[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-5 Points
**Overview**: Galarian Articuno is a low-cost immunity to Ground, pivot, and special wallbreaker. Despite its relative lack of coverage, it can switch in on resisted moves, fire off a Future Sight, and then escape with U-turn to bring in a Pokemon that can take advantage of foes that resist Psychic. Opponents also need to beware of a potential late-game sweep from this masked menace. Unfortunately, Galarian Articuno suffers from some fatal flaws, including its middling speed for an offensive Pokemon, lack of coverage, and weaknesses to common offensive types like Dark and Ice. Additionally, its weakness to Rock can clip this bird's wings.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: U-turn makes Galarian Articuno a viable offensive pivot that is able to switch in and out while using Future Sight to help sweepers break through walls or position teammates that check Steel- and Dark-types to take advantage of those Pokemon. Competitive lets it switch in to punish Defog and other stat reduction moves.
**Setup Sweeper**: Galarian Articuno can use Calm Mind alongside its high Special Attack to become an effective late-game setup sweeper. It can also boost its Speed with Agility and gain additional boosts via Weakness Policy, letting it become an effective Stored Power sweeper.
**Wallbreaker**: Choice Specs can turn Galarian Articuno into a powerful wallbreaker than can punch holes in teams with its STAB moves or set up teammates with a powerful Future Sight. Its lack of coverage can make these sets somewhat harder to position and make good use of.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Future Sight, Freezing Glare, Hurricane, Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Stored Power
**Setup Moves**: Agility, Calm Mind
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Recover, Light Screen, Reflect, Hypnosis, Trick
**Coverage**: Shadow Ball, Hyper Voice, Ancient Power, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Endure**: Endure can be used with Weakness Policy to ensure Galarian Articuno survives an attack to take advantage of the Special Attack boost.
**Tailwind**: In late-game scenarios, Tailwind can be set to support Galarian Articuno's teammates, which it can reliably pivot to with U-turn.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Being a pivot that is weak to Stealth Rock means Galarian Articuno is contractually obligated to lace up the timbs every week.
**Choice Specs**: Wallbreaking sets can use Choice Specs to turn Galarian Articuno into a powerful wallbreaker that can punch holes in most Pokemon or shut down a utility Pokemon with Trick.
**Choice Scarf**: Galarian Articuno is outsped by most offensive threats, making Choice Scarf a decent option for speed control and revenge killing. It can also shut down utility Pokemon by giving them the Choice Scarf via Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Weakness Policy**: The favored item of Stored Power sweepers, Weakness Policy lets Galarian Articuno bypass the need to use Calm Mind and immediately start sweeping, especially when combined with Agility.
**Light Clay**: Galarian Articuno can be a passable dual screens setter, and Light Clay ensures they last long enough to protect your sweepers.
Tera
========
Galarian Articuno can be a good secondary Tera Captain to pair with one that is higher priced. It typically isn't worth it otherwise, as higher-cost Captains have a lot more to offer both offensively and defensively. If Galarian Articuno is your choice for a Tera Captain, then Tera Blast becomes a strong option on it due to its lack of coverage. Offensive Tera types like Tera Fighting, Fairy, and Ground help it break through Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, while defensively, Tera Steel can let it survive attacks it would otherwise faint to and get one more crucial turn to set up.
Draft Strategy
========
Galarian Articuno is a great choice for a cheap pivot and immunity to Ground. It doesn't have the utility of Pokemon like Uxie and Azelf, but it forces opponents to always keep its strong Special Attack and late-game sweeping capabilities in mind. However, due to its lack of coverage and utility, it's not a Pokemon you want to be building your draft around; rather, it's a final piece to fill any holes left over.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Being forced to run Heavy-Duty Boots severely limits Galarian Articuno's options and forces it into an offensive pivot role, and having it removed from Knock Off can severely limit the amount of opportunities it has to switch in. Pokemon like Iron Treads, Terapagos, and Great Tusk can keep the field clear for it to do its job.
**Knock Off Absorber**: Galarian Articuno is both weak to Knock Off and Stealth Rock, meaning that if its Heavy-Duty Boots get removed, it has almost no more chances to switch in. Pokemon like Gliscor, Ogerpon-W, and Ting-Lu that can absorb Knock Off are excellent pairings with it.
**Steel- / Psychic- / Dark-type Checks**: Pokemon that can take advantage of Future Sight luring in foes that resist it excel when paired with Galarian Articuno. It can pivot to these Pokemon with U-turn and force opponents into either taking a huge chunk of damage on one of their Pokemon from Future Sight or having a Pokemon that resists it broken by a wallbreaker that switches in. Scizor, Urshifu-S, and Darkrai are excellent wallbreakers to pair with Galarian Articuno.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Entry hazards can chip down opposing Pokemon that check Galarian Articuno, and as an added bonus, any foes attempting to use Defog to clear hazards run right into Competitive, giving it a large Special Attack boost. Glimmora, Clodsire, and Garchomp are excellent pairings with Galarian Articuno.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Steel- and Dark-types**: Galarian Articuno is walled by most Steel- and Dark-types due to its lack of coverage moves. Anything from Heatran to Revavroom to Ting-Lu can switch in and easily take most attacks from it.
**Priority**: Galarian Articuno can be easily revenge killed by most strong priority moves, and it is weak to common ones like Sucker Punch. Kingambit and Lycanroc-D can freeze any sweep attempt from it and discourage it from using U-turn to switch out.
**Faster Pokemon**: Galarian Articuno is on the slower side of offensive Pokemon and is easily outsped by Pokemon like Meowscarada, Chi-Yu, and Greninja that can typically OHKO it with any Dark-type move.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/fr3ya.574067
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-5 Points
**Overview**: Galarian Articuno is a low-cost immunity to Ground, pivot, and special wallbreaker. Despite its relative lack of coverage, it can switch in on resisted moves, fire off a Future Sight, and then escape with U-turn to bring in a Pokemon that can take advantage of foes that resist Psychic. Opponents also need to beware of a potential late-game sweep from this masked menace. Unfortunately, Galarian Articuno suffers from some fatal flaws, including its middling speed for an offensive Pokemon, lack of coverage, and weaknesses to common offensive types like Dark and Ice. Additionally, its weakness to Rock can clip this bird's wings.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: U-turn makes Galarian Articuno a viable offensive pivot that is able to switch in and out while using Future Sight to help sweepers break through walls or position teammates that check Steel- and Dark-types to take advantage of those Pokemon. Competitive lets it switch in to punish Defog and other stat reduction moves.
**Setup Sweeper**: Galarian Articuno can use Calm Mind alongside its high Special Attack to become an effective late-game setup sweeper. It can also boost its Speed with Agility and gain additional boosts via Weakness Policy, letting it become an effective Stored Power sweeper.
**Wallbreaker**: Choice Specs can turn Galarian Articuno into a powerful wallbreaker than can punch holes in teams with its STAB moves or set up teammates with a powerful Future Sight. Its lack of coverage can make these sets somewhat harder to position and make good use of.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Future Sight, Freezing Glare, Hurricane, Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Stored Power
**Setup Moves**: Agility, Calm Mind
**Utility Moves**: U-turn, Recover, Light Screen, Reflect, Hypnosis, Trick
**Coverage**: Shadow Ball, Hyper Voice, Ancient Power, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Endure**: Endure can be used with Weakness Policy to ensure Galarian Articuno survives an attack to take advantage of the Special Attack boost.
**Tailwind**: In late-game scenarios, Tailwind can be set to support Galarian Articuno's teammates, which it can reliably pivot to with U-turn.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Being a pivot that is weak to Stealth Rock means Galarian Articuno is contractually obligated to lace up the timbs every week.
**Choice Specs**: Wallbreaking sets can use Choice Specs to turn Galarian Articuno into a powerful wallbreaker that can punch holes in most Pokemon or shut down a utility Pokemon with Trick.
**Choice Scarf**: Galarian Articuno is outsped by most offensive threats, making Choice Scarf a decent option for speed control and revenge killing. It can also shut down utility Pokemon by giving them the Choice Scarf via Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Weakness Policy**: The favored item of Stored Power sweepers, Weakness Policy lets Galarian Articuno bypass the need to use Calm Mind and immediately start sweeping, especially when combined with Agility.
**Light Clay**: Galarian Articuno can be a passable dual screens setter, and Light Clay ensures they last long enough to protect your sweepers.
Tera
========
Galarian Articuno can be a good secondary Tera Captain to pair with one that is higher priced. It typically isn't worth it otherwise, as higher-cost Captains have a lot more to offer both offensively and defensively. If Galarian Articuno is your choice for a Tera Captain, then Tera Blast becomes a strong option on it due to its lack of coverage. Offensive Tera types like Tera Fighting, Fairy, and Ground help it break through Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, while defensively, Tera Steel can let it survive attacks it would otherwise faint to and get one more crucial turn to set up.
Draft Strategy
========
Galarian Articuno is a great choice for a cheap pivot and immunity to Ground. It doesn't have the utility of Pokemon like Uxie and Azelf, but it forces opponents to always keep its strong Special Attack and late-game sweeping capabilities in mind. However, due to its lack of coverage and utility, it's not a Pokemon you want to be building your draft around; rather, it's a final piece to fill any holes left over.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Being forced to run Heavy-Duty Boots severely limits Galarian Articuno's options and forces it into an offensive pivot role, and having it removed from Knock Off can severely limit the amount of opportunities it has to switch in. Pokemon like Iron Treads, Terapagos, and Great Tusk can keep the field clear for it to do its job.
**Knock Off Absorber**: Galarian Articuno is both weak to Knock Off and Stealth Rock, meaning that if its Heavy-Duty Boots get removed, it has almost no more chances to switch in. Pokemon like Gliscor, Ogerpon-W, and Ting-Lu that can absorb Knock Off are excellent pairings with it.
**Steel- / Psychic- / Dark-type Checks**: Pokemon that can take advantage of Future Sight luring in foes that resist it excel when paired with Galarian Articuno. It can pivot to these Pokemon with U-turn and force opponents into either taking a huge chunk of damage on one of their Pokemon from Future Sight or having a Pokemon that resists it broken by a wallbreaker that switches in. Scizor, Urshifu-S, and Darkrai are excellent wallbreakers to pair with Galarian Articuno.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Entry hazards can chip down opposing Pokemon that check Galarian Articuno, and as an added bonus, any foes attempting to use Defog to clear hazards run right into Competitive, giving it a large Special Attack boost. Glimmora, Clodsire, and Garchomp are excellent pairings with Galarian Articuno.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Steel- and Dark-types**: Galarian Articuno is walled by most Steel- and Dark-types due to its lack of coverage moves. Anything from Heatran to Revavroom to Ting-Lu can switch in and easily take most attacks from it.
**Priority**: Galarian Articuno can be easily revenge killed by most strong priority moves, and it is weak to common ones like Sucker Punch. Kingambit and Lycanroc-D can freeze any sweep attempt from it and discourage it from using U-turn to switch out.
**Faster Pokemon**: Galarian Articuno is on the slower side of offensive Pokemon and is easily outsped by Pokemon like Meowscarada, Chi-Yu, and Greninja that can typically OHKO it with any Dark-type move.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/fr3ya.574067
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
Last edited:
