Articuno is a fan-favorite Pokemon, however, it has struggled to pick up wins. The Utrecht special Event, though, has changed this with the Best Articuno result so far.
The Utrecht Special Event was one in a line of larger Pokemon national tournaments, that contribute to your Pokemon Worlds Qualification. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t a tournament without storylines. Going into the top 8 on day 2, two players were piloting a team making use of the Frozen Bird and Alolan Ninetails. The two would pair with each other in the quarterfinals, where the maker and student would go to game 3. Experience won out, and the team’s creator, Nikhil Reddy, prevailed.
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Making History by Preventing History
The Grand finals had a guaranteed story to be told coming out of it. Aurelien Soula was sitting on a 16-0-0 record going into the last round. And if they came out on top, they would be the first player ever to win a special event with an undefeated record.
Going into the first game, it looked like history was going to be made. Nikhil dug deep, and with smart plays brought a change to the leads with a Tera Ice-boosted Blizzard in the snow, the games were evened up. The third and final game cemented that the never-before-seen undefeated 17-0 record would remain unachievable. Articuno, Alolan Ninetails, Hisuian Arcanine, and Ogrepon Wellspring would put the 11/3/0 Nikhil Reddy over the line for the Utrecht win.
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Best Articuno VGC Gameplan
The game plan, as far as Reddy puts it, was simple, “Just spam Blizzard.”
Blizzard’s paltry 70 accuracy is raised to 100 in the snow, meaning the move won’t miss under normal conditions. Quickly, the focus of the team had Ninetails setting snow so Articuno could put in the work. But, this wasn’t the end of the Snow team game plan. Additionally, Aurora Veil boosts the defense of an otherwise defensively compromised type. Arcanine speed control and Flare Blitz would help clear the mirror to get into the top 4. Furthermore, the use of Rock Slide would help spread damage, fish for flinches, and assist in taking out fire types. Ogrepon continues to be a menace in any form it shows up in.
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