Baxcalibur, the Ice Dragon Pokémon. This Pokémon blasts cryogenic air out from its mouth. This air can instantly freeze even liquid-hot lava. It launches itself into battle by flipping upside down and spewing frigid air from its mouth. It finishes opponents off with its dorsal blade.

Overview

Pseudolegendary Pokémon always set a high bar to meet, but whether they are overpowered, a staple, fill a niche or forgettable varies wildly. Yet, in a single generation, Baxcalibur has hit all these bars. A lot to blame falls on Baxcalibur’s typing. Ice is always a volatile type, given its immense offensive prowess and myriad of exploitable weaknesses. Those exploitable weaknesses cut into Baxcalibur’s otherwise decent bulk, made more exploitable by a middling base 87 Speed that ties with Great Tusk, and outran by many other threats like Cinderace, Gouging Fire, Roaring Moon, Enamorus. Additionally, the Dragon type slot on a team is always hotly contested. All of this, coupled with a weakness to Stealth Rock and general exposure to hazards made Baxcalibur rather inconsistent.

However, the generation gave Baxcalibur all the tools it needed to succeed as well. Scale Shot and Dragon Dance both provide reliable balms for Baxcalibur’s Speed. Couple that with an amazing Base 145 Attack and amazing wide type coverage that both STABs and Ground provide, equate to a potent package of power that can take over games given the chance. Hail being changed to Snow is another boon for Baxcalibur, giving it amazing synergy with Aurora Veil setters that are more splashable than ever, becoming impossibly bulky, greatly facilitating setup, and sweeping. While Baxcalibur’s typing does give it some heartache this second coming of Godzilla lives up to a legacy of power.
Positives
Base 145 Attack is ludicrous in terms of power, and with access to boosting in Dragon Dance and Swords Dance, can break through all but the sturdiest walls.
Dragon Ice is fantastic offensively and Baxcalibur has the necessary coverage to handle the Steel types that resist both.
Access to Speed boosting options in Dragon Dance and Scale Shot make Baxcalibur more efficient at sweeping.
Synergies with Snow and Loaded Dice add breadth to Baxcalibur, facilitating setup and giving it multiple answers for STABs.

Negatives
87 Speed is unimpressive before setup, constraining setup and movesets, and crippling those that don’t account for it.
Dragon Ice typing is poor defensively, giving Baxcalibur numerous exploitable weaknesses and exposure to entry hazards.
Stiff competition with other excellent Dragon types constrains teambuilding and can make Baxcalibur difficult to justify.

Movesets

Shiviering Scale Spear Spinosaur

-Dragon Dance
-Scale Shot
-Icicle Spear
-Earthquake
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Item: Loaded Dice
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk /252 Spe
AdamantNature

With Dragon Dance, Baxcalibur can flex as either an early game breaker or a mid to late game cleaner , softening up targets for other teammates to break through, or wiping out opposing teams once Baxcalibur’s own checks have been removed. Dragon Dance does so much for Baxcalibur, giving not only a badly needed fix to its Speed, but a power boost as well. Scale Shot is great against more aggressive teams, applying pressure and fixing up Baxcalibur’s speed immediately. Icicle Spear is your primary STAB and damage dealing move, exercising Ice’s incredible Super Effective coverage. Earthquake provides invaluable coverage, answering the Steel types that resist both STABs, with only the rare Levitate Steels and Azumarill resisting everything. Thermal Exchange is recommended as the ability, not only giving Baxcalibur a boost when pivoting into Fire attacks, but also an immunity to Burns that could otherwise cut a sweep short.

Tera Types:
If not in the Snow, Baxcalibur enjoys Terastalizing to get rid of its many weaknesses, though don’t discount its natural Water, Electric and Grass resistances. Tera Ground is highly recommended, turning a Rock weakness to a resistance and pushing Earthquake up in line with Icicle Spear and Scale Shot. Electric is another offensive option, providing the fantastic BoltBeam coverage and frying Corviknight and Dondozo. Steel is a more defensive Tera, and rather awkward with the shared Fighting Weakness, but invaluable when setting up in the face of Fairy and Dragon assaults.

EVs and Items:
Standard Sweeper mix of max Attack and Speed to get the most out of Baxcalibur’s speed. Jolly is recommended as nature, enabling Baxcalibur to remain competitive with other Pokémon in its range of speed, like Gholdengo, Glimmora, Great Tusk, Landorus-Therian, enabling Baxcalibur to threaten them out immediately. Not all these Pokémon consistently run max speed, so dropping from Jolly to Adamant, for picking up the 2HKO on Corviknight with Icicle Spear and guaranteeing the OHKO on Ting-Lu are worthwhile considerations. Loaded Dice is recommended as the item, as it is what makes Icicle Spear and Scale Shot so reliable as STABs. Even if dropping Scale Shot, the reliability this gives to Icicle Spear cannot be understated. Focus Sash is another option for guaranteeing the setup but requires strict hazard control to excel as a late game sweeper. Heavy Duty Boots keep Baxcalibur healthy regardless of hazards, and enable a hit and run style, but the power drop is hard to justify.

Partners:
Alolan Ninetales is the best partner Baxcalibur could ever ask for, setting up both the defense boosting Snow and Aurora Veil, enabling incredibly easy setup, and sweeping attempts. With both Snow and Aurora Veil, Baxcalibur becomes a veritable wall physically, tanking even Super Effective attacks. Grimmsnarl’s screen setting is another enabler for Baxcalibur, albeit not to the same extent as Alolan Ninetales. Galarian Slowking is another option, being a Slow pivot that sets up Snow with Chilly Reception, while setting up a Future Sight to apply even more pressure. Baxcalibur often relies on its bulk for setting up and struggles to afford Heavy Duty Boots, so having a dedicated hazard clearer is in Baxcalibur’s interest. Great Tusk is an effective hazard clearer, fitting in the same aggressive team style Baxcalibur enjoys, and directly threatening Steel and Rock types that give Baxcalibur trouble, as well enjoying Baxcalibur’s covering of Flying and Grass types that trouble it. Their having shared checks also works well at wearing down walls together. Cyclizar is another excellent example at hazard removal, and its Knock Off access pays dividends in blunting a team’s offense and defense. Magearna is another standout partner, its Steel and Fairy typing making it a natural pivot into the Fairy and Dragon types that threaten Baxcalibur, while threatening physical walls like Dondozo with its Special offense.

Other Options:
Glaive Rush is harkens back to a simpler age with a stronger STAB in comparison to Scale Shot, but does not offer the same Speed fixing and leaves Baxcalibur incredibly exposed after use.
Swords Dance is the other side of the boosting coin, given Baxcalibur an overwhelming power boost, but keeping its speed the same until Scale Shot is used.
Ice Shard all but requires you to give up Earthquake, but makes Baxcalibur more efficient as a sweeper, enabling it to strike down even opponents with priority.
Icicle Crash is worth considering if not running Loaded Dice as Icicle Spear pales to it in power.
Aqua Tail is niche coverage, but hits defensive Fire types harder than Scale Shot.

Doubles and VGC Options

Given the Snow and Aurora Veil that enabled Baxcalibur so much in Singles are stronger in Doubles, it is of little surprise that Baxcalibur has forcefully carved a niche for itself. Trainers will jump through all sorts of hoops for power and Baxcalibur’s immense attack has relatively little opportunity cost. As such Baxclibur functions in Doubles much the same as in singles as a potent win condition prepared to eat teams alive. Baxcalibur does have its fair share of woes. Flutter Mane, Iron Hands, Urshifu, Gouging Fire, Roaring Moon, Iron Boulder; so many popular threats eat Baxcalibur alive given the chance and Intimidate users like Landorus-T and Incineroar are everywhere to deprive Baxcalibur of its famed offense. Baxcalibur is rather one dimensional, with no capability to support outside damage.

Monarch

-Icicle Spear
-Scale Shot
-Swords Dance
-Protect
Ability: Thermal Exchange/Icy Body
Item: Loaded Dice
Tera Type: Poison
EVs and Nature:
132 HP / 116 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

Baxcalibur reprises its role as a sweeper in doubles with slight variations from its style in Singles. Icicle Spear and Scale Shot remain potent STABs fueled by Loaded Dice, giving Baxcalibur great neutral coverage that it can afford thanks to its high Attack. Scale Shot remains equally important in Doubles as in Singles for being a readily available answer to Baxcalibur’s Speed. Swords Dance is preferred here, for being to counteract Intimidate more effectively but also thanks to Baxcalibur’s teammates being able to provide Speed control. Protect is recommended for additional durability, keeping Baxcalibur safe as Screens are setup, stalling out opposing Tailwinds, Trick Rooms, terrains and weather, scouting for moves, Terastalization, Switches, Protect does so much.

Tera Poison is highly recommended, matching well against many of the popular Grass, Fighting and Fairy types running around, greatly facilitating setup even out of Snow and Screens, especially Urshifu, whose Unseen fist busts through Protect. EVs are arrayed to give Baxcalibur extra bulk to setup safely while still possessing Max Speed to outrun most variants of Landorus-Therian, Gholdengo, and defensive variants of Urshifu. For the ability, both Thermal Exchange and Icy Body are worth considering. Thermal Exchange is more situational, but the immunity to burns and boost from Fire attacks give Baxcalibur more pivoting opportunities. If paired with Alolan Ninetales, Icy Body is incredibly reliable, and the passive healing it provides enables Baxcalibur to endure repeated assaults it otherwise couldn’t.

Other Options & Partners:
Ice Shard is incredible in eliminating weakened targets before they can act regardless of speed.
Glaive Rush is another natural option for Dragon STAB, with the downside being far more manageable given Protect is a natural inclusion on a Doubles set.
High Horsepower is valuable Ground coverage for the Steel types that resist both STABs.

Alolan Ninetales is the best partner Baxcalibur could ever ask for, setting up both the defense boosting Snow and Aurora Veil, enabling incredibly easy setup, and sweeping attempts. With both Snow and Aurora Veil, Baxcalibur becomes a veritable wall physically, tanking even Super Effective attacks with ease.
. Landorus Therian stands out not only for the Intimidate support that facilitates setup, but also Ground STAB that answers the Steel types that wall Baxcalibur’s STABs. Incineroar and both Arcanines also fill this niche with their Fire STABs.

Countering Baxcalibur

Despite Baxcalibur’s penchant for power, it is not impossible to wall. Dondozo is very difficult for Baxcalibur to break through, with only Glaive Rush 3HKOing when Dondozo doesn’t haven’t leftovers, while Body Press and Order Up threaten massive damage back. If not running Ground coverage, bulky Steel types are a consistent thorn in Baxcalibur’s side, with Arceus Steel, Magearna, Zamazenta Crowned all easily tanking Baxcalibur’s blows and threatening back with their own STAB. Corviknight deserves some mention for being bulky enough to be tank Baxcalibur’s unboosted STAB attacks while not being weak to Earthquake, though a boosted Adamant Icicle Spear can 2HKO.

Exploiting Baxcalibur’s poor base speed and common weaknesses are another route to exploit, though Baxcalibur will certainly have answers for its speed. Protosynthesis and Unburden users like Walking Wake, Sneasler, Roaring Moon, and Flutter Mane can easily outspeed Baxcalibur at +1 and OHKO if their Speed boosting abilities are up, as can Scarf Chi-Yu after some chip. Note that none of them can switch in safely. Ice Shard complicates matters, eliminating Roaring Moon, and requiring Sneasler and Flutter Mane to be healthy to be reliable checks.

Anime Appearences

Baxcalibur has yet to make an appearance in the anime # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics