Overview
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Yanmega is a Pokemon blessed with two great abilities in Speed Boost and Tinted Lens, which let it fill roles on teams as both a cleaner and a wallbreaker. It also has decent Special Attack and Speed, although its STAB attacks aren't the best. Frail defenses make it hard for Yanmega to tank even neutral hits, and it is also held back by a bad defensive typing that leaves it with a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, meaning that it loses half its health upon switching in.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: U-turn / Sleep Talk
ability: Tinted Lens
item: Choice Specs
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
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Bug Buzz is a mandatory STAB move that is effectively unresisted because of Tinted Lens. Air Slash is another STAB move that provides coverage against Fighting-types and comes with a 30% flinch chance, although it is weaker than Bug Buzz. Giga Drain nails Swampert and Rhyperior and it also hits other targets weak to it slightly harder than Bug Buzz. In the last slot, U-turn can be used to provide some momentum for your team and to let Yanmega avoid a potentially bad matchup. Sleep Talk is another option that can be used if you want a sleep absorber or if you do not like the possible Stealth Rock damage that comes with switching when using U-turn.
Set Details
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A Timid nature is preferred to outspeed maximum Speed Nidoking, Roserade, Porygon-Z, and Adamant Haxorus. However, a Modest nature can be used to give some extra power, and could possibly net Yanmega 2HKOs against some walls such as Hippowdon and Porygon 2. Choice Specs makes Yanmega much better at performing its job of wallbreaking by boosting its damage output, while Tinted Lens is the ability chosen to make Yanmega's moves effectively unresisted and very hard to switch into.
Usage Tips
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Yanmega should generally be spamming its STAB moves, as Giga Drain isn't a good move to be Choice-locked into. Be especially wary of hard switching in Yanmega, as even neutral STAB moves can severely dent it. U-turn is a good move to use if you predict switch-ins that Yanmega cannot deal with, such as Florges or Blissey. Keep Stealth Rock off the field, as it will severely hamper Yanmega by taking away half of its health each time it switches in, which is a bigger problem with U-turn switches. Finally, try not to take too many risks by relying on Sleep Talk, as the number of turns that Yanmega will sleep for and what move it will pick are down to luck.
Team Options
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Hazard removers such as Crobat, Donphan, and Empoleon are must-have teammates to remove Stealth Rock. Bulky pivots such as Mega Ampharos and Rotom-H are good partners, as Yanmega switches in and out frequently, and Rotom-H in particular has good type synergy with Yanmega. Pokemon that can break through Blissey and Florges, such as Toxicroak and physical Lucario, help Yanmega greatly. Toxicroak and Lucario also have priority to alleviate Yanmega's weakness to faster teams. Faster teammates help Yanmega deal with fast offensive teams; for example, Mega Sceptile and Noivern also appreciate Yanmega dealing with more bulky teams.
Speed Boost
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name: Speed Boost
move 1: Protect
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Air Slash
move 4: Ancient Power / Giga Drain
ability: Speed Boost
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Protect lets Yanmega get a free Speed Boost, and as a result, outspeed much of the boosted tier. Bug Buzz is a reliable STAB move and has high Base Power compared to the rest of Yanmega's moves. Air Slash is another STAB move that provides coverage and comes with a handy 30% flinch chance. Ancient Power hits Fletchinder on the switch and hits other Fire-types such as Rotom-H, which resists both of Yanmega's STAB moves, and Chandelure. Giga Drain gives Yanmega more longevity while also hitting Water- and Ground-types such as Swampert, Rhyperior, and Blastoise.
Set Details
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Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs give Yanmega power and let it outspeed as many foes as it can. A Modest nature is preferred because Yanmega needs all the power it can get, and Speed Boost already makes Yanmega fast. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it boosts all of Yanmega's moves and allows it to change moves. Speed Boost is essential for pulling off a sweep, as it makes sure Yanmega gets harder to revenge kill without priority.
Usage Tips
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Yanmega should usually use Protect the first turn to get a free Speed Boost unless you know for sure that it can outspeed the opposing Pokemon. Keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field because together with Life Orb recoil, it greatly increases the chance of Yanmega being shut down by priority. Try to save Yanmega for late-game because Speed Boost Yanmega has less wallbreaking capabilities than Tinted Lens variants but has an easier job cleaning with weakened checks and counters. Make sure you do not attempt a sweep while your opponent still has powerful priority users such as Honchkrow or Fletchinder, as they can easily take out Yanmega.
Team Options
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Reliable entry hazard removers are a must; Pokemon that can do this include Empoleon, Mega Blastoise, and Donphan. Pokemon such as Nidoking, Lucario, and Mienshao are helpful, as they can reliably deal with Steel-types, which wall this set. Blissey and Florges also wall this set, so Pokemon that can deal with them such as Lucario and Toxicroak make for good partners. Entry hazard setters such as Hippowdon and Roserade are good teammates because the chip damage makes it much easier for Yanmega to clean. Powerful wallbreakers such as Choice Band Krookodile and Choice Specs Porygon-Z that can weaken Yanmega's checks and counters are also much appreciated. Sometimes you can take advantage of attempts to predict Protect to damage a foe and get it into KO range when it normally would have been able to take one hit.
Other Options
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Weakness Policy and Endure can be better than the typical Speed Boost set in some cases, as using Reversal can also help Yanmega break through Chansey; however, it is somewhat gimmicky and is outright useless if the foe has priority moves or does not use a super effective move. Shadow Ball is an alternate move choice that can hit Chandelure harder than any of Yanmega's other moves, but it is too situational to be used over Giga Drain or Ancient Power, as they provide much more important coverage. Psychic hits Nidoqueen, Crobat, and Tentacruel harder than Air Slash but provides no other coverage, making it another very situational move. Hypnosis is an option to surprise some of Yanmega's usual checks or counters, but the accuracy is a huge letdown and the loss of coverage is no good for Yanmega. Tailwind can be used as a last-ditch team support move, but once again, it is very hard to find a place for it.
Checks & Counters
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**Special Walls**: Blissey and Florges can tank anything Yanmega has on either set and heal off the damage.
**Priority Users**: Priority users such as Fletchinder, Honchkrow, and Cloyster can generally pick off Yanmega due to its frail defenses, although they don't have an easy time switching in.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock takes away half of Yanmega's health each time it switches in, and although this can be somewhat remedied by tweaking EVs so that Yanmega can switch in twice without fainting, it still makes Yanmega much easier to KO.
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