Ubers Suspect Coverage: Calyrex-S, Revisited

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Introduction

Calyrex-S was a defining presence in Ubers ever since its introduction in Generation 8, and it's not hard to see why. It was one of the most powerful offensive Pokémon ever created, packing a base 165 Special Attack stat supported by a blistering base 150 Speed. Its signature move, Astral Barrage, was a 120 BP STAB move with no drawbacks, coming off one of the best attacking types in the game, Ghost. Its ability, which boosts its monstrous Special Attack even further after each KO, was just the icing on the cake. As many Ubers players are familiar with, Calyrex-S also boasted many utility moves such as Trick, Disable, Encore, Will-O-Wisp, and Leech Seed to mess up its usual checks. Calyrex-S actually was suspected one time last generation, but it narrowly avoided being banned. The general consensus at that time was that while Calyrex-S greatly warped the metagame, it was still kept in check by bulky Dark-types such as Yveltal or secondarily checked by Pokémon like Ho-Oh, Marshadow, Blissey, Urshifu-S and Zarude. These checks, combined with Astral Barrage's limited PP, made it difficult for Calyrex-S to break through a well-built team without prediction and extensive team support. Although many still considered Calyrex-S overcentralizing, it ultimately failed to meet the cutoff for a ban from Ubers, which typically has more stringent requirements as to what is considered broken. However, the transition to Generation 9 brought with it many changes that made it easier for Calyrex-S to break through even prepared teams. As a result, a suspect test was once again announced for this ghost horse.

Changes From Sword and Shield

There were many metagame changes from Generation 8 to 9, such as the addition of new Pokémon such as the Paradox formes, the return of old faces such as Zacian-C, and finally the loss of old checks such as Yveltal and Ho-Oh. One of the most relevant changes was the return of Arceus formes to Ubers. Arceus-Dark would have been a great check to Calyrex-S in Generation 8, when Terastallization did not exist. While there were still bulky Dark-types that could attempt to replace Yveltal, such as Ting-Lu, these Pokémon suffered from flaws that Yveltal did not, such as greater passivity and lack of reliable recovery. There were also scarier offensive partners that pair well with Calyrex-S, such as the recently freed Zacian-C, that were not around for most of Gen 8 Ubers. Zacian-C excels at pressuring the Dark- and Normal-types that can absorb Astral Barrage, such as Ting-Lu and Arceus. However, perhaps the most salient change in the new generation was the advent of Terastallization. In Generation 8, Calyrex-S had no good way to seriously damage Dark-types outside the weak Draining Kiss and Pollen Puff and was stuck with its poor Psychic/Ghost defensive typing, which carried two quadruple weaknesses in Ghost and Dark. This allowed Calyrex-S to be walled by bulky Dark-types such as Yveltal, as well as made it vulnerable to revenge killing by priority users such as Marshadow. However, with the advent of Terastallization, Calyrex-S could now shed its poor defensive typing as well as gain a new STAB attack in the form of Tera Blast, allowing it to easily defeat its old checks by turning into a Fighting- or Fairy-type. The culmination of these factors made Calyrex-S far harder to deal with than before. In Generation 8, Arceus-Dark would have been a good check to Calyrex-S, but in Scarlet and Violet all it takes is a Terastallization to Fairy or Fighting to completely turn the matchup on its head. In fact, these changes were so drastic that the Ubers council decided to preemptively quickban Calyrex-S from tournaments and suspect it back into the tier, instead of waiting for the results of the suspect test!

Sets

Nasty Plot

• Calyrex-Shadow @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
• Ability: As One (Spectrier)
• Tera Type: Fighting / Fairy
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Nasty Plot
• - Astral Barrage
• - Psyshock
• - Tera Blast / Draining Kiss

This was the most aggressive Calyrex-S set, which was often seen on hyper offense teams. Life Orb jacked up Calyrex-S's firepower to absurd levels, giving an unboosted Astral Barrage a good chance to OHKO Zacian-C (which it barely outsped) with just one layer of Spikes. If a team had good hazard control, Focus Sash could also be a very effective choice. The Focus Sash guaranteed that a well-played Calyrex-S almost always claimed at least one KO even under the worst conditions. Terastallization alongside Calyrex-S's astronomical firepower made defensive play against it dubious, which meant that revenge killing was usually a team's best bet against it. The offensive pressure Calyrex-S exerted after a Nasty Plot was enormous, and no walls survived for long in front of this set. A +2 Astral Barrage simply wiped out anything that didn't resist it, while Tera Fighting or Fairy Tera Blast had excellent neutral coverage alongside Astral Barrage and decimated virtually anything else. With a Life Orb, a boosted super effective Tera Blast OHKOed Ting-Lu after Spikes damage, and even a Tera Dark Unaware Clodsire was cleanly 2HKOed by a super effective Tera Blast. For Tera Fairy sets, Draining Kiss was an interesting option over Tera Blast that traded power for the ability to restore Calyrex-S's Focus Sash. However, generally the higher power of Tera Blast was preferred in order to effectively break past bulky foes such as Ting-Lu and the aforementioned Tera Dark Clodsire. This set was most effective against bulkier teams but struggled against faster-paced teams, which often packed revenge killers such as Scarf Koraidon and Miraidon or Speed-boosting Flutter Mane that could OHKO Calyrex-S.

Agility

• Calyrex-Shadow @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
• Ability: As One (Spectrier)
• Tera Type: Fighting / Fairy
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Agility
• - Astral Barrage
• - Tera Blast
• - Nasty Plot / Psyshock

Agility was another aggressive option on Calyrex-S that could be used in lieu of or alongside Nasty Plot. After an Agility, Calyrex-S outsped the entire metagame, which made it nearly impossible to revenge kill. Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon, which kept the Nasty Plot set in check, became utterly helpless. Terastallization enabled Calyrex-S to avoid being revenged killed by priority such as Shadow Sneak from Giratina-O or Houndstone. These traits, along with the snowballing potential of As One, made Agility Calyrex-S utterly devastating against frail offensive teams, which usually lack effective defensive options against a Pokémon with this much firepower. Nasty Plot is generally preferred in the last slot to form a ferocious Double Dance set, but Psyshock lets Calyrex-S break through Clodsire.

Choice Item

• Calyrex-Shadow @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
• Ability: As One (Spectrier)
• Tera Type: Fighting / Fairy / Grass
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Astral Barrage
• - Tera Blast / Grass Knot
• - Trick
• - Psyshock / Nasty Plot

Calyrex-S could also effectively wield a Choice item. Choice Scarf turned Calyrex-S into a revenge killer capable of outspeeding all other Choice Scarf users. Choice Specs, on the other hand, powered up Astral Barrage to astronomical levels while still retaining an excellent Speed tier. Tera Blast with either Tera Fighting or Tera Fairy blew through the few Pokémon capable of otherwise checking Calyrex-S, such as Ting-Lu. Tera Blast was especially powerful on Choice Specs Calyrex-S; with a Choice Specs equipped, a Terastallized Tera Fighting Calyrex-S could, with the correct move, OHKO or 2HKO every nearly Pokémon in the Pokedex. Tera Grass with Grass Knot was a niche option that still hit Ting-Lu very hard while allowing Calyrex-S to survive Water Spout or Origin Pulse from Choice Scarf Kyogre and deal huge damage in return. Trick crippled an opposing wall, such as Clodsire or the aforementioned Ting-Lu, with a Choice item. Arceus-Normal, a common emergency switch-in to Calyrex-S, also very much despised being saddled with a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs. Psyshock was a reliable STAB move that targets Clodsire, but Nasty Plot was also a good option to turn up the heat even further after using Trick.

Other Options

Calyrex-S could run a SubSeed set similar to the one it used in Generation 8. However, doing so was usually superfluous, since Calyrex-S could now brute force its way through its usual checks by Terastallizing. Encore was an option on non-Choice sets to lock enemy Pokémon into undesirable moves and potentially give Calyrex-S the opportunity to set up and sweep. Tera Normal could be used over Tera Fairy or Fighting in order to defeat other Calyrex-S.

Sample Team

This was a hyper offensive team that relied on the immense power of its four main sweepers supported by lead Froslass and dual screens Grimmsnarl. Froslass denied opposing entry hazards with Taunt and supported its own team with Spikes, while Grimmsnarl's dual screens facilitated setup. Zacian-C was a great partner for Calyrex-S, as it heavily pressured many of the Pokémon Calyrex-S struggled against without Tera. This Zacian-C came equipped with Tera Ground, which let it 2HKO Unaware Skeledrige with Tera Blast while also avoiding being revenge killed by opposing Choice Scarf Miraidon. Miraidon was another fantastic partner for Calyrex-S, as they both shared a common check in Ting-Lu, which lacks reliable recovery. Miraidon's powerful Draco Meteors, combined with Spikes support from Froslass, easily wore down Ting-Lu over the course of a game, opening the way for Calyrex-S to clean up. Alternatively, with Tera Fairy Draining Kiss, Calyrex-S could break through Ting-Lu, allowing Miraidon to win the game with its Double Dance set. Finally, Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground was another powerful sweeper that could either wallbreak for its teammates or clean up a weakened team itself.

Playing Against Calyrex-S

The Ubers metagame with Calyrex-S allowed was highly offensive, and thus most teams did not have true "counters" to Calyrex-S. Long-term defensive play against Calyrex-S was highly dubious, as the most accessible check against it, Ting-Lu, lacked reliable recovery and was smashed by Tera Fighting or Fairy. Rather, players by and large dealt with Calyrex-S through revenge killing and hoping to out-offense the opposing team. Choice Scarf users such as Miraidon and Koraidon, along with Speed-boosting Flutter Mane, could outspeed and deal massive damage to any Calyrex-S not using a Choice Scarf itself. Choice Scarf Calyrex-S did not have any power boost to its attacks and was locked into a single move, making it far easier to take advantage of it with both special walls such as Ting-Lu as well as offensive setup sweepers. One notable hyper offense staple used for counterplay against Calyrex-S (especially Choiced variants) was Arceus. Arceus boasted an immunity to Astral Barrage, and with bulk investment, it could survive a Life Orb Tera Fighting Tera Blast. Arceus could then either OHKO a pre-Tera Calyrex-S with Shadow Claw or set up a Dragon Dance to outspeed and OHKO it the next turn. If Calyrex-S Terastallized, it lost its Normal immunity and was thus vulnerable to Arceus's Extreme Speed. Finally, Grimmsnarl could serve as an emergency check against Calyrex-S, as it resisted Astral Barrage and could paralyze Calyrex-S with a Prankster Thunder Wave. However, Calyrex-S could negate the Speed drop with Agility.

Some players turned to specialized defensive sets in a desperate attempt to keep Calyrex-S in check. One Pokémon, which has virtually no use in Ubers besides serving as a niche Calyrex-S check, was Alolan Muk, which barely avoids the 2HKO from a Terastallized Choice Specs Calyrex-S's Tera Blast and can in return threaten pre-Tera Calyrex-S with Knock Off or Shadow Sneak and Tera Fairy Calyrex-S with Poison Jab. Even against Tera Fighting Calyrex-S, the high poison chance afforded by Poison Jab and Poison Touch will often convince Calyrex-S to switch out. However, Alolan Muk lacks reliable recovery and has limited use outside checking Calyrex-S. Other sets included Shadow Ball Blissey and Tera Dark Clodsire, but both of these were ripped apart if Calyrex-S Terastallized.

Arguments

Pro-Ban Reasoning

A large number of players clamored for a ban, and it's not hard to see why. Calyrex-S imposed an immense strain on teambuilding and, with Terastallization, could devastate even prepared teams with minimal effort. The Choice Specs set alone had no counters whatsoever, with Psyshock OHKOing Clodsire and Tera Fighting Tera Blast scoring a 2HKO on even specially defensive Ting-Lu. As these Pokémon represented the pinnacle of special bulk, anything else simply melted to Calyrex-S's attacks. Besides the Choice Specs set, Calyrex-S had numerous other options at its disposal. It could use a Choice Scarf to become an effective revenge killer and late-game cleaner. Nasty Plot rendered it completely unwallable, with Tera Fighting or Fairy affording it near-perfect neutral coverage. It was not uncommon for teams to run multiple Choice Scarf users along with multiple Normal- or Dark-types or Tera users just to not lose to Calyrex-S. Although it was not the only culprit, many argued that Calyrex-S also made defensive play almost impossible and forced the metagame into an extremely offensive state, reducing the diversity of viable team archetypes in the tier. With dual screens support aiding setup and Terastallization letting it avoid super effective priority moves, even highly offensive teams could be swept by Agility Calyrex-S. It was simply impossible for a player to prepare against all possible Calyrex-S sets.

Anti-ban Reasoning

While the vast majority of Ubers players favored Calyrex-S leaving the tier, there was still a small minority against a ban. The anti-ban side argued that while Terastallization allows Calyrex-S to bypass its usual checks, a timely defensive Terastallization to Normal or Dark enabled teams to handle it reactively. Opponents of the ban also pointed out that, unless using a Choice Scarf itself, Calyrex-S could be revenge killed by a Speed-boosting Flutter Mane or Choice Scarf users such as Koraidon or Miraidon. If Calyrex-S was using a Choice Scarf, the power of its attacks was not boosted and it was locked into a move, making it exploitable.

Verdict & Final Thoughts

When the votes were counted, Calyrex-S was banned from Ubers with a 93.3% supermajority, easily passing the 66.7% standard for banning a Pokémon from Ubers. The general consensus seemed to be that Calyrex-S was unquestionably overpowered and unhealthy for the Ubers metagame, reaching a power level rarely matched by any Pokémon barring perhaps RBY Mewtwo and ORAS Mega Rayquaza. The result of this suspect test also spawned conversations about whether Terastallization as a whole was healthy in a metagame with a power level as high as SV Ubers, as well as thoughts of retesting Calyrex-S in Generation 8 Ubers.

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