The biggest surprise of the Feb. 27 Pokémon Presents was the announcement of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, taking place in Lumiose City of Gen VI’s Kalos region. The trailer teased the return of Mega Evolution and Pokémon pros are already worried that a certain Starter might get a Mega buff.
The Pokémon community has already begun theorizing about all the possibilities with the upcoming Legends: Z-A game, but the one aspect that many competitive players are focusing on is the return of the Mega Evolution mechanic. First introduced in Gen VI, Mega Evolution was a game-changer for the main series games, blessing a handful of lucky Pokémon with temporary evolutions. This was a huge buff for otherwise mediocre ‘mons like Kangaskhan and Mawile as they were given better stats and Abilities.
But Pokémon pros, including former world champion Wolfe Glick, are worried the mechanic could strengthen Pokémon that are already too powerful for their own good—like Incineroar. The Gen VII Fire Starter is historically one of the best Pokémon in competitive VGC with its fantastic utility in the form of Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, and more. In fact, Glick used Incineroar to win the biggest Pokémon VGC tournament to date.
Glick makes a pretty good point that Incineroar could be one of the three Starters in Legends: Z-A if we rule out a few other Fire Starters like Charizard and Blaziken who already have Mega Evolutions, Typhlosion who was a Legends: Arceus Starter, and Gen VI’s Delphox. This leaves the Fire Starter options to Incineroar, Infernape, Emboar, Cinderace, and Skeledirge. Of course, it also wouldn’t be surprising if Game Freak took this opportunity to give Charizard a third Mega—Mega Charizard Z.
At the same time, Mega Evolution wouldn’t necessarily be a buff for the Incineroar we know and love (or hate). Even though Mega Evolutions are generally seen as an enhancer for Pokémon who get access to it, they aren’t always better. Mega Garchomp, for example, is actually slower than its regular form, which could prove to be a disadvantage in some scenarios. Similarly, Mega Ampharos gained three huge defensive weaknesses in exchange for one viable STAB Dragon-type attack and a wig.
So, for all we know, if Mega Incineroar comes to fruition, the ‘mon could end up being worse than its current state. After all, Incineroar already has a great typing, Ability, and move pool. If its typing or Ability were to change, it might actually be a nerf. But if its stats simply get a boost, then sure, Mega Incineroar will be a bigger menace than it already is—and that is indeed a scary thought.
