My Top 10 Favourite Mega Evolutions (Legends Z-A)

With Pokémon: Legends Z-A's release earlier this year, it was only inevitable I'd be making a list like this some time afterwards.

One of the biggest selling points of Legends Z-A was the return of Mega Evolution, the gimmick having been absent in Pokémon games from Sword & Shield onwards. Unlike most players, I had no issue with Mega Evolution being gone because it meant we could try out new battle gimmicks, and much better ones in my opinion since Dynamaxing and Terastalization were gimmicks all Pokémon could use and felt better integrated into the story and world-building of their games while Mega Evolution was too restrictive, felt like it was done just to shill certain Pokémon at the expense of others and was clearly an afterthought from how poorly the X and Y games integrated the gimmick. But Legends Z-A bringing it back still intrigued me, mainly because there were new Mega Evolutions being introduced into the game. Needless to say, they gave us A LOT of new Megas! Very few of them suck such as Mega Clefable and Mega Tatsugiri. But for the most part? They nailed them. Most of the new Mega Evolutions were flipping awesome and they also breathed some new life into Pokémon that are often overlooked instead of mostly shilling the popular ones too. Hell, there are some Mega Evolutions that made me like Pokémon I originally didn't like! That should tell you how good a job they did on making new Megas!

And that's what this list is all about. I'm counting down my personal Top 10 Favourite new Mega Evolutions from Pokémon: Legends Z-A. This list is strictly my opinion, so don't be upset if your favourites don't make the count. I'm also judging these Megas by how much I like them, how cool I think they are and what I think to them from a gameplay standpoint. And finally, I'm including Megas from Legends Z-A as a whole, that means ones introduced in the Mega Dimension DLC will be included too. I'm not limiting myself to use the base game for the list.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

Number 10: Mega Drampa

How the hell did DRAMPA of all Pokémon get such an awesome looking Mega?! Seriously, how did that happen?! Drampa has one of the worst designs that's ever come out of this franchise, so how did it get such an awesome looking Mega?

Mega Drampa looks totally badass to me. I love the spiky hairdo, the black colours, how it holds its head up high and generally looks more powerful than it did before. I especially love how the black fur around its body evokes storm clouds, which befits how Mega Drampa can manipulate the weather to cause storms to happen. It also gives the appearance of a dragon peering through the clouds, like it's ready to attack anyone down below. I also find it funny how Mega Evolving somehow makes Drampa younger, hence the lack of the old grandpa look of the original. Who knew Mega Evolution could make you feel young again?

As far as power boosts go, Mega Drampa had an increase in both Defences (with Special Defence being slightly higher) and Special Attack, making it able to hit harder and tank hits a lot easier than regular Drampa. It's still very slow, not that that matters in Legends Z-A because the Speed stat works very differently with that game's battle mechanics. I imagine in a turn-based setting, Mega Drampa will still be tough to beat due to its enhanced defences. Its 160 base Special Attack will especially be something to watch out for because Special Attack that big will hurt, A LOT! The only way this Mega could've been better would've been if it changed types after Mega Evolving. Dragon/Thunder would've been very fitting since it can summon storms and all, so why didn't they do that? Also, I wonder what ability this guy will have should Mega Drampa be in a game that has abilities...

I plan to use this guy in a proper playthrough someday, because I really do love the look of it. It looks totally badass, it salvages a poor design and it's got some power behind it. I've never liked Drampa, but I do like Mega Drampa!

Number 9: Mega Golisopod

If you were to tell me two years, maybe even five years ago, that Golisopod would get a Mega Evolution in the future, I would've been very surprised. Of all the new Mega Evolutions, I think this was among the least expected. Seriously, aside from leakers, who saw this coming? Not me, that's for sure!

Golisopod is among my favourite Bug-types, so the fact the Mega Dimension DLC gave it a Mega was an instant win for me. And boy did they deliver with this guy! Mega Golisopod takes the badass design of its predecessor and enhances it even further. Not only does it look even more powerful, but it has extra limbs that really enhance the fact its a giant bug and also make it look somewhat robotic, which is fitting because after Mega Evolving, Golisopod loses its Water-typing in favourite of a secondary Steel-typing. Yep, it got the Scizor treatment essentially, giving it a superior typing that gives it less weaknesses and more resistances. True it now has a crippling weakness to Fire, but Golisopod learns several Water-type moves, so I think Mega Golisopod is safe. XD Also, someone said Mega Golisopod looks like a Droideka from Star Wars and I've been unable to unsee it. Let's be real here, it really does look like a Droideka, doesn't it?

Upon Mega Evolving, Mega Golisopod gains a beefy Attack boost and becomes stronger defensively with its Defence especially being quite high. Much like Mega Drampa, this is a mon that will be able to tank hits (provided they're not Fire attacks) and dish out a lot of damage in return. I know that was the case for me as whenever I used Mega Golisopod while playing the DLC, it always hit hard and carried its weight in battle. It was especially my MVP against the Mega Darkrai boss fight at the end. All I can say is that if Guzma walked up to the Alola League with THIS beast at his command, Professor Kukui would have every reason to be worried...

Mega Golisopod is freaking awesome and I'll forever thank GameFreak for its existence. It's a total badass, its powerful, it gets a superior typing and it carries its weight in battle effortlessly. I don't think Mega Golisopod will be Emergency Exiting out of battle anytime soon...

Number 8: Mega Staraptor

Staraptor is awesome, so who's surprised that Mega Staraptor is also awesome?

Staraptor stands tall as among the best regional birds in the franchise's history, so seeing it get a Mega Evolution feels well-earned in my eyes. This is also the second time that a regional bird has gained a Mega. Now Pidgeot's not so special anymore. XD Mega Staraptor's design may not be the most creative ever, but it also looks logical for what a Mega Staraptor would look like: Staraptor but bigger and with more details everywhere. I like the black and red eyes, the larger wings and how the feathers on its back make it look as if it's wearing a cape, giving it a superhero appearance. And like Mega Golisopod, Mega Staraptor changes types from its base form, becoming Flying/Fighting instead of Flying/Normal. How fitting is that since Staraptor is a physical attacker and can learn Fighting moves like Close Combat? True it does gain a new Psychic and Fairy weakness, but it can cover Psychic-types with Bug-type moves at least.

Stats wise, Mega Staraptor gains a slight increase to its Attack and Speed while getting bulkier defences. While it's not as tanky as the Mega Golisopod or Mega Drampa I talked about earlier, it'll still take a hit better than regular Staraptor. It being slightly faster is great too since as any Pokémon fan can tell you, Speed is usually everything in battle and I bet in a turn-based setting, Mega Staraptor will be hard to outpace. This is one bird of prey that will really do the damage once it takes flight...

What else can I say? They just gave Staraptor a really awesome Mega. It looks mighty and strong, the new Fighting-typing further justifies its existence, it hits hard and is overall not to be messed with. A Mega Evolution that puts the "star" in "Staraptor" if you ask me...

Number 7: Mega Zeraora

Zeraora is my favourite Mythical Pokémon, so of course I'm happy to see it get a Mega Evolution, and a VERY badass one at that!

Mega Zeraora is ridiculously cool looking. While I understand the jokes about it resembling Luxray in terms of the colours, I don't really care about that as the colours only make it look even more awesome. Like with Mega Drampa, I love the use of black here as it could be considered a visual metaphor for a raging thundercloud. The blue all over his body could also be a reference to rain, thus really making Mega Zeraora a visual representation of a dangerous storm with rain and thunder coming down on you. I also love the twin tails on its back and the spikes on its head and hands. A punch or a headbutt from this guy will hurt like hell, that's for sure!

Stats wise, it's sadly still very frail for it gains no boost to its defences. But Attack, Special Attack and Speed? That's another story! They really get jacked up to the point it'll be very hard to out-speed this Mega and once it starts attacking, you better hope you have a Ground-type or something because it really will hurt! What's especially cool is that both its Physical and Special Attacks are close to each other stats wise, meaning it can reliably attack on both the Physical and Special side, which means Mega Zeraora could run a mixed move set and leave you unsure what it'll do next. And that is epic to me. I've even been able to use Mega Zeraora well when battling players online, taking down a few Pokémon here and there with its mighty moves and beastly attack power.

Mega Zeraora takes an awesome Pokémon and just makes it even more awesome. Kickass design, immense attacking power and speed, able to reliably attack on both the Physical and Special sides, this is one lightning storm you better run and hide from when it approaches you...

Number 6: Mega Froslass

I've always loved Froslass. I'm pretty sure she's among the most common Ghost-types I've used in my playthroughs of the game. So when it was revealed she got a Mega Evolution, I of course had to give it a try.

I've seen people joke about how Mega Froslass looks more like a Gigantamax Pokémon than a Mega Evolution and yeah, I can see where they're coming from. But I still think it's a fitting design for a Mega Froslass. I love how they further emphasize her graceful appearance by making the body longer and giving her even more of a resemblance to a woman in a kimono. The elongated hair is also a nice touch, as is how she moves around on a cloud of mist rather than legs. The horns are also a clever touch too, calling back to Froslass' yokai inspired roots. It's like she's a demon that's ready to freeze you alive, and when you consider Pokédex entries state that Froslass likes to do that to humans she likes, that's really fitting!

Stats wise, Mega Froslass is still frail on the Physical side, but her Special Attack increases dramatically, she becomes bulkier on the Special side and she becomes faster too. This does mean that you better catch a Froslass that's got higher Special Attack than Physical Attack to better utilize the Mega, but it's worth it since Mega Froslass can dish out a mean Ice Beam as a result. She was very reliable during my playthrough of the game and carried me far. I especially like to use her against Jacinthe's Mega Clefable and show that piece of crap what for.

Mega Froslass is exactly what you'd expect: a graceful design that emphasizes her demonic inspiration and makes her a greater force to be reckoned with. Definitely a Mega that'll leave opponents on ice...

Number 5: Mega Chandelure

Gwynn absolutely made an awesome choice with her signature mon. Who could possibly say no to a Mega Evolved Chandelure?

I remember when all the new Megas got leaked that this alongside Dragonite, Froslass, Feraligator and Hawlucha were the Megas I was the most excited to use and try out and Mega Chandelure did NOT disappoint. Design wise, it's exactly what you'd expect a Mega Evolved Chandelure to look like: Chandelure but fancier. And there's nothing wrong with that for simplicity is its own art form and I say this design absolutely slays despite its simple concept. I love the multiple flames and the large crown-like structure on its head. It's like Chandelure if it was owned by royalty, or if Chandelure possessed a chandelier in a king's palace. It's so cool and makes Mega Chandelure look suitably more powerful than regular Chandelure.

Now for its stats. As Mega Chandelure, it becomes a little bulkier in its defences and its monstrous Special Attack becomes even more monstrous. Seriously, its base Special Attack stat is 175! I think that can rival some Legendary Pokémon! It only gets a slight increase in Speed, but not that it'll need it much as Mega Chandelure's strong enough and is better at taking hits than regular Chandelure. Throughout my playthrough, it did not let me down at all and was very good at dishing out damage and blazing my opponents alive. It's easy to see why Gwynn chose this as her ace, because it's such an awesome one.

Mega Chandelure is a case of "What you see is what you get", and what you get in this case is a stupidly powerful Pokémon that will unleash the fires of hell on you!

Number 4: Mega Chesnaught

Of the Kalos starters, I think we can unanimously agree that Chesnaught got the best Mega of the trio with Delphox as a very close second. Sorry Greninja, but your Mega doesn't even come close to Chesnaught's. =P

Mega Chesnaught just looks incredible from top to bottom. I love how its design puts more emphasis on the Fighting part of its Grass/Fighting typing and how he looks like a knight ready to march into battle for king and country. The yellow portion of its head somewhat evokes a crown or a knight's visor, the red fur on its back resembles a cape and its body looks more "armoured" than it did before with those huge circular shell pieces on its shoulders resembling shields, which further enhances the knight image. The cool part about those shell pieces? It can take them off and use them as weapons!

That is stupidly awesome! I do wonder what attack you'd have to call in order for it to use its axe weapons...

After Mega Evolving, Chesnaught gains a meaty boost to its Attack and Defences while getting a small but significant boost to its Special Defence, making this another tank of a Pokémon that will take a beating and dish it back twice as hard. The downside is it becomes a little slower, but I think the Attack and Defence boost makes up for it. Mega Chesnaught is a total badass and looks so cool when battling onscreen. I only wish some idiot at GameFreak didn't make the damn thing an online exclusive where you have to beat online trainers in order to win its Mega Stone so I could use it whenever I like, but I digress...

The Kalos starters should've gotten Mega Evolutions years ago, but better late than never as they say. Chesnaught easily got the best of them all in my opinion. It got a visual upgrade, the knight theme is cool, its hard-hitting and able to take hits and keep going like a real trooper. I wonder if this Mega will give Chesnaught some newfound love going forward...

Number 3: Mega Hawlucha

Imagine how badass Ash would've looked waltzing up into the Kalos League with this guy? That would've been so dope.

Hawlucha is yet another Pokémon that should've had a Mega years ago. Seriously, why did no Kalosian Pokémon have Mega Evolutions back when X and Y came out? That's like releasing Sword and Shield but having no Galarian Pokémon with Gigantamax forms and they have to wait years later to get any, it's so stupid! Well, better late than never once more. Hawlucha was already a cool Pokémon with its hawk-meets-luchador design and powerful attack stats. Now we have Mega Hawlucha, which REALLY runs with the luchador theme even further. I love the black and gold "mask" it wears and the golden shoulder garment it now sports. That looks so eye-catching and adds more visual flair to the design. I also love how Mega Hawlucha is subtly bulkier than regular Hawlucha. It's not immediately obvious, but you can tell if you look at the design close enough. I do agree with some that that large feather dangling over its crotch can look a little...suggestive. Maybe they should've left that out. XD

Mega Hawlucha gets an upgrade to its stats in where its Attack increases and it gains more bulk in its defences. That's especially helpful because Hawlucha is pretty frail, so a Mega Hawlucha being able to tank hits better can give it more staying power. Its speed remains unchanged, which is OK because Hawlucha's pretty fast by nature anyway, it's just now with this Mega, you get a Hawlucha that's fast, but stronger and bulkier. This guy was a lot of fun to use, especially when battling some of the Rouge Megas or when I used it to defeat Ivor's Mega Falinks during my first playthrough.

Hawlucha more than deserved its own Mega, and GameFreak didn't disappoint with this one. If I was a luchador, I'd take inspiration from this guy for sure...

Number 2: Mega Dragonite

Dragonite can Mega Evolve now. What else needs to be said? XD And I'll forever be grateful to Pokémon Horizons for giving this awesome Mega its well-deserved spotlight and showing off even further how awesome it is.

Unlike the naysayers who (wrongly) bashed this thing, I actually like Mega Dragonite's design and think GameFreak went the right way about it. I'm personally glad they didn't go with whatever edgy fan design the fans expected it to have and instead enhanced its cuddly appearance. The wings on its head are a bit silly, but I think they add character and make Mega Dragonite oddly charming in a way. I like how large and feathery they look, giving Mega Dragonite a somewhat angelic appearance (befitting its peaceful nature) and how it gains feathers over its shoulders and ankles. The longer tail with the pearl at the end is also a nice touch. The tail and the wings on the head obviously call-back to its previous form, Dragonair, which I find to be appropriate. It truly makes it feel like a Mega Evolve Dragonite in that regard with how the design evokes the evolutionary line as a whole.

As for its stats...hoo boy, its stats. This may be one of the strongest Mega Evolutions yet. All of its stats except for HP are at least 100 or above and it gains a boost to both its attack stats and its defences. Keep in mind, base form Dragonite is already a powerful tank that's tough to dent (unless it's facing an Ice type), but now it's even more of a tank and is also faster than before, thus mitigating one of its base forms biggest problems! Unlike base form Dragonite, Mega Dragonite's Special Attack is its strongest stat, but its Attack is still high enough to be useable, thus making it possible to run a mixed attack set from both sides. As is, its beastly Special Attack means that its Draco Meteors come down heavily and really do the damage! Mega Dragonite was a joy to use in my first playthrough, carrying me through many battles, helping me win a few times during online battles and being very reliable overall. One has to wonder how strong it'll be if it gains an ability of some kind. If it still has Multiscale after Mega Evolving, hoo boy are opponents in trouble...

Ult's so lucky he has this Mega at his disposal in Pokémon Horizons, because it's such an awesome Mega that makes an already powerful pseudo-legendary even more powerful! Cute and powerful at the same time, angelic in its appearance and packing enough attack force to be a one mon wrecking crew, you'd be crazy not to have this guy on your team...

And my Number 1 Favourite Legends Z-A Mega Evolution Is...Mega Raichu X

Raichu is my favourite Pokémon of all time. That's all I need to tell you in order to explain why this is my favourite new Mega. XD Seriously, you cannot begin to imagine how ridiculously excited I got when these guys got revealed. I mean for crying out loud, my favourite Pokémon can now Mega Evolve! What other reaction would you expect from me? The fact I thought Raichu was never going to get a Mega Evolution made this an even more pleasant surprise. The fact it got TWO new Megas was even more surprising! of the two though, it's no contest. Mega Raichu X wins out and is the one who makes this list.

But now time has passed and I'm past the hype stage, let's look at this for real. Is Mega Raichu X as awesome as I hoped it would be? Yes, yes it is. Design wise, I love the twin tails, the large ears and its thicker forearms that subtly reference how this Mega Raichu has a bigger Attack stat than Special Attack. It like this Raichu has more muscle power and it looks like it could punch through a wall with ease. I also adore the fact Mega Raichu X can actually fly too. That's just awesome. If this Mega gains an ability of any kind, it's getting Levitate. it's so obvious that's going to be the case, and it'll only further emphasize why Mega Raichu X is the better Mega of itself and Mega Raichu Y. I do wish Mega Raichu X had a new typing to further differentiate itself from Mega Raichu Y though. Electric/Fighting would've been very fitting. Anyway, the design of Mega Raichu X is also what puts it above Y to me. This Mega Raichu actually looks like a Mega Evolved Raichu, whereas Mega Raichu Y looks more like a Mega Evolved Pikachu. Yes, Mega Raichu X also has Pikachu elements in the design with how its colour scheme is basically Pikachu's with the yellow fur and red cheek marks. Do I care? Not at all, because it STILL looks like a Mega Evolved Raichu regardless of that! Besides, it looks cool with those colours, so what's there to complain about?

The stats also further emphasize how incredible a Mega Evolved Raichu is. Unlike Y that's still frail as anything but has more Speed and Special Attack, Mega Raichu X has more useful boosts to its stats. Its Physical Attack becomes higher and it gets a decent, if not amazing, boost to its defences. While it's not an absolute tank like other Mega Evolutions, it's still an upgrade since now this Raichu isn't so frail anymore and is far likelier to survive a hit or two than its base form. It certainly makes it more endurable than Y that's for sure. If it gains the Levitate ability, it'll be even better defensively since it'll have no weaknesses and be immune to Ground attacks. Oh and get this, Mega Raichu X gets an attack boost when it uses Volt Tackle. True it hurts itself when it uses the move, but an attack boost is always useful in the end. Now imagine if this was in a double battle with a Pokémon that can heal it up after it uses Volt Tackle. That'd be nuts! Hopefully we'll see this Mega in the anime some day.

If I was a character in the Pokémon anime, this would be my signature Pokémon and my ace, hands down. A Raichu that can Mega Evolve is a dream come true and I couldn't be happier to acknowledge that this is real now. Strong, less frail, able to fly, awesomely designed, all this and more makes it easy for me to name Mega Raichu X as my favourite new Mega Evolution from Legends Z-A...

And that's it for my list of favourite Mega Evolutions introduced in Legends Z-A. Did your favourites make the list? Do you have your own list of favourites? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below.

Next week I'm still doing Top 10 lists, but this one is about my Top 10 Favourite Disney Princesses. See you then media fans!

Honourable Mentions

Mega Barbaracle

Mega Eelektross

Mega Emboar

Mega Meganium

Mega Skarmory

Mega Scovillain

Mega Delphox

Mega Baxcalibur

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