Ariados — Abilities, Weaknesses & Best Builds
"Ariados is a physical attacker built around physical attacks (90 Attack). It can take hits and hit back, and it's commonly used because its bug/poison typing resists 5 attack types but you'll need to play around 4 weaknesses."
✅ Strong against
Resisted or immune to these attack types
⚠️ Watch out for
These attack types deal extra damage
How to actually play it
- 1
Open Ariados into a favorable type matchup using its bug/poison STAB.
- 2
Pick the move that does the most damage to the most likely switch-in, not just the current Pokémon.
- 3
Pivot out once the opponent brings in a counter — don't get walled and lose a turn.
What new players get wrong
- ✕
Switching Ariados into fire and flying attacks — it's a fast way to lose half your team's plan.
- ✕
Trying to outspeed faster threats. Pair it with a slow pivot or speed control instead.
- ✕
Expecting it to OHKO things — its job is usually role compression, not raw damage.
Why we rate Ariados the way we do
- Slow — needs support to come in safely
- Dual typing — more weaknesses to track
- Multiple abilities to choose between
Base Stats
Total: 400Use EVs to amplify the highest two — that's usually where this Pokémon's job lives.
Loading moves…
| Move | Type | Cat | Pwr | Acc | PP | How |
|---|
Where Ariados shows up
#168
Usage ~1.29% · Win rate ~50.8%
#154
Usage ~1.4% · Win rate ~51.15%
Ariados FAQ
- What are Ariados's abilities in Pokémon Champions?
- Ariados can run swarm, insomnia, sniper. The competitive default is usually swarm — see the abilities section above for the trade-offs.
- What is Ariados weak to in Pokémon Champions?
- Ariados takes extra damage from fire, flying, psychic, rock. The full weakness breakdown is in the Weaknesses section, including any 4× type matchups.
- What is the best moveset for Ariados?
- The best moveset for Ariados depends on whether you're running it in Singles or Doubles. The Best Moveset section above lists the standard competitive set used at the top of the Pokémon Champions ladder.
- What counters Ariados in Pokémon Champions?
- The most reliable counters to Ariados are Pokémon with strong fire, flying, psychic, rock attacks that outspeed it. See the Best Counters section for specific picks.
- Is Ariados good in the current Pokémon Champions meta?
- Ariados's usage and win rate in M-B Singles and Doubles are shown in the Format Snapshot section. Cross-reference with the Champions Lab tier list for full context.