Can You Catch Rayquaza in Pokémon Sword & Shield?
The answer is yes! The legendary mascot for Pokémon Emerald has returned in the Sword & Shield Crown Tundra DLC for Nintendo Switch. This guide will walk you through the entire process and offer tips for catching the mighty Rayquaza!
Overview of Rayquaza
Let‘s start with a quick refresher. Rayquaza is a dual Dragon/Flying type legendary Pokémon resembling a green, serpentine creature. It first appeared as the version mascot for 2005‘s Emerald game on GameBoy Advance.
Some key notes about Rayquaza:
- Signature move is Dragon Ascent which has 120 base power
- Ability is Air Lock which eliminates weather effects
- Can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza in past games
- Has base stat total of 680 with high offensive presence
In competitive play, Rayquaza has always been a formidable threat due to its combination of power and speed. Its EXTREME STATS are what cement its status as a top-tier legendary:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| HP | 105 |
| Attack | 150 |
| Defense | 90 |
| Sp. Attack | 150 |
| Sp. Defense | 90 |
| Speed | 95 |
| Total | 680 |
Let‘s now dive into acquiring this beast within Pokémon Sword and Shield!
Accessing the Crown Tundra DLC
The first requirement for catching Rayquaza in these Nintendo Switch titles is purchasing the Crown Tundra DLC. This can bought individually or via the Expansion Pass bundle.
Once you‘ve obtained the DLC, load up your save file and look for the new option to embark for the Crown Tundra. You‘ll then undergo a short introductory sequence and arrive in the snow-swept realm.
The key NPC here is Peony, the exuberant trainer researching Dynamax phenomenon. He‘ll be your guide for the new story content and provides the tools to initiate Dynamax Adventures.
Unlocking Legendary Encounters
Upon arrival in Crown Tundra, you‘ll be directed to chase after Peony and encounter the new legendary trio Calyrex, Glastrier and Spectrier. Pursuing them leads you to the Max Lair – a temple housing Dynamax Adventure raids.
After completing the intro raids, you‘ll need to finish the Galarian Star Tournament. This epic event has you team up with friendly rivals and previous gym leaders to battle in series of Double Battles.
Once victorious, return to Max Lair and speak with researcher Peonia. She will offer clues on locating rare dens throughout Crown Tundra overworld containing legendary beasts like Rayquaza!
Dynamax Adventures Explained
Dynamax Adventures provides a fun, challenging mode to catch legendaries. It works like this:
- Speak to Peonia and pay a cost to access legendary dens
- Assemble a raid party of NPCs or real friends
- Progress through 4 consecutive dynamax battles leading to final legendary clash
- Choose ONE pokémon to keep after the final fight!
Between rounds, you can swap out teammates to cover type weaknesses as you battle up the lair depths against random ‘mons. Some strategy and luck is required to overcome all opponents.
For best catching odds, bring a Pokémon with False Swipe to whittle the legend‘s HP. Paralysis or sleep effects also help lower risk by preventing escapes. Ultra Balls and Timer Balls maximize chance of success.
Now let‘s look at specifically finding…
Hunting Down Rayquaza
Luring out the Sky High legend requires accessing Peonia‘s rare Max Lair dens following the tournament. You may need to try MULTIPLE dens before Rayquaza‘s appears.
Once found, brace yourself as Rayquaza emerges in a violent sandstorm! Make sure to Dynamax your lead to endure hits as other weather is suppressed by Air Lock ability.
Here is an ideal raid party composition for tackling this beast:
| Pokémon | Role |
|---|---|
| Togekiss | Provides tailwind and flinch hax |
| Rillaboom | Grassy terrain ups drainage and chip damage |
| Whimscott | Enables paralysis to limit movement |
| Ditto / Smeargle | Crucial for free turns using False Swipe + Spore |
After whittling its health down, pelt Rayquaza with your best catching Poké Ball variety until secured!
Master Balls obviously guarantee success if you just want to go the easy route. But where‘s the fun in that?
Shiny Hunting Odds
All crown tundra legends have a 1/100 baseline chance of appearing SHINY! This makes dedicated shiny hunting more feasible compared to the brutal base game odds.
With the shiny charm, you can improve this further to 1/25. That means, on average, 25 successful Rayquaza captures are required to find its alternate color variant.
Be prepared for a long journey however based on probability…
| Attempts | Odds | Expected # Resets |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | 1/100 | 64% |
| 800 | 1/100 | 87% |
| 1,600 | 1/100 | 99%+ |
Given the better crown tundra ratios, you could score shiny Rayquaza within few hours if fortune favors you. But whole weekends may be consumed trying to roll the RNG dice.
Either way – good luck fellow trainers!
Competitive Viability
Rayquaza will mainly see usage in the Ubers tier where legendary beasts reign. Its incredible mixed attacking stats make it incredibly hard wall and check when backed by coverage moves.
Possible competitive movesets include:
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Ascent
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
Held items like Life Orb or Lum Berry patch up weaknesses and open sweeping potential. To really optimize Rayquaza, train for beneficial Nature Mints and max out EVs properly through battles.
While no longer able to mega evolve in SwSh, Rayquaza is still positioned to terrorize the ladder. Just beware of pesky Fairy and Ice types!
Will Mega Rayquaza Return?
Many fans have fond memories of the nigh-unstoppable Mega Rayquaza from past generations. Could it come back in future DLC or new games?
Looking at poll data, MEGA EVOLUTIONS remain an immensely popular feature request by players:
- 92% of fans demanded their return to Gen 9 titles
- 76% preferred megas over new Dynamax/Gigamax gimmicks
This aligns with developer Game Freak indicating that megas WILL resurface at some point. Though no specific timeframe was confirmed.
Given the extended post-launch support for Sword + Shield via Expansion Pass updates, I expect megas will get incorporated eventually.
Until then, we can enjoy chasing down legendries like Rayquaza in Crown Tundra before Gen 9! Just without primal forms…for now.
So stay tuned trainers – our mega journey may restart in the coming years!
