Articuno Raid Duo Guide

Despite being weak to Ice, Mega Aerodactyl has an average DPS that's almost identical to Rampardos on average, and a TDO that pulls a bit ahead. Add to this the fact that Mega Aerodactyl boosts Rock Type moves, and it becomes obvious that this is the absolute best Pokemon to throw at poor Articuno. Heck, a very viable duo-strategy is to just have both players throw out Mega Aerodactyl so that they buff themselves, and recover/re-enter when they drop. Just make sure that you dodge Blizzard at the very least, as that move hurts our poor reanimated pterosaur. 

When it's sunny out this is your guy... or rather it would be if the Sun offered enough of a damage boost to compete with the top Rock Type attackers. Mega Charizard Y is still a solid Pokemon, but it's substantially behind Mega Aerodactyl by every metric.

The king of the Electric Type Mega Evolutions, Mega Manectric is definitely viable here... but still falls behind the top Rock Types, even in the rain. The main utility here is if you know as a fact that your raid group is Electric-heavy, as that boost is nothing to scoff at.

Need proof of the superiority of Rock Type damage for this raid? Look no farther than Mega Ampharos. Even in the rain, a non-STAB move as weak as Power Gem outclasses its STAB Super Effective Zap Cannon. That said, Mega Ampharos is perfectly fine, but doesn't like the fact that it's weak to most of Articuno's moveset.

Remember all of those old Roadrunner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote would get instantly crushed by a giant, falling boulder? That's Rampardos in this raid. Between its great moveset and sky-high attack stat, this Pokemon is rivaled only by Mega Aerodactyl in terms of its sheer power, and should definitely be the top non-Mega priority for this raid.

Shadow Tyranitar mixes high DPS with high survivability to make a really, really good overall pick for this raid. Just remember that it needs Smack Down to excel, and you're good to go! 

Another power-house Pokemon, Rhyperior can carry its own tremendous weight very well, and can smack down poor Articuno with ease. Just note that it needs its Elite Charged Move, Rock Wrecker, in order to Wreck with Rocks, and be ready to dodge as it's weak to almostThis  everything that Articuno will throw its way.

This guy is a real work-horse of a Rock Type. Often overlooked, but still pulling its own weight with strong Rock Type damage.

The good, old-fashioned rare counter to Articuno in its original release, but turned evil! Shadow Omastar resists just about everything that Articuno can throw at it, and hits back decently hard in response. Just know that you're going to need to break out your Elite TM stash if you want the right moves for this raid.

One of the old-school good Rock Types, Tyranitar is still here and still throwing rocks. Just make sure that it knows Smack Down before bringing it along!

Mega Evolve first, then throw any other Aerodactyl in that you may have left over as fodder.

No real advantages or disadvantages. Just a solid overall counter.

The original rare counter to Articuno, Omastar can still hold its own in this fight. Just make sure that you've got an old one with the right moveset, or get ready to break into your Elite TM stash.

Despite not throwing out Rock Type damage, the sheer power of Shadow Metagross puts it on our list. When running Meteor Mash, this monster of a Pokemon is... alright. Yeah, even the mighty Shadow Metagross pales when compared to a rock-tossing snail in this raid.

A solid backup if you don't have something that tosses rocks.

No real pros or cons. A solid overall counter with the bonus of outstanding facial hair.

This is the real OG counter! Back when Articuno first hit the scene, everyone was scrambling to catch as many Geodude as they could. Nowadays it's still fine, but is definitely outclassed. Never forget that it's weak to Ice!

Yes, Aggron is a meme. No, Shadow Aggron is not a meme. It's a bit low on DPS, but it's still able to perform really well given the chance.

Need to survive? Because this is how you survive. Heatran doesn't have the greatest DPS, but holy crap it lives for a long time in this raid!

Oh right, Melmetal exists too!