Hello gamers, the RBY UU community recently had a survey to identify a course of action for the tier and while 5 different Pokemon in that survey are probably worth examining, Articuno by far had the most support for tiering action, rating a 3.72/5 among all respondents and a staggering 4.15 among qualified respondents (those who have made reqs for UU suspects in the past). Both of these numbers blow other controversial Pokemon out of the water, making it clear that the path to reducing the prevalence of RNG in the tier begins with a test on Articuno. Survey respondents noted that the tier is saturated with too many offensive threats to reasonably contain, leaving far too many teams vulnerable to some threat that can remove as many as 3 or 4 Pokemon by itself.
Articuno has a number of qualities that make it difficult to contain. It has the strongest special attack in the game in Blizzard, which OHKOes or 2HKOes most of the tier barring Water- and Ice-types. It has Agility, arguably the best setup move in RBY, which allows it to blow past Pokemon that might otherwise cause issues for it. It has an excellent BST; its only real weaknesses are Rock- and STAB Electric-type moves, as its huge Special makes non-STAB Electric attacks only somewhat effective. Notably, Articuno OHKOes Dugtrio, Dodrio, Golem, Tangela, and Dragonite, granting it many opportunities to force out and set up on otherwise dangerous targets. Its Double-Edge and Hyper Beam, while not particularly strong, do give it decent odds to break past Tentacruel, Dewgong, and Vaporeon, which otherwise can check its Blizzard (barring a freeze). Most Articuno checks are also relatively passive; Tentacruel struggles to break past Kadabra, Dewgong has problems against other Water-types, and Vaporeon and Omastar deal very little damage compared to the offensive powerhouses in the tier. As a result, teams struggle to check both Articuno and its typical partners, such as Dugtrio, at the same time without becoming too passive to function.
It can also be said that Articuno adds a significant element of RNG to the tier: Blizzard freezes, Blizzard misses, a solid critical hit rate, and its propensity to bait Rock Slide, which can miss entirely or OHKO it on a critical hit, all contribute to variance in the tier. Games are often decided by a Kangaskhan or Dugtrio Rock Slide critical hit or miss, making the difference between removing a major threat or losing 3 Pokemon to it. Blizzard freezes can remove all of its typical checks bar Dewgong, and Articuno often can break past Dewgong with a well-timed Double-Edge critical hit.
Articuno does, of course, have weaknesses, including its aforementioned Rock Slide problem, a vulnerability to being worn down by Tentacruel's Wrap, and difficulties with consistency if it takes paralysis from Thunder Wave and Body Slam users. Pokemon like Clefable, Kadabra, and Electrode can use Thunder Wave and wear Articuno down, and once it takes paralysis Pokemon like Tentacruel and Vaporeon can use setup moves to reapply the Speed drop from paralysis to keep Articuno under control. It also has difficulty setting up without taking significant damage, which it has to do thanks to its middling Speed. Articuno's typing and need to set up make it difficult to switch in, often relegating it to revenge killing. Proponents of Articuno also note that it punishes greedy offensive teams, as it can blast through Dugtrio, Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Persian once it gets a turn to set up.
As a result, I'm opening this thread to clarify the matter. I wanted to get the thread started and then leave time for arguments to be made and for the UU Council to draw up voting reqs. I intend to move forward on July 23, so take the next few days to discuss here and gather your thoughts.
