Summary
Mega Evolutionsare coming back to the Pokemon core gameswithPokemon Legends: Z-A,and players are trying to pick their favorites, or get a grasp on the best options for a possible return of this mechanic to the competitive scene.
In this list, players will find theworst Mega Evolutionsranked from worst to more viable to pick as their mains. This classification was made according to their stats, competitive viability (duos/singles), moveset, strategy, and exploitable vulnerabilities (type, counters, etc.). It is important to mention that official stat values are read as the last appearance of these Pokemon in core games, but these values might be subjected to change oncePokemon Legends: Z-Areleases.
1Mega Audino
Used To Be A Good Option Thanks To Its Ability, But Now Its Advantage Is Gone
Audino has always been a supporter Pokemon, and during certain stages of the competitive scene, it shone asone of the best ‘Healer’ Pokemonin the roster. But, as time went by and more viable options (Blissey, Comfey, Roserade) gained relevance, its Mega Evolution became obsolete.
One of the main issues about Mega Audino is stat-related since it only adds some extra Defense, Sp. Attack and Sp. Def, while also eliminating one of Audino’s main advantages: the Normal monotype. So, Mega Audino, in the current meta (and probably after the release ofPokemon Legends: Z-A), is the worst Mega Evolution, with limited access to viable competitive moves of the Fairy-type, and is outperformed by 70 % of the roster in terms of speed. If any of the Mega Evolutions is screaming for a stat boost, that is Mega Audino.
2Mega Banette
Great Ability But Poor Stat Distribution
Mega Banette can be intimidating at a glance, but those who are embedded in the competitive scene know all too well that looks can be deceiving. With a measly 64 HP base and laughable defenses, it is by far one of the squishiest Megas in the game. Due to its extremely low speed, it is easilycountered by any Dark-type, and its lack of good STAB moves makes its viability as a wallbreaker questionable.
At the end of the day, stat distribution didn’t work so well for Mega Bannette, and its 165 Attack is wasted on a Pokemon that doesn’t have too many Base Power moves. Its only redeemable feature would be its Prankster ability, which could potentially turn Banette into a Status delivery, but its only good move for this is Will-O-Wisp, and there are many Pokemon in the competitive scene that can counter burn (plus Lum Berry). Yet another Mega that should receive a considerable buff if it ever returns.
3Mega Abomasnow
Mega Abomasnow is one of those situational Megas that can really pack a punch, thanks to itsaccess to powerful STAB moveslike Blizzard, Wood Hammer, and Ice Shard. Its Grass-Ice dual type made it one of the most notorious picks for competition for the past decade. But its x4 disadvantage against the top picks for Fire-type Fast Attackers (especially Cinderace, Incineroar, and Talonflame) would turn this Pokemon into charcoal in one move, especially due to its lack of speed and subpar HP.
At the end of the day, Mega Abomasnow is situational at best, thanks to its access to many coverage moves (it can even learn Earthquake) and viability for smack builds using Speed EVs and its Swords Dance/Wood Hammer combo. Still, since it is also vulnerable to Hazards (Stealth Rock ruins it), and these moves have become top of the Meta, it would be best to rely on other mixed attackers before relying on the Frost Tree Pokemon.
Mega Ampharos has been questioned as one of the most neglected Megas in the roster, with access to an extreme Sp. Attack boost in exchange for losing more of its already negligible base Speed. To make things even worse, it becomes adual Electric/Dragon-type, which exposes it to tons of possible counter STAB moves. Mold Breaker (its core Ability) would make more sense if it had access to good coverage moves, which it doesn’t.
And to make things even harder for its competitive viability, the main meta always includes either a Fairy or Ice type with powerful moves that could end its career at a flick of the thumb. Other strong STAB attackers have access to Earthquake, which is a guaranteed OHKO for Mega Ampharos. Its type combination couldn’t be any worse for the current meta, and there’s yet another challenger that has become an uber-counter for poor Mega Ampharos and can be extremely difficult to tackle: Mega-Diancie. Not even if all the planets are aligned, and players run it with a support build (often called Cleric) does Mega Ampharos become any better than it already is: situational at best, cannon fodder if counter-picked.
5Mega Glalie
Decent STAB At The Cost Of High-Risk Moves
Mega Glalie’s only redeemable feature is its Refrigerate ability, which turns all Normal-Type moves into Ice-type moves. This makes the use of Double-Edge, and Hyper Beampowerful STAB options for wallbreaking, in exchange for wearing down Mega-Glalie or exchanging it for the enemy’s strongest attacker using Explosion (as a last resort). But players should maximize Speed and Attack for this strategy to work, causing Mega Glalie’s already negligible bulk to become a liability.
Another smart move is to use it as a Hazard /Revenge Kill Pokemon (Spikes, Earthquake, Ice Shard, Return), but that diminishes its STAB capability and eliminates the high-risk/high-reward viability. So, in the end, Mega Glalie is situational at best, and a hard Mon to master in the competitive scene since it suffers greatly against Bulky Pokemon like Vaporeon, Blastoise, and Slowking or the powerful Attacker Delphox that can banish it with a single STAB move. It has subpar stats for a Mega Evolution, which could use a boost, though from the only three Pokemon that can use Refrigerate, it is the best choice.
6Mega Camerupt
Slow Glass-Cannon, Good STAB But Has Tons Of Counters
When Camerupt undergoes Mega Evolution, it gains a substantial boost to Defense, Sp. Atk, and Sp. Def in exchange for dropping to the lowest of the low in terms of speed: 20. That means this Pokemon, without access to a Trick Room supporter in duos, is a sitting duck waiting to be OHKOed by powerful Water Speed Attackers like Greninja and Floatzel, and Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon, Blastoise, Swampert, and Mega Swampert can totally outperform it even in Trick Room situations.
Its x4 vulnerability to Water-type is even a major flaw against opponents like Quaquaval, Inteleon, Kingler, and the list can go on and on. There’s a wide array of possible counters or checks for this slow glass-cannon Pokemon, and its utility in the current meta is practically null.
7Mega Steelix
Situational, Bulky, But Still Easy To Counter
With one of the Highest Defense stats in the current Pokemon roster, Mega Steelix is considered the go-to tank, which also has lots of viable STAB builds and access to one of the meta Hazard moves in the current competitive: Stealth Rock. Bulky but slow, Mega Steelix is a reliable choice against powerful foes like Togekiss, Mega Altaria, and is one of the strongest counters against Cleric Mega Ampharos.
Its Sand Force ability is one of the best things it has, but, at the same time, its dual typing makes it vulnerable to a lot of different types, and Special Attackers like Chandelure can melt it in no time (same withOgerpon Wellspring Mask). Also, it is absolutely vulnerable to Strong Fighting types like Cobalion, Terrakion, Mega Lucario, Iron Valiant, or Quaquaval. Still, Mega Steelix is known for being one of the sturdiest coverage tanks since it has access to most Fang Moves (Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang). Allthough good in theory, in practice, Steelix falls short in speed, reliability, and versatility against most of the current meta picks.
8Mega Garchomp
Has One Of The Worst Stat Trade-Offs Of All Megas
Garchomp without its Mega Evolution is one of the Fastest Ground STAB attackers and a fearsome Earthquake user that can OHKO dozens of different meta Pokemon (even if not vulnerable). When it evolves into Mega Garchomp, it loses one of its best qualities, since its base speed drops by 10. Sure, most players will say it is a good tradeoff since it gains 40 points in Attack, 20 in Defense, 40 in Special Attack, and 10 in Special Defense for a measly 10-speed drop.
But that is just what creates an opening for powerful Dragon-types like Haxorus, Hydreigon,and even Mega Charizard X, that will now outspeed Mega Garchomp and will be able to break it apart before it can even set a Stealth Rock or use powerful boosts like Swords Dance. Still, another of its redeemable features is its access to a wide arsenal of coverage moves like Aqua Tail, Aerial Ace, Fire Fang, and more. All in all, Mega Garchomp is quite viable in competitive play, but only on paper. In practice, smart trainers use powerful Fairy-types like Clefeable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Koko, and that is enough to break Garchomp apart.
