Jan 18, 2016, 01:11 AM (This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2016, 01:16 AM by AbruptFury.)
I've noticed that Palkia has become more prevalent on Primal Groudon teams. I can only assume that is because Xerneas is so easy to stop and they would rather use their second restricted slot more wisely, i.e. investing in a mon that takes on the primals on handles other restricteds well (barring Xerneas and maybe Dialga) :p But of course, both of those get dealt with pretty well by Primal Groudon
Jan 18, 2016, 06:31 PM (This post was last modified: Jan 18, 2016, 10:06 PM by El Miguel VGC.)
Ive actually seen decent Ho-Oh usage on teams. It's a lot bulkier than people would expect, especially more than talonflame.
A spread I just found was a little crazy; 92 hp, 212 attack, 156 defense, 44 sp def and 4 speed, with a careful nature and leftovers. Brave Bird, Sacred Fire, Roost and Substitue. The team this pokemon was in with this set placed 2nd in one of the biggest tourneys so far in vgc16', so dont feel scared to give Ho-oh a try
One of the current teams I'm using involves a Ho-oh though its main task is to wall Xerneas and maybe get a burn so I can stall it out with burns. If anyone is planning on using Ho-oh, don't use Roost since its takes away Ho-oh's Ground-type immunity in ground and with Primal Groudon everywhere its extremely important against those matchups. Generally speaking, Ho-oh is used mainly to wall Xerneas since even a +2 Moonblast or Dazzling Gleam fail to even 2HKO from my experience using one. Sacred Fire is one of the best Fire-type moves in the game as that 50% chance (well 45% if you factor missing) to burn can prove clutch against many physical attackers including Kangaskhan. Scared Fire and Brave Bird are Ho-oh standard attacking options as the last moveslots should be either Recover, Tailwind, Protect, Substitute, EQ, etc.
Even comparing Talonflame with Ho-oh, well both provide different roles as Talonflame is mainly a support Pokemon who can revenge kill any weakens targets with its priority attacks. Ho-oh is generally there on the long haul and can even wall out Pokemon with its 106 HP/ 90 Def/ 154 SpD bulk though not as fast. My only concern using both of these mons is the fact they are weak to Rock Slide especially from either Landorus-T, Terrakion, or even physical Primal Groudon which are still uncommon in the ladder.
(Jan 17, 2016, 01:57 AM)Rogue Wrote: I love using whimsicott with primal kyogre. Worry seed to stop desolate land, tailwind to make it faster, fake tears to make thunder/ice beam/origin pulse get easy OHKO's, encore/taunting threats like geomancy xerneas: Perfect team mate in my opinion.
Jan 18, 2016, 11:04 PM (This post was last modified: Feb 7, 2016, 07:20 PM by Black117.)
Mega Rayquaza
Typing: Dragon / Flying Ability: Delta Stream - Removes all Flying-type weaknesses of all Pokemon on the field; Can override both Desolate Land or Primordial Sea, though both can do the same to each other. Base Stat Total: 105 HP / 180 Atk / 100 Def / 180 Sp. Atk / 100 Sp. Def / 115 Spe (95 Speed before Mega) Weaknesses (With Delta Stream): Ice (2x) , Dragon (2x) , Fairy (2x) Resistances (With Delta Stream): Electric (0.5x), Fighting (0.5x), Bug (0.5x), Fire (0.5x), Water (0.5x), Grass (0.25x) Weaknesses (Without Delta Stream): Ice (4x), Dragon (2x), Fairy (2x), Rock (2x) Resistances (Without Delta Stream): Fighting (0.5x), Bug (0.5x), Fire (0.5x), Water (0.5x), Grass (0.25x) Immunity: Ground
Here is the all mighty Dragon Trio Master of the Hoenn region almost everyone thought of when the VGC 2016 rules where released. Is this Mega/Legend/Uber/Dragon/Sword as mighty as we all claim? Well... its not as simple as that...
For sure we cannot take away the fact Mega Rayquaza is arguably among the best Dragon-/Flying-type Pokemon, maybe Mega Evolutions the game without dispute given its high base 180 offensive stats, powerful STAB options like Dragon Ascent/Draco Meteor, an ability that partially removes some of Mega Raquaza weaknesses, and the only Mega Evo to hold any item. Regarding that last statement, the only requirement for Mega Rayquaza to Mega Evolve is by having the move Dragon Ascent, a base 120 STAB attack which is the Flying-type equivalent of "Close Combat". Already Mega Rayquaza has one of the most powerful Flying-type moves to spam against any of its targets, which will hurt factoring in a potential item choices Life Orb, Sharp Beak, or even Choice Band. Another selling point for Mega Rayquaza is the ability to override "any" weathers with both Air Lock (as regular Rayquaza) and Delta Stream (though not as "permanent") since this allows any Pokemon to hit Primal Groudon with a Water-type attack (hopefully Special given P-Groudon has an above average SpD) for a quadruple damage. Considering Primal Groudon is the most common Restricted Pokemon in the format as for right now, Mega Rayquaza pairs extremely well with its other Super-Ancient Pokemon in Primal Kyogre as both can override Desolate Land with the combination of Primordial Sea, Delta Stream, or even Air Lock. Lastly, Mega Rayquaza has a vast movepool not limited to either Draco Meteor/Dragon Ascent/Protect in coverage like Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Overheat, Energy Ball, Ice Beam, Extreme Speed, Earthquake/Earth Power, Waterfall and even the potential to setup further with Sword Dance, Dragon Dance, Bulk Up, etc.
With all these favorable traits, Mega Rayquaza is certainly a great Restricted Pokemon to chose from, however here are some notable weaknesses. For starters, Delta Stream isn't "permanent" as an opposing Primal can easily switch in while its partner can go for a rogue Ice-type attack to hit Rayquaza for 4x damage. As we all know at this point, Xerneas is common in this format as it can easily go for a KO against Mega Rayquaza with Moonblast (unless Ray has a Sash), or predict the protect and go for its Geomancy boost which will outspeed the following turn. While Mega Rayquaza has amazing offensive stats, it has rather the same above average defenses as Mega Kangaskhan, though Dragon Ascent will reduce both stats by one stage per use. In a format filled with some of the the most powerful Pokemon in the game, these defense drops means Mega Rayquaza needs to take out its opposing threats before they render the mighty Dragon-Flying type useless. Lastly Mega Rayquaza reaches only a base 115 speed, which is sub-par at best since it can outspeed most Pokemon, it cannot outspeed things like Mega Salamence, Weavile, Mewtwo, Xerneas (after Geo-Herb boost), and other non-boosted/Scarf Pokemon.
In the end, Mega Rayquaza is a mon you need to know when to initiate the offense and take out certain targets as quick as possible before the opponent can setup, or knockout Rayquaza as well. Fortunately for this Restricted Pokemon has the offensive capabilities to do so, though a Dragon Ascent from max attack is enough to 2HKO most of the format that's not resisted or bulky like Cresselia, Giratina, Aegislash, etc. Based on speed tier, Mega Rayquaza is initially faster than the Primals, Johto Duo Birds, Dialga, Giratina forms, etc though its not faster than Mega Kangaskhan, Palkia, Xerneas, Yveltal, Mega Salamence, Mewtwo. Even with its full speed, Mega Rayquaza is still outsped by Mega Salamence, Mewtwo, Weavile, Mega Gengar, Greninja, and even Geo-Herb boosted Xerneas so it must avoid fighting these Pokemon unless it can knock them out with an Extreme Speed. With that, here are a couple of sample sets for Mega Rayquaza:
Probably the most standard Mega Rayquaza set atm, though likely to change in due time. As with any Mega Rayquaza set, Dragon Ascent is the main move of choice as it can take out many Pokemon with either average defenses or severely weaken targets. As stated before, the only downside from using Dragon Ascent is the double defense drops, however this can be mitigated by switching Mega Rayquaza out and back in later in the match. Extreme Speed is Mega Rayquaza's best form of priority to both outspeed faster threats and out-prioritize opposing Sucker Punches, Brave Birds, Prankster status, etc though from a base 180 attack its certainly going to hurt any non-resistant Pokemon. STAB Draco Meteor from a non-invest Mega Rayqauza (if Life Orb) will leave a huge mark against anything that's not specially defensive, or are either Steel- or Fairy-types. Of course Dragon Meteor will drop the Special Attack from Mega Rayquaza, however it can still apply immediate offensive pressure with its STAB Dragon Ascent attacks. Similarly, Overheat can be used to nuke opposing Steel-type Pokemon like Aegislash, Ferrothorn, Mega Mawile, Mega Metagross, etc though at the cost of its own SpA being dropped. Lastly Waterfall can be used as a mode to OHKO any Primal Groudon with a quad effective attack, though personally I'd prefer something like Draco Meteor or Extreme Speed as options. For item choice, Life Orb is necessary to ensure Mega Rayquaza can maintain a high damage output against the opposition at a cost of 10% of its HP. The EVs aren't modified, though one can run a Mega Ray with an IV of 29 HP to ensure LO recoil would do less damage.
-This set is originally showcased from Kyle Cole's YT Channel. Check out his YT channel for VGC 2016 sets and PS Battles -
The idea with this Mega Rayquaza is to pair it with a redirection user like Togekiss, Amoonguss, Clefable, Clefairy, etc and setup as many Sword Dances, or Dragon Dances (for speed) as possible. Once setup, Mega Rayquaza becomes difficult to kill given the high damage output from either Dragon Ascent, Extreme Speed, or EQ. There are a multiple ways to go about this set starting with either Sword Dance or Dragon Dance. Most of the time after it was gone through the the turn it Mega evolves, Mega Rayquaza has an exceptionally high speed stat compared with most Restricted / Regular Pokemon in the format and priority in the form or E-Speed. After one Sword Dance boost, Mega Raywill essentially double its attack stat while being able to kill almost anything in the game that's not resisted, or bulky. Dragon Dance is an option in case Mega Rayquaza should outspeed some other threats like Mega Gengar, Mega Salamence, Weavile, Crobat, etc without using Extreme-Speed to outpace. Earthquake is slashed as an option in case opposing Steel-/Rock-type Pokemon are an issue, though rather uncommon due to the prevalence of the Primals. Lastly the choice of item can be the following: Lum Berry to prevent status, Focus Sash so Mega Rayquaza to take one fatal attack, or Life Orb to further supplement the attack boosts. Either three is up to the general preference.
This is the exact set notable VGC Player Jon Hu used to win a NY/NJ PC early in this January 2016. Here's a link to his team via a video done by Cyberton himself.
This is somewhat of a mirror to the standard physically-mixed Mega Rayquaza set that's currently standard which only differ in some key aspects. For starters, Draco Meteor will OHKO up to 36 HP investment Mega Kangakhan (well standard fast 252/252 variants) provided that it connects. Even 252 HP Primal Groudon has a a 87.5% chance to be OHKOed by Draco Meteor so any Pokemon that generally doesn't have a high Special Defense or resisted/ immune will likely be OKHOed. Dragon Ascent is still incredibly strong, however it cannot OHKO targets like non-invested Primal Kyogre, Kangaskhan (on a favorable damage roll), Ho-oh, etc without some prior damage. Regardless, Life Orb Dragon Ascent is still going to 2HKO most intended targets anyways, however just not leave the foe at a lower amount of HP compared from a 252 Atk investment. Earth Power is what Jon Hu used on his team given the lack of response for opposing Steel-types like Mega Mawile who will likely use Primal Kyogre's Primordial Sea to block out the Fire-type weakness. Given that Earth Power is a special Ground-type attack, this allows Mega Rayquaza to even OHKO up to 252 HP / 128 SpD Mega Mawile, 4 HP Mega Metagross, and even OHKO 92 HP Primal Groudon while avoiding using a Fire-type move. Overheat is an option here as special Mega Rayquaza becomes one of the few Pokemon in the game who can OHKO 252 HP / 44 SpD Aegislash with the Life Orb. One thing to mention is having Dragon Ascent, Overheat, and Draco Meteor in the same set can leave it deprived of its Special Attack and both defense stats so switch out, or even sack it when necessary.
What about regular Rayquaza?
Well to be honest, everything that Rayquaza does...Mega Rayquaza does better in terms of most attacking movesets, however there is one other thing the basic form has over the Mega Evolution: Air Lock. With this ability in play, all weather conditions (even abilities/moves) lose out in their effect for as long as the Pokemon with Air Lock remains on the field. This means Primal Groudon's 4x weakness to Water-type attacks can easily be exploited by even a simple switch to Rayquaza as its partner goes uses a Water-type attack. Using regular Rayquaza can allow the use of another Mega Evolution, however be careful if Rayquaza has Dragon Ascent as you don't to Mega and have a regular Kangaskhan/Mawile on the field. The speed tier for Rayquaza is somewhat awkward compared since it can outspeed the primals and other restricted Pokemon, however cannot outspeed base speed 100 Pokemon like Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Gardevoir, and the base 99 Speed Xerneas/Yveltal. The damage output is another thing to consider given Mega Rayquaza has an extra 30+ points in its offensive stats as well as a 20+ points in speed to outspeed. Honestly, any of the above sets can do for a regular Rayquaza set, though consider having something like a Life Orb to increase the damage output.
Partners
Primal Kyogre: Consider the fact with Primal Kyogre's Primordial Sea, and Rayquaza's Air Lock/Delta Stream, this can allow Primal Groudon to be OHKOed with powerful Water-type attacks. Both of these Restricted Pokemon don't counterbalance each other other than using both Primals so the least Primal Kyogre can use its powerful STAB Water attacks.
Xerneas: This Fairy-type Pokemon can easily beat out against opposing Dragon-type Pokemon that Mega Ray fears and setup Geomancy for a clean sweep. Be advised that both Mega Ray + Xerneas needs a response to Steel-type Pokemon when considering this pair.
Togekiss: With Delta Steam in play, Togekiss's main Ice-, Rock-, and Electric-type weaknesses are removed to become a Fairy-type with a pseudo "levitate". This allows Togekiss to easily redirect attacks away from Mega Rayquaza so the Restricted Mega Evolution can either setup or go on the offense.
Ho-oh: Popularized by Jon Hu, Ho-oh's part Fire-typing paired with its 106 HP / 154 SpD special bulk can let it wall Xerneas even when setup. In return, Mega Rayquaza's Delta Stream can remove Ho-oh's Electric weakness, make Ice resistant, and Rock-type hits are only 2x super effective.
Thundurus/Zapdos One thing to note about using either Thundurus/Zapdos with Mega Rayquaza as with Delta Stream in effect, the weakness of these Electric-/Flying-type Pokemon are removed. This means both Thundurus and Zapdos has no "weakness" while in Delta Stream and is harder to take out. Generally speaking, Thundurus is preferred in case the team lacks a response for setup or Dark Void Smeargle with Prankster Taunt/Thunder Wave. Zapdos is slower, though much more bulkier as it benefits from the Delta Stream better than Thundurus given it has access to recovery in Roost and better coverage.
Fears: Xerneas can outspeed it before Mega Rayquaza Mega Evolves, or if bold enough can setup Geomancy, and easily OHKO with either a +2 Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast. Opposing Fairy-type Pokemon like Togekiss, Mega Mawile, Klefki, Clefable, Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, etc can all check Mega Rayquaza with their powerful Fairy-type attacks though they need to be careful as a Dragon Ascent or coverage option can knock these Pokemon out. Dragon-type Pokemon like Mega Salamence, Dialga, Palkia, Kyurem-W/B, etc can threaten Rayquaza with a STAB Dragon-type attack, though they too must be weary of being knocked out unless they have speed control like Tailwind, Trick Room, etc. Both Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon are relative checks as they can remove Delta Stream from Mega Rayquaza so it can be easily to hit harder with an Rock-type or quad-effective Ice-type move. Finally if all else fails, Mega Rayquaza can be easily revenge killed once its defenses are dropped from repeated Dragon Ascents, though it can go for one last Extreme Speed for a knock out.
So that's basically a good idea of how Mega Rayquaza is used, so feel free to post your ideas about the Restricted Mega Evolution in the thread. I'll work on some other Restricted Pokemon in the coming days/weeks though I'm likely shooting for one per few days. Again thanks to reading this rather short write up and again post any thoughts about Mega Rayquaza down below.
Feb 8, 2016, 07:22 AM (This post was last modified: Feb 8, 2016, 07:26 AM by Black117.)
Yveltal
Typing: Dark / Flying Ability: Dark Aura - Powers all Dark-type moves used on the field by 1.33x. Base Stat Total: 126 HP / 131 Atk / 95 Def / 131 Sp. Atk / 98 Sp. Def / 99 Spe Weaknesses: Fairy (2x), Ice (2x) , Electric (2x) , Rock (2x) Resistances: Ghost (0.5x) , Dark (0.5x), Grass (0.5x) Immunity: Ground, Psychic Battle Spot Stats: Yveltal
In many way (well maybe a couple distinguishing factors), Yveltal lives in the shadows of fame compared to its counterpart Xerneas, who with the right support sweep opposing teams with ease with Geomancy Fairy attacks. Though Yveltal fears the dreaded Xerneas matchup, it can compete against almost everything else from the restricted Pokemon to the regular support and Mega Pokemon alike it due to its powerful Dark-type coverage alone. Like Fairy Aura, Dark Aura increases the power of all Dark-type moves used by all sides by 1.33x meaning Yveltal and its Dark-type partners can utilize their boosted attacks to great effects. Another interesting note regarding Yveltal is with Dark Aura and STAB, it is effectively "strongest" Dark-type attacker in the game with the strongest Foul Play, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch- even the honor of being the strongest priority attacker in the game. Like Xerneas, Yveltal shares the same base stat total with 131 offensive stats and a respectable 126 HP / 95 Def / 98 Sp.Def to at least take on a powerful hit like Dragon Ascent Mega Rayquaza, Double Edge from Mega Kangakhan/Mega Salamence, Water Spout/Eruption from the Primals, etc with some investment. Yveltal is one of the very few Pokemon who can OHKO defensive Trick Room setters like Cresselia, Gothitelle, and Bronzong with a max attack Dark Aura Knock Off to deny them of any potential setup or Trick Room. Dark Aura Foul Play from Yveltal is powerful enough to 2HKO anything that doesn't resist Dark-types or have low attack stats to abuse. Finally its base 99 speed tier is fast enough to outspeed the base 90-98 Pokemon especially the Primals and other restricted Legends though falls short of the base 100 speed threshold.
Given Yveltal is a part Flying-type Pokemon, it can switch-in against most Ground-type attacks from Primal Groudon and takes no damage from opposing Psychic-type Pokemon like Cresselia, Mewtwo, Lugia, etc. To top this off, Yveltal has many viable sets to abuse its Dark Aura attacks as well as its signature STAB move Oblivion Wing- which restores about 75% HP taken from the damage taken by the target. Things aren't clear skies for Yveltal as mentioned earlier Xerneas is its Yveltal's number one counter as it can't stop Xerneas from firing boosted Fairy-type attacks or setting up with Geomancy. Common weaknesses to coverage moves like Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Rock Slide make Yveltal slightly difficult. Finally some of Yvetal's standard sets might be too passive to deal massive damage compared to something like Dragon Ascent from Mega Rayquaza, Eruptions/Water Spouts from the Primals, etc. Despite these flaws, Yveltal can best be described as a utility disturber capable of dealing powerful Dark-type attacks against the opposition.
Adamant Life Orb
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 28 SpD / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Tailwind
- Protect
Milestones:
-Has a chance to OHKO positive defensive nature (max defense) Cresselia with LO Knock Off and/or heavily damage it (bar Colbur Berry/Non-Item).
-Otherwise, non-positive nature Cresselia with 252 HP / 252 Def has a 6.3% chance to take a LO Knock Off.
-Can OHKO 252 HP / 148 Def Aegislash with either LO Sucker Punch or Knock Off.
-Can OHKO Max Defense Gothitelle with LO Knock Off.
-Inflicts minimum 60% damage to 4 HP Mega Kangaskhan with Knock Off.
-Takes a LO Dragon Ascent from Mega Rayquaza (not Adamant since its a roll).
-Outspeeds Smeargle by one point.
-Takes less recoil from Life Orb.
One of the main appeals of this Yveltal set is the potential to straight out OHKO common Trick Room setters like Cresselia, Bronzong, and Gothitelle with a Life Orb / Dark Aura-boosted Knock Off- the strongest in the game. Though this might not sound as appealing but OHKOing defensive powerhouse like Cresselia (or heavily damage it) can ensure the opponent won't get off Trick Room or any other support options. Even if Cresselia manages to survive an attack from Yveltal, it will be severely weaken to the point (and without its item) where any powerful neutral attack can follow up an OHKO such as spread damage Eruption, Water Spout, or Dazzeling Gleam. Aside from fainting an almost unbreakable support like Cresselia, Yveltal can inflict heavy damage to against other restricted Pokemon not named Primal Groudon/Xerneas while removing items here and there. Sucker Punch from Yveltal is incredibly powerful for priority move given the Dark Aura, Life Orb, and max attack. In fact, Sucker Punch from this set is so powerful that the most common Aegislash sets will likely faint if it attacks and deals respectable damage to anything else. Once the opposing team is weaken enough, Yveltal's Sucker Punches can potentially clean up the opposition. Finally, Tailwind is Yveltal's speed control option to double the speed of its allies for the next 3 turns after initial use. Tailwind speed control helps Yveltal and its teammates outspeed the opposing team and setup for powerful spread damage dealers like Eruption/P-Blades Primal Groudon or Water Spout/Origin Pulse Primal Kyogre.
Special Life Orb
Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 60 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 188 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing / Hurricane
- Heat Wave / Foul Play
- Protect
Milestones:
-Takes a LO Dragon Ascent from Mega Rayquaza.
-Outspeeds base 90 speed such as the Primals.
-Takes less recoil from Life Orb
Yveltal has a usable base 131 Special Attack with reliable STAB options to abuse such as Dark Pulse, Oblivion Wing, Hurricane, etc. Oblivion Wing is the main move f choice for special Yveltal as it can 2HKO Primal Groudon/Mega Kangaskhan/Mega Rayquaza, while recover about 75% of its HP to mitigate the Life Orb recoil. Thanks to the recovery and mechanics from Oblivion Wing, Yveltal can stick around longer than its physical variants over time. STAB Dark Pulse with the Dark Aura boosts is powerful enough to 2HKO Cresselia, Gothitelle, Bronzong, etc while threaten out Aegislash and Mega Gengar for a potential knock out. Generally speaking, if Yveltal is low in HP, don't attempt to recover off the damage taken with Oblivion Wing unless of course Yveltal is up against something it can beat out, or is its best possible play. Even though Yveltal's Oblivion Wing can recover off lost HP based on 75% of the damage dealt, this won't be as strong as say using Roost on Yveltal though its better off dealing damage back to the opponent. Consider Oblivion Wing more as a supplemental and reliable Flying-STAB option to abuse over its more power Hurricane option. Heat Wave is coverage option to handle Mega Mawile or Ferrothorn better which both can give Yveltal issues. Foul Play can be used to hit Primal Kyogre harder than it special moves and alternative for Heat Wave. Hurricane is another option for Yveltal to run paired with Primal Kyogre to allow for 100% accuracy, a strong Flying-STAB, and the 30% chance to confuse the opponent. However the issue with using Hurricane is with Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon being so common, Hurricane may miss every so often. Lastly Protect is there to scout out the opponent's move or stall out Trick Room/Tailwind, or any other speed control.
Foul Play Spam
Yveltal @ Black Glasses / Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 220 HP / 4 Atk / 52 Def / 4 SpD / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Foul Play
- Sucker Punch
- Tailwind / Taunt / Knock Off / Disable
- Protect
Milestones:
-Outspeeds base 95s and 90s
-Dark Aura Black Glasses / Life Orb Foul Play can 2HKO many threats with high attack stats without investing into Yveltal's own attack at all.
Foul Play is a base 95 Dark-type move which doesn't factor in Yveltal's base 131 Attack stat, but rather from the Pokemon it is targeting so why should Yveltal use this over something like Knock Off or the special set. First off, Yveltal doesn't need to optimize ANY attack EVs for Foul Play but must rely on its opponent's own attack stat to be used against them which most of these Pokemon in the format have high base-attack stats. Factor in Foul Play receiving all these boost from Dark Aura, STAB, Black Glasses / Life Orb and no negative effects from opposing Intimidate drops means it has a powerful Dark-type coverage to abuse. The only negatives of using this Yveltal set is if it get burned or the opposing Pokemon get attack drops to decrease the damaging power of Foul Play. Sucker Punch is slashed to give Yveltal priority and pick off weaken foes if they comment to an attack. The last options is basically a toss-up between Tailwind for speed control, Taunt to stop setup and other status moves, Knock Off to remove items, and Disable to prevent the opponent from using the a previously used move. All four are viable in their own way, however the choice is up to the player to decide.
An interesting strategy to abuse with Foul Play is pair Yveltal with a Prankster user like Thundurus, Whimsicott, Klefki, Liepard, etc and Swagger the opponent's own Pokemon to net a KO. This is extremely risky as 1) Swagger can miss, 2) the opponent can protect to prevent the double target, and 3) the attack raise to the opposing Pokemon can be easily turned against the user if they don't faint the Swaggered Pokemon immediately.
Assault Vest Tank
Yveltal @ Assault Vest
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 44 SpA / 60 SpD / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
- Snarl
- Foul Play
- Oblivion Wing
- Sucker Punch
Milestones:
-This set is from Kyle Cole's Yveltal Spreads from YT.
-Takes a LO Dragon Ascent from Jolly/Naive Mega Rayquaza.
-Outspeeds base 75 notablely Smeargle.
-Dazzling Gleam from 252 SpA Xerneas is a 3HKO (not from a boosted Geomancy)
The goal of this set is to mitigate the damage from the opposing special attackers from Primal Groudon/Kyogre, Xerneas, Mega Salamence, Mega Rayquza, etc with repeated Dark Aura-boosted Snarls. Assault Vest augments Yveltal's base 98 special defense stat with its high 126 HP to enable this Dark-/Flying-type to take even the most powerful special hits like Eruption, Water Spout, Draco Meteor, etc. Though Snarl is still weak compared to Dark Pulse, this drops the special attack stats of both opposing Pokemon by one stage and further assist Yveltal in letting it tank special hits while disrupting the damage output of the opponent's team. Foul Play as stated the other section is already strong enough to 2HKO most targets bar opposing Dark-types and Fairy-types like Xerneas, Mega Mawile, Tyranitar, and opposing Yveltals. Oblivion Wing can be used to recover off damage against -1 or -2 SpA targets and receive back 75% HP. Remember this Yveltals' only recovery option given the Assault Vest won't let it use something like Roost. Finally Sucker Punch rounds up this set for Yveltal so it can finish off any weakened targets and a mode of priority. For this set, pair Yveltal with something as powerful like Mega Kangaskhan, Primals, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Salmence, Mega Mawile given its rather too passive to initiate any offensive pressure aside from maybe disrupting the opponent. Most of the time Yveltal will be using Snarl or Foul Play to soften up targets for its own teammate to knock out subsequently afterward.
3rd Place WP Yveltal
Yveltal @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 44 HP / 76 Def / 4 SpA / 132 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- Snarl / Tailwind
- Protect
Milestones:
-This Yveltal set was originally crafted by Gonbe238 and ranked 3rd place in the Generation Showdown a year ago (same format as VGC 2016).
-Takes a Life Orb Thunderbolt from Timid 252 SpA Thundurus.
-Takes a Stone Edge from Scarf Tyranitar.
This Yveltal set relies heavily on receiving its Weakness Policy boost from either an incoming Fairy-, Electric-, Ice-, and Rock-type attack to get any offense going which the opponent may likely use. Once the WP item is triggered, Yveltal will receive a +2 Special Attack boost to make it an immediate offensive threat with boosted Dark Pulses, Oblivion Wings, and Snarl. At +2 special attack, Dark Aura-boosted Dark Pulse 2HKO most targets not resisted to Dark though keep this in mind since Yveltal won't achieve many notable OHKOs. Oblivion Wing at +2 can both deal massive damage while recovering off lost HP from taking a Super-Effective hit earlier from the battle at a 75% rate. Chances are a boosted Oblivion Wing with Weakness Policy will recuperate much of Yveltal's lost HP while dealing considerable damage to the opposing side. Snarl can help Yveltal take an incoming special hit like Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam, or Ice Beam better so it can activate the Weakness Policy without losing too much health. Even at +2 special attack, Dark Aura-boosted Snarl can deal about 40% spread damage to Mega Kangaskhan/Mega Rayquaza while reducing the damage output for special attackers. If Snarl doesn't appeal to anyone, Tailwind is an alternative so Yveltal can get a pseudo +2 boost in speed and outspeed its most of the format
Partners
Primal Groudon: Primal Groudon is Yveltal's best partner currently since it beats three of its biggest checks in Xerneas, Mega Mawile, Thundurus (Electric Immunity), and Ferrothorn if it doesn't have a Fire coverage like Heat Wave. Its understandable Yveltal doesn't want to deal with powerful Fairy-type Pokemon like Mega Mawile or Xerneas so having a buffer like Primal Groudon can certainly help. In exchange, Yveltal can deal a good amounts of damage against Primal Kyogre/Mega Rayquaza with its Dark Aura-boosted Dark attacks to ease this matchup.
Dark-type Pokemon and Sucker Punch users: Thanks to its Dark Aura ability, Yveltal can power up Dark-type attacks by about 1.33x not only to itself but for everyone on the field including its partners. A common partner seen on Battle Spot Special and Showdown is Liepard with support moves like Fake Out, Encore, Taunt, Fake Tears, Swagger, and finally Dark Aura boosted Foul Plays. Both Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Mawile deserve a special mention as both among the strongest Sucker Punch users with Yveltal and further powering up their main priority attacks.
Mega Mawile: Continuing on Mega Mawile, it resist three of Yveltal's main weaknesses to Ice-, Rock-, and Fairy-types and can stand toe-to-toe against opposing Xerneas matches. Yveltal can switch in for Mega Mawile in place of strong Ground-type attacks from Primal Groudon and can power up other Dark-type moves Mega Mawile can carry like Sucker Punch or Foul Play.
Primal Kyogre: If Yveltal is mostly physical, it might find itself having a difficult time against Primal Groudon due to its massive 160 defense stat and likely needs another partner to beat it. Primal Kyogre comes to mine since it can block out Primal Groudon's Fire-type attacks like Eruption and OHKO it with any Water-type attack. Thanks to Primal Kyogre's offensive spread attacks like Water Spout and Origin Pulse, this allows both to clean up opposing teams and soften up Pokemon for the physical Yveltal sets to OHKO with Knock Off or Foul Play.
Fears
One word: Xerneas. Essentially Xerneas can almost setup against most Yveltal sets unless they want to risk taking a Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblast/Dazzling Gleam while attempting at worst a 50/50 chance to knock off the Power Herb. If Xerneas isn't neutralized, chances are it will take advantage of Yveltal, setup with Geomancy, and proceed to sweep the opposing team with ease. Other Fairy-types like Mega Mawile, Klefki, Togekiss, Clefable and other uncommons (Sylveon/Mega Gardevoir) can threaten Yveltal with either Fairy-type coverage or proceed to setup and assist its allies given Yveltal can't do much to Fairies. Powerful threats like Thundurus, Kyurem-W/B, Zapdos, etc can threaten it out with STAB Thunderbolts/Ice Beams however Yveltal can potentially OHKO these offensive variants ifs its the Adamant Life Orb set. Remember Yveltal is weak against Ice-, Rock-, and Electric-type which are still common coverage options moves like Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Rock Slide/Stone Edge can deal good chunks of damage. Though really uncommon, Tyranitar can wall Yveltal thanks to its Dark-/Rock-typing, can OHKO it with either STAB Rock Slide/Stone Edge, and can abuse Dark Aura for itself since its rare for Yveltal to carry Focus Blast. Finally the best way to beat Yveltal if none of these are options is to overwhelm it with powerful attacks like from Double Edges from Mega Kang/Mence, Water Spouts/Eruptions from the Primals, and even status moves like Spore, Will-O-Wisp, or Thunder Wave to impede Yveltal's main objective.
Well... its been 2 months so here's are the Yveltal set. Now I'm going to work on the following Pokemon by order: Ho-oh, Palkia, Xerneas, Dialga, and Mewtwo so these individual analysis should be done in due time. January was stressful for me and didn't have much time to work on these sets, though I wanted to wait enough so I at least know what to discuss in these segments. My goal is to get like 2 Pokemon Analysis minimum by the end of the week as well as post a VGC 2016 team I'm using.
Pokemon VGC 2016 Metagame Megathread
![[Image: rayquaza-mega.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/rayquaza-mega.png)
![[Image: yveltal.png]](http://www.pokestadium.com/sprites/xy-fan/yveltal.png)
