Pokémon Yveltal

[Fireburn]

Name: Yveltal
Type: Dark / Flying
Ability: Dark Aura - Boosts the power of Dark-type moves of all Pokemon on the field by ~30% (unconfirmed)
Base Stats: 126 / 131 / 95 / 131 / 98 / 99

Level-Up Movepool (Good moves are italicized)
Lv<50 - Hurricane
Lv<50 - Razor Wind
Lv<50 - Taunt
Lv<50 - Roost
Lv<50 - Double Team
Lv<50 - Air Slash
Lv<50 - Snarl
Lv<50 - Oblivion Wing
Lv<50 - Disable
Lv<50 - Dark Pulse
Lv51 - Foul Play
Lv55 - Phantom Force
Lv59 - Psychic
Lv63 - Dragon Rush
Lv72 - Focus Blast
Lv80 - Sucker Punch
Lv88 - Hyper Beam
Lv93 - Sky Attack

TM & HM Compatibility (thus far)
TM01 - Hone Claws
TM02 - Dragon Claw
TM06 - Toxic
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM11 - Sunny Day
TM12 - Taunt
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM19 - Roost
TM21 - Frustration
TM27 - Return
TM29 - Psychic
TM30 - Shadow Ball
TM32 - Double Team
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM46 - Thief
TM48 - Round
TM51 - Steel Wing
TM52 - Focus Blast
TM58 - Sky Drop
TM62 - Acrobatics
TM63 - Embargo
TM65 - Shadow Claw
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM80 - Rock Slide
TM85 - Dream Eater
TM87 - Swagger
TM88 - Sleep Talk
TM89 - U-turn
TM90 - Substitute
TM95 - Snarl
TM97 - Dark Pulse
TM100 - Confide
HM01 - Cut
HM02 - Fly

Oblivion Wing - 80 BP, Special, Flying, 16 PP max, Leeches HP equal to ~75% inflicted damage

General Analysis

Well, ladies and gentleman, it looks like we have ourselves a monster.

One glance at Yveltal certainly shows that it lives up to its title as the Destruction Pokemon. It's most notable trait is that it does NOT have base 90 Speed like other 670+ BST box legends, instead chilling at a comfortable base 99, putting him ahead of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W and tying with Genesect. That alone makes him a total boss. His offensive potential is frightening, boasting 131/131 dual attacking stats and its unique ability of Dark Aura, which gives all Pokemon on the field, including itself, a roughly 30% power boost to their Dark-type attacks, meaning that Yveltal's Dark-type STAB attacks have Actual Base Power (TM). Considering that Steel-types no longer resist Dark, Yveltal has nearly unresisted STAB coverage backed by powerful moves such as Hurricane and Dark Pulse, with the only relevant Pokemon resisting his STAB being Tyrantar and maaaybe Klefki (Who barely counts). Its movepool is just good enough to make use of both Choice Specs and Choice Scarf (it learns U-turn!), and he can even go mixed with access to powerful STAB priority in Sucker Punch and Acrobatics.

Yveltal is also quite solid defensively. 126/95/98 bulk is excellent (a little better than Kyurem-W) and his typing gives him nice resistances to Ghost-, Dark-, and Grass-type attacks as well as immunities to Psychic- and Ground-type attacks. Most notably, it is able to act as a very solid check to the extremely potent Arceus-Ghost, one of the top offensive threats in Ubers the last generation, as well as other threats such as Arceus-Grass, support Groudon, Latias without Thunder, Darkrai after Sleep Clause, Shaymin-S, both Giratina formes, and unboosted Mewtwo. Roost and his signature move Oblivion Wing help mitigate his weakness to Stealth Rock, and Taunt also means that, unlike Lugia, it is not hazards bait.

Unfortunately, Yveltal does have its fair share of weaknesses. It learns no good boosting moves outside of Hone Claws and its Fairy-type weakness will probably be a massive pain in the butt due to the introduction of Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy. Ice and Electric weaknesses also limit its defensive capabilities somewhat, as does its weakness to Stealth Rock. That being said, I have no doubt Yveltal will make an impact on the Ubers metagame.

Possible Movesets

Yveltal @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Trait: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 224 Speed / 32 HP
Nature: Modest / Timid
-Dark Pulse
-Hurricane
-Oblivion Wing
-Focus Blast / U-turn

This thing is incredibly powerful. Dark Pulse OHKOes Giratina-A after Stealth Rock guaranteed (specially defensive takes 70% minimum) and OHKOes 252 HP Arceus-Ghost guaranteed. 252 +1 Arceus-Ghost takes 72% minimum from Specs Dark Pulse and can only do a max of 45% back with +1 Focus Blast (Max HP Yveltal is never 2HKOed by +1 Focus Blast after SR), whereas 4 HP Arceus-Ghost has a 75% chance to be OHKOed through one Calm Mind with is downright impressive. Dark Pulse also 2HKOes standard support Dialga and Ferrothorn in case you thought those were checks. Hurricane is for things that resist Dark Pulse, OHKOing Darkrai, 2HKOing Arceus-Fairy and doing 76% minimum to 4 HP Xerneas. Oblivion Wing is there for when Hurricane may not be a good idea, and it a nice tool for helping Yveltal mitigate its SR weakness. It 2HKOes things such as support Groudon and Palkia, and its whopping 75% health leech combined with the relative fatness of most Ubers will help keep Yveltal alive for some time. Focus Blast blows up Tyranitar who otherwise walls this set and it does a significant amount to things such as Arceus-Steel, having a great chance to OHKO it after a layer of Spikes. U-turn is also a great option to let Yveltal scout for checks and pivot out of Chansey and Blissey, both counters to this set.

EVs allow Yveltal to outrun Adamant Rayquaza and Modest Kyurem-W. Feel free to run more bulk if you want though, as it helps Yveltal check Arceus-Ghost more easily.

Yveltal can also run this set with Choice Scarf to become a powerful revenge killer and cleaner. Something cool to note is that Wobbuffet cannot Mirror Coat Yveltal. !_! I would consider running Timid if using Scarf Yveltal to let him outspeed Dragon Dance Rayquaza.


Yveltal @ Life Orb / Dread Plate
Trait: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 224 Speed / 32 Atk (play with the evs as you see fit!)
Nature: Mild / Hasty
-Dark Pulse
-Oblivion Wing / Hurricane
-Sucker Punch
-Roost

Mixed Yveltal lacks the immediate power of Specs, but gains more survivability in Roost and a powerful priority move in Sucker Punch. In fact, factoring in Dark Aura and STAB, Yveltal's Sucker Punch is the most powerful priority move in the game! This is a solid check to Mewtwo, as Sucker Punch is a guaranteed OHKO and Yveltal can switch into any of its moves except for Ice Beam. LO Sucker Punch also does 72% minimum to 252 HP Arceus-Ghost, 65% minimum to 4 HP Scarf Palkia, and has a 94% chance to OHKO 248 HP Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock, just to illustrate its power. I would also consider running Oblivion Wing over Hurricane on this set since it and Roost together means that Yveltal hardly needs to worry about Stealth Rock and LO recoil.

Yveltal @ Leftovers
Trait: Dark Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm
-Taunt
-Toxic
-Foul Play
-Roost

Full credit goes to Jibaku for this set.

This Yveltal is designed to stall and break stall. It utterly laughs at Ghost Arceus who does a paltry 29% max with +1 4 SpA Focus Blast, and Grass/Fighting Arceus are also going to have a hard time against it. This set can beat a lot of defensive Pokemon with the combination of Toxic and Roost and foils any attempts to status or set hazards against it with Taunt. Foul Play is boosted by Dark Aura and does cute things like solidly 2HKOing Ho-Oh, always 2HKOing Arceus-Ghost, and OHKOing Rayquaza after Stealth Rock. Blissey and Chansey aren't beating this Yveltal either, and it can stall out support Groudon. This set is also capable of tanking powerful special attacks - Scarf Palkia never 2HKOes with Draco Meteor after SR, for instance, and Yveltal has a decent chance to live +1 LO Mewtwo Ice Beam after SR as well!

This set is slightly bulkier than 248/0 Ho-Oh, to give you an idea of its defensive potential.

Yveltal @ Flying Gem
Trait: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 224 Speed / 32 SpA
Nature: Lonely / Adamant
-Acrobatics
-Sucker Punch
-Dark Pulse / Taunt
-Roost

Gimmicky Acrobatics set if you want a physical Yveltal, but it has some potential. Acrobatics murders pink blobs and Ho-Oh, and it is only slightly weaker than Ho-Oh Brave Bird (without LO). Yveltal can also back it up with STAB Sucker Punch to finish off weakened targets. Taunt/Dark Pulse let you keep your ability to beat Giratina.

You could also try Hone Claws if you can remove Giratina first...

Checks and Counters

Arceus-Fairy (best check, watch out for Specs Hurricane), Xerneas (can set up on choiced Dark moves), pink blobs (for special attacking sets), Zekrom (needs to be Scarfed), Ho-Oh (if SR isn't up), Terrakion (Justified sucks but it will hate STAB Flying moves) and Tyranitar (no Focus Blast) can all give Yveltal a hard time. Stealth Rock is also a pain, but its not crippling to Yveltal as it is to some other Pokemon.

Conclusion

Yveltal is a versatile Pokemon with a lot of potential that is extremely difficult to check. The ability to counter Arceus-Ghost alone makes him worth a teamslot imo. What do you guys think of Yveltal?

 

[Arcticblast]

You could also try Hone Claws if you can remove Giratina first...

Hone Claws with Dragon Rush might be pretty cool, actually, hitting Giratina for crazy damage... hopefully.

 

[Mattman324]

ohay Firebum. Funny to see you talking about Arceus counters.

Now, as for Yveltal... can it learn Knock Off? 65 BP normally, 130 when it's knocking off an item (functioning with Sticky Hold/Arceus's Plates/Mega Stones unknown), means that it has a niche roll even if it turns out to be kind of bad.

 

[Thorhammer]

Wait, do Xernas and Yveltal seriously have the exact same stats? That's pretty strange.

 

[Mario With Lasers]

99 Base Speed for both Xerneas and Yveltal is proof they are sorry for Palkia's newfound weakness and wanted to make amends to somehow.

Wait, do Xernas and Yveltal seriously have the exact same stats? That's pretty strange.

Life and death are two faces of the same coin, or some pseudo-deep talk like that.

 

[Atomsage]

Could Weakness Policy be implemented somewhere depending on defenses?

Take a SE attack, WP activates. Use Oblivion Wing to gain massive health and deal massive damage. Then finish off with Sucker Punch.

 

[azureleaf17]

Wait, do Xernas and Yveltal seriously have the exact same stats? That's pretty strange.

I was going to say the exact same thing. Both are going to be interesting sweepers with the capability of going mixed, so their typings and movepools are going to be what set them apart. If the two were going head-to-head, it looks like Yveltal has the advantage with Dark-type being super effective over Fairy-type, but that scary Geomancy and its advantages over the many Dragon-types rampaging through Ubers could give Xerneas a lot of help. We'll have to see!

 

[Mattman324]

I was going to say the exact same thing. Both are going to be interesting sweepers with the capability of going mixed, so their typings and movepools are going to be what set them apart. If the two were going head-to-head, it looks like Yveltal has the advantage with Dark-type being super effective over Fairy-type, but that scary Geomancy and its advantages over the many Dragon-types rampaging through Ubers could give Xerneas a lot of help. We'll have to see!

Point of order: Fairy is SE against Dark, not the other way around.

 

[Furai]

SubDisable is easily one of the more effective sets out there as of the moment [lel assuming the current state can even be called a metagame], but even when we get more info and moves, I can see it being effective. It allows Yveltal to beat Ghost Arceus, Aegislash, Choiced Pokemon, and be a gigantic pain in the ass. Yveltal is more scary than Xerneas in my opinion, just because Yveltal's coverage is unresisted, unlike Xerneas, which needs 3 coverage moves and still doesn't cover everything!

 

[escarlata]

SubDisable is easily one of the more effective sets out there as of the moment [lel assuming the current state can even be called a metagame], but even when we get more info and moves, I can see it being effective. It allows Yveltal to beat Ghost Arceus, Aegislash, Choiced Pokemon, and be a gigantic pain in the ass. Yveltal is more scary than Xerneas in my opinion, just because Yveltal's coverage is unresisted, unlike Xerneas, which needs 3 coverage moves and still doesn't cover everything!

Dark/Flying is resisted by Ttar, Mega-Mawile, Bisharp which are all can be viable in Ubers, though Ttar is the only one that can do something back in return

 

[Furai]

oh right i forgot about them, but subdisable beats all of them bar mega mawile if it gets a physical fairy attack, so my point still stands! :) thanks for reminding me them

 

[Soul Fly]

Dark/Flying is resisted by Ttar, Mega-Mawile, Bisharp which are all can be viable in Ubers, though Ttar is the only one that can do something back in return

Focus Blast. It easily has moveslots to spare.

 

[Thorhammer]

I'm hesitant to assume we'll only be seeing these guys in Ubers. Their stats are distributed weird, making it a lot harder for them to put their full BST to use compared to others with similar totals, and Fairy/Dark/Flying aren't nearly as scary types as ones like Dragon and Water. Given how Kyurem turned out with its own typing issues and very similar stat distribution, it's worth considering how they'd fare if given a similar chance.

 

[azureleaf17]

Point of order: Fairy is SE against Dark, not the other way around.

Ignore me, I'm obviously an idiot xD

 

[escarlata]

Focus Blast. It easily has moveslots to spare.

Was saying that with regards to the subdisable set that was mentioned earlier.

Anyway, the problem with the sub-disable set is that 99 base speed is just not fast enough to run a sub-disable set effectively, especially when most of the stuff it actually outruns tend to have multiple attacks that can hit it fairly high, minus Groudon and Giratina. But with paralysis support, that sub-disable support for Yvetal will be quite a pain to face.

 

[Manaphy]

I'm hesitant to assume we'll only be seeing these guys in Ubers. Their stats are distributed weird, making it a lot harder for them to put their full BST to use compared to others with similar totals, and Fairy/Dark/Flying aren't nearly as scary types as ones like Dragon and Water. Given how Kyurem turned out with its own typing issues and very similar stat distribution, it's worth considering how they'd fare if given a similar chance.

Just... no. Xerneas looks like an absolute monster with Geomancy and Yveltal is also going to be a really hard-hitting tank with boosted Dark Moves and Oblivion Wing. You can't possibly compare these two with great stat distributions and typings comparable to Kyurem, but feel free to do that with Zygarde.

I'm really hoping that Jirachi gets Steel/Fairy retyping or these guys will be a pain in the ass. I'm slightly disappointed that Yveltal doesn't get Pursuit as that would make a Choice Scarf set pretty cool for trapping Mewtwo/Mega Gengar/etc

 

[SJCrew]

I don't think Yveltal has any real chance of going Uber. I was already dubious about his Dark/Flying typing, which has little to brag about in terms of resists, but on top of that, we don't know of any decent boosting moves. I expected him to at least get Nasty Plot for him to do some real damage with Oblivion Wing (which is an unimpressive 80 BP to counteract that impressive regeneration rate). For now, I'm seeing little from Yveltal to assume he's going to be Uber. Used in Ubers, perhaps, but I think the more important question is, what's he going to do in OU?

That, in my opinion, will have more to do with how common Fairies are than what Yveltal himself can do. Xerneas, Mega Mawile, and Togekiss will be running around for sure, and possibly Azumarill with Blaziken coming back. Xerneas and Togekiss will definitely make ruin of him with his only answer being his 80 BP Oblivion Wing to their supreme special bulk.

Plus, he's just slow as all get out. Sucker Punch can go a long way with Dark Aura and 135 base Attack, but Mega Lucario will ruin his day, as will other faster Fighting types. Steel losing its resistance to Dark will make it lightweight difficult to switch non-Fairies into him, though.

Overall, I think Yveltal's most common set will be a slow and bulky, but mixed set. There isn't much he can do with that speed, so his focus will probably be geared more toward tanking hits to retaliate with Oblivion Wing and wrecking walls with tried and true Dark/Fighting coverage. Sets without Oblivion Wing could opt for dangerous Sub sets with Sucker Punch/Dark Pulse/Focus Blast. Life Orb will most likely be employed on sets without Sub, and Leftovers should be a natural fit on Sub sets with that HP stat.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Sylveon is a solid counter. My reservation with Slyveon, though, is that I don't know if it is good enough for OU.

 

[Fireburn]

Yveltal has plenty of checks outside of the realm of 680+ BST as I pointed out, so let's not jump to conclusions.

Could you point those out for me please? Neither Rotom-W nor Thundurus-T are reliable checks. Both are absolutely murdered by Dark Pulse, Thundurus-T gets wrecked by Sucker Punch and neither can take repeated Specs Hurricanes off of 131 SpA. Scarf Rotom-W's Thunderbolt isn't even a guaranteed OHKO on 4 HP Yveltal after SR and defensive sets have no chance. Mega Mawile has crappy SpD before it transforms and cannot even switch in until it is already transformed. Togekiss loses to defensive/SubDisable Yveltal 1 vs 1 and Max HP/Max SpD+ is even 2HKOed by Specs/LO Hurricane without SR. Azumarill's crappy base 50 Speed means it has to tank two hits before it can even attack and it cannot heal itself, not to mention it cannot tank Yveltal's STAB Flying attacks.

Oh and Sylveon, like Togekiss, is 2HKOed by LO/Specs Hurricane. Specs doesn't need SR.

I do agree this is not the place to be talking about Yveltal's tiering, but I am really not seeing the point that "it has a lot of checks" or "he's weak."

 

[SwampertGuru]

Was saying that with regards to the subdisable set that was mentioned earlier.

Anyway, the problem with the sub-disable set is that 99 base speed is just not fast enough to run a sub-disable set effectively, especially when most of the stuff it actually outruns tend to have multiple attacks that can hit it fairly high, minus Groudon and Giratina. But with paralysis support, that sub-disable support for Yvetal will be quite a pain to face.

Or sticky web, depending on what gets it and how it works.

 

[Colonel M]

The one thorn to Yveltal will be busting through the Steel-types. It doesn't learn Flamethrower and Earth Power. It at least has Focus Blast, but we all know its questionable accuracy makes it uneasy to use.

On the other hand, Oblivion Wing sounds absolutely nuts. STAB Flying-type has always been very powerful. Having access to Roost is just icing on the cake on how sturdy it can be.

 

[SJCrew]

Togekiss loses to defensive/SubDisable Yveltal 1 vs 1

I'll concede the power of Hurricane, but this is actually wrong. Togekiss will be running both of its STABs in OU, especially if it gets more Fairy moves than Dazzling Gleam to work with (Moon Blast would be huge). Yveltal with Leftovers is hopelessly walled. Also, defensive with that typing is just not going to happen.

IMO, Specs is cool and all, but Sucker Punch is going to be instrumental in allowing Yveltal to circumvent its faster checks. I predict Life Orb to be far more popular for that reason alone. Also, Acrobatics looks pretty cool, but I don't think it's going to be that popular with Hone Claws as its only Attack boost.

Colonel M: Steel doesn't resist Dark or Ghost anymore. :(

 

[Theorymon]

Guys please don't talk about Yveltal's tiering, for now this will be a discussion of how it could work in Ubers, since OU hasn't really "settled" yet! You can still mention "OU" Pokémon though, but I don't want this thread do devolve into tiering debate.

Anyways, That Dark / Flying typing is really awesome defensively, if only because Ghost Arceus got buffed this gen. A lot of offensive teams had trouble with Ghostceus last gen, so its great to finally have an offensive Pokémon that can help deal with it!

I'm personally most excited for Mixed and Sub Dsiable Yveltal atm. I still need to think about this more though, Yveltal seems to have a nice amount of versatility considering the small movepool!

 

[Colonel M]

Colonel M: Steel doesn't resist Dark or Ghost anymore. :(

Ah, so that rumor became true.

...WELL ALRIGHTY THEN!

Looks like this thing is probably going to wreck shit... except against maybe... Mawile? lol. It definitely looks powerful -- way too powerful to even think twice of OU. Alas...

 

[Jibaku]

Whether Yveltal becomes Uber or not is a different story, but I can see this Pokemon having a lot of potential (even top tier). There's a lot to be said about Yveltal that a single skimthrough won't tell you.

First of all - it's typing. I think some people underestimate it, but imo it's an extremely powerful typing. On the offense, it's top tier typing with only 6 possible type comboes resisting it, and less that possess them (and even less that are actually tanky enough to withstand Yveltal). This, combined with a decent number of Pokemon in Ubers weak to Dark, really gives Yveltal an edge. Oh and there's Dark Aura, which as far as I've calculated in numerous Vs. Yveltal vids on youtube (lol I had nothing better to do), is approximately a 30% boost, which grants Yveltal some driving force behind its Dark-type assaults.

On the defense, Dark/Flying brings interesting perks such as immunity to Psystrike/neutrality to Aura Sphere, resistance to Ghost (means so much more now with Steels losing their resistance to Ghost, and there aren't many good Normals in Ubers), and immunity to Spikes/Toxic Spikes. Lacking a weakness to Dragon is also a big plus to defensive Pokemon, and Yveltal certainly has the bulk to pull a defensive set off. Its weaknesses are honestly not too problematic, because unless the move is STABed Yveltal can probably shrug it off (SpDef Yveltal takes 50% max from Mega Mewtwo Y Ice Beam).

Yveltal's movepool is also quite interesting. It's relatively small, but when you combine that with everything it has, Yveltal can pull off numerous sets with different outcomes. Not many other Pokemon has a movepool as concise as Yveltal's, while remaining unpredictable. Kyogre is probably the closest I can think of.

The other thing that strikes me as interesting is that Yveltal does not need to invest in offense to deal respectable damage (Foul Play), but also does not need to invest in defenses due to its powerful Sucker Punch (strongest priority in the game, might I add?), and sustain from Oblivion Wing. This fact can make Yveltal a deceptive threat.

I ran some calcs yesterday regarding its offensive and defensive potential but I'm too lazy to find them. I'll tell you this though - Don't set up your mega Lucario in front of a Foul Play Yveltal - it can potentially OHKO you.

 

[Fireburn]

I'll concede the power of Hurricane, but this is actually wrong. Togekiss will be running both of its STABs in OU, especially if it gets more Fairy moves than Dazzling Gleam to work with (Moon Blast would be huge). Yveltal with Leftovers is hopelessly walled. Also, defensive with that typing is just not going to happen.

IMO, Specs is cool and all, but Sucker Punch is going to be instrumental in allowing Yveltal to circumvent its faster checks. I predict Life Orb to be far more popular for that reason alone. Also, Acrobatics looks pretty cool, but I don't think it's going to be that popular with Hone Claws as its only Attack boost.

Colonel M: Steel doesn't resist Dark or Ghost anymore. :(

Yeah I'll concede SubDisable has a very hard time, but if Togekiss does not learn Moonblast then it will lose to the defensive set I posted. 0 SpA Togekiss Dazzling Gleam maxes at 38% damage which is never a 2HKO on 248/252+ Yveltal factoring in Stealth Rock and Leftovers. Yveltal can then Toxic Togekiss and beat it one-on-one since it is faster. Even if Togekiss gets Moonblast, Taunt and Toxic will still ruin its day.

You're underestimating Yveltal's defensive potential IMO. The ability to check Ghost-types reliably (not weak to Fighting coverage moves!) is huge considering how much they've been buffed this gen. Fully invested Yveltal has defensive stats of 455 HP / 226 Def / 324 SDef, which is not insignificant or underwhelming at all. It's about the same bulk (slightly better) as 248/0 Ho-Oh, except Yveltal isn't as weak to SR and gets Taunt.