The Most Useless Mega Evolutions in Pokémon History!

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Summary

  • Mega Audino is now one of the worst Mega Evolutions due to stat disadvantages and a lack of competitive moves.
  • Mega Banette’s poor stat distribution and lack of good moves make it easily countered in the competitive scene.
  • Mega Ampharos’s Dragon-type and low speed make it extremely vulnerable to Fairy-type moves, limiting its viability.

In the upcoming Pokemon core game, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Mega Evolutions are making a comeback. Players are eagerly choosing their preferred choices or trying to understand the optimal picks as they anticipate the potential reintroduction of this mechanic into the competitive gaming environment.

On this list, you’ll discover the least effective Mega Evolutions, ranked from least effective to more practical choices as main picks. This categorization is based on their stats, competitive viability (duos/singles), move set, strategy, and any exploitable weaknesses such as type, counters, etc. It’s crucial to note that the provided stat values reflect the last appearance of these Pokemon in core games, but they may alter once Pokemon Legends: Z-A is released.

1. Mega Audino

Used To Be A Good Option Thanks To Its Ability, But Now Its Advantage Is Gone

  • HP:103
  • Attack: 60
  • Defense: 86
  • Sp. Atk: 60
  • Sp. Def: 86
  • Speed: 50

Audino has consistently been a fan favorite and a top-tier choice for ‘Healer’ Pokemon in competitive play. However, with the rise of other alternatives (such as Blissey, Comfey, and Roserade) that proved to be more effective over time, its Mega Evolution lost its significance.

One significant concern regarding Mega Audino lies in its statistical aspects, as it primarily enhances Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense, while simultaneously reducing one of Audino’s key benefits: its Normal monotype status. Consequently, within the current competitive environment (and likely post-release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A), Mega Audino stands out as the least effective Mega Evolution due to limited access to competitive Fairy-type moves and being slower than approximately 70% of the roster. If any Mega Evolution desperately needs a stat increase, it is certainly Mega Audino.

2. Mega Banette

Great Ability But Poor Stat Distribution

  • HP: 64
  • Attack: 165
  • Defense: 75
  • Sp. Atk: 93
  • Sp. Def: 83
  • Speed: 75

At first sight, Mega Banette might seem intimidating, but experienced players know that appearances can be misleading. With only 64 HP base and weak defenses, it’s undeniably one of the most fragile Megas in the game. Its extremely low speed makes it vulnerable to any Dark-type Pokémon, and its limited supply of good STAB moves raises doubts about its effectiveness as a wallbreaker.

In summary, Mega Bannette’s stat distribution didn’t perform optimally during battles, with its high Attack stat often going unused due to limited Base Power moves. Its main advantage lies in its Prankster ability, allowing it to potentially specialize in inflicting status conditions. However, its only suitable move for this purpose is Will-O-Wisp, and numerous Pokemon in the competitive scene can effectively counter burns (and Lum Berry). If Mega Bannette ever reappears, a significant buff would be beneficial to enhance its performance.

3. Mega Abomasnow

Good Offensive, Bad Speed, And X4 Vulnerability

  • HP: 90
  • Attack: 132
  • Defense: 105
  • Sp. Atk: 132
  • Sp. Def: 105
  • Speed: 30

Mega Abomasnow is a Mega form that can deal significant damage, mainly because it has the ability to use potent Self-Teachable Battle (STAB) moves like Blizzard, Wood Hammer, and Ice Shard. Its Grass-Ice dual type has made it a popular choice in competitive play over the last ten years. However, it faces a fourfold weakness against top Fire-type Quick Moves users, particularly Cinderace, Incineroar, and Talonflame. This weakness could quickly reduce this Pokemon to ashes, especially considering its slow speed and mediocre health points.

In summary, Mega Abomasnow is useful in specific scenarios due to its diverse range of coverage moves, including Earthquake, and its potential for aggressive play with Speed EVs and Swords Dance/Wood Hammer combo. However, its weakness to hazards like Stealth Rock makes it less effective in the current metagame where such moves are prevalent. Therefore, it’s advisable to consider other versatile attackers over Mega Abomasnow when building a team.

4. Mega Ampharos

Great Sp. Attacker, But Its Dragon-Type Makes It Extremely Vulnerable To Fairy Metas

  • HP: 90
  • Attack: 95
  • Defense: 105
  • Sp. Atk: 165
  • Sp. Def: 110
  • Speed: 45

Ampharos Mega form has been criticized as one of the most overlooked Megas due to its high Special Attack boost coming at the expense of its already minimal base speed, and on top of that, it transforms into a dual Electric/Dragon type, making it vulnerable to numerous counterattacks based on its STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). To add insult to injury, Mold Breaker, its primary Ability, would be more effective if it had a variety of strong coverage moves at its disposal, but unfortunately, it does not.

As a gamer, let me tell you from my own experience, the main strategy in this game always seems to pit either a Fairy or Ice type against me, armed with moves that could spell doom for Mega Ampharos at the slightest touch of a button. Other strong Single-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) attackers also have Earthquake, which is an instant one-hit knockout for Mega Ampharos. My type combination couldn’t be more unfavorable in the current meta, and another formidable opponent has risen to become a super-counter for poor Mega Ampharos – Mega-Diancie. No matter how perfectly aligned the stars might be, or if players run it with a support build (commonly known as Cleric), Mega Ampharos remains situational at best and can easily become ammunition if counter-picked.

5. Mega Glalie

Decent STAB At The Cost Of High-Risk Moves

  • HP: 80
  • Attack: 120
  • Defense: 80
  • Sp. Atk: 120
  • Sp. Def: 80
  • Speed: 100

The standout quality of Mega Glalie lies in its Refrigerate ability, transforming all Normal-Type attacks into Ice-type ones. This attribute empowers moves like Double-Edge and Hyper Beam for wallbreaking, offering strong Self-Taught Battle (STAB) possibilities. However, this comes at a cost as Mega Glalie takes damage or is replaced by the opponent’s strongest combatant when using Explosion, usually as a last resort. Players should prioritize boosting Speed and Attack to make the most of this strategy; unfortunately, Mega Glalie’s already minimal toughness may become a disadvantage in such a setup.

A clever tactic involves employing Mega Glalie as a Hazard/Revenge Kill Pokemon (with moves like Spikes, Earthquake, Ice Shard, Return), but this reduces its Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) potential and eliminates its high-risk/high-reward feasibility. Consequently, Mega Glalie is only useful in specific scenarios, and it’s quite challenging to master in competitive play due to its vulnerability against bulky Pokemon such as Vaporeon, Blastoise, Slowking, or the powerful attacker Delphox that can easily eliminate it with a single STAB move. Unfortunately, Mega Glalie has below-average stats for a Mega Evolution and could benefit from an enhancement, though among the three Pokemon capable of using Refrigerate, it is the top pick.

6. Mega Camerupt

Slow Glass-Cannon, Good STAB But Has Tons Of Counters

  • HP: 70
  • Attack: 120
  • Defense: 100
  • Sp. Atk: 145
  • Sp. Def: 105
  • Speed: 20

In its Mega Evolution, Camerupt significantly enhances Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense, but suffers a drastic drop in speed to the minimum possible value of 20. This makes Camerupt vulnerable to one-hit knockouts by swift Water-type attacks from Pokemon like Greninja and Floatzel, or bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon, Blastoise, Swampert, and Mega Swampert. These Water-types can outclass it even in Trick Room scenarios without the aid of a partner Pokemon to manipulate the battle’s speed.

This Pokemon has a significant fourfold weakness to Water-type attacks, which makes it highly vulnerable against opponents like Quaquaval, Inteleon, Kingler, among many others. There are numerous potential counters or checks for this slow glass-cannon Pokemon, and its effectiveness in the current game meta is essentially non-existent.

7. Mega Steelix

Situational, Bulky, But Still Easy To Counter

  • HP: 75
  • Attack: 125
  • Defense: 230
  • Sp. Atk: 55
  • Sp. Def: 90
  • Speed: 30

Among Pokemon currently available, Mega Steelix stands out for its high defensive stats, earning it the reputation as a preferred tank. It offers numerous strong Self-Targetting Attack (STAB) builds and can employ one of the current metagame’s key hazard moves: Stealth Rock. Although it’s bulky and somewhat sluggish, Mega Steelix is a dependable option against formidable opponents like Togekiss, Mega Altaria, and even serves as one of the most effective counters against Cleric Mega Ampharos.

One of Sand Force’s strengths lies in its ability, but its dual typing makes it susceptible to a variety of types, making it easy for Special Attackers like Chandelure or Ogerpon Wellspring Mask to quickly weaken it. Additionally, it is particularly weak against strong Fighting types such as Cobalion, Terrakion, Mega Lucario, Iron Valiant, and Quaquaval. On the positive side, Mega Steelix is renowned for its robustness as a coverage tank due to its access to many Fang Moves like Ice Fang, Fire Fang, and Thunder Fang. However, in practical play, Steelix often underperforms when compared to other popular choices in the current meta due to its lack of speed, dependability, and versatility.

8. Mega Garchomp

Has One Of The Worst Stat Trade-Offs Of All Megas

  • HP: 108
  • Attack: 170
  • Defense: 115
  • Sp. Atk: 120
  • Sp. Def: 95
  • Speed: 92

In its standard form, Garchomp is among the quickest Ground-type Pokemon capable of delivering Special Attack in Stabilized Battle (STAB) attacks, and it’s also an intimidating Earthquake user that can one-hit knock out numerous meta Pokemon, even those not weak against its type. However, when Garchomp evolves into Mega Garchomp, it forfeits one of its key advantages as its base speed decreases by 10. Generally, players consider this a reasonable exchange because Mega Garchomp gains 40 additional points in Attack, 20 in Defense, 40 in Special Attack, and 10 in Special Defense at the cost of only a 10-point reduction in speed.

However, this weakness offers an opportunity for robust Dragon-type Pokémon such as Haxorus, Hydreigon, and Mega Charizard X to outmaneuver Mega Garchomp. They can now surpass its speed and dismantle it before it sets up Stealth Rock or boosts with Swords Dance. Yet, another advantage is that Mega Garchomp has a wide variety of coverage moves at its disposal, like Aqua Tail, Aerial Ace, Fire Fang, and so on. In theory, Mega Garchomp proves useful in competitive play; however, in actual combat, savvy trainers employ powerful Fairy-type Pokémon such as Clefable, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Koko, which can easily counter Garchomp.

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2025-03-30 20:11