-
Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Combat/PVP Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Count Bleck
- Start date
it is very tiny, lot of moves have weird angles and can miss smaller pokemon. alphas are also generally worse for this reason too
yeah I assume Geomancy takes way too long to go off in combination with all the steel types everywhere probably hurts it
death bird might be better than it in this mode
I think Emboar being C makes sense. I think it's good but Recoil as always is feast or famine and its hard to use Emboar when theres Chomps, Drills, and Gyarados everywhere. I've knocked out several Charizards instantly with Head Smash tho which is funny, lol.
Doublade being here is also really funny, Aegislash would probably be really good if it didn't take so long to switch stances.
Last edited:
Based on the ease of getting off early SD’s and CM’s with plenty of time remaining I doubt that’ll be the issue. More with the steel types. Fortunately I won’t have to wait much to trial it, I leveled my Xerneas and hyper trained it etc purely for the Zygarde battle.
I think swords dance and calm mind are considerably faster than geomancy is, the latter feels like over 2 times as long as calm mind. I guess you could just use calm mind instead lol
I mean, I usually have a ton of spare time cos I’ll target one mon from as far as I can and hold back while they all start until I can come in and attack.
I have to ask, has anyone found a viable or even niche strategy for using Falinks? I feel like it has zero good defensive moves and its coverage options (Megahorn, Iron head, Knock off, Rock Slide) you'd only use against pokemon that absolutely demolish it (psychic types, fairy types, psychic types, flying types). No Retreat is too clunky to use and doesn't last long, is the only way to use it to babysit it with dual screens?
Right now I'm just praying he gets a good ability in base game
Right now I'm just praying he gets a good ability in base game
As if Pokemon EV spreads couldn't get even dumber in the game where everything is dropping speed like its alternator fell out, we have a wild situation going on with Yveltal.
From my current understanding, the damage formula got a pillow thrown at it with a damage reduction multiplier. Outside of that, as far as I'm aware, we're still dealing with the same 15 year old formula we've come to know and low roll.
We've assembled a perfect storm of stupid:
Plug both spreads into a damage calc and you can see why. They take comparable damage percentage wise, the slightest bit 1% more bulk on the HP one, but the amount drained with Oblivion Wing is massive. Since you have lower HP and you're just taking chunks of your opponent's raw HP value (NOT a percentage), you are gaining back a larger percent of your total HP with your dinky EV spread. It's kind of like how Leech Seed Pokemon have occasionally dropped their HP IV to 0 over the years to get bigger percentages of their HP back for easier substitutes.
So hey, if you're planning on Yveltaling next season and want to oblivion wing a bunch, make sure your spread is, uhh, optimal?
From my current understanding, the damage formula got a pillow thrown at it with a damage reduction multiplier. Outside of that, as far as I'm aware, we're still dealing with the same 15 year old formula we've come to know and low roll.
We've assembled a perfect storm of stupid:
- Yveltal is one of the handful of Pokemon out there with HP higher than its defenses, so boosting HP isn't the automatic best mixed bulk investment.
- Yveltal really really likes its draining move oblivion wing
- Speed is seemingly a very minor contributing factor to Pokemon success this stage of play in the metagame (like the actual definition of metagame) and you have little reason to invest in it.
Plug both spreads into a damage calc and you can see why. They take comparable damage percentage wise, the slightest bit 1% more bulk on the HP one, but the amount drained with Oblivion Wing is massive. Since you have lower HP and you're just taking chunks of your opponent's raw HP value (NOT a percentage), you are gaining back a larger percent of your total HP with your dinky EV spread. It's kind of like how Leech Seed Pokemon have occasionally dropped their HP IV to 0 over the years to get bigger percentages of their HP back for easier substitutes.
So hey, if you're planning on Yveltaling next season and want to oblivion wing a bunch, make sure your spread is, uhh, optimal?
Last edited:
Maanged to get to Rank A a few days ago, and I wanted to share my team about it. I wanted to center my team around Krookodile because it's my favourite mon, so this is my team:
(Disclaimer: The mons in my team didn't have maxed ivs, as I have don't have much bottle caps)
Krookodile @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Gunk Shot
Earthquake and Crunch were used as its STABs, and it can help against Metagross, one of the most strongest mons in the meta. Gunk Shot was supposed to help it against Fairies like Mega Gardevoir, Clefable and Mega Meganium. I initially had thunder fang to deal with Talonflame and Gyarados, but I slotted it Stone Edge instead to deal with Glaceon, Salamence and Dragonite whilst also dealing with Talonflame. Assault Vest was used to help it's middiling special bulk. In practice, it was ok.
I think problems started with the fact that it's helpless against Skarmory, and when I try to counter Fairies with Gunk Shot, I hesitate because I get scared lol. It's an ok mon, but it doesn't compare to my other two mons.
I have seen tier lists where Krookodile has a niche but I still don't know what niche he provides to the meta.
Skarmory-Mega @ Skarmorite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Brave Bird
- Drill Run
Skarmory I thought would be a good teammate to Krookodile as it resists Grass, Fairy and Dragon attacks, whilst Krookodile helps Skarmory back with its electrical immunity. Skarmory is there to deal with Fairies with Iron Head, Drill Run to deal with other Steels like Excadrill and Metagross whilst Brave Bird has mostly been used to rush in close against opposing mons.
Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
This is probably my MVP of the team. I slotted in Thunderbolt to deal with regular Gyarados and against Mega Skarmory (after a calm mind) should it feel unthreatened against it. I used Moonblast over Dazzling Gleam as I preferred to use it as a sniper to hit it from far away. The reason is because whilst Gardevoir can take on Dragons and Dark types, it will struggle to defend itself against Garchomp's Earthquake or Mega Gyarados's Waterfall. Maybe Gardevoir works better for me because I prefer to play safe from a far distance, but maybe hitting enemies up close won't be so bad from me either. The other significant downside is that when I use Gardevoir, it tends to be surprise attacked by Metagross.
All in all, I did have fun playing in Season 1 thanks to my team. If there was a countermeasure to the team, it probably would be Metagross, as it would kill Gardevoir-Mega with Heavy Slam, and Krookodile can't switch in safely against Metagross's Heavy Slam or Ice Punch. It can also take on Skarmory (Mega or not) with Thunder Punch as well.
(Disclaimer: The mons in my team didn't have maxed ivs, as I have don't have much bottle caps)
Krookodile @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Gunk Shot
Earthquake and Crunch were used as its STABs, and it can help against Metagross, one of the most strongest mons in the meta. Gunk Shot was supposed to help it against Fairies like Mega Gardevoir, Clefable and Mega Meganium. I initially had thunder fang to deal with Talonflame and Gyarados, but I slotted it Stone Edge instead to deal with Glaceon, Salamence and Dragonite whilst also dealing with Talonflame. Assault Vest was used to help it's middiling special bulk. In practice, it was ok.
I think problems started with the fact that it's helpless against Skarmory, and when I try to counter Fairies with Gunk Shot, I hesitate because I get scared lol. It's an ok mon, but it doesn't compare to my other two mons.
I have seen tier lists where Krookodile has a niche but I still don't know what niche he provides to the meta.
Skarmory-Mega @ Skarmorite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Brave Bird
- Drill Run
Skarmory I thought would be a good teammate to Krookodile as it resists Grass, Fairy and Dragon attacks, whilst Krookodile helps Skarmory back with its electrical immunity. Skarmory is there to deal with Fairies with Iron Head, Drill Run to deal with other Steels like Excadrill and Metagross whilst Brave Bird has mostly been used to rush in close against opposing mons.
Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic
This is probably my MVP of the team. I slotted in Thunderbolt to deal with regular Gyarados and against Mega Skarmory (after a calm mind) should it feel unthreatened against it. I used Moonblast over Dazzling Gleam as I preferred to use it as a sniper to hit it from far away. The reason is because whilst Gardevoir can take on Dragons and Dark types, it will struggle to defend itself against Garchomp's Earthquake or Mega Gyarados's Waterfall. Maybe Gardevoir works better for me because I prefer to play safe from a far distance, but maybe hitting enemies up close won't be so bad from me either. The other significant downside is that when I use Gardevoir, it tends to be surprise attacked by Metagross.
All in all, I did have fun playing in Season 1 thanks to my team. If there was a countermeasure to the team, it probably would be Metagross, as it would kill Gardevoir-Mega with Heavy Slam, and Krookodile can't switch in safely against Metagross's Heavy Slam or Ice Punch. It can also take on Skarmory (Mega or not) with Thunder Punch as well.
Did the last stretch to A rank pretty easily after using some in-game pokemon up to rank K-ish. I think this squad only got third like once and never touched 4th. Wanted to share them since they felt like a nice squad with some new and old toys:
Garchomp @ Yache Berry
EV: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant
-Dragon Rush
-Dig
-Thunder Fang
-Swords Dance
Use Yache Berry! Use Yache berry it's so nice! I had so many Gyarados and Feraligatr come up to me and try to disrespect me with Ice Punch only to get immediately blown out. Dig is a little greedy on my part, but I liked the homing snipe. Thunder Fang is so quick and so nice for coverage; it farmed so many Gyarados and gave me a great low cast time option.
Skarmory @ Skarmorite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant
-Fly
-Aerial Ace
-Drill Run
-Swords Dance
Reliving the days of Gen 4 OU with Garchomp and a Skarmory hanging around to tank other Garchomps! Just amazing defensive synergy with Garchomp that's so obvious your mother could tell you about it. Had to try the new offensive Skarm and it hits pretty great. Opted for Aerial Ace over Steel-Type coverage since it let me pick up quick kills if I just missed a knock out. Did not pine for the Steel-type coverage at all since Flying's neautral coverage carries so hard anyway.
Glaceon @ Nevermeltice
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA
Modest
-Ice Beam
-Freeze Dry
-Shadow Ball
-Calm Mind
It's a rule set where Glaceon is good, how can you not use it? Pairs nicely with this team since my Steel-type doesn't resist Ice. Shadow Ball is cool and all, but damn, my inner timmy just wants to drop my match up vs steel-types all togther and go maximum baller mode for Hyper Beam.
This mode makes Pokemon battling so fun! It's really cool seeing your Pokemon actually shooting gigantic-ass lasers for once. Only wish the rewards were a little nicer. I don't need more mega shards, give me bottle caps since you insist on bringing your terrible IV system back!
Garchomp @ Yache Berry
EV: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant
-Dragon Rush
-Dig
-Thunder Fang
-Swords Dance
Use Yache Berry! Use Yache berry it's so nice! I had so many Gyarados and Feraligatr come up to me and try to disrespect me with Ice Punch only to get immediately blown out. Dig is a little greedy on my part, but I liked the homing snipe. Thunder Fang is so quick and so nice for coverage; it farmed so many Gyarados and gave me a great low cast time option.
Skarmory @ Skarmorite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant
-Fly
-Aerial Ace
-Drill Run
-Swords Dance
Reliving the days of Gen 4 OU with Garchomp and a Skarmory hanging around to tank other Garchomps! Just amazing defensive synergy with Garchomp that's so obvious your mother could tell you about it. Had to try the new offensive Skarm and it hits pretty great. Opted for Aerial Ace over Steel-Type coverage since it let me pick up quick kills if I just missed a knock out. Did not pine for the Steel-type coverage at all since Flying's neautral coverage carries so hard anyway.
Glaceon @ Nevermeltice
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA
Modest
-Ice Beam
-Freeze Dry
-Shadow Ball
-Calm Mind
It's a rule set where Glaceon is good, how can you not use it? Pairs nicely with this team since my Steel-type doesn't resist Ice. Shadow Ball is cool and all, but damn, my inner timmy just wants to drop my match up vs steel-types all togther and go maximum baller mode for Hyper Beam.
This mode makes Pokemon battling so fun! It's really cool seeing your Pokemon actually shooting gigantic-ass lasers for once. Only wish the rewards were a little nicer. I don't need more mega shards, give me bottle caps since you insist on bringing your terrible IV system back!
I'm not sure if this qualifies as a niche, but I've found it as a good surprise revenge killer at the last moment. If opponents are fighting far away, I've found it easy to mega evolve, set up a No Retreat, and then Close Combat the area. I usually get 2 kills on average out of this when all the right conditions align. Mega Falinks can also be a good counter to the emerging anti-meta Ice-type counters (Glaceon, Froslass) with STAB Close Combat/Brick Break
Made it to rank A the other day. This is the team I used for the last handful of ranks. Garchomp and T-Tar were Alpha Sized. Garchomp was used as a scout and was getting a bunch of KO off the jump. T-Tar is bulky as hell and can surprisingly survive some big hits and KO in return. Mega Charizard Y hits like a nuke and a +Heat Wave can hit multiple enemies for huge damage. Solar Beam is an instant attack when Charizard is Mega Evolved and Dragon Pulse is to hit all of these dragons running around.
Garchomp (M) @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Rush
- Earthquake
- Dig
Tyranitar (M) @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dig
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Charizard (M) @ Charizardite Y
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Garchomp (M) @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Rush
- Earthquake
- Dig
Tyranitar (M) @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dig
- Earthquake
- Crunch
Charizard (M) @ Charizardite Y
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Got to Rank A two days ago so might as well share what I used!
Teambuilding this was pretty straightforward because I had a pretty great idea of what I wanted to play. I started with Clefable and Skarmory as I felt these two had pretty interesting matchups in the metagame. Clefable can win against a wide variety of common Pokémon such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Garchomp, Feraligatr, or Greninja. The idea is that it forces them out so it can very easily set up Calm Mind at the beginning of the game. With sufficient defensive investments, it can even catch off guard and win against the likes of Skarmory or Excadrill! Skarmory was chosen as a defensive backbone providing insurance against Pokémon such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Meganium, Dragonite, and similarly using its defensive profile to set up a Swords Dance freely. When Mega-evolved, Skarmory takes on a more offensive profile as well, but as I spam a lot of plus moves with Clefable, I don't often Mega-Evolve it (or at all).
At that point, I lacked a check for Fire-types such as Charizard, Emboar and Chandelure, and for Electric-types such as Ampharos or the rare Stunfisk. I first wanted to use Swampert but very quickly realized that it was not in the dex (I hadn't seen all Pokémon in it when theorybuilding this so please do forgive me for my past ignorance). Next best thing was Garchomp, whose options allow to damage a wide range of Pokémon thanks to its large Earthquake and Dragon Rush. This thing is the king of multi-prize kills, though it is quite susceptible to Ice-types if Clefable and Skarmory are weakened too much. Garchomp is also often my Mega of choice in this team, but I would be lying if I said I didn't just spam Plus Earthquake and Dragon Rush when using it.
I then shuffled the team because Garchomp being in the middle made my swaps much easier.
Generally, this team's thing is either to set up on unsuspecting opponents and use the boosts to flip matchups on their heads, or to snipe people who will tend to fight against each other because they are generally discouraged from facing me at the outset by Clefable's bulk and wide array of options. Garchomp and Clefable are the main damage-dealers of this team, while Skarmory is moreso here as a defensive piece, but the latter is still not to be underestimated for its unique profile. Plus moves are the main source of damage here so I often find I perhaps may not be Mega-Evolving as much as I want to? I don't know.
Clefable @ Expert Belt
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
This Clefable is my lead of choice, and often has had very favorable matchups upon entry during my rank A grind. It utilizes this to good effect to set up Calm Minds and from there either snipe opponents fighting amongst each other or surprise would-be checks with its coverage options. Indeed, this Clefable has been EVd to tank the likes of Swords Dance-boosted Iron Head from Excadrill, which lets it get the jump on a maximal number of threats very early. Its very good bulk also means that in a pinch, it is often a good soft-check into pesky Ice-types and Greninja targeting my Garchomp. Moonblast is a very useful STAB, while Fire Blast allows to beat Steel-types switching into it. As for Thunderbolt, it is a tracking move that is very effective into Water-types, especially when Plus and/or Calm Mind-boosted. At first, this used a Rocky Helmet, and I've considered a Sitrus Berry, but I eventually settled for the Expert Belt to get extra power as I felt I was not hitting hard enough in the early game otherwise. This thing's bulk will mean you will very often not be the weak link in the lead, and thus not be targeted and have free reign to do your things. It also checks the common Dragon-types and Greninja. You generally do not want to stay in against stuff like Metagross though.
Garchomp @ Garchompite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 156 Def / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Fang
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Dragon Rush
Garchomp is very good at damage dealing, and I very often send it out when there is in-fighting to make the most out of its Alpha-sized Earthquakes. It and Dragon Rush felt like no-brainers, as the second move allows Garchomp to reposition and snipe from somewhat afar, while also avoiding some moves thanks to its disappearing animation. Otherwise, it generally is my switch-in of choice against Metagross, Ampharos, and Fire-types such as Emboar, Charizard or Camerupt. It also soft-checks similar stuff to Skarmory, allowing to alleviate some pressure off it or to go for a more offensive stance against Steel-types. Because of all the Ice-type moves around, I have dedicated a slot to Protect. It is a huge help to throw off and severely weaken the likes of opposing Charizard, Feraligatr and even beat weakened Glaceon or Gardevoir with less fear, or just to stay alive an extra few seconds to score damage or kills, or to swap out. This thing's gameplay is all about avoiding moves that hit it hard, which is also part of the reason why I am using a Garchompite for these few yummy I-frames. The extra Speed allows move cooldowns to stay the same after Mega-Evolving if I understand Speed mechanics correctly(? Idk that's what Reddit seemed to be saying, if not, invest that in SpDef for better bulk against Chandelure), while the Defense is great to survive Outrage from various other Dragons. Thunder Fang's slot still is a question for me to this day because I feel Stone Edge could be as effective, but the extra Electric coverage is helpful against Gyradaos and Skarmory on occasion.
Skarmory @ Skarmorite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Atk / 228 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Steel Wing
- Drill Run
- Swords Dance
Last but not least is Skarmory, which is also one of the new Megas of the game! So I mainly use it as an emergency-check to Ice-types, Steel-types (which often have trouble hitting it if not named Metagross), Dragon-types (when Clefable has been weakened), and Meganium. This thing's durability allows it to easily set up Swords Dances, which is why I've been foregoing a maximal Attack investment in the favor of Special Defense points that prove useful in surviving a Mystical Fire from Gardevoir or attacks from Greninja or Ice-types as a Steel-type that doesn't resist Ice. Brave Bird and Drill Run let Skarmory close in on opponents quite easily, while Steel Wing has more range than Iron Head (I've actually been using Iron Head during my grind but the range is geniunely atrocious). In a pinch, Mega-Skarmory gets extra Attack and special bulk to turn some even matchups into wins.
: Would you believe me if I said having no Ice-resist is rough? My go-tos are Clefable and Skarmory but Glaceon will often deal non-negligible damage while I'm in the process of checking it, though Calm Minding or Swords Dancing on it has been very serviceable for long-term damage.
: Tricky because my main check to this, Garchomp, can be hit very hard now that it gains a STAB on Dragon moves, evening its matchup against my team. I still can often handle it with my Garchomp's Earthquake or Dragon Rush, and Clefable can also be of help as it forces it to damage itself with Flare Blitz.
: I have faced Chandelure a few times during my climb and it was never an easy task because it does not really fear Clefable and has a field time when Skarmory is out. My main hope against this is Garchomp, which may get sniped by others during this face-off. Also, Mega-Chandelure's additional bulk often lets it live an Earthquake. I have to be extra careful when I see this.
: This one is tricky to deal with because it has an even or favorable matchup against all my team members. In case I see it, I will try to use other players' greed to my advantage to weaken it and swoop in with finishing moves. Skarmory and Clefable can tank it in a pinch, but only Garchomp hits it hard enough, so I often make use of Protect against it as well. It's a very uncomfortable matchup.
: This thing's elemental punches are pretty tricky to deal with. My answer to this is very often Garchomp, which can Protect on a stray Ice Punch and hit back with a strong Earthquake, or Skarmory, which still needs to be wary of Thunder Punch. Clefable can't really work its magic here as this thing has too high an attack when it Mega-Evolves. Also Heavy Slam is annoying for its ability to throw off attack and switch timings.
I already am theorybuilding a team for Season 2, which will make Xerneas and Yveltal playable. I don't know what to think of that. But in the meantime, thank you for reading this. I will make another post if the Season 2 grind goes smoothly.
Teambuilding this was pretty straightforward because I had a pretty great idea of what I wanted to play. I started with Clefable and Skarmory as I felt these two had pretty interesting matchups in the metagame. Clefable can win against a wide variety of common Pokémon such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Garchomp, Feraligatr, or Greninja. The idea is that it forces them out so it can very easily set up Calm Mind at the beginning of the game. With sufficient defensive investments, it can even catch off guard and win against the likes of Skarmory or Excadrill! Skarmory was chosen as a defensive backbone providing insurance against Pokémon such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Meganium, Dragonite, and similarly using its defensive profile to set up a Swords Dance freely. When Mega-evolved, Skarmory takes on a more offensive profile as well, but as I spam a lot of plus moves with Clefable, I don't often Mega-Evolve it (or at all).
At that point, I lacked a check for Fire-types such as Charizard, Emboar and Chandelure, and for Electric-types such as Ampharos or the rare Stunfisk. I first wanted to use Swampert but very quickly realized that it was not in the dex (I hadn't seen all Pokémon in it when theorybuilding this so please do forgive me for my past ignorance). Next best thing was Garchomp, whose options allow to damage a wide range of Pokémon thanks to its large Earthquake and Dragon Rush. This thing is the king of multi-prize kills, though it is quite susceptible to Ice-types if Clefable and Skarmory are weakened too much. Garchomp is also often my Mega of choice in this team, but I would be lying if I said I didn't just spam Plus Earthquake and Dragon Rush when using it.
I then shuffled the team because Garchomp being in the middle made my swaps much easier.
Generally, this team's thing is either to set up on unsuspecting opponents and use the boosts to flip matchups on their heads, or to snipe people who will tend to fight against each other because they are generally discouraged from facing me at the outset by Clefable's bulk and wide array of options. Garchomp and Clefable are the main damage-dealers of this team, while Skarmory is moreso here as a defensive piece, but the latter is still not to be underestimated for its unique profile. Plus moves are the main source of damage here so I often find I perhaps may not be Mega-Evolving as much as I want to? I don't know.
Clefable @ Expert Belt
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 76 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
This Clefable is my lead of choice, and often has had very favorable matchups upon entry during my rank A grind. It utilizes this to good effect to set up Calm Minds and from there either snipe opponents fighting amongst each other or surprise would-be checks with its coverage options. Indeed, this Clefable has been EVd to tank the likes of Swords Dance-boosted Iron Head from Excadrill, which lets it get the jump on a maximal number of threats very early. Its very good bulk also means that in a pinch, it is often a good soft-check into pesky Ice-types and Greninja targeting my Garchomp. Moonblast is a very useful STAB, while Fire Blast allows to beat Steel-types switching into it. As for Thunderbolt, it is a tracking move that is very effective into Water-types, especially when Plus and/or Calm Mind-boosted. At first, this used a Rocky Helmet, and I've considered a Sitrus Berry, but I eventually settled for the Expert Belt to get extra power as I felt I was not hitting hard enough in the early game otherwise. This thing's bulk will mean you will very often not be the weak link in the lead, and thus not be targeted and have free reign to do your things. It also checks the common Dragon-types and Greninja. You generally do not want to stay in against stuff like Metagross though.
Garchomp @ Garchompite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 156 Def / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Fang
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Dragon Rush
Garchomp is very good at damage dealing, and I very often send it out when there is in-fighting to make the most out of its Alpha-sized Earthquakes. It and Dragon Rush felt like no-brainers, as the second move allows Garchomp to reposition and snipe from somewhat afar, while also avoiding some moves thanks to its disappearing animation. Otherwise, it generally is my switch-in of choice against Metagross, Ampharos, and Fire-types such as Emboar, Charizard or Camerupt. It also soft-checks similar stuff to Skarmory, allowing to alleviate some pressure off it or to go for a more offensive stance against Steel-types. Because of all the Ice-type moves around, I have dedicated a slot to Protect. It is a huge help to throw off and severely weaken the likes of opposing Charizard, Feraligatr and even beat weakened Glaceon or Gardevoir with less fear, or just to stay alive an extra few seconds to score damage or kills, or to swap out. This thing's gameplay is all about avoiding moves that hit it hard, which is also part of the reason why I am using a Garchompite for these few yummy I-frames. The extra Speed allows move cooldowns to stay the same after Mega-Evolving if I understand Speed mechanics correctly(? Idk that's what Reddit seemed to be saying, if not, invest that in SpDef for better bulk against Chandelure), while the Defense is great to survive Outrage from various other Dragons. Thunder Fang's slot still is a question for me to this day because I feel Stone Edge could be as effective, but the extra Electric coverage is helpful against Gyradaos and Skarmory on occasion.
Skarmory @ Skarmorite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Atk / 228 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Steel Wing
- Drill Run
- Swords Dance
Last but not least is Skarmory, which is also one of the new Megas of the game! So I mainly use it as an emergency-check to Ice-types, Steel-types (which often have trouble hitting it if not named Metagross), Dragon-types (when Clefable has been weakened), and Meganium. This thing's durability allows it to easily set up Swords Dances, which is why I've been foregoing a maximal Attack investment in the favor of Special Defense points that prove useful in surviving a Mystical Fire from Gardevoir or attacks from Greninja or Ice-types as a Steel-type that doesn't resist Ice. Brave Bird and Drill Run let Skarmory close in on opponents quite easily, while Steel Wing has more range than Iron Head (I've actually been using Iron Head during my grind but the range is geniunely atrocious). In a pinch, Mega-Skarmory gets extra Attack and special bulk to turn some even matchups into wins.
I already am theorybuilding a team for Season 2, which will make Xerneas and Yveltal playable. I don't know what to think of that. But in the meantime, thank you for reading this. I will make another post if the Season 2 grind goes smoothly.
This may mean that Zygarde is available in season 3,
Which terrifies me
What about going all in on defense EVs and just slapping on an assault vest to make up for the lack of spdef investment? That puts Yveltal at even better bulk on both ends than the set you suggested, and there aren't exactly a ton of amazing status moves in this game that it would really be missing out on, either. Since HDB and the choice items also aren't here (and no abilities, so black glasses don't have the dark aura synergy), the only other item Yveltal would want to run would be life orb, which activates the recoil only after draining moves already heal, iirc. Obviously, an AV set wouldn't hit as hard as LO, but that might not matter too much if you focus your gameplan on picking off already weakened opponents.
Also, what non-oblivion wing moves would Yveltal go for? I'm thinking something like dark pulse/heat wave/secret 3rd thing could be a solid set for maximum range and coverage, but I haven't really played too much of the pvp so I've got no clue if those moves are actually good or not.
I’m running pretty much this exact yveltal for next month. Oblivion wing is your main attack for healing, though it stunlocks you for a long time. Dark pulse is second STAB for most flying resists and shreds metagross. Heat wave is almost exclusively for Skarmory, and I run Focus blast as the 4th for Tyranitars or the odd rock type I might run into. Random stuff like dedenne or tyrantrum (my MVP this season with head smash) will give you trouble but honestly, I’m betting most teams will run both xerneas and yveltal, which will almost force most players to run something capable of mega in the third slot.
Xerneas and mega-electric types are going to be enemy #1 for yveltal, so you need to pair it with something that can take it out. Mega-excadrill is the natural choice as the third as it stuffs Xerneas with Iron Head and murders any electric/rock/ice/poison/steel you’d come across (except mega Skarm) which Xern and Yveltal both really appreciate.
Xerneas and mega-electric types are going to be enemy #1 for yveltal, so you need to pair it with something that can take it out. Mega-excadrill is the natural choice as the third as it stuffs Xerneas with Iron Head and murders any electric/rock/ice/poison/steel you’d come across (except mega Skarm) which Xern and Yveltal both really appreciate.
I'm just wondering for Ranked Season 2 whether Mega Mawile would be a good fit for the meta, considering the prescense of Yveltal and Xerneas:
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk, Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Dynamic Punch/Knock Off
- Swords Dance
Xerneas does have the typing to resist both Xerneas's and Yveltal's stabs, with Iron Head and Play Rough respectively. Its typing can also allow it to handle Dragons like Salamence and Dragonite, other Fairy types like Mega Gardevoir and Clefable.
Mawile can use Dynamic Punch to handle Excadrill after a swords dance (as well as Tyranitar), whilst Knock Off can be used to remove non-mega pokemon's items like Yveltal's big root or berries from other mons.
The reason I'm thinking it might fit better than Excadrill is because whilst it can handle Xerneas, it's only option to handle Yveltal is Rock Slide, which can take too long to execute (it doesn't get Stone Edge for some reason).
Mawile does have its own downsides, like it can't handle Metagross outside of Fire Fang and it will struggle to beat Excadrill and Garchomp because of their supereffective ground attacks. Mawile can struggle against other Fire Types like Talonflame or Mega Emboar.
It also can't take a hit when it isn't Mega, so it would need teammates to collect Mega energy for her.
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk, Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Iron Head
- Dynamic Punch/Knock Off
- Swords Dance
Xerneas does have the typing to resist both Xerneas's and Yveltal's stabs, with Iron Head and Play Rough respectively. Its typing can also allow it to handle Dragons like Salamence and Dragonite, other Fairy types like Mega Gardevoir and Clefable.
Mawile can use Dynamic Punch to handle Excadrill after a swords dance (as well as Tyranitar), whilst Knock Off can be used to remove non-mega pokemon's items like Yveltal's big root or berries from other mons.
The reason I'm thinking it might fit better than Excadrill is because whilst it can handle Xerneas, it's only option to handle Yveltal is Rock Slide, which can take too long to execute (it doesn't get Stone Edge for some reason).
Mawile does have its own downsides, like it can't handle Metagross outside of Fire Fang and it will struggle to beat Excadrill and Garchomp because of their supereffective ground attacks. Mawile can struggle against other Fire Types like Talonflame or Mega Emboar.
It also can't take a hit when it isn't Mega, so it would need teammates to collect Mega energy for her.
Im a bit worried about Xerneas and Yveltal joining the format, so far you can get away with almost anything as long as you have some type variety, but these two ball of stats may be too much to ignore when deciding what mons to run, but it will depend on how seriously people play I guess, hopefully it stays semi casual so I can still run Simipour and other silly mons whenever I feel like.
So how would you consider building Xerneas in the meta currently, in terms of preparing for Season 2?
I find the combat in Z/A enjoyable, and I managed to get the Greningite easily. Here's the team I used to get to Rank I so far:
Raichu (F) @ Expert Belt
EVs: 4 HP/252 Sp.Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Thunderbolt
Surf
Volt Switch
Protect
I EV Trained Raichu to prepare for the DLC coming soon which excites me. It does well, but it cannot take much hits. Raichu's pretty much the glass cannon lead of my team since it relies on quick KOs to Water and Flying types.
Scizor (M) @ Life Orb
EVs: 120 HP/252 Atk/136 Spe
Nature: Adamant
Lunge
Bullet Punch
Close Combat
Swords Dance
Since I remember just how strong Scizor is in the current metagame, I've decided to give Scizor a whirl in this game too. And to no surprise, it does well. It is the answer to Excadrill, but not to Fire types like Charizard, Chandelure, and others who learn Fire type moves.
Dragonite (M) @ Dragoninite
EVs: 4 HP/252 Sp. Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Draco Meteor
Hurricane
Flamethrower
Extremespeed
I'm so delighted that one of my favorite Pokemon got a Mega Evolution. So, this is my main for my trio. Dragonite focuses on hitting hard and scoring multiple KOs. When an opponent is badly damaged with a silver a health left, it uses Extremespeed to finish them off. But, like all dragons, it has trouble with Gardevoirs, Clefables and Ice type attacks from every corner. That's why Scizor's there.
Overall, I feel like I'm on the right track to reaching Rank A, but there's still improvements to be made. Especially when Garchomps and Chandelures are in my opinion, the top threats of the team. I plan on switching Raichu for either Ampharos or Greninja later on.
Raichu (F) @ Expert Belt
EVs: 4 HP/252 Sp.Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Thunderbolt
Surf
Volt Switch
Protect
I EV Trained Raichu to prepare for the DLC coming soon which excites me. It does well, but it cannot take much hits. Raichu's pretty much the glass cannon lead of my team since it relies on quick KOs to Water and Flying types.
Scizor (M) @ Life Orb
EVs: 120 HP/252 Atk/136 Spe
Nature: Adamant
Lunge
Bullet Punch
Close Combat
Swords Dance
Since I remember just how strong Scizor is in the current metagame, I've decided to give Scizor a whirl in this game too. And to no surprise, it does well. It is the answer to Excadrill, but not to Fire types like Charizard, Chandelure, and others who learn Fire type moves.
Dragonite (M) @ Dragoninite
EVs: 4 HP/252 Sp. Atk/252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Draco Meteor
Hurricane
Flamethrower
Extremespeed
I'm so delighted that one of my favorite Pokemon got a Mega Evolution. So, this is my main for my trio. Dragonite focuses on hitting hard and scoring multiple KOs. When an opponent is badly damaged with a silver a health left, it uses Extremespeed to finish them off. But, like all dragons, it has trouble with Gardevoirs, Clefables and Ice type attacks from every corner. That's why Scizor's there.
Overall, I feel like I'm on the right track to reaching Rank A, but there's still improvements to be made. Especially when Garchomps and Chandelures are in my opinion, the top threats of the team. I plan on switching Raichu for either Ampharos or Greninja later on.
Terrifying however
252+ SpA Never-Melt Ice Glaceon Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zygarde-Mega: 460-544 (142.4 - 168.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I do not need to worry
I personally don’t think the meta will change TOO much just cause the best Pokemon currently already check both XY mons but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow how wrong I am
I presume many Xerneas will run a Tbolt for Skarm and Gyarados.
Correct! TBolt, Calm Mind/Geomancy, Moonblast, and last move can be something like Focus Blast to check opposing steals like Excadrill, or simply as another nuke move
I want to try a 
+ 
core for Season 2:
Yveltal @ Assault Vest / Life Orb
EVs: 124 Def / 252 SpA / 132 SpD
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave / Taunt
- Oblivion Wing
- Snarl / Heal Block
I'm flip-flopping between AV or Life Orb. AV gives Yveltal passive Special bulk and will let it take at least one Xerneas Moonblast. AV + Snarl will ensure special attackers will have a tough time taking this thing down. However, a Life Orb + Heal Block set came to my mind. HB will prevent opposing Yveltal from healing with Oblivion Wing, allowing mine to win the mirror match in the end. If HB gets picked up by other Yveltal, I could also slot Taunt to stop their HBs from going off. I'll see how the meta develops.
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Thunder Punch
- Iron Head
- Play Rough
- Dynamic Punch
The Uber-slayer. Has positive matchups into both Xerneas and Yveltal (have to watch out for Heat Wave, though), while threatening Dragons and other Fairy-types. Dynamic Punch is here primarily for Excadrill, which I feel is one of Mawile's worst matchups otherwise. If Gyarados remains a common presence, I might swap SD out for Thunder Punch.
sounds strong, but will need quite a bit of support. Pre-mega Mawile is terrible, and I can't see myself wanting to use it without its Mega. Ground-types feast on it, hence why I want to protect Mega Mawile from the many Earthquakes, Digs, and Drill Runs. Ground-types also typically pack Rock coverage for Flying-types, which Yveltal won't like. I can see Fire-types being a problem, as well, since they'll be around to tank Xerneas's Fairy moves. So for my last slot:
Slowbro @ Slowbronite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Flamethrower
- Light Screen
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Slowbro will take on Fire- and Ground-types for Mega Mawile, as well as Mega Metagross, and is competent enough in base form to gather Mega energy for Mawile. Mega Slowbro can be an alternate Mega option if the lobby is primarily physical. Slowbro will hate the Ubers, but I have those matchups covered already. Slowbro is here to help take on everyone else.
Edit: turns out Slowbro can’t learn Reflect in ZA…so Flamethrower it is, for the better Metagross matchup.
+ core for Season 2:
Yveltal @ Assault Vest / Life Orb
EVs: 124 Def / 252 SpA / 132 SpD
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave / Taunt
- Oblivion Wing
- Snarl / Heal Block
I'm flip-flopping between AV or Life Orb. AV gives Yveltal passive Special bulk and will let it take at least one Xerneas Moonblast. AV + Snarl will ensure special attackers will have a tough time taking this thing down. However, a Life Orb + Heal Block set came to my mind. HB will prevent opposing Yveltal from healing with Oblivion Wing, allowing mine to win the mirror match in the end. If HB gets picked up by other Yveltal, I could also slot Taunt to stop their HBs from going off. I'll see how the meta develops.
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Thunder Punch
- Iron Head
- Play Rough
- Dynamic Punch
The Uber-slayer. Has positive matchups into both Xerneas and Yveltal (have to watch out for Heat Wave, though), while threatening Dragons and other Fairy-types. Dynamic Punch is here primarily for Excadrill, which I feel is one of Mawile's worst matchups otherwise. If Gyarados remains a common presence, I might swap SD out for Thunder Punch.
sounds strong, but will need quite a bit of support. Pre-mega Mawile is terrible, and I can't see myself wanting to use it without its Mega. Ground-types feast on it, hence why I want to protect Mega Mawile from the many Earthquakes, Digs, and Drill Runs. Ground-types also typically pack Rock coverage for Flying-types, which Yveltal won't like. I can see Fire-types being a problem, as well, since they'll be around to tank Xerneas's Fairy moves. So for my last slot:
Slowbro @ Slowbronite
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Flamethrower
- Light Screen
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Slowbro will take on Fire- and Ground-types for Mega Mawile, as well as Mega Metagross, and is competent enough in base form to gather Mega energy for Mawile. Mega Slowbro can be an alternate Mega option if the lobby is primarily physical. Slowbro will hate the Ubers, but I have those matchups covered already. Slowbro is here to help take on everyone else.
Edit: turns out Slowbro can’t learn Reflect in ZA…so Flamethrower it is, for the better Metagross matchup.
Last edited: