Without a doubt, one of the top five Ice-type pocket monsters in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is Pseudo-Legendary Ice Dragon Pokémon, Baxcalibur. Baxcalibur cannot be caught but is only obtainable via evolving Arctibax, an Ice- and Dragon-type pocket monster found in late-game caves or acquired by evolving Frigibax. Baxcalibur possesses an extremely high Attack, making it a formidable foe in the arena. Therefore, understanding this Pseudo-Legendary’s weaknesses and best counters is essential when players face Baxcalibur in a Trainer Battle or during the Elite Four fight with Hassel, who dispatches Tera Baxcalibur during the boss battle.
How to Counter Baxcalibur in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
As an Ice- and Dragon-type Ice Dragon Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Baxcalibur is weak to Fighting-, Rock-, Dragon-, Fairy-, and Steel-type Moves. As a result, Iron Valiant, Tyranitar, Garchomp, or Flutter Mane would make excellent combatants against Baxcalibur. On the other hand, Trainers should avoid using Water-, Grass-, and Electric-type Movesets against this Pseudo-Legendary pocket monster.
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Tinkaton weaknesses in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Baxcalibur is equipped with an ability known as Thermal Exchange. Thermal Exchange enables the Ice Dragon to bolster its Attack IV whenever struck with a Fire-type Move, causing Fire-type attacks to be rendered ineffective. Moreover, this ability prevents Baxcalibur from being burned, further incentivizing players to avoid using Fire-type Movesets on this Ice- and Dragon-type pocket monster. Try using Dachsbun, a Fairy-type dog that is immune to Dragon-type attacks and wields a notably high Defense stat to deal with Baxcalibur’s physical attacks.
As noted above, Iron Valiant and Flutter Mane are two of the best counters for Baxcalibur in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. However, they are version-exclusive, meaning not every player can acquire these two without online trading. Furthermore, they can only be caught after Trainers have defeated the Elite Four, including Hassel with his Tera Baxcalibur. Players attempting to defeat Hassel’s pocket monster team without trading are recommended to use the Hammer Pokémon Tinkaton, whose Fairy- and Steel-type Moves can make quick work of Baxcalibur. A high-level Gardevoir is also an excellent choice for countering Tera Baxcalibur in Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are available on the Nintendo Switch.
