VGC 2019 Moon Series Core Analysis #1 – Yveltal + Groudon

While not having as much as a presence in the VGC 2019 metagames as it did back in the VGC 2016 format, the pairing of Groudon and Yveltal has seen a recent resurgence in usage, with a Regional win at Anaheim, a Top 4 finish at Roanoke Regionals and Top 16 finish at Philly Regionals, and a few Top 16 and Top 32 finishes at Dallas. For the third installment of this series, this article will take a look at the appeal behind using such a duo.

Why It's Good

While cores revolving around Xerneas tend to build around setting up before sweeping, Yveltal Groudon instead focuses on providing constant damage output while taking minimal damage. Usually, the one to provide the constant damage is Groudon, while Yveltal is used for its longevity. Now, one could argue to use Kyogre to fill this constant dealing of damage over Groudon, but here's the thing: Kyogre's spread STAB is Water Spout; they don't run Origin Pulse as often. Due to this, it becomes reliant on keeping healthy for consistent spread damage. Its spread moves also really dislike the sun, or really being out of the rain for that matter. With Precipice Blades, Groudon need not worry about keeping healthy nor staying in the sunlight; it can just go nuts against the opponent.

While Sun Series saw more offensive Yveltal, Moon Series has seen more bulk-oriented Yveltal. That isn't to say offensive Yveltal is no more, though it doesn't work as well with Groudon. Holding an Assault Vest, in combination with Snarl and Oblivion Wing, Yveltal can reduce damage taken for Groudon and stay around by constantly healing.

That isn't to say it doesn't use setup at all. Groudon usually carry Swords Dance, though this is more for turns where it won't be targeted or where it can't do anything. With non-AV Yveltal, some will opt to carry Tailwind in order for the restricted duo to hit hard faster to make up for Yveltal's lack in bulk from not running Assault Vest.

Sample Sets – Yveltal

Yveltal @ Assault Vest
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 108 HP / 20 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 124 Spe
Careful Nature
– Snarl
– Oblivion Wing
– Sucker Punch
– Foul Play

This set was used by Raghav Malaviya (@MudhimanVGC) to win Anaheim and recently was also used by Preston Gadling (@hektikVGC) to finish Top 8 at Dallas. 124 Speed EVs reaches 135, which outspeeds Venusaur and speed creeps Venusaur speed creepers. With a heavy emphasis on special bulk, this Yveltal is prepared for opposing Xerneas and Kyogre. Snarl helped with any incoming Moonblasts or Geomancy-setting, and Oblivion Wing improved its chances of staying around. Foul Play threatens any physical attackers that could come in on it, which in turn allowed for more investment in Special Defense. The Attack investment has an interesting calc on Kyogre in combination with Groudon that will be addressed in Groudon's sample sets.


Yveltal @ Black Glasses
Ability: Dark Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Atk / 4 Def / 124 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Knock Off
– Sucker Punch
– Tailwind
– Protect

This Yveltal is mostly identical to the one used by Mark Jackson (@MasterMarkVGC) to finish in the Top 4 at Roanoke Regionals in Sun Series. The only change to it is Tailwind over Roost to better benefit Groudon. While Yveltal appreciates the chance to stay around longer, without the benefit of an Assault Vest to take special hits and with Z-moves being on every team now, Yveltal would be able to put in more work for the rest of the team with Tailwind. Its Black Glasses, Dark Aura, and heavier investment in Attack means it can dish out much more damage and take on a more offensive role.

Sample Sets – Groudon

Groudon @ Figy Berry
Ability: Drought
Level: 50
EVs: 100 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
– Precipice Blades
– Fire Punch
– Swords Dance
– Protect

This was another set used by Raghav Malaviya to win Anaheim. Although it has significantly less Attack than many Groudon, it can help with surviving special attacks.

• +2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 100 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon: 168-198 (89.3 - 105.3%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
• 252+ SpA Venusaur Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 100 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon: 146-174 (77.6 - 92.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Figy Berry recovery
• 252+ SpA Ludicolo Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 100 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon in Sun: 102-122 (54.2 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Figy Berry recovery

A particular calc with Raghav's Yveltal helps Groudon live a Water Spout from Scarf Kyogre in Rain guaranteed:

• 20 Atk Dark Aura Yveltal Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 75-88 (42.6 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
• 252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (86 BP) vs. 100 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon in Rain: 152-182 (80.8 - 96.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

To compensate for the lacking physical damage, Groudon runs Swords Dance. It increases to more satisfactory levels of output that a more Attack-invested Groudon would have.


Groudon @ Groundium Z
Ability: Drought
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 36 SpD / 188 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Precipice Blades
– Rock Tomb
– Swords Dance
– Protect

This set is one that I personally came up with, and it utilizes Groudon's Attack. With Groundium, Groudon can pick up OHKOs on less bulky Xern and bulkier Kyogre without much issue. Rock Tomb improves the Tornadus matchup significantly, as Groudon can get off two Rock Tombs against Tornadus and outspeed it after the first one. This works even better with Tailwind Yveltal, to match Tailwinds should Tornadus go for it. Groudon has enough Speed to outspeed Modest Venusaur and Koko at -1. Swords Dance helps against opposing Intimidate. Despite all this, Groudon is much frailer than ones like Raghav's and can be susceptible to getting KO'd on the special side. This makes Groudon is much more high risk, high reward than many seen on Yveltal Groudon teams.

Successful Teams with this Core

SUN SERIES

PLAYER	EVENT	FINISH	TEAM
Raghav Malaviya	Anaheim Regionals	1st Place
Alister Sandover	Singapore Special Event	2nd Place
JS Deo	Malaysia Special Event	Top 4
Alister Sandover	Malaysia Special Event	Top 4
Mark Jackson	Roanoke Regionals	Top 4
David Koutesh	Harrogate Regionals	Top 8
Kimo Nishimura	Anaheim Regionals	Top 16
Chris Danzo	Philadephia Regionals	Top 16
Myles Kristalovich	Portland Regionals	Top 32
Giacomo Bovolenta	Lille Special Event	Top 32

MOON SERIES

PLAYER	EVENT	FINISH	TEAM
Alberto Rios	Panama Special Event	1st Place
Samuel Jurado	Panama Special Event	Top 8
Jeremy Gross	Dallas Regionals	Top 16
Gavin Michaels	Dallas Regionals	Top 16
Collin Heier	Dallas Regionals	Top 32
Chuppa Cross IV.	Dallas Regionals	Top 32
Luis Canseco	Dallas Regionals	Top 32

Supporting the Core

With its Electric typing, quick speed and sleep-preventative Electric Terrain, Tapu Koko fits with Groudon and Yveltal comfortably. An Electrium-Z-boosted Thunderbolt helps deal with Yveltal and presents more options when looking to knock out Kyogre. Volt Switch is a great tool in easing the team into better positions. Some options Koko has for its last include Nature's Madness, for easy half damage; Grass Knot, for the ability to knock out on opposing Groudon; and Taunt, to prevent an opposing Tailwind, Heal Pulse, or Geomancy, just to name a few. For non-AV Yveltal teams, one could alternatively run AV Koko and opt for a more unconventional moveset, carrying moves like Sky Drop, to assist Yveltal in setting up Tailwind or Groudon in setting up a Swords Dance; Wild Charge, to still hit Kyogre and Yveltal hard at the cost of missing some KOs and lots of recoil; and U-turn, to have the positioning that Volt Switch offers, but also being able to also hit Ground-types that would otherwise threaten Koko and switch out of the threat.


Venusaur is another nice fit for the team. Although it is rather limited as to what it can hit, there's not much that can hit what Venusaur does, let alone also matching its speed on a Sun team due to its Chlorophyll ability. Base 100 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, though it does limit what knockouts Venusaur can aim for. While holding a Life Orb or a Z Crystal would help in getting those KOs, it limits how much Venusaur can do, so most of the time, Focus Sash is a better item for it to hold. Sleep Powder is great for whatever it hits, though has to be used with caution due to Safety Goggles and an uncomfortable 75% accuracy. HP Fire can be a good tech to deal with opposing Kartana or Ferrothorn.


For the teams that opt to go bulkier, and thus sacrifice speed on Groudon and Yveltal to where they're slower than a lot of the metagame, Stakataka can make an excellent addition. Stakataka can set up a Trick Room to give the bulkier and slower Groudon and Yveltal an advantage, though pulling it off will require some assistance. Stakataka has a glaring weakness to Kyogre, Groudon, and Fighting-type moves, but they can be counteracted under the right conditions. Groudon's Sun can alleviate damage taken from Kyogre's Water-type attack, Yveltal can take on opposing Groudon, and Stakataka can take most Fighting-type attacks with a Chople Berry. That isn't to say Stakataka can't do anything besides setting up Trick Room. Stakataka is the slowest Pokemon used in the metagame, and with a strong base 131 Attack, it can dish out lots of damage to many things in the metagame, namely Xerneas, Incineroar, opposing Yveltal, and anything faster than base 70 Speed that doesn't resist Gyro Ball (and even then it still hits hard). For extra utility, some Stakataka run Wide Guard over Protect to protect allies from heavy-hitting spread moves such as Water Spout or Precipice Blades.


Incineroar can go well on many teams, but it does have some extra perks being on Yveltal/Groudon. Both of Incineroar's STAB typings are boosted by both restricted Pokemon's abilities. Flare Blitz in the Sun can hit harder than some people are prepared for, and the extra bit of damage from a Knock Off while Dark Aura is active can be handy. Not really much else to say, Incineroar still does Incineroar things, only it hurts the opponent a little more.

Though its speed is totally on the opposite end of the speed tiers from Venusaur, Amoonguss can fill a similar role to Venusaur, though with a few notable changes. Its Spore is 100% accurate, so it need not worry about missing, unlike Venusaur's Sleep Powder. Amoonguss also has access to Clear Smog, which means instead of going about Xerneas though hitting it hard with Sludge Bomb, it instead lets Xerneas set up before removing its efforts entirely. Due to its incredibly low 30 Speed, Amoonguss can easily invest in its Defense and Special Defense, allowing it to take many hits that Venusaur can't afford to invest to live. On top of all that, Amoonguss can provide redirection through Rage Powder. All of this means it takes a much more supportive role than Venusaur, with its chance to shine offensively only coming when there's a Kyogre or Groudon on the field. In addition, its inclusion over Venusaur means that the team won't have as many speed options as with Venusaur.

Kartana could be an interesting choice. It's sort of like the offense of Venusaur but with several changes. While not nearly as fast in the Sun, Kartana is somewhat speedy and can keep said speed in the Rain. Its Leaf Blade can actually KO Kyogre, unlike a non-LO Venuasur's Grass Knot. It doesn't have access to any sleep-inducing moves, but it does have a more varied movepool than Venusaur. In addition, Kartana isn't restricted to Focus Sash and can be used in a more bulky way with AV. Kartana can also use a form of speed control with Tailwind, though it can't get much use out of it with AV.


While Venusaur is a good presence for the team in Groudon's Sun, Ludicolo is excellent at helping the team with its Rain matchup. Ludicolo's double resistance to Water-type attacks, Swift Swim ability, and Grass Knot make it a threat against opposing Kyogre that give Groudon a hard time. It also provides additional Fake Out support and can provide additional speed control in Icy Wind. Its fragility is similar to Venusaur's, so giving it a Focus Sash wouldn't be too bad of an idea; though it doesn't hit opposing Pokemon quite as hard as Venusaur does, so one might want to give it a Life Orb or Expert Belt instead.

Beating the Core

     
Kyogre spells danger for Groudon in almost any game the two are facing each other, and Yveltal taking neutral damage from Kyogre's main STAB isn't great either. All of these issues are exacerbated with a Scarf Kyogre. Koko can be used to stop Kyogre, but it usually sacrifices something to be able to catch Kyogre. Going Electrium Koko guarantees an OHKO, but falls victim to Scarf Kyogre. Going Focus Sash or Assault Vest can be used to catch any Scarf Kyogre, but needs to run Wild Charge to OHKO it back, and the recoil from Wild Charge will KO Koko in the process. Scarf Wild Charge doesn't even need to catch Scarf Kyogre, but Koko is then susceptible to Intimidate, and in general Tapu Koko doesn't like being limited in move selection. The best answer to Kyogre on Yveltal/Groudon teams is keeping the Sun up and using whatever Grass-type the team has, whether that be Venusaur, Amoonguss, Kartana, or Ludicolo. Tornadus gives all of those answers lots of trouble. Its Prankster Rain Dance can shut down any attempt to keep the Sun around, and its Flying typing is trouble Grass-types. Combine that with Scarf Kyogre, and this becomes the toughest matchup for Yveltal Groudon teams by far.


Xerneas can give this team lots of trouble, even if it's properly prepared for. The only means of being able to pick up an OHKO on turn 1 is either using Gyro Ball with Stakataka or Groundium Z Groudon off of Precipice Blades and even then, Xerneas can be EV'd to live the latter. While using Snarl with Yveltal can dampen some of the damage it does, Xerneas can still power through, since Yveltal itself is weak to Xerneas. If the Yveltal Groudon team doesn't properly utilize their Stakataka or doesn't bring Stakataka at all, Xerneas can have little to no trouble against them.


Kartana can shut down many variants of Yveltal Groudon teams that deviate from the standard one, and can give even the standard team difficulty. Its Leaf Blade is powerful enough to give Groudon a difficult time, as it is a guaranteed 2HKO without Intimidate, and a 94% chance to 2HKO with a 50% berry. Sacred Sword chunks into Stakataka and Incineroar, especially in the former if it isn't holding a Chople Berry. Even Kartana carrying Smart Strike can give Venusaur trouble with a 2HKO, assuming it's not carrying HP Fire. The best way for the team to take care of Kartana is Yveltal, as a Foul Play (or Oblivion Wing for non-AV Kartana) and a Sucker Punch can get rid of it, though can't stop it before it gets at least one attack off. Kartana can even Tailwind to stalemate against an opposing Yveltal's Tailwind or to help the rest of the team outspeed the other Pokemon on Yveltal Groudon teams like Koko and Venusaur.

     
Both Kyurem forms are very niche ways to go against Yveltal/Groudon but do have an important place. An Icium off of either Ice Beam (from Kyurem-White) or Freeze Shock (from Kyurem-Black) can OHKO either Yveltal or Groudon, depending on which is targeted. Ice Beam from either Kyurem can still chunk Groudon, and Fusion Bolt from Kyurem-Black does a hefty amount to Yveltal. With Earth Power, Kyurem-White can OHKO Stakataka and 2HKO Incineroar, while Kyurem-Black can decently chunk them. The only issue that the Kyurem forms have against Yveltal Groudon is variants with Kartana. Unless Kyurem-White is carrying Fusion Flare or either form saves their Z-move, neither can handily take down Kartana, assuming it's either Focus Sash or AV. Kartana can then 2HKO them back with a Smart Strike or Sacred Sword.


Landorus-Therian is one that can go after many of the supporting Pokemon on Groudon Yveltal teams. With Groundium Z, it can easily take care of opposing Stakataka, Incineroar, and Koko. It can even play a more supportive role and constantly switch out to rack up Intimidates on Groudon, and constantly damage Yveltal with Rock Slide. The biggest problem for Landorus is the Grass-type that the team has. While it can deal a good chunk of damage to Amoonguss and Venusaur with Groundium, they will most likely get a Spore or Sleep Powder off onto Landorus, rendering it mostly ineffective. Kartana doesn't appreciate the Intimidate but can power through Landorus anyway thanks to its sky-high Attack stat and Landorus's mediocre Defense stat. Ludicolo has the best matchup out of the four, resisting Landorus's go-to STAB and hitting back hard with Water-type and Ice-type moves such as Hydro Pump and Ice Beam.

Conclusion

Groudon Yveltal is one of the more interesting archetypes to come out of Sun Series, and its adjustment to Moon Series has been almost natural. Although it has shown some consistent performances in Regionals and NPA matches so far, it's difficult to tell if this will continue as the Moon Series metagame evolves.

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