Yanmega (BW2 Revamp) (QC 0/3)

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Probably should've posted it earlier. Still, I got a good deal of testing done yesterday so I sort of kinda know what I'm typing. This is my first analysis, so I expect some phails despite me reading other analyses.

Thanks to all those people who help me out with some ideas and suggestions, even if they were minor.

Edits made 8/8: Did most of things jc suggested (Kinda on the fence of putting Hypnosis in AC. I'll test it out to see). Also added stuff on the possibility of Choice Scarf in the Tinted Lens set's AC and a SubPetaya set in OO.

Edits made 8/10: Speed Boost was moved to OO. The analysis had general changes due to this.

Edits made 8/11: After testing of Yanmega that was more successful, I the revamped team support bullets. Did some overall edits to the set as well.

Edits made 8/12: Edited some typos and reworded some phrases for accuracy. Also changed this from WIP to QC 0/3 since there honestly isn't much more to add from what I alone can tell.

Edits made 8/13: Fixed the picture (It was from Bulbapedia. It's now from Smogon). Also, I find it odd how slowly this thread is going...

Edits made 8/23: Cleaned up some stuff due to factual errors. Bumped due to a lack a posts.

Edits made 8/26: Further edits. VMing a QC member.
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The Fly Guy

Yanmega (WIP):

• Bug/Flying type: Weaknesses to many common types: Ice, Electric, Fire, and Rock and Flying, all of which are seen in OU frequently.
• Glaring Stealth Rock weakness
• Good Sp atk, Decent Speed
• Average physical bulk and awful special bulk
• Decent coverage with the combination of STAB moves and a Hidden Power
• Two phenomenal Abilities: Speed Boost puts it speed up to extraordinary levels, Tinted Lens helps it deal with some coverage issues
• Poor bulk means it can't be switched-in easily, even without Stealth Rock
• Advent of the Therian formes doesn't help since Yanmega has weaknesses to the moves they often carry
• Didn't get much from BW2
• Demands team support
• The introduction of Speed Boost Sharpedo gives Speed Boost Yanmega huge competition
• The general issues Yanmega is plagued with limits its viable options to Tinted Lens
• High-Risk, High-Reward

[SET]
Name: Tinted Lens
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: U-Turn
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Tinted Lens
Nature: Rash
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Best way to use Yanmega. Is a fantastic wallbreaker for slower and weakened Pokemon
• Has a unique niche for being easily the best Pokemon with Tinted Lens. This means nothing but Chansey and Blissey can safely switch-in on it without knowing its choice-locked move and taking a good deal of damage.
• Bug Buzz is the main STAB move. Can double damage to those who resist it to deal massive damage to Pokemon like the Therian formes
• Air Slash is another STAB move. Also does double damage to those who resist
• Hidden Power Ground is key so Yanmega can deal with Heatran, Terrakion, and Magnezone more easily. Other Hidden Powers are not needed due to a combination of Specs and Tinted Lens, meaning Pokemon like Skarmory, which resist but aren't specially defensive, aren't a huge threat.
• U-Turn allows for scouting switches

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Because Tinted Lens means Yanmega really doesn't need to switch moves, Choice Specs are chosen for maximum power and bulk
• Rash nature is chosen here for maximum power and to avoid lowering U-Turn's power, and Yanmega already has horrid Special Bulk so it doesn't matter if it gets lowered further.
• A Naive nature could be used to outspeed neutral base 97s - 105s such as Haxorus, Hydreigon, and Volcarona, and positive base 85s - 90s such as Landorus-Therian, Heracross, and Rotom-A. However, you'll lose out on a lot of potential KOs such as on Thundurus-Therian, Landorus-Therian, and Lucario without hazard support, and Choice Band Scizor, Choiced Terrakion, and Choiced Raikou with a layer of spikes, to name a few.
• Yanmega's subpar bulk means it's not worth investing in, and since Yanmega likes to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, so this set uses a standard sweeping spread, with 4 EVs in Defense so it can switch in twice if there's Stealth Rock and you lack a spinner
• Coverage moves could be used in place of U-Turn. They don't see much use thanks to Tinted Lens dealing with resistances
• You can try to use this set with Choice Scarf instead of Choice Specs so you can outspeed far more Pokemon. However, you will suffer from a noticeable lack of power, and since power is most important in this set this is not recommended.
• You MUST have a spinner. Don't even think about not having one. Forretress is a great option since it can spin, lay hazards, sponge physical hits, and scout switch-ins with Volt Turn all at the same time.
• Something that can crush special walls like Blissey, Chansey, and Heatran also help. Terrakion is a good choice for these three, and has some decent type synergy with Yanmega: Terrakion and take the Fire and Rock moves aimed at Yanmega without too much trouble while Yanmega, in turn, can take the Ground, Fighting, and Grass moves aimed at Terrakion relatively easily, despite Yanmega's pitful bulk
• Hazard support also helps. Since Yanmega is prone to missing KOs, Yanmega absolutely loves having hazard support. Forretress is a great option as mentioned before
• Pokemon that can sponge more powerful attacks is also handy in case you doubt Yanmega's ability to outspeed and KO. Once more, Forretress is great for sponging physical attacks, even without a reliable way to heal. Blissey can sponge special attacks and can support Yanmega in other various ways, such as Wish support, healing status, and inflicting status on the foe.
• Pokemon that can scout switch-ins with moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch is handy so Yanmega can switch in without relying completely on switching in on the revenge. Forretress, yet again, and Magnezone are nice options. Magnezone also can trap and annihilate some steel types like Scizor, Skarmory, and Forretress to make Yanmega's job all the more easier.
• You'll also need a way to deal with fast attackers, so powerful Choice Scarf Pokemon like Terrakion and Salamence are good choices here. These Pokemon can also take advantage of the holes Yanmega makes in the opponent's team and clean up or, perform the opposite, and weaken the opponent a bit so Yanmega can blast through the weakened foes. They especially love how Yanmega can deal with Physical walls like Gliscor, Forretress and Skarmory, and Yanmega in turn loves how they can deal with specially defensive mons Yanmega might have a few issues with.

[Other Options]

• Yanmega is capable of running an effective Speed Boost set that was actually quite viable. While it is capable of being truly amazing, between having a garbage defensive typing, not being quite powerful enough, being extremely frail due to a reliance on Life Orb, and, all in all, requiring too much team support it's no longer viable, especially with the advent of other Speed Boost Pokemon such as Sharpedo.
• Speed Boost on the Tinted Lens Set if you wish to trade the ability to ignore resisted hits for the ability to outspeed many mons. Life Orb is still the best item for a Speed Boost set since Speed Boost Yanmegas like the ability to switch moves.
• Yanmega, as mentioned before, has other coverage moves like Psychic, Shadow Ball, AncientPower, and Giga Drain. None of them are really that good in coverage or power to be worth using, although Giga Drain gives coverage against Water types and increases health. They are also difficult to find a slot for in the sets
• Yanmega will rarely get an opportunity to use Roost and can't fit it in its limited moveslots. Giga Drain is better anyways
• Yanmega is capable of running a Sub-Roost set thanks to fantastic speed from Speed Boost and decent attacking stats, though it suffers from Mega's only fairly decent physical bulk and bad special bulk. In addition, if it wants to attempt to fix its mediocre bulk with items such as leftovers and defensive EV investment, its attacks will have to be much weaker
• You can attempt to run a SubPetaya set with Speed Boost if you want to try a speed boost set with Substitute instead of Protect and Petaya Berry instead of Life Orb. This allows Yanmega to get the power of the Specs set without choice locking. However, you'll be extremely weak when you're in Petaya's activation HP range, so anything that hits Mega will likely KO it. Also Giga Drain will not be able to be used due to Hidden Power being required for coverage.
• Yanmega got Frisk in the Dream World, becoming easily the best Pokemon that can receive this ability. Frisk allows Yanmega to run an interesting scouting set with Choice Scarf for maximum speed and U-turn to keep the momentum of your team going, and can work well in Volt-Turn teams. Unfortunately, you'll probably find out what item a Pokemon is carrying regardless, if you're knowledgeable on sets and how items work. Plus, Mega's Stealth Rock weakness really limits his lifespan and he would also much rather use Tinted Lens or Speed Boost.
• Yanmega has some support moves like Tailwind, Hypnosis, and Whirlwind. However, they each have some flaws. Tailwind gives Mega speed it shouldn't need and only lasts a few turns, Hypnosis is inaccurate, and Whirlwind has negative priority. Top that with Mega's poor bulk and his use as a supporter flies out the window
• Hypnosis can be used on its own for an offensive Speed Boost set but it remains inaccurate.

[Checks and Counters]

• Generally, anything specially defensive that isn't hit super effectively from Mega's attacks can check it, but it can't be relied on to absolutely wall it
• Only Chansey and Blissey can switch-in and wall any and all of Mega's attacks
• Skarmory can take Bug Buzz with ease and can deal with Yanmega through Brave Bird, though it can't 1HKO without a bit of prior damage. It must be wary of Air Slash however.
• Specially Defensive Heatran can also take Bug Buzz and doesn't worry too much about Air Slash, and can KO Yanmega with Lava Plume. Has to be very careful of HP Ground however.
• Stealth Rock seriously hurts Mega's lifespan
• Revenge Killing is the best option when dealing with Mega offensively or if you lack a specially defensive Pokemon since his attacks are tricky to switch into without something specially defensive or something that resists everything and because Mega's speed is subpar.
• Yanmega can't 1HKO everything, so a bulkier offensive Pokemon that can deal with the attack Mega is locked into can come in on the revenge and can easily cripple, if not KO, the bug, even if Mega goes first.

Original Yanmega OU analysis

[jc104]

Specs should definitely be the first set. The QC team appear to be split on whether or not the Speed boost set should stay. It's frail, fairly weak and requires a lot of support, so I personally do not think it should, but leave it up there for now.

Otherwise I think this looks OK. Protect is not the most important move on the Speed Boost set. It should be moved down the order a bit. Hypnosis should be in AC for that set at the very least.

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Originally Posted by Fat jc104

Specs should definitely be the first set. The QC team appear to be split on whether or not the Speed boost set should stay. It's frail, fairly weak and requires a lot of support, so I personally do not think it should, but leave it up there for now.

I agree honestly. While the Speed Boost set can be incredible, when it works, that is, the Specs set has definitely been more consistent for me and lasts longer, despite the speed drop. I'm probably not going to outright drop Speed Boost yet since it can work quite well if played right.

Protect I was honestly questioning a bit in placement, though it's hard to decide where to put it, since all the moves are pretty important to that set. Since the Hidden Powers are used on foes that you tend to see often that give Yanmega trouble, the STAB moves are definitely going to be used in each match, and Protect is typically used once per match IF you need it, I think I'll move it down to 4th for now. I'll also edit some things in response to that.

[jc104]

OK having spoken to some people, I'm now officially rejecting the Speed Boost set. It's outclassed as a Speed Boost pokemon by Sharpedo, and bearing in mind the base power of its moves, it's even less powerful than Combusken. Yes, Combusken.

To be honest, the Specs set is pretty bad too, but it does at least do something no other Pokemon does. Venomoth and Sigilyph are significantly weaker and have worse coverage, so despite the horrible SR weakness, Yanmega is still the number one Tinted Lens Pokemon. The set you have up is, I'm fairly sure, the best Yanmega can do, but I'm afraid I'm still hesitant to approve it.

edit: for the love of god, please don't actually use combusken lol. I didn't say combusken was better, merely more powerful.

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Okay. I'll be removing the Speed Boost set. I have a pastebin of it just in case, though for now, and most likely when it gets uploaded, it'll be OO. I'll change some text to reflect this.

And having used Combusken before, I concur now that I think about it. Between better STAB moves, being good on both the physical and special sides, having Swords Dance, and, most importantly, not needing as much support as Mega, it's a better Speed Boost abuser.

EDIT: I've used it in NU, where it actually has some uses. I never said I used it in OU.
Also, as I keep using Yanmega, I have to admit, I really have trouble saying it's truly OU viable. It's either really fast, but really frail and misses KOs, or it's more powerful and does more damage to Pokemon who resist its attacks, but a bit too slow and still can miss KOs. However, it's still the best offensive Pokemon with Tinted Lens yeah, and has a unique niche because of that.
Perhaps I'm not playing him right. I'll see if there's more I can do.

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

After some more successful testing today, I now feel Yanmega is more viable. Specs Tinted Lens can do a great job at wallbreaking since it doesn't really have to worry about its coverage and being choiced-locked since it can double the damage of resisted hits, and can allow sweepers to clean up more easily. In addition, these sweepers can also deal enough damage to opposing Pokemon for Yanmega to smash through them without much trouble. Edited the article to reflect the success.

EDIT: Can't see much more to add. I think I'm ready to move out of WIP.

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Bump due to lack of posts and cleaning some stuff.

[shrang]

Alright, I got a request to approve or reject this, but honestly, I'm not sure yet. I gave it a few games yesterday, and it's hardly done anything, so I'll have to test it a bit more. I'll get back to you.

In the mean time, can you please fix up the formatting? It should be:

[SET]
Name: Tinted Lens
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: U-Turn
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Tinted Lens
Nature: Rash
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Originally Posted by Fat shrang

[SET]
Name: Tinted Lens
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: U-Turn
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Tinted Lens
Nature: Rash
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Done.

[shrang]

Okay, I went and tested this and am going to have to say no. Basically, Yanmega is just not up to scratch. Its stats are average at best in every one of its stats. Base 116 SpA is alright, but is not strong enough with all the new bulky threats. Base 95 Speed is relatively lacking for something that isn't very bulky. Finally, you have that damn 4x Stealth Rock weakness which just makes it more trouble than its worth. Yes, Tinted Lens is cool, but Yanmega just isn't strong enough to abuse it any more, even with Specs attached. So basically, the cost/benefit of running Yanmega is just bad and is not worth it.

QC REJECTED 1/3

[jc104]

I'm really sorry for letting you do all that work

QC Rejected 2/3

[ThisMysteriousGuy]

Hmm, I see. I'll have to find something else to do an analysis for then.

[Omicron]

Since this isn't getting approved...