Z Mega Evolutions: Full Preview, Builds, Strengths and Weaknesses Before Regulation M-C

Z Mega Evolutions are close. They'll join the fray on September 9, and a lot of us are wondering whether they're going to be good additions to the existing meta. We'll try covering each of them in this article, first by reviewing their strengths and weaknesses, and second by suggesting one interesting build for each of them to try when Regulation M-C drops next week.

Here we go!

Mega Lucario Z

Mega Lucario Z, as well as the other Z Megas, features a stunning 151 Speed and a whopping 164 Sp. Atk stat for an amazingly aggressive combination. Its all-new ability "Aura Guard" (name not confirmed yet) reduces damage received from contact moves, which gives it extra survivability, though it hardly compensates for its terrible defensive stats: 70 HP, 70 Def, 70 Sp. Def.

Its typing makes it weak to some meta threats, especially Mega Charizard Y mega-charizard-y

and Garchomp

, against which Aura Guard does nothing: Earthquake is not a contact move and still threatens a OHKO on Mega Lucario Z.

However, its speed makes Mega Lucario Z a real threat to some other meta Pokémon like Mega Aerodactyl mega-aerodactyl

and Mega Froslass mega-froslass

, both of which it can outspeed and OHKO with Flash Cannon, and Steel-types like Archaludon

and Kingambit

, although it would need to run Focus Blast for a guaranteed OHKO on these two.

That being said, here's an interesting Mega Lucario Z build you might want to try out:

Extreme Speed is a good addition to pick off weakened foes, with Mega Lucario's base 100 Atk being rather solid. To optimize Extreme Speed's damage, we're choosing a Naive nature instead of Timid, since the terrible bulk of Mega Lucario Z won't be much worse with a hindering nature anyway.

Another option would be to run Calm Mind, but considering Mega Lucario's poor chances of surviving many attacks, it will need some help from other Pokémon like Maushold

(Friend Guard + Follow Me) to protect it while setting up.

Mega Garchomp Z

Mega Garchomp Z is a weird take. It still has good offensive base stats with 130 Atk and 141 Sp. Atk, a medium bulk with 108 HP and 85 Def/Sp. Def, and the same Speed tier of 151 as the other Z Megas. It loses its Ground typing upon Mega evolving, and gains the Levitate ability, making it immune to Ground-type damage. The real question is: what purpose do these changes serve? A few things are impacted here:

Its pure Dragon typing means that it's harder to KO than regular Garchomp , but it loses its Ground STAB in the process, which is one of the things that make regular Garchomp so dangerous.
Its ability lets it switch into opposing (or allied) Earthquakes, but it requires having already Mega evolved first, which is a big downside: your opponent will know you have a Levitate user in the back.
Its speed makes it a direct threat to opposing Garchomp, if they're not using a Choice Scarf . Note though that a Timid Mega Garchomp Z might not OHKO an uninvested regular Garchomp with Dragon Pulse; you'd need to run Draco Meteor for guaranteed OHKO.

Point 1 is the one for which we can't yet estimate the real effects. It will take time and play testing before getting a good picture of it. However, it seems like Mega Garchomp Z might be a lesser version of regular Garchomp, just like its original Mega counterpart. The reason for this is that the Mega Stone prevents the use of any of the items that make Garchomp so threatening and hard to predict in closed team list ladder.

Still, we could try a build like the following:

The idea of this build is to take advantage of Mega Garchomp Z's Speed to run a Modest nature and use it as a special attacker with coverage options. Draco Meteor guarantees a OHKO on opposing Garchomp

, Fire Blast lets it pierce through Pokémon like Gholdengo

, and Power Gem lets it crush Mega Charizard Y mega-charizard-y

. Flamethrower can replace Fire Blast and its poor accuracy, and Earth Power might be another interesting coverage option depending on what the team needs. You could also try a physically offensive version, as its Atk stat is still solid. There are many options with Mega Garchomp Z, just like with regular Garchomp.

Your call!

Mega Absol Z

Absol pushes its downsides and upsides even further with its Z Mega Evolution. Its defensive stats are horrendous: 65 HP and 60 Def/Sp. Def, even worse than Mega Lucario Z. It still has a great Atk stat of 154 and the Z Mega Speed tier of 151, which makes it a fairly straightforward Pokémon to build around. Its Sharpness ability adds to the picture by making it an obvious physical attacker.

There are several things to keep in mind with Mega Absol Z:

Pure Dark-type is not great. It does not hit many Pokémon super effectively with its STAB, and gets threatened by common offensive types in the format in Fairy and Fighting. Combined with poor defensive stats, Mega Absol won't be able to survive long on the battlefield.
Its Sharpness ability lets it hit hard with Night Slash and some coverage options like Psycho Cut or X-Scissor
It can be run with Swords Dance as a setup sweeper, although like Mega Lucario Z it will need the help of a good partner to set up

That being said, here's a build you might want to use:

Jolly is required for Mega Absol Z to outspeed and OHKO Mega Delphox mega-delphox

with Night Slash. Psycho Cut is used to hit dangerous Fighting-types like Sneasler

(beware of Focus Sash focus-sash

giving Sneasler the opportunity to hit back and, obviously, OHKO Mega Absol Z in return), and Mega Staraptor mega-staraptor

, while Close Combat (not boosted by Sharpness though) is used to hit the likes of Kingambit

and Archaludon

It's hard to tell whether Mega Absol Z will perform well or poorly in the upcoming Regulation M-C, though it has the potential to be a real threat against some meta Pokémon. It will largely depend on what new Pokémon and items are added with the new regulation.

Conclusion

These Z Mega Evolutions are really interesting and might be underestimated. They were designed as very fast threats, based on already aggressive Pokémon with good coverage and setup options. Their performance will depend on the meta after the new regulation drops: if their typing and coverage allows one of them to become a real challenger, it might become meta really fast. Otherwise, they'll act as niche options to cover very specific situations.