Zygarde, Order Incarnate: The Snake of Disappointment

Type: Dragon/Ground

Base Stats
HP: 108
Attack: 100
Defense: 121
Special Attack: 81
Special Defense: 95
Speed: 95


Abilities
Aura Break: The effects or Aura Abilities are reversed.

Ever since Pokémon Gold and Silver, there have been two legendaries at the opposite ends of a particular spectrum. However, when Ruby and Sapphire were released, a third legendary Pokémon was revealed. This legendary was Rayquaza, and it was its duty to balance out the forces of Groudon and Kyogre. This started a tradition of two opposing forces, vying for control over a particular part of nature, and this third Pokémon would balance them out. In Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, this legendary was Giratina, who controlled the area between Time and Space, the Distortion World (i.e. the Underworld). In Black and White, there was Kyurem, who was said to fuse together with Reshiram and Zekrom to create a legendary Dragon Pokémon of old. Now, in X and Y, there is Xerneas, the Pokémon of Life, and Yveltal, the Pokémon of Destruction. What did Nintendo create to balance these two out?

A weird… snake… thing.

Zygarde is, in my opinion, the most disappointing third legendary of them all. All of the previously mentioned Pokemon see Ubers play in some way or another, and many of them have unique niches in it, to boot, allowing them to shape the metagame around them. Zygarde does not, and falls short in every aspect of this norm. Its typing is abysmal, and it has no hope of countering either Xerneas or Yveltal; Yveltal is immune to its Ground-type STAB while Xerneas is immune to its Dragon-type STAB. On top of this, Zygarde has a base stat total that is 100 points less than both of the box art legendary Pokémon.

And, just to add insult to injury, Zygarde’s signature move, Land’s Wrath, is a complete joke. You’d think that something with such an epic-sounding name would be awesome, but no; it is strictly worse than Earthquake in all ways, being 10 base power points less than the staple Ground-type attack. There are no cool side-effects at all, either, making the only reason to use Land’s Wrath be its name. All of this has led Zygarde to be the first legendary in the counter/balance position to be put into the Underused tier (though it is certainly viable in Overused - just don’t expect it to fulfill the same role as its brethren Dragon/Ground type, Garchomp).

Which brings us to its… unique properties. Despite being almost totally outclassed for a sweeper role by Garchomp, with its monstrous Attack and unique Speed tier, Zygarde is able to operate in Overused, albeit a different manner than Garchomp. Zygarde has been blessed with a boosting move that Garchomp can only wish to get - Dragon Dance. Additionally, Zygarde also has unique support options available to it such as Safeguard, and can phaze stronger setup sweepers who would come in on its mediocre attacks with Dragon Tail, or slap them with Haze. It also has access to a unique boosting move- Coil, which remedies Stone Edge’s unreliable accuracy, and Glare, a Normal-type equivalent of Thunder Wave (that can hit Ground types). Add Extremespeed to the mix, and Zygarde might actually be kind of threatening if used properly.

Before I get to the sets, it is important to note a couple things. Pokémon X and Y have not even been out for a full year, and a third installment isn’t out of the question yet. In Generation III, we had Emerald, which centered around Rayquaza. In Generation IV, we had Platinum, following the story of Giratina. So, it’s still a very real possibility that we’ll see what Zygarde has to offer in the near future with a third game centered around it. This gives Zygarde the opportunity to really make a turnaround, especially since its base stat total is conveniently 100 less than its contemporaries. You want to know what adds 100 points to a Pokémon’s base stat total?

Mega evolution.

A mega evolution could be just what Zygarde needs to get back in the Ubers metagame, as without it, it falls too short to be of any real use. Whether Zygarde receives a mega evolution is total speculation, but seeing the convenient stat discrepancies and the fact that X and Y are the first games to create mega evolution, it seems rather plausible.

Double-Boosting Dragon of Doom!
Zygarde
Hold Item: Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Attack
Coil
Dragon Dance
Stone Edge
Earthquake

This set aims to boost its Attack, Defense, Accuracy, and Speed in an attempt to sweep through the enemy’s unsuspecting team. Zygard is fairly bulky and can take a couple of hits while boosting, and the EV spread is made to optimize its ability to take specially-based hits, as Coil boosts Zygarde’s already beefy Defense stat substantially. Leftovers rounds out the bulk, giving Zygarde some much-needed recovery while it gets multiple boosts; something that Zygarde desperately needs in order to sweep.

Coil, in my opinion, is one of the coolest boosting moves that the Pokémon games have given us yet, and I’m surprised to see that this move isn’t used more often (though its distribution is laughable). This move is incredibly underrated despite its excellent capabilities. Not only does it make Zygarde hit harder and resist hits better, but the Accuracy boost is invaluable, especially because Stone Edge’s shaky Accuracy can cost you a lot of games. This little tidbit will actually infuriate opponents as you sweep through their team with a powerhouse move that normally misses every other go. Dragon Dance is to boost its okay, but rather slow Speed, and because there is no Speed investment for this set, Zygarde really needs the boost to get the jump on other dangerous Pokémon in the same speed tier as him (a good example is Arcanine).

The remainder of its movepool forms the fabled Edge-Quake combo, known for its almost perfect coverage. If Earthquake doesn’t hit it super-effectively, there’s a pretty good chance that Stone Edge does. Despite STAB on Earthquake, Stone Edge is the preferred spammable move on this set - despite its low powerpoints and lack of STAB, the perfect accuracy (thanks to Coil) will let you benefit from its great overall super-effective coverage and critical hit rate.

Zygarde is a big fish in a little pond if there ever was one. He is a legendary when it comes down to it, and his base stats are much higher than others in the tier. A great Pokémon to pair Zygarde with is Galvantula. The spider helps Zygarde’s Speed problem by laying down Sticky Web, which goes a long way toward allowing Zygarde to sweep. Main problems for Zygarde are any Ice-type attacks, ever, because its x4 weakness will leave it out in the cold when you need it to come through for you most. Common Ice types in the tier that give Zygarde a run for its money are Cloyster, Weavile, and Kyurem’s base forme. All of these can one shot Zygarde without boosts and can take a few hits from the Order Pokémon, barring Weavile, who has the Attack and Speed to ruin Zygarde regardless.

The following sets are based on Zygarde's unique traits, and are for the sake of using it in Overused. However, these sets themselves are probably perfectly viable in lower tiers as well, though they might be a waste of Zygarde's potential in Underused.

Medusa’s Gaze
Zygarde
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Defense, 4 Defense
Glare
Dragon Tail
Rest/Earthquake
Sleep Talk/Stone Edge

Outside of Leftovers, Zygarde has little to no natural recovery moves, so Rest is really the only viable option for it. Thankfully, its Defense is naturally high enough to not need too much investment to make it bulky. The goal of this set is to spread Paralysis to as many opponents as possible, making it much easier for other Pokémon to sweep later in the game. Glare now has perfect accuracy, and can also hit Ground-type sweepers that might give others trouble later on, such as Landorus. Dragon Tail is for phazing, and helps with spreading paralysis (so long as Fairies stay away). Sleep Talk lets you use the two moves while recovering away status, such as Toxic, that might otherwise put a halt to your stalling plans.

This particular set really benefits from entry hazards being on the field, as the damage can rack up very fast when you are using Dragon Tail a lot. Forettress can take any hits aimed at Zygarde and either lay down Spikes or Stealth Rock, or spin away your own entry hazards.

As mentioned before, Fairy types that don’t care about paralysis are the best options for taking out Zygarde. Whimsicott can come in and essentially ignore paralysis due to Prankster, Taunt Zygarde, and force it to switch out. As painful as this is to say, Dedenne (who should never see competitive play, ever) is a perfect counter to this set, being immune to paralysis and Dragon Tail. Electric-type Pokémon can also come in on Glare and avoid the paralysis while hitting back with Hidden Power Ice, but they should be wary of a STAB Earthquake, should Zygarde choose to run it. An exception is Rotom-F, who can avoid Earthquake with Levitate and hit back with STAB Blizzard.

That being said, if Zygarde chooses to run attacking moves on this set, they won’t be extraordinarily powerful. A base 100 Attack stat and STAB can only get you so far in an extremely offensive metagame.

The Dancing Dragon of Niflheim
Zygarde
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Dragon Dance
Outrage
Earthquake
Extremespeed

That being said, a support moveset wouln’t be putting Zygarde’s great boosting moves to use. The goal of this set is to boost with Dragon Dance and then sweep with your powerful STABs and Extremespeed. Unfortunately, in a predominantly fast metagame like Overused, even after a Dragon Dance there will be things that outspeed and OHKO you regardless. It’s important to know when Zygarde has a shot at sweeping and when it doesn’t.

Earthquake is a STAB of choice, unless the opponent isn’t running a Fairy-type Pokémon. If they are, it’s best to stay away from Outrage in order to prevent Azumarill from getting a Belly Drum in. Extremespeed is for priority against priority (Extremespeed has a +2 priority, while other basic priority attacks like Aqua Jet, Ice Shard, and Talonflame’s Brave Bird have +1), and lets you get the jump on common priority abusers like Talonflame and Azumarill, though you should never keep Zygarde in on threats like Azumarill in the first place.

See the pattern? In Overused, Zygarde is simply too little, too late. Everything it can do, Dragonite can do better. Heck, it can even run a similar moveset to the paralysis spreader set with Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Roost, and a filler move, AND it has better overall bulk because of Multiscale. Sorry to say that Zygarde isn’t the epic serpent it was meant to be (or at least not yet - let’s hope for a mega evolution).

All in all, I expect more out of Zygarde in the future, but have accepted where it is now. While it is a little cheap in the Underused tier, it definitely has challengers that give it some trouble. If you don’t mind using legandaries outside of Ubers, which I have noticed is a common thinking pattern among players, then Zygarde isn’t the right Pokémon for you, and using it might almost seem unfair at times. On the other hand, if you don’t mind dominating with legandaries, you may have found a new best friend.

- JaydenSilver

Xerneas, Fairy of Doom: An Ubers Analysis

Type: Fairy

Base Stats
HP: 126
Attack: 131
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 131
Special Defense: 98
Speed: 99


Abilities
Fairy Aura: Powers up each Pokémon's Fairy-type moves.

Xerneas, while boasting several potential sets, is one of those Pokémon in Ubers that really only has one set that shines. This is its greatest strength and weakness because, simply put, this particular set is incredibly powerful. If not countered correctly, this legendary will rip through entire teams with ease. Its stats are, quite literally, a carbon copy of Yveltal (or is Yveltal a carbon copy of Xerneas…?). Boasting twin 131 attacking stats and a semi-unique base 99 Speed stat, it has the potential to be a dangerous mixed sweeper if given the opportunity to set up with Geomancy. And with a great base HP stat of 126 and passable 95/98 defenses, Xerneas has quite a few opportunities to do this.

Even better is Xerneas’s typing, which allows it to switch into predicted Dragon-type attacks and get a free turn to set up. Pure Fairy-types only have two fairly-uncommon weaknesses to Steel and Poison-type attacks, and the latter of which is practically non-existent in the current metagame. The only thing Xerneas really needs to look out for are Steel-types with strong STABs, like Scizor’s Bullet Punch, or Dialga’s Iron Head/Flash Cannon.

However, without proper planning or careless switching, our rainbow steed will find itself quite useless for the entire battle. To put it bluntly, this Pokémon will either go big or go home; you either get it all, or go home broke. I won’t beat around the bush any longer, folks. Geomancy is the gem that makes Xerneas shine, but is also its permanent crutch.

And You Thought Quiver Dance was Good? Ha!
Xerneas
Hold Item: Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Geomancy
Moonblast
Psyshock/ Focus Blast/Hidden Power Fire
Thunder/ Horn Leech/Grass Knot

Let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns). Power Herb is the key to the whole set. It makes a bad move usable. Yeah I said it. Geomancy is a bad move, but that shouldn’t be news to anyone. Anything that forces you to wait a turn is bad for competitive play, as that turn gives your opponent a chance to bring in a counter and neutralize the threat. The Power Herb gives Xerneas a chance to let loose the power of the Earth with Geomancy in one turn, giving Xerneas a +2 boost to Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed - the equivalent of two Quiver Dances.

Obviously, if it goes off, Geomancy can make Xerneas a near-unstoppable force, but the extra setup turn is too huge a disadvantage to ignore, forcing Xerneas to forego other boosting items - such as the Life Orb - for the Power Herb, which gives Xerneas the one-turn boost it needs to compete with the big boys. Moonblast is your go-to STAB move and is your primary damage-dealer. It cripples almost everything. Even dedicated special walls can’t take more than two hits from a boosted Moonblast. Psyshock provides coverage on random Poison types you may rarely come across, as well as hitting Pokémon with a lower physical Defense than Special Defense should the need arise. Focus Blast, while somewhat unreliable due to low Accuracy, is for taking out tricky Steel types that are looking to OHKO with Gyro Ball after you Geomancy (I’m looking at you, Ferrothorn and Forretress). Thunder provides great coverage alongside its other attacks, and with the popularity of Kyogre in Ubers, rainy weather is almost omnipresent. With the new game reveals we can only assume it will grow more popular. Horn Leech is an option for some “meh” recovery on some sets who think they are tricky, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The recovery is nice, and if you run Hidden Power Fire over Psyshock the physical damage can be nice. Still though, overall Grass isn’t a good coverage move in the tier unless you want to run Grass Knot for a clean OHKO on Groudon and Kyogre (and even then, Thunder is a better option overall).

If you are looking for a hard stop to Xerneas after it has set up Geomancy, good luck. Not much can put a stop to its sweep. Those random Poison types I mentioned earlier don’t amount to much in the Ubers tier. In fact, the only one worth mentioning is the odd Poison Arceus. Yes, that’s right - Poison Arceus is a thing. Even better, Poison Arceus is actually popular. Why is this? Solely because of Xerneas’s sweeping potential. This is the reason we carry Psyshock, folks. It makes quick work of Arceus, but its STAB-boosted Poison Jab can be extremely dangerous to Xerneas.

Speaking of our multi-type God, Steel Arceus is still around this generation and still creates problems, particularly for Xerneas. The issue is that you can only be prepared for one kind of Arceus; Psyshock hits Poison Arceus while Focus Blast hits Steel Arceus. Personally, I like Psyshock for its much higher Accuracy and its ability to hit dedicated special walls hard.

The last, and greatest, counter I will talk about is my personal favorite winged wall of awesomeness, Lugia. Lugia presents a big problem for our Xerneas. With Multiscale up, Lugia can take a boosted hit fine and strike back with Whirlwind. Even without Multiscale, it can survive one Moonblast after Stealth Rock damage and Whirlwind the rainbow stag away, a feat that nothing else can boast about. Although it is seriously injured in each circumstance, Lugia is gifted with a high base 110 Speed, which is very speedy compared to others Ubers, most of which sit at base 90 Speed. This allows it to outspeed the incoming Pokémon and Roost off the damage more often than not. This is extremely difficult to deal with, and the best course of action is to not try and sweep with Xerneas until after a Lugia is dealt with, lest you get stuck with an itemless, boost-less Xerneas.

Great teammates for Xerneas include Mega Gengar and Zekrom. Mega Gengar is able to trap opposing Pokémon with Shadow Tag and defeat counters to Xerneas, namely Lugia. Zekrom, on the other hand, is another powerhouse that takes things into its own hands with an ability that negates Multiscale and a powerful STAB Bolt Strike. A lot of Zekrom’s counters are easy setup material for Xerneas, while Zekrom can plow through Pokemon that give Xerneas a hard time, making the two very compatible for an offensive core in Ubers.

All in all, Xerneas is a lot of fun to use and is a riot once it takes off. However, it is mostly a one-trick pony (er… stag?), and most Xerneas you encounter will probably try to abuse Geomancy. If you’re looking to experiment with the new Fairy type, Xerneas won’t disappoint. It can take down entire teams if not dealt with properly.

- JaydenSilver

But wait folks, there's more!

FAIRIES!

A Second Opinion by Alltheginjoints

I’d like to make this clear from the get-go: JaydenSilver is definitely right about the Geomancy set. It is almost unparalleled in how destructive it is after one turn of setup, and that the Power Herb/Geomancy set is, without a doubt, the most unique and effective set Xerneas can run. However, if you've got a little bit of crazy in you (like good old Mr. Crockpot - I mean, Crocker - from Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents), there are some other sets Xerneas can run.

Wanda - Calm, Cool, and Collected
Xerneas
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 HP, 4 Special Attack
Calm Mind
Moonblast
Psyshock/Focus Blast
Thunderbolt/Thunder

Calm Mind? Why would anyone in their right mind use Calm Mind when they could use Geomancy! JaydenSilver said it best: the problem with the Geomancy set is that once you set up, you are basically forced to either stay in and face the music, switch out and waste the Power Herb, or wait until you get phased out by Lugia or other walls. You have one shot at sweeping your opponent, and that’s it. Once you’ve used your Power Herb, Geomancy is not a useful boosting move, or even economical. In addition to that, while the immediate boosting is awesome stuff, you are somewhat limited after that by not being able to boost further. Call me a greedy man, but why stop at a +2/+2 boost to Special Attack and Special Defense? With Calm Mind, yes, you are certainly slower than with Geomancy, but you have the capability of accumulating boosts again if you fail for some reason, giving Xerneas a second lease on life that it wouldn’t get if it were to run Geomancy.

Cosmo - the Crazy Fool
Xerneas
Hold Item: Choice Scarf/Specs
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Special Attack 4 HP
Moonblast
Focus Blast
Psyshock
Hidden Power Fire

Fairy is a downright great type for a Choice item user. Since it hits most types for neutral damage and has a resistance to Dark, Fighting, and Bug types - and is Dragon immune - Fairy Xerneas makes a great Choice user in Ubers. This set functions like any other Choice set, so I won’t waste your time, but it is worth noting that the other premiere Scarf user in Ubers is Genesect, who shares the same speed bracket - so running Timid nature is essential for a speed tie.

Jorgen Von Strangle - Fairy Smash!
Xerneas
Hold Item: Life Orb
Naive Nature
EVs: 252 Speed, 100 Attack, 152 Special Attack
Moonblast
Close Combat
Psyshock
Rock Slide

I know you’re thinking it - yes, Rock Slide is exclusively for Ho-oh. (Oh… you weren’t thinking that?) This set is the best for catching many of Xerneas’s counters on the switch in. The Life Pokemon’s Attack stat is actually just as good as its Special Attack, so a mixed set is very viable. While this set does not have the sweeping potential of the Calm Mind or Geomancy set, it does have an immediate power that can break through many walls and leave the opposing team crippled for the entire match.

Anyway, I didn’t go into too much detail because, in all seriousness, if you are using Xerneas, you’re probably using the Geomancy set. But that’s not all the Fairy King can do and so, there are a few more options to consider. These are just my thoughts.

Signing off for now,

-Alltheginjoints

Yveltal, Destroyer of Worlds: An Ubers Analysis

Type: Dark/Flying

Base Stats
HP: 126
Attack: 131
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 131
Special Defense: 98
Speed: 99


Abilities
Dark Aura: Powers up each Pokémon's Dark-type moves.

Did anyone else see Yveltal during the first Pokémon X/Y leaks and immediately want to get Y? I know I did. I definitely would have, too, if they didn’t showcase Mega Charizard-X, too. I once read a story about how the three legendaries of X/Y are based off of Norse mythology, with Xerneas portraying Midgard (the mortal realm), Yveltal portraying Asgard (the heavenly realm), and Zygarde portraying Niflheim, where Hel is located, deep underground. Not only is Yveltal epic-looking and cool-sounding, but it also has the stats and movepool it needs to back its awesomeness.

When you first look at Yveltal’s base stats, you’ll notice that it doesn’t particularly excel in one or two particular stats, like Groudon, Kyogre, or other Ubers threats do. Instead, it has a bunch of strange, obscure numbers assigned to each stat, and the result is… interesting. With identical 131 Attack and Special Attack stats, Yveltal is just begging to be used as a mixed attacker/sweeper. It has the bulk to play a little more defensively if it wishes to, with 126 HP, 95 Defense, and 98 Special Defense. But perhaps the most important of its strange stat distribution is its unique 99 base Speed, which puts it in a unique Speed tier that outspeeds most other dangerous Ubers Pokémon under normal circumstances (Groudon, Kyogre, Ho-oh, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Reshiram, Zekrom… the list goes on).

Yveltal’s typing is also a huge blessing, giving it an immunity to the common Ground-type attacks and less-common Psychic-type attacks that plague the Ubers tier. However, the real strength lies in its amazing dual STABs and access to a great ability in Dark Aura, giving its Dark-type attacks a 33.3% boost in power. Its signature move, Oblivion Wing (while sounding freaking awesome) also has a great added ability of letting Yveltal recover 75 percent of the damage inflicted to its own HP - a great boon, considering that it is weak to Stealth Rock and often wields a Life Orb for the extra power boost. It also has access to a strong, STAB-boosted priority in Sucker Punch, making Yveltal fairly difficult to take down.

However, even the Destruction Pokémon can meet its match. In this case, it happens to be Xerneas, who seems to be outrageously well-equipped to fight the wyvern. Even worse, it has a Stealth Rock weakness that can be exploited, and many Pokémon in Ubers carry Ice-type attacks to deal with the crazy amount of dragons infesting the tier. What is Yveltal’s best chance at making an impact? Probably a mixed attacking set:

Mixed Oblivion
Yveltal
Hold Item: Life Orb
Nature: Mild/Hasty
EVs: 224 Speed, 252 Special Attack, 32 Attack
Dark Pulse
Oblivion Wing
Sucker Punch
Roost/U-turn

Thanks to Yveltal’s wonderful mixed sweeping stats and great STAB options, it is capable of running a mixed attacking set with few opponents standing in its way. When it comes to nature, you either want Mild (increases Special Attack) or Hasty(increases Speed). It comes down to preference, but either way, Yveltal should outspeed most threats that try to come in on it by investing only 224 EVs into its Speed stat, thanks to its niche Speed tier of 99. The rest of the EVs go into Attack to make Sucker Punch hit harder.

Dark Pulse and Sucker Punch, while both being STAB attacks that get a boost from Dark Aura, have different functions on this set. Dark Pulse is the harder-hitting of the two on this set, thanks to the Special Attack investment, while Sucker Punch is primarily used for priority. Oblivion Wing is a strong Special Flying-type attack that helps Yveltal heal off Life Orb recoil and has great neutral coverage. The last move depends on what you want Yveltal to do - if you want a bulkier harbinger of doom, run Roost, but U-Turn lets you scout for the opponent’s Yveltal counter and hopefully eliminate it, as even the Destruction Pokémon has its equals.

Yveltal’s biggest nemeses in the current metagame are the plethora of Fairy-types introduced in X/Y. Xerneas itself resists Yveltal’s STAB Dark-type moves and can set up with Geomancy right in the Destruction Pokémon’s face, OHKOing with an insanely powerful Moonblast. Another Pokémon to look out for is Zekrom. While normally outsped by Yveltal, it commonly carries a Choice Scarf, letting Zekrom get the jump on it and effectively OHKO with Bolt Strike. Ho-oh can also switch in on any of Yveltal’s special attacks and set up with Flame Charge, or hit back hard with a powerful Sacred Fire.

Another option for taking out Yveltal is Assault Vest Tyranitar or, honestly, any specially defensive variant (even Mega) who can tank any of Yveltal’s STAB moves and hit back with STAB Stone Edge, though it must be wary of U-Turn and the odd Focus Blast.

Doom Delivered on Fell Wings
Yveltal
Choice Specs
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 224 Speed, 32 HP
Hurricane/Oblivion Wing
Dark Pulse
Focus Blast
U-turn

This set aims to deal as much damage as possible before going down utilizing the fantastic coverage offered by its STAB attacks and Focus Blast. The EV spread is optimized to outspeed any relevant un-Scarfed threat and hit them with Specs-boosted special attacks, or scout with U-Turn.

The choice between Hurricane and Oblivion Wing is a tough one, but it should be noted that Hurricane is far stronger than Oblivion Wing, albeit far less accurate. Yveltal’s signature attack also lets it hit most of the Ubers tier neutrally for a ton of damage, and grants it more staying power than the average Choice Specs sweeper. The rest of its movepool is straightforward - Dark Pulse for a super-strong STAB and Focus Blast for additional coverage on Dialga, Tyranitar, and other Pokémon who would normally put a stop to the Destruction Pokémon’s shenanigans.

Since Yveltal will be switching out a lot with this set, hazard removal from Rapid Spin and Defog is appreciated. Good users in the Ubers tier are Excadrill, who can threaten all Pokémon bar Ho-oh who will try to take out Yveltal, though it should fear Xerneas’s wrath after it has used Geomancy.

You can tell when Yveltal is using Choice Specs easily enough. A dedicated special wall is able to switch into its attacks fairly easily, and can then scout with Protect for a U-Turn. If it is a basic switch-out, you know that you’re dealing with a much more predictable Choice Specs set.

Overall, Yveltal is definitely a worthy new foe in the Ubers tier.  It can threaten a lot of Pokémon with its powerful STAB Dark-type attacks, and has valuable staying power with its high HP and great STAB recovery in Oblivion Wing. Be sure to let us know how you like to use Yveltal in the comments or on the forums!

- J.