Pokemon Champions Makes One of My Favorite Gen 9 Pokemon Better Without Its Mega Evolution

Although the general opinion toward Pokemon Scarlet and Violet wasn’t very positive when they came out, I always felt they were amazing games in terms of scope, general experience in the Pokemon world, and even how good their story was. I played through Pokemon Violet first, beat the game, got myself a few shiny Pokemon, and then started the journey again on Pokemon Scarlet, which became my main save file. By the way, I’m sorry, but I think Pokemon Scarlet is better than Pokemon Violet when it comes to exclusives. Now, Pokemon Champions officially marks the end of an era for Gen 9 games, and that is very much bittersweet for me, as much as I’m looking forward to Pokemon Winds and Waves.

What is also bittersweet is that I can play competitive battles in Pokemon Champions with some of my favorite Pokemon. Still, one of them got a new Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC, and it doesn’t really feel good. One of the reasons I loved Gen 9 games so much is that I felt very connected to Paldea as a region. Between Arven’s story and possibly my favorite national Pokedex overall in terms of designs, Gen 9 was magical for me. I am very fond of Fuecoco, Sprigatito, Maushold, Bellibolt, Orthworm, Dondozo, Tatsugiri, Gimmighoul, Farigiraf, Pawmot, Fidough, Smoliv, Garganacl, Grafaiai, Scovillain, Rabsca, Cetoddle, Tinkaton, Clodsire, Screaming Tail, and so many more. Among them, one of my favorites is Glimmora, but it hurts me to say that its Mega Evolution is disappointing.

Pokemon Champions’ Mega Glimmora is Way Less Impressive Than It Sounds

In terms of design, I think Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Glimmora is fantastic for several reasons.

• It acts as a counterpart of sorts to Mega Floette and Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s flower theme.
• It could represent the Ultimate Weapon in Pokemon form, given its cannon-like appearance.
• It builds on the original design with new characteristics, without demolishing its identity.
• It retains its Rock/Poison type combination, which makes it interesting.

So, as far as Mega Glimmora’s appearance is concerned, I think it’s top-notch. The problem arises when considering its ability and stat distribution.

• Mega Glimmora’s ability is Adaptability, which means it deals 2x damage instead of 1.5x with its STAB moves, which are Rock and Poison.
• Adaptability makes Glimmora very strong in terms of damage output, which its stats reinforce.
  • HP stays 83
  • Attack goes from 55 to 90
  • Defense goes from 90 to 105
  • Special Attack goes from 130 to 150
  • Special Defense goes from 81 to 96
  • Speed goes from 86 to 101
• 101 Speed is particularly good because it outspeeds Charizard, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y, and since Mega Charizard Y is one of the best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions, this means that Mega Glimmora can OHKO it with Power Gem due to its 4x Rock weakness.
• Giving Mega Glimmora a 35-point increase in Attack instead of giving it a bit more defenses is far from ideal, as Mega Evolution requires Glimmora to hold Glimmoranite, meaning it has to give up the items that make its base form good, like Focus Sash, Shuca Berry, Rocky Helmet, or Assault Vest. With a 4x weakness to Ground-type Pokemon, just a small bump in defenses, and an offensive ability, Mega Glimmora is extremely frail.
• While 101 Speed is good against Charizard and some other threats, Mega Glimmora is not fast enough to outspeed Garchomp, one of its biggest counters, and it’s outsped by several Pokemon that can OHKO it with a Ground move. Furthermore, 101 Speed is not very good if you want to use Mega Glimmora in Trick Room teams in Pokemon Champions, either.
• One of the best strategies with base Glimmora is to use Power Herb and fire off a Meteor Beam in one turn, which also increases Glimmora’s Special Attack by one stage, meaning it’s easier to invest in bulk, instead.
• Mega Glimmora loses Toxic Debris, essentially meaning it plays very differently from its base form, but the cost for this may be too high – a held item that is not defensive and a Mega Evolution slot on a team that may have better options.

Why Glimmora is Better Than Mega Glimmora

What follows is that it’s quite hard to justify using Mega Glimmora over its base form, as it too can achieve some high offensive peaks, but without sacrificing its survivability and staying power. On top of that, Glimmora can offer some great utility with Toxic Debris, as well as chip damage with Spiky Shield against physical attackers. Instead, Mega Glimmora wants to take them down as soon as possible, which changes the Pokemon’s entire philosophy. Seeing how much I used Glimmora in Gen 9, and seeing how much I like it as a Pokemon, I can’t help but feel disappointed in how its Mega Evolution was handled.

I’m not saying that finding success with Mega Glimmora is impossible, but so far, I don’t think it’s worth using. Power Herb is not in the game, as Pokemon Champions‘ roster of items is very limited, but once it gets added, base Glimmora may rise in usage quite a bit, leaving its Mega behind. And to be honest, as much as I love this Pokemon, I think it’s only fair if that happens.

Pokemon Champions

Systems

Released

April 8, 2026

ESRB

Everyone / Mild Fantasy Violence

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

Full

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