Yveltal [QC 0/3]

[Sugarbear]

QC:
GP:

[OVERVIEW]

* Yveltal boasts a number of traits that make it a top tier threat in the Ubers metagame. Well balanced stats and a solid movepool allow it to fulfil many different roles on a team, ranging from wallbreaking to stallbreaking to revenge killing and even physical wall. This makes Yveltal a highly versatile Pokémon, able to fit on and threaten all team archetypes, from hyper offensive to bulky teams.
* Against offensive teams, Yveltal can revenge kill many faster threats, such as Mega Gengar, Ultra Necrozma, Deoxys-A and Mega Mewtwo Y with Sucker Punch. Against bulkier teams, it can easily break through many prominent walls such as Necrozma-DM, Lugia, both Giratina forms, Zygarde-C, Chansey and Blissey with the combination of Taunt and its powerful Dark STAB.
* Dark Aura is a wonderful ability, giving Yveltal's Dark-type STABs a huge power boost. With a Choice Specs equipped, Yveltal is even able to 2HKO offensive Ho-Oh, which is one of the most specially bulky Pokémon in the tier.
* Yveltal's typing is overall very good offensively, allowing it to hit almost everything commonly seen in Ubers for neutral damage with its STAB moves alone. Combined with the aforementioned Dark Aura, there are very few Pokémon that can reliably switch into Yveltal. This also means it frequently has moveslots to spare, allowing you to customise its movesets to your liking depending on what you need it to check.
* While base 99 Speed lets it outpace the crowded 90-95 Speed tier, it also leaves it lagging behind faster threats such as Marshadow, Mega Salamence, Arceus forms and Mega Lucario, all of which can revenge kill Yveltal with the right move.
* Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy and Magearna are highly problematic for Yveltal. All of them are able to beat it one on one, with Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy able to use it as set up fodder.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Sucker Punch / Toxic
item: Life Orb
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Mild / Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=========

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB. Dark Aura gives it massive power, letting it 2HKO practically everything that doesn't resist it - it can even 2HKO max HP Arceus formes that don't resist it. As a nice side effect, it can also potentially flinch slower targets.
* Oblivion Wing is the secondary STAB move, hitting most of the Pokémon that resist Dark Pulse neutrally. It 2HKOes Geomancy Xerneas, and its healing effect helps offset Life Orb recoil, Stealth Rock damage, and other forms of chip damage.
* Taunt allows Yveltal to avoid status from walls such as Chansey, Blissey, Zygarde-C, defensive Primal Groudon and support Arceus forms other than Fairy, letting Yveltal break through them. It also prevents slower sweepers, such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon, from setting up.
* Sucker Punch is a useful priority move which is boosted by STAB and Dark Aura, helpful for catching faster Pokémon. It OHKOes Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Ultra Necrozma and Deoxys-A.
* Toxic is another option this set can run to put opposing Pokemon on a timer, especially harmful to support Arceus formes
* Knock Off is another option that is also boosted by STAB and Dark Aura. It OHKOs offensive Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock or a switch in to Dark Pulse and 2HKOes Blissey. However, it is more situational that Sucker Punch or Toxic.
* Heat Wave can be used in the final slot, as that 2HKOes Magearna most of the time after Stealth Rock, which could otherwise wall this set. It also OHKOes Ferrothorn, although Ferrothorn can't do much to Yveltal once i

Set Details
========

* Maximum Speed and Special Attack EVs along with a Mild nature give Yveltal as much power as it can get. A Mild nature is usually best, as with Sucker Punch's priority maximum speed is often unnecessary, although you could run a Hasty nature if you need to outrun the likes of Raquaza and Lunala. If you forgo Sucker Punch, a Timid nature is preferred so you can reliably outrun Rayquaza and Lunala; this also means you don't have to compromise bulk.
* A Mild nature is the best option, as it lets Yveltal take less damage from attacks such as support Arceus forms Ice Beam, defensive Primal Groudon's Overheat and Lunala's Moongeist Beam.
* Life Orb is the only item this set should run, as it provides a valuable power boost while letting Yveltal switch moves. Thanks to Oblivion Wing's healing effect, the recoil isn't too detrimental.
* Dark Aura is Yveltal's only ability, giving Dark Pulse, Sucker Punch and Knock Off a noticeable power boost.

Usage Tips
========

* This set is best used as an early to mid-game wallbreaker, smashing holes in the opponent's team so that other Pokémon can clear up more easily later on in the match.
* The Pokémon Life Orb Yveltal can threaten largely depends on which move it runs in the final slot. Running Sucker Punch gives it a great matchup against offensive teams, as it can prevent set up with Taunt and hit faster Pokémon with Sucker Punch.
* If Toxic is used in the final slot, this set is a great threat to bulkier teams, as it can shut down and cripple passive walls.
* Yveltal can switch into weaker defensive Pokémon such as defensive Primal Groudon, defensive Necrozma-DM and Lugia as they use recovery moves, or as they set or remove hazards. However, it must still be wary of Toxic from all of them, as well as Stone Edge from Primal Groudon or Swords Dance into Sunsteel Strike from Necrozma-DM. It can then either fire off strong attacks or look to cripple the potential switch in with Toxic. However, it should still be wary of a Stone Edge from Groudon and Necrozma.

Team Options
========

* Xerneas greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to weaken Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM and cripple Blissey with Taunt. In turn, Xerneas can set up on the bulky Dark-types that wall Yveltal and 2HKO Tyranitar and Arceus-Dark with its Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblast. Defensive sets can remove Stealth Rock for Yveltal with Defog, and cure potential status problems with Aromatherapy.
* Yveltal's Dark Aura boosted Dark Pulse lets it check Lugia and Giratina-O, which can both stop Rock Polish Primal Groudon from sweeping. It can also weaken or outright break Zygarde-C. In turn, Groudon can threaten the Fairy-types Yveltal is weak to.
* Dragon Dance Mega Salamence that run Facade instead of Earthquake appreciate a check to Necrozma-DM, which Yveltal provides. In turn, Salamence can threaten defensive Ho-Oh, which Yveltal will struggle with if it lacks Knock Off.
* As all of Ubers' Fairy-types can defeat Yveltal one on one, checks to them are necessary teammates.
* Necrozma-DM resists the Fairy-, Rock- and Ice-type moves Yveltal is weak to, can set up Stealth Rock for Yveltal, and is able to threaten Chansey and Blissey. Necrozma-DM likes having a teammate that can check Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C and the Giratina formes.
* Mega Lucario can form a wallbreaking core with Yveltal, with Lucario able to threaten Xerneas, Mega Diancie, Chansey and Blissey with its Adaptability-boosted STABs, and Yveltal able to threaten Lugia, Giratina and Necrozma-DM with its Dark Aura boosted Dark Pulse.
* Ferrothorn is able to wall Arceus-Fairy, Mega Diancie and Magearna, and greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to check Primal Groudon. It can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes to give Yveltal extra O-2HKOes.
* Yveltal can cover Mega Gengar's weaknesses perfectly, being immune to Ground- and Psychic-type moves and resisting Ghost- and Dark-type ones. Gengar can trap and remove and unboosted Geomancy Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy with its STAB Sludge Wave.
* Ho-Oh can wall Arceus-Fairy and Magearna for Yveltal, while Yveltal can check Giratina and Zygarde-C for Ho-Oh.
* Smeargle and Shuckle can both set up Sticky Web for Yveltal, which allows it to outrun the unboosted metagame, even when using a Mild nature, besides Mega Salamence, Arceus-Flying, Deoxys-S and Shaymin-S. Both of them greatly appreciate Yveltal's ability to take out Mega Sableye, which can prevent them setting up hazards with Magic Bounce.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB move. Backed up by Choice Specs and Dark Aura, it hits incredibly hard, notably 2HKOing Life Orb Ho-Oh most of the time.
* Oblivion Wing serves as the secondary STAB, with its healing effect giving Yveltal great sustainability. It can 2HKO many of the Pokemon that resist Dark, such as Xerneas and opposing Yveltal.
* U-turn is used to scout switch ins and grab momentum.
* Heat Wave 2HKOes Magearna which could otherwise wall this set.
* Focus Blast OHKOes Tyranitar that lack Chople Berry, which can otherwise take anything Yveltal has. It also has a good chance to OHKO Arceus-Dark after Stealth Rock, which can avoid a 2HKO from any other attack. However, its poor accuracy makes it very unreliable.
* Hurricane acts as a more powerful secondary STAB than Oblivion Wing, notably allowing Yveltal to 2HKO Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Dark without entry hazards. However, like Focus Blast, its low accuracy makes it very unreliable.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack EVs give Yveltal as much power as possible, while letting it make the most of its semi unique Speed tier. A Timid nature is best, as it guarantees Yveltal will outrun the numerous Pokemon in the 90-97 Speed tiers such as Primal Groudon, Rayquaza and Lunala, as well as slower support Arceus formes, such as Ground and Water. Timid Choice Specs Yveltal will still outdamage Mild Life Orb Yveltal. A Modest nature can be used for some extra firepower, as it allows Yveltal to OHKO offensive Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock, 2HKO Zygarde-C after a layer of Spikes, and 2HKO defensive Primal Kyogre some of the time after Stealth Rock.
* Choice Specs boosts Yveltal's Special Attack, granting incredible power at the cost of locking it into one move. Luckily both of its STABs are very spammable, having no drawbacks and excellent netural coverage, so being locked into one move isn't too detrimental.

Usage Tips
========

* Choice Specs Yveltal trades versatility for sheer power. Therefore, it is best used as a wallbreaker, smashing holes in the opponent's team for something else to clear up later.
* Yveltal should aim to use Dark Pulse most of the time, as thanks to Dark Aura it will hit neutral targets harder than anything else.
* Yveltal should mainly switch into weaker Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Giratina-O, Lugia and defensive Necrozma-DM. It can then use the switches it forces to either fire off powerful attacks, or use U-turn to grab momentum.
* U-turn is useful to scout switch ins, grab momentum and pivot out of Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Arcues-Fairy and Arceus-Dark and into a more favorable matchup.
* Be cautious of locking Yveltal into Heat Wave, as it leaves Yveltal easily set up on by the likes of Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus Fairy.

Team Options
========

* Mega Gengar can trap and KO unboosted Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy with its STAB Sludge Wave, and greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to get it in safely with U-turn, as well as the Yveltal's ability to switch into the Ground-, Ghost-, Dark- and Psychic-type moves it is weak to.
* Geomancy Xerneas greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to threaten Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM and offensive Ho-Oh. In turn, Xerneas can force out the bulky Dark-types that wall Yveltal such as Tyranitar and Arceus-Dark and possibly use them to set up.
* Rock Polish Primal Groudon can make good use of Choice Specs Yveltal's wallbreaking prowess, especially its ability to threaten Lugia, Giratina-O, support Arcues-Ground and Zygarde-C. In turn, it can check the Fairy-types that trouble Yveltal such as Magearna and Xerneas.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy enjoys having a teammate that can threaten Necrozma-DM, and is able to lure and weaken Magearna and offensive Ho-Oh. In turn, Arceus can check the bulky Dark-types that trouble Yveltal, such as Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar.
* Ultra Necrozma can rest a little easier having a teammate that can switch into the Ghost-, Dark- and (before Ultra Burst) Ground-type moves it is weak to. It can wallbreak alongside Yveltal, threatening the special walls that give Yveltal problems such as Blissey.
* Mega Lucario can form a wallbreaking core with Yveltal, as both can capitalise on the other's checks. Lucario can force out Arceus-Dark, Tyranitar and Chansey, while Yveltal can check Lugia, Giratina and Zygarde-C.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: Foul Play
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB factoring in the Dark Aura boost. It allows it to revenge kill Mega Gengar, Ultra Necrozma and Mega Mewtwo Y.
* Oblivion Wing is the secondary STAB, letting Yveltal revenge kill Marshadow. It has great coverage with Dark Pulse, hitting most of the tier for neutral damage. It can also heal off Stealth Rock damage and other forms of chip damage.
* Foul Play is also boosted by Dark Aura, and works off the target's Attack stat, 2HKOing Offensive Ho-Oh and OHKOing Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground at +2 Attack.
* U-turn is used to scout switch ins, and prevent Yveltal from becoming set up fodder by locking itself into a bad move.

Set Details
========

* The EV spread maximises Speed and power, thus maximising Yveltal's ability to revenge kill. A Modest nature is usually best, as Yveltal can still outrun positive natured Deoxys-A and neutral natured Choice Scarf Lunala. A Timid nature can be used to guarantee you will outrun +1 Jolly Rayquaza and positive natured Scarf Lunala, but the loss in power is usually not worth it. Yveltal still fails to outrun positive natured Deoxys-S with a Timid nature.

Usage Tips
========

* Choice Scarf Yveltal is first and foremost a revenge killer, although it can clean heavily weakened teams later on in the match. Notably, it excels in revenge killing Psychic- and Ghost-types, as well as physical attackers that don't resist Foul Play.
* While it does well against hyper offensive teams, Choice Scarf Yveltal does struggle somewhat against stall and balanced teams due to its lack of power. Against such teams, it can be used to pressure Dark-weak walls such as Necrozma-DM, Lugia and Giratina and pivot into true stallbreakers such as SubCM Primal Kyogre.
* Choice scarf Yveltal needs high HP to reliably revenge kill. Therefore, be cautious of switching it into attacks, as it can quickly be worn down.
* It's important to note that this set is much weaker than the Life Orb and Choice Specs sets, and as a result struggles much more with specially bulky Pokémon such as Ho-Oh.

Team Options
========

* Necrozma-DM values Yveltal's ability to check Primal Groudon, Giratina-O, physical Arceus-Ground and offensive Ho-Oh, as well as its ability to switch into the Dark-, Ghost- and Ground-type moves Necrozma is weak to. Necrozma can switch into the Ice-, Rock- and Fairy-type moves Yveltal is weak to, and set up Stealth Rock to help it get additional KOs.
* Mega Gengar can trap and eliminate unboosted Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy with Sludge Wave, and appreciates having a teammate that can both switch into all of the moves it is weak to, and bring it in safely with U-turn.
* Primal Groudon appreciates Yveltal's ability to check Lugia and Giratina-O, as well as switch into the Ground-type moves it is weak to. Groudon can check Magearna, Mega Diancie, Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy, which can all wall this set, and in the case of the latter 2, use it as set up fodder.
* Mega Lucario likes having a teammate that can soft check Primal Groudon and force out Lugia and Giratina. Lucario can soft check the Fairy-types that Yveltal is weak to.
* Giratina-O can provide Defog support to keep Yveltal healthy, and enjoys having something around to cover its Ghost- and Dark-type weaknesses.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic / Taunt
move 4: Defog / Sucker Punch / Taunt
item: Charti Berry / Dread Plate
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 180 Def / 80 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========


* Foul Play is boosted by STAB and Dark Aura, and works off the target's Attack stat, 2HKOing Offensive Ho-Oh and OHKOing Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground at +2 Attack.
* Roost provides Yveltal with reliable recovery, giving it much more longevity. It also removes its Rock-, Ice- and Electric-type weaknesses for the rest of the turn, letting it potentially beat Primal Groudon that lack Swords Dance and Tyranitar by stalling out their Stone Edge PP.
* Toxic puts opposing Pokemon on a timer, particularly harmful to the likes of Arcues Fairy and defensive Ho-Oh as it dramatically cuts into their durability.
* Taunt is another move this set can run to prevent slower Pokemon from setting up and walls from recovering their HP.
* Defog removes entry hazards for your team, giving this set some extra utility.
* Sucker Punch is a useful priority move boosted by Dark Aura. It OHKOes Mega Gengar, Deoxys-A, Mega Mewtwo Y and Ultra Necrozma after some chip damage.
* Taunt can also be used in the 4th slot in conjunction with Toxic, to let Yveltal serve as more of a stallbreaker.

Set Details
========

* 80 Speed EVs let Yveltal outrun maximum Speed Adamant Dusk Mane Necrozma, allowing you to have a goodchance to OHKO it with Foul Play before it can attack. 248 HP EVs give Yveltal great overall bulk without having a HP stat divisible by 4, thus reducing Stealth Rock damage. The rest is placed into Defense to give Yveltal better physical bulk.
* A Charti Berry is the best item to use, as that allows Yveltal to survive a +2 Stone Edge from Arceus Ground, Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma, even after Stealth Rock. It can then OHKO all of them with Foul Play.
* Dread Plate can be used to give Foul Play and Sucker Punch a 20% boost. With Stealth Rock down, Dread Plate allows Yveltal to 2HKO defensive Primal Groudon with Foul Play almost all of the time, OHKO Marshadow with Foul Play most of the time, and OHKO Ultra Necrozma with Sucker Punch.
* Leftovers is another item this set can run for the passive recovery, but the protection of Charti Berry and the extra power of a Dread Plate are more beneficial.
* If running Toxic or Defog in the final slot, use a Bold nature. If running Sucker Punch, use an Impish nature so as not to reduce its power.

Usage Tips
========

* Defensive Yveltal's main function is to check physical attackers such as Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Arceus formes, Necrozma-DM and physical Ultra Necrozma. It should still be wary of Stone Edge from all of them if you're not running Charti Berry, however, as after a boost all of them can OHKO Yveltal.
* Opening with Toxic can allow Yveltal to outlast support Arceus formes that don't run Toxic themselves, such as Ground.
* Defensive Yveltal needs full HP to properly check the aforementioned physical attackers, and thus should be switched in cautiously. Bringing it in via a slow Volt Switch or U-turn from the likes of Magearna is extremely helpful in getting it in safely.
* Defensive Yveltal does still need to tread carefully aroung Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma until you know what moves they are running, as both can run sets that can get around defensive Yveltal. A Fire Blast or Overheat from mixed Primal Groudon OHKOes Yveltal after Stealth Rock, while Power Gem from special Ultra Necrozma 2HKOes Yveltal that lack Charti Berry.
* It also needs to tread carefully around Ho-Oh as well, as a burn from Sacred Fire will cut Foul Play's damage in half, and the passive damage will mean Yveltal will have to use Roost more often.
* Due to this set's lack of Leftovers, it is forced to Roost fairly often, which cedes momentum and could potentially give your opponent free switch turns. In some instances, it might be better to click Foul Play or Toxic rather than Roost to lure and potentially hit the switch in.


Team Options
========

* As this set has far less offensive presence, it fits much better on bulkier, more defensive teams.
* Yveltal can form a great wall core with Blissey, as Yveltal can check the physical attackers Blissey fears such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, while Blissey can soak up the special Ice-, Electric- and Fairy-type moves that Yveltal is weak to, and cure potential status problems with Aromatherapy. It can also set up Stealth Rock.
* Primal Groudon can set up Stealth Rock and offers a check to Magearna, Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, Ferrothorn and Mega Sableye, all of which give this set problems. In turn Yveltal can prevent Defog with Taunt, and cripple Groudon's checks such as Giratina-O and Lugia with Toxic.
* Necrozma-DM has a far easier time with Yveltal around to switch into the Ground-, Ghost- and Dark-type moves it is weak to. In turn, it can switch into the Fairy-, Ice- and Rock-type moves Yveltal is weak to.
* Ferrothorn appreciates Yveltal's access to Taunt to prevent opposing Defog. It can check the Fairy-types Yveltal is weak to, and chip away at the opponent's team with Leech Seed and Toxic.
* Yveltal provides a valuable service for Toxapex, as is immune to the Ground- and Psychic-type moves Toxapex is weak to. In turn, it can set up Toxic Spikes, meaning Yveltal will not necessarily need to run Toxic.
* Support Water Arceus offers a secondary check to Primal Groudon, easing the pressure on Yveltal. It can also check Ho-Oh, and provide Defog support.
* Giratina greatly appreciates a secondary check to the likes of Primal Groudon and Swords Dance Arceus forms, to take some of the pressure off it. It can remove Stealth Rock with Defog, a vital support as this Yveltal set needs full health to reliably check Primal Groudon, Arceus Ground and Necrozma-DM.
* Defensive Xerneas appreciates Yveltal's ability to check Ho-Oh and Necrozma-DM; it can also remove Stealth Rock with Defog, letting Yveltal run another move in that slot, and cure potential status with Aromatherapy.
* Magearna needs a teammate to take the physical attacks its struggles to stomach and something that can switch into Ground-type attacks. Yveltal fills both of those roles admirably, while Magearna can check the likes of Xerneas for Yveltal in addition to providing cleric support. It can also bring Yveltal in safely with Volt Switch.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

* Yveltal has few other viable options that haven't been covered already. Hurricane paired with a Flyinium Z provides Yveltal with an extremely strong Supersonic Skystrike, which can OHKO Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock. However, there are other Pokémon that need the Z crystal more, and Hurricane is too unreliable otherwise due to its shaky accuracy.
* The Life Orb set can also use Substitute to help muscle through defensive Pokémon - unlike Taunt it also provides a barrier against revenge killing. However, combined with Life Orb recoil and Yveltal's Stealth Rock weakness, it will cause Yveltal to be worn down very quickly.
* The defensive set can use Protect to scout opponent's moves and grab an extra turn of Leftovers recovery. However, Toxic, Defog and Sucker Punch are all superior options.
* Toxic can be used on the Choice Scarf set to cripple defensive Ho-Oh and Arceus-Fairy, but is generally inferior to Foul Play and U-turn and being locked into Toxic renders Yveltal set up fodder for the likes of Necrozma-DM.

Checks and Counters
========

**Fairy-types**: While Xerneas can be 2HKOed by Oblivion Wing on the switch, one on one it can always beat Yveltal - it can endure any attack and OHKO back with its Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblast. It can use the Choice Scarf and defensive sets as set up fodder. Arceus Fairy outruns and OHKOes Yveltal after Stealth Rock with its super effective Judgment, and from full HP isn't 2HKOed by a Choice Specs boosted Oblivion Wing. Calm Mind variants can use Yveltal as set up fodder, fearing only Toxic. Magearna can take anything apart from a boosted Heat Wave and OHKO with Fleur Cannon. Mega Diancie resists both STABs and Heat Wave, outruns and OHKOes with Moonblast, and can even bounce back Taunt and Toxic with Magic Bounce.

**Rock-types**: A resistance to both of Yveltal's STABs and massive Special bulk courtesy of Sand Stream lets Tyranitar shrug off anything bar the rare Focus Blast and 2HKO with Stone Edge. The defensive set can stall out Stone Edge's PP with Roost, however. Arceus-Rock is not OHKOed by any attack from full HP, even the rare Focus Blast, and after Stealth Rock OHKOes Yveltal with Judgment.

**Support Arceus-Formes with Ice Beam**: Support Arceus-Dark can 3HKO offensive Yveltal with Ice Beam and is only 2HKOed by the rare Focus Blast or Hurricane. Arceus-Ground and Water are 2HKOed by a Life Orb boosted Dark Pulse most of the time, but they can still outrun Yveltal, Recover off the damage it does and wear it down with Ice Beam. However, all of them will hate Toxic.

**Ho-Oh**: Defensive Ho-Oh only has a tiny chance to be 2HKOed by a Choice Specs boosted Dark Pulse if Yveltal is running a Modest nature, can 2HKO Yveltal with Sacred Fire, or cripple the defensive set with Toxic. More offensive sets can be 2HKOed by Dark Pulse, Knock Off or Foul Play, however.

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock takes 25% of Yveltal's HP upon switch in, wearing it down quickly, especially if it's using a Life Orb.

**Primal Kyogre**: Calm Mind Primal Kyogre only has a tiny chance to be 2HKOed by a Life Orb boosted Dark Pulse, and can OHKO Yveltal most of the time with Origin Pulse. The defensive set is never 2HKOed by Dark Pulse and can 2HKO in turn with rain boosted Scald.

**Ice-types**: Kyurem-W can OHKO any set with Ice Beam, and from full HP can endure a Choice Specs boosted Dark Pulse. Arceus-Ice can endure a Choice Specs boosted Heat Wave even after Stealth Rock and OHKO Yveltal with Judgment after Stealth Rock damage.

 

[Sugarbear]

Phew, finally finished. The longest analysis I've ever written. I used the same sets as last time, as they are still its best options. I've used all of them in Ubers, and they are in order of effectiveness from my findings. Of course I'll make any changes QC deem appropriate.

 

[Nayrz]

The first thing we noticed is that Taunt + Toxic is missing, which we would (tentatively) see as set #2. It seperates itself from the Defensive set with the usage of Dark Pulse, varying spreads (typically Speed invested), and lack of Defog. There are other things that will need to be sorted out via QC checks, but that was the big one. I'd add that in before QC takes a proper look.

 

[Sugarbear]

The first thing we noticed is that Taunt + Toxic is missing, which we would (tentatively) see as set #2. It seperates itself from the Defensive set with the usage of Dark Pulse, varying spreads (typically Speed invested), and lack of Defog. There are other things that will need to be sorted out via QC checks, but that was the big one. I'd add that in before QC takes a proper look.

Done.

 

[Sugarbear]

Bump. Have removed mentions of Muk-Alola following the recent VR update. Also, I was considering moving the Scarf set down below the Defensive one - thoughts? The Taunt + Toxic set is now named Stallbreaker.

 

[Stoward]

Hi, AM check here. Implement what you agree with.

OVERVIEW​

* Yveltal has a lot going for it in the Ubers metagame. Dark STAB is extremely potent in Ubers, letting it threaten many prominent walls such as Dusk Mane Necrozma, Giratina, Lugia and Aegislash. Dark Aura gives them even more power.

• I wouldn't mention Aegislash in the overview. I mean sure, it dishes out heavy damage to it, but it really isn't viable and Yveltal is definitely a solid enough pokemon that threatens enough mons to not need to mention Aegislash.

* While its typing does grant useful Ground- and Psychic-type immunities and Ghost- and Dark-type resistances, it also grants it a Stealth Rock weakness as well as weaknesses to common Fairy-, Ice- and Electric-type moves.

• Electric-type attacks aren't exactly common in Ubers. Zekrom, Arceus-Electric and Tapu Koko aren't really a thing, Primal Kyogre only runs Thunder in its mixed set, and Yveltal is much more likely to fear Magearna and Xerneas' Fairy-type attacks rather than their Electric-type attacks. So I don't really see Electric-type moves being that common. I know this seems like a nitpick, but high standards are set for Yveltal's analysis.
• Its Stealth Rock Weakness really isn't that problematic, since offensive sets can easily recover off that Stealth Rock Damage with Oblivion Wing and Defensive Sets can roost/defog or w/e.
• I'm not really a fan of repeating points that the user can find out without even reading the analysis. Anyone who sees this can literally hover the mouse over the Dark/Flying bit and it shows them what the Pokemon is weak to. I'd only really say it's useful to point out typing by mentioning that Yveltal provides teams with a Ground immunity - which is useful because of Primal Groudon's affect on the Metagame, and how Psychic immunity is useful because of Necrozma-DM, Ultra Necrozma and Psyspam, rather than just blatantly talking about the Pokemon's weakness to typing.
  

* Although base 99 Speed lets it beat out a crowded speed tier, it still leaves Yveltal slower than Mega Lucario, Arceus formes, Ultra Necrozma, Mega Gengar and all Mewtwo formes. However, it can still hit the latter three hard with STAB Dark Aura boosted Sucker Punch.

• If we're going to be mentioning what Pokemon Outspeed it, then Marshadow should definitely be in this list, but

* Most of the tier's Fairy-types can beat Yveltal one on one without too much trouble, with Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy able to use some sets as set up fodder.

Literally all of the tier's Fairy types beat Yveltal one on one without too much trouble.

LIFE ORB SET​

Usage Tips
========

* Switch Yveltal into Pokemon it can easily force out, such as Dusk Mane Necrozma, defensive Primal Groudon and Aegislash and use the switches to fire off powerful attacks.

• Yeah, I feel like there are better options here than Aegislash.

* While Oblivion Wing and Heat Wave can 2HKO Geomancy Xerneas and Magearna, respectively, on the switch, do not attempt to take on Fairy-types unless they have been severely weakened, as many of them can survive an Oblivion Wing and OHKO Yveltal.

• Oblivion Wing only has a chance to 2HKO Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock damage (18% Chance with Naive and 89% with Rash). But yeah, Yveltal should avoid trying to deal with Fairy-types.

Team Options

* As this set has the primary role of wallbreaker, boosting sweepers that can clear up the weakened remains make for good teammates. Geomancy Xerneas enjoys having a teammate that can take out Dusk Mane Necrozma, defensive Primal Groudon and Aegislash. Rock Polish Primal Groudon greatly appreciates Lugia, both Giratina formes and (if Yveltal is running Taunt) Zygarde-Complete being removed. Mega Salamence that forgo Earthquake appreciate having Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash removed.

• I feel like this should be expanded upon. Xerneas and Yveltal have brilliant synergy and deserve their own bullet point. Same goes for Necrozma-DM, Primal Groudon etc. Oh yeah, plz remove anything about Aegislash.

* As Fairy-types give this set problems, checks to them are mandatory. Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash can both counter Geomancy Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy and Mega Diancie; Ho-Oh can wall Arceus-Fairy and easily KO Magearna. Mega Gengar can trap and eliminate unboosted Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas with its STAB Sludge Wave.

• Maaan, back at it again with the Aegislash mentioning.

* Entry hazards allow Yveltal to gain some important O-2HKOes, such as the aforementioned 2HKO on Geomancy Xerneas with Oblivion Wing and Magearna with Heat Wave. Dusk Mane Necrozma can set up Stealth Rock, and has great synergy with Yveltal: it resists the Fairy-type moves Yveltal is weak to while Yveltal is immune to the Ground-type moves and resists the Ghost- and Dark-type moves that Necrozma is weak to. Primal Groudon can also set up the hazard, and is immune to the Electric-type moves Yveltal is weak to and resists Fairy-type ones. Yveltal is immune to the Ground-type moves Primal Groudon is weak to. Ferrothorn walls Arceus-Fairy, Mega Diancie and Magearna, and can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes to give Yveltal some extra KOs.

• Entry Hazards are useful for literally every mon. Honestly feeling like it would be better to just rephrase the team options, talking about Pokemon that pair well with Yveltal, what Yveltal gains by having them as partners and vice-versa.

* Toxic Spikes are also helpful is Yveltal is running Taunt, to let it break through Chansey, Blissey and Zygarde-Complete faster. Scolipede and Greninja can set up the hazard.

• Yeah, Scolipede and Greninja aren't even on the Viability ranks, The only real viable Toxic Spikes setters right now are Cloyster and Toxapex (and I can't really imagine Toxapex being on the same team as LO Yveltal).

* Although Yveltal greatly appreciates entry hazards on the opposing side, it has a weakness to Stealth Rock and thus appreciates a teammate with Defog, if it itself is not running the move. Numerous support Arceus fromes can remove it. While the two don't have very good synergy, Giratina-O can also remove the hazards and spread status through the opposing team, giving Yveltal an easier time wallbreaking.

• Yveltal isn't that weak to Hazards. Especially as far as Flying types go since it can recover off damage pretty easily with Oblivion Wing and not lose any momentum doing so.

TAUNT+TOXIC (STALLBREAKER)
​

Usage Tips
========

* Do not use Toxic if your opponent has a Mega Diancie, as Magic Bounce will rebound it back on Yveltal

• Yeah, don't really use anything against Mega DIancie, If you see a Mega Diancie, get that Yveltal outta there. It aint doing crap.

Team Options
========

* Due to this set's role of breaking defensive Pokemon, late game sweepers are good teammates to take advantage of the holes. Geomancy Xerneas enjoys having a teammate that can take out Dusk Mane Necrozma, defensive Primal Groudon and Aegislash. Rock Polish Primal Groudon greatly appreciates Lugia, both Giratina formes and Zygarde-Complete being removed. Mega Salamence that forgo Earthquake appreciate having Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash removed.
* Most Fairy-types can easily beat this set one on one, even though Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas hate Toxic. Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash can both counter Geomancy Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy and Mega Diancie; Ho-Oh can wall Arceus-Fairy and easily KO Magearna. Mega Gengar can trap and eliminate unboosted Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas with its STAB Sludge Wave.

• I feel the same way about the way that these team options are phrased. They seem to be lacking depth.

* As Taunt prevents slower Pokemon from using Defog, and Yveltal can at worst 2HKO any Giratina, this set works well on hazard stacking teams to ensure they stay up. Ferrothorn can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, and walls Magearna, Mega Diancie, Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas that lack Focus Blast or Hidden Power Fire. Deoxys-S can also set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes, while Yveltal resists the Dark- and Ghost-type moves it's weak to.
* Smeargle and Shuckle can set up Sticky Web for Yvetal, letting it outrun the unboosted metagame besides Mega Salamence, Deoxys-S and opposing Yveltal. The Speed drops allow Yveltal to outrun and Taunt faster supporting Arceus formes such as Dark, and potentially beat them one on one. With Sticky Web support, you could also get away with running a Modest nature, as with Sticky Web down Yveltal can outrun the unboosted metagame besides Mega Salamence and Deoxys-S.

• I don't really agree with this point. While Taunt+Toxic Yveltal does appreciate being fast because of fast Taunts etc, If I were to build a Sticky Webs or a Deoxys-S or any sort of HO with a dedicated lead, I'd recommend using the Life Orb or Choice Specs.

​

CHOICE SPECS​

Set Details

* A Modest nature does grant some extra power, notably allowing Yveltal to 2HKO support Fairy Arceus with Oblivion Wing after Stealth Rock and granting a guaranteed 2HKO on Zygarde-Complete after a layer of Spikes with Dark Pulse.

• While it does 2HKO Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Fairy also outspeeds it and OHKOes with Judgement. While it's cool that Dark Pulse 2HKO's Zygarde-C after a layer of Spikes with Dark Pulse, thanks to Zygarde-C's monstourous HP stat, Timid Oblivion Wing literally recovers more damage than Thousand Arrows dishes out on the defensive sets, which is honestly really cool. I'd like to see stronger arguments for Modest Specs here.

Team Options

* As this set's purpose is wallbreaking, boosting sweepers that can clear up the weakened remains are good teammates. Geomancy Xerneas enjoys having a teammate that can take out Dusk Mane Necrozma, defensive Primal Groudon, offensive Ho-Oh and Aegislash. Rock Polish Primal Groudon greatly appreciates Lugia, both Giratina formes and Zygarde-Complete being removed. Mega Salamence that forgo Earthquake appreciate having Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash removed.
* As this set can't scratch Chansey and Blissey, strong physical attackers are good teammates to form a dual wallbreaking core with Yveltal. Physical Primal Kygore can lure and 2HKO the pink blobs with a rain boosted Liquidation; Offensive Dusk Mane Necrozma can use them as set up fodder; Swords Dance Ultra Necrozma can eviscerate them with a +2 Photon Geyser.
* While Choice Specs Yveltal has a better match up against Fairy-types, it still does not like to face them and so checks to them are still mandatory. Dusk Mane Necrozma and Aegislash can both counter Geomancy Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy and Mega Diancie; Ho-Oh can wall Arceus-Fairy and easily KOes Magearna. Mega Gengar can trap and KO unboosted Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy with Sludge Wave, and also appreciates having a teammate with U-turn to bring it in safely.
* Entry hazards give Yveltal an easier time wallbreaking by putting more pressure on the opponent's team. Dusk Mane Necrozma can set up Stealth Rock, and has great synergy with Yveltal: it resists the Fairy-type moves Yveltal is weak to while Yveltal is immune to the Ground-type moves and resists the Ghost- and Dark-type moves that Necrozma is weak to. Primal Groudon can also set up the hazard, and is immune to the Electric-type moves Yveltal is weak to and resists Fairy-type ones. Yveltal is immune to the Ground-type moves Primal Groudon is weak to. Ferrothorn walls Arceus-Fairy, Mega Diancie that lack Hidden Power Fire and Magearna, and can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes.
* While not mandatory, Sticky Web is also helpful as it lets Yveltal outrun the unboosted metagame bar Mega Salamence and Deoxys-S with a Modest nature. Notably, this allows it to beat support Arceus-Fairy with Stealth Rock down.
* As this set will be switching frequently, hazard control is very important. Defoggers such as Giratina-O and support Arceus formes can reliably remove it.

• Yeah, I have the same sort of comments with team options here.

CHOICE SCARF​

Moves

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB factoring in the Dark Aura boost. It allows it to revenge kill Mega Gengar, Ultra Necrozma and Mega Mewtwo Y.
* Oblivion Wing is the secondary STAB, letting Yveltal revenge kill Marshadow and Mega Mewtwo X with some prior damage.

* Foul Play works off the target's Attack stat, OHKOing Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground at +2 Attack. After Stealth Rock damage, it has a 68.8% chance to OHKO +2 Attack Extreme Killer Arceus.
[/QUOTE]

• While the stuff that you're saying isn't exactly untrue. There are definitely better examples that you could use here. Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Mewtwo X, and Extreme Killer Arceus really aren't that viable, thus making Yveltal seem like less of a selling point. This mon is literally S rank. Using mons down in C and D ranks really doesn't sell its viability well.

Set Details

* Choice Scarf gives Yveltal enough Speed to outrun everything up to and including positive natured Pheromosa.

• Pheromosa is currently sitting in D rank and I don't see any metagame changes that would make it any better any time soon (also some of the madmen that still use Pheromosa scarf it, so bringing Pheromosa into speed tiers is definitely not worth mentioning. A more important benchmark would be Deoxys-A.

* A Timid nature can be used so that you at worst Speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Yveltal, but it's not worth the loss in power, as it doesn't outrun anything else notable. Even with a Timid nature, you will be unable to outrun max Speed Deoxys-S.

• Timid Scarf Yveltal was only really good back when Rock Polish Primal Groudon's speed benchmark was at 235. Now they tend to run around 255 because of Necrozma-DM etc. Scarf Yveltal is quite underwhelming as it is, so Modest tends to be the best way for it to compensate ....somewhat? I'd remove Timid from this analysis.

Usage Tips
========

* While it does well against hyper offensive teams, Choice Scarf Yveltal does struggle somewhat against stall and balanced teams.

• How should Yveltal be played against Balance/Stall teams then?

Team Options

​

• I think you get the general idea on what I'd have to say about Team Options.

DEFENSIVE​

• Yeah not many problems here, other than the usual Team Options stuff.

Other Options​

* The All-Out Attacker set can also use Substitute to help muscle through defensive Pokémon - unlike Taunt it also provides a barrier against revenge killing.

• I'd like to see an explanation as to why this isn't really useable in the "All-Out-Attacker" set. Also, All-Out-Attacker refers to a mon that uses 4 attacking moves, not Taunt or Substitute.

* Darkinium Z gives Yveltal access to a monstrously powerful Black Hole Eclipse thanks to Dark Aura. However, it would rather have the constant power of a Life Orb or Choice Specs to a one time nuke, and there are other Pokémon that need the Z crystal more.

• idk if Darkinium-Z is the best way for Yveltal to utilize a Z Crystal even for OO. Yveltal already has enough viable options as it is, so personally I don't think OO needs to be that extensive. If Yveltal was to utilize a Z Crystal, Flyinium Z with Hurricane honestly sounds a lot more appealing.
  Flyinium Z calcs

  [*]252+ SpA Yveltal Supersonic Skystrike (185 BP) vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 307-363 (74.6 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  [*]252 SpA Yveltal Supersonic Skystrike (185 BP) vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 280-330 (68.1 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

* A more physically based set consisting of Acrobatics, Knock Off, Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing can lure in some usual checks such as Ho-Oh, but running Acrobatics means forgoing an item and overall Ho-Oh, Mega Salamence and Rayquaza can run physical sets much better due to their superior STAB options.

• idk if this is worth being in OO. If a physical set is going to OO I'd probably rather see something like a Choice Band set with Knock Off / Sucker Punch / Steel Wing / U-Turn

• Oh also Toxic could be a neat OO for scarf sets to Cheese Ho-Oh etc.

Checks and Counters​

• Tbh C&C didn't look too bad

CLOSING NOTES​

Overall I think this analysis tends to be focused too much on how Yveltal works in theory, rather than how it works in the actual ubers Metagame. I'm seeing too many references to pokemon typings such as "Fairy-type Pokemon" or "Electric-type Weaknesses". While I don't think it's a bad thing to briefly mention a Pokemon's typing and what it adds/takes away from a team etc, for example, the fact that Yveltal provides teams with a Ground immunity is a key selling factor for the USM metagame, considering how dominant Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground are, I think this analysis was far too generalised. I'm also seeing way too many references to Pokemon that aren't really relevant to the tier, and are C or D rank and see very little usage, such as Aegislash, Mega Mewtwo-X, Mega Mewtwo-Y, Pheromosa, etc. While these Pokemon do exist in the Ubers tier, no experienced teambuilder is going to be building around Yveltal in order to prepare for these Pokemon, and thus the Yveltal analysis should be referring to much more viable threats for benchmarks.

I really wasn't satisfied with Team Options sections for any of the sets. I know that people have their own way of phrasing things, but the Team Options just seemed to be messy, and it was often hard to see what Pokemon you were talking about, and they seemed to be phrased in a one-sided way, talking about what Yveltal adds to a team rather or why Yveltal appreciates certain partners, rather than both.

As for the way that the sets should be ordered, from conversations amongst QC that I've seen, the most agreed upon order seems to be

1. Life Orb
2. Taunt + Toxic
3. Specs
4. Defensive
5. Scarf

Anyway. Yveltal is a crucial analysis for the USM Metagame, so the standard for this is incredibly high. I'd strongly recommend talking to the QC team in Discord (an invite to the server will be placed below), so that they can provide you with more feedback before someone from QC checks this.

https://discord.gg/JC4KeH

Anyway, implement what you agree with and best of luck with the analysis!

 

[Sugarbear]

Phew, have made the suggested changes. First analysis I've ever done for an S Ranked mon.

 

[Sugarbear]

Bump. Would QC mind having a look please?

 

[Nayrz]

I'll be honest with you. This is a large analysis, which we fully expected. The problem is that there are a lot of things we would give feedback on, ranging from smaller nitpicks / content changes (which we feel there are a lot of) to more rework-tier changes which is a daunting task to QC. Assuming this isn't rejected due to the potential QC workload (this is a viable reason for a member to reject for), it would likely take multiple posts before stamps start happening. The quality I personally expect from a Yveltal analysis is that of which I'd expect from Primal Groudon or Dusk Mane Necrozma, which I don't think this currently matches. The AM QC already posted is only scratching at the easier parts, to showcase where we feel about this.

Not many analyses these days (in any tier) require this level of quality and detail to fit our standards, and this only raises when the Pokemon in question is S rank in viability (in Ubers, which is a big thing), versatile, and has MANY things to account for. So for the time being, QC is at a crossroads as to how to proceed with this. The amount of work already put in has us feeling like its an obligation to work with it rather than reject, so it is a difficult case. I did warn you of our high expectations when reservation was requested. My current advice is to be patient - we are not ignoring this out of laziness.

 

[Sugarbear]

Fair enough just didn't want you guys to think I was being lazy.

 

[Lotus]

Ho, boy. Time to drop something huge here.

As you may or may not know, UPL is going to happen soon and QC team will be inactive for a month or two. I would strongly suggest you to use this time to prove your analysis worthy by going through major revamp, as Nayrz's post above clearly indicates QC team is currently not so happy with what you have up there. 3017 has made an enormous size of post about what you might want to do about the analysis, but it seemed that you only did what he directly have told you to do and you have not filled the minor contents yourself.

I can't say I am a good writer - after all it has been around 4 months since I have joined this website and I still am going through trial and errors but I will start the AM QC with just one point: a lot of writers I see throughout the website share common problems by writing down 'stuff that is true' over what the readers actually want. As far as I know analysis from C&C are for beginners who tend to struggle understanding what a Pokémon can do in an appropriate metagame and the reason the Pokémon is justified for a use. This is where your current Overview concerns me a lot. Allow me to go through some points:

* Yveltal is one of the best checks to Primal Groudon in the metagame, being immune to its Ground STAB and boasting high Special Attack to hit it hard on its weaker Special Defense side.

This is what I would categorize as 'true but not so helpful' bullet point. Yes, Yveltal is a check to Primal Groudon but it is not so reliable considering anything other than Precipice Blades take off more than 50%. Also the first bullet point of analysis is the best to begin by addressing how relevant a Pokémon is in the metagame. Yveltal currently compresses the role of powerhouse, offensive check to threats like Necrozma-DM, Mega Gengar, and Mewtwo, and stallbreaker. This is probably the idea you want to begin with, not by saying 'Yveltal is a good Pdon check', because there are tons of Pdon checks out there. In other words, you don't want readers to be left with the question "so what makes Yveltal better choice for certain teams than the likes of Arceus-Water / Zygarde-C?"

Yes, you do mention what Pokémon Yveltal can threaten but this doesn't give much idea about Yveltal's offensive capability. I believe there should be a stronger emphasis on Dark Aura, which, combined with Life Orb, lets Yveltal 2HKO most neutral targets with Dark Pulse, while Oblivion Wing lets it combat not just Stealth Rock damage, but also Life Orb chip, support arc formes' Judgment and Ice Beam with right sets. This can be addressed further in Moves section, and you tend to talk a lot about what moves specifically do and this tends to clutter Overview (I do this a lot as well).

Next, I would emphasize Yveltal's usefulness against every archetype. Against offensive teams, it is capable to revenge killing dangerous foes such as Mega Gengar, Necrozma variants, Mewtwo, or weakened foes with Dark Aura-boosted Sucker Punch - this does more damage than Extreme Killer Arceus' Extreme Speed. Against balance, very few Pokémon can actually handle its STAB moves and teams without specific answers like Arceus-Fairy or Magearna have tons of headache dealing with Yveltal as a result. Finally, Yveltal is one of the very few offensive threats that has access to Taunt - this is what lets Yveltal able to break past Chansey / Blissey and thus become one of the more formidable threats for stall teams to face.

* All of Uber's Fairy-types can defeat Yveltal one on one fairly easily, unless they have been significantly weakened.

Checks & Counters section seems to be better for this. I would simply sum up Yveltal's drawbacks in one bullet point, as its other strengths mostly outshine them and leaves Yveltal as a top tier threat.

* Mixed Attacker

I would never run Heat Wave on Life Orb sets. Steel-types like Ferrothorn are already heavily pressured by Taunt and Life Orb-boosted attacks and forgoing other utility moves to hit Magearna and the rare Klefki simply isn't worth forgoing:

- Sucker Punch, which gives Yveltal huge usefulness against offensive teams
- Taunt, which forces Arceus-Fairy to use Judgment while Yveltal can safely switch into a teammate like Pdon without fearing Toxic and solves problems with Chansey / Blissey
- and Knock Off, which disposes of offensive Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock while covering blobs and Magearna all at once (Magearna without Leftovers is 10x easier to wear down).

That said, the fourth move should be Taunt / Knock Off, and preferably U-turn in addition if Yveltal is paired with Mega Gengar that deals with blobs and Arceus-Fairy.

Team Options is missing from this set.

* Taunt + Toxic

* Toxic puts opposing Pokemon on a timer, helping Yveltal break through defensive Pokemon more easily. Yveltal is a good Toxic spreader, as Dusk Mane Necrozma is weak to Dark Pulse and so will never switch in

Another 'true but not so helpful' point here. Toxic's greatest benefit from this set is crippling Arceus formes, particularly Arceus-Fairy, which hard checks Yveltal otherwise.

"Throwing around Toxic" is better described as "luring Yveltal's checks and support Arceus formes and crippling them early or teammates to deal with them later".

I am quite surprised to see how there is no mention about how Magearna is a serious issue for this set. I would updated Usage Tips and Team Options accordingly.

* Other sets

Mention Defensive Yveltal is useless against Mega Sableye and Magearna and at the same time update Team Options accordingly.

Choice Specs Yveltal can be very exploitable when locked into a wrong move, similarly with Choice Scarf set.


I unfortunately will stop leaving feedbacks here, because ghostwriting is by no means beneficial to me if the level of intervening goes beyond the limit and for Usage Tips and Team Options, your content sounds like "This Dark / Flying types can be paired with certain Pokémon", rather than exemplifying what teammates can take advantage of Yveltal's traits and what is does for the team. Team Options isn't all about what teammates can deal with a Pokémon with certain typing, but it is also about what teammates can help a Pokémon fulfill its role efficiently while what do they benefit in return.
I understand this is one of the more challenging analysis but I will close by saying that this month and a half is the time you have left to improve the content and change QC's mind. I would highly encourage you to go through the entire analysis and question yourself whether it answers the following questions for the reader:

- Why should this Pokémon be used?
- How relevant is this Pokémon in the metagame and in what way does it influence other threats?
- What is exclusive about this Pokémon, and what can this Pokémon do with such exclusive traits?
- What does this Pokémon do well against and what does it do poor against? How would teammates help circumvent checks and counters, while letting a Pokémon fulfill its role?
- What needs to be in caution when using this Pokémon?

I'm not writing any more than this.

If this analysis fails to satisfy the QC team and ends up getting rejected, I am going to grab it. I hope this motivates you. Until that day happens, or it turns out that day won't come, I will count on your endeavor to write this analysis.

 

[Sugarbear]

OK, I have completely rewritten the into and changed Team Options to more accurately reflect Yveltal's unique strengths. I am sorry for doing a sub standard job the first time, and sincerely hope I've done better now.

 

[Nayrz]

Preliminary thoughts and an update: Taunt + Toxic should be removed as a set and incorporated into the LO set - further development has shown it isn't THAT different from typical LO sets in terms of spread and such. The playstyle does change a little and Roost might occasionally show up but that variation is pretty rare so I'll just suggest a set merge.

The plan for this analysis is that due to its size I'm gonna try to get QC members to go over one set at a time and break up the workload. This may result in a bunch of QC posts before stamps but its better than no activity at all when the check feels daunting.

 

[Sugarbear]

Done - have removed the stallbreaker set and slashed Toxic into the Mixed Attacker set, which is now simply called Life Orb as Sucker Punch is slashed.

Also, from further testing I have found the Choice Scarf set to be rather lacklustre. It lets in the tier's Fairy types for free, and as a check to Primal Groudon / Arceus-Ground / Marshadow I'd honestly rather use the physically defensive set. Mega Gengar, Mewtwo-Y, Ultra Necrozma and Deoxys-A don't tend to stay in on Yveltal anyway for fear of Sucker Punch.

 

[Minority]

Hi, I'm here to review the scarf set.

[SET]

No changes needed.

Moves

Oblivion Wing is the secondary STAB, letting Yveltal revenge kill Marshadow. It has great coverage with Dark Pulse, hitting most of the tier for neutral damage. It can also heal off Stealth Rock damage and other forms of chip damage, such as Leech Seed.

You can omit "such as Leech Seed".

U-turn is used to scout switch ins and grab momentum.

Change "grab momentum" to something more descriptive. It's more about not giving setup opportunities to Pokemon by being locking in a move they can easily punish. There are many different ways to describe the value of this move.

Set Details

The EV spread simply maximises Speed and power.

I would expand this a bit to say that it is for the purpose of maximizing Yveltal's revenge killing ability.

Choice Scarf gives Yveltal enough Speed to outrun everything up to and including positive natured Deoxys-A.

The actual top benchmark is standard Deoxys-S, but I would say that the Speed EVs with a Choice Scarf allow Yveltal to outspeed threats such as Modest Scarf Lunala and Deoxys-A.

Mention a Timid nature here. It is largely useless, which is why I have not requested a slash, but it does allow Yveltal to outspeed several niche and situational things, such as max Scarf Lunala, +1 Spe+ Rayquaza, and so on. Simply stating that it allows Yveltal to beat max Speed Scarf Lunala and maximize performance vs. opposing scarf Yveltal / Xern is sufficient.

Usage Tips

While it does well against hyper offensive teams, Choice Scarf Yveltal does struggle somewhat against stall and balanced teams due to its lack of power. Against such teams, it should be used to pressure Dark-weak walls such as Necrozma-DM, Lugia and Giratina

Extend this bullet to say "and pivot into true stallbreakers".

As with the Choice Specs set, good prediction is key. Starting with U-turn is a good idea to scout switch ins and grab momentum

I would say something along the lines of "opt for U-turn when the opponent has a strong or threatening switch-in for Dark Pulse". Also be warry of being locked into a move that the opponent can use to setup.

Team Options

Consider adding Xerneas and Swords Dance or Calm Mind Arceus to team options. Scarf Yveltal works on offensive teams that otherwise have issues with SD P Don, SD Arceus, and fast Psychics.

 

[Nayrz]

I'll be looking at the overview and LO set.

[OVERVIEW]

* Yveltal boasts a number of traits that make it a top tier threat in the Ubers metagame. Well balanced stats and a solid movepool allow it to fulfil many different roles on a team, ranging from wallbreaking to stallbreaking to revenge killing and even physical wall. This makes Yveltal a highly versatile Pokémon, able to fit on and threaten all team archetypes, from hyper offensive to stall.

Yveltal's stall days were like 3 years ago. Bulky teams sure, but full stall isn't the territory of even a defensive Yveltal. Arceus-Dark / Tyranitar / Sableye fits these better as a Dark-type.

* Against offensive teams, Yveltal can revenge kill many faster threats, such as Mega Gengar, Ultra Necrozma, Deoxys-A and Mega Mewtwo Y with Sucker Punch. Against stall teams, it can easily break through many prominent walls such as Dusk Mane Necrozma, Lugia, both Giratina forms, Zygarde-C, Chansey and Blissey with the combination of Taunt and its powerful Dark STAB.

If you reword this to "bulkier teams" I'd accept it. Not all of those listed are stall mons.

* Oblivion Wing is a fantastic signature move, healing 75% of the damage done allows it to heal off Stealth Rock damage, Life Orb recoil and other forms of passive damage without having to dedicate a slot to Roost, allowing offensive sets to keep momentum more easily.

Oblivion Wing is a great move but I don't feel its that important to Yveltal to the point it deserves an Overview mention. Discuss these qualities in Moves or such.

* Fairy-types are highly problematic for Yveltal. All Ubers-viable Fairy-types are able to beat it one on one, with Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy able to use it as set up fodder.

May be worth mentioning Magearna here. "Fairy-types such as xern mag fairyceus" etc.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: Sucker Punch / Taunt
move 4: Taunt / Toxic / Knock Off
item: Life Orb
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Rash / Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Having Taunt in slot 4 allows for Taunt + Sucker Punch (previous slashing did not) which Cynara and I believe is the ideal set. This slashing allows:
Sucker Punch + Taunt (vs offense)
Taunt + Toxic (vs balance)
Taunt + Knock Off (vs stall)

All of which are viable combinations depending on the matchup, but they can all put in work regardless of what Yveltal faces.
I believe Mild / Hasty (-Def natures) should have a considerable explanation when dealing with Yveltal. It's bulk allows it to take some rather strong hits at full HP, but sacrificing a defense stat (as LO sets do) means that some attacks on that side become deadly. This applies to both -Def and -SpD.

Take running Mild or a Hasty nature for example: Physical Primal Kyogre, Rayquaza, and LO Marshadow are more likely to OHKO after SR. 252+ Primal Groudon and Ultra Necrozma now have odds to OHKO with Stone Edge. The upside is handling attacks from support Arceus and special attackers like mixed RP Primal Groudon better. That kinda thing should be covered.

* Oblivion Wing is the secondary STAB move, hitting the Fighting-types that resist Dark Pulse super effectively.

The major Fighting-type is Marshadow, which is neutral to Dark Pulse. I'd prefer just mentioning it hits Fairy-types better.

* There are a number of other moves you could use in the last slot: Heat Wave 2HKOes Magearna 96.1% of the time after Stealth Rock, which could otherwise wall this set, although it doesn't have much utility besides that. Defog can be run to remove entry hazards; Yveltal can easily force switches against Ghost- and Psychic-types, so finding space to use it isn't difficult. However, Taunt, Knock Off and Toxic are usually more useful. Focus Blast hits opposing Dark-types hard, most notably Tyranitar, OHKOing sets that lack Chople Berry while also 2HKOing Arceus-Dark. However, its poor accuracy makes it very unreliable.

I'd prefer this be broken up into seperate points, but Defog on LO is an odd choice for the most part - it lacks the bulk to handle SR setters and would need Taunt to avoid Toxic. Focus Blast is also OO material - Taunt and/or Toxic can mess with Arceus-Dark enough, leaving only Tyranitar as a target. I guess that just leaves Heat Wave here.


Usage Tips needs a large rework. There are far too many assumptions loaded into the vast majority of the points. Leading with Knock Off? No Taunt meaning a loss vs blobs (Knock Off exists...)? Telling the reader to completely avoid Fairy-types rather than advise chipping them with attacks, especially those without recovery? I want to see this done better. Consider Yveltal's matchups against overall styles and showcase its strengths, advise on getting Yveltal into play, mention what can be done to help Yveltal succeed. Do not make assumptions on the game state or make absolute decisions regarding the actions of either player. This is the easiest way to annoy me in C&C.

* Yveltal's Dark Aura boosted Dark Pulse lets it easily take out Lugia and Giratina-O, which can both stop Rock Polish Primal Groudon from sweeping.

See my above points. A theme I'm getting from this analysis is that switching is forbidden in your games of Pokemon, the Pokemon in question are always the set you are proposing, or the enemy Pokemon will just bend over willingly. This is what I mean by assuming game states or making absolute decisions made by either player. If this is to progress I want this addressed across the entire analysis. We were going places until the Usage Tips and Team Options came along so I hope you can improve on these sections.

I will re-assess this after necessary changes are made. QC will now have their attention here.

 

[Cynara]

Hi Im checking Choice Specs and Defensive Yveltal, OO and C&C.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

No issues here

Moves

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB move. Backed up by Choice Specs and Dark Aura, it hits incredibly hard, notably 2HKOing Life Orb Ho-Oh 82.4% of the time.
* Oblivion Wing serves as the secondary STAB, with its healing effect giving Yveltal great sustainability. It can 2HKO many of the Pokemon that resist Dark, such as Xerneas and opposing Yveltal.
* U-turn is used to scout switch ins and grab momentum.
* Heat Wave 2HKOes Magearna which could otherwise wall this set and OHKO with Fleur Cannon.
* Focus Blast OHKOes Tyranitar that lack Chople Berry, which can otherwise take anything Yveltal has. It also hits Dialga harder than anything else, although its poor accuracy makes it very unreliable.

Reword the first bullet to having a strong chance to 2HKO Ho-Oh

Focus Blast also can grab a KO on Arceus-Dark, Dialga isn't the first thing to come to mind

I would probably mention Foul Play in moves, it can get some notable KO's on SD Primal Groudon / SD Arceus

Set Details

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack EVs give Yveltal as much power as possible, while letting it make the most of its semi unique Speed tier. A Timid nature is best, as it guarantees Yveltal will outrun the numerous Pokemon in the 90-97 Speed tiers such as Primal Groudon, Rayquaza and Lunala, as well as slower support Arceus formes, such as Ground and Water. Timid Choice Specs Yveltal will still outdamage Rash Life Orb Yveltal. A Modest nature can be used for some extra firepower, but there are few notable OHKOes and 2HKOes this nets, and the loss in Speed is generally not worth it.
* Choice Specs boosts Yveltal's Special Attack, granting incredible power at the cost of locking it into one move. Luckily both of its STABs are very spammable, having no drawbacks and excellent netural coverage, so being locked into one move isn't too detrimental.

Give examples of the notable OHKO/2HKO's Modest actually nets over timid here, this statement alone isn't strong enough of a justification as they aren't informed what KO benchmarks Modest obtains over Timid.

Usage tips

* Opening with Oblivion Wing is also a good idea, as many of Dark Pulse's switchins, such as Xerneas and opposing Yveltal, can be 2HKOd by it.

I disagree with this statement, not only is it an assumption of game states, what you click on opening is Matchup dependent, most of the time you'd want to Dark pulse for chip, as it can wear down teams quickly, clicking O-wing usually has some drawbacks such as momentum loss, Arceus-Fairy is more likely to recover off damage, etc.

In the usage tips itself, there is lack of mention of how U-turn can be utilised to pivot, U-turn can be really useful as Pokemon such as Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Dark, Tyranitar and Magearna are usually going to switch into Yveltal and U-turn can be used to pivot out of them in something that is more favourable.

Team options

Team Options
========

* Geomancy Xerneas greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to take out Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM and offensive Ho-Oh. In turn, Xerneas can easily defeat the bulky Dark-types that wall Yveltal, 2HKOing Tyranitar and Arceus-Dark with its Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblast.
* Rock Polish Primal Groudon can make good use of Choice Specs Yveltal's wallbreaking prowess, especially its ability to reliably remove Lugia, Giratina-O, support Arcues-Ground and Zygarde-C. In turn, it can check the Fairy-types that trouble Yveltal such as Magearna and Xerneas.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy enjoys having a teammate that can reliably remove Necrozma-DM, and is able to lure and 2HKO Magearna and offensive Ho-Oh. In turn, Arceus can check the bulky Dark-types that trouble Yveltal, such as Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar
* Ultra Necrozma can rest a little easier having a teammate that can switch into the Ghost-, Dark- and (before Ultra Burst) Ground-type moves it is weak to. It can wallbreak alongside Yveltal, taking out Chansey, Blissey, defensive Primal Kyogre and max speed support Arceus forms.
* Ho-Oh values Yveltal's ability to reliably remove Giratina-O, Necrozma-DM and Zygarde-C, thus lessening its need to use Brave Bird. In turn Ho-Oh can check the Fairy-types Yveltal struggles with.
* Mega Lucario enjoys Yveltal's ability to remove Giratina and Lugia. It can soft check the Fairy-types Yveltal is weak to, while Yveltal is immune to the Ground-type moves Lucario is weak to.

Mega Gengar is the best team option for Specs Yveltal, it has amazing offensive synergy. it takes advantage of U-turn pivots greatly, being able to trap and remove Arceus-Fairy / Xerneas.

Add Dragon Dance Zygarde to team options, both of them have good Offensive Synergy and Dragon Dance Zygarde helps with the matchup against offense teams.

Remove Ho-Oh, though it looks good on paper, it makes the matchup vs hazards too rough and puts too much gravity on focusing to remove hazards.

Mention Primal Groudon's role as a Stealth Rocker too, it pairs really well with this Yveltal set and allows it easily deal with targets such as Ho-Oh, Support Groudon is also comfortable with dealing with fairies better.

Arceus-Water and Giratina-O should also get a mention for defensive partners and Defog support.

Defensive set

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Foul Play
move 4: Toxic / Defog / Sucker Punch
item: Leftovers / Charti Berry / Dread Plate
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 176 HP / 252 Def / 80 Spe

The set itself could do with some reordering, Yveltal wants max HP to make dealing with the odd special attack such as Ice beam from Arceus formes and allow you to roost off damage easier, ideally Toxic should get priority over Taunt on the analysis, Foul play being yveltals only method of dealing damage sucks, Toxic allows it to put targets such as Support Arceus formes and Fairies on a timer. Yveltal set should also prefer the role of a defog user as it can allow for team compression and Sucker Punch should be slashed after this.

Charti Berry should be the item of choice and is almost mandatory if Yveltal is not running Sucker Punch to help deal with Ultra Necrozma and Swords Dance Arceus Ground. The main application of Dread Plate is so Foul play can OHKO Bulky Extreme Killer Arceus at +2.

I have reorganised the set with the suggested changes below for you:
[set]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic / Taunt
move 4: Defog / Sucker Punch / Taunt
item: Charti Berry / Dread Plate
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe

Moves

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Roost provides Yveltal with reliable recovery, giving it much more longevity. It also removes its Rock-, Ice- and Electric-type weaknesses for the rest of the turn, letting it potentially beat Primal Groudon that lack Swords Dance and Tyranitar by stalling out their Stone Edge PP.
* Taunt shuts down weak walls such as Blissey, Zygarde-C and defensive Dusk Mane Necrozma, and prevents slower opponents from setting up on Yveltal.
* Foul Play is boosted by STAB and Dark Aura, and works off the target's Attack stat, 2HKOing Offensive Ho-Oh and OHKOing Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground at +2 Attack.
* Toxic is the best choice for the final slot to put opposing Pokémon on a timer. In conjunction with Taunt it can neutralize slower defensive Pokémon such as the aforementioned Blissey and Zygarde-C.
* Defog can also be used to remove hazards for your team.
* Sucker Punch is a useful priority move boosted by Dark Aura. It OHKOes Mega Gengar, and does around 77% to Ultra Necrozma with Leftovers.
* U-turn can also be used to grab momentum and scout switch ins, but making space for it is very difficult

U-turn is extremely hard to justify on defensive Yveltal, it doesn't want to give up any of it's main moves and U-turn doesn't provide much in return, Defensive Yveltal can't really obtain momentum like offensive variants can as it doesn't force as many switches.

Set Details

Set Details
========

* 80 Speed EVs let Yveltal outrun maximum Speed Adamant Dusk Mane Necrozma, allowing you to have a good chance to OHKO it with Foul Play before it can attack. Defense investment is prioritized over HP, as Yveltal's base HP is considerably higher than its Defense.
* A physically defensive spread is much more efficient than a specially defensive one, as the Ice-, Electric- and Fairy-type moves Yveltal is weak to are usually special attacks, and Chansey and Blissey are far superior special walls.
* Leftovers is the best item to run, as the passive recovery they grant means Yveltal won't have to use Roost as often.
* Charti Berry can be used to let Yveltal better check Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground. With this item it can survive a +2 Stone Edge from both of them after Stealth Rock.
* Dread Plate is another viable item to give Foul Play and Sucker Punch a 20% boost. With Stealth Rock down, Dread Plate allows Yveltal to 2HKO defensive Primal Groudon with Foul Play 98.8% of the time, OHKO Marshadow with Foul Play 81.3% of the time, and OHKO Ultra Necrozma with Sucker Punch.
* If running Toxic or Defog in the final slot, use a Bold nature. If running Sucker Punch use an Impish nature so as not to reduce its power.

The mention about the physically defensive spread is redundant in the analysis and doesn't really belong in set details at all. The point about the Defence investment being prioritised over HP is only true in something like Giratina-O and as discussed the set is now running max HP to give Yveltal the most all round bulk as possible, most importantly max HP can avoid a 2HKO from a support Arceus Ice Beam which is really vital for Yveltal in a physically defensive role and can allow it to safely roost up on them and put them on a timer with Toxic.
it should also be updated as Charti Berry is the main item now as previously discussed, also update the dread plate mention here as it allows Foul play to OHKO Bulky variants of Extreme Killer Arceus, which is vital.

Usage tips

* Throwing around Toxic is the best idea early game, as many of Yveltal's switch ins such as Arceus-Fairy, Xerneas and Tyranitar, hate being badly Poisoned.

Again, this is the fence of assuming game states. This can be reworded to say how Toxic can be utilised to put targets on a timer with status and list the common switch ins to Yveltal, it can also help it win the Recover war against support Arceus formes that don't usually run it such as Arceus-Ground.

* This set can play numerous roles, depending on what move you choose for the final slot. Obviously its main function is that of a physical wall. With Toxic in the final slot it can also be a stallbreaker; with Defog it can also provide hazard removal and with Sucker Punch it can revenge kill certain threats, such as the aforementioned Mega Gengar and Ultra Necrozma.

This really isn't a usage tip and gets overlapped in the set details. though, I would keep a usage tip about using Sucker Punch as it can get surprise KO's and Revenge Killing capabilities on Ultra Necrozma and Mega Gengar.

* This set cannot do a thing to Magearna and Mega Diancie, as both are immune to Toxic, so avoid bringing this set in at all if your opponent has either of those Pokémon.

This isn't relevant, not only does Mega Diancie take a considerable amount of damage from Foul Play, you're implying here that you shouldn't use this Pokemon at all, which isn't true, Magearna mentions should remain in checks and counters.

Overall, I would like to see more details in Usage tips, I would like to see a mention about how if it's forced to roost off damage, it can concede momentum and give free turns to the opponent. It also has to be careful when dealing with Ho-Oh due to how Sacred Fire burns can be a deterrent to it as it halves Foul Play damage. In a similar vain, caution should be taken against Primal Groudon, as some variants can give Yveltal issues.

* It also cannot do anything to Mega Sableye, as it bounces back Taunt and Toxic with Magic Bounce and takes very little damage from Foul Play.

This is a C&C statement.

Team options

* As this set has far less offensive presence, it fits much better on stall and more defensively inclined balanced teams.

I would prefer if this was generalised to bulkier teams

Support Arceus' should be mentioned in Team options and provide examples of the ones that pair well with Yveltal such as Arceus-Water

Primal Groudon should get a mention, it can use Stealth Rock to help out against Ho-Oh, Fire type coverage to threat targets like Ferrothorn or Mega Sableye, that would otherwise take little from Foul Play and be a switch into Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas.

Other options

this section is currently fine.

Checks and Counters

These look fine on paper, but Chansey and Blissey should be demoted down a bit, they actually give Life Orb Yveltal free Taunts and Oblivion Wing Recoveries and they just beccome a sitting duck, even without Knock Off, they can't do much back and they shouldn't also deal with LO Yveltal because of the potential Knock Off.

Arceus-Rock can be merged with Tyranitar for a Rock-types mention as both deal with Yveltal quite siginificantly. In a similar vain, Arceus-Ice can be mentioned along with Kyurem-W.

Summary

There are some tendencies in this analysis, such as assuming game states throughout as Nayrz has pointed out on the Life Orb set, but this is a constant problem and something that shouldn't be cropping up in analyses. There are also some specifics such as "it does around 77% to Ultra Necrozma with Sucker Punch" or a "98% Chance to OHKO with Foul Play" , there are no need for statement specifics like this, saying it has a very strong chance to OHKO or does a lot of damage to Ultra Necrozma would be sufficient.

Furthermore, I feel the defensive set should be demoted below Choice Scarf, Defensive Yveltal is not the strongest team mate for bulkier teams, while it does have it's niche, its quite team specific, but still worthy of having a set because when it is utilised to it's potential it can bring along to a team. Choice Scarf is slightly more splashable and can provide a good matchup against offense teams when required.

 

[Sugarbear]

Have implemented the Scarf set changes.

Edit 1: Overview and Life Orb have been implemented. Set order is now Life Orb, Specs, Scarf, Defensive.
Edit 2: Have implemented Specs changes.
Edit 3: Have implemented defensive changes
Edit 4: Have implemented C&C changes.
Edit 5: Reworded Team Options and Usage Tips on all sets so as to avoid implications of never switching.

Also, do you think it could be worth mentioning an offensive Defog set in OO?

 

[Nayrz]

* The Destruction Pokémon does still have a few flaws, however.

GP will probably remove this as its filler so you might as well do it ahead of time

I'm seeing good improvements as I read through but Usage Tips is still rather weak and suggests plays over generalized advice... it also ignores the feedback many of us have given you. I'm gonna give you a bit of a guide as to how to handle these sections, but you should also read the posts again:

- What matchups does this Yveltal set excel in? Does it deal with any key threats that a team would want a Pokemon like Yveltal to deal with? Does it pressure anything offensively?
- What matchups or Pokemon does Yveltal fear? Does this change depending on set variations? How can you mitigate these weaknesses?
- How does Yveltal get into battle? Revenge kills? Hard switching into something? What can it generally switch into, easily or otherwise? If it can't do it safely, what should it be watching out for?

Things to avoid in Usage Tips:

- "do x". This ranges from "double switch to this" to "use this attack". These are "absolutes". Suggestions, when worded properly, can work.. but that's not what I've been reading from these sections.

Looking at the LO set specifically, points 1 and 2 are fine. The rest are not. Use the above and fix them to a better position.

As for Specs, remove Foul Play from it. Mention U-turn's ideal pivot targets. Hurricane is worth a Moves mention here - it 2HKOs Arceus-Dark/Fairy. The Usage Tips guide can be used here too to add a little more info.

Scarf - Foul Play is better to click against Mega Mewtwo Y - it can live Dark Pulse. Choice Scarf itself should still be mentioned in Set Details. If you read that paragraph alone you would be rather confused.

* Only use Foul Play against physical attackers, as its damage output against Special attackers is disappointing

Another absolute... and it's wrong. Primal Kyogre still takes a lot of damage. Primal Groudon can be mixed and still take good damage from Foul Play. A lot of special attackers are weak to Foul Play anyway. If I can find exceptions to these absolute statements then we obviously have a problem. Do I really have to be a hardass about this? It isn't fun for either of us. If you say something is fixed then it should be fixed.

I'll give this another look after changes. I did warn about how much work we expected on Yveltal...

 

[MMII]

Ill give a more detailed look later but

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Oblivion Wing
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Sucker Punch / Toxic
item: Life Orb
ability: Dark Aura
nature: Mild / Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

This cleans up the slashing and moves Knock Off into details with Heat Wave. The only real niche to having Knock Off is muscling past Ho-Oh, which is specific enough to not have it muddy up slashing. Also -def is better than -spdef. Marshadow is the only really relevant phys mon I can think of where u want the extra bulk. The rest is switching in on EQ and having the extra bulk for Lunala, supportdon overheat, and Supportceus ice beamis more important.

Btw, put Ice Beam Support Arceus as second in c&c. Yveltal can’t realky break it without Toxic. At best it can sack itself for chip damage but that’s often not what you want to be doing with your Yveltal since it is generally your best pressure tool in those mus. (its also why im considering just having Hasty in set details, you really need Mild so that you can sustain urself a bit with owing)


edit: support arc is actually complicated, ill get back to you on proper c&c list but
fairies
ttar/rockceus
ice beam arc (esp dark)
ho oh
sr
pogre
general pressure

is looking like what it should be roughly.
blobs/msab/cm refresh darky are awk to place cause they all lose hard to lo but can mess with some of the other variants.

 

[Sugarbear]

Have made the changes. I kept Kyurem-W and Iceus in C&C as while they are very niche they can both still beat Yveltal reliably one on one. I added Stealth Rock to C&C as well, but I didn't add General Pressure as I feel that's too vague and could really be applied to just about any Pokémon.

 

[Sugarbear]

I am away for the next week so I probably won't be able to make amendments during that time as I can't guarantee WiFi

 

[Sugarbear]

Bump.

 

[Nayrz]

this still needs a lot of work. i'm not gonna format anything and just give u shit as i see it.

* Dark Pulse is Yveltal's strongest STAB. Dark Aura gives it massive power, letting it 2HKO practically everything that doesn't resist it - it can even 2HKO Choice Band Ho-Oh

not relevant - use max hp arcs

* Taunt allows Yveltal muscle through weak walls such as Chansey, Blissey, Zygarde-C, defensive Primal Groudon and support Arceus forms other than Fairy. It also prevents slower sweepers, such as Rock Polish Primal Groudon, from setting up.

no mentions of status avoidance. it doesnt "muscle" because it does no damage.

* Toxic is another option this set can run to put opposing Pokemon on a timer. Many of Yveltal's usual switch ins, such as defensive Ho-Oh, Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy and Tyranitar hate being badly poisoned.

ho-oh barely cares. xern has aroma. ttar probably has something to handle it. support arcs are the big thing to troll.

* Heat Wave can be used in the final slot, as that 2HKOes Magearna most of the time after Stealth Rock, which could otherwise wall this set, although it doesn't have much utility besides that.

ohko on ferro

no mention of ground immune in usage tips.

* Yveltal can switch into weaker defensive Pokémon such as defensive Primal Groudon, defensive Necrozma-DM and Lugia as they use recovery moves, or as they set or remove hazards. It can then either fire off strong attacks or look to cripple the potential switch in with Toxic. However, it should still be wary of a Stone Edge from Groudon and Necrozma.

way more to be aware of. toxic, sd into sunraze (even from sp def), overheats.

* It can also switch in on Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Lunala and Giratina-O and force them out or otherwise straight up OHKO them with Dark Pulse or Sucker Punch. It can survive an Ice Beam from Choice Specs Lunala and from full HP.

all these matchups are shaky. ice beams, draco meteors, coming into luna as it +1s with sr up means u can get killed by moonraze.

specs lunala doesn't exist right now.

* Geomancy Xerneas greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to check Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM and Blissey. In turn, Xerneas can set up on the bulky Dark-types that wall Yveltal and 2HKO Tyranitar and Arceus-Dark with its Fairy Aura-boosted Moonblast.

shaky checks. special moves, rock moves, getting toxic'd, dusk clicking rp + sunraze while tanking sucker punch...

no mentions of utility from other xern sets.

* Yveltal's Dark Aura boosted Dark Pulse lets it check Lugia and Giratina-O, which can both stop Rock Polish Primal Groudon from sweeping. It can also weaken or outright break Zygarde-C. In turn, Groudon provides a valuable check to the Fairy-types Yveltal is weak to.

i feel like every time you say "check", "threaten" is a better term to be using. i'd look over all of your terminology and make it sound closer to reality.

* Dragon Dance Mega Salamence that run Facade instead of Earthquake need a check to Necrozma-DM, which Yveltal provides. In turn, Salamence can threaten defensive Ho-Oh, which Yveltal will struggle with if it lacks Knock Off.

mence doesn't really "need" a check per se... +1 edge 2hkos it so its not like you are gonna be switching yveltal into dusk in this situation...

* Mega Lucario can form a wallbreaking core with Yveltal, with Lucario able to threaten Xerneas, Mega Diancie, Chansey and Blissey with its Adaptability-boosted STABs, and Yveltal able to threaten Lugia, Giratina and Necrozma-DM with its Dark Aura boosted Dark Pulse.

on webs.

* Ferrothorn is able to wall Arceus-Fairy, Mega Diancie and Magearna, and greatly appreciates Yveltal's ability to check Primal Groudon. It can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes to give Yveltal extra O-2HKOes.

ferro doesnt use sr. and what is spikes getting kills on? specifics

* Yveltal can cover Mega Gengar's weaknesses perfectly, being immune to Ground- and Psychic-type moves and resisting Ghost- and Dark-type ones. Gengar can trap and remove and unboosted Geomancy Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy with its STAB Sludge Wave.

this isn't the only xerneas set yveltal contends with...
gengar is also good for yveltals lacking sucker punch (ultra necrozma rk), and yveltal spreading toxic makes a trap easier vs support arcs.

* Smeargle and Shuckle can both set up Sticky Web for Yveltal, which allows it to outrun the unboosted metagame, even when using a Mild nature, besides Mega Salamence, Arceus-Flying, Deoxys-S and Shaymin-S. Both of them greatly appreciate Yveltal's ability to take out Mega Sableye, which can prevent them setting up hazards with Magic Bounce.

remove shuckle

you may have noticed all this feedback was just for the LO set. the QC team is not happy with the current state of this analysis and we are considering cutting our losses despite the time wasted and qc time spent because at the end of the day, most of us don't have the will to qc something with so many holes.

 

[Lotus]

As one of the people who have been observing this thread for months, I have to say that the analysis has been progressing disappointingly slowly. The initial draft that was ready for QC team to review indicated the possibility that the writer is not fully knowledgeable of the Pokemon in question and the metagame itself, and QC team has decided to dedicate the time to hone the analyses. Almost half a year has passed and I believe the analysis has run through its course. Despite QC's divided workload to improve this analysis, there hasn't been a significant improvement in terms of quality. To me, it also seemed that the writer failed to properly implement checks from other members properly (judging from the above post pointing the fact that there are still loads of things to fix).

Yveltal is one of the most important Pokemon in Ubers tier. I (and presumably the rest of the QC team) appreciate the audacity to take on this difficult Pokemon, but unfortunately I am going to have to reject this. It seems like this analysis isn't getting anywhere even after multiple AM check and a time given to work on during UPL season. I strongly advise you to find us in Discord -> #analyses channel to participate in discussions early on in the future in order to avoid the similar situation.

QC Rejected 1/3