Thanks Justin :]
QC Checks: (Shrang, Hack, Sweep, Fireburn)
GP Checks: (Winry, The Dutch Plumberjack)
Yveltal is blessed by its incredible typing and stat spread, as they give it amazing versatility. Dark Aura adds to this by giving it a boost to its already powerful Dark-type STAB attacks. Yveltal's bulk, typing, access to recovery, and power make it a decent check to Primal Groudon and as well as one of the best switch-ins to Ghost Arceus. It is one of the best users of Life Orb in Ubers thanks to its strong signature move: Oblivion Wing; it is also able to pull off a dangerous bulky set due to its access to Roost and Dark Aura-boosted Foul Play. Yveltal also has access to the strongest priority move in the game, Dark Aura-boosted Sucker Punch. Although its typing isn't bad defensively, it doesn't offer many resistances, and it leaves Yveltal weak to Stealth Rock as well as Fairy- and Rock-type attacks while its two immunities are voided by common coverage moves. Yveltal's Speed is enough to get it past the horde of Pokemon with Speed stats in between base 90 and 95, but it is still rather slow when compared to quite a few threats in Ubers.
[SET]
name: Strong Bird
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Heat Wave / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb / Black Glasses
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Rash
evs: 132 HP / 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dark Pulse is an amazing STAB move that is not only the strongest Dark-type move in the game when boosted by Dark Aura but can also cause flinches to help overcome sticky situations. It is very useful for getting chip damage off against Fairy-types. Oblivion Wing is Yveltal's other STAB move, with the amazing side effect of leeching 75% of the damage done to the foe, giving Yveltal some longevity. It also 2HKOes most Xerneas with the slightest amount of chip damage. Sucker Punch helps Yveltal overcome its average Speed and is the strongest priority move in the game due to Yveltal's Attack stat and the Dark Aura boost. Heat Wave does about 80% to Klefki, forcing it to use a last-ditch status move or Spikes. Either way, if you hit it on the switch, it severely limits Klefki's playability due to its lack of recovery. Focus Blast is an option to hit Tyranitar, but it is generally inferior to the other moves Yveltal runs. Taunt can be used to cripple Klefki as they switch in. It works very well alongside Sucker Punch due to how hard it can be to switch into offensive Yveltal. U-turn can be used alongside Mega Gengar to help it trap Fairy-types that Yveltal draws in.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment allows Yveltal's Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing to hit as hard as possible. 92 Speed EVs allow Yveltal to outrun Lugia that have no Speed invested and are more than enough to outrun standard Geomancy Xerneas. 132 HP EVs give Yveltal respectable bulk and the ability to survive Mega Salamence's Return only after Stealth Rock damage. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack to power up Sucker Punch. A Rash nature is used instead of Mild in order to make Yveltal take less damage from Extreme Speed and Primal Groudon's Stone Edge or Fire Punch. A Mild nature can be used if Mewtwo is the bigger concern, though. Black Glasses should be used with U-turn so that Yveltal takes less chip damage when switching in, though without Life Orb, Oblivion Wing's power is significantly reduced versus Primal Groudon and Xerneas.
Usage Tips
========
Yveltal's two immunities are its best tool for switching it in. Be aware that common coverage moves such as Stone Edge from Ground-types and Ice Beam from Mewtwo hurt a lot, though. When facing down Groudon, it is best to use Oblivion Wing first. Dark Pulse KOes Groudon after Oblivion Wing damage but will never OHKO a healthy Primal Groudon. Use Oblivion Wing whenever a free turn presents itself, such as when Yveltal forces a switch or outspeeds a foe, and when Yveltal's health is starting to dwindle. Never switch Yveltal out against setup sweepers, as its power is great enough that it can KO most of these very easily should they try to set up on it recklessly. Damaging these Pokemon can mean the difference between a win and a loss. This set can be used to cripple and weaken Klefki and prevent it from setting up Spikes, and it can punish Defog users such as Giratina-O, Latios, and Latias. If you choose to run Focus Blast, use it to OHKO Tyranitar to help out a Flying-type partner such as Ho-Oh, but don't switch Yveltal into Tyranitar on a free switch, as this will likely alert your opponent as to what is going on.
Team Options
========
Xerneas greatly enjoys the pressure Yveltal puts on Klefki and, if Yveltal lands a Heat Wave on the switch, the two will begin to wreak havoc for the rest of the game. Yveltal also soft checks Primal Groudon, which eases using Xerneas tremendously. Yveltal is very difficult to fit on a team due to its lack of defensive utility, but some offensive builds like its unparalleled ability to deal massive damage to Xerneas checks. Threats such as the aforementioned Xerneas, Ho-Oh, Klefki, Mega Diancie, and Mega Metagross are all partner very well with it depending on the team structure. Mega Gengar and Yveltal form a neat U-turn and Shadow Tag core should Yveltal use U-Turn and Gengar carry Sludge Wave. Trapping the Fairy-types Yveltal brings in with Mega Gengar gives Yveltal an amazing window to begin doing damage. Fairy-type switch-ins are almost mandatory, with Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, Klefki, Aegislash, and Jirachi being some of the best.
[SET]
name: Tough Bird (Flying Tank)
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic / Sucker Punch
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dark Aura-boosted STAB Foul Play prevents any boosting physical attacker from setting up and staying in on Yveltal. Roost is Yveltal's form of reliable recovery that also removes its Flying typing for the turn, meaning slower Rock-, Electric-, and Ice-type attacks will no longer be super effective the turn this move is used. Toxic helps Yveltal deal with other walls and helps punish a lot of its switch-ins, namely Xerneas. Taunt is primarily used to cripple Klefki so it can't use Yveltal as Spikes or status fodder. It also prevents Calm Mind and support Arceus formes from setting up or using Recover after they have been badly poisoned by Toxic. Its only other function is toying with Ferrothorn, Forretress, and other slower support Pokemon. Sucker Punch gives Yveltal the ability to check Mewtwo as well as pick off other weakened dedicated attackers. Alternatively, Heat Wave 2HKOes Klefki and also allows Yveltal to cook Ferrothorn and Scizor if it can find the window to. It makes Yveltal nearly useless versus stall teams, however, because it must be run over Taunt in order to be used effectively. Make sure to have solid ways of dealing with stall teams when using Heat Wave.
Set Details
========
Running maximum Defense investment allows Yveltal to take strong physical attacks. The HP investment nearly maximizes Yveltal's ability to take physical hits while minimizing the amount of damage it takes from Stealth Rock. A Bold nature is preferred when using Toxic; if Yveltal has Sucker Punch on its set, use an Impish nature to maximize Sucker Punch's damage with no Attack investment. Dread Plate can be used to boost the power of Foul Play and Sucker Punch if it's necessary; it notably allows Foul Play to OHKO +2 Attack Extreme Killer Arceus without help from Stealth Rock or Life Orb damage. Use a Bold nature when using Heat Wave.
Usage Tips
========
Keep in mind Yveltal is a physical tank that is weak to Stealth Rock and sometimes doesn't hold Leftovers. It will be forced to use Roost at some point, so make sure you have solid ways of dealing with its switch-ins. Be careful around Extreme Killer Arceus if the composition of the opposing team suggests it carries Stone Edge, because if it does, Yveltal cannot effectively check it. The tell-tale signs of Stone Edge Arceus are it being on a hyper offensive team with few to no Mega Salamence checks, with Arceus being the only Pokemon that Salamence easily sets up on. Many of Yveltal's switch-ins, such as Fairy-types and bulky Arceus formes, hate Toxic, so it will be the move you choose most against opposing switches. Yveltal can come in on almost any physical attacker in the Ubers metagame and proceed to KO it with a Foul Play or two. Ho-Oh is a very troublesome physical attacker due to Sacred Fire's extremely high burn probability. Burn does affect Foul Play's damage, so staying in on Ho-Oh is not advisable in most situations. On a similar note, Primal Groudon's Lava Plume also has a nasty burn rate and does very good damage to Yveltal. Other than that, it is a relatively straightforward Pokemon to use.
Team Options
========
A couple solid switch-ins to Xerneas are required when using defensive Yveltal. Specially defensive Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Klefki are good examples of these. On the other hand, Yveltal is one of the best switch-ins to Primal Groudon there are, so partnering it with Xerneas is also not a bad idea. Softer checks to Extreme Killer Arceus such as Swords Dance Ghost Arceus are useful in case it has Stone Edge. Defog and Rapid Spin users are also very welcome partners for Yveltal, with the most notable being Latios and Latias due to their sheer reliability.
[SET]
name: Fashionable Bird (Choice Scarf)
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Oblivion Wing
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Modest
evs: 32 HP / 4 Def / 248 SpA / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Foul Play is Yveltal's weapon against Extreme Killer Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y, Swords Dance Ground and Ghost Arceus, and Rayquaza. Dark Pulse is Yveltal's reliable STAB move. It has phenomenal neutral coverage and, with Yveltal's Choice Scarf, allows it to revenge kill many potent threats such as Mega Gengar, Mewtwo, and with some prior damage, Latios and Latias. Oblivion Wing is Yveltal's way of recovering health after a couple Stealth Rock switch-ins and allows Yveltal to revenge kill Mega Mewtwo X, check Blaziken, and steal a bit of health off of anything inside Oblivion Wing's KO range. U-turn is for switch initiative and for scouting for a less obvious Dark or Fairy Arceus.
Set Details
========
32 HP and 4 Defense EVs allow Yveltal to always survive a +2 Extreme Speed from standard Extreme Killer Arceus in order to KO it with Foul Play after recoil from its own Life Orb. This also leaves Yveltal with an odd HP number, which allows it to switch into Stealth Rock four times instead three. The Speed EVs conveniently allow Yveltal to outspeed the rare but extremely dangerous +1 Adamant Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Modest Choice Scarf Kyurem-W. 248 Special Attack EVs power up Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing. A Modest nature must be used, as otherwise Dark Pulse misses out on quite a few key KOs, such as a 2HKO on offensive Primal Groudon.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Yveltal should be used primarily as a revenge killer, but it can also tank a hit and deal very good damage and possibly KO in return. Using U-turn to scout for Fairy or Dark Arceus is a very good way to gain information on the opposing team's structure early. Remember that this is not the strongest Yveltal set out there, so use very clear discretion when picking what move to lock yourself into, or risk becoming setup bait for quite a few extremely dangerous Pokemon in Ubers. If you wish at all to use this as an Extreme Killer Arceus check, you must not let Stealth Rock be set up before Arceus comes in, otherwise either you give it two turns to set up Swords Dance while you use Defog or Yveltal falls to +2 Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock damage.
Team Options
========
This Yveltal needs extremely solid checks to Geomancy Xerneas on its team, no questions asked. Klefki and specially defensive Primal Groudon are among the best. Because it can't switch moves and has less power than other sets, Choice Scarf Yveltal works best on more balanced builds that can run solid switch-ins to Fairy-types and other special attackers. These builds also carry Defog users to help Yveltal out with its Stealth Rock weakness. Latias, Latios, Water Arceus, Rock Arceus, and Giratina-O are all good examples of Defog users. Magic Bounce users alongside Defog users is also a nice prospect just to preserve Yveltal's ability to smack around +2 Arceus.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Substitute + Disable set is definitely possible. Yveltal is a bit slow, but it deals a lot of damage with Dark Pulse and assumed entry hazard damage once it gets going. Hurricane has similar power to Dark Aura-boosted Dark Pulse, but with Primal Groudon and all of the Pokemon that resist Flying being very prevalent, it usually isn't worth the slot. Knock Off is an interesting option on the Life Orb set, but with all of the items that are "immune" to it, it is a rather subpar option. It would be used to hit Ho-Oh, Blissey, and Fairy-types holding Leftovers. Note that only the Life Orb set should even think about running this. The Choice Scarf set would become setup fodder for Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, while the defensive set can't fit it anywhere. A physical set of Hone Claws, Sky Attack, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch can be used with Power Herb as an item. This set destroys Xerneas and Clefable switch-ins, but the set itself is rather unreliable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy Arceus, Diancie, Klefki, and Xerneas all force Yveltal out. Klefki needs to watch out for Heat Wave, and the rest need to watch out for the Trap-turn strategy when Yveltal is paired with Mega Gengar. Xerneas is 2HKOed by Life Orb Oblivion Wing after Stealth Rock damage, which is something to watch out for.
**Dark-types**: Dark Arceus and Tyranitar are both good examples of Dark-types that check Yveltal. However, Tyranitar has a bit of trouble with the defensive set and has to watch out for a rogue Focus Blast.
**Rock, Ice, and Electric Arceus**: Rock, Ice, and Electric Arceus all outspeed and KO Yveltal with Judgment. However, they do have to be careful when switching into Yveltal as Life Orb-boosted Dark Pulse + Sucker Punch has a very slight chance to KO these Arceus formes.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom forces Yveltal out but cannot come in on a Dark Pulse or Foul Play.
**Kyurem-W**: Kyurem-W cannot come in on offensive Yveltal at all, but it can force out defensive Yveltal with Ice Beam.
**Status**: Letting Yveltal get burned makes using it much trickier, as this cuts the power of its physical moves in half and deals more residual damage, which is especially troublesome for Life Orb Yveltal. Toxic ruins the defensive set.
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