until Articuno eventually faints. It too takes heavy damage from Articuno's physical attacks, so you may want to use Reflect first.
Just pointing out that Alakazam takes significantly more damage from Blizzard than Double-Edge though, so Alakazam should not really reflect when against Articuno most of the times tbh. Blizzard sits in the middle between d-e's and hbeam's damage, but considering HB is a finisher move and zam would generally be faster than cuno, i don't see reflect being that good of an idea in that specific matchup. You might want to change the second part of what I quoted to something like: "It too takes heavy damage from Articuno's attacks though".

These two were just minor nitpicks though, so as long as you go through them, consider the article approved 1/2 already. Good job!
 

Jorgen

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1)
I wouldn't go as far as to say Lapras outclasses Articuno in the intro. Arti's Blizz is way stronger, plus it gets an EQ immunity to abuse.

2)
Set Comments said:
If Articuno has not been revealed yet, bring it in on a predicted Rhydon / Golem Earthquake and blast away with Blizzard, either OHKOing them or hitting their switch-in hard, possibly freezing them.
Switching in on Rhydon/Golem is pretty risky because of Rock Slide (which many people will use on the switch regardless of whether you revealed Articuno because they're hoping to wear down Exeggutor). Better EQers to switch Arti in against are Snorlax and Tauros.

Also, you mention Egg as being "tricky", but Exeggutor is both Articuno's safest switch-in and the thing most threatened by Arti. Granted, the best way to get Arti in is on a predicted switch to Exeggutor or by abusing its Ground immunity, but the surest way to get Articuno in with minimal effort is to just bring it in on Egg.

EDIT: I'm not saying you should recommend just bringing Articuno in willy-nilly on Egg all the time, because it WILL get worn down by Psychics. But Egg isn't especially "tricky" to deal with. Goldem/Rhydon is a much dicier switch-in, for example.


3)
Set Comments said:
Starmie is a great Cloyster check, fearing only Explosion and doing heavy damage with Thunderbolt.
Why is this important in Arti's set analysis? This sentence came out of the blue.


4)
Set Comments said:
Don't use Agility until the late-game, assuming you aren't paralyzed, and the remains of your opponent's team are within KO range.
It can work even if you are paralyzed. RBY is buggy in that Agility will undo the paralysis speed drop and give you double your normal speed.


5)
Additional Comments said:
However, it (Sky Attack) is very unreliable and loses a ton of momentum unless it is used on the switch, and it's very difficult even to find a spot on this set.
Drop the "loses momentum" part. And probably the "unreliable" part, too. Just emphasize that it's a two-turn attack and, as such, gives up a turn (which is self-evidently not good).


6)
Other Options (Reflect) said:
letting a special wall switch in for free is a huge momentum killer
Again, just say that it wastes a turn when a Starmie or whatever switches in, you don't need to get into the abstract and ill-defined concept of "momentum."


7)
Checks & Counters said:
Lapras 4x resists Blizzard, but is probably as good as Starmie otherwise.
Lapras is a better Arti check than Starmie, and the last part of this sentence, coupled with Starmie's top billing, seems to imply otherwise. Granted, they're both good, but 4x Blizz resistance is better than 2x Blizz resistance.


8)
Checks & Counters (Chansey) said:
so it has little hope in spamming Softboiled if it's too low in health
"Spamming"? Change to "using". Chansey doesn't necessarily need to spam Softboiled to stay out of Hyper Beam range.


9)
*Mention in C&C how Alakazam takes heavy damage from Blizzards, making it an iffy switch-in. Arti's Blizz can 3HKO Zam, which can be very relevant if the latter is paralyzed and therefore can't get a Recover off.


Address these and I can come back to approve.

EDIT: Looks good, as of this edit the analysis says that the best way to get Articuno in is on an Exeggutor Psychic but that's not really true. It's by abusing EQ immunity and predicting the switch to Egg, switching Arti straight into Psychics and stuff is just the safest way with no prediction. After that gets changed, this is APPROVED 2/2.
 
additions deletions comments

[Overview]

<p>Boasting one of the highest Special stats in the game along with the most powerful special move in OU, Blizzard, there's no denying that Articuno is a powerhouse. The ability to OHKOing Golem / Rhydon and 2HKOing Exeggutor is a feat few Pokemon can muster, but Blizzard allows Articuno to do just that. It can force switches and deal heavy damage throughout the match, softening up your opponent's team and possibly causing a freeze. It can even make for a very nice end-game sweeper by boosting its mediocre Base 85 Speed with Agility and blasting away with STAB Blizzard, potentially getting a freeze in the process.</p>

<p>Why isn't Articuno an OU standard, then? Again, its Speed stat is frustratingly low, as it is not able to outspeed Pokemon like Tauros and Alakazam without the a boost, while both are capable of paralyzing Articuno. It is walled to hell and back (is this phrase acceptable on Smogon analyses?) by the many OU Pokemon that resist it Blizzard, namely Lapras, Starmie, Cloyster, and to an extent, Slowbro, as well as Chansey with its massive 250/105 Special bulk. Its movepool is shallow as well, as it leaves Articuno relying on mediocre Ice / Normal coverage, the latter of which runs off its so-so Attack stat. Lapras has several advantages over Articuno as an Ice-type, with a higher HP stat and much better coverage and utility with Confuse Ray, Body Slam, and Thunderbolt. However, even Lapras can never dream of matching the raw power of Articuno's Blizzard. All-in-all, if you are looking to unleash a nasty surprise on your opponent, don't look over overlook Articuno.</p>

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Agility
move 3: Double-Edge / Ice Beam / Rest
move 4: Hyper Beam

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best way to get Articuno on the field is to switch it in when you predict that your opponent will switch in Exeggutor; if it has taken lost over 33% of its health already and assuming no Special drop (this is default, so it need not be mentioned), Blizzard is a guaranteed KO. It can also switch in on a predicted Earthquake from Snorlax or Tauros, dealing heavy damage with Blizzard and hopefully causing a freeze. Rhydon / Golem are a bit harder to switch in on as Rock Slide will KO it Articuno, but if you are fortunate enough to switch in on Earthquake, Blizzard will OHKO either. Double-Edge does chip damage to Lapras, who laughs at a 4x resisted Blizzard, as well as Starmie. Don't use Double-Edge against Chansey though, since it only does 5% more than Blizzard, causes recoil, and does not have a freeze chance. Don't use Agility until the late-game, when the remains of your opponent's team are within KO range. Finally, Hyper Beam is there to finish off weakened Chansey and Alakazam.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Ice Beam is a viable alternative over Double-Edge for a 99.6% accurate STAB, but it is significantly weaker than Blizzard and leaves you walled completely by Lapras and Starmie. Rest is great for recovering from status, allowing Articuno to act as a status sponge throughout the battle until you need it again. Another interesting option Articuno has is Sky Attack, which is its most powerful physical attack, running off a huge 210 Base Power after STAB. With a critical hit, it is guaranteed to OHKO Chansey and has a 52% chance to OHKO Starmie; without a critical hit, it has a 46% chance to OHKO Alakazam, whom would normally be 3HKOed by Blizzard. However, it forces you to lose an entire turn and is difficult to find a slot for on this set.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>With Articuno's barren yet focused movepool, there are very few options it can run. Mimic is probably the best unlisted option, as if it Articuno gets lucky enough to copy Thunderbolt from Starmie, it will always 2HKO back. Reflect is another option to help Articuno absorb Body Slam from Snorlax and even Rock Slide from Golem and Rhydon should it find itself paralyzed against them. It also helps Articuno win against Tauros who needs Body Slam critical hits to win. However, it is typically only useful when your opponent's special walls are gone, as they don't care at all whether or not Reflect is up.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Articuno's Blizzard is a frosty nuke and no Pokemon enjoys a freeze, there are quite a few solid counters. Lapras is the best Articuno counter as it 4x resists Blizzard. Once it's in, it can wear down Articuno with repeated Thunderbolts or Body Slams or, if it has a free turn, use Confuse Ray on a switch-in. Everything about Starmie makes Articuno's life difficult. It 2x resists Blizzard and can attack with repeated Thunderbolts, paralyze either Articuno or the switch-in with Thunder Wave (except for Rhydon / Golem who have no business facing a Starmie anyway), then use any free turns to Recover. Cloyster also 4x resists Blizzard and has a ton of physical bulk, allowing it to absorb any physical Attacks that Articuno may be running, then threaten either Articuno or a switch-in with Clamp, Blizzard, or Explosion. Chansey is as good a special wall as ever, paralyzing Articuno while firing off Thunderbolts or recovering with Softboiled, but it should be healthy and preferably paralyzed to block a freeze. It also takes 37.9-44.6% to from Hyper Beam, so it has little hope in using Softboiled if it's too low in health its health is low. Alakazam can also use Thunder Wave, Recover off the HP any damage, and spam Psychic until Articuno eventually faints, but is 3HKOed by Blizzard, allowing it little time to do all of these things. Finally, Slowbro is a decent Pokemon to face Articuno one-on-one and paralyze it with Thunder Wave, but switching in is not recommended since it takes about 50% from two Blizzards before it even has a chance to move.</p>


[gp]1/2[/gp]
 

Nix_Hex

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Thanks for the check relaunched! I changed everything except for the Special drop part -- crap like Special drops and full-paras and crits are the default in RBY, kind of how getting flinched/para'd 20x in a row by Jirachi is the default in BW.

edit: implemented, ready for another
Edit2: I get what you're saying now. There was a sentence in there before regarding Exeggutor's Psychic. I'll delete the special drop part now since that sentence is gone.
 

Jukain

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[Overview]

<p>Boasting one of the highest Special stats in the game along with the most powerful special move in OU, Blizzard, there's no denying that Articuno is a powerhouse. OHKOing Golem / Rhydon and 2HKOing Exeggutor is are feats few Pokemon can muster, but Blizzard allows Articuno to do just that. It can force switches and deal heavy damage throughout the match, softening up your opponent's team and possibly causing a freeze. It can even make for a very nice end-game sweeper by boosting its mediocre Bbase 85 Speed with Agility and blasting away with its STAB Blizzard, potentially getting a freeze in the process.</p>

<p>Why isn't Articuno an OU standard, then? Again, its Speed stat is frustratingly low, as it is not able to outspeed Pokemon like Tauros and Alakazam without a boost, while both are capable of paralyzing Articuno. It is walled to kingdom come(add space)by the many OU Pokemon that resist Blizzard, namely Lapras, Starmie, Cloyster, and to an extent, Slowbro, as well as Chansey with its massive 250/105 Special bulk. Its movepool is shallow as well, as it leaves Articuno relying on mediocre Ice / Normal coverage, the latter of which runs off its so-so Attack stat. Lapras has several advantages over Articuno as an Ice-type, withpossessing a higher HP stat and much better coverage and utility with Confuse Ray, Body Slam, and Thunderbolt. However, even Lapras can never dream of matching the raw power of Articuno's Blizzard. All-in-all, if you are looking to unleash a nasty surprise on your opponent, don't overlook Articuno.</p>

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Agility
move 3: Double-Edge / Ice Beam / Rest
move 4: Hyper Beam

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best way to get Articuno on the field is to switch it in when you predict that your opponent will switch in Exeggutor; if it has lost over 33% of its health already, Blizzard is a guaranteed KO. It can also switch in on a predicted Earthquake from Snorlax or Tauros, dealing heavy damage with Blizzard and hopefully causing a freeze. Rhydon /and Golem are a bit harder to switch in on, (AC) as Rock Slide will KO Articuno, but if you are fortunate enough to switch in on Earthquake, Blizzard will OHKO either. Double-Edge does chip damage to Lapras, who laughs at a 4x resisted Blizzard, as well as Starmie. Don't use Double-Edge against Chansey though, asince it only does 5% more than Blizzard, causes recoil, and does not have a freeze chance. Don't use Agility until the late-game, when the remainsjority of your opponent's team are within KO range. Finally, Hyper Beam is there to finish off weakened Chansey and Alakazam.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Ice Beam is a viable alternative over Double-Edge for a 99.6% accurate STAB, but it is significantly weaker than Blizzard and leaves youArticuno walled completely by Lapras and Starmie. Rest is great for recovering from status, allowing Articuno to act as a status sponge throughout the battle until you need it again. Another interesting option Articuno has is Sky Attack, which is its most powerful physical attack, runnpossessing off a huge 210 Base Power after STAB. With a critical hit, it is guaranteed to OHKO Chansey and has a 52% chance to OHKO Starmie; without a critical hit, it has a 46% chance to OHKO Alakazam, whom would normally be 3HKOed by Blizzard. However, it forces you to lose an entire turn and is difficult to find a slot for on this set.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>With Articuno's barren yet focused movepool, there are very few other options it can run. Mimic is probably the best unlisted option, as if Articuno gets lucky enough to copy Thunderbolt from Starmie, it will always 2HKO back. Reflect is another option to help Articuno absorb Body Slam from Snorlax and even Rock Slide from Golem and Rhydon should it find itself paralyzed against them. It also helps Articuno win against Tauros, (AC) who needs Body Slam critical hits to win. However, it is typically only useful when your opponent's special walls are gone, as they don't care at all whether Reflect is up.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Articuno's Blizzard is a frosty nuke and no Pokemon enjoys a freeze, there are quite a few solid counters to it. Lapras is the best Articuno counter, (AC) as it 4x resists Blizzard. Once it's in, it can wear down Articuno with repeated Thunderbolts or, (AC) Body Slams, (AC) or, if it has a free turn, use Confuse Ray on a switch-in. Everything about Starmie makes Articuno's life difficult. It 2x resists Blizzard and can attack with repeated Thunderbolts, paralyze either Articuno or the switch-in with Thunder Wave (except for Rhydon /and Golem, (AC) who have no business facing a Starmie anyway), and then use any free turns to Recover. Cloyster also 4x resists Blizzard and has a ton of physical bulk, allowing it to absorb any physical Aattacks that Articuno mayight be running, then threaten either Articuno or a switch-in with Clamp, Blizzard, or Explosion. Chansey is as good a special wall as ever, paralyzing Articuno while firing off Thunderbolts or recovering with Softboiled, but it should be healthy and preferably paralyzed to block a freeze. It also takes 37.9(add space)-(add space)44.6% to from Hyper Beam, so it has little hope in usgetting the chance to use Softboiled if its health is low. Alakazam can also use Thunder Wave, Recover off any damage, and spam Psychic until Articuno eventually faints, but it is 3HKOed by Blizzard, allowproviding it with little time to do all of these things. Finally, Slowbro is a decent Pokemon to facesend out against Articuno one-on-one because it cand paralyze it with Thunder Wave, but switching in is not recommended sincbecause it takes about 50% from two Blizzards before it even has a chance to move.</p>

since vs. as: "Since" implies the passage of time, so it shouldn't be used unless the sentence actually includes time being passed. Nice job overall; we can call this

[gp]2/2[/gp]
 

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