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Old September 1, 2014, 09:38:46 PM
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Default GPFTW's Rants, Reviews, and Predictions Regarding Mega Evolutions

In case those of you weren't aware, I have both complained and praised Mega Evolution. I have complained that certain Pokemon didn't really need a power buff but got a Mega Evolution anyways, yet I have also praised design and...well, certain Mega Evolutions were just what the doctor ordered to make a Pokemon viable in the competitive metagame. In this thread, I will be analyzing Mega Evolved Pokemon in both competitive and aesthetic aspects, both released and unreleased.

I will personally judge each Mega Evolution with a basis on design, how much that Pokemon deserved a Mega Evolution, and how positively the Mega Evolution has affected its use and the metagame as a whole. Please bear in mind that this is my own personal opinion and is subject to change, and by no means does this mean that I'm trying to force my opinion on others. I don't mean to put down anyone's favorite Mega Evolution, nor am I trying to put down the people that use them. So, without further ado...shall we?

Generation I Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    

Mega Venusaur
Type: Grass/Poison
Base Stats: 80/100/120/122/120/80
Ability: Thick Fat

Deisgn: 6/10. Mega Venusaur really hasn't changed much from its base form, but it's changed enough to notice a difference - far more than a lot of people give it credit for. Sure, its changes aren't nearly as drastic as its starter partners, but it has certainly grown...a lot of leaves, flowers, and most importantly, weight. The big flower has gained some height and looks a bit more tropical than before. Still, small changes are small changes, and it's not much more than a re-tuning of a regular Venusaur. Simple, effective, but still a little bit lacking.

Deserving of this Mega: 7/10. Venusaur was perfectly able of holding its own in battle in Generation V, with the advent of perma-weather in lower tiers of battle, and the Dream World granting it the great ability Chlorophyll. When paired up with Ninetales, Venusaur could take up the role of a sweeper. Things were on the rise for Venusaur, but Generation VI brought an end to perma-weather, but thanks to Mega Venusaur, the leafy toad-dinosaur thing can spend its days on the top a little longer. Now it no longer needs to rely on weather, though it still may, just not to the same effect as before. This Mega Evolution gives Venusaur of a more bulky attacker option.

Competitive Improvement: 16/20. Mega Venusaur is far from the most popular Mega, often ousted for more popular options, but Mega Venusaur can be a threat in its own right, making it a very balanced Mega. No longer fearing Fire and Ice thanks to its Thick Fat ability, Mega Venusaur can switch in a lot more. However, what Venusaur has gained in power and defense, it has lost in Speed. Without its Chlorophyll ability, it cannot be a Special sweeper. That said, with the weather nerf, regular Venusaur's chances of being OU were threatened by new threats such as Talonflame and Aegislash. However, Mega Venusaur has given it a new lease on life, playing the role of a tank rather than a special sweeper.

Overall score: 29/40. Overall, a respectable Mega Evolution. Mega Venusaur is a very balanced Mega, reflecting the ability of its previous form nicely, while not becoming too overpowered. It performs its clearly defined job and plays that role well.






Mega Charizard X
Type: Fire/Dragon
Base Stats: 78/130/111/130/85/100
Ability: Tough Claws

Design: 9/10. Mega Charizard X's design is nothing short of awesome. The sleek black design is complemented well by the blue flames, and its Hawlucha-esque wings are certainly a nice touch. They accentuated the claws, which nicely reflects the new ability that Mega Charizard X obtained. All in all, it's the most changed starter Mega, and it certainly did not disappoint.

Deserving of this Mega: 8/10. Regardless of what anyone may think, since the advent of Stealth Rock, Charizard was not good. Like, at all. Don't kid yourselves; there was nothing much more that Charizard could do that Moltres couldn't do, except maybe have some Dragon-type moves in its arsenal. And let's be realistic, as powerful as most Dragon-types are, Dragon-type moves were not very useful for type coverage. This gave Charizard the much needed boost that it desperately needed, halving the Stealth Rock damage with its new typing, and giving the power to wreck shop in a whole new way.

Competitive Improvement: 13.5/20. Like Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard X was a huge improvement over what the original Charizard had. With easy sweeping capability, neutral type coverage, and a far stronger typing, Mega Charizard X can now play with the big boys in OU. Furthermore, Mega Charizard X gains the Tough Claws ability, which was more than what it needed to break through physical walls. Combine it with Dragon Dance and you have a deadly sweeper on your hands. However, it is hindered by the Fairy-types, particularly threats such as Azumarill and Diancie, and bulky Water-types in general can dish out some impressive damage to Mega Charizard X. However, with all that Charizard has improved through Mega Evolution...is it a bit much? Mega Charizard X is among the most commonly used Megas...

Overall: 30.5/40. Mega Charizard X looks great and was a huge step up from the lowly Charizard. But was it a bit much? In any team I use, I find Mega Charizard X to be a threat; it's not the strongest Mega around, but it isn't a Pokemon to be scoffed at either.






Mega Charizard Y
Type: Fire/Flying
Base Stats: 78/104/78/159/115/100
Ability: Drought

Design: 5/10. Yes, I'm ranking this lower than Mega Venusaur. People constantly complain about how Mega Venusaur has barely changed, when they fail to realize that Charizard to Mega Charizard Y isn't really a big step up either. Its wings got a little bigger, its arms got some weird...thing...(hey, what is that, anyway?) and a third spike on its head. Add some tail spikes and we have something that really hasn't changed much from its base forms. Sure, its changes are more OBVIOUS than those of Mega Venusaur, but still, to the trained and unbiased eye, Mega Charizard lacks much of a change. I guess it's enough for some people.

Deserving of this Mega: 2/10. Alright, I know I gave Mega Charizard X a much higher score, mostly because it was well designed and a nice change for the old favorite. But this is just pandering to the audience. Why should Charizard be given special treatment? He's a favorite, fair enough - but this was unnecessary. Giving Charizard a SINGLE Mega Evolution is appeasement enough for those die-hard fans of Charizard, and if it were to be either one of them, it should be Mega Charizard X that becomes the sole Mega of Charizard. This version may have been revealed before Mega Charizard X, but let's face it - Mega Charizard Y is totally unnecessary and not at all a big step up from Charizard.

Competitive Improvement: 11/20. Every now and then, someone uses a Mega Charizard Y, which makes choosing what to do in response to Charizard a much more difficult task. But let's face it - Mega Charizard Y is easy to counter, and is in Mega Charizard X's shadow. Drought is by no means a bad ability, but it's easily outdone by other weather starters. In fact, given its typing, it has terrible matchups against two other weather starters, Tyranitar and Politoed. Mega Charizard Y is purely a wallbreaker, nothing more, nothing less. And unlike its brother, it cannot cast aside its Stealth Rock weakness, and is otherwise still easily stopped.

Overall: 18/40. Mega Charizard Y should never have happened, plain and simple. Its a lazy redesign of Charizard, it's inferior to its brother aesthetically and competitively, and, along with its brother, is a simple pandering to its fanbase. Come on, Game Freak. Give us a little credit. Not all of us were huge fans of Charizard back in the days of RBY. And not all of us thought that Charizard was the best thing ever. Because it's far from it.






Mega Blastoise
Type: Water
Base Stats: 79/103/120/135/115/78
Ability: Mega Launcher

Design: 3/10. Umm...Mega Blastoise just disturbs me for some reason. It doesn't even remind me of a turtle/tortoise anymore, it's just a big...walking mass of cannons. I guess that's what they were going for, especially with that Mega Launcher ability...wait, you mean to tell me that Mega Blastoise's attack animation still shows it shooting water from its mouth!? Oh, okay, now you've totally lost me.

Deserving of this Mega: 9/10. Blastoise wasn't of much use before Generation VI. Blastoise was only useful for Rapid Spinning, a job that was more suited to other Pokémon such as Forretress and Starmie. Compared to other Water starters, Blastoise was pretty unimpressive: it wasn't blessed with a great secondary type like Swampert and Empoleon, it didn't have a great hidden ability like Feraligatr did (seriously, Blastoise got freaking Shell Armor...laaaame), and Samurott...well, we love Samurott. Anyways, Blastoise getting a Mega Evolution was appropriate and a needed step up for the guy. Blastoise just ended up being one of those forgotten Water-types before, but now...

Competitive Improvement: 8/20. Well, isn't that a kick in the teeth? Mega Blastoise unfortunately wasn't much of a step up from its predecessor. The big boost that Blastoise needed really wasn't all that great at all, all it became was a bit of a bulkier Pokémon with more or less the same strategy. Add some type coverage to it and you got...a bulky special sweeper, I guess. Add Rapid Spin onto that and you get something that really isn't a big step up from regular old Blastoise. It's probably the least used of the Kanto starter Megas, but Blastoise does have its own uses; with Mega Launcher, it can run boosted Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, and Aura Sphere, which is only resisted by Azumarill and Whimsicott, only the former of which is really an OU threat. So it has its special power. But then again, so does Mega Charizard Y, and we all know what happened there.

Overall: 20/40. Mega Blastoise is a weak Mega on a weak design premise. So much more could have been done with it, but nothing was done. Unfortunate.






Mega Alakazam
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 55/50/65/175/95/150
Ability: Trace

Design: 6.5/10. Mega Alakazam sure evolved its 'stache. And its addiction to spoons. Yeah, I'm not really sure what's going on with this here, but Alakazam certainly...er-hem...changed. You know, it looks a lot more like an old man. That's not always a good thing. So yeah, not a huge step up, but it's a step, right?

Deserving of this Mega: 6.5/10. Alakazam wasn't particularly needing a power boost; with base 135 Special Attack and 120 Speed, Alakazam was definitely an awesome glass cannon. With Magic Guard, it didn't even need to worry about Life Orb recoil or of weather damage. Any residual damage meant nothing to it. Alakazam was perfectly capable of holding its own, being OU in Generation V. Though it has taken a tumble in this generation and fallen to UU, it is among one of that tier's top threats, and giving Mega Alakazam may have been just what it needed to keep living its days in OU.

Competitive Improvement: 12/20. Unfortunately, Mega Alakazam was not much more than a beefed-up Alakazam. Wait, shouldn't that be a good thing? Well, being beefed-up is one thing, but Mega Alakazam doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Trace is there, but that ability is really hit-and-miss. You could get something incredible...or you could get something completely useless. Far worse than the consistency of Magic Guard. However, 175 Special Attack and 150 Speed definitely won't let you down, especially with a neutral trio of attacks in Psyshock, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast, matched with one of the fastest Taunts in the game. Still, it wasn't enough for Mega Alakazam to be overlooked in favor of other Megas.

Overall: 25/40. Mega Alakazam's got an amusing 'stache and some great stats pushing it forward. However, it comes down to this: regular Alakazam can do just as much as Mega Alakazam can. Trading in stats for Magic Guard: that's up to the player to decide.






Mega Gengar
Type: Ghost/Poison
Base Stats: 60/65/80/170/95/130
Ability: Shadow Tag

Design: 9/10. Mega Gengar is great design, keeping true to Gengar's Pokédex entry. It looks like it could just sink into the ground and stalk you as a shadow...and you can never escape...ehem, I got a little too into that. But Mega Gengar's design is more than a simple touch-up on the original Gengar, it's a total redesign and recolor. It's really quite a great Mega Evolution design.

Deserving of this Mega: 3.5/10. With the banishment of Starmie to UU, Gengar is now the only Pokémon to be OU in all six generations. And now they give it a Mega Evolution to make it even MORE powerful? Seems pretty unnecessary. Gengar is already capable of great damage, and is a lot like Alakazam in that respect. Well, in fact, Gengar's overall sweeping stats are lower than Alakazam's, but Gengar has a better type to work with. Ghost is great offensively, and Poison isn't too shabby defensively, especially with Fairies running around now. Gengar didn't really need a power boost.

Competitive Improvement: 2/20. No, it's not a low score because it didn't improve. It improved. Too much. In fact, it's too much of an improvement. That Shadow Tag easily propelled it up to the Uber environment, and although I am very unfamiliar with how things work in Ubers, I hear that Mega Gengar is wrecking face. I mean, Perish Trapping is pretty hardcore. And look at those stats! It's basically a bulkier Mega Alakazam with less speed. Mega Gengar really is not a healthy piece of the metagame, but in itself, was it really built to be fair? Not really. Not with those stats, and that ability.

Overall: 14.5/40. Mega Gengar is ridiculous. Gengar didn't need a Mega like this. It didn't need the power boost, it didn't need to be buffed. But Game Freak wanted to pay homage to their original Ghost-type, I guess, so...






Mega Kangaskhan
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 105/125/100/60/100/100
Ability: Parental Bond

Design: 0/10. You want an example of lazy, uninspired design? This is as good as an example as any. Moving on.

Deserving of this Mega: 9/10. Kangaskhan is one among many forgotten Normal-types, always overshadowed by the likes of Blissey, Chansey, Porygon-Z, Porygon2, Staraptor, etc. It was much like Tauros and Miltank, like Bouffalant...simply forgotten. Not of much use. Good stats, but not enough firepower. This was Kangaskhan's big break; to get a Mega, to finally be able to climb up and fight with the big boys of the OU tier. To finally match up with those stronger Normal-types, to make a name for itself, to finally be free of the shackles of NU...

Competitive Improvement: 0/20. It didn't just improve. Gengar improved quite a bit to become Uber-worthy. Kangaskhan? It cracked "balance" wide-open, pile-drove it into ground, and didn't give one single damn. It crushed the opposition. Very little could beat it. Its ability was ridiculous, and it was unfair. Did it improve the metagame? Most obviously not! That bulk, that speed, that ability to attack twice with no repercussions!? NO THANKS!

Overall: 9/40. No. Just, no. Mega Kangaskhan was a horrid mistake. Everything about it is bad. They had a chance to make Mega Kangaskhan useful; they didn't just do that, they made it completely dominating.






Mega Pinsir
Type: Bug/Flying
Base Stats: 65/155/120/65/90/105
Ability: Aerilate

Design: 9.5/10. I honestly didn't expect this big a design change from Pinsir, but thank Game Freak that it did. Mega Pinsir is no mere redesign; it's a complete overhaul of the Pinsir we used to know. Mega Pinsir is now an even more intimidating flying stag beetle. I only have one gripe: I'm not really sure what happened to its feet, but it's a very small gripe. Overall, it's one of my favorite redesigns.

Deserving of this Mega: 9/10. Pinsir is one of those forgotten Bug-types, but unlike the other Bug-types that were forgotten, Pinsir still had a fighting chance due to its passable stats and its wide move coverage. Generation V gave it another gift in Moxie, but it was far from enough to keep Pinsir out of NU due to middling speed and a terrible defensive typing combined with mediocre Defenses. Overshadowed by fellow bugs Heracross, Scizor, and Volcarona, Pinsir was far from viable. A push from a Mega Evolution is just what the doctor ordered for our poor little stag beetle friend.

Competitive Improvement: 17.5/20. Mega Pinsir is good, really good. Not the best Mega Evolution ever, but still a really solid threat in OU. Mega Pinsir didn't over-define a metagame, but proved to be a solid choice for any team. Aerilate was amazing for the stag beetle, and mixed with priority boosted STAB Quick Attack, Mega Pinsir was one of the most threatening sweepers, coming with the most powerful priority bar Banded Scizor and Talonflame. Mega Pinsir handles a lot of threats on its own, with a powerful STAB Return, along with Brick Break and X-Scissor for great type coverage. Its typing does hold it back a little, making bad defensive typing even worse. Still, Mega Pinsir is a Mega Evolution designed for battle just about right.

Overall: 36/40. Mega Pinsir was designed well and given enough power to compete in the big leagues without causing a shift in the metagame on its own. It's balanced, it's cool-looking, it's a boost to a Pokémon that needed it - it's just well-designed.






Mega Gyarados
Type: Water/Dark
Base Stats: 65/155/109/70/130/81
Ability: Mold Breaker

Design: 8.5/10. Mega Gyarados certainly got beefy, and its color palette is rather nice for a simple recolor. It also got a nice pair of...um, wings? Is that what they are? Also its whiskers got real long, and...well, Mega Gyarados isn't that big a redesign on its own, but the recolor complements its ferocious nature quite well. Not bad, not bad at all.

Deserving of this Mega: 6/10. Gyarados is not nearly the most used Pokémon ever, but as a Moxie Dragon Dancer with powerful Water STAB, it has its place in OU without its Mega Evolution. Still, Gyarados was lacking a little bit, in particular, a good Flying-type STAB. Bounce really isn't cutting it, but it's the best it's got for the moment. What Gyarados needed was a wider movepool and more powerful STAB. It had a moderate movepool already, though, with the Fang moves and Earthquake as usable moves in its arsenal. Still, it was a little lacking for the pseudo-dragon.

Competitive Improvement: 16.5/20. Mega Gyarados's changes were quite nice. It improved in that its Defenses got huge boosts so that its Dragon Dances would go through more often, but at the same time its typing change was not nearly what was needed, with its previous two weaknesses becoming an undesirable five weaknesses. However, Gyarados can come with Intimidate to force an opponent switch for a free Dragon Dance turn. Mega Gyarados is interesting as it's one of few Megas that have a viable strategy for both its base form and Mega, which definitely earns it bonus points for not totally overshadowing regular Gyarados.

Overall: 31/40. Mega Gyarados isn't the best Mega or the most popular, but it's far from being a bad Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados is a solid choice with a nice sleek design and a little improvements here and there, but its base form is still viable, which you don't get to see in many Megas, and I think that's great.






Mega Aerodactyl
Type: Rock/Flying
Base Stats: 80/135/85/70/95/150
Ability: Tough Claws

Design: 6/10. Mega Aerodactyl's design isn't bad, but it's a little bland compared to the others. Its shape hasn't changed much, but has a lot of stones placed here and there. Just...rocks. Rocks everywhere. I guess that isn't too bad still, the redesign did its job. Extra points for that rock goatee, though.

Deserving of this Mega: 7/10. After Generation IV, Aerodactyl experienced a huge fall from grace. The prehistoric pterodactyl Pokémon was just too frail to keep up, with an Attack stat a little too unimpressive. With the rise of an even more popular Rock-type in Terrakion, Aerodactyl was greatly outclassed. This didn't mean that Aerodactyl was bad, as it could run a mean Choice Band set. It has very strong coverage, but just not enough power and stats in general to back it up. However, with such a wide arsenal of moves at its disposal, such a stat boost would surely boost it up.

Competitive Improvement: 12.5/20. Mega Aerodactyl really didn't bring much of anything new to the table. It's really just a powered-up Aerodactyl, which while it's not necessarily a bad thing, it isn't particularly good either. Mega Aerodactyl DOES have a huge Speed stat and great coverage to work with, however. Its typing is not even that great defensively, however, and its sub-par defenses for a Mega Evolution really do it in. Having critical weaknesses to Water, Electric, and Rock-types, Mega Aerodactyl must rely on OHKOs to get through, and given the defensive nature of some Pokémon, it can be tricky. However, base 135 Attack which is facilitated by Tough Claws is nothing to scoff at. Overall, however, it's still not enough to make Mega Aerodactyl a huge threat on its own.

Overall: 25.5/40. Mega Aerodactyl is a pretty solid Mega Evolution for an old favorite. It's still a little shaky on the defensive side, but certainly a step up for the old guy.






Mega Mewtwo X
Type: Psychic/Fighting
Base Stats: 106/190/100/154/100/130
Ability: Steadfast

Design: 6.5/10. It's certainly...different. Mega Mewtwo X is a little strange to me, looking almost like some kind of freaky extraterrestrial space warrior. Those toes also kinda just give me the shivers, it's all a little too strange for me. But I can't give it a low score because it was a rather interesting redesign, which is more than I can say for Mega Kangaskhan.

Deserving of this Mega: 0/10. Sorry to those of you who really like Mewtwo, but seriously, at this point it's just fanservice. I could forgive it if its Mega Evolution was relevant to the story in X/Y, but guess what? It's not even relevant. Sorry, but for me, this Mega is a big fat NOPE.

Competitive Improvement: 7/20. With all of Mewtwo's strengths, physical movepools aren't one of them. Mewtwo really doesn't get much in the way of physical attacks - it gets Zen Headbutt and Brick Break as its strongest STAB moves, which really isn't much to write home about. It does have access to Earthquake and Rock Slide/Stone Edge, but in themselves they're mediocre, with nothing breaking the base 100 barrier due to having no access to Close Combat. Otherwise, type matchups hardly have improved, and Steadfast isn't really that great of an ability. For something that has really high stats, the highest in the game, in fact, Mega Mewtwo X isn't really that huge a step up.

Overall: 13.5/40. Did we really need this? No. No we didn't. No, you there, be quiet, I don't really do not like this. You can disagree with me, I still don't like Mega Mewtwo X.






Mega Mewtwo Y
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 106/150/70/194/120/140
Ability: Insomnia

Design: 8/10. I'm one of those weird people who likes Mega Mewtwo Y's design far more than Mega Mewtwo X's. Mega Mewtwo Y actually reminds me a little bit of Mew - which I find pretty cool, considering how Mewtwo was cloned from Mew. I'm not sure how the tail got up there, but hey, good designs come from taking risks. Unlike Mega Mewtwo X, this isn't a simple redesign, but a larger overhaul.

Deserving of this Mega: 1/10. Why does this get 1 point? Because it was actually in a movie with an important role. Doesn't change the fact that it's fanservice, and has no important role in X/Y.

Competitive Improvement: 5/20. Mega Mewtwo Y is barely even an improvement over regular Mewtwo, mostly because its arsenal of moves remains more or less unchanged while it's actually become even more prone to getting Sucker Punch'd. The lowered Defense is really not good for Mega Mewtwo Y, as most priority moves are physical and thus that 140 Speed means very little. Since it has access to Recover, it's more advisable to run a regular Mewtwo with Life Orb, while running Recover to heal off the recoil. Mega Mewtwo Y is more capable of running a mixed sweeper set, but then again, so can Mega Mewtwo X.

Overall: 14/30. Mega Mewtwo Y barely beats out Mega Mewtwo X, but the fact remains that's it's still a very unnecessary Mega when it comes to battling. They just went full overkill with the Mega Mewtwos, not to mention that it got TWO of them. Sorry, but this Mega Evolution is also full of NOPE.
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    

Mega Slowbro
Type: Water/Psychic
Predicted Stats: 95/85/150/140/100/20
Ability: Shell Armor

Design: Mega Slowbro is one of the derpier designs, but I feel that makes it all the more fitting for a Pokémon like Slowbro. That said, a lot more could have been done. Here it just looks like Slowbro's being totally consumed by the Shellder that was supposed to be its symbiotic life partner. Such a tragedy.

Deserving of this Mega: Slowbro has always been a solid choice for a bulky Water-type. It has its own nice little niche, having a nice attacking prowess with an interesting movepool including Flamethrower and Fire Blast. Sporting good defenses, Slowbro definitely has survivablity, along with Regenerator to heal itself when the time comes to retreat. However, it still remains overshadowed by powerhouse Water-types like Greninja and Keldeo, or by stronger Bulky Water-types like Quagsire. Slowbro also has to compete with Suicune, having lower defenses but a better movepool. Slowbro is good, but it needs something to push itself ahead of the crowd...

Competitive Improvement: Unfortunately, with a horrid ability in Shell Armor, Mega Slowbro's prospects aren't looking very good in the upcoming ORAS metagame. Its improved stats are likely to make it a difficult beast to take down, all the while able to dish out its own damage with a boosted Special Attack stat. Shell Armor's prevention of critical hits isn't bad per se, but with critical hits nerfed and Regenerator being the better ability in general, Mega Slowbro doesn't look like it's going to get much support, and that the original will be better. However, not all is lost for Mega Slowbro, as base 150 Defense and 140 Special Attack (predicted) could be quite potent in UU.

Generation II Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    

Mega Ampharos
Type: Electric/Dragon
Base Stats: 95/95/105/165/110/40
Ability: Mold Breaker

Design: 5/10. L'oreal. Because Ampharos is worth it. I think that's all that needs to be said on the matter. Oh, but I'm not really sure what's going on with its ears though. In short: I'm a little on the fence about design...it's silly, but unlike with Mega Slowbro, it doesn't fit Ampharos.

Deserving of this Mega: 9/10. Ampharos was very underwhelming on pretty much all accounts. Low speed, only decent bulk, and a modest Special Attack. Granted, it was Electric-type, which is one of the best defensive types, since it has only one weakness. Ampharos was overshadowed by so many Pokémon, including Rotom-W, Galvantula, Zapdos, and Thundurus just to name a few Electric-types. As such, a Mega Evolution would totally make Ampharos a much more viable Electric-type...right?

Competitive Improvement: 10/20. Everything Ampharos do, Mega Ampharos can do better, which I guess is a definite step up, but even then Mega Ampharos is rather outclassed, and its changes are a mix of good and bad changes. Mold Breaker is quite nice, far more useful than Static or the Arceus-forsaken Plus, and the increased bulk is quite nice for Ampharos. 165 Special Attack is absolutely nice, but it's backed up by a decrease in Speed to 40, which is certainly not very good for our shampoo spokesperson here. To add more fuel onto the flame, Mega Ampharos trades in its great defensive typing in pure-Electric to a dual Electric/Dragon, which brings its singular weakness to a whopping four. Granted, Ampharos goes from having three resitances to six, which is rather nice for a tank.

Overall: 24/40. Mega Ampharos may not do that much for Ampharos's competitive credibility, still lounging around in UU, but it's a far step up from what Ampharos once was. Good on you, Ampharos!






Mega Scizor
Type: Bug/Steel
Base Stats: 70/150/140/65/100/75
Ability: Technician

Design: 9/10. Chainsaws for hands? I can certainly dig that. It's not much different from the base Scizor except for that, but it's effective enough. The black plates on its body are certainly a nice touch and give a more sleek feel.

Deserving of this Mega: 3/10. Kinda like Gengar, Scizor is an OK offensive type and defensive type mixed into one. Bug/Steel is particularly good for only having a single weakness to Fire, and six resistances, compounded by an immunity. Scizor had passable defenses, and considering its very strong matchup against Fairy-types, Scizor was a premier threat in OU. Technician was an awesome ability on Scizor, especially in conjunction with STAB priority Bullet Punch. Scizor was perfectly capable of holding its own, so surely its Mega Evolution, just like with Gengar's, put it way over the top...?

Competitive Improvement: 20/20. What? A perfect score!? Madness! Well, let me say this: the way they distributed Scizor's stats was nothing short of flawless. The increased Attack stat ensures that Mega Scizor's attacks are stronger, but the increased defenses ensure survivability. However, the Attack stat wasn't increased enough to warrant its use over Choice Band Scizor. What does this all culminate into? Mega Scizor is one of the few Megas that doesn't totally overshadow its base form, and all the while allowing two completely different strategies between the Mega and the base form. Mega Scizor runs bulkier sets, while base Scizor runs the powerful Choice Band sets.

Overall: 32/40. Mega Scizor was designed really well, preventing it from becoming too powerful despite already being a threat in its base form. It's got a neat design, and awesome competitive duality between its Mega and base.






Mega Heracross
Type: Bug/Fighting
Base Stats: 80/185/115/40/105/75
Ability: Skill Link

Design: 7.5/10. I definitely wasn't expecting a look like this in Mega Heracross. But it's certainly still nice. Look at that pouty face. Don't tell me you don't want to hug that. Those bulky heavy wrists. Although...what is that thing on its stomach? It looks like it's got shelves in its abdomen. Eek. What is that?

Deserving of this Mega: 7/10. Since its inception, Heracross has been on the descent. Heracross's main flaw was that it was much too slow, and its typing isn't really too great defensively. Sure, it has five resistances...but only Fighting and Ground are of much consequence. In contrast, Fire, Flying, and Psychic are pretty common. However, Heracross possess a fairly good offensive typing, though it's walled by Flying-types and Poison-types. Heracross unfortunately must rely on Guts and thus poisoning/burning itself to take on these threats. Heracross isn't all bad, though. It just needs a little push in the right direction...

Competitive Improvement: 14/20. Mega Heracross is a totally different take on Heracross, with Skill Link being its main form of attacking. This is a totally different battling style, and as such, Mega Heracross got some new moves in its arsenal like Pin Missle, Bullet Seed, and Rock Blast. With these gifts, Mega Heracross has the ability to break through Substitutes like nobody's business. With neutral coverage backed by a humongous base 185 Attack, Heracross can take out a lot of threats on its own. So why only 14/20? Heracross's Achilles' heel, its Speed, is lowered upon Mega Evolution. As such, its weak defensive typing can be taken advantage of all the more easily. Sure, its defenses are buffed, but type coverage is far more important in battle.

Overall: 28.5/40. Mega Heracross is really powerful in its own right, and a decent uplift over Heracross, with a totally different strategy. Mega Heracross and Heracross are practically two different species, but anyways, Mega Heracross is its gasp for its glory days, and I can say...it was close.






Mega Houndoom
Type: Dark/Fire
Base Stats: 75/90/90/140/90/115
Ability: Solar Power

Design: 7/10. Houndoom has gained quite a few accessories...I mean, take into consideration that this baby is more than six feet tall and that's one intimidating hellhound. The bones all over this guy certainly adds to the horror. Still, it's not a huge change from the regular old Houndoom. But it's not too shabby.

Deserving of this Mega: 7/10. Houndoom has always been a pretty solid Pokémon in UU, but with very little presence in OU due to its many common weaknesses: Fighting-type being the most devastating among them. Not to mention common weaknesses in Rock, Ground, and Water, and we've got a big problem. Houndoom is also rather frail and can't take many super effective hits. Still, it has pretty stellar Special Attack and Speed for the UU tier, so Houndoom itself is pretty capable of holding its own. To overcome its defensive problems, though, Houndoom needed a little more.

Competitive Improvement: 10.5/20. Mega Houndoom is just another buffed-up version of its base, which is pretty repetitive among Mega Evolutions, isn't it? Unfortunately for Mega Houndoom, though, this boost isn't a huge step up. The problem lies in the fact that Mega Houndoom is plagued by most of the same problems that its base form had. It goes from having a horrendous choice of abilities to a very situational ability (not to mention the nerf of weather), still frail defenses, and the same old bad matchups. Furthermore, base 115 Speed isn't really that much, especially in an increasingly fast metagame. It's definitely good, but is it up to par with the greats of competitive battling? Not nearly. Base 140 Special Attack is quite strong, but among Mega Evolutions, it's really somewhat low.

Overall: 24.5/40. Mega Houndoom isn't too bad, but it's still pretty overshadowed by other Mega Evolutions. But don't count this hellhound out, at least it's a bigger improvement than Mega Blastoise.






Mega Tyranitar
Type: Rock/Dark
Base Stats: 100/164/150/95/120/71
Ability: Sand Stream

Design: 8.5/10. Spikes make everything better! But in case you're not one to just put spikes on everything to make it look cooler, it's cool in that it pays homage to its pre-evolution Pupitar, with the eyes on its chest. It's not too big a change on its own, but the extra eyes and spikes really add to its intimidating stature.

Deserving of this Mega: 4/10. Tyranitar is a peculiar case. It's Generation II's token OU veteran, being OU for all generations since its beginnings, alongside Blissey and Skarmory. At the same time, Tyranitar is plagued by terrible defensive typing, with a whopping 7 weaknesses, including the new Fairy-type, but it's offset (somewhat) by six resistances and an immunity. It doesn't help, however, that its weaknesses are somewhat common, with a quad-weakness to Fighting, and common weaknesses to Ground, Bug, Grass, and Water. Its resistances are, sans Fire and Dark, aren't very common attacking types. However, it's blessed with amazing defensive stats, all 100 or over, along with a Special Defense boost from sandstorm. But even that was nerfed; so Tyranitar certainly took a tumble this generation.

Competitive Improvement: 18.5/20. Mega Tyranitar doesn't totally outclass base Tyranitar, suffering from the same problems as regular Tyranitar, but provides it with a new strategy due to its well-distributed stats. Tyranitar already has a plethora of strategies, but aside from Choice Scarf sets, "physical sweeper" never really was one of them. With the bulk to outlive most non-Fighting-type moves, Mega Tyranitar sports a mean Dragon Dance set. Still, one can opt for the more powerful yet slower Choice Band set, the all-out attacking bulky Assault Vest set, or even the supporting Leftovers set. Mega Tyranitar brings something new to the table, while not totally overshadowing its base form. Sound familiar? I praised Mega Scizor for the same reason, and Mega Tyranitar sports many of the same features.

Overall: 31/40. Mega Tyranitar is a splendid Mega. I wouldn't think that a Mega Evolution with a BST of 700 would be healthy for the metagame, but I was wrong. Then again, I was wrong about Black Kyurem at first as well. Mega Tyranitar is rather dangerous, but not game-breaking. Easily my favorite Mega to use in battle.
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    
None as of yet!

Generation III Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    

Mega Blaziken
Type: Fire/Fighting
Base Stats: 80/160/80/130/80/100
Ability: Speed Boost

Design: 8.5/10. Alright, I admit it, Mega Blaziken is really freakin' cool. Those flames coming out of its arms were redesigned nicely, and just the general shape of the body looks nicer in this form. This Mega's design has my approval.

Deserving of this Mega: 1/10. Alright, now I get to rag on this thing. Mega Blaziken is a buff to a Pokémon already doing incredibly well for itself. It's the first starter in Ubers, it's got a hugely powerful ability in Speed Boost, and it's got an awesome offensive typing in Fire/Fighting. Now, when B/W came out, Blaziken came out to break the balance with its incredible ability and attacking power. Mega Blaziken was totally unnecessary...or so I thought in the beginning. Since it seems that every starter gets a Mega Evolution, Blaziken deserves one as to not get left out...but for the sake of argument, let's ignore that fact.

Competitive Improvement: 4.5/20. Mega Blaziken actually isn't a huge step up from Blaziken, sporting the same ability and not that much more Attack OR Speed. It's slightly more bulky, though not enough to make much of a difference, especially in the heavy-offense world of Ubers. Mega Blaziken really hasn't changed much from old Blaziken, sporting the same ability and moves as its predecessor. However, that all said, that's still enough to make both base Blaziken and Mega Blaziken a nearly indomitable threat in any format with the exception of Ubers. Mega Blaziken's power does NOT sit right with me. Sorry.

Overall: 15/40. Mega Blaziken was cursed by being given an already-powerful base form, and as such doesn't have very far up to go in terms of speed and power. But getting Speed Boost even as a Mega was just...a little too much.






Mega Gardevoir
Type: Psychic/Fairy
Base Stats: 68/85/65/165/135/100
Ability: Pixilate

Design: 5/10. That billowy gown is a little bit much for me. It's good in that it makes Gardevoir look a whole lot more regal, but I was really expecting something more...well, elegant. Mega Gardy's design also isn't a huge step up from the base form, but still...I have my qualms. Also, it looks really dumb in-game, but looks nice from the official art, so...I'm a little conflicted.

Deserving of this Mega: 8/10. Gardevoir wasn't half bad in the low tiers, but was nothing in the upper tiers, being outclassed by other Psychic-types like Alakazam, Reuniclus, Azelf, the list goes on. Gardevoir was particularly lacking in Speed, with base 80 Speed not really close to what was needed. Gardevoir was merely pretty and not much of a fighter, and really didn't have much going for it. It was an inferior Alakazam, and that was all. What Gardevoir does have is a nice movepool, respectable Special stats, and and some nice support options. Unfortunately, Gardevoir had neither the typing or the bulk to carry out any of those options in the higher tiers of competitive play.

Competitive Improvement: 17.5/20. Mega Gardevoir is an immense step up from the original Gardevoir, thanks to a better typing and improved stats. With a base 100 Speed it is much more effective in being a special sweeper, and with Pixilate it packs a mean Hyper Voice, blowing past Substitutes while getting boosted STAB. Mega Gardevoir remains quite frail on the physical side, but in reality Mega Gardevoir now has the speed and typing to back it up. Trading out two of its big weaknesses, Bug and Dark, for two much more uncommon attacking types, Steel and Poison, along with gaining an immunity to Dragon and a stronger resilience against the common Fighting-type, Mega Gardevoir can now take a hit, even on the physical side. Mega Gardevoir still isn't the most popular Mega around, but definitely a solid choice.

Overall: 30.5/40. Mega Gardevoir was a kind of Mega that really boosted a favorite up to new levels of power. Gardevoir has always been rather liked, and its Mega just boosted its competitive standing. Still, this particular Mega leaves its former self pretty overshadowed. I guess the Mega's just doing its job.






Mega Mawile
Type: Steel/Fairy
Base Stats: 50/105/125/55/95/50
Ability: Huge Power

Design: 9/10. Simple, but nonetheless very, very effective. Mega Mawile's false heads are far more intimidating than the false head of the base form, and its body shape really throws back to Mawile's origins, the futakuchi-onna. Scary, but also pretty cute regardless. Mawile's got a heck of a nice design, it earns two thumbs up from me.

Deserving of this Mega: 10/10. Mawile is one of those Pokémon that was a competitive joke. Sure, it had a nice defensive type: pure-Steel. But it had no defense to back that up. Intimidate was there, sure, but it meant nothing to special attackers that could easily prey on Mawile's base 50 HP and base 55 Special Defense. Gimmick Pokémon aside, Mawile really was one of the worst competitive Pokémon. It needed more than just a boost, it needed a miracle. Mawile's only claim to fame in NU was that it was better than Luvdisc, Spinda, Delibird...a couple others, too, but Mawile was just not even that good in NU. Something needed to be done.

Competitive Improvement: 12/20. Mega Mawile may very well be the Pokémon that got the second biggest boost, behind Mega Kangaskhan. Base 105 Attack mixed with an amazing ability in Huge Power gives Mega Mawile the single highest Attack stat of any Pokémon. The amount of power this thing packs is unfathomable. Its boosts in its Defenses and its defensive typing now are great as well, boasting two immunities and seven resistances, to only two weaknesses. Combine all that with an access to Sucker Punch to make the base 50 Speed less important, and you've just made the most influential Mega Evolution in the OU metagame. Mega Mawile boosted a little too far, but its amazing power can still be bypassed with the right Pokémon.

Overall: 31/40. Mawile needed a Mega and it got it, and now it has a whole new lease on life. But I have to crash the party and say that I think it was a little too much. But is it Ubers-worthy? Hardly. Influential and dangerous? Definitely.






Mega Aggron
Type: Steel
Base Stats: 70/140/230/60/80/50
Ability: Filter

Design: 6/10. Mega Aggron looks a little bit too fat for me. I mean, I know it's supposed to be really bulky and stuff, but...still, it really throws me off. Overall, the design isn't much different from its base form, although its head structure is a cool throwback to Lairon, and those things sticking out of its arms look like wing nuts, which is funny because, y'know...Steel...nuts and bolts...yeah.

Deserving of this Mega: 8.5/10. Aggron really wasn't too great. It was a subpar physical wall, even with base 180 Defense, due to the most common physical type being Fighting and being 4x weak to Fighting never really was much good for the guy. Not to mention its Water weakness which preyed on Mega Aggron's paltry Special Defense. Aggron was one of the much weaker Steel-types, due to its Rock subtyping hindering its effectiveness and longevity. Not to mention that its abilities weren't too great; sure, Sturdy provided one sure-fire turn, and Rock Head was acceptable in tanky Head Smash variants, but they weren't really that great otherwise. Aggron needed the boost.

Competitive Improvement: 11.5/20. Mega Aggron isn't too great, but it certainly gave Aggron some much needed improvements. First off, the retyping was a much needed bonus, ridding it of part of its Fighting weakness, along with its Water weakness. Filter is an awesome ability on Mega Aggron, ensuring that it can't simply be plucked off by a super effective hit. Its boosted Attack is also a nice bonus, increasing the viability of moves like the aforementioned Head Smash and Heavy Slam. Still, base 80 Special Defense isn't doing it wonders, as it's particularly vulnerable to the likes of Keldeo and Lucario. Heatran can strike with Flamethrower or Earth Power to deal massive damage, although Mega Aggron sports Earthquake so it's not always optimal. Base 50 Speed also ensures that Mega Aggron is a tank and nothing more than that.

Overall: 26/40. Mega Aggron is a kinda strange Mega Evolution that's just a little awkward. You don't see Mega Aggron around that much at all, especially with larger and badder Mega Evolutions running around. But it does have the highest Defense along with Shuckle, so hey, who's complaining?






Mega Medicham
Type: Psychic/Fighting
Base Stats: 60/100/85/80/85/100
Ability: Pure Power

Design: 9.5/10. There's something about Mega Medicham's design that just works so well. I'm not even sure what it is. There's the floating appendages, the little beads on its hips, the crown...it's like some kind of Indian fighter. I don't even know why that works so well, but it just works so well on Mega Medicham.

Deserving of this Mega: 6.5/10. With Pure Power in its arsenal, Medicham packed quite a furious punch. Or kick, as it were. High Jump Kick. Yeah. Medicham was a very risky maneuver, though, as any Ghost-type Pokémon or Protect-user could really take a chunk out of Medicham's already minimal HP stat. Not to mention its low defenses, a strong hit from anything that it didn't resist would probably take it out in one shot. Still, Medicham could still pack a huge punch...er, kick. Anyways, still, in previous generations Medicham was most dangerous with a Choice Band, but that still limited its options, not to mention its merely average base 80 Speed. A little boost would be nice...but with Pure Power, it would be dangerous...

Competitive Improvement: 18.5/20. Mega Medicham may not have brought anything new to the table like Mega Scizor and Mega Tyranitar did, but I am most impressed with the fact that Mega Medicham didn't go completely overboard and destroy the metagame with a technical base 200 Attack. First off, base 100 Speed is excellent on a Pokémon with that much power, but Mega Medicham still suffers from the same frailty as the original. Furthermore, while Mega Mawile had a similar ability designation, Mega Mawile had a great defensive typing while Mega Medicham still has a number of weaknesses to handle, including Flying (Talonflame), Ghost (Gengar), and Fairy (Mawile). Add on the fact that it only has 2 resistances, and there's enough things to handle Mega Medicham. Still, the sheer power that Mega Medicham possesses makes it a really threatening force that can throw a powerful punch...er, kick.

Overall: 34.5/40. Mega Medicham is well designed, well deserved, and powerful, but not unstoppable. Mega Medicham requires skill to predict the protectors, but in the right hands, Mega Medicham is a force to be reckoned with.






Mega Manectric
Type: Electric
Base Stats: 70/75/80/135/80/130
Ability: Intimidate

Design: 3/10. Mega Manectric just looks stupid to me. It could just be me, but it's just...bizarre, with that lightning bolt mane. I mean, I get it...I don't like it, but I get it. And I know I said that more spikes makes everything better, but guess what? I LIED!

Deserving of this Mega: 7.5/10. Manectric may have been outclassed by Rotom-W and Rotom-H, Zapdos, Thundurus, etc., but Manectric wasn't particularly bad. It had something that few other Electric-types had: access to Fire-type moves! Rotom-H only had access to Overheat, while Zapdos had Heat Wave, but Manectric had access to both Overheat AND Flamethrower, for two very different options. Manectric was lacking a bit in power, though, so it could have gone with a boost. Still, Manectric is not nearly as bad as some other Electric-types, like the previously mentioned Ampharos.

Competitive Improvement: 16.5/20. Mega Manectric is not much different from Manectric aside from the fact that its ability has far more utility. Manectric's old abilities sucked, but Intimidate is a real treasure on a Mega Evolution, especially if it can force a switch. Not to mention that now Mega Manectric has the power and Speed that it so desperately needed. However, Mega Manectric still upholds its base form's frailty, even with the increased defenses, since its low HP doesn't help it out much. Still, it packs a heck of a lightning bolt, and the powerful Electric-Fire coverage, which was enough to boost it all the way up to OU from RU. In total - a decent boost, though it really overshadows the old form.

Overall: 27/40. I really can't get past Mega Manectric's ridiculous design. I just can't. I can't do it. I know it's a relative threat in OU, but I still can't take it seriously. I'm sorry.






Mega Banette
Type: Ghost
Base Stats: 64/165/75/93/83/75
Ability: Prankster

Design: 10/10. I love how Mega Banette looks. It keeps true to the original design while taking a lot of creative liberties, especially with all the zippers and the dark soul within trying to creep out...oooh, I really like Mega Banette's design. In fact, I think it's my favorite design out of the whole bunch.

Deserving of this Mega: 9/10. Banette was just one of those Ghost-types that was not very good. It was a little bizarre in its own right, as it was one of only a handful of physical Ghost-type Pokémon. This may have had its advantages before the physical/special split of Generation IV, but here in the realm of Generation VI, Banette really had nothing to fall back on. With cripplingly low speed and defenses, Banette could be easily one-shot and provide no threat to the opponent. As such, it had nothing really going for it and ended up becoming one of the forgotten Ghost-types. Getting a Mega Evolution could have been Banette's last chance at stardom...

Competitive Improvement: 5.5/20. And what a flop it was! Prankster is great ability, don't get me wrong, but it works better on bulkier Pokémon. The main reason Whimsicott failed competitively was because of its lousy defensive typing and horrid defensive stat distribution. Mega Banette does get a little more utility in the form of priority Destiny Bond and Taunt, but the real kick in the teeth is the fact that Prankster doesn't work during the turn you Mega Evolve, which really hurts Mega Banette's viability. Add onto that the fact that Mega Banette still remains pretty frail and its physical movepool hasn't improved very much to take advantage of that huge base 165 Attack. It's sad to say, but Mega Banette is a really underwhelming Mega.

Overall: 24.5/40. Design-wise, it's one of the best. Banette really needed a Mega. But what it got was not worth the dust on Gengar's shoes. It's so sad; it could have been something great.






Mega Absol
Type: Dark
Base Stats: 65/150/60/115/60/115
Ability: Magic Bounce

Design: 6.5/10. It sprouted wings and got a comb-over. Well, I certainly wasn't expecting the former part of that statement. Too bad it isn't actually Flying-type. Anyways, I don't really see Mega Absol as too different from regular Absol. Even if it did sprout wings. Its general body structure has otherwise remained almost exactly the same...

Deserving of this Mega: 8/10. Absol's a pretty standard example of a Pokémon that is a total glass cannon. It hits hard but dies young. Being pure Dark-type doesn't really help in that endeavor due to its easily abusable weakness to Fighting. Still, due to its huge Attack stat, it can really do a number on any Pokémon it manages to hit. Unfortunately, that won't be very many due to its middling Defenses. But in total, what Absol really needed was some boosts in its Speed. Without a Mega, Absol would be forced to live with a very mediocre base 75 Speed, which in the modern fast-paced world of Pokémon, that just doesn't make the cut. But perhaps a Mega could bring it up?

Competitive Improvement: 9.5/20. Frail, frail, hard-hitting, and did I mention frail? Mega Absol may have gotten the boost to its Speed that it needed, but its Defenses have not changed in the slightest, meaning that a hard hit from anything will tumble Mega Absol over. Its ability, Magic Bounce, is a little wasted on a Pokémon like Mega Absol. It does require your opponent to think before they go into a status move, at the risk of Mega Absol switching in on it, but after that, Mega Absol will usually pull of maybe a single move or two, before getting decimated by any move. The Pokémon possessing Magic Bounce must be bulky enough to take hits to make the pain of not using Toxic or Thunder Wave even more painful. In the case of Mega Absol, it's easily circumvented.

Overall: 24/40. Mega Absol is once again a very underwhelming Mega Evolution. However, due to its huge power and speed, it can lay a smackdown on the unwary. However, Mega Absol is a very transient Mega; it lands on the field, but quickly leaves, destroyed by the force of other Megas.
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    

Mega Sceptile
Type: Grass/Dragon
Predicted Stats: 70/105/75/135/95/150
Ability: Lightning Rod

Design: Mega Sceptile is an interesting take on the Mega. I personally expected them to go for a more physically based route, but instead they decided to expand upon the fact that Sceptile's Special Attack is higher than its physical Attack. In itself, the Mega is a bit strange. Awesome, yes, but that tail is a bit long. And I can't get around the fact that it launches that...Christmas tree, or whatever, at the opponent. That's just bizarre.

Deserving of this Mega: Sceptile is a Pokémon that I've always wanted to be competitively viable but its frailty always seemed to get in the way. Its ability Unburden wasn't too bad, resulting in interesting Red Card plays, but otherwise it didn't really have a movepool to back it up. It had Leaf Storm, Dragon Pulse, and Hidden Power for attacks, and that's pretty much it. So as a special attacker, despite having the power and speed for it, it really is mostly lacking the movepool. As such, I think Sceptile is pretty deserving of a Mega. This is discounting the fact that all the starters will probably get Megas regardless, of course.

Competitive Improvement: Again, this mostly depends on how Mega Sceptile's movepool will improve. Lightningrod, however, poses some interesting options, making Mega Sceptile a hardcore counter to Rotom-W. Furthermore, although this could just be me, access to Lightning Rod makes me feel like it should learn some new Electric-type moves. Since Lightning Rod is a doubles-oriented ability (though not exclusive to doubles use) I feel like Mega Sceptile should get something useful in doubles. The first move that comes to mind in this case is Discharge. In any case, it's hard to predict Mega Sceptile's competitive abilities without its movepool, but with an improved movepool, Mega Sceptile could certainly see some use.






Mega Swampert
Type: Water/Ground
Predicted Stats: 100/150/120/85/120/70
Ability: Swift Swim

Design: Mega Swampert's design can be candidly described with a simple and common phrase: do you even lift?

Deserving of this Mega: Water/Ground is an excellent typing, only weak to Grass, which is a kind of shaky type in itself, competitively. And Swampert only shares this typing with a select few individuals: Quagsire, Whiscash, and Seismitoad are the only other fully-evolved Water/Ground types. However, Swampert is pretty bulky compared to the rest of them, second only to Quagsire in tier standing. Along with having only that single weakness, Swampert can be a pain to remove from the field. However, this does not make up for a fairly predictable movepool (though not as bad as some other Pokémon) and less-than-optimal abilities. Torrent is passable, but Damp is next to useless. So yeah, I think Swampert certainly appreciates having a Mega.[/I][/B]

Competitive Improvement: Despite the nerf to all forms of weather, Mega Swampert can certainly make use of Swift Swim to make its poor Speed a thing of the past. Furthermore, added bulk would increase the survivability of Swampert, making it a huge threat. In the rain, Mega Swampert would likely become as strong, if not stronger, than Mega Gyarados, which is a hard feat to boast. However, unlike Mega Gyarados, Mega Swampert has a few more options to work with, such as Superpower and Earthquake. I expect some pretty great things out of Mega Swampert.[/I][/B]




Mega Sableye
Type: Dark/Ghost
Predicted Stats: 50/75/135/95/95/30
Ability: Magic Bounce

Design: ...Meh. Mega Sableye does get a nifty looking shield, but overall it's a little too little. Its eyes turn red, and its smile is pretty creepy, actually...huh. Mega Sableye is growing on me a little bit, but I still think a little more could have been done. I definitely wasn't expecting this, though.

Deserving of this Mega: Sableye has been a pretty annoying threat since Generation V, when it received Prankster as an ability. The main problem with Sableye considering that fact is that its stats are less than desirable, although its great defensive typing mitigates this to an extent. Flash forward to Generation VI and it's lost a little bit of its pride, having lost its claim to fame of having no weaknesses. With Fairy-types running around, Sableye can't safely switch in to as many things as it might have in Generation V. However, a Mega with improved stats and utility would clean that right up, and push it back up to OU.

Competitive Improvement: It's looking to be very, very different from the Sableye we've come to know and love. Rather than dishing out status, Mega Sableye aims to reflect statuses. This, for Sableye, even with improved stats, is something very difficult for Mega Sableye to pull off, even with those stats. While it still stands up to many physical threats, it collapses to pretty much every Fairy-type in existence. Despite this, Mega Sableye's typing and stat distribution are notably better than the current premier Bouncer, Espeon. Mega Sableye can perform the duty of Magic Bouncing with that stat spread, but it must clear the Fairy barrier first. On the positive side, this also provides a completely new way to implement a Pokémon - allowing a Trainer to chose which strategy to implement between the two, which I especially like in Megas.






Mega Sharpedo
Type: Water/Dark
Predicted Stats: 70/160/50/115/50/115
Ability: Strong Jaw

Design: Mega Sharpedo is a pretty nifty looking Mega, and I do like the direction they went with it. Now, with that all said, it is a bit, well, over the top. All of those protrusions and that...stuff going on with its mouth, it seems a bit unnecessary. But hey, don't get me wrong, the design is still quite nice and definitely a step up from regular ol' torpedo shark.

Deserving of this Mega: Sadly, not even Speed Boost could save this one. Despite gaining an extra boost in Speed for free, Sharpedo has a problem taking out threats before being taken out itself. With paper-thin base 40 defenses, it can't really handle any form of attack that it doesn't resist. Sharpedo lives fast and dies young, evoking a mentality of...well, a torpedo. It rams itself hard into enemy lines, only for it to be rendered rather ineffective as the torpedo shark is dealt with by pretty much anything. Sadly, without higher amounts of attacking power to its name, Sharpedo would never really become that viable in the higher metagames...

Competitive Improvement: Mega Sharpedo brings something to the table that is very much like that of Mega Gyarados. Megapedo can Protect to gain a free +1 in Speed, then Mega Evolve to wreck town with its (predicted) base 160 Attack in conjunction with the power of Strong Jaw. While it only gets Crunch and Ice Fang to abuse this strategy with, it still packs a heck of a Waterfall. But not all is well for the guy, and here's why: priority. Because of the importance placed on priority, Mega Sharpedo's thin defenses aren't going to cut it, even at base 50. Talonflame's Brave Bird rocks Mega Sharpedo, and Mach Punch from the likes of Breloom and Conkeldurr smashes him. But it's not all bad: resisting three priority moves in Bullet Punch, Shadow Sneak, and Aqua Jet isn't too shabby, and Megapedo can take an unboosted Quick Attack from Mega Pinsir, so...yeah.






Mega Camerupt
Type: Fire/Ground
Predicted Stats: 70/130/100/135/105/20
Ability: Sheer Force

Design: Just...look at how freakin' happy he is! SO HAPPY! Yeah, all jokes aside, Mega Camerupt is a pretty chill-looking Pokémon (ironically, since it's harboring magma in its body...heheh...eh...) anyways, back to the point. Mega Camerupt looks so satisfied that it's impossible to hate that much.

Deserving of this Mega: Camerupt is one of those forgotten Fire-types that can't quite do anything right. It may seem that it has a terrible defensive typing, due to that glaring 4x weakness to the most common type in existence, Water. However, it resists 5 types and is immune to Electric, so it has that going for it. The sad thing is that Camerupt can only really perform as a tank, and it's not even that great at that because its defensive stats are so mediocre and its two weaknesses are extremely common. This thing gets rocked by Surf and Earthquake, and there's not much Camerupt can even do to combat those types.

Competitive Improvement: Things don't look too hot. Since its typing hasn't changed, it's still very susceptible to Water-type and Ground-type moves and Pokémon. Increased bulk and decreased Speed does make this guy more of a tank, but let's face it: 70/100/105 are only passable defenses, and are even worse in light of a Mega. Sheer Force is a nifty ability, but the only really viable moves that Camerupt gets to take advantage of such an ability is Flamethrower, Earth Power, and Rock Slide. While Mega Camerupt is capable of running a mixed tank set, since (predicted) 130 Attack and 135 Special Attack isn't necessarily horrid, it's plagued by its (predicted) horrendously low base 20 Speed. Unfortunately, it looks like Mega Camerupt isn't quite going to make it out of the gate.




Mega Altaria
Type: Dragon/Fairy
Predicted Stats: 75/90/110/100/125/90
Ability: Pixilate

Design: Mega Altaria is quite a cloudy cotton ball of fun, isn't it? I guess I can't say I expected anything different from that; considering my prediction that Mega Altaria would be Dragon/Fairy, I figured that it would look pretty delicate. I can say, however, that Game Freak took no real creative liberty here. But I guess it's just as well.

Deserving of this Mega: Aside from Druddigon and maybe Dragalge, Altaria is one of the worst Dragon-types out there, so it would only be fair to be kind to the ol' girl and give her a Mega. The main fault lies in how Altaria is one of very few defensive dragons, in a metagame that finds power in offensive dragons. It has a decent enough ability in Natural Cure, but its problem also lies in its movepool. Despite being a defensively oriented Dragon, it doesn't get a matching movepool; it receives the same treatment as the offensively based Dragon-types. While it has some interesting utility in being the only Dragon-type to receive competitively viable Fairy-type moves, it really isn't much coming from those base 70 offenses. A Mega is needed to boost it up...

Competitive Improvement: Mega Altaria gets the boosts it desperately needs, and a great offensive ability in Pixilate, so that is may cast off the shackles of the defensive dragon and become an offensive powerhouse. Still, its offenses are rather low for a Mega: the predicted base 100 Special Attack is the best it's got, which is a far cry from fellow Mega Fairy-type Mega Gardevoir, who boasts a powerful base 165 Special Attack along with Pixilate. However, not all is lost, as Mega Altaria boasts superior defenses, with its physical bulk far outclassing Mega Gardevoir's. Mega Altaria also comes with a huge shuffle in its defensive type effectiveness, where it boast a good number of resistances. Overall, Mega Altaria can prove to be pretty interesting if played right.






Mega Salamence
Type: Dragon/Flying
Predicted Stats: 95/155/120/110/100/120
Ability: Aerilate

Design: Mega Salamence really makes me confused. How does this thing fly? Or, does it glide? What does this thing do? I really don't get it, it's a really bizarre design that I feel doesn't suit Salamence in all of its intimidation.

Deserving of this Mega: Alright, I know, Salamence really hasn't been the same as back when it first took the metagame by storm. This generation was the first of which it wasn't any higher than OU. Now languishing its days in BL, Salamence now fits a category of Pokémon that are powerful, but...not. Now, does Salamence deserve a Mega? Now, let's not get too hasty; Salamence is perfectly capable of smashing through things with its base 130 Attack and its base 100 Speed isn't too shabby either. Sure, it's slower than most of its OU Dragon brethren, but it can become a huge threat if the opponent fails to tend to it quickly. Furthermore, a Mega Evolution would likely lead to similar consequences as Mega Gyarados, with Intimidate forcing possible threats out and Mega Evolving and Dragon Dancing for free. Mega Gyarados has a shabby movepool, while Mega Salamence would have lots of options. It could be brutal.

Competitive Improvement: Because of the previously explained scenario, Mega Salamence could really become dangerous given the right stat boosts. Aerilate makes it a very dangerous threat that is finally capable of using Flying STAB with Return, much like Mega Pinsir, but without the terrible defensive typing. Add onto that really usable 95/120/100 defenses and 155 Attack backed by 120 Speed, and you've got yourself one hell of a powerful Pokémon, capable of ripping anything to shreds. In fact, with these Defenses, Mega Salamence can even tank an Ice Shard from Mamoswine and OHKO back with Return. Mega Salamence would have just enough defense, power, movepool, and ability to wreak havoc. Definitely something to look out for.





Mega Metagross
Type: Steel/Psychic
Predicted Stats: 95/155/140/105/100/120
Ability: Tough Claws

Design: Oh, lord, this thing. THIS THING. Mega Metagross is simple, and yet very effective. I can only imagine this thing using the four legs on its back shooting exhaust out as it blazes its way through the air. That would be totally awesome.

Deserving of a Mega: Call me crazy, but I haven't really seen much of Metagross lately, although that could be attributed to the fact that Mega Charizard X has been pretty dominating, along with the Steel nerf giving it an unwanted extra two weaknesses to Ghost and Dark. Despite that, Metagross certainly has a lot going for it. Steel is still very good defensively, and 80/130/90 defenses are far from terrible. It can really put that power to use, and it can dish some damage out with its base 135 Attack. The only thing kinda letting it down is its base 70 Speed, which in itself isn't terrible thanks to priority Bullet Punch and access to Agility. There are lots of ways to run Mega Metagross too, so it certainly isn't bad.

Competitive Improvement: The confirmed boost to all of its stats with an emphasis on Speed will certainly give Mega Metagross a huge leg up over the metagame (heheh...see what I did there?). Anyways, Mega Metagross would certainly cause some chaos in the metagame with its base 155 Attack backed with Tough Claws. While this is good, I actually do not worry as much about Mega Metagross as much as I would for Mega Salamence because Mega Metagross lacks much in the way of stat boosting outside of Agility. It lacks much in the way of Attack-boosting, unlike Mega Salamence. It may have much more attacking ability than Mega Scizor, but it lacks recovery and boosting, which is fatal for a sweeper like Mega Metagross...unless it gets Shift Gear or something. Then we're screwed.

Generation IV Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    

Mega Garchomp
Type: Dragon/Ground
Base Stats: 108/170/115/120/95/92
Ability: Sand Force

Design: 5/10. The most notable difference is in its hands, which have turned into scythes. Now, don't get me wrong, scythes are cool, but I don't really see the usefulness of having them for hands. Yeah, you can hack and slash at stuff, but you can't pick anything up! That's horrible! Nothing should be subjected to such a terrible torment...well, I guess it doesn't really matter one way or the other...

Deserving of this Mega: 4/10. Garchomp has always been a pretty hard-hitting monster since its inception in Generation IV. Given its huge movepool and a great offensive Ground typing, it really can pack a wallop for the unwary. Sure, it has the Ice weakness, but what Dragon doesn't, really? Furthermore, its base 102 Speed really helps it over the base 100 borderline, helping it outspeed Salamence, Jirachi, Hydreigon, and base 100 powerhouses that would otherwise have Garchomp in a tight spot. Of course, Garchomp isn't totally flawless, but it's got a great offensive type, movepool, and ability. It isn't particularly needing of a boost.

Competitive Improvement: 9/20. Mega Garchomp would have been great, with such a powerful movepool and that amazing base 170 Attack that could rip apart its opponents, combined with its boosted defenses. It can even hit reliably hard with Draco Meteor if the situation called for it. But there was a problem to all of this: its Speed. The base 102 Speed was so important to Garchomp to outspeed threats, and the drop to base 92 Speed really hurts. Unable to outspeed Salamence, Hydreigon, and even Haxorus now, Mega Garchomp is particularly vulnerable to being outsped and being KO'd by a Dragon or Ice-type move. Furthermore, its ability, Sand Force, is not quite as useful as Mold Breaker or Rough Skin due to the nerf to weather. Not really a good change for Garchomp.

Overall: 18/40. Mega Garchomp really didn't get much of an improvement at all with its Mega, which is at the same time relieving and disappointing. I'm relieved that Mega Garchomp didn't become a potential Ubers hazard, but at the same time I kinda lament that the potential that Mega Garchomp might have had wasn't tapped.






Mega Lucario
Type: Fighting/Steel
Base Stats: 70/145/80/140/70/112
Ability: Adaptability

Design: 5.5/10. I hope I'm not the only one who believes this, but does anyone else get the sense that Mega Lucario was kinda...overdone? I mean, it's got so many markings on it, it makes me think that someone just took basic Lucario and splashed a bunch of lines on it and called it a Mega. It's a little too sloppy for me.

Deserving of this Mega: 5/10. Lucario got some boosts and some nerfs this generation. Lucario is one of the safer Fighting-types to use, considering its ability to take on Fairy-types without much worry, as its overwhelming offenses and Steel STABs can reliably handle Fairy-types not named Mawile. At the same time, it no longer resists Ghost-types, and it still lacked a reliable ability. Justified was not common at all, Inner Focus is an anti-hax ability, and Steadfast is like Inner Focus, but you still flinch, and in exchange get some Speed. Overall, really not that great abilities. Also, compared to some of the current powerhouses, Lucario's offenses were nothing short of average. A little boost wouldn't hurt much, would it?

Competitive Improvement: 5/20. Mega Lucario improved waaaay too much. Its 145/140/112 offenses were off the hook, and due to the even distribution between its Attack and Special Attack, one could never expect what set Mega Lucario was running until it was too late. To make matters worse, its frailty couldn't really be exploited as the more common priority moves didn't hit it for very much, except for Mach Punch. That said, Mega Lucario really wouldn't square off against a Fighting-type anyways. To add more pain, Adaptability made Mega Lucario an even bigger threat, with all of its STABs essentially being super effective against anything that didn't resist it initially. But, unlike with Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Lucario still had to deal with its horrid Defenses. Any super-effective hit would almost always OHKO it. With prior planning, Mega Lucario can be dealt with.

Overall: 15.5/40. Mega Lucario really was not a hit for me. A poor design, on a Pokémon that only needed a little boost, given way too much power. Sorry to say it, but I feel like all this stems from a sad case of fanservice for a favorite. Kinda like Mega Charizard X, except with more power and unpredictability.





Mega Abomasnow
Type: Grass/Ice
Base Stats: 90/132/105/132/105/30
Ability: Snow Warning

Design: 3.5/10. I don't know why, but Mega Abomasnow looks like an angry feral cat. That's not really the right impression to give someone when you make a Mega...or at least, I would hope...it doesn't seem particularly awe-inspiring.

Deserving of a Mega: 9/10. Abomasnow is a Pokémon cursed with quite possibly one of the worst defensive typings ever, being a combination of two bad defensive types. Packing a whopping 7 weaknesses and barely passable defenses, Abomasnow was there to set up hail and nothing more. Even then, Hail is not a very useful weather condition as it provides very little for the team outside of perfect-accuracy Blizzard and benefits to a few abilities, like the rare Ice Body. All in all, Abomasnow was an abomination (heheh...puns) that couldn't stand up to very much. A Mega, however, had the potential to make Abomasnow viable...possibly.

Competitive Improvement: 5.5/20. I'll just say this: good defensive stats don't mean anything if you have terrible defensive typing. And boy, does Abomasnow hit that problem hard. Not to mention the weather nerf, Mega Abomasnow brings nothing new to the table, its offenses are backed by an even lower base 30 Speed, which means it basically gets outsped by everything in existence. It does get Ice Shard, but that's about it. It's mauled by Fire-types, it's crippled by slow speed, it's just...bad. For every step up its base stats gave it, another problem comes and knocks it back down. I am very dissapointed. I guess it has some utility in doubles, but...

Overall: 18/40. Mega Abomasnow, unfortunately, sucks. It really doesn't get much and its abilities are more or less the same as before. Much more could have been done, but unfortunately we're stuck with this guy.
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    

Mega Lopunny
Type: Normal/Fighting
Predicted Stats: 65/116/94/54/106/145
Ability: Scrappy

Design: A more athletic Lopunny is actually not too shabby a design idea, and I like the direction they took it. Sure, it's not too big a difference, but it's enough to notice that Lopunny looks a lot more nimble and agile in this form.

Deserving of this Mega: Lopunny really isn't that great. Cursed with incredibly mediocre stats and very bad abilities, with Limber being the only consistent ability (aside from those bizarre Klutz + Switcheroo combinations) Lopunny is no more than an NU figure, where it doesn't even see much play there. Its movepool is not too bad, like most Normal-types, but Normal STAB isn't the most reliable way to do damage. Not to mention that it's quite frail and can only do as a passable physical sweeper. Lopunny needed some form of boost, somewhere, anywhere.

Competitive Improvement: While it's likely not to improve drastically, Scrappy with Normal and Fighting STAB is something that Lopunny could only dream of before. Now able to spam High Jump Kick without fear of a Ghost-type switching in, increased offensive prowess gives Lopunny a new set of tricks. Also, thanks to Lopunny's pretty good physical movepool, Mega Lopunny can be a fast and frail physical sweeper, likely to make its mark in the UU tier. Predicted base 145 Speed is very fast, and while 116 Attack isn't particularly groundbreaking, it certainly adds a whole bunch of power to what Lopunny had before. Still, it remains somewhat frail, though its Special Defense breaking the 100 cap is pretty impressive in itself.






Mega Gallade
Type: Psychic/Fighting
Predicted Stats: 68/165/65/85/135/100
Ability: Inner Focus

Design: Mega Gallade is...art. It is amazing. That cape, that stance, those arms! It all screams knightly, gentlemanly goodness! I haven't liked a design this much since Mega Banette! AGH IT'S TOO BEAUTIFUL!

Deserving of this Mega: Gallade is a bit of an anomalous figure in the competitive battling scene. Most Fighting-types are almost exclusively geared towards offense, while Gallade is capable of both offense and defense. The problem is that it doesn't quite do both as well as other Pokémon of its type can. It's outshone on the offensive side when compared to the Fighting-types like Terrakion and Mega Medicham, and it's outshone in utility compared to other Psychic-types like Mew and Espeon. Gallade is just kinda mediocre at what it does, which is kinda sad. Add onto that its lacking abilities; Steadfast is not too great while Justified is situational at best.

Competitive Improvement: Yes, I was lazy and I just switched Mega Gardevoir's Attack and Special Attack to get Mega Gallade's stats. Problem? Well, it leads to reason that Mega Gallade wouldn't stray too far from Mega Gardevoir stat-wise. Anyways, with that hugely buffed Attack stat, Mega Gallade can begin to perform the role of other Fighting-types, with its massive special bulk and decent Speed. It may fail to outshine Conkeldurr, but at least now it's somewhat more viable than before. However, Gallade still lacks powerful attacking options, and its new ability is not an improvement over its base form's ability. Furthermore, it lacks strong power STAB outside of Close Combat, and most of its moves are more utility-based. So while it has gained the distinction of a physical attacker with special bulk, it still kinda retains the movepool of a utility Pokémon.

Generation V Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    
None as of yet!
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    

Mega Audino
Type: Normal/Fairy
Predicted Stats: 103/70/126/70/126/50
Ability: Healer

Design: Mega Audino hands down is the current winner of cutest Mega Evolution. I wasn't really sure what could be made of a Mega Evolution out of Audino, but thankfully it turned out a really pretty pink and cute design!

Deserving of a Mega: Audino's a really weird case. It feels like Audino tries to do Chansey and Blissey's job, but ultimately became a really bad knockoff of them. With really lame abilities outside of Regenerator, Audino was purely clerical, passing the Wish and Heal Bell healing. Essentially it was Taunt bait. Unlike Chansey and Blissey, however, it had very balanced defenses; 103/86/86 defenses weren't terrible, but they were far from optimal. There were greater clerics with higher defenses and Audino was just far too outclassed. Stat boosts and a great change to its movepool would be needed to bring Audino to stardom.

Competitive Improvement: Much like Mega Slowbro, Mega Audino would have done much better with Regenerator, since it has no other form of recovery. However, unlike Mega Slowbro, Healer can be pretty interesting in the doubles metagame. It's clear that Audino was built with the Doubles metagame in mind, what with its access to Entrainment and Heal Pulse. But now, Mega Audino can play the support game pretty well with this new Mega Evolution in tow. With more survivability under 103/126/126 defenses and slightly higher offenses, Mega Audino can strike with Dazzling Gleam for some residual damage and heal its allies with Heal Pulse. However, this is still gimmicky and will need work provided it receives no changes to its movepool.

Generation VI Mega Evolutions    
Currently Released Megas    
None as of yet!
Revealed but Unreleased Megas    

Mega Diancie
Type: Rock/Fairy
Predicted Stats: 50/130/130/130/130/130
Ability: Magic Bounce

Design: Hey, look, it's Madokami! Jokes aside, Mega Diancie is very regal, kinda like Mega Gardevoir. It seems a little too billowy for me, but then again Mega Diancie is supposed to be some princess of the Diamond Country or something, according to the movie, so I guess it's befitting.

Deserving of a Mega: Diancie...I normally would feel opposed to a legendary Pokémon getting a Mega Evolution, but Diancie's a weird case. Unlike most legendaries, Diancie does not focus on offenses very much, preferring to set up Stealth Rock and maybe dual screens, but it does have some offensive options such as Moonblast and its signature move Diamond Storm, which is actually quite good. Still, Diancie's 50/150/150 are like a toned-down Deoxys-D's defenses, but there's also the 4x weakness to Steel-types, along with Rock just being a horrid defensive type in general. Diancie getting a Mega wouldn't spell out doom, like it did with Mewtwo, but it could certainly be a game changer, depending on what they do.

Competitive Improvement: On a defense-based Pokémon like Diancie, Magic Bounce is extremely good. It has the stats to back it up, making it a better candidate for the ability than Mega Sableye, but it has been confirmed that Mega Diancie will take a more offensive role with its offensive stats increasing while its defenses decrease. Unable to decide how much it was going to be, I just set Mega Diancie's stats to 130 across the board, aside from the base 50 HP. This makes Mega Diance quite a relevant threat, though even more threatened by the likes of Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch. That said, what would be best for Diancie is if it gained a bit more of an offensive movepool, although Moonblast + Psychic + Diamond Storm isn't too bad in itself. Under the Mega, Diancie will be able to make a more offensive approach, unlike its base form.




EDIT: Here's an explanation of scores:

Scores and their Meaning    
A score of 35.5/40 - 40/40: For a Mega Evolution to attain this score, it must excel in all three categories: It should be a Mega Evolution that has good design, improves a Pokémon to popularity and/or provide a new strategy for the Pokémon to use, and it must be a Mega Evolution of a Pokémon that really could use the boost. On the last category, I'd like to think I'm rather lenient; everything UU and below could use a boost in the right direction, while I give generally lower scores to OU 'mons. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Pinsir [36/40]

A score of 30.5/40 - 35/40: Megas in this range are usually Pokémon that were designed and implemented well, but with one minor flaw, usually being that the Pokémon wasn't particularly in need of a Mega Evolution or that the Pokémon in question didn't get as big a boost as one might hope. Still, the Pokémon is usually very usable in competitive play and is real eye candy as far as design goes. Most Megas actually fall in this category. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Medicham [34.5/40]
  • Mega Scizor [32/40]
  • Mega Gyarados [31/40]
  • Mega Tyranitar [31/40]
  • Mega Mawile [31/40]
  • Mega Charizard X [30.5/40]
  • Mega Gardevoir [30.5/40]

A score of 25.5/40 - 30/40: Megas in this range usually have a particularly glaring flaw, be it in their design, their competitive improvement, or just because they didn't really need a Mega Evolution. Sometimes it's also a combination of two of the factors, though in those situations it's usually a less glaring flaw. Most Megas in this can range from mediocre to usable, mostly depending on how their designs are. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Venusaur [29/40]
  • Mega Heracross [28.5/40]
  • Mega Manectric [27/40]
  • Mega Aggron [26/40]
  • Mega Aerodactyl [25.5/40]

A score of 20.5/40 - 25/40: Megas in this range tend to have something really glaringly wrong with them and are more or less only mediocre in competitive play compared to other Mega Evolutions. Some of these also have really strange design premises or just flat-out not that great. While they're not terrible, many of these aren't worth the Mega Evolution slot or have other really glaring flaws. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Alakazam [25/40]
  • Mega Houndoom [24.5/40]
  • Mega Banette [24.5/40]
  • Mega Ampharos [24/40]
  • Mega Absol [24/40]

A score of 15.5/40 - 20/40: OK, now we're starting to get into the terribad zone. Most of these Pokémon are bad because they improved very little or because their Mega Evolutions were unnecessary additions to powerful Pokémon that already existed. A few of these, however, are also Pokémon that improved way too much following Mega Evolution, and some just have really dumb looking designs as well. Overall, we're scratching the bottom with these guys. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Blastoise [20/40]
  • Mega Charizard Y [18/40]
  • Mega Garchomp [18/40]
  • Mega Abomasnow [18/40]
  • Mega Lucario [15.5/40]

A score of 10.5/40 - 15/40: Almost all Mega Evolutions that fall this flat are pretty bad on all accounts; lacking design, worth of Mega Evolution, and improvement upon Mega Evolution all have major flaws that cause me to cringe. Flaws can range from being far too powerful for the metagame to handle, or simply just not being too great an improvement at all over its base form, or both. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Blaziken [15/40]
  • Mega Gengar [14.5/40]
  • Mega Mewtwo Y [14/40]
  • Mega Mewtwo X [13.5/40]

A score of 5.5/40 - 10/40: Mega Evolutions that fall here are terrible in all form, and make me cringe at the pure mention of these creatures. Nothing I say can accurately sum up the pure hatred and malice I bear for these designs. Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Mega Kangaskhan [9/40]

A score of 0/40 - 5/40: GAME FREAK WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? Mega Evolutions that fall in this range are:
  • Thankfully, none.

Last edited by GrassPokemonFTW; September 20, 2014 at 07:59:51 AM.
  #2  
Old September 1, 2014, 09:55:21 PM
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Dragonite Dragonite is offline
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Would have gone with "rabid feral cat" for Abomasnow, and probably rated Charizard as much less deserving because Charizard was still functional and the Megas were basically advertising for X and Y, but I still look forward to seeing future coverage here!
  #3  
Old September 5, 2014, 01:32:31 PM
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GrassPokemonFTW GrassPokemonFTW is offline
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Made some edits:
  • Mega Manectric's rating has been increased, while Mega Banette's rating has been decreased. Also I miscalculated Mega Scizor, so the correct rating has been added.
  • I added some score tiering, so that the ratings don't seem like arbitrary numbers.
  #4  
Old September 12, 2014, 07:51:14 AM
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GrassPokemonFTW GrassPokemonFTW is offline
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Added reviews and comments regarding the recently revealed Mega Evolutions, Mega Sharpedo, Mega Camerupt, and Mega Gallade.
 
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