Pokémon Go Articuno Day Raid Guide for July 2018

Saturday, July 7 is Articuno Day, and that means players around the world will have a 3-hour window to once again Raid the Legendary Ice Bird — and this time maybe score a Shiny!

Articuno Day is an outlier in Pokémon Go, at least for now. It's being introduced as a reward for the successful completion of the Global Research Challenge attached to Safari Zone Dortmund, but it's also being paired with the previously announced, and now long-running, Community Day to create a full weekend of fun.

Whether or not Raid Day becomes a regular thing or not, here's everything we know, and what you need to do to prepare — and get that Shiny Articuno!

What day is Articuno Raid Day?

• Saturday, July 7, 2018

Will Double XP still be in effect?

Yes it will! That means, if you also crack a Lucky Egg, you'll get 40,000 XP per Articuno Raid. And, since Lucky Eggs currently run for 1 hour, three Lucky Eggs combined with a bunch of Raids could just net you your next level.

What time do the Articuno Day Raids start and end?

While the servers might start up or shut down a few minutes early or late, here are the official start times for the major geographies. You'll need to adjust for your local time accordingly.

• Asia-Pacific: 12:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. JST (GMT +9)
• Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India: 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. UTC (GMT +0)
• Americas and Greenland: 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. PST (GMT -8) / 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST (GMT -5)

What is Pokémon Go Raid Day?

Pokémon Go has been doing Community Day for a while now, and Raid Day seems like an attempt to expand that into a full weekend of fun.

The first, and so far only Raid Day, was teased as a reward for the Pokémon Go Safari Zone Dortmund's Global Research Challenge:

Plus, if the challenge is completed, Trainers worldwide will be given five free Raid Passes when they spin a Photo Disc at a Gym for Articuno Day, featuring the Legendary Pokémon Articuno! On Saturday, July 7, Articuno will be available in Raid Battles around the world for a three-hour period. And if you're lucky, you may be able to encounter its Shiny form!

And then confirmed following the successful completion of the event:

In addition to the amazing XP bonuses, Articuno will be available in Raid Battles around the world during Articuno Day. And if you're lucky, you may be able to encounter its Shiny form! See below for event hours in your region:

• The Asia-Pacific region: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. JST (GMT +9)
• Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India: 9:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m. UTC (GMT +0)
• The Americas and Greenland: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PT (GMT -8)

When you spin a Photo Disc at a Gym, you will receive a Raid Pass up to five times starting when the event kicks off in the Asia-Pacific region. Make it a day to remember by supporting your fellow Trainers, abiding by all local laws, and leaving your community better than you found it!

All you have to do to get your free Raid Passes is spin the Photo Disc on a Gym?

Yes, though it's currently unclear whether you'll get 5 Raid Passes at once or, more likely, you'll get one Raid Pass at a time for your first five Articuno Raids.

Will Articuno be the only Raid during Articuno Day hours?

It's currently unclear and conflicting answers have been given by Niantic support, which is less than helpful.

It looks like Articuno will replace Regice as the only Tier 5 Raid during Articuno Day hours, which is good.

Even better would be only Articuno Raids and no Tier 1 to Tier 4 during Articuno Day hours.

What are the best counters for Articuno?

Articuno is a Flying- and Ice-type Pokémon, so here's what you want to set up for your Raid Teams:

• Tyranitar with Smack Down + Stone Edge (if you managed to score them during the June Community Day).
• Omastar with Rock Throw + Rock Slide (if you have the legacy moveset).
• Golem with Rock Throw + Stone Edge
• Tyranitar with Bite + Stone Edge
• Entei, Moltres, Charizard, Flareon, or Blaziken with Fire Spin + Overheat (or Charizard with Fire Spin + Blast Burn if you have it from the May Community Day.)
• Raikou with Thunder Shock + Wild Charge
• Metagross with Bullet Punch + Flash Cannon

Having at least two teams set up, a primary and a backup, can help you get back in quickly if you faint out, or still have strong counters if you forget to heal up between Raids.

Is Shiny Articuno coming for Raid Day?

Absolutely. Pokémon Go has already confirmed it. No word yet on what the frequency rate will be. For Community Day, it's been roughly 1/25. There are no guarantees you'll encounter one, so all you can do is Raid as much as you can or want to during the window and hope for the best.

What's the best moveset for Articuno?

With a potential CP almost but not quite reaching the 3000s, Articuno is like Lapras on Hulk serum. OK, more Hulk serum. Unlike Lapras, though, Articuno only has access to Ice-type movesets. No Water-types. That makes Frost Breath its only Quick Move and, so, winner by default. For Charge Moves, Blizzard packs more power but takes longer to deliver it. Ice Beam can be spammed over and over again.

• Best Movesets: Frost Breath + Blizzard or Ice Beam. Blizzard hits harder but Ice Beam hits more often.

Articuno has been available before, right?

Right. Articuno was the first Legendary Raid unlocked following Pokémon Go Fest Chicago 2017 and has popped back into Raids in the past as well as been available as the Field Research reward for June, 2018.

Wait, what is Articuno?

Articuno is one of the Legendary Birds of Gen 1, originally discovered in the Kanto Region. In Pokémon Go, it's also the symbol of Team Mystic.

From Pokémon:

Articuno is a legendary bird Pokémon that can control ice. The flapping of its wings chills the air. As a result, it is said that when this Pokémon flies, snow will fall.

From Bulbapedia:

Articuno is a large avian Pokémon with predominantly blue plumage and large wings said to be made of ice. It has a head crest that consists of three, darker blue rhombus-shaped feathers on its forehead and circular red eyes. Its beak is short and gray, and its long, thin legs are the same color. It has a long, streamer-like tail that is longer than its body and the same shade of blue as its crest. When Articuno flaps its wings, it can chill the moisture in the air around it, making snow fall. It flies from icy mountain to icy mountain. According to legend, it appears before doomed travelers lost in icy regions. As seen in the anime, Articuno sometimes aids travelers and guides them to safety. Articuno lives in cold, isolated locations, such as mountain peaks.

Any Articuno Day Raid questions?

If you have any questions about Articuno Day or Raids, drop them in the comments below!