The Pokémon World Championships took place over the weekend, delivering tense competition in Pokémon Champions, the Pokémon TCG, and more. As usual, the tournament meant a bounty of new announcements, including one about the future of Champions‘ competitive scene.
The Pokémon Company revealed a new trailer for Pokémon Champions, showcasing some of the new creatures coming to the game with its upcoming Regulation Set M-C, which begins on Sept. 9. Z Mega Evolutions are coming to the game for Lucario, Absol, and Garchomp. Additionally, we got a teaser for the game’s first legendary Pokémon.
What are Z Mega Evolutions?
Z Mega Evolutions are alternative Mega Evolutions introduced in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. While this will be the first time Z Mega Evolutions are available in a turn-based Pokémon game, they will most likely function according to standard Mega rules, specifically that you are only allowed to Mega Evolve a Pokémon once per match. Generally speaking, Mega Evolutions have a base stat total that is 100 points higher than their base forms, alongside new abilities.
What are the New Mega Pokémon’s abilities?
While Lucario, Absol, and Garchomp all already have Mega Evolutions, the Z Mega Evolutions come with different stat spreads and abilities. Mega Absol Z’s new ability is Sharpness, which boosts the powers of cutting moves by 1.5 times — it’s probably fair to assume that attacks like Night Slash and Psycho Cut will see play. Mega Lucario Z is getting Wave Shield, which halves damage from contact moves. Mega Garchomp Z gets Levitate, which lets it avoid Ground-type moves. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Mega Absol Z is a Dark and Ghost type (meaning it is only weak against Fairy attacks), Mega Lucario Z is a Fighting and Steel type, and Mega Garchomp Z is a Dragon type.
Mega Absol Z has the strongest ability pairing at first glance, as it already has access to many powerful cutting attacks. Mega Lucario Z’s ability seems a bit strange, as its stats make it a special-attacking glass cannon, but perhaps Wave Shield will give it the tankiness to survive in key situations. As for Mega Garchomp Z, Levitate is a solid ability, but it’s possible this version of the Pokémon won’t see much play given how strong its base form is.
What other Pokémon are coming to the game?
Rillaboom and Baxcalibur were previously announced for the new set. The former was one of the most dominant Pokémon in the Scarlet and Violet meta, but their move set hasn’t been announced yet. There will most likely be more Pokémon added, as M-B added close to 40 newcomers (when counting Mega Evolutions).
Lastly, the trailer teased Mega Heatran. There’s no official confirmation that Mega Heatran will come to M-C specifically, and Centro Leaks claims it will instead be introduced in Regulation Set M-D in December. This would mark the first legendary Pokémon coming to the game, and based on its impressive stat spread, it seems fair to assume it will be quite strong, especially on Trick Room teams.
