Before the fourth generation, Bug/Flying-type Yanma was incapable of evolving. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl introduced Yanmega, but getting Yanma to evolve into Yanmega required an additional step in its evolution process. Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet's Teal Mask DLC expands the in-game Pokedex to include Pokemon from past generations - including Yanma and Yanmega.
Bug-type aren't the strongest Typing in the Pokemon world, but like anything else, a Yanma/Yanmega trained well can be a formidable opponent. Trainers may be wondering if the Yanma-line can still hold up against new and old Bug-type in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet. Regardless of whether Yanma ends up securing a spot in the party, it's a Pokemon that needs catching in order to fill out the Kitakami Pokedex.
How to Get Yanma
Yanma is one of the first Pokemon that Scarlet/Violet players will see once they've stepped foot into the Kitakami area. As such, it's extremely easy to find and catch them. If this is the player's first time in Kitakami, they'll need to go to Mossui Town, but nothing's stopping them from catching a few Yanma along the way.
The quickest place to find Yanma is on Kitakami Road near the rice paddies. However, Yanma will also fly around the fields near the Bus Stop. Depending on when players are starting The Teal Mask, Yanma's level can be around 9-10 (before completing SV's main story) or 55-60 (post-game).
Yanma's Bug-typing makes it easier to catch with a Net Ball. This doesn't guarantee a successful catch on the first throw, so if necessary, trainers may want to inflict it with status ailments or whittle at its health with not-very-effective moves (ex: Grass-type moves). Net Balls can be picked up around Paldea, but they can also be bought for 1000 at a Poke Mart after trainers obtain two Gym Badges.
How to Evolve Yanma (How to Get Yanmega)
Yanma will evolve into Yanmega by leveling up while knowing the move Ancient Power. This is a Rock-type move that has the chance of increasing all of Yanma's stats in-battle by one stage. Yanma will learn Ancient Power once it reaches level 33. So, if players caught a level 55-60 Yanma, they'll need to go into Yanma's Summary and have it Remember the move. Here's how to do that:
- Open menu with X-button.
- Select Yanma and choose Summary.
- Tab over to Moves and Stats page, and press A-button.
- Select Remember Moves, and choose Ancient Power to take the place of another move.
After this, level up Yanma via battling or with a Rare Candy/Exp Candy, and it should evolve into Yanmega. If players want to get rid of Ancient Power after the evolution, they can go back and have it remember another move, or they can use a TM.
Scarlet/Violet players that don't want to have to go through the trouble of leveling up Yanma can instead hunt for Yanmega in 5-6 Star Tera Raids . To unlock these Raids, players will need to have completed the main story (5-stars) and the post-game (6-stars).
More Information About Yanmega
Yanmega is an improvement over Yanma in terms of stats. Its best assests are its Special Attack and its Speed, while players will want to be cautious of its low Special Defense. The boon in Special Attack/Speed makes Yanmega a great Special Attacker, and it learns a handful of special moves such as Bug Buzz.
Here are Yanmega's base stats in Scarlet/Violet:
HP: | 86 |
|---|---|
Attack: | 76 |
Special Attack: | 116 |
Defense: | 86 |
Special Defense: | 56 |
Speed: | 95 |
Total: | 515 |
Yanmega's dual Bug/Flying-type means it has the following type effectiveness:
Super-effective against: | Bug, Grass, Psychic, Dark |
|---|---|
Weak against: | Rock (x4 weakness), Fire, Ice, Electric, Flying |
Immune to: | Ground |
Although Yanmega's Attack is lower than its Special Attack, trainers can still run a Physical Attacker Yanmega if they want. There are plenty of physical moves that it can make use of, such as Pounce (Bug-type), U-Turn (Bug-type), and Crunch (Dark-type). As for Special Moves, it can learn Psychic via TM, which can give it an advantage against most Poison and Fighting-type Pokemon.
Yanmega can have either Speed Boost or Tinted Lens for its Ability. Its Hidden Ability, Frisk, is not as useful when compared to its more common Abilities. Speed Boost will raise Yanmega's Speed by one stage at the end of each turn; Tinted Lens powers up Yanmega's "not very effective" moves. A Yanmega with a boon in Speed may want to have Tinted Lens rather than Speed Boost, but the decision ultimately comes down to its trainer.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.