Shadow Articuno Raid Duo Guide

Mega Aerodactyl has among the highest DPS totals for this raid, absolutely crushing the competition with just how hard it hits. However, it's also weak to everything that Shadow Articuno can possibly throw at it, so it's the definitive glass cannon. It's going to hit Shadow Articuno very hard, but you're probably going to need to throw it in the front so that it can go as long as possible without having to deal with a Charged Move, and even then be ready to dodge every attack possible. 

Mega Aggron looks kind of funny in this section, doesn't it? We've spent years making fun of Aggron, yet here at the top of our recommendations sits a version of it that's lost its Rock Type STAB, meaning its Rock Type moves are nerfed thanks to a lack of an innate bonus. But don't let this lumbering beast fool you; while its DPS is substantially lower than the competition, it's still well within Duo-range, and its TDO is absolutely insane. Mega Aggron resists everything that Shadow Articuno can throw its way, and its powerful Rock Type moveset allows it to hit back hard despite a lack of STAB, making it one of the absolute optimal counters for this raid.

The one down-side to Mega Aggron is the fact that its lack of Rock Type STAB also means it won't provide a Rock Type Mega Boost to its team, which makes it a bit less effective in larger teams. Still, Mega Aggron is an outstanding option regardless of the situation.

The top Mega that doesn't throw rocks, Mega Blaziken hits pretty hard and resists Shadow Articuno's entire arsenal. It also gets a boost in Sunny weather, which tends to be pretty common in a lot of areas around the globe, so it can semi-compare to Rock Types in some situations... though it will always be less effective, sadly.

If you lack the Rock Type Mega Evolutions and Mega Blaziken, then Mega Charizard Y can help... though it's a pretty big step down in terms of performance.

A bit of an oddball pick, Mega Ampharos has the advantage of boosting Electric Types on the field, which can be good in Rainy weather. However, it's a pretty niche option that doesn't hold a lot of merit for this raid, in truth. Its biggest saving grace is access to Power Gem, which just barely boosts its DPS high enough to be worth a passing mention here.

Rampardos has performance that sits very close to Mega Arodactyl. That is to say it drops on Shadow Articuno like a school bus launched from orbit and filled with bombs in every single seat. It hits hard, but it's not going to last long.

The Shadow forme of one of the old classics, Shadow Tyranitar hits like a tank and stays on the field for a fairly long time. It's hard to go wrong with this monster.

The old-faithful of the early days of raids, Tyranitar still puts in good work to this day.

DON'T USE AGGRO-....sorry, force of habit.

Despite being sluggish on the DPS side, Shadow Aggron shares a major similarity with its Mega forme; it still hits duo-worthy numbers, and has great TDO to back it up. Shadow Aggron is very much worth adding to your team for this raid.

One of the great Fighting Types, Terrakion can still throw around rocks with the best of them. It's not super-great in this raid for any one reason, but it's a very good overall package!

Normally one of the best tanks in the game when its skills are called for, Rhyperior has an issue. While its Rock Typing is ready to rock Shadow Articuno's world, its Ground typing looks at all of those Ice Type moves and cowers a bit. Fortunately, it still has the raw bulk to stay relevant here!

Were you like me back when Articuno first hit the Raid scene; wishing that you had a good Omastar to prey on the frigid bird? If so, now's your chance for redemption, as this oddball is back in Shadow forme, and its Water typing grants it a resistance to Ice Type moves. It's not the best counter, but it's definitely great!

Gigalith the truest Rock-type! Gigalith hit hard! Gigalith crush blue bird's bones! Gigalith not care about ice! Gigalith think person writing this need his head examined!

This one kind of hurts to recommend, but it's good enough to be worthwhile.

Auroros' Ice typing tends to be a hinderance, but here it can finally shine as it resists Ice Type moves! Of course it doesn't shine too brightly, but it's still a solid filler!

Yup, it took this long to get to something other than a Rock Type. Shadow Metagross has some solid power despite lacking the 2x effectiveness of basically all of the competition, and is boosted by Mega Aggron for added value. However, the only way it's going to compete directly is in Snowy weather with the aforementioned Mega on the field, and even then it's going to fall behind most of the top Rock Types. Still, it makes a great team filler!

A solid Rock attacker with the advantage of an Ice resistance, but nothing exceptional.

Very hard-hitting, but drops quickly due to its Ice and Rock Type weaknesses.

The shadow forme of the original Rock raider, Shadow Golem suffers from the same issue as its progenitor; its weakness to Ice makes it too easy to drop.