Highlights

  • Mega evolution in Pokemon Legends Z-A brings much-needed buffs to fan favorites like Gyarados.
  • Gyarados' new Water/Dark typing in Mega form helps balance weaknesses for a competitive edge.
  • Mega evolutions should add depth to the storyline and lore of the Kalos region, enhancing the overall game experience.

Pokemon Legends Z-A is bringing with it the return of Mega Evolution, which gives certain Pokemon a buff that they desperately need. One fan favorite in particular might just be saved in the competitive world by Pokemon Legends Z-A’s resurgence of the gimmick.

When Pokemon X and Y released in 2013, they introduced the fan base to mega evolution, the first of many game-changing gimmicks that Pokemon games have introduced in recent years. Mega evolution gives some Pokemon the ability to transform, giving them a temporary form that may change their typing, ability, and stats. This power was given to a small number of fan favorite Pokemon, as well as a few that had been underperforming, or never quite met their potential. While many fans are excited at the prospect of new mega evolutions being revealed, their return might be the saving grace for Gyarados, whose mega form is a vast improvement over its original.

Pokemon Legends Z-A Fixing Scarlet and Violet Critique
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Pokemon Legends Z-A will take place entirely within Lumiose City, which may help alleviate a common complaint about Scarlet and Violet.

Mega Gyarados Blows the Original Out of the Water

While Gyarados has always been a fearsome Pokemon, it has been lacking in the competitive game. By no means is it a particularly weak Pokemon, but Gyarados needs a boost in future games. One way this boost could happen is to push its mega evolution, which pushes its potential to a new level. The reason for this is primarily because Mega Gyarados changes its Water/Flying typing for Water/Dark. Since both water and flying types are weak to electric attacks, Gyarados usually has a 4x weakness to them. Giving it the dark typing reduces that to a normal weakness. The change does add a few new weaknesses, such as grass and bug, but more than makes up for that by giving extra resistances to ghost, dark, and ice types.

Gyarados’ typing has long been a note of contention among fans. The fact that, as a flying type, it’s only able to learn one flying type move, has never sat right with many. Some fans have pushed the idea of an electric or ghost type Gyarados, but much of the fanbase beleives it should gain the dragon typing, based on both moveset and appearance, dark is the next logical choice. Gyarados can learn 2 dark type attacks by leveling up and an additional 2 by the use of TMs. With the same type attack bonus, having more available attacks that match its type gives it a little extra push. Add to that Mega Gyarados’ mold breaker ability, which lets its moves hit targets whose abilities would otherwise make them miss, and its ability to learn powerful moves that those abilities no longer impact, and a competitive powerhouse is born.

How Mega Evolution Can Enhance Pokemon Legends Z-A

Gyarados isn’t the only Pokemon that benefits from the return of mega evolution. The likes of Beedrill, Audino, Mawile, and others have all been given the extra competitive edge that mega evolution brings with it, which they sorely needed. With the mechanic's return, fans have been abuzz about which other Pokemon might receive new forms. Pokemon that haven’t quite met their potential, like Gliscor and Klefki, have received fan-made mega evolutions, showing that there is demand for a boost to underperforming favorites. Other fan favorites, like starters and pseudo-legendaries, are also prime candidates to receive new forms.

Pokemon that have particularly benefited from mega evolutions include, but are not limited to:

  • Beedrill
  • Alakazam
  • Slowbro
  • Kangaskahn
  • Pinsir
  • Mawile
  • Medicham
  • Manectric
  • Glalie
  • Lopunny
  • Audino

Beyond the competitive edge that mega evolution brings, the story of Pokemon Legends Z-A is certain to benefit from the return too. In the sea of new gimmick mechanics being added, it’s easy to forget about mega evolution, but it seems that it will be an important part of the plot for the upcoming game. Legends Arceus brought fans a Pokemon game that took its plotline more seriously than the core games, and added new areas of lore that players were happy to see. Many hope that Pokemon Legends Z-A will bring a similar treatment to a new part of the Pokemon world, and mega evolution has always been central to the lore of the Kalos region. It's even likely that Zygarde will receive its long overdue mega evolution. Taking all this together, it’s a safe bet that mega evolution will help not just Gyarados, but the series as a whole to push itself to a whole new level.