Over the years, Pokémon has given us many new and exciting ways to amplify our playing experience. From “Z-moves” to the latest terastallized forms, there’s never been a dull moment in a Pokémon battle, especially within the last few iterations of the mainline games. The launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is near, and with that we will finally see the return of mega evolutions. The Pokémon community hopes that this time around some of our favourite Pokémon will finally be able to mega evolve. I will be going over what this returning mechanic is as well as outlining my top five new mega evolutions for Pokémon Legends: Z-A that I’d like to see when the game releases.
So what is a mega evolution? This is an ability that allows a Pokémon to temporarily evolve into a more powerful form, but only for the duration of a single battle. An important note here is that not every Pokémon has the ability to mega evolve. The mechanic was introduced with the Pokémon X & Y games, and returned in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which were remakes of the Game Boy Advance games Ruby and Sapphire.
As it currently stands, only 48 out of the total 1025 Pokémon have the ability to mega evolve. Within that number only two Pokémon have an additional mega form, those being the fan favourites Charizard and Mewtwo, who both have an X and Y mega form.
This mechanic has become a true fan favourite, so when the teaser trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A ended with the final shot focusing in on the mega evolution stone, fans all over the world collectively lost their minds. Like most of the battle mechanics in Pokémon, there is a lot of strategy involved in selecting which one of your Pokémon gets to mega evolve. This is because only one Pokémon, per trainer, is allowed to mega evolve per battle. You need to build your team around this Pokémon to ensure their mega evolution isn’t wasted in battle.
With rumours surrounding Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s release date, we thought it would be a good time to share our Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Top 5 Most Wanted Mega Evolutions list!
5) Mega Empoleon
Let’s jump right into it. The first new mega evolution I’d like to see is Mega Empoleon. Piplup is my favourite starter from the Sinnoh region, so naturally I want to see its final form, Empoleon, finally get a mega evolution. This Pokémon is a Water and Steel type that can learn high level fighting moves, that alone is a recipe for some devastating beat downs. Give this Pokémon the ability to mega evolve in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and now Empoleon becomes potentially a top tier Mega Evolution.
4) Mega Eevee-lutions
Next up, we have hopes and dreams of seeing mega eevee-lutions. It’s no secret that Eevee is one of the most popular Pokémon in the world, so why not finally buff it up and give its evolutionary line a mega evolution. Eevee is known as the “evolution” Pokémon due to the fact that it has eight different Pokémon that it could evolve into depending on the condition that is presented.
The latest evolution of Eevee that we’ve got was Slyveon, which debuted in Pokémon X & Y on the Nintendo DS. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A we are returning to the Kalos region, where Slyveon was discovered, so it would be very fitting if we finally got to see some mega evolution within the Eevee line.
3) Mega Froslass
We’ve already had the mega evolution of Glalie, so why not show some love for its better evolution, Froslass? Making its debut in the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl games. Froslass is the secondary evolution to Snorunt. You’re able to get this evolution by evolving a female Snorunt with a dawn stone. Froslass would make for a great mega because of its dual typing of ice and ghost. Additionally, with other Pokémon like Gardevoir, not only did we get to see it get a mega evolution, but we also got the mega of its secondary evolution, Gallade. With this alone I hope that we’re able to finally get a mega evolution for Froslass.
2) Mega Greninja
Fans have always wondered why Greninja didn’t get a mega evolution in any of the core generation six or seven games (Pokémon X & Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon Sun/Ultra Sun & Pokémon Moon/Ultra Moon). Greninja is a favourite and truly deserves the upgrade of a mega evolution. Its dual typing of water and dark allows this Pokémon to learn a very eclectic moveset that has proven to be very tough to battle against in the competitive scene.
More than anything, people love this Pokémon so much that it appeared in the Detective Pikachu movie and debuted as a playable character in Super Smash Bros 4, and returned in Ultimate. Greninja deserves a mega evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
1) Mega Regional Forms
Finally, and maybe a bit more unconventional ask for this list, I want to see some regional form Pokémon get mega evolutions. Regional forms debuted in Pokémon Sun & Moon on the Nintendo 3DS where we were introduced to “Alolan Form” Pokémon. What this means is that certain Pokémon in the Alolan region had a different typing as well as physical attributes. Let’s break it down a bit further: In the original 151 Pokémon, Vulpix, was a fire type, but in the Alolan region, Vulpix changed to an ice type based on the climate of the region.
We would continue to see this with the release of Pokémon Sword & Shield on the Nintendo Switch with Galarian forms and more recently in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean form Pokémon. It would be really cool to see some form of regional variant of a Pokémon get a mega evolution mainly because it hasn’t happened as yet.
So there you have it: this is my Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Top 5 Most Wanted Mega Evolutions list! I think that this is more than reasonable and hope that we get to see at least one of these five mega evolutions finally come to life. I’m really excited to dive into this game on its release, but until then, let me know what you’re most excited about for this title.
