Calyrex #898: The Forgotten King Who Rides Back to His Crown

A tiny king that everyone ended up forgetting. Calyrex is the King Pokémon of the Crown Tundra: 1.1 meters, 7.7 kilos, green-and-white fur and an enormous bud perched on its head like a crown. But it has three forms, and the two most impressive ones are won on horseback.

Contents

• Who is Calyrex?
• Ice Rider and Shadow Rider: two fusions, not evolutions
• Unnerve, As One and two exclusive moves
• Three forms, three weakness charts
• The King of Bountiful Harvests and its forgotten kingdom
• Calyrex at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Calyrex?

Listed as #898 in the National Pokédex, Calyrex (Sylveroy in French) is a Legendary Pokémon measuring 1.1 m, with Psychic and Grass typing, which arrived with the eighth generation in the Crown Tundra expansion of Pokémon Sword and Shield.

An important clarification: the "King Pokémon" category, the Psychic and Grass types, the 1.1 meters and the 7.7 kilos all describe its solo form, the one in which it isn't riding anything. Its two other forms change types, size and even category — they become "High King Pokémon".

It looks like a small bipedal hare with white legs and a green torso. Its four long, upright ears resemble a deer's antlers and hold up an enormous green bud that gives it the look of a crowned king. Four small triangular wings complete its silhouette. It is genderless and cannot breed.

Ice Rider and Shadow Rider: two fusions, not evolutions

Its two ridden forms are obtained with an item, the Reins of Unity. If it rides Glastrier, it becomes Ice Rider Calyrex; if it rides Spectrier, it becomes Shadow Rider Calyrex.

The Ice Rider is Psychic and Ice type : 2.4 meters, 809.1 kilos, stats that jump from 500 to 680 points, and 165 Attack. The Shadow Rider is Psychic and Ghost type: 2.4 meters and just 53.6 kilos, also 680 points, but 165 Special Attack and 150 Speed.

These aren't evolutions but reversible fusions : the same Reins separate the two Pokémon, and the game only gives out one pair, which makes it impossible to own both Riders at once. Calyrex doesn't evolve and has neither a Mega Evolution nor a Gigantamax form.

Unnerve, As One and two exclusive moves

On its own, Calyrex has a rather modest Ability: Unnerve, which makes opponents nervous and stops them from eating their Berries. It isn't a signature Ability — from Persian to Corviknight, plenty of Pokémon have it too — and it has no hidden ability.

Once mounted, it trades Unnerve for As One, its true signature Ability: it then combines Unnerve with its steed's Ability, Chilling Neigh with Glastrier, Grim Neigh with Spectrier. Every time it knocks out a foe, one of its offensive stats goes up.

Each Rider also gains an exclusive 120-power move, which Calyrex forgets as soon as it's separated from its steed: Glacial Lance for the Ice Rider, Astral Barrage for the Shadow Rider. Both hit both opponents in Double Battles.

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Three forms, three weakness charts

As a Psychic and Grass type, Calyrex pays dearly for its dual nature: Bug deals it four times the damage, and six other types deal double — Fire, Ice, Poison, Ghost, Dark and Flying. In return, it resists six types, including Water, Grass and Ground, which deal it half the damage.

Once it's mounted, the chart changes completely. The Ice Rider, as a Psychic and Ice type, has six weaknesses — Steel, Fire, Bug, Rock, Ghost and Dark — but no longer takes quadruple damage from anything, and resists both Ice and Psychic.

The Shadow Rider, as a Psychic and Ghost type, is the most clear-cut of the three: completely immune to Normal and Fighting, it resists Poison and Psychic, but takes four times the damage from Ghost and Dark.

The King of Bountiful Harvests and its forgotten kingdom

The Pokémon Shield Pokédex describes it as "a king that ruled over Galar in ancient times," with "the power to cause hearts to mend and plants to spring forth." The Sword entry speaks of a merciful Pokémon, "capable of providing healing and blessings."

Crown Tundra folklore calls it the " King of Bountiful Harvests ": it enriched the soil, sped up the growth of plants and was worshipped for years, always depicted alongside its steed. Then people gradually forgot it, and its power faded along with their faith.

An old pedestal records that in its heyday, the region wasn't called the Crown Tundra but the Crown Plains. Left without worshippers, the fallen king takes control of Peony's mind to speak to the player. Plenty to win over fans of Pokémon figures as well as Pokémon plushies.

Calyrex at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are Calyrex's three forms?
  Calyrex on its own: Psychic and Grass type, 1.1 meters and 7.7 kilos, 500 stat points, classified as the King Pokémon. Ice Rider Calyrex: Psychic and Ice type, 2.4 meters and 809.1 kilos, 680 points, obtained by riding Glastrier. Shadow Rider Calyrex: Psychic and Ghost type, 2.4 meters and 53.6 kilos, 680 points, obtained by riding Spectrier. The two ridden forms are classified as High King Pokémon, not King Pokémon.
• How do you fuse Calyrex with Glastrier or Spectrier?
  With the Reins of Unity, an item Peony gives you in Freezington after you defeat the steed. They unite Calyrex with Glastrier to create Ice Rider Calyrex, or with Spectrier to create Shadow Rider Calyrex. The steed leaves your party for as long as the fusion lasts. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Reins can be bought at the Porto Marinada auction if you already own a Calyrex.
• Is Calyrex's fusion reversible?
  Yes. Just use the Reins of Unity again to separate the two Pokémon, which go back to being two distinct Pokédex species. Calyrex then forgets its exclusive move, Glacial Lance or Astral Barrage, along with any moves its solo form can't learn. Since the game only provides one pair of Reins, you can't own both Riders at the same time.
• Does Calyrex evolve?
  No. Calyrex has no evolution and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon. It's important to tell the two mechanics apart: an evolution is permanent and changes the species, whereas its two ridden forms are reversible fusions that unite two already distinct Pokédex species — #898 with #896 or #897 — without ever making them evolve.
• What are Calyrex's Abilities?
  On its own, it has Unnerve, an Ability shared by many Pokémon, which stops opponents from eating their Berries. In its two ridden forms, it has As One instead, its signature Ability, which combines Unnerve with its steed's Ability: Chilling Neigh for Glastrier, which raises Attack with every knockout, or Grim Neigh for Spectrier, which raises Special Attack. None of the three forms has a hidden Ability.
• Does Calyrex have a Mega Evolution or a Gigantamax form?
  Neither. Across the entire eighth generation, the only Mega Evolution that exists is Mega Falinks, triggered by the Falinksite. Calyrex has no regional form either. It does, however, have a distinction that neither Kyurem nor Necrozma shares: it's the only fusion Pokémon you catch directly in its fused form, at the Crown Shrine, at level 80.

In short

A seven-kilo king who becomes a giant again the moment it's reunited with its steed: Calyrex's whole story fits in a pair of Reins of Unity. All that's left is to choose which steed will carry it.