The simple joy of catching and battling pocket monsters has always been enough for Pokemon to sell like gangbusters, but each new iteration still has some type of novel gimmick to shake up the gameplay -- and the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A includes one of the most popular ones ever introduced: mega evolutions.
Mega evolutions made their debut in Pokemon X and Y over a decade ago, and they quickly proved to be one of the most appealing new features. These powerful Pokemon forms are temporary evolutions that can only be activated once during each battle.
Mega evolutions are the synthesis of what makes Pokemon special for so many fans of the series. They're rare (not every Pokemon gets one), the designs build on existing monsters' looks and they add yet another layer to battle strategy.
While fan-favorite Pokemon like Flygon supposedly won't be getting their own mega evolution forms in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, more than two dozen new megas could be introduced in the game.
I'm excited to see Pokemon from underrepresented games get mega forms. Not many Pokemon from the Black and White games that first debuted in 2010 have mega evolutions, for example, and leaks indicate that iconic generation five Pokemon such as Excadrill, Chandelure and Eelektross might get their own powerful megas in Legends: Z-A.
Here's the full leaked list of mega evolutions we know about for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, including distinctions for mega Pokemon that have been confirmed.
The Pokemon Legends: Z-A gameplay trailer teased the return of mega stones. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET
The full leaked list of mega evolutions from Pokemon Legends: Z-A
The Pokemon Legends: Z-A leaker -- an anonymous source who claims to have had hands-on time with the game -- revealed a list of 26 new mega Pokemon that will allegedly be available to use in the game. The leaker collaborated with the owners of the Pokeos website, Makio and JRoses, to distribute the information.
Although all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt until Nintendo's announcements, this list aligns with the handful of revealed mega Pokemon. While it's possible that the leak is inaccurate, the fact that it included niche Pokemon like Victreebel, Malamar and Hawlucha (which now have confirmed mega evolutions) lends credence to the rest of the claims. It's also unlikely that a fake leaker would have seven lucky guesses in a row on a provided list of 26 Pokemon, since there are well over a thousand Pokemon to choose from.
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