Since Pokémon Gold & Silver players have been debating about who the better cover legendaries are for each generation. A particularly interesting debate occurred over Pokémon X & Y with the Pokémon Yveltal and Xerneas.
There are a lot of pros and cons for each Pokémon and which one is the best for you has a lot to do with whether you play competitively or not. If you’re on the fence about which is the better Pokémon then here are some things to keep in mind to decide for yourself which is the best cover legendary.
10 Xerneas: Offense
Competitively speaking and apart from a few niche scenarios Xerneas is by far the best Pokémon when it comes to raw offense. Their stats may be equal, but the advantage Xerneas has thanks to its typing, move pool, and signature attack make it far more powerful in competitive battles.
Xerneas is a powerful sweeper that was a staple in competitive teams for many years. If you are comparing the two from a competitive standpoint than Xerneas is the clear winner.
9 Yveltal: Versatile
Xerneas is better competitively if you need an offensive sweeper, but if you don’t it struggles to fill other roles. Yveltal has the advantage of being adaptable and unpredictable. Commonly it serves as a wall breaker thanks to its bulk and strong moves, but it can also be a stall breaker, revenge kill sweepers, physical defender, and more.
In certain scenarios it’s more viable than Xerneas such as checking Primal Groudon, Marshadow, Mewtwo, and Necrozma-DM. Yveltal has options in what it does, making it a much more useful team member.
8 Xerneas: Life
According to the game lore, Xerneas is the Pokémon of Life. The Pokédex entries state that it’s capable of granting other beings eternal life by sharing it’s own with them. It fights to protect others and receives its strength through life.
This might be a strong reason for you to consider Xerneas to be the better of the two Pokémon. Thematically it’s the more noble of the two and it benefits those around it.
7 Yveltal: Destruction
Yveltal on the other hand is associated with destruction. The Pokédex entries state that Yveltal when at the brink of death is capable of draining the life force of everything around it to sustain itself. This Pokémon is capable of a cataclysmic, world-ending event to keep itself alive.
Thematically you might find yourself drawn to this terrifying bird due to its immense power. If you’re building a team of nightmarish monsters then Yveltal should definitely be a member of your roster.
6 Xerneas: New Type (At The Time)
This was the first generation to introduce Fairy typing and Xerneas is a pure fairy-type. When introduced Fairy became the most powerful typing and has remained fairly strong ever since.
For players who were curious about this new typing and what it had to offer this made Xerneas much more appealing. Yvetal on the other hand was a Dark/Flying Type and didn’t have anything new to offer. For this reason some would consider Xerneas to be the better Pokémon as it was new and exciting when it first came out.
5 Yveltal: More Useful Out Of Battle
If your primary focus in this generation of games is playing through the story then a strong factor for which is better is which is more useful outside of battle. In this case Yveltal is the easy winner given it can learn the move Fly.
In the grand scheme of things this doesn’t mean much as many other Pokémon can learn Fly. But when pitting the two against each other only one has utility outside of battle. If the singleplayer experience is important to you than Yveltal is a better choice.
4 Xerneas: Geomancy
Xerneas’s signature move is Geomancy. It’s a two-move turn that once executed causes Xerneas’s Special Attack, Speed, Defense, and Attack to raise by two points. This alone is already remarkable but it becomes absurd when Xerneas is equipped with a Power Herb.
With the Power Herb equipped Xerneas will consume the herb and perform Geomancy immediately. Granted this is a one time deal but getting those four stats boosted by two points in a single move is nothing to scoff at. Especially considering your average Pokémon would require three to four moves and the same amount of turns to do the same thing.
3 Yveltal: Oblivion Wing
Geomancy is nice for boosting stats to enhance other moves, but when it comes to raw power Oblivion wing is much more powerful. Oblivion Wing is an 80 Power attack with 100% accuracy. In addition to being a hefty blow it will also heal Yveltal for 75% of the damage dealt.
If Yveltal is equipped with Big root that 75% jumps to 95% for massive healing while dealing solid damage. This combo is actually part of the reason why Yveltal is such a solid fighter as it can self-sustain while damaging the enemy.
2 Xerneas: Typing
It was mentioned before but it’s worth repeating that one of Xerneas’s biggest strengths is that it is a pure Fairy Type. This makes it an automatic powerhouse against Dark, Dragon, and Fighting types.
In fact the Fairy-Type was introduced to counter the overpowered Dragon-Type as Fairies not only receive a bonus to attack damage but are also immune to Dragon-Type moves. When looking at typing alone before considering all of the other factors Xerneas is the better cover legendary.
1 Yveltal: Design
Outside of competitive matches the actual stats and abilities of the Pokémon aren’t all that important. What is important for many players is the visual appearance of the Pokémon and for many Yveltal is better in this aspect.
Whether it’s the standard appearance or the infamous shiny version dubbed “bacon Yveltal” by its fans this destructive bird is much more interesting to look at. Not saying Xerneas is a train wreck by any means, but players seem to be more drawn to the dark bird than a colorful deer.