Pokemon Legends: Z-A Combat/PVP Discussion Thread

[Blitz]

Another fun climb! Reached A pretty quickly with a team centered on immediate, explosive power:


Tyrantrum @ Life Orb
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Head Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Iron Head
- Protect

Wanted to give Tyrantrum a try; it’s one of my favorite Kalos mons, and a Head Smash that doesn’t miss is too good to pass up! In practice, this thing just ends lives. Head Smash is VERY fast, with its utility being in destroying mostly any special attacker that doesn’t resist it before they even move, it being a good KO farm into brawls, and it heavily damaging if not outright KOing the 2 Restricteds. Dragon Claw is an excellent pick-me-off, and is your best tool into the omni-present Chomper. Iron Head, while normally a pretty mid option, I’d say is mandatory in this season, because it allows Tyrantrum to KO most Xerneas reliably after it takes a Head Smash. Of course, Protect is what allows this magic to happen, and the amount of cheeky Xerneas, Gardevoir, and Diancie I deleted after they cast a Fairy-move into me before the end of times was too good.

LO pushes all of these moves to proper power thresholds, but IS at odds with Tyrantrum’s most spammable move; one Head Smash is usually enough to chunk it into half. I actually think this is fine for 2 reasons: Tyrantrum’s power allows it to usually trade at worst, and because you can be greedy into when you choose to delete something due to Protect and switches. A common scenario I encountered was KOing smth with Tyrantrum, switching to my backline, then having a low HP Tyrantrum claim another KO while trading. More KOs overall = more wins, ez pz.

Tyrantrum is the goat, and super fun. Give it a shot!

EDIT: I’ve switched to Stone Edge over Iron Head. Still gets the Xern kill and is more reliable into everything else. Otherwise, this still cooks!


Chandelure @ Charcoal
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Overheat
- Calm Mind
- Protect

I’ll talk just a bit less about this than Tyrantrum, but it’s my favorite Pokémon so it gets a spot here. It also fits this team perfectly: it decimates a lot of Tyrantrum’s worse matchups like Metagross and Excadrill, and provides a proper Xern answer. We all know what Heat Wave does, but I doubled up on Overheat here since it’s quick, and Fire-type moves are very spammable in a Steel heavy meta. Calm Mind was originally Shadow Ball, but that move is slow and doesn’t actually hit a lot of relevant targets (essentially just… Delphox, and opposing Chandy). Hell, paired with Charcoal, CM is so downright ludicrous that resists to Overheat almost cease to exist at +1, and Heat Wave picks off brawls with ease. Protect is Protect, and unless you’re either running screens or lots of dodge spam, I unironically think you’re throwing if you don’t use this move.


Skarmory @ Skarmorite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Drill Run
- Swords Dance
- Protect

Still a top tier, and very simple in execution. Anchors the team by providing a sturdy Ground-immune, comes out after your Mega energy is filled, clicks SD, and then claims a million kills. Brave Bird + Drill Run is your bread-n-butter that hits everything, and Protect is the quintessential tool to delete Xern, and all those Fires/Electrics that think they can snipe you before meeting a swift end.
____

Initial meta impressions:


The stars of the show are Xerneas and Yveltal, so of course the format is tailored towards answering these AND answering the answers of these. Of note is that you can only run ONE of them on a given team, and since Xern is several orders of magnitude more ubiquitous than YGod, the meta is saturated with Steel-types to answer it, and Grounds/Fires to answer those.


Posters above have elaborated on the sheer magnitude of viable sets Xern can run, but I think the scariest thing you’ll ever face is a GeoXern behind screens with a trainer that knows what they’re doing. Do NOT be fooled by Geo’s charge time: Xerneas can tech items like Babiri or Quick Claw to make it easier to set up, and its upsides are absolutely massive: a trainer can go in, order a GeoXern to launch a move, then run away. Xern goes after its trainer and, in turn, out of range of many attacks. Due to its many homing attacks, it can do this forever and claim so many kills, and that added bulk with screens means it wins every trade… it’s not even funny. It IS the best mon in this format when supported and piloted right. Personal favorite set I’ve seen is Geo / Moonblast / Dazzle / Tbolt.


However, I also believe that Garchomp is very close to it: its matchup into all Xerneas answers is nothing short of amazing, and it still is one of the kings of 1v1ing whatever is in front of it. It loves this meta being so Xerneas favored, even if it’s not amazing into the deer itself.


YGod… underwhelming, but it’s just legitimately harder to justify when its counterpart stuffs it AND prevents its use altogether. However, I do think optimal YGod sets have yet to be truly crafted, and Theorymon saw one that has insane potential and upside: Fly / Phantom Force / Dragon Rush / Double Team. You too can channel your inner GeoXern by being unhittable :^)


Diancie is here (and legal), and it’s pretty mid so far. Most of the meta is built to answer Xern, and a lot of these also beat Diancie itself, doubly hard bc of its added weaknesses to Steel (rip), and Ground. It has an upside in probably being the best Yveltal answer, but that’s not something that’s in demand.


Mega Delphox is ok. I also agree that LO Phox is flat-out better, but LO is a very coveted item to have, and its matchup spread into Xern answers is still incredible lol.


Top tier things from last meta that are noticeably worse: Glaceon I think has been largely supplanted by Xern itself, and while it obviously still holds a niche, I find it very hard to justify with even more common things in the meta hostile against it. In a similar vein, Gardevoir and Floette are also much rarer since Xern is there to say “lol”.


Last thing I’ll say: Fairy-resistant Fire-types deserve more exploration. While Chandy and Delphox are already viable locks, things like Pyroar and even Flareon could stand out more since beating Xern is THAT important.

 

[TheMantyke]

PRO TIP: Improve your gameplay by making absolutely sure the Pokemon in your collection that use the same move ALWAYS have that move in the same slot / on the same button. Your brain will thank you for the mental shortcut. Got a dozen Pokemon with Protect? Make them all know it on the last slot so you’re not flubbing inputs.

So many embarassing moments burdening my soul trying to Swords Dance with Excadrill only for my monkey brain to press where the swords dance button is on Garchomp. You can’t fathom the regret I’ve felt accidentally sending my little mole out to iron head the fire-type watching him get instantly vaporized.

 

[Theorymon]

I was gonna making a personal viability list last season and forgot to LOL, and this season is def different so IDK when I'm doing that. That being said, some quick thoughts from someone whose gotten almost 100 bottle caps last night from playing too much!



Yeah Xerneas is totally the best mon right now, Blitz got into what makes this thing magic pretty well with its movement speed after Geomancy. I myself have actually been using Life Orb with Geomancy / Moonblast / Focus Blast / Psyshock (sometimes Thunderbolt > Focus Blast or Psyshock too). It's mostly a response to this metagame being packed full of people carrying multiple Xerneas checks (and the Xerneas team I was using sorta needing them gone lol). I also see some running Flash Cannon for the mirror match up, but I think more coverage is more worth it!

Shocking thing is... while I'd say Xerneas (and Garchomp, seriously!) are the two best mons in the format... Xerneas doesn't feel too busted to me? I think it might just be the real time aspect of this game and Xerneas not actually being amazing at crowd control meaning that the already large amount of Steel spam doesn't make it feel impossible.

That being said I think the dual screen Xerneas are secretly the most painful because they can snipe AND provide support. Speaking of that...



The other mon I think is the best of the format! You'd think Xerneas would be bad news for Garchomp... but with even more Steel spam, turns out Garchomp LOVES this! Combine with a lot of Xerneas having just Moonblast for Fairy STAB, and its very possible to catch Xerneas on a cooldown (or even Dig past the Moonblast), and start launching massive chunky Earthquakes that Alpha Mega Garchomp is known for!



Yveltal can feel underwhelming, but I have been using a Life Orb special attacker and have found that at the very least... a lot of the stuff people use for Xerneas like Metagross DONT like Yveltal, so I think it's still very much worth using. And like I said on Discord, I really want to try out that physical attacker homing set, think I'll do that when I get home tonight from my TCG local (or maybe even when I wait for it to start LOL)



Metagross is the premier steel type, but its in a bit of an odd spot. See, Heavy Slam doesnt really do a ton to Xerneas... so I use Iron Head too, but this DOES mean the occasional Gyarados can ruin your day since Thunder Punch is the move to go. Still, Metagross still seems pretty great too me, just maybe not top tier S ranked material like Xerneas and Garchomp!



Even with Xerneas having Thunderbolt, Skarmory still seems to be everywhere as the best Steel-type sweeper! Usually Fly or Protect can save you against Thunderbolt too, so this is still one of the prime mega evolutions as far as I'm concerned!



I think Mega Excadrill is still pretty damn good and does most of the same stuff its always done with Drill Run and big EQs when using the Alpha... but I do need to warn yall, don't trust its "bulk!" It still takes a lot from resisted Xerneas hits, and Focus Blast variants will straight up delete it. Still a great mon, but I wouldn't use it as a primary Xerneas check, more of a bug-out bag option against it!



OK Gamefreak knew what they were doing with releasing Mega Delphox now, because it does pretty well against Xerneas thanks to the resists and STAB Psyshock! I actually don't think Mega Delphox's stat spread is all that incredible, but with so many mons wanting that Life Orb, I think the mega is worth it, as well as dodging stuff as you Mega Evolve of course!

OK I'm next gonna talk about some pretty weird mons... who I will introduce with the two teams I alternated between to get to A rank!
Yveltal Team


Flareon @ Charcoal
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Flame Wheel
- Dig
- Swords Dance


Yveltal @ Life Orb
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Oblivion Wing
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave
- Focus Blast


Excadrill @ Excadrite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance

The basic jist of this team was: 2 Fairy resists, and I need a Ground-type because Ampharos rips me to shreds, hence the Excadrill. I realize I JUST warned people about using Excadrill to defensively check stuff LOL, and this is sorta why! That being said, Excadrill can still do its job if I play my cards right. Not having Drill Run is a bummer, but sniping Charizard with Rock Slide has felt pretty nice at least.

The weird part of course is Flareon! Yeah ZA continues its trend of making traditionally bleh Eeveelutions into something pretty usable! IMO its not Glaceon level from last season where "oh my god this is a major metagame threat", but with Xerneas being everywhere, having a physical Fire-type that RESIST Fairy and doesn't need to Mega Evolve is pretty handy, especially since Flareon has decent special bulk!

The cool thing is, boosted plus move Flare Blitz easily picks off Xerneas with a bit of chip. If you see a Xerneas Geomancying? Turns outSD boosted Flare Blitz WILL KO with Flame Wheel. Since both are charge moves, Flareon has been surprisngly adapt at coming into crowds with KOs under its belt. Dig is pretty much just "hit the Chandelures / dodge the Garchomps" sort of stuff. Just be warned, Flareon's physical bulk sucks, like even Metagross Heavy Slam seems to 2HKO it lol. Still, Flareon is shockingly decent!

Alright the Xerneas team has something way more unhinged that... maybe you shouldn't use unless you're as much of a freak as me LOL

Xerneas Team


Weepinbell @ Eviolite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Infestation
- Poison Jab
- Power Whip
- Toxic


Xerneas @ Life Orb
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Psyshock / Thunderbolt
- Geomancy


Delphox @ Delphoxite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot

Yep... that Weepinbell is serious! It's not "much" bulkier than Victreebel, and its certainly not bulkier than Whirlipede, but it does have an electric resist, and that's handy when using Infestation against Xerneas! I must have knocked out like, 30-50 Xerneas last night with this thing which is hilarious. You trap them with Infestation then Toxic. The funny part is, most Xerneas start bolting out like a spooked horse once they realize what you've done... which often gets you the kill because they often avoid contact with other foes! But if you catch up to them, often times they WILL be in Poison Jab's KO range. So unlike Whirlipede, Weepinbel has actual "offense" lol.

In reality I should probably give AV Victreebel a try, but I do lose out on Toxic which is a bummer. Infestation straight up feels like a troll move at times since sometimes it benefits another foe instead of you, but still, I think its cheese well worth exploring! Just, you don't have to be crazy like me and use Weepinbell LOL

I should note: The Weepinbell is an alpha because Infestation's range sucks, but I actually use an XS Delphox to try and get under Yveltal. However Alpha Delphox probably has a bigger Heat Wave and is easier to get if you need that!

 

[Vengeance417]

Scolipede @ Scolipite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
- Megahorn / Pin Missile / Rock Slide / Protect

I've been enjoying Mega Scolipede's ability to just snipe unsuspecting Xerneas with SD-boosted Gunk Shots. Even in base form, Plus move + SD-boosted Gunk Shot has been OHKOing a lot of them, and Earthquake handles grounded Steel- and Fire-types. Megahorn gives you a good neutral STAB vs everything else and can run through a lot of targets. Also experimented with Pin Missile and Rock Slide to ok success. However, I've started to run into Psychic move Xerneas, so adaptations have been occurring. Protect could also go in the 4th slot to scout for incoming Psychic attacks from Xerneas.

Since Bug/Poison's pretty weak to a lot of common attacking types (Fire, Flying, Rock, etc) Ground-types and Dragon-types pair well with Scolipede, Dragons notably appreciating Scolipede for answering Xerneas. I've been running a Garchomp alongside mine since it provides an immunity to mono-electric attack Ampharos, along with a needed Fire- and Rock-resist. Fire-types are also nice partners, since they melt Steels (especially Skarmory) and provide a secondary Xern answer if Scolipede's not the right lobby matchup / it's weakened.

 

[LPBvgc]

I have made the bold decision to not use any of the restricteds in my road to Rank A. So far I have made it to Rank G but I would like to share my team...

Dragalge @ Leftovers
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Protect
- Toxic
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Wave

Despite the amount of steels running around, Dragalge and it's toxicity has been of great use for me. Whether it's to spread toxic, or just be a sponge for incoming attacks, or just be a suicide lead, this cancer spreading dragon is the defensive backbone for my team. But I can also use it as bait for...

Garchomp @ Life Orb
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
- Outrage
- Swords Dance

My main attacker outside of Mega Evolution, and man it's a beast. With EQ for a nasty AOE attack for most steels, Outrage to hit 2 Pokémon at once, and Poison Jab for Xern, Garchomp is a monster on the battlefield. But it doesn't compare to...

Feraligatr-Mega @ Feraligite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Crunch
- Aqua Jet
- Liquidation

My Mega attacker, and oh boy... it's a demon... If I mainly use this in a match, I usually end up scoring at least 5 KOs. I've seen this thing take on 2 Mega Garchomp and a Normal one at the same time and come out surviving. I guess that 160 base attack makes a big difference.

Notable Bad MUs For This Team
-Skarmory
-Yveltal
-Meganium
-Gyarados

Update:

I made it. Rank A without using any of the Restricteds. And tbh, if I were to describe the later Ranks in 1 word, it would be: rigged.

It felt like everyone was counterpicking my team. It felt like everyone knew when to switch or when to Mega to avoid my attacks. And don't get me started on Xerneas and Glaceon. Those things were monsters.

 

[Samtendo09]

Update:

View attachment 784884


I made it. Rank A without using any of the Restricteds. And tbh, if I were to describe the later Ranks in 1 word, it would be: rigged.

It felt like everyone was counterpicking my team. It felt like everyone knew when to switch or when to Mega to avoid my attacks. And don't get me started on Xerneas and Glaceon. Those things were monsters.

A lack of Steel that don’t fold to Focus Blast from Xerneas does that a lot it to your team, and Glaceon can hit all of your Pokémon super effectively, especially Mega Feraligatr via Freeze-Dry and Garchomp with Ice Beam / Freeze-Dry.

Having a Steel-type over either Garchomp or Dragalge may help you deal with those monsters a lot.

 

[Vengeance417]

Slowking-Galar @ Shuca Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind / Nasty Plot
- Sludge Bomb
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast

GalarKing has exceeded my expectations. Its coverage is stupid vast, and its typing lets it handle most Xerneas sets bar the physical ones with Night Slash. Shuca Berry + Ice Beam lets me lure in all the meta Ice-weak mons and win the 1v1 after a Calm Mind, especially vs Garchomp and Dragonite. Fire Blast does the same thing vs Steel-types. Sludge Bomb over Sludge Wave as I prefer the zoning capability of Sludge Bomb, and Plus power and Calm Mind lets it be plenty strong vs Xerneas. If you prefer to have +1 SpA for longer and don't care about the SpDef, then Nasty Plot is the way to go.

I've heard GalarBro's pretty good, too. A shame I can't build with it until Home / the DLC if it's in there.

Been using this alongside Mega Skarmory to great success, as a Ground-immune fallback once the Shuca Berry's used up. I can see Yveltal being a solid anti-Ghost partner, too, that is also Ground-immune.

My GalarKing team:

 

[astraaaaaaaa]

Smogon Battle Club!

 

[Coronis]

wtf. I’ve won or come second in like 15 battles today with nary a Bottle Cap in sight. Did they change the odds back or something…

edit: turns out the key was complaining on here, 2 caps straight away

 

[Vinc2612]

Slowking-Galar @ Shuca Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind / Nasty Plot
- Sludge Bomb
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast

GalarKing has exceeded my expectations. Its coverage is stupid vast, and its typing lets it handle most Xerneas sets bar the physical ones with Night Slash. Shuca Berry + Ice Beam lets me lure in all the meta Ice-weak mons and win the 1v1 after a Calm Mind, especially vs Garchomp and Dragonite. Fire Blast does the same thing vs Steel-types. Sludge Bomb over Sludge Wave as I prefer the zoning capability of Sludge Bomb, and Plus power and Calm Mind lets it be plenty strong vs Xerneas. If you prefer to have +1 SpA for longer and don't care about the SpDef, then Nasty Plot is the way to go.

I've heard GalarBro's pretty good, too. A shame I can't build with it until Home / the DLC if it's in there.

Been using this alongside Mega Skarmory to great success, as a Ground-immune fallback once the Shuca Berry's used up. I can see Yveltal being a solid anti-Ghost partner, too, that is also Ground-immune.

My GalarKing team:
View attachment 784910

If you really want, you can start over on another profile until you get Galarian Slowpoke, then message me on Discord and I'll trade it from the new game to your main one

 

[Vengeance417]

If you really want, you can start over on another profile until you get Galarian Slowpoke, then message me on Discord and I'll trade it from the new game to your main one

I appreciate that, thank you :)

I’ll let you know whenever I get that done.

 

[PyProd]

Hi, got rank A yesterday so I'm back with another post.

The climb with the definitive version of what I've used was very smooth: I was getting first place in a vast majority of my games and scoring many Apriballs, which made it hard to put the game down because I do collect Pokémon in these balls. I had three or four second placements as well as a single third placement during this climb also.

Here's a presentation of what I've used this time:

Teambuilding

So you may see in the link that I've embedded that the team is a second comp. Well, I actually had a lot of trouble finding what to play this season. I still eventually settled on this team, which I like for playing very fast.

So at the beginning I wanted to go for a Xerneas/Metagross composition, and well, it's hard to see why you would play something else. After all, Xerneas is the best restricted choice we have thanks to its ability to set up and claim quite easily, while Metagross stands out as a sturdy and strong Steel-type that is not weak to Focus Blast. At the outset though, I saw Heavy Slam calcs were awkward against Xerneas because Xern is heavy as fuck LMAO but still that felt solid. Because I wanted enough Special Bulk on Metagross to survive stuff like Yveltal's Dark Pulse in a pinch, I used an Assault Vest set on it and was left to look for a Mega in my last slot.

That's when I got the idea to play Mega-Camerupt, as I wanted another Xerneas resist that beat Steel-types as well and an Electric immunity. And in a display of profound naivety, I thought Camerupt would be it. It was not. When I playtested the team, I was struck by the slowness of two-thirds of my team, and stuff like Garchomp still being rampant even with Xerneas being legal had me go back to the drawing board. Also stuff like Excadrill and stray Earthquakes proved to be the bane of my existence.

Remarking the afflux of Fire- and Ground-types on the online ladder, as well as all the Earthquakes that gave me trouble, I set my sights on having a bulky Water-type that could stomach and punish Ground-type attacks easier. My sights settled on Gyarados, which felt pretty nice as it also packed a Mega-Evolution to boot. I was however still hesitant in building this three because I had no Electric-resist, which is to me pretty much a prerequisite when using Gyarados in a metagame where you can get hit with Thunderbolts from Xerneas or Screen-setter Ampharos.

Therefore, I chose to use Excadrill as my dedicated Steel-type. Since running two Mega Stones in my team had too much opportunity cost in my opinion, and seeing that Gyarados could benefit from some extra Special Bulk because most Fire-type presences in the metagame were Special Attackers, I fitted it with an Assault Vest. With enough investment in Special Bulk, this Gyarados has even gone as far as to stomach hits such as unboosted Thunderbolts from Xerneas or Freeze-Dry from Glaceon. This has allowed the team to go from a slow, defensive playstyle into a proactive, offensive one through the addition of i-frame moves such as Dig on Excadrill and Bounce and Dragon Rush on Gyarados.

I think you could still easily go Mega-Metagross over Mega-Excadrill if you want extra insurance against opposing Xerneas and are not as much of a paranoiac wimp as me LOL. Though doing this admittedly slows the team down a bit.

The sets

Xerneas @ Expert Belt
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 116 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast

Bread-and-butter Xern "best mon in the format" eas. This is a fairly standard set using Moonblast as a primary STAB, Thunderbolt to strike Skarmory, Charizard and Gyarados, and Focus Blast for most Steel-types. The EV spread allows for optimal survivability against attacks such as Metagross, Skarmory or Excadrill's Iron Heads, while Calm Mind was chosen for being a faster, more spammable setup move. Because I use it rather than Geomancy, and thus found Xerneas to be slightly lacking in the damage department early in the game (which I had already found was true for my Clefable last season), I have chosen to once again entrust my Fairy-type with the Expert Belt, which doesn't sacrifice survivability unlike the more powerful Life Orb. The damage boost proved quite useful, allowing me to strike for unexpected OHKOs against the likes of Skarmory or Excadrill with minimal investment cost as the faster casting time of Calm Mind made items such as Sitrus Berry, resist berries or Quick Claw less mandatory. Xerneas is my switchin of choice against Dragon-types, Water-types, Yveltal and Glaceon, upon which it loves to set up to wreak havoc. It also soft-checks opposing Xerneas when Excadrill's Dig is not available.

Excadrill @ Excadrite
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dig
- Metal Claw

Excadrill is my Ground-type and Flying-resist, so it often proves a strong asset in situations involving opposing Xerneas, Poison-types and the rampant Steel-types (minus Skarmory). It is able to fire-off strong Alpha-sized Earthquakes that I can easily Plus Boost, and uses Dig and its Mega Stone to dance around Fighting-type coverage and Earthquakes a bit before Gyarados is called to take on the threats. Metal Claw has slightly more range than Iron Head in my experience, but I've had many a Xerneas still be able to just run out of range so this is best used to backstrike in-fighting Fairy-types rather than to engage one-on-one. Even with maximal HP investment, this thing's bulk leaves much to be desired (I maybe should invest less in Attack, I'll admit I haven't done calcs for this one. Maybe using Sash instead of the Mega Gem on Excadrill could help?), so your gameplay with this is to avoid attacks or strike when the time is right. This also somewhat handles Fire-types if you stay wary of their moves, albeit not as much as...

Gyarados @ Assault Vest
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 20 Def / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bounce
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Dragon Rush

Last but not least is my Gyarados, which has proven a handy Ground-type immunity and Fire-resist in the wake of Pokémon such as Chandelure, Delphox, Charizard, Excadrill, the occasional Grass-type or Earthquake-spamming Steel- and Dragon-types! Unlike its Mega-Evolving variant, this dragon-karp has been specially built to withstand an Electric-type attack, which can easily throw opponents off, especially in conjunction with invincibility frames provided by Bounce or Dragon Rush! As such, it holds its own surprisingly well in a number of situations as the glue that holds the team together.

Weaknesses

: Okay, I'll admit, this Pokémon being mentioned in this category is moreso a testament to its combined strength and bulk rather than really a weakness. Still, when you see an opposing Xerneas, you have to be very cautious. If it engages me, I do my best to weaken it enough with my active Pokémon and switch to another at an opportune time depending on the move it is using. Also, striking it while it is setting up Geomancy is pretty effective.

: Screens are pretty hard to deal with generally, and it somewhat shows with this team as the opponent can very easily play more defensively and strike me as I attack. I generally let other players weaken the Screen mons and swoop in for a kill, or strike the screen setter as it sets up Screens when possible. Xerneas under Screens is a monster though.

(

): This one is the most team-specific weakness of the three, as a stray Earthquake can OHKO my Excadrill if I am not cautious, and it has a tendency to slot in Thunder Punch for Gyarados. Since it often goes in to engage Xerneas, however, I can weaken it easily enough for one of my other Pokémon to pick up kills if need be. You have to be very cautious with it still.

I am waiting for more information on Season 3 to start theorizing on what to use, but I admit that unlike last time, the temptation to start up ranked and do some more games even though I've reached rank A just for these sweet sweet rewards has been very high. May test some version of Screens if inspiration strikes me. Slowbro-Galar has also seemed like plenty of fun from what I've seen.

 

[Mugenman88]

(Apologies for blurry name, phone didn't want to focus on it)
Got A rank! This is the team I used.

The team

Xerneas @ Quick Claw
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt

Everyone knows the demon deer, so I think it needs no introduction. Quick Claw Geomancy is extra devilish, and procs have also won many Xerneas 1v1s or at least allowed trades, especially when using a +Focus Blast on the various Steel types running around.



Scolipede @ Scolipite
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide

The designated Xern killer. Even in base form after an SD a +Gunk Shot can often KO a Xern, and a lot of people were just using Geomancy in my face in complete disrespect of it. The mega stone allows it to also live a LOT of things it really shouldn't, giving me the option of taking trades a lot more frequently, though I still had to switch out from Psychic types. The last move was kinda filler, but Zards and Delphoxes often didn't expect a Rock Slide in their face so it worked out quite a lot.



Houndoom @ Life Orb
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Heat Wave
- Protect

This is the Xern killer killer, which also covers Scolipede's weakness to Psychic types like Delphox and Gardevoir. Sludge Bomb gave me a secondary way of at least pestering Xerneas, while also being the best option against Gardevoir. Protect was actually super clutch for baiting many super effective hits, notably, it blocked MANY EQs from stuff like Garchomp, Excadrill, and Metagross which opened me up to usually at least trading.

The big weaknesses of this team overall was a nasty vulnerability to Gyarados and Excadrill. Both of them had ways to threaten my entire team, and Gyara could only really be handled by Xerneas, Exca could be handled by Houndoom via baiting the Ground move with Protect and just trying to roast it afterwards. A well played Zard-X is also really tough to deal with since I lack a STAB super-effective move to deal with it

 

[AquaticPanic]

I am a little lost on when the Pokémon are supposed to get I-frames. I feel like when I hit a mon that is switching or mega evolving I get inconsistent results on whether my move does damage or is blocked by the animation

 

[K20Z1]

How does everyone feel about 1v1 battles? The 4-way free-for-all is fun and all, but I can’t help getting frustrated at the situations you can’t control. For example, you’re about to win a 1v1 against someone who seems to have the advantage — you’re using the right tech, dodging perfectly, everything — and then someone swoops in out of nowhere and farms both of you.

 

[Vengeance417]

How does everyone feel about 1v1 battles? The 4-way free-for-all is fun and all, but I can’t help getting frustrated at the situations you can’t control. For example, you’re about to win a 1v1 against someone who seems to have the advantage — you’re using the right tech, dodging perfectly, everything — and then someone swoops in out of nowhere and farms both of you.

I can’t see 1v1s being all that fun. The maps were designed for 4 player FFAs in mind, which makes them too big for just 2 players. 1v1s will just devolve into both players zoning each other out, trying to dodge the first move to then make their attack, over and over again.


Scizor @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Steel Wing / Iron Head
- Brick Break

Really been enjoying Scizor right now as a Xerneas answer. Bullet Punch closes the distance, then either Steel Wing or Iron Head seals the deal, especially if you catch them in a Geomancy. Can catch other Fairies like Gardevoir and Clefable off guard, too. Brick Break for opposing Steels and to break screens.

 

[realsoupersand]

Long post ahead.

As someone who has been using X + Mega Metagross + Xerneas and hit rank A with X usually being Garchomp last night, I really hope that Xerneas gets removed from ranked play soon. It drastically warps the meta around it. Then again, Metagross kinda did the same thing in the first season. Am I alone in this?

My Mega Metagross set was the same Adamant + 248 HP/8 Def/252 Atk (kinda stuck in SV mindset) + Heavy Slam/Earthquake/Thunder Punch/Ice Punch set I used in season 1.

My Xerneas set was pretty standard. I went with Modest, the SpA version of the above spread, Quick Claw, and Geomancy/Moonblast/Focus Blast/Thunderbolt. I could see myself switching Geomancy to Calm Mind, changing Quick Claw for something, and going max Def instead of HP since CM/Geomancy gives it plenty of special bulk already.

Garchomp's set was a pretty straightforward LO. Adamant, same spread as Metagross, Earthquake/Dragon Rush/Thunder Fang/Ice Fang. I was missing KOs that I really needed, but it's hard to give up one of the Fangs. Iron Head or Poison Jab would've been nice to have to try to take on Xerneas.

Others I tried were LO/AV Gyarados, Mega Charizard Y, 4 attacks or NP Mega Gengar, and pure special Mega Dragonite. Gengar got a surprising amount of KOs even without NP, but it went down if you even breathed in its general direction. It wasn't worth Mega Evolving.

I'm going to redo my Gyarados set and try it as my lead again. It's my favorite Pokémon.

My biggest weaknesses were Xerneas (duh), Mega Skarmory, Garchomp, and Screens Ampharos. The last one surprised me. Mega Excadrill was a pain, but it was manageable if I could get an attack off quickly enough.

 

[KaenSoul]

Yeah I really hate Xerneas and Metagross dictating what is viable, last month you could get away with just running anything you want as long as you kept some variety within your types, but now we are on a very centralized format.
Hopefully DLC adds a bunch of high stats mons that can compete with Xerneas so all teams arent just made with the intention of beating Xerneas and Mega Metagross.

 

[Fivepoint]

so I was gonna complain about how the pokeball rewards are totally rigged, because i got a whole 7 heavy balls and 3 level balls before even a single one of half the other types of kurt balls. and then I played a few more matches and finally got that stupid love ball to catch diancie with so now all is right with the world once more.

anyway here's a (mega) greninja set i've been running:

(i dunno how to put in the funny little icons lol)
Greninja @ Greninjite
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Ice Beam
- Brick Break
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken

I'll readily admit that using Greninja in the season where Geomancied Thunderbolts are being thrown out left and right is not exactly the greatest idea in the world. That being said, there are honestly a good few situations where Gren was able to pull its weight even beyond standard type matchups. For one, it works fairly well as a Metagross counter: Greninja can hit hard with ranged dark stab (chunking off ~80% with an unboosted plus move) while actually not getting OHKO'd by the TPunch/TFang that Metagross likely throws at it in response, allowing you to potentially pick up the kill if you're at full health. Additionally, 252+ Ice Beams from *base* Greninja will almost always instakill enemy Garchomps, provided they aren't running a Yache Berry -- this even tends to apply to Mega Chomp, but that one might end up surviving with a tiny bit of HP left that you can just Water Shuriken or Brick Break away. Speaking of, Brick Break is there to quickly finish off stragglers and break screens when necessary, but it's probably the most replaceable move on the set. And whatever you do, don't keep this thing in against Xerneas. You will lose.

There's definitely room for improvement here (swapping Brick Break for a boosting move, investing in HP instead of speed, different item/nature), but I generally went with the set I listed because I wanted to prioritize Greninja's ability to snipe weakened opponents over investing in its practically nonexistent bulk (and also I was too lazy to actually change it from the one I used during the main campaign). Feel free to experiment with it or not; either way, it doesn't matter to me now that I have a cool love ball Diancie.

 

[Coronis]

Yeah I really hate Xerneas and Metagross dictating what is viable, last month you could get away with just running anything you want as long as you kept some variety within your types, but now we are on a very centralized format.
Hopefully DLC adds a bunch of high stats mons that can compete with Xerneas so all teams arent just made with the intention of beating Xerneas and Mega Metagross.

Since they’ve seemingly been listening to fan reactions, perhaps we’ll have seasons in the future where Xerneas itself is banned, but other “restricted” mons aren’t.

 

[Coronis]

so I was gonna complain about how the pokeball rewards are totally rigged, because i got a whole 7 heavy balls and 3 level balls before even a single one of half the other types of kurt balls. and then I played a few more matches and finally got that stupid love ball to catch diancie with so now all is right with the world once more.

anyway here's a (mega) greninja set i've been running:

(i dunno how to put in the funny little icons lol)
Greninja @ Greninjite
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Ice Beam
- Brick Break
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken

I'll readily admit that using Greninja in the season where Geomancied Thunderbolts are being thrown out left and right is not exactly the greatest idea in the world. That being said, there are honestly a good few situations where Gren was able to pull its weight even beyond standard type matchups. For one, it works fairly well as a Metagross counter: Greninja can hit hard with ranged dark stab (chunking off ~80% with an unboosted plus move) while actually not getting OHKO'd by the TPunch/TFang that Metagross likely throws at it in response, allowing you to potentially pick up the kill if you're at full health. Additionally, 252+ Ice Beams from *base* Greninja will almost always instakill enemy Garchomps, provided they aren't running a Yache Berry -- this even tends to apply to Mega Chomp, but that one might end up surviving with a tiny bit of HP left that you can just Water Shuriken or Brick Break away. Speaking of, Brick Break is there to quickly finish off stragglers and break screens when necessary, but it's probably the most replaceable move on the set. And whatever you do, don't keep this thing in against Xerneas. You will lose.

There's definitely room for improvement here (swapping Brick Break for a boosting move, investing in HP instead of speed, different item/nature), but I generally went with the set I listed because I wanted to prioritize Greninja's ability to snipe weakened opponents over investing in its practically nonexistent bulk (and also I was too lazy to actually change it from the one I used during the main campaign). Feel free to experiment with it or not; either way, it doesn't matter to me now that I have a cool love ball Diancie.

There really should be a tutorial for this somewhere lol. I remember struggling the last time I changed my sig

 

[DreamPrince]

Made Rank A with this Team. Gotta, say this is a pretty cool format where strategies that wouldn't work in standard play actually are excellent, like Glaceon and Stunfisk, and there is a lot of precision when to use moves and Mega Evolve.

Team for Rank A

Xerneas @ Life Orb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Close Combat
- Night Slash
- Rock Slide

Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Solar Beam
- Dark Pulse

Skarmory @ Skarmorite
Ability: Keen Eye
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Fly
- Iron Head
- Drill Run

This team was built around using one of my favorite Mega Evolutions, Mega Houndoom. Starting with most interesting Pokemon, LO Xerneas with all Physical Attacks! I was skeptical of Geomancy due to the lack of a Power Herb, but Physical Xerneas caught my attention thanks to Close Combat and Night Slash, which hits many of the relevant Steel types like Excadrill, Lucario, Aggron, and Metagross for SE damage. I managed to snipe easy KOES thanks to no one expecting LO. Rock Slide hits the Fire type Pokemon like Charizard, Delphox, and Chandelure for huge damage who would otherwise be safe, but its very easy to dodge, so its best used when are doing a windup for a move. Mega Houndoom is the Steel Destroyer, and while it does face competition from Chandelure and Delphox as a setup Sweeper with homing on Heat Wave, Mega Houndoom actually beats them one on one, and sports excellent coverage between Solar Beam and Dark Pulse, though Dark Pulse us unreliable due to low speed. Skarmory offers a Physical switch in against Earthquake and opposing Dragon types.

 

[Prof. Almeida]

How does everyone feel about 1v1 battles? The 4-way free-for-all is fun and all, but I can’t help getting frustrated at the situations you can’t control. For example, you’re about to win a 1v1 against someone who seems to have the advantage — you’re using the right tech, dodging perfectly, everything — and then someone swoops in out of nowhere and farms both of you.

I think the worst part about 1v1 is that as soon as a Pokémon is knocked out, you go to cool down while the opponent can get all the items around while waiting for you.

Had the 1v1 been like in-game battles, it'd be amazing, but currently, even a 3-player battle is kinda meh.

 

[Lunaflare]

Here's the team I used to get to Rank A again.


Metagross @ Metagrossite
Adamant Nature
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe (Could have flipped HP and Speed but I'm too lazy :P)
- Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch


Xerneas @ Quick Claw
Modest Nature
4 HP/ 252 SpA /252 Spe
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Psychic


Feraligatr @ Assault Vest (For extra bulk against Xerneas and Yveltal)
Adamant Nature
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe (This was an alpha and I didn't feel like wiping his HP)
- Liquidation
- Ice Fang
- Crunch
- Dragon Claw

I know this team is flawed but it got me to rank A, so /shrug

Feel free to tinker around and see what works best for you!

 

[Coronis]

Made Rank A with this Team. Gotta, say this is a pretty cool format where strategies that wouldn't work in standard play actually are excellent, like Glaceon and Stunfisk, and there is a lot of precision when to use moves and Mega Evolve.

Team for Rank A

Xerneas @ Life Orb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Close Combat
- Night Slash
- Rock Slide

Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Nasty Plot
- Solar Beam
- Dark Pulse

Skarmory @ Skarmorite
Ability: Keen Eye
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Fly
- Iron Head
- Drill Run

This team was built around using one of my favorite Mega Evolutions, Mega Houndoom. Starting with most interesting Pokemon, LO Xerneas with all Physical Attacks! I was skeptical of Geomancy due to the lack of a Power Herb, but Physical Xerneas caught my attention thanks to Close Combat and Night Slash, which hits many of the relevant Steel types like Excadrill, Lucario, Aggron, and Metagross for SE damage. I managed to snipe easy KOES thanks to no one expecting LO. Rock Slide hits the Fire type Pokemon like Charizard, Delphox, and Chandelure for huge damage who would otherwise be safe, but its very easy to dodge, so its best used when are doing a windup for a move. Mega Houndoom is the Steel Destroyer, and while it does face competition from Chandelure and Delphox as a setup Sweeper with homing on Heat Wave, Mega Houndoom actually beats them one on one, and sports excellent coverage between Solar Beam and Dark Pulse, though Dark Pulse us unreliable due to low speed. Skarmory offers a Physical switch in against Earthquake and opposing Dragon types.

Impressed you know their abilities and tera types