The Virtues of Articuno

[WaterWizard]

Battle Log:
Battle Mode: Red/Blue/Yellow
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Freeze Clause
Rule: Self-KO Clause
Rule: Apply PP Ups
Rule: Battle Timeout
Rule: Evasion Clause
WaterWizard vs sbk. Begin!
WaterWizard sent out Exeggutor (Lv.100 Exeggutor)!
sbk sent out Exeggutor (Lv.100 Exeggutor)!

Begin Turn #1
WaterWizard's Exeggutor used Sleep Powder!
sbk's Exeggutor fell asleep!
---------------------------------
sbk's Exeggutor is fast asleep.
---------------------------------
End of turn #1
WaterWizard's Exeggutor: 393 HP
sbk's Exeggutor: 100% HP (Slp)
WaterWizard: hey there

Begin Turn #2
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Exeggutor!
WaterWizard sent out Articuno (Lv.100 Articuno)!
---------------------------------
sbk withdrew sbk's Exeggutor!
sbk sent out Alakazam (Lv.100 Alakazam)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #2
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Alakazam: 100% HP
sbk: hi.

Begin Turn #3
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Articuno!
WaterWizard sent out Chansey (Lv.100 Chansey)!
---------------------------------
sbk withdrew sbk's Alakazam!
sbk sent out Lapras (Lv.100 Lapras)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #3
WaterWizard's Chansey: 703 HP
sbk's Lapras: 100% HP

Begin Turn #4
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Chansey!
WaterWizard sent out Gengar (Lv.100 Gengar)!
---------------------------------
sbk's Lapras used Sing!
sbk's Lapras's attack missed!
---------------------------------
End of turn #4
WaterWizard's Gengar: 323 HP
sbk's Lapras: 100% HP

Begin Turn #5
sbk withdrew sbk's Lapras!
sbk sent out Rhydon (Lv.100 Rhydon)!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Gengar used Thunderbolt!
It doesn't affect sbk's Rhydon...
---------------------------------
End of turn #5
WaterWizard's Gengar: 323 HP
sbk's Rhydon: 100% HP

Begin Turn #6
sbk withdrew sbk's Rhydon!
sbk sent out Lapras (Lv.100 Lapras)!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Gengar used Mega Drain!
(19% damage)
It's super effective!
sbk's Lapras had its energy drained!
---------------------------------
End of turn #6
WaterWizard's Gengar: 323 HP
sbk's Lapras: 81% HP

Begin Turn #7
sbk withdrew sbk's Lapras!
sbk sent out Alakazam (Lv.100 Alakazam)!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Gengar used Thunderbolt!
(24% damage)
---------------------------------
End of turn #7
WaterWizard's Gengar: 323 HP
sbk's Alakazam: 76% HP

Begin Turn #8
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Gengar!
WaterWizard sent out Chansey (Lv.100 Chansey)!
---------------------------------
sbk withdrew sbk's Alakazam!
sbk sent out Lapras (Lv.100 Lapras)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #8
WaterWizard's Chansey: 703 HP
sbk's Lapras: 81% HP

Begin Turn #9
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Chansey!
WaterWizard sent out Exeggutor (Lv.100 Exeggutor)!
---------------------------------
sbk's Lapras used Sing!
sbk's Lapras's attack missed!
---------------------------------
End of turn #9
WaterWizard's Exeggutor: 393 HP
sbk's Lapras: 81% HP

Begin Turn #10
sbk's Lapras used Blizzard!
(254 damage)
It's super effective!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Exeggutor used Explosion!
(63% damage)
WaterWizard's Exeggutor fainted!
WaterWizard sent out Gengar (Lv.100 Gengar)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #10
WaterWizard's Gengar: 323 HP
sbk's Lapras: 18% HP

Begin Turn #11
sbk withdrew sbk's Lapras!
sbk sent out Alakazam (Lv.100 Alakazam)!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Gengar used Explosion!
(77% damage)
sbk's Alakazam fainted!
WaterWizard's Gengar fainted!
WaterWizard:
WaterWizard sent out Tauros (Lv.100 Tauros)!
sbk sent out Snorlax (Lv.100 Snorlax)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #11
WaterWizard's Tauros: 353 HP
sbk's Snorlax: 100% HP

Begin Turn #12
WaterWizard's Tauros used Body Slam!
(23% damage)
---------------------------------
sbk's Snorlax used Body Slam!
(115 damage)
WaterWizard's Tauros is paralyzed! It may be unable to move!
---------------------------------
End of turn #12
WaterWizard's Tauros: 238 HP (Par)
sbk's Snorlax: 77% HP

Begin Turn #13
sbk's Snorlax used Body Slam!
(110 damage)
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Tauros used Body Slam!
(23% damage)
---------------------------------
End of turn #13
WaterWizard's Tauros: 128 HP (Par)
sbk's Snorlax: 54% HP

Begin Turn #14
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Tauros!
WaterWizard sent out Snorlax (Lv.100 Snorlax)!
---------------------------------
sbk's Snorlax used Hyper Beam!
(251 damage)
---------------------------------
End of turn #14
WaterWizard's Snorlax: 272 HP
sbk's Snorlax: 54% HP

Begin Turn #15
sbk's Snorlax must recharge!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Snorlax used Counter!
(53% damage)
sbk's Snorlax fainted!
sbk sent out Rhydon (Lv.100 Rhydon)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #15
WaterWizard's Snorlax: 272 HP
sbk's Rhydon: 100% HP

Begin Turn #16
WaterWizard withdrew WaterWizard's Snorlax!
WaterWizard sent out Articuno (Lv.100 Articuno)!
---------------------------------
sbk's Rhydon used Earthquake!
It doesn't affect WaterWizard's Articuno...
---------------------------------
End of turn #16
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Rhydon: 100% HP

Begin Turn #17
sbk withdrew sbk's Rhydon!
sbk sent out Exeggutor (Lv.100 Exeggutor)!
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Articuno used Blizzard!
(73% damage)
It's super effective!
---------------------------------
End of turn #17
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Exeggutor: 27% HP (Slp)

Begin Turn #18
WaterWizard's Articuno used Reflect!
WaterWizard's team's Reflect raised Defense!
---------------------------------
sbk's Exeggutor is fast asleep.
---------------------------------
End of turn #18
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Exeggutor: 27% HP (Slp)

Begin Turn #19
WaterWizard's Articuno used Ice Beam!
(27% damage)
It's super effective!
sbk's Exeggutor fainted!
sbk sent out Lapras (Lv.100 Lapras)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #19
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Lapras: 18% HP

Begin Turn #20
WaterWizard's Articuno used Hyper Beam!
(18% damage)
sbk's Lapras fainted!
sbk sent out Tauros (Lv.100 Tauros)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #20
WaterWizard's Articuno: 383 HP
sbk's Tauros: 100% HP

Begin Turn #21
sbk's Tauros used Body Slam!
(49 damage)
---------------------------------
WaterWizard's Articuno used Blizzard!
(100% damage)
A critical hit!
sbk's Tauros fainted!
sbk sent out Rhydon (Lv.100 Rhydon)!
---------------------------------
End of turn #21
WaterWizard's Articuno: 334 HP
sbk's Rhydon: 100% HP

Begin Turn #22
WaterWizard's Articuno used Ice Beam!
(100% damage)
It's super effective!
sbk's Rhydon fainted!

End Battle! WaterWizard wins!
Score: 4 to 0
sbk: gg
WaterWizard: gg

NetBattle v1.1.1
Log saved 6/18/2010 at 6:01:12 PM

[t3h Icy]

Articuno counters all the hard-to-counter Pokemon. It's awesome.

[Underboss]

Blizzard from Articuno OHKOs Tauros when it crits?

[WaterWizard]

lol of course. It's considerably more powerful than Alakazam's Psychic. I've said this before: Blizzard coming from Articuno is the strongest special attack in the game!

[Underboss]

Okay, but how does Articuno do against a Starmie with Psychic or Tbolt or Lapras with Body Slam and Tbolt? Wouldn't Jolteon and Zapdos also be bad news?

[WaterWizard]

Zapdos and Jolteon cannot switch in on Articuno. She 2HKO's both of them.

Starmie switches in for about 25% but she risks getting frozen. Lapras is the best counter, as Blizzard only hits her at 1/4 power. Articuno must switch out to Gengar/Chansey.

So, only 1/6 of a team can switch in on Articuno (or 1/3 if you're using Jynx and a water type) with pure confidence. Chansey can always switch in if she's at high health, but she risks a freeze and takes 3 turns to kill Articuno. If Chansey is already paralyzed, Articuno can take it down with a timely FP and a well placed HyperBeam.

[Underboss]

Okay, but what about Gengar and Alakazam?

[WaterWizard]

Alakazam takes four psychics to kill Articuno unless he gets a CH or special fall. Blizzard does up to 46% to Alakazam, which means if he's already paralyzed and at around 90% Articuno could 2HKO him. Don't forget that Articuno's CH rate isn't too shabby. She can take down a paralyzed Zam with the right rolls.

Gengar can't switch in, as Articuno kills him before he kills her.

[Crystal_]

Not many things can switch into Articuno, but Articuno cannot still switch into much things. Eggy, Tauros and Snorlax are going to do some important damage with it's STAB moves. Articuno can be easly compared with Lapras in many things, though both are good pokes. Too bad, it does not learn Drill Peck or Light Screen like Zapdos...

[pocket]

Awesome match, WW! Those well-placed Explosions by Exeggutor and Gengar were amazing set-up for the Articuno sweep. Total control of the match.

[Nitro]

Yea Articuno can potentially give teams fits. Alakazam and Chansey are still pretty solid counters, even though non-par'd Chansey is probably going to suffer at least 4 freeze chances in killing Articuno. To say that it takes Alakazam 4 psychics to kill Articuno as long as the first 3 don't ch or special fall is....saying that it takes 3 psychics to kill Articuno lol. Nah, but with a roughly 50/50 shot of ONE of those happening each turn, the Kazam would have to get unlucky for that to happen (only compensation is that if the 3rd psy special falls, you obviously still need a 4th psychic to kill, so its not a pure 50/50 over 3 turns).

Getting Articuno in is difficult but you can always bring it in after something of yours has died. Since your Eggy had exploded it was pretty reasonable to switch Articuno in on Rhydon...but...yikes thats scary. Pretty cool that ice beam OHKOs Rhydon though.

Definitely one of the best Tauros counters (if such a thing exists) in the game.

[WaterWizard]

haha I just re-read this log. I owned thanks pocket!

Nitro, Gengar is very useful for getting Articuno out on Tauros/Snorax. and Articuno switches in on Rhydon without fear once Eggy is dead (because Rhydon doesn't use Rock Slide once he knows Eggy is dead). Articuno also comes in on Chansey's Ice Beam. That's plenty of options!

Zam can foil Articuno. But things can always go either way with that match-up. I prefer to wait until Zam is in KO range from Blizzard (or dead) before using Articuno.

Articuno is excellent, especially with Eggy and Gengar to do some good chain switching.

[Crystal_]

Articuno has nothing on Jynx. There is no need to counter Tauros if you are countered by all specialist. At least Jynx can stall Zam and Chansey with some switches around specialists. Maybe with LS support from Eggy instead of using Rest with is worthless against Tauros. And then you explode with Eggy in a Zam, Chansey or Star switch if they try to stall you and avoid the LS.

[WaterWizard]

Articuno 3HKO's Jynx. Jynx's special sucks. Articuno's is 348. The only comparison is that they're both Ice. Articuno beats a Chansey and Alakazam more often than Jynx... I'm not sure what you're saying.

[Crystal_]

Articuno can only freeze them (Zam / Chansey / Star, maybe beat Zam with CHs / FPs too?, very difficult imo).
At least Jynx resists Psychic and Ice Beam, and with some switch-mind games you can force your opponenet to waste some IBs / Psychics or just some PP in general.
I'm not saying that Jynx does not suck (very exaggerated maybe?) but at least imo it can be used in a recoverers-dominated metagame.

I meant: With LS support Jynx can recover slowly the life it loses against (non-ST) Zam and Chansey's IB. But to avoid LS your opponent will switch out while you are planning to send out your Jynx.
He or she will obv send out something like Zam / Chansey / Starmie, and if you predict correctly you can explode on one (when is in the OHKO range).
If he/she does not swicth and you predict correctly you can send out Jynx and take profit from the LS.
And if he / she ever send Tauros / lax or something you have... Psychic!