Introduction
Arctozolt is one of the most frightening mons in the February 2025 meta, which is also its debut month. With STAB on the infamous BoltBeam coverage, a 170bp electric-type nuke in Bolt Beak, and Slush Rush, this mon can threaten almost the entire meta with either OHKOs or 2HKOs. This mon isn't without its flaws, though. It has a poor defensive typing that is weak to fighting, poor speed outside of snow, and average bulk.
Mixed Slush Rush Sweeper
As the most common and best set, Arctozolt's slush rush sweeper set is also what makes it so frightening. As its highest damaging move, Bolt Beak is a must-have move, and Blizzard is usually the ice move of choice due to it hitting Bewear, Weezing, and Persian-A harder on the special side. Other than these 2 moves, the next are fairly customizable: Icicle Crash can be used to use its higher physical attack stat for its ice coverage. Stomping Tantrum is used to hit opposing Arctozolt and the rare Togedmaru for super effective damage. Hail (as Arctozolt is not in Gen 9, it doesn't learn Snowscape) can be used to reset the weather and cause chip damage to the opposing team, but you lose your snow defense boost. Protect can be used to scout priority and dodge Ambipom’s fake out. It should run 252+ Atk, just enough speed to beat out scarf Breloom while in snow and then dump the rest into Spa to have a better chance to 2HKO Bewear after drain punch recovery. Most sets run Life Orb to power up both Atk and Spa, as it usually needs the extra damage to hit Bewear harder without having to sacrifice Atk to do so but it can also run boots to improve its longevity. Outside of Snow this set can be used to do general wallbreaking against slower mons and absorb thunder waves from mons like Uxie but it will get revenge killed much easier without its speed and defense boost.
Scarfer
Choice Scarf can be used to make Arctozolt usable on teams that don't have a snow setter. This allows it to bypass its poor speed and allows Bolt Beak to hit at full power. While this set can be used to good success, it has a major problem, it's still slower than major meta threats like Tauros, Zygarde, and Ambipom. It's also very prediction-reliant, as Bolt Beak will still thud into Bewear, Weezing, and Zygarde and Blizzard is much less reliable since it is 70% accurate outside of snow.
Teammates:
Arctozolt is a mon that's usually reliant on other mons to help set it up. It is almost always paired with Dewgong, which can set snow and slow pivot with flip turn but can also be paired with Glalie on HO teams to set snow and then explode. Other good teammates are Bewear or Weezing to provide easy escape from Mach Punch or Fake Out, Uxie on more aggressive teams to provide screen support, Sigilyph or Hitmonchan to clear hazards, Pincurchin can elevate Bolt Beak to even higher amounts of damage with electric terrain, and Sticky Web Araquanid on scarf Arctozolt so that it's still able to outspeed every mon in the meta.
Written by Zetious & Turtle12
Quality checked by Typhon