As part of the “Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos” event, players who pay $9.99 for the event pass will get a Special Research task that forces them to pick between X or Y. You’ll get a Xerneas or Yveltal as a reward for completing the steps, depending on which you pick, with one option being better than the other, depending on what kind of gameplay you like.

Below, we explain whether you should pick the X or Y path in the “An X-ceptional Yarn” Special Research, as well as the steps for the research.

Should you pick X or Y in the ‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ Special Research?

Note that in this research, you’ll get a Xerneas or Yveltal with a Special Background, as well as an X- or Y-themed medal, based on your choice. That being said, you can (and should, in my opinion) pick the Pokémon you like the most. Whichever one you don’t get from this research, you can totally get from raids during the “Go Tour: Kalos” event anyway.

If you don’t have much time to play during the “Go Tour: Kalos” event, and you want to know what the PvE meta pick is, it’s Yveltal. Yveltal is a very strong flying-type attacker for raids and gyms, and though Xerneas is also a strong fairy-type attacker, Yveltal trumps it in damage-per-second overall. That being said, if you need a flying-type attacker, you should pick Yveltal, and if you need a fairy-type attacker, you should pick Xerneas.

If you love PvP, on the other hand, Xerneas is the better pick, as it’s currently #4 on the Master League rankings. Yveltal is also a decent pick for PvP (sitting at #17 in the Master League), but Xerneas is just better. Thems the facts.

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ step 1 of 5

• Catch a Pokémon originally discovered in the Kalos region (10 Xerneas or Yveltal stickers)

Rewards: 2,026 Stardust

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ step 2 of 5

• Catch 60 Pokémon originally discovered in the Kalos region (Charizard encounter)
• Spin 20 PokéStops or gyms (200 Charizard Mega Energy)
• Mega Evolve a Pokémon (6 Charmander Candy)

Rewards: 6 Charmander Candy, 6 Charmander Candy XL

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ step 3 of 5

• Send 6 gifts and add a sticker to each (3 Golden Razz Berries)
• Open 6 gifts (3 Silver Pinap Berries)
• Catch a Scatterburg (3 Incense)

Rewards: Scatterburg encounter, 664 XP

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ step 4 of 5

• Power up a fairy-/dark-type Pokémon 10 times (Swirlix/Spritzee encounter)
• Mega Evolve a Pokémon (Clauncher/Skrelp encounter)
• Win a Mega Raid (6 Rare Candy)

Rewards: Unown X/Y encounter, 12 Unown Candy

If you picked X, you’ll need to power up a fairy-type, and you’ll get Swirlix, Clauncher, and Unown X. If you picked Y, you’ll need to power up a dark-type, and you’ll get Spritzee, Skrelp, and Unown Y.

‘An X-ceptional Yarn’ step 5 of 5

• Power up a legendary or mythical Pokémon 6 times (717 Stardust)
• Catch 12 different species of Pokémon (717 XP)
• Win a five-star raid (6 Rare Candy)

Rewards: Xerneas/Yveltal encounter, 12 Xerneas/Yveltal Candy, 6 Xerneas/Yveltal Candy XL

As expected, you’ll get Xerneas and its candy if you picked X, and you’ll get Yveltal and its candy if you picked Y.

If you’re spending the day out playing the “Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos” event, we have guides for you. You can check out our habitat and Mega Raid schedule, as well as our post listing the steps to the Diancie Masterwork Research. As you head out, you might want to brush up on what the deal is with Super Mega Raids, as that’s the new key feature as part of this event.

Of course, there are also some codes to redeem for a limited time that reward Unown, Sylveon, and the Kalos starters, so you should do that, too.