Over the past few weeks, players have had the opportunity to receive a Zygarde, Xerneas, and Yveltal via Nintento Network to celebrate the debut of Pokémon the Series: XYZ. Each of the Pokémon is Lv. 100 and comes with a Cherish Ball and a Classic Ribbon. Plus, Xerneas and Yveltal are both Shiny. The Xerneas and Yveltal you encounter in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y will never be Shiny, making this an extremely rare opportunity!

For players interested in Pokémon battles, particularly those in the Video Game Championships, this is an excellent opportunity to team up with some Legendary Pokémon that are optimized for battle. It can be tough to catch a Xerneas or Yveltal fit for competitive battles when playing through Pokémon X and Pokémon Y because you encounter them at a critical moment in the story. Plus, it’s much quicker to have the delivery girl bring you a Pokémon in the Pokémon Center than to capture Xerneas or Yveltal in battle. Try to get these Pokémon with the Natures you want, and with high potential, too!

Power Up with Xerneas

Even though Trainers can only choose two restricted Legendary Pokémon for their teams in the Video Game Championships, Xerneas has found its way onto an incredible number of teams. Xerneas’s power comes from two main sources: the amazing stat-boosting move Geomancy and its Fairy Aura Ability. Plus, Xerneas has fabulous stats. Its Speed is just a little better than most other Legendary Pokémon, and it has solid HP, Defense, Sp. Atk, and Sp. Def.

Geomancy increases Xerneas’s Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed by two levels, but it normally takes one turn to charge before it activates. To get around this, Trainers usually give Xerneas a Power Herb to hold, which allows it to use Geomancy in a single turn. Most Trainers pair Xerneas with a Pokémon that knows a move like Fake Out, Follow Me, or Rage Powder to allow Xerneas to use Geomancy safely. If you protect Xerneas, it can be one of the most difficult Pokémon to stop in the Video Game Championships. Be careful against foes that have moves like Haze or Roar that remove stat changes, however, since the Power Herb will be consumed after Xerneas uses Geomancy. This trick will work only once per battle!

Xerneas’s Fairy Aura Ability increases the Fairy-type damage dished out by all Pokémon on the field. While Trainers tend to teach most of their Pokémon moves of a variety of types for different situations, Xerneas is different. The combination of Fairy Aura, the damage boost Xerneas gets from using Fairy-type attacks as a Fairy-type Pokémon, and the increased Sp. Atk from Geomancy adds up to so much power that Trainers find little desire to teach Xerneas attacks of other types. With Dazzling Gleam capable of hitting both opposing Pokémon, and Moonblast to deal incredible damage to single foes, Xerneas’s Fairy-type attacks are usually all it needs.

The Xerneas available via the recent distribution event will know Geomancy and Moonblast as soon as you receive it. Once you teach it Dazzling Gleam and Protect with TMs, it’ll be ready for battle. Early in the Video Game Championship season, most Trainers were using Xerneas with the Timid Nature in order to maximize their Speed. More recently, Trainers have started shifting to Xerneas with the Sp. Atk-boosting Modest Nature instead, and then they train their Xerneas’s defensive stats instead of its Speed or Sp. Atk. This new, slower, more defensive way to use Xerneas looked very strong at the recent UK National Championships, but some players are still using a Timid Xerneas with success. Try to get a Xerneas with a Nature that fits your style in battle.

Swoop into Action with Yveltal

Yvetal has recently enjoyed a boost in popularity in the Pokémon Video Game Championships, which we covered recently in our preview for the Spring Regional Championships. Like Xerneas, much of Yveltal’s power comes from its Ability. Unlike Xerneas, Yveltal doesn’t have a game-altering trademark attack, so it tends to be selected for its synergy with other Pokémon rather than for its individual power.

Yveltal’s Dark Aura Ability increases the Dark-type attacks of all Pokémon on the field. Unlike Xerneas’s Fairy Aura, which is typically helpful for only Xerneas, we’ve seen players combine Yveltal with a number of Pokémon that benefit from Dark Aura. Mega Mawile and Mega Kangaskhan are often taught the move Sucker Punch, which, with the help of Dark Aura, can do big damage before opponents can move. Mega Manectric’s Snarl move is used mostly to weaken the Sp. Atk stat of its foes, but Yveltal’s Dark Aura enables it to deal a surprising amount of damage. And Weavile’s Dark-type attacks have recently become a popular complement for Yveltal, as a Dark Aura-boosted Knock Off from Weavile devastates most Pokémon that aren’t holding a Red Orb, Blue Orb, or Mega Stone (which can’t be removed by Knock Off).

Most Trainers use an Yveltal with a Timid or Jolly Nature, which will normally allow it to outpace Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Since both of these Pokémon are frequently taught moves that rely on their current HP being high (Eruption and Water Spout), Yveltal’s speed is a great asset. Yveltal can dish out some damage itself with Foul Play, Sucker Punch, and Dark Pulse, or support its team with Tailwind. If you teach Yveltal Snarl, you’ll find it can perform both of these roles at once: even though Snarl’s base power is low, Yveltal’s Sp. Atk and the added power of Dark Aura make for a surprisingly potent attack that lowers the Sp. Atk stat of both foes.

Zygarde Makes the Grade?

The star of Pokémon the Series: XYZ hasn’t made too big of an impact on the Video Game Championships this year, but that doesn’t mean Zygarde isn’t full of potential! While you won’t be able to use the new Zygarde Complete Forme in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Zygarde 50% Forme can learn some interesting moves, and it has the extremely powerful Aura Break Ability.

Zygarde will know its amazing Ground-type Land’s Wrath move as soon as it joins your team. Land’s Wrath has a powerful 90 base power and hits all adjacent foes. Unlike Earthquake, Land’s Wrath won’t hit your teammates, and unlike Groudon’s Precipice Blades, Land’s Wrath has 100% base accuracy. Land’s Wrath embodies the consistency many players look for in tournament battles, which can be hard to find with Ground-type attacks.

Land’s Wrath isn’t the only fun move Zygarde can learn. As soon as you receive Zygarde, it will also know Outrage, one of the most powerful single-target attacks. Outrage targets a random opponent in Double Battles, so it might not be the best choice for the Video Game Championships, but it can devastate foes in Single Battles.

You can customize Zygarde’s move set in a number of ways that could be beneficial in battle. Zygarde can be taught Haze to remove stat boosts from Pokémon on the field, such as the huge boost Xerneas gets from Geomancy. It can also learn the stat-increasing Dragon Dance and Coil, the speedy Extreme Speed, the rare Glare, and the tricky Camouflage.

Zygarde’s Ability, Aura Break, reverses the effect of Yveltal’s and Xerneas’s Abilities. Instead of increasing the power of all Fairy- or Dark-type moves, Fairy Aura and Dark Aura instead decrease the power of these moves if a Pokémon with Aura Break is on the field. Many Trainers are familiar with the battles to keep the sunny or rain weather effects active on the field in the Video Game Championships, and Zygarde can initiate a similar struggle with Aura Break. Reversing the effects of Yveltal’s or Xerneas’s Abilities with Aura Break can quickly turn the tide of battle. Few players are prepared for the disruptive effects of Aura Break!

We hope you enjoy your adventures with these powerful Legendary Pokémon. Whether you choose to use them in your adventures or to compete in the Video Game Championships, these Pokémon are sure to be a great aid in your battles. And remember to check out Pokemon.com/Strategy to find all the most recent Pokémon TCG and video game strategy content and tournament coverage.