Pokémon Go Articuno 5-Star Dynamax Impressions

Legendary bird Pokémon Dynamax Articuno made its debut in Pokémon Go this week as a 5-star Max Battle (and is available to battle through January 27, 2025) and I thought I'd share my experience and give some tips on winning. I've fought it twice and beat it twice--once in a 4-person party and once in a 3-person party.

For the 4-person party, we had two designated attackers (1500 CP Cinderace and Totixtrity), a tank (a ~2500 CP Lapras), and a healer (a ~3200 CP Metagross). It was pretty dicey as we were still figuring out the fight and the attackers went down quickly.

For the 3-person party, it was mostly the same setup but we had a better idea of what was going on and the designated attacker had leveled up his Toxictrity to about 2200 CP. This fight went a lot smoother even though we had one less person just due to having a clearer strategy and better execution.

Some quick notes to start:

• You can fight Dynamax Articuno (and other 5-star Max Battles) with up to 4 people. Once four people queue in, a 10-second counter starts so you'll want to have your Pokémon lineup set up beforehand as you won't have much time once the fourth person queues in.
• You can only use Dynamax Pokémon for Max Battles (so your 4000+ CP Dusk Mane Necrozma will do you no good here)
• For your attackers, you'll want either a Dynamax Cinderace, Dynamax Charizard, or Dynamax Beldum (with a Steel Fast Attack). A Dynamax Toxtricity and Dynamax Machamp also work if you have either.

Tips on fighting Dynamax Articuno (and other 5-star Max Battles):

• You want each person to have a single attacker and two bodies to soak up damage. You use your high CP tanky Pokémon to survive until you can activate your Max Meter. Once the Max Meter activates, you have 10 seconds to swap in your attacker for optimal damage. Once the Dynamax period is over, swap back to one of your bodies/tank. Since there is no time limit on Max Battles (and, unlike raids, you can't rejoin), survival is key.
• Use your tankiest Pokémon first. It is very important to make it to the first Max Meter charge so that one party member can use Max Guard as necessary and divert damage away from weaker members.
• Don't use Charge Attacks - Your main damage for a Max Battle comes from Max Attacks so you want to charge the Max Meter as fast as possible (it can also help you avoid an incoming attack). Both Fast Attacks and Charge Attacks increase the meter by the same amount but Charge Attacks take more time. The caveat is to go ahead and use your Charge Attacks if the boss is very low in stamina (5% or less) and the Max Meter is less than half full.
• Learn to dodge. Unlike raid battles, it is much harder to just spam attacks and brute force your way to victory. Only the person who sees the yellow marks above their Pokemon needs to dodge almost immediately when the marks appear. If you need to, practice dodging on 1- and 3-star Max Battles beforehand to get a feel for it.
• Be sure to cheer if all your Pokemon get knocked out. It really does help with pumping up the Max Meter.

Something to note for the upcoming Zaptos and Moltres Dynamax fights:

In prepping for the fights, if you have to pick between leveling up your Max Moves and leveling up your Pokémon (aim for at least 2500 CP), I suggest the latter as you have to actually survive to use your Max Moves.

A special note:

Unlike with gyms, you can slot Dynamax Articuno (and by extension, the other Dynamax Legendary birds) into a Power Spot to earn candy.

Photo via Pokémon Go.