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Calyrex Shadow Rider is one of the top Restricted Legendaries in VGC Regulation I, and players will need to have a plan for it.
First introduced in the Crown Tundra DLC of Sword and Shield, Calyrex Shadow Rider is a top threat at Worlds 2025. As one of the most powerful Restricted Legendaries in the format, its Ghost STAB move Astral Barrage can decimate opponents with ease. In fact, because Astral Barrage is a spread move, the move Wide Guard has almost become a necessity to handle the threat of Calyrex Shadow Rider.
In this guide, we will look at the best ways to counter this threat, including Pokemon that can take it on and the types that deal the most damage to it.
How To Deal With Calyrex Shadow Rider in VGC
To counter Calyrex Shadow Rider, players need to consider a few things. Firstly, it is a dual Psychic/Ghost-type Pokemon, which gives it double weaknesses to Ghost- and Dark-type attacks. Additionally, for a Legendary, its 100/80/100 defenses are relatively low. It makes up for this with its high Special Attack stat of 165 and Speed stat of 150, allowing it to outspeed and take out most threats it faces. Finally, you can team it up often with Zamazenta’s Crowned form, as Fighting and Ghost make for a deadly combo.
Best Pokemon to Counter Calyrex Shadow Rider in VGC
Here are some Pokemon that can threaten Calyrex Shadow Rider:
- Dark-types: Several powerful Dark-types are currently popular in the VGC meta. These include Incineroar, Chien-Pao, Brute Bonnet, and Chi-Yu. All of them threaten to KO Calyrex Shadow Rider with Dark STAB. However, players will need to be wary of Calyrex Terastallizing into a Dark-type to better tank their attacks.
- Lunala: While there are other Ghost-types that can deal damage to Calyrex, Lunala is arguably the best choice due to its bulk. Thanks to its ability Shadow Shield, it takes reduced damage from attacks when at full HP. It also has Wide Guard to block Astral Barrage and can hit back with its own signature Ghost-type STAB, Moongeist Beam.
- Farigiraf: Farigiraf is uniquely suited as a check to Calyrex Shadow Rider. Its Normal/Psychic typing grants it immunity to Ghost-type attacks and resistance to Psychic. Meanwhile, its access to Foul Play allows it to deal Dark-type damage to Calyrex, though it will not be STAB. Farigiraf can also set up Trick Room to slow down Calyrex Shadow Rider.
- Zamazenta: While an excellent partner to Calyrex, Zamazenta can use Wide Guard to block Calyrex Shadow Rider’s Astral Barrage, allowing a teammate to take it out.
- Urshifu Rapid Strike: If Urshifu Rapid Strike Terastallizes into a Water-type, its signature Water STAB, Surging Strikes, can KO Calyrex Shadow Rider due to its low Defense stat.
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