The Worst Gen 6 Starter is Actually a Secret Weapon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

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So, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has been out for about a month now, and the Mega Dimension DLC is coming in just three weeks! It’s awesome that they added 26 new Mega Evolutions, but honestly, it’s a bit frustrating how they’re releasing them. You can get a few early on – I managed to Mega Evolve my starter and Absol pretty quickly – but most of them are locked behind the story or require a ton of grinding. Seriously, you need to beat a lot of the game and farm for money and Mega Shards to unlock them. It’s even worse for the Gen 6 starters! They’re drip-feeding the Mega Stones through online play – I had to wait until Season 1 for Greninja’s, Season 2 for Delphox, and I’m still waiting for Chesnaught’s in Season 3. It feels a little bit like they’re making us wait to unlock everything we’re excited about.

This situation is especially difficult for Delphox and Chesnaught. Mega Greninja was available from the start, but Mega Delphox only became available recently, and Mega Chesnaught won’t be released for a few more weeks. Surprisingly, Mega Chesnaught is proving to be a powerful asset in battles in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, especially considering it was often considered the weakest of the Gen 6 starter Pokemon when the game initially launched. Several factors contribute to this newfound strength:

  • Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Xerneas is dominating online battles alongside Charizard, Delphox, Garchomp, Gyarados, Metagross, and other critters. Mega Chesnaught has incredible defensive stats to take hits from Xerneas very well, while also boosting itself further with moves like Iron Defense and Swords Dance.
  • Mega Chesnaught has a whopping 137 Attack, 172 Defense, and 115 Sp. Defense, meaning it can be a walking bulwark that still deals a lot of damage. Despite its weaknesses to Fire and Fairy, Chesnaught has access to incredible coverage moves, like:
    • Rock Slide – can 1-hit-KO Charizard and Mega Charizard Y
    • Earthquake – great vs. Steel-type Pokemon like Metagross and Excadrill, and Fire-types as well
    • Dig – amazing tool against Steel and Fire mons, but also as a gap closer
    • Poison Jab/Iron Head – potentially lethal against Xerneas, with high EVs and IVs in Attack
    • Wood Hammer/Close Combat – STAB moves with 120 base power
    • Dragon Claw – good to counter Dragon-type Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
    • Thunder Punch – great to beat Flying critters, which can deal 4x damage to Chesnaught, and it most likely oneshots non-Mega-Evolved Gyarados
  • Chesnaught has access to Curse, meaning it can reduce its Speed to increase its Attack and Defense at the same time.
  • Brick Break can remove Light Screen and Reflect from opposing mons, which can significantly decrease the amount of damage they take.
  • Speed is Mega Chesnaught’s weak stat, but it’s not necessary to succeed in online battles in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as it reduces cooldowns rather than determines turn order.

It’s Time to Welcome The New Meta Pick in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Mega Chesnaught is a significant improvement over its standard form, gaining substantial boosts to Attack (+30), Defense (+50), and Special Defense (+40). While it loses some Speed (-20), this isn’t a major drawback in the game. The trade-off is worthwhile, making Mega Chesnaught exceptionally durable. Given its naturally high Special Defense, using the move Curse with Mega Chesnaught is a popular and effective strategy in many top teams in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Finally Takes Chesnaught Full Circle

Instead of using Curse and Swords Dance, you could also equip Mega Chesnaught with four attacking moves – perhaps two that match its type and two that cover its weaknesses. This approach requires careful planning of its Effort Values (EVs), focusing on either physical or special defense, a strong attack stat, and the remaining points in HP. Ultimately, there are several effective ways to build Mega Chesnaught, making it a powerful asset in competitive battles.

The game is showing a notable shift in Pokémon viability. Chesnaught performs well because speed isn’t as crucial, while Aegislash struggles due to slow, lengthy animations when switching battle stances in real-time. The upcoming release of Mega Chesnaught is highly anticipated, and it has the potential to be a top-tier Pokémon.

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2025-11-17 01:04