[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Toxic / Taunt
move 3: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Toxic
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Jolly or Impish
evs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe or 248 HP / 180 Def / 80 Spe
tera type: Steel / Poison
[SET COMMENTS]
* Yveltal's great typing and bulk allows it to be a functional check to Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Deoxys-A, Lunala, and Ultra Necrozma. Unlike defensive Arceus-Dark, Yveltal can serve as a soft check to Marshadow as well, while having unique moves such as Sucker Punch which aid its defensive capabilities further. Compared to the Choice Scarf variant, defensive Yveltal has more longevity across longer games, and offers more utility against opposing bulkier teams that the former would struggle against. However, defensive Yveltal is rather passive against special attackers barring offensive Primal Kyogre, often being setup fodder against Eternatus and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Despite this, defensive Yveltal makes for a solid check to a lot threats in the tier for balance and bulky offense teams.
* Foul Play boosted by Dark Aura makes defensive Yveltal difficult to deal with for a lot of physical attackers in the tier, such as against Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Mega Salamence. It also prevents Zacian-C and offensive Primal Kyogre from directly switching into Yveltal due to its high damage, preventing the former from setting up freely, while 2HKOing the latter.
* Toxic allows Yveltal to wear down opposing defensive walls, such as defensive Ho-Oh, Zygarde, and Arceus-Fairy. Alternatively, Taunt can be used to deny setup, such as Coil Zygarde and Spikes Ferrothorn; and to avoid status conditions such as Toxic poison from Alomomola and defensive Primal Groudon, which would hinder its longevity significantly.
* Sucker Punch allows Yveltal to snipe frailer foes that it would check, such as Deoxys-A, Mega Mewtwo Y, and weakened Ultra Necrozma, preventing them from removing Yveltal with super-effective coverage. Knock Off makes further progress into bulkier teams, notably removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Ho-Oh and Alomomola, as well as Leftovers from Zygarde and Ferrothorn. It also removes offensive items from would-be switch-ins, such as Life Orb from opposing Yveltal and Eternatus, or Choice Band from Chien Pao, weakening them significantly for defensive Yveltal's teammates to handle.
* The combination of Taunt and Toxic allows Yveltal to annoy fat balance and Stall teams, by outlasting foes such as Alomomola, Chansey, and Dondozo with Roost and preventing their recovery, making this set difficult to handle against Pokemon that cannot directly threaten it. U-turn can be considered to gain momentum against Yveltal's switch-ins such as Eternatus and Arceus-Fairy, for teammates such as Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C. Defog is another option that allows Yveltal to remove hazards set by Pokemon such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon and the more niche Landorus-T. However, defensive Yveltal suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, limiting its ability to use these moves effectively.
* The first EV spread allows Yveltal to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and the more niche Choice Band Ho-Oh. The rest is dumped into physical Defense, notably preventing +1 Dragon Dance Zygarde from being able to 2HKO with Thousand Arrows. The second EV spread focuses more on physical Defense, allowing Yveltal to survive +2 Extreme Killer Arceus's Double Edge and +2 Arceus-Ground's Stone Edge, while minimizing the odds of +1 Zacian-C's Play Rough OHKOing. The Speed EVs ensure Yveltal can outspeed unboosted Adamant Necrozma-DM.
* Tera Steel allows defensive Yveltal to check Extreme Killer Arceus and Ultra Necrozma more effectively, since it notably removes Yveltal's weakness to Stone Edge from the latter. Tera Steel additionally protects Yveltal from Toxic poisoning from defensive Eternatus and Alomomola, improving its longevity. Tera Poison offers the same benefit, but alongside a resistance to Deoxys-A and Marshadow's Low Kick, allowing defensive Yveltal to check them more easily. Tera Poison additionally allows Yveltal to check Play Rough variants of Zacian-C; the weakness to Psychic-types Yveltal would otherwise check may not be ideal however, especially against the aforementioned Deoxys-A.
* This set is relatively simple to use; a physical wall that aims to check Pokemon such as Ultra Necrozma, Swords Dance Primal Groudon, and Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground. However, Yveltal is not the most consistent physical wall in the tier, and unlike other defensive behemoths such as Zygarde and the more niche Dondozo, is easier to overwhelm with status conditions such as burn from Ho-Oh or Toxic poisoning from defensive Primal Groudon. It is ideal to avoid getting statused to maintain Yveltal's longevity, ensuring it can check what it needs to without being severely weakened beforehand, as even paralysis from Zygarde's Glare can prevent Yveltal from revenge killing Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
* Due to Yveltal's aforementioned passivity against Eternatus and Calm Mind Arceus formes, offensive Ho-Oh is a strong teammate for it, since it is able to deal with these special attacking threats while Yveltal can handle physical attackers such as Ultra Necrozma and Extreme Killer Arceus. Defensive Primal Groudon is a strong teammate too, being able to handle Primal Kyogre and Zacian-C for Yveltal and offensive variants of Ho-Oh, while appreciating the two dealing with opposing Ground-types such as Arceus-Ground and Zygarde.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy synergises well with Yveltal, since it appreciates the latter checking Necrozma-DM for it, while Arceus-Fairy can assist Yveltal in checking Marshadow and Zygarde more easily. Marshadow itself is also a good teammate, removing Yveltal's need to run Sucker Punch for Ultra Necrozma, while it can check Calm Mind Arceus-Dark as well. In return, defensive Yveltal helps overwhelm shared counterplay in opposing Arceus-Fairy and defensive Ho-Oh. Zacian-C checks Calm Mind Arceus formes too, while additionally checking Eternatus for defensive Yveltal as well; it appreciates Yveltal beating Necrozma-DM and wearing down Ho-Oh, similarly to Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.104/
name: Defensive
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Toxic / Taunt
move 3: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Toxic
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Jolly or Impish
evs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe or 248 HP / 180 Def / 80 Spe
tera type: Steel / Poison
[SET COMMENTS]
* Yveltal's great typing and bulk allows it to be a functional check to Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Deoxys-A, Lunala, and Ultra Necrozma. Unlike defensive Arceus-Dark, Yveltal can serve as a soft check to Marshadow as well, while having unique moves such as Sucker Punch which aid its defensive capabilities further. Compared to the Choice Scarf variant, defensive Yveltal has more longevity across longer games, and offers more utility against opposing bulkier teams that the former would struggle against. However, defensive Yveltal is rather passive against special attackers barring offensive Primal Kyogre, often being setup fodder against Eternatus and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Despite this, defensive Yveltal makes for a solid check to a lot threats in the tier for balance and bulky offense teams.
* Foul Play boosted by Dark Aura makes defensive Yveltal difficult to deal with for a lot of physical attackers in the tier, such as against Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Mega Salamence. It also prevents Zacian-C and offensive Primal Kyogre from directly switching into Yveltal due to its high damage, preventing the former from setting up freely, while 2HKOing the latter.
* Toxic allows Yveltal to wear down opposing defensive walls, such as defensive Ho-Oh, Zygarde, and Arceus-Fairy. Alternatively, Taunt can be used to deny setup, such as Coil Zygarde and Spikes Ferrothorn; and to avoid status conditions such as Toxic poison from Alomomola and defensive Primal Groudon, which would hinder its longevity significantly.
* Sucker Punch allows Yveltal to snipe frailer foes that it would check, such as Deoxys-A, Mega Mewtwo Y, and weakened Ultra Necrozma, preventing them from removing Yveltal with super-effective coverage. Knock Off makes further progress into bulkier teams, notably removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Ho-Oh and Alomomola, as well as Leftovers from Zygarde and Ferrothorn. It also removes offensive items from would-be switch-ins, such as Life Orb from opposing Yveltal and Eternatus, or Choice Band from Chien Pao, weakening them significantly for defensive Yveltal's teammates to handle.
* The combination of Taunt and Toxic allows Yveltal to annoy fat balance and Stall teams, by outlasting foes such as Alomomola, Chansey, and Dondozo with Roost and preventing their recovery, making this set difficult to handle against Pokemon that cannot directly threaten it. U-turn can be considered to gain momentum against Yveltal's switch-ins such as Eternatus and Arceus-Fairy, for teammates such as Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C. Defog is another option that allows Yveltal to remove hazards set by Pokemon such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon and the more niche Landorus-T. However, defensive Yveltal suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, limiting its ability to use these moves effectively.
* The first EV spread allows Yveltal to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and the more niche Choice Band Ho-Oh. The rest is dumped into physical Defense, notably preventing +1 Dragon Dance Zygarde from being able to 2HKO with Thousand Arrows. The second EV spread focuses more on physical Defense, allowing Yveltal to survive +2 Extreme Killer Arceus's Double Edge and +2 Arceus-Ground's Stone Edge, while minimizing the odds of +1 Zacian-C's Play Rough OHKOing. The Speed EVs ensure Yveltal can outspeed unboosted Adamant Necrozma-DM.
* Tera Steel allows defensive Yveltal to check Extreme Killer Arceus and Ultra Necrozma more effectively, since it notably removes Yveltal's weakness to Stone Edge from the latter. Tera Steel additionally protects Yveltal from Toxic poisoning from defensive Eternatus and Alomomola, improving its longevity. Tera Poison offers the same benefit, but alongside a resistance to Deoxys-A and Marshadow's Low Kick, allowing defensive Yveltal to check them more easily. Tera Poison additionally allows Yveltal to check Play Rough variants of Zacian-C; the weakness to Psychic-types Yveltal would otherwise check may not be ideal however, especially against the aforementioned Deoxys-A.
* This set is relatively simple to use; a physical wall that aims to check Pokemon such as Ultra Necrozma, Swords Dance Primal Groudon, and Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground. However, Yveltal is not the most consistent physical wall in the tier, and unlike other defensive behemoths such as Zygarde and the more niche Dondozo, is easier to overwhelm with status conditions such as burn from Ho-Oh or Toxic poisoning from defensive Primal Groudon. It is ideal to avoid getting statused to maintain Yveltal's longevity, ensuring it can check what it needs to without being severely weakened beforehand, as even paralysis from Zygarde's Glare can prevent Yveltal from revenge killing Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.
* Due to Yveltal's aforementioned passivity against Eternatus and Calm Mind Arceus formes, offensive Ho-Oh is a strong teammate for it, since it is able to deal with these special attacking threats while Yveltal can handle physical attackers such as Ultra Necrozma and Extreme Killer Arceus. Defensive Primal Groudon is a strong teammate too, being able to handle Primal Kyogre and Zacian-C for Yveltal and offensive variants of Ho-Oh, while appreciating the two dealing with opposing Ground-types such as Arceus-Ground and Zygarde.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy synergises well with Yveltal, since it appreciates the latter checking Necrozma-DM for it, while Arceus-Fairy can assist Yveltal in checking Marshadow and Zygarde more easily. Marshadow itself is also a good teammate, removing Yveltal's need to run Sucker Punch for Ultra Necrozma, while it can check Calm Mind Arceus-Dark as well. In return, defensive Yveltal helps overwhelm shared counterplay in opposing Arceus-Fairy and defensive Ho-Oh. Zacian-C checks Calm Mind Arceus formes too, while additionally checking Eternatus for defensive Yveltal as well; it appreciates Yveltal beating Necrozma-DM and wearing down Ho-Oh, similarly to Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.104/
Last edited:
