The biggest surprise of the Feb. 27 Pok\u00e9mon Presents was the announcement of Pok\u00e9mon Legends: Z-A<\/em>, taking place in Lumiose City of Gen VI\u2019s Kalos region. The trailer teased the return of Mega Evolution and Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> pros are already worried that a certain Starter might get a Mega buff.<\/p>
The Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> community has already begun theorizing about all the possibilities with the upcoming Legends: Z-A<\/em> game<\/a>, but the one aspect that many competitive players are focusing on is the return of the Mega Evolution mechanic<\/a>. First introduced in Gen VI, Mega Evolution was a game-changer for the main series games, blessing a handful of lucky Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> with temporary evolutions. This was a huge buff for otherwise mediocre \u2018mons like Kangaskhan and Mawile as they were given better stats and Abilities.<\/p>
![\"Incineroar](\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Pokemon-Incineroar-Scarlet-Violet.jpg?w=640\")
But Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> pros, including former world champion Wolfe Glick, are worried the mechanic could strengthen Pok\u00e9mon that are already too powerful for their own good\u2014like Incineroar<\/a>. The Gen VII Fire Starter is historically one of the best Pok\u00e9mon 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 Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> VGC tournament<\/a> to date.<\/p>
Glick makes a pretty good point that Incineroar could be one of the three Starters in Legends: Z-A<\/em> if we rule out a few other Fire Starters like Charizard and Blaziken who already have Mega Evolutions, Typhlosion who was a Legends: Arceus<\/em> Starter, and Gen VI\u2019s Delphox. This leaves the Fire Starter options to Incineroar, Infernape, Emboar, Cinderace, and Skeledirge. Of course, it also wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Game Freak took this opportunity to give Charizard a third Mega<\/a>\u2014Mega Charizard Z.<\/p>
At the same time, Mega Evolution wouldn\u2019t necessarily be a buff for the Incineroar we know and love (or hate). Even though Mega Evolutions are generally seen as an enhancer for Pok\u00e9mon who get access to it, they aren\u2019t 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<\/a> Dragon-type attack and a wig.\u00a0<\/p>
