Lysandre & Yveltal

Similar in many ways to Steven & Metagross in its role as an Aggravation Striker with a focus on long-term survivability, a few key differences are what allow Yveltal to escape the former's shadow into a niche of its own (even as they render it a much less ubiquitous pair overall). Firstly, Yveltal's split typing, which is both a blessing and a curse. By allowing it to compete in two different races as far as supereffective damage goes, it makes Yveltal a much more flexible pair than contemporaries such as Pidgeot and Houndoom. However, because of the pair's need to make us of both typings no matter the opposing stage's weakness (Dark Pulse is required for status while Oblivion Wing provides the pair's essential longevity), it ends up failing to compete with either of its more accessible rivals in terms of damage. The pair's unique strengths, then, lie in its versatility, much of which stems from the aforementioned dual typing as well as another key divergence from the niche it shares with Steven: access to its own healing. Because it requires no dedicated Support to facilitate its long-term survival, Yveltal is able to function extremely well slotted onto dual-striker comps, where it can soak up aoe Special boosts from a Support like Xerneas or Blastoise and then contribute its damage and status without compromising the team's pre-existing core. In the final analysis, it's the flexibility those differences afford that set Yveltal apart from its contemporaries and make it an excellent choice for an incredible variety of team compositions.