One of the best and simultaneously most dreaded parts of Pokemon Champions‘ release and future updates is finding out what kind of abilities and moves the new Mega Evolutions from Pokemon Legends: Z-A end up getting. The good part of the process is that it builds hype whenever new Megas become available after this first batch, as players are usually excited to learn what tools each Mega Evolution will have. The bad part is that many of the Mega Evolutions now added to Pokemon Champions have subpar abilities, such as the disappointing Mold Breaker on Mega Emboar.
Some Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Z-A did get great new abilities in Pokemon Champions, with a prime example being Mega Meganium. The Gen 2 starter, which has historically been one of the worst starters of all time in competitive play, if not the worst, gets a new ability called Mega Sol that no other Pokemon has. This makes Mega Meganium act as if it’s always under the effects of Drought/sunny weather for its moves, but it doesn’t affect the actual weather or the moves of other Pokemon. Another Pokemon with a unique new ability that generated a lot of hype upon reveal is Mega Feraligatr, but it lands between Emboar and Meganium in terms of utility and power.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Biggest Loss is Pokemon Champions’ Biggest Gain
Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Pokemon Champions experiment with the battle formula differently, which bodes well for the latter’s upcoming release.
Pokemon Champions’ Mega Feraligatr is More Disappointing Than You’d Think
One of the best parts of Mega Feraligatr’s new kit is that its signature ability is Dragonize, which turns Normal-type moves into Dragon-type moves and also boosts their power by 20%. On paper, this effect seems very exciting and powerful, as similar abilities have historically been amazing on Mega Evolutions. However, the excitement can quickly dwindle when looking at Mega Feraligatr’s moves in Pokemon Champions, as well as its overall stats.
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Mega Feraligatr has the following stats:
- 85 HP (160 before SP)
- 160 Attack (180 before SP)
- 125 Defense (145 before SP)
- 89 Special Attack (109 before SP)
- 93 Special Defense (113 before SP)
- 78 Speed (98 before SP)
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Mega Feraligatr’s best Normal-type moves, specifically attacks, include:
- Body Slam, Physical, 85 BP, 100% accuracy, 102 BP with Dragonize
- Double-Edge, Physical, 120 BP, 100% accuracy, recoil damage, 144 BP with Dragonize
- Facade, Physical, 70 BP, 100% accuracy, double damage if affected by status, 84/168 BP with Dragonize
- Giga Impact, Physical, 150 BP, 90% accuracy, cannot act next turn, 180 BP with Dragonize
- Hyper Beam, Special, 150 BP, 90% accuracy, cannot act next turn, 180 BP with Dragonize
- Mega Kick, Physical, 120 BP, 75% accuracy, 144 BP with Dragonize
- Round, Special, 60 BP, 100% accuracy, double damage if used after another Round, 72/144 BP with Dragonize
- Snore, Special, 50 BP, 100% accuracy, only usable when asleep, 60 BP with Dragonize
- Thrash, Physical, 120 BP, 100% accuracy, must repeat the move two to three times in a row and becomes confused afterwards, 144 BP with Dragonize
- Uproar, Special, 90 BP, 100% accuracy, must repeat the move for three turns and prevents Pokemon from sleeping, 108 BP with Dragonize
Why You Shouldn’t Use Mega Feraligatr in Pokemon Champions
As such, the problem is that Mega Feraligatr’s best moves to pair with Dragonize are only Facade and Double-Edge, but both have issues. Facade is only truly strong when it doubles its power, but to do so, Mega Feraligatr must be affected by a status condition. You can achieve this yourself, perhaps by using Will-O-Wisp to burn the Pokemon or Toxic to poison it, but it’s a waste of a Pokemon’s turn to do this, and without Guts, the burn also reduces Feraligatr’s Attack. The other option is Double-Edge, but it lets Mega Feraligatr take recoil damage, which reduces its staying power. Neither option makes this Mega one of the best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions, but it gets worse when looking at the remaining stats.
Mega Feraligatr’s Attack is amazing, and one of the highest in the series, but its Speed is pretty lacking. The main issue is that Mega Feraligatr is neither fast enough to excel under Tailwind nor slow enough to fit the best Trick Room teams in Pokemon Champions. This severely undermines the potential of this Pokemon, as there are better options overall in each Speed tier. Then, you would probably need to support it with Sinistcha for some healing via Hospitality, all just to use Double-Edge for some extra Dragon damage.
Mega Feraligatr wants to be a powerful sweeper, but it lacks the Speed and moves to achieve as much. Even if you use Dragon Dance on it, it still needs to survive the turn and then outspeed on the following turn to deal more damage and have better Speed tiers accordingly. All these features make Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Feraligatr a bit disappointing in Pokemon Champions, and while it’s not the worst Mega out there, it definitely is not among the best. Time will tell if better strategies for it are found, but for now, Mega Feraligatr is barely decent.
