Z-A Mega Evolution in Pokemon Champions Has One Great Strategy

One of the perks of playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A for almost 700 hours is that I already have all the good Pokemon available now in Pokemon Champions, and most of them I also have as shiny. Which doesn’t make them more powerful or anything, but if I can make a full shiny team that also performs well, then I’m even happier. One of my favorite Pokemon from the selection of Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC was Mega Meowstic, both because its boss fight was very frustrating and because its design is perfect, in my opinion. Plus, I adore cats, and I have three of my own. So, naturally, I was very excited about it in Pokemon Champions.

The entire buildup to Pokemon Champions‘ release was something I was very happy with, as some of the new abilities were gradually revealed to increase the hype. As soon as the three starters from Pokemon Legends: Z-A officially got their abilities, though, there was a sudden shift in expectations – two Megas, Feraligatr and Meganium, got a nice and powerful ability, but Mega Emboar didn’t. Some fans started worrying that their favorite Megas would get bad abilities, and unfortunately, this was the case for several of them, including Mega Meowstic. However, it has a redeeming quality.

How to Get Mega Meowstic in Pokemon Legends Z-A Mega Dimension DLC

Learn how to unlock Mega Meowstick and the location of the Meowsticite in Pokemon Legends Z-A Mega Dimension DLC with this guide.

Pokemon Champions’ Mega Meowstic Has an Ace Up Its Sleeve

One of the most common theories I’ve seen before Pokemon Champions‘ release was that Mega Meowstic would get Psychic Surge. This ability is very powerful, as it allows the user to summon Psychic Terrain upon entering the field, instantly allowing itself or its partner in double battle teams in Pokemon Champions to click Expanding Force and deal ridiculous amounts of damage.

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However, this is most likely the exact reason why Psychic Surge was not assigned to Mega Meowstic, to the point that Pokemon Champions doesn’t include Indeedee and Rillaboom, possibly to avoid Terrain-setting Pokemon for a while. Instead, Mega Meowstic got Trace, which is very middling at best. What it does is copy the opponent’s ability in single battles and one of the opposing Pokemon’s abilities in doubles. Essentially, it’s very unreliable and sometimes straight-up useless, which is the same problem Mega Alakazam has had for a decade.

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Mega Meowstic was immediately written off as useless, and while I don’t blame anyone for doing so, given its stats and terrible ability, it can be quite a bit better than Mega Alakazam. This is due to a few reasons:

Meowstic gets access to Fake Out, which is a very good priority move to make an opponent flinch on the first turn and miss out on some action.
Base Meowstic can have Competitive as its ability, which completely counters Incineroar in Pokemon Champions, as well as any other Intimidate users, because it raises the Pokemon’s Special Attack stat by two stages when one of its stats is lowered.
Meowstic can still set up Psychic Terrain to then go for hard-hitting Expanding Force, or it can have its partner do it instead.
A very powerful Hisuian Pokemon to pair with Meowstic is Wyrdeer, as it has Intimidate and Skill Swap. What this means is that not only does Wyrdeer lower the opponents’ Attack stat when it enters the field, but it can also use Skill Swap on the first turn to give Intimidate to an opposing Pokemon and rob them of a useful ability, all while letting Meowstic’s Competitive proc.
Then, after using Protect or Fake Out on turn one, and after Wyrdeer’s Skill Swap on the same turn, Meowstic can Mega Evolve and enjoy a two-stage Special Attack boost that can carry it for an entire game.

Why Wyrdeer Works in Pokemon Champions’ Meta

Giving an opposing Pokemon Intimidate is very powerful for critters with Competitive or Defiant, and it can be all the better now that Incineroar’s use is dropping in Pokemon Champions due to Milotic’s rise in the meta. Between Milotic and Kingambit, Intimidate can backfire a bit if used on Wyrdeer, but it can give Mega Meowstic the edge it needs.

On top of that, some of the most used Pokemon in Pokemon Champions are physical attackers, so Intimidate Wyrdeer also acts as an insurance policy to make Meowstic have more staying power against the likes of Sneasler and Basculegion. Having Wyrdeer use Skill Swap on Kingambit can also be very good, despite the initial 1-stage boost it may get with Defiant, as then Wyrdeer gets Defiant in place on Intimidate, and Kingambit’s newly acquired Intimidate procs both Meowstic’s Competitive and Wyrdeer’s Defiant.

Then, Skill Swap can be used to take Unburden away from Sneasler to make it slower, it can be used to take Adaptability away from Basculegion to reduce its damage output, it can be used to control the weather by getting Drizzle or Drought, for example, and it can be used to steal Archaludon’s Stamina. There are many applications for this combo, and it single-handedly makes Mega Meowstic quite strong, which I’m very grateful for.

It may not be the best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions, but Mega Meowstic can hold its own if used correctly. On top of that, it’s worth noting that it can Trace Intimidate once Wyrdeer passes it to an opponent with Skill Swap, further reducing any physical attacker’s damage output. If you haven’t tried this strategy yet, I recommend you do. Worst-case scenario, it’s a fun combo to pull off, but it can also win you some games.