How to solo or duo Articuno in Pokemon GO 5-star Max Battles

Players would be happy to know that it is possible to solo or duo Articuno in Pokemon GO 5-star Max Battles. The creature makes its debut during the first Legendary Flight Max Monday event at 6-7 pm on January 20, 2025. The first case is more difficult and requires the investment of a Max Mushroom and the Power Spot to have three Pokemon — as shown by u/Nikaidou_Shinku's clip on r/TheSilphRoad. The second case is much more straightforward.

This article breaks down the counters and strategy needed to solo or duo Dynamax Articuno in Pokemon GO.

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Best counters and strategy to solo or duo Articuno in Pokemon GO 5-star Max Battles

The difference between the strategy needed to solo and duo Articuno in Pokemon GO 5-star Max Battles is that the former requires the use of a Max Mushroom to double the damage output from a single trainer. Soloing is also aided by the presence of Pokemon in the Power Spot, with three such creatures boosting the damage by 18.8%.

Dynamax Articuno in Pokemon GO (Image via TPC)

Counters

If you wish to take down Dynamax Articuno Max Battles with one or two trainers, you must have a team composed of the following level 40+ creatures:

• Two damage sponges with high Defense, HP, and resistance to Articuno's attacks. Having upgraded Max Attacks or unlocked Max Guard or Max Spirit is not necessary.
• One Gigantamax Attack user that can deal super-effective damage.

When it comes to the damage sponges, the following are the best options:

• Dynanamax Metagross with Bullet Punch (Max Steelspike)
• Gigantamax Lapras with Water Gun (G-Max Resonance)
• Gigantamax Blastoise with Water Gun (G-Max Cannonade)
• Dynamax Blastoise with Water Gun (Max Geyser)

The attackers you should be using for this challenge are:

• Gigantamax Charizard with Fire Spin (G-Max Wildfire)
• Gigantamax Toxtricity with Spark (G-Max Stun Shock)

Articuno shiny comparison (Image via TPC)

Strategy

To solo or duo Articuno in Pokemon GO 5-star Max Battles, you — and your partner in the second case — should lead with the bulky creature that resists Articuno's moves. Metagross is the best option as it has robust defenses and resists all potential moves from the Power Spot Boss. Lapras also has excellent defensive prowess and it double resists most of Articuno's attacks.

With the defensive pick, use only Fast Attacks, as they deal the same amount of damage as the Charged Moves but with a significantly lower cooldown. Try dodging incoming damage and collect the Energy globules.

Once the Dynamax Meter is full, switch out to your Gigantamax Attacker and use the G-Max Move thrice. Once the Dynamax phase is over, switch your defender back in and repeat the process until the Dynamax Articuno faints.

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Check out our other Pokemon GO guides:

• Ditto disguises
• Buddy Evolution Adventure Together guide
• Best Fast Attacks in Pokemon GO
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts