... if Mega Pokemon are BAD? ...

[@Gnoggin]

uh oh... I have an opinion on the internet!?

[@Cliffordlonghead]

L,.

[@Cliffordlonghead]

First

[@thetoasttoaster4819]

Indeed you do

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Awesome thanks

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

A classic blunder

[@dreameater7445]

I am a simple man, I am NOT a competitive pokemon player. I play pokemon in a self insert/power fantasy/ casual monster tamer RPG as I imagine it was intended to be. And no other gimmick gave me that feeling like Megas.

[@shounen1810]

same

[@darkwizard655]

same

[@sinnohperson8813]

For how many trainers in x and y have mega and how absurdly broken mega blaziken is in oras Mega did ruin my in game experience too

[@ThermalVoid]

Same.

[@armaggedon390]

@@sinnohperson8813 Ah, yes, all the many trainers in XY that use megas... Like Lysander's final battle, the champion and the post-game rival.

[@chrisjohnsen8448]

Basically, Megas are popular for a few reasons. 1. They were the first gimmick so they had the strongest impression. 2. Rule of cool dictates that making a super form for a Pokemon hypes people more than a big move or growing in size or a funny hat. 3. When doing Megas there was less concern with game balance and more interest in generating hype and getting people more invested with already strong and popular Pokemon.

[@chrisjohnsen8448]

Personally, Megas should've mostly been saved for the weakest of the weak 3rd stage Pokemon that would be hard to buff otherwise.

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@chrisjohnsen8448 Gigantamax is like the Pokémon version of piloting a megazord and I think that’s pretty metal

[@revantobias8567]

​@madnessarcade7447 Cool beans. Why can't I pilot my megazoid anywhere except the league or a raid den? Why am I limited to these 2 locations. Mega evolution wasn't limited. If I wanted to murder a caterpie with mega rayquaza I could. Bring back megas.

[@KratonWolf]

Mega is just an extension of Giratina+Griseous Orb, except limited to 1 per battle. Primal Reversion is just another Mega on the side. Rayquaza is just Mega but swapping held item for move (don't want that move? No mega then!). And all of the above are just weaker variants of Key-Item Use Based Forme Changes (DNA Spicers, Gracidea, Reveal Glass, Prison Bottle, etc).

[@shaunmeldrum4302]

Is it true that gen 5 underperformed in sales? That would make sense as to why they needed something big like megas to help sell gen 6.

[@RaguPastaSauce]

I personally think Megas would have have been popular no matter what, but them being the first real generational gimmick hurt z-moves, dynamax and terrastalising. It cursed them to being compared to the more popular temporary gimmick. IDK anyone that loves Beedrill with Acid Downpour, 100 meter tall Beedrill, or a Beedrill that's been turned Grass from Tera specifically. They're just Beedrill. But loads of people love mega Beedrill and look at it separately from base Beedrill. They're more comparable to regional forms than the other regional gimmicks (except the mons with gigantamax forms). If your favorite pokemon was Alolan Ninetales and you were told it was never ever going to return after the Alola games, it'd only makes sense that you would wish it would come back, even if the original Kanto version would still be in the game. The same can be said for mega forms. Also, because they are technically temporary, they don't make the base form obsolete. I love Tyranitar and although I think Mega T-tar is a slight downgrade in terms of design, because I can just not mega when I want, I can appreciate it as its own thing. It's like I have 2 very similar mons sharing a slot on my team. I personally love megas where there are reasons not to mega immediately for this reason; like getting a Moxie boost on Base Gyarados before mega evolving, Base Sharpedo getting a few speed boosts in, Base Audino making use of Regenerator, Base Manectric switching in on an electric move with Lightning rod, etc.

[@joshyotoast]

It's funny that you used beedrill as an example as it was hit by dexit twice. Poor Beedrill. Also this was the best take I've seen, alolan ninetails gone after one game and having the choice to not mega if you didn't want is the nail on the head.

[@ZenoEditz.]

this seems very accurate

[@re0798]

Yes I agree, but also the others don't look as cool. The only other one that does it is gigantamax. I'll be okay as long as it looks good, and that's how it is for a lot of pokemon fans. So the reason it is so popular is probably because it looks cool and edgy.

[@giantmastersword]

"Everyone needed rayquaza on their team to win in competitive" ... so like zacian. And incineroar. And urshifu.

[@Magic_Ice]

Also he is just plain wrong there lol. Mega ray was certainly really good but not as good as the primals and xern and many people used 2 restricteds and a mega rather than 1 restricted and 1 mega restricted like mega kang or mence

[@MikeDaddyMCS]

@@Magic_IceMega Rayquaza was so good that he was banned from Ubers and invented the “Anything Goes” category

[@beforedrrdpr]

@@Magic_Ice air lock go booom

[@12jswilson]

Rayquaza won the 2016 world championship, but it was largely to counter Primal Groudon which was the main meta restricted

[@papajohn3632]

Fr😂

[@guywholikesmemes4993]

Take pre-existing loved Pokémon, make it have a stat increase somewhere, give it a strong ass ability and make it look cool asf. Not surprised it's popular lmao.

[@Dinomatrix21]

Yeah, it's the same reason why regional variants and convergent pokemon (even though there's only 4) are so widely loved; take a pokemon, change up the design and maybe typing, possibly add some new evolutions. It's familiar but different.

[@bholo157]

Literally this

[@Gloomdrake]

imo Megas should have been limited to unpopular and/or weak Pokémon

[@johnathanbowers5433]

yeah, this is a weird take to have just because its so obvious. feels like clickbait

[@Gloomdrake]

@@johnathanbowers5433 that’s not how weird takes work

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

To me, mega evolutions feel like a pokemon turning into the ultimate version of *itself* whereas dynamaxing feels like them transforming into something *different*. It's like the difference between an Oozaru and a Super Saiyan (ignoring the canonical power difference).

[@mr.stoneface7699]

I think it was Lockstin himself (I could be wrong) who said that mega evos are pretty much "that Pokémon, but MORE." Sharpedo is more teeth, Garchomp is more edges and spikes, Steelix is more minerals and bits orbiting in a magnetic field; Charizard and Mewtwo Y have the "them, but MORE" feel, and their X forms are more like fan-servicey What If? variants.

[@inorexablechaos1139]

@@mr.stoneface7699 I’d argue that both Mega Mewtwo forms are just “Mewtwo but MORE” because they’re just an even *stronger* ultimate psychic-type. They’re just strong in different ways.

[@xandercrosby3757]

@@mr.stoneface7699 If you ask me, I think that Mega Y forms are definitely just the them but More feel, while the X forms are more like a pokemon keeping the same basic idea, but expanding on it in a different direction. Mega Mewtwo Y is just a souped up Mewtwo, while Mega Mewtwo X is still clearly Mewtwo, but with new powers to go along with it.

[@madnessarcade7447]

Dynamax is an illusion not the actual pokemon The real pokemon is inside piloting Gamefreak confirmed this themselves

[@madnessarcade7447]

Gigantamax is like the Pokémon version of piloting a megazord and I think that’s pretty metal

[@青雷の戦士]

I'd say regional variants do nothing for the pokemon it's based on: Having an Alolan Raichu isn't going to make good old Raichu more interesting and/or desirable. Paldean Taurus is a f'n badass, but it doesn't change the fact that the original Tauros still kinda sucks. People who used Mega beedrill would never use the original beedrill if it got a regional variant instead of a mega evolution.

[@formlessone8246]

But by the same token, I think that the decision to restrict mega evolution to pre-gen VI Pokemon hurts the new pokemon in a way that regional forms do not. You pretty much have to engage with the new generational gimmick in every game even in single player, but regional forms are as optional as any other Pokemon you might encounter in the game. So with only 28 mega pokemon in the game, your team was guaranteed to have a Pokemon from generation I-V in it as your star pokemon, but you could dismiss just about all the new pokemon from gen VI if they weren't fairy type, and that included the starters. Once the professor gives you the gen I starter of your choice, you can put away your original starter if you want to because it cannot mega evolve, making it less useful. Meanwhile, generation VII and VIII both gave their starter pokemon a unique Z-move and Gigantimax form respectively to discourage this. That, I think, was what caused the downfall of megas. They realized that the generational gimmick should if anything highlight the new pokemon and be accessable to all team compositions while regional forms exist to refresh old designs without necessarily giving them an edge. Also, I personally would pick Alolan Raichu over the original every day because giving it the psychic type makes it way more interesting and different than Pikachu, whereas regular Raichu is just Pikachu mark II. If you give Pikachu a light ball IIRC it's stats actually exceed Raichu, so Alolan Raichu feels like the right kind of refresh-- not just a stronger pokemon but a conceptually different one entirely.

[@tiredspacedragon9239]

@@formlessone8246 That's exactly the point they're making though. Alolan Raichu IS a conceptually different Pokemon to Kantonian Raichu. So much so that you and many others would pick it over the original every time because it has an extra type and a more interesting design concept. That doesn't actually help the original Raichu in any way. In fact it sidelines it even more because people will reach for the shiny new version instead. Like don't get me wrong, I love regional variants and I hope they're here to stay for good, but the idea that they bring relevance back to their original counterparts is just flat out wrong.

[@formlessone8246]

@@tiredspacedragon9239 can't the same be said of mega evolutions? Yes, technically because the transformation ends at the end of the battle your team technically has a Beedrill on it (to pick a random pokemon), but you know as soon as you send it out you are going to mega evolve it. Also, when people praise the design of a mega pokemon they aren't praising the baseline pokemon, they are praising the mega design. Many people praise megas by pointing out how they create the opportunity to change their typing and abilities, which regional forms also do. Consider the following thought experiment: if mega evolution was literally just a third evolution that didn't end at the end of battle, would you still say that it's about improving the design of the original, or would you call it a replacement as well? What do we really mean when we call something an improvement then? I would say that by the criteria you imply, the only thing that counts is changing move pools and stat adjustments, which they do pretty much every game to every pokemon in order to balance them. But that doesn't change their art, which matters to a lot of people.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

​@@formlessone8246 But you could theoretically still use the very same Beedrill you transferred all the way up to XY from Red/Blue and Mega Evolve it. Can't quite do the same to your Raichu.

[@formlessone8246]

@@Sigmund_Froid I don't see how that matters. We were talking about the designs of the pokemon themselves, not the issue with transferring pokemon between generations, which was essentially impossible between gen III and III for a long time. My thought experiment has more to do with people who catch new pokemon rather than sending teams across games because who would do that with a Beedrill anyway? The assumption that megas are good because they are for making old Pokemon that no one uses is challenged by the fact that they gave me gas to Mewtwo for no reason. But if it were the selling point of megas, regional forms really are just the better method from a balance perspective.

[@lilacdragonblade]

The thing I miss most about mega evolution? The accessories! Seriously, there were so many really cool random things that if you just put 1 marble sized gem on it BOOM mega accessory. Mega pendant, mega pin, mega anchor, mega glasses, mega umbrella, mega bookmark, mega camera! I really think the accessories for each gimmick got less inventive each generation.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

Heck yeah! The Mega Accessories are such a small thing, but they add so much to the Designs of the Trainers! It's a cool thing to look for when you see a new Trainer! The Anime also did some cool stuff with it, like giving Cynthia a Mega Lipstick! And giving the Mon an Accessory to hold the Keystone was interesting to see. It's a small thing, but nice nonetheless!

[@smackerooonii7001]

They only added the "Mega Evolution Hurts the Pokémon l" aspect AFTER their debut. It was never in the XY anime to my knowledge, and its a factor that never comes up outside of Pokedex Entries. Its literally just the Alola dex being metal as hell.

[@CrossTrash]

I just treat it as info thats only canon to the games where Mega evolutions arent widely used. Because XY and ORAS never give a SINGLE hint that Mega Evolution is bad for the Pokemon, and it just feels like a dumb made up lore excuse for TPC to ditch Megas. Its like they're saying "see? We HAVE to get rid of megas! It's hurting your friends! You don't want that right?" even though they were promoting it as the apex of Human-Pokemon partnership not one year beforehand.

[@GhostyBoi7737]

Probably wasn't even Alola trying to metal. I heard a good point that they light have added "oh, megas bad" because they were gonna get rid of them next gen

[@reginlief1]

Much like PL:A’s bizarre “every Pokémon can shrink” detail, game freak just have a penchant for completely ruining their own world building already established.

[@mathewricafrente5984]

The anime did showcase a Mega Evolution going haywire (Korrina's Lucario iirc) but that was the closest to anything that Alola's dex entries even bring up about Megas

[@patrickrhyno4517]

Not to mention, Megas are the _only_ gimmick that comes with this kind of in-lore backlash. If it weren't for the overall edginess of the Sun/Moon dex, I'd expect it was an attempt to make the player feel bad about using Megas so that they'd miss the gimmick less when it got abandoned.

[@spidersonic0110]

Mega-Evolutions are basically Pokémon going Super Saiyan. It's no surprise why its a popular mechanic.

[@benross9174]

Kinda lame not everyone can do it though. At least with Z moves everyone had a nuke

[@christopheraponte306]

It just felt epic to mega evolve your ace pokemon

[@Hugo-yz1vb]

​@@benross9174 What's a nuke if you cannot use it for more than one turn?

[@FalcnPWNCH]

exactly, it's literally the perfect power fantasy for the pokemon age demographic, ironically for both the kids and the adults - but also they definitely shouldn't keep making more megas for a multitude of reasons

[@mouthwaterin]

​@@Hugo-yz1vbdon't nukes only explode once or am I missing something

[@nerdinahoodie7972]

I think Megas, in general feed back into the very concept of Pokémon. "Having a loyal companion who you form an unbreakable bond with and achieve your goals alongside." This is a core part of Pokémon's appeal, and I think it was a big part of why dexxit hurt so many. The loss of your loyal companion. Megas take that idea to the next level. "Our unbreakable bond given physical form." Z-Moves sorta keep this concept alive, but Dynamax and Terastalize completely lose that "bond" angle. Mechanically, Tera is EASILY the best gimmick but lacks that feedback into the thesis statement of Pokémon.

[@Saiyan0X]

It works because it shows that Pokemon is your ACE, like people have many favorites characters in smash bros, but only one Main. This is why it works so well.

[@Nimi450]

EXACTLY, the bond with the pokemons is what gives Mega evolution it's uniqueness compared to the rest.

[@sithdude2436]

​@@Saiyan0XThis is a big part of it! I want to be like Ash, I want to have my own signature Pokémon. Mega evolutions are a great way to represent that enhanced bond.

[@terrjackson9283]

ohhh, yes I luv this! it's true, this fits with my experience of it being the last of the era before immersion was broken for me with Pokemon mainline series

[@jaschabull2365]

I think you've hit the nail on the head here, really.

[@jcf2322]

It's not just because it was the first. I think Mega evolution did something for the casual play through that the other gimmicks have not. Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Tera are all great from a competitive lens, but most players aren't competitive players, the story's gameplay is going to the vast majority of their game experience, and that is where Mega evolution shines. It can't be understated how much Megas gave formerly very weak Pokemon another chance. You would never use Beedrill after the 2nd gym, but all of a sudden it can be a late game member of your party. Megan were also not as restricted as the other gimmicks. While it only lasted the battle, you could switch out your Pokemon and they would still retain their Mega form. It wasn't restricted like Dynamax. And while Terra and Z-Crystals are universal and accessible to all Pokemon, there wasn't anything really special about them. Also, Megas exclusivity was I think an asset, because you would look forward to seeing if another Pokemon would get a Mega evolution. So it all just stacks together to create something that has more lasting impact that the other gimmicks.

[@Unovakid24]

Personally, i just think Mega Evolution is FUN. It's just so cool to see a Pokemon undergo an awesome transformation and being able to revert back so we can see it happen again and again, kinda like superhero transformation sequences. Sure, regional variants are permanent, but they're just not as cool and flashy

[@collinherrin4596]

I think the flashiness loses its edge almost immediately when in the main game i often never need to mega evolve and in a competitive since it often limits what pokemon you can use. Regional variants and the like are more permanent, expands the world building, can help pokemon out competitively, and is still cool. In other words all the upsides of megas without any of the downsides

[@vivillonenthusiast781]

@@collinherrin4596 "can help pokemon out competitively" No it doesn't! Ninetales is just as useless as it ever was, the fact that Alolan NInetales was the best screens setter for some times does absolutely nothing for regular Ninetales. "In other words all the upsides of megas without any of the downsides" Except the stat boost, which is the main thing making Megas good. Look at Alolan Raticate or Galarian Stunfisk, both just as useless as their OG forms.

[@Lyncin]

@@vivillonenthusiast781 EXACTLY! Give them new evolutions, PLEASE! We dont need 3 Persians that all suck. Give us a Ratking, a Masquestorm.

[@presidenttogekiss635]

A third important point: while the "only 28 megas" criticism has validation, it is, by itself, also an oportunity. Because it means that just like every new gen can introduce new pokemon, it can also introduce new megas. The other gimmicks already came almost fully baked.

[@vegladex]

I think that's the point he was making with the crisps, but I agree with you, I don't think that's "giving megas undeserved hype" like he makes out. The fact that the rest of them are things that you can see once and then immediately extrapolate to guess what they'll do to any other pokemon takes all the anticipation out of it. And it IS saitsfying to see and acquire new Megas, because they're not just new designs, they're *special!*

[@luishenriquefalconifilho2124]

"Because it means that just like every new gen can introduce new pokemon, it can also introduce new megas." - I think there's a fundamental difference here. We don't know which new Pokémon are being added in the new gen because, of course, they're new. While we "know" which Pokémon can get a Mega, every one that already exists, which creates expectations. People don't really have expectations for new Pokémon that we don't know exist, while each gen will always have the "Why didn't you add a Mega to this Pokémon?" or "Why did you add a Mega to this Pokémon?" problems. I have a thought at the back of my mind sometimes that people have alreasdy put so much hype into a potential Mega Flygon that their disappointment will always be there, either because Mega Flygon doesn't exist in Z-A or because the Mega Flygon we get will never meet those expectations.

[@MikePhantom]

@@luishenriquefalconifilho2124 and then we ended up with Charizard getting ALL the gimmicks fully baked any people hated it. BECAUSE introducing a NEW gimmick means no iteration but PLAYING IT SAFE. As much as a i love the Charizard line I know WHY he gets all gimmicks: MARKETING. It explains WHY the first megas had popular pokemon as the first because marketing wise safe to do so. but megas could have been EASILY iterated upon and even put megas through different means. HECK the primal forms of groudon and kyogre is the very first step into that. Z moves and dynamaxx could have been EASILY folded INTO the idea of mega evolution, even terreastrialize. so OTHER pokemon could have gotten those different type of mega evolution. Z moves could have been Mega Evololved Moves and dynamaxx could have been a mega form that indicated the form is already perfect but the size empowers the already perfect form. terrastialize could have been a Mega evolution of type instead (since it already happened with Charizard X). But why would that help you may ask: you have to choose WHICH one you want to use. it would mean that you can NOT use all four as in alola you could Z move and mega evolve. so the meta asked you to have both. If it were under the same umbrella you could only have ONE per battle, BUT you can chose which type you can use depending on situation. - do i want to stat boost my ace? - do i want to use one SUPER attack to finish off a pokemon? - do i want to use chungus for what ever that chungus can do? - or do i want to use a type swap for that pokemon i have left but has a weakness to at least 2-3 pokemon of the enemy? as the gimmicks are now they are meant to be different, have different sources of power and thus technically can ALL be used at once in a battle. Its not iteration is trying to catch lightning in a bottle again. With diminishing returns in terms of likability and something to be ignored because it will not return and pokemon will still be stuck in a bad developed state. Iteration in ONE mechanic and keeping it around could have VERY much so made pokemon more interesting over all and probably led to a development cycle that didn't end up with a glitch ridden, uninspired and incompetent mess.

[@formlessone8246]

Only 28 megas is a mistake that I have always thought explained why it never came back. I always thought that it really was the intent to keep making new megas, because of the policy that only Pokemon from the first 5 generations got them. It was their first idea for refreshing the designs of old Pokemon that has a gameplay effect, but it turns out to be a really negative effect even on the single player experience. One big problem with it IMO is the simple fact that no one remembers the gen VI starters as fondly in their own games as the gen I starters, and their own generation as the Gen III starters. Even though they have really cool designs and a neat take on the starter rock paper scissors, they don't have mega forms, which is the only reason why you are offered a free Gen I starter later in the game as a tutorial on how the mechanic works. They could and probably should have saved the Gen I starter megas for the Lets Go games, but who knows when the idea for Lets Go came around. Hindsight is 20/20, and the Pokemon company needed a lot of player feedback before they would play test a game without this design choice. I can totally see Alolan exeggutor being a mega design originally before changing the intent because it's easier to balance regional variants, and not having to account for the player absolutely having access to a ridiculously powerful pokemon like a mega on their team helps the encounter designers make trainer battles that actually challenge the player. I distinctly remember people complaining about how easy X and Y were, and then saying that Sun andoon were noticeably harder, especially the Elite 4. I wonder how much that was because in gen VI the player is basically forced to have multiple Pokemon that can mega evolve while most of the Elites don't; whereas the Elites in Sun and Moon have all the same tools at their disposal as you do. Other than the usual cheese like items, of course.

[@MrShirotomo]

​@formlessone8246 I want to counter the point on the Gen 6 starters, Greninja was literally the most popular pokemon of all time despite not having a Mega. Though you can sorta say it got it later with Ash-Greninja. I want to say the Delphox line got more popular with Braixen's inclusion in Pokken. Chesnaught.... well not all of them are winners every gen lol.

[@xion0713]

I think the issue with comparing regional variants to megas is that regional variants are permanent you can see it as kind of outright replacing the design where as megas only lasting for that battle allows you to keep the old design while still having the power up

[@queerios9925]

Regional variants make more sense in the world building than megas. It reflects real world evolution...look at the different sub species we have.

[@Gloomdrake]

@@queerios9925if something has to reflect the real world to make sense, that’s boring

[@CloutmasterPhluphyy]

​@@Gloomdrakeyou can find so many people applying real life logic to fictional media and complaining that it doesn't work like it does in real life so it's a lose lose

[@collinherrin4596]

​@@Gloomdrakeit's not that it HAS to be realistic but in this case it does genuinely help from a world building standpoint and from a gameplay stand point as it encourages transferring and trading pokemon

[@terrjackson9283]

what's cooler than gettin a rush if dopamine seeing ur buddie become more badass once when they evolve? seeing them get cooler over & over again! simple, especially for folks like me with barely any visual memory at all hehe

[@DeutchPleuw]

What kid didn’t think “hey, what if charizard evolved AGAIN” and then lost their mind?? Of COURSE it’s the most popular, it’s a school yard myth made real, the others are actually just gimmicks, megas appealed to something more

[@helixsol7171]

One thing I HATE about Furfrou having so many forms IS THAT THEY DON'T STICK IF YOU PUT THEM IN THE BOX! WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL THE FORMS IF YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM ALL, OR ANY OF THEM IN OTHER GAMES?! THERE ARE NO FURFROU SALONS OUTSIDE OF X&Y!

[@O.D25]

That‘s not the worst part. The worst part are all these Pokemon Home GTS troll who want for any new pokemon the most specific Furfrou form making it extra hard to complete the Dex.

[@akilcharles3473]

Probably be in Z-A if most of all Kalos Pokemon coming back.

[@XIII_Vanitas]

there are no furfrou outside of xy either

[@Kostyurik]

@@XIII_Vanitas Pokemon GO not only have permanent Furfrou trims, but also the only source of them for Pokemon HOME

[@MistaFinni]

The thing that excited me about the megas were the diverging timelines. ALL of the lore from gen 4-7 were my favorite

[@rho-starmkl4483]

And then there’s Mega Altaria. It was our only Dragon/Fairy Pokemon and it’s stuck in Gen 6&7.

[@DukeCondor]

Counterpoint: Beedrill, Pidgeot, Absol, Sableeye, Aggron, Pinsir, Heracross. While POPULAR, do you really see them that often in teams until Mega Evolution came around and beefed them up?

[@erpedro1630]

Or lopunny. Who uses lopunny without it's mega evolution? It made certain Pokémon useful, and that's cool

[@cesarflamenco9484]

And even then, most of those Mega Evolutions are passed over for more competitively viable ones.

[@Bird_in_a_Trenchcoat]

@@cesarflamenco9484 but not all of them. previously low tier mons like charizard, lopunny, pincir, medicham all were OU in gen 6. even mons like sabeleye mawile and kangaskan went all the way up to ubers. there's honestly a lot more of an equal balance to "good mon good mega" and "bad mon good mega" in ubers and ou than people give it credit for. the fact that mega kangaskhan of all mons was out performing something like mega garchomp shows that it wasnt just the good mons doing well

[@DemiIsNotHere]

Ill say it. Regular Salamance was doing pretty bad. It jut got too overtuned. Same with Mega ray. And the primals should use your mega slot No one complains about mega ttar There, megas balanced

[@erpedro1630]

@@Bird_in_a_Trenchcoat I remember everyone using Mega Gengar and me having fun using Mega Lopunny. Also, Mega Alakazam was quite strong, but super fragile, which made fighting it fun

[@dragonman011]

Is "it looks cool and is pretty fun to see happen" really not a viable-enough reason for people to like things anymore, though. Does it always gotta have a "Well I guess, even though it's childish/silly/weird/nostalgia-baity" backhand to it? Would definitely be one thing to just state your opinion, not like anyone has a reason to get offended over thoughts, but idk... the way it was stated does feel pretty condescending towards fans who actually like it. Like I'm a casual Pokemon fan. I really like mega evos. Not cause they're nostalgic at this point or cause I'm settling for junk food... They're just a cool idea and no other big gimmick since has really hit as hard, even if some come close. 'Nuff said.

[@gammerhulk2064]

I think a big reason that Megas are viewed more favorably than their contemporaries is the fact that, when Mega Evolution was introduced, there was no indication that it was a 'gimmick'. As you mentioned, Gen 2 brought breeding and the Special split, Gen 3 abilities, Gen 4 the Phys/Special split for moves, and Gen 5 hidden abilities. I'd argue that people (rightly) assumed Mega Evolution was the big upgrade to Pokemon, which was reinforced when we saw it 5 games in a row (or 4 if you don't count Let's Go) and still makes appearances in the spin-off games. Z-Moves and Dynamax fall into the same trap that Mega Evolution did. Because while every Pokemon can Dynamax, only certain Pokemon can Gigantimax. Every Pokemon can use a Z-Move, but some Pokemon are more special than others and have exclusive Z-Moves. There hasn't been a big core change to the Pokemon formula that has lasted more than one generation other than Mega Evolution. Terastallization does seem like a good change to the formula, but with the current pattern that I see, I don't have high hopes.

[@waluigiisthebest2802]

I say z-moves and dynamax don’t fall into the same trap mega evolution did, because the vast majority of exclusive z-moves and gigantamax forms are barely better than the regular option, which don’t help the Pokémon at all. Mega beedrill is a huge buff, gigantamax butterfree is useless, considering you can just get a better Pokémon and also use dynamaxing. It’s just a waste of design space.

[@mstarlight4102]

>Terastallization does seem like a good change to the formula, but with the current pattern that I see, I don't have high hopes. I feel like pointing out that Terastal isn't as clean as it seems since Terapagos and Ogerpon got exclusive forms out of it.

[@waluigiisthebest2802]

@@mstarlight4102 Granted, that’s only two Pokémon, and Terapagos is actually not all that good because it requires using terasiliation to have as good stats as other box legendaries. Plus, both Pokémon can’t change Tera types, making them predictable. So it’s more of a trade off.

[@loxeresczech439]

I definetly wouldn't say Regional Form revitalize old Pokémon in a better way than Megas. They are basically a new Pokémon in an old Pokémon's coat, while Mega Evolution iterates upon the Pokémon's base. Like Galarian Zigzagoon is in my top 5 favorite Pokémon, while i couldn't really give a rat's buttocks about regular Zigzagoon. Meanwhile Mega Mawhile turned regular Mawhile into my favorite Steel type.

[@massimilianoreali4398]

Yes but the problem remained the same you don't love mawhile you love her mega that is basically the same thing with zigzagoon i don't love his base form but i love his regional form you are just replacing the worl regional form with mega and you obtain the same thing

[@loxeresczech439]

@massimilianoreali4398 Not at all. It made me appreciate Mawhile's design through the comparison with its 'ultimate' form. I grew to love the little gal throughout my journey across Alola, as I prepared myself to finally Mega Evolve her towards the end of the game. I've used her countless times before and even after obtaining Mawhilite in her regular form, as one does naturally tend to limit their use of the mechanic (it's not as big of a spectacle if used too often, as well as being a bit of an overkill against regular NPCs).

[@massimilianoreali4398]

@@loxeresczech439 explain to me why this would'nt happen with a ragional variant

[@loxeresczech439]

@massimilianoreali4398 Okay... If I am using a Galarian Slowbro, I don't get to use a regular Slowbro. It's just another similar Pokémon. If I am using Mega Slowbro, I get to use Slowbro and see what makes Slowbro a Slowbro.

[@SuperFroakie82]

Regional forms to me are best when they just expand upon an existing design, but are still recognizably the same basic design. But when they add new evolutions that are basically their own thing it annoys me cuz it makes it seem like the regional form is just superior to the originals now, and the original really should have gotten an evolution too. Stuff like alolan raichu could have easily been a split evolution, and sirfetched could have just been farfetched’s evolution, but instead it’s an exclusive regional form, and it feels more like it’s taking away from the original and basically replacing them.

[@veen6847]

New gimmicks feel like a mega evolution wannabe, especially dynamaxing and gigantamaxing, they may be balanced by a competitive standpoint but megas feel deeply intertwined with the core of Pokémon itself, which is forming a stronger bond with your Pokémon, breaching as stated the limit of the two evolution rule. Hell if regional variants/convergent/paradoxes came out before, people would still want megas of them too, since they are a new-iteration of a concept instead of a continuation of a concept itself.

[@Nefnoj]

Dynamaxing feels like a "since we can't realistically make every Pokémon mega, we'll just make them big instead", making it more accessible to strategy without the depth of the individual Pokémon. I can't really say the same for the other gimmicks though.

[@veen6847]

@@Nefnoj tera is very fun competitively but only with an open sheet format, it's just too unpredictable by itself tho

[@Nefnoj]

@@veen6847 I was wondering! I haven't played the game it's from, I know it plays with changing Pokémon types and that Mega Evolution and Regional Variants do the same to lesser control, but didn't know the drawbacks aside from a Pokémon with a giant hat looking a little silly.

[@formlessone8246]

​​@@Nefnojimagine if a Pokemon had three types. That's basically Tera typing in a nutshell: you swap out your defensive attributes for the third type when activated, but retain STAB on all attacks of your regular type. Doing so entirely rebalances certain types like Ice which have bad defensive traits, and creates new opportunities for creative play styles. Like, I have an Umbreon build that relies on the way Curse interacts differently with ghosts as all other Pokemon. So I use it as both a setup move, then later terrastalize so I can use it as a status condition. It's super janky I admit, but I can't help but love it. Another Eeveelution trick is the Guts Flareon build that gives it a flame or and terra Normal typing. Until you activate it's terra type, it can't be burned, so you have time to setup with speed increases, then terrastalize it to activate the flame orb and go to town with crazy powerful takedown or Last Resort damage. Terrastalize feels like one of the more brainy gimmicks like Z-moves, unlike megas which were all about the stat lines.

[@markthomaskiec2453]

Even then they aren't always balanced, especially in the sense of dynamaxing

[@arnaul_de_lapras5853]

Critizing megas for ruining the online meta while saying PAradox forms are a better gimmick sounds fishy to me.

[@flotskryz]

Megas were unbalanced but it seems people like transformations/power ups, like most media have one: one piece, goku, naruto, power rangers, etc.

[@xion0713]

exactly this!

[@Gohka]

You're not wrong people do like that, but the first ones are still always the most popular. Goku turning Super Saiyan for the first time against Freeza is far more renowned than Gohan's SSJ2 or even Goku's SSJ3. Same for Luffy, I even remember people complaining about gear 4, because it was "so ugly". I mean Dyna/Gigantamax were transformations and people's opinion of them were extremely mixed.

[@akilcharles3473]

Didn't know Goku was the name of show but okay!

[@EmeralBookwise]

Certain specific Mega Evolutions were unbalanced, not the mechanic as a whole, but the same is true even of regular evolutions. Every single generation, Smogon will ban specific Pokémon because they break the meta. Heck, even in Gen6, not all of the Pokémon who got banned were Megas.

[@darcidious99]

The thing with that though is that none of the gimmicks were balanced. You give eevee a unique 2x omni boost and it can baton pass with z moves? Thats disgusting in doubles when you can have a 2nd teammate force hits with follow me. Tera requires shedinja to not exist otherwise sandstorm/burn/toxic would be needed on every team due to air balloon electric tera. Gmax lapras can just setup an aurora veil? ... Honestly idk which Gmax form was broken but know people also didn't think it was balanced.

[@jeremytorres5622]

Its simply because Mega-evolution to me feels the most fleshed out, its not just a single use attack or 3 turns to do the same generic moves its a full on different form with different stats often a different ability combined with a different design. like it very much feels like alot more care and intrest was put into megas because they change so much on a base level plus i mean they can be new forms for old pokemon like kangeskhan who wouldnt really suit getting a regular evolution

[@Yamartim]

you can literally say the same thing about regional forms and paradox, that's not unique to megas

[@jeremytorres5622]

@@Yamartim yes you can and I would also be annoyed if regional forms or paradoxes got removed. But as of now they haven't which I'm happy about but if they were suddenly only in spin off games I'd be kinda peeved

[@alexanderkrizak]

@@jeremytorres5622 I actually WAS kinda annoyed by the very low number of Paldean regional forms. Like, I understand that they wanted to have some fun with both convergent evolution and Paradox Pokémon, but I do wish they'd given us more than the two. I also don't think there will be more Paradox Pokémon after this generation, but at least the ones we have will be carried over. (Unless they get dexit'd.)

[@Gloomdrake]

@@alexanderkrizakI wish we’d gotten a Paldean Meowth. Meowth should have gotten a new Regional Variant every game going forward. They already gave it two in a row. They should have doubled down

[@madnessarcade7447]

“Generic” idk zmoves and dynamax gave moves a lot of personality

[@jpbo98]

I always read the “megas hurts the mon” as the result of what happens when the bond between trainer and pokémon is not strong. Especially because it’s usually presented in the games and shows as the peak of the bond between trainer and Pokémon.

[@dusty0896]

Yeah I can see that

[@Obbels]

See above

[@peteman9032]

Same! The trainer bears the power of the transformation along with the Pokemon! Thats why I think in Z-A the bosses could be enraged wild Megas that have no partner

[@regionfuego6]

Hell, the Mega Lucario dex entry is basically what happened in the anime when Korrina failed her mega evolution.

[@gramblidge]

I thought something a bit different, I sort of saw the mega dex entries from ORAS and the other games with the mega evolutions to be misunderstandings/bad interpolations of what is actually happening to the Pokemon. Specifically because the professors of those regions were not researching Evolutions or Mega Evolutions and have NO IDEA what is going on within them. I mean if you went to a professor that studied astronomy, ecology, or ancient history to ask a question on the biological processes of a specific animal, they probably would not know what to say, or would even give a convincing argument for something that could possibly explain your question, but still be incorrect. So I guess in all I just think the regions that have bad dex entires just have no idea what is happening, or how to properly Mega Evolve a Pokemon.

[@MobiusGT]

sounds like your only point is that is that there aren't enough megas. so the only way to fix it is to go all in with more megas

[@maromania7]

Have you ever actually looked at...basically any Alola dex? Half the entries are just "BUTTERFREE ARE CONSTANTLY IN VIOLENT TURF WARS!!!!" and the other half are "Yeah some researcher counted 28 geodude on X road because they have too much free time." They are very different from every other region. So yeah they added some "you are hurting the pokemon" stuff. They also added "this pokemon hangs out near playgrounds so it can stalk the children back home to break into thier room at night." and "Yeah people been thirsting after machoke forEVER, look we'll even put some people doing just that just to emphasize."

[@presidenttogekiss635]

And the funny thing is that its not even played for drama in the games. It´s just there, like, "Isnt Vikavolt cute? It will totally eat you though, lmao"

[@drizzmatec]

My head canon is that Professor Kukui isn't actually a licensed Pokémon professor with a degree, but is actually one of those pseudoscience conspiracy theories peddlers. He was so desperate to have his Z-move research legitimized and get his home region added to the Pokémon league, that he wrote a bunch of false reports on harmful effects of Mega Evolution and had his wife (who in my head canon is a licensed professor but also considered a bit of a crackpot for believing in "alternate dimensions") corroborated his "findings." Unfortunately, he used a bunch of scary buzzwords and got the average person outside of Kalos scared of Mega evolution other than the Hoenn region whose people seem to have a very scientificly minded community as evidenced by their regions multiple research facilities.

[@kampy19]

Is it really that hard to believe that old Pokemon getting new, more powerful forms with cool new designs is popular? It's the same reason regional forms are so popular. Super Saiyans are cool. I also feel like the competitive argument is a little disingenuous. The VGC meta *always* ends up warping around, like, 15 Pokemon. That's nothing new and new gimmicks haven't really changed that meaningfully.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

It's as if they added a new evolution. That's it, happens all the time. In fact, the most interesting part for competitive is that you can only use one Mega, and that they have to hold an item, meaning you need to consider during Team Building which mon to use, and if another item might be better. It's genuinely the most interesting Part of making a Nat Dex Team on Showdown for me.

[@aruakise9803]

​@Sigmund_Froid Plus for more proof Rayquaza being free to have whatever item it wants was one of the bigger reasons why Mega Ray was so obscene. As for the VGC argument I think the fact that ignoring Garchomp even the better and already good Pokemon with Megas played around both normal and mega forms. Like Blaziken doing better overall in its regular form over the mega, Tyranitar faking you out, etc. We have proof of it existing alongside other gimmicks with its presence in Gen 7. And of course Gamefreak both isn't the best at balance to begin with and also they only really care to make the attempt for VGC/doubles which has went from yeah they mostly designed it with x in mind to we only design with this in mind.

[@Rashyboy05]

He's kind of ignoring the fact that Mega Ray was a pretty rare restricted Pokemon in the VGC season it won the World Championship with because most people would rather run Primal Groudon/Kyogre + Xerneas. Lockstin is cherrypicking that you *need* to run Mega Ray just because it's on the team of the winner of that VGC season.

[@legendarytrainer5312]

Yea that's why I love gigantamaxing because megas are like super saiyan and gigantamaxing are like super saiyn 100😂

[@CrossTrash]

I LOVE Megas from a story perspective. They add a little bit of spice into the Trainer-Pokemon dynamic. Like in the XY Anime, Korrina and her Lucario had to overcome their overly brash natures and learn to control their excitement in order for Mega Evolution to work. It serves as a very effective final hurdle for any trainer to overcome in any Pokemon story, and that's something the other gimmicks *cannot* provide.

[@declanmckenna6854]

When Megas were first introduced I totally thought that it was going to be tied into the new Affection mechanic with Poke-monami like you needed to have a certain rank to use it and how many turns it would be applied

[@nolangerrans6083]

⁠@@declanmckenna6854yeah it really should have been. That always bugged me when i first played x and y that you could just catch a pokemon, give it a stone and have it mega evolve from minute one despite them supposedly being the expression of the bond between the trainer and pokemon

[@seanmaddex4104]

I think they were popular because the special attention to some of our favorites and underrated Pokémon similar to regional variations

[@Yamartim]

they do those types of plots all the time in the anime though but with normal evolutions instead of megas, it happened all the way back with like one of the earliest episodes of the anime is about a paras overcoming its cowardice to save its trainer then it evolves, happened pretty recently too with goh and his scorbunny

[@madnessarcade7447]

Ash and gengar learning Gmax and Pikachu earning pikashunium Z was well written so I disagree

[@goldenprataclaw7682]

isn't having a small pool of mega Pokemon the best reason for people to want more mega Pokemons?

[@harrisonsims7680]

On top of that too, if they kept giving pokemon new megas the pool of megas would have grown over time

[@austinmiller2170]

Haven't we learned by now to never trust the Pokedex? If half the information in the 'dex were true, living in the world of Pokemon would be impossible!

[@massimilianoreali4398]

In fact ITS a impossible world to live humanity before befriending pokemon was litterally doomed from the start

[@noahsterben5666]

I’m just say this to vent but having something I like or enjoy be watered down to being “just nostalgia” is nothing short of an insult. Like being told I’m an idiot or a child or simple just because someone else doesn’t get it and then goes on to apply that something later coming around is better. You know how many fandoms I’ve seen where even if you can back up your passion for something with how it resonates with you as a person it still gets handwaved away because “its just nostalgia goggles” even if we don’t understand it can we just respect another’s love of a work or idea with belittling it to being unable to let go of something. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

"Megas had their own Dex entries." I mean, not in Gen VI.

[@TyshaggyGaming]

While I *DO* love regional forms, the *ARE* *NOT* a viable replacement to make a pokemon relevant. That's like having a siamese cat, then saying "He ain't good enough" and replacing him with a tabby cat. You aren't fixing the problem by adding a new pokemon, but rather making the original *EVEN* *MORE* irrelevent.

[@mds_main]

Exactly!

[@melephs_cap]

By that logic, and I dunno if you meant to imply this too, a mega doesn't make a pokemon more relevant either-it just creates another more relevant pokemon that is not the original. The only way to make a Pokemon more relevant, per se, is to change that Pokemon itself.

[@mds_main]

@@melephs_cap Not true. A mega is still a temporary transformation, it is still the original species with a cool powerup. A regional variant is for all intents and purposes a new pokemon whose popularity will just damage the original mon even more.

[@Kier_1]

@@mds_main95% of the time you click the mega button the second you move

[@mds_main]

@@Kier_1 Ok. Your point being?

[@1997Nightwing]

“Mega Evolution is childish” is a funny conclusion to reach as if that means anything for a children’s multimedia franchise. It’s like saying Super Saiyan is too childish for Dragon Ball.

[@madnessarcade7447]

All ages

[@96ace96]

'Being childish' is not a criticism. It's a flavor.

[@TaliesinMyrddin]

I don't think he meant it's childish so it's bad, I interpreted it more as 'it speaks to the childhood hype we had and feeds into that aspect of the nostalgia'

[@1997Nightwing]

@@TaliesinMyrddin No that is very clearly his stance, he actively makes fun of the fans that like Mega Evolution at the end of the video. Not a bad thing, he’s obviously just joking around and it’s just his opinion, but doesn’t really change that he’s trying to paint over it like the fans that like the mechanic are overrating it, are silly for liking it, etc.

[@SinNun-tx5jp]

They could've done something better though

[@Excellsion]

As many others have said, the "Mega Evolution hurts pokemon" thing was only introduced in gen 7, and SO TRANSPARENTLY reads like some other person that didn't like the concept finding a way to make it "canonically awful." A bunch of people basically throw that out as easily as mentions of "Indian Elephants" in old pokedex entries because it plainly does not fit (or get treated that way in anything except retroactive dex entries.)

[@O.D25]

Plus a thing that I NEVER hear from the people who are saying is that Gigantamax forms can canonically _also_ hurt the Pokemon. Like Toxicitry. Also, its not like the Pokedex is the most reliable thing ever, claiming that Absol is the bringer of misfortune and then later correcting it to **warn** about misfortune. So who knows if Alolan researchers weren‘t just wrong.

[@zerogravitee]

I disagree. Not only would it be silly to think game freak would deliberately try to make it look like a mechanic in their own game is bad (like, inherently that's just silly. They could just not put them in), it also completely ignores the rest of gen 7s pokedex being just as dark. Guess game freak wanted us to also hate using primeape because he suffers from heart attacks in anger? Or Gengar hunting and killing people? All of gen 7 was darker, that's just how the dex entries were written. No point trying to cherry pick them for conspiracy theories.

[@Excellsion]

@zerogravitee Fine then. By your own admission: *Many gen 7 Pokedex entries* are dark. It just so happens, however, that those are the only ones that exist for megas. They are basically slandered without the chance for a "second opinion / perspective," like Absol got Pokedex - wise. We wind up at exactly the same spot where those Pokedex entries don't match up with how megas are presented in the rest of the franchise. I will admit it is definitely conspiracy theory territory that they tried to make us hate the concept retroactively before ditching it with other "baggage" in gen 8. *But it doesn't really matter.* Megas were presented as positive *everywhere* except the (oddly dark) gen 7 dex entries, so people are willing to throw out the outlier in their headcanon because it straight up makes more sense. All in all, citing stupid edgelord dex entries that conflict with everything else is a shaky example when dismissing Mega Pokemon. That's all.

[@MrMisutei]

Honestly this debate is kinda dumb because NOT ALL mega-evolution entries were dark and hurtful therefore mega evolution in general is not totally bad.

[@Excellsion]

@MrMisutei There were like 4 positive ones. The grand majority were oddly dark.

[@anoukdevries8144]

I have 0 nostalgia for gen 6, haven't played it. Yet, I understand why people like them, it just makes your favorite Pokémon look cool. Like a superhero versions of them! Childish and simple? Maybe. Effective? Yes! Even without the nostalgia? Yes! Lockstin has no obligation to like them, but I think he is wrong in assuming other people like Megas just because of nostalgia.

[@Surkk2960]

For me it just gave Mawile an evolution, which was hype enough. Though I wish it was a permanent evo instead of a mega (different Ability though) :\

[@Bucaneiro_]

I'd say megas are unique exactly because the mons are so limited. The latest gimmicks are just "this cool thing everyone can do". If everyone is special, then nobody is. But with megas, you never know who will get it, how they'll look like, how it will change their competitive viability or even how to unlock it. It's far more exciting.

[@defeatstatistics7413]

Getting megas for my underrated faves felt so vindicating, like Pinsir and Sharpedo and Houndoom are cool, they always were, now everyone else gets to see how cool they are!!!!

[@librathebeautifulwarmonk1283]

Its simple, for me at least. Gamefreak tried to flesh it out. Hell they created a second timeline, just to fit megas into the series more organically. Also they are the only gimmick to last more than one game. There were no zmoves in SWSH or PLA and no DMax in SV Bit megas were in gen 7, even if they had way less significance

[@xderrodecki8905]

On that note about megas were also the only thing to make into any remake being a major part of oras through the eon twin flights and mega requaza meanwhile nothing like that made it into bdsp

[@infernaldisdain8051]

I didn’t hear about the second timeline, mind explaining it for me?

[@Gohka]

@@xderrodecki8905 tbf though ORAS were made by Game Freak, BDSP were made by an independent company with (I imagine) the lowest asking price.

[@aaronolson6736]

@@xderrodecki8905 part of that was Gamefreak not wanting BDSP to outshine PLA, if anything they would have expanded the lore around Dynamaxing allowing the gen8 metagame to evolve.

[@zero1action27]

@@infernaldisdain8051 AZ from X and Y built a machine that was made to revive his dead pokemon that was forcibly conscripted and died in the Kalos war. After he succeeded he turned that machine into a weapon and destroyed the world with it and the energy from that weapon created the Megastones. In the original timeline(Gen 1-5) AZ didn't fire the weapon and the Kalos war ended in a different way.

[@carterlazarus813]

Well, they never felt like a gimmick until they were taken away. They were treated like a full-on evolution of the evolution concept in their debut games, not a 1-off thing. They appeared in their debut gen of course; but also the remakes in that gen, the following generation and the kanto remakes after that (which were lacking abilities and items, crucial parts of the combat design of megas, seemingly showing their staying power) yet they were still there. They didn't feel like a gimmick, they felt like a permanent new addition for the Pokemon that had them, both within their debut generation and the following games where there weren't any new megas added. Because of this, their fully unique designs, and the fact they would last an entire battle, they essentially were new Pokemon. Therefore, people got attached to them like any other new Pokemon And then they got ripped away. Do you see why that might have people begging to get them back? A lot of people essentially lost their favorite Pokemon without the existence of Mega Evolution, all because Gamefreak felt they were stealing the spotlight from ACTUAL gimmicks even long after they stopped being built upon. Edit: Forgot to mention they're the only "Gimmick" that has consistently appeared in spinoffs, again showing Megas really aren't a gimmick at all. Final Edit: Now actually having finished the video (sorry I knew this would get buried if I didn't jump to write it) I again feel the actual reason I like megas wasn't really addressed. THEY ARE THEIR OWN POKEMON. MANY BECAME MY FAVORITES. The Mega Charizards, Mega Beedrill, Mega Steelix, Mega Houndoom, Mega Gengar, these were all at one point in my top 50, a couple are still in my top 20 and one in my top 10! They are some of my favorite Pokemon and I felt safe in loving them like other Pokemon because they were essentially treated like a permanent thing for a long time... then they were gone. For some of them it's not the end of the world, Steelix and Houndoom are still rad as hell on their own I just thought they looked even cooler mega'd; but Charizard is so outdated and bland these days, the megas gave it a modern appearance (even if "modern" in this case is just edgier). Mega Beedrill is one of the sickest bug types ever and blows regular Beedrill into the shadow dimensions. I love these Pokemon, and without this feature, I cannot have them. I don't care if they're unbalanced. I don't care if there are plenty that don't look good. I don't care that they aren't universal for all Pokemon. They are many people's favorite Pokemon, therefore they always deserve to come back eventually, even if we never get a single new one. Also the argument of "would they be popular if they came out later" is dumb because it's trying to analyze them under a different context. They were the first, you can't look at them like they weren't the first because they were.

[@carterlazarus813]

Also as far as competitive is concerned, I've never understood the argument that they were unhealthy for competitive specifically because you "needed" one for your team. It has nothing to do with them being megas, they just happened to be strong Pokemon because the mega boost gave them high BSTs. There's a group like megas seemingly every generation now; the Ultra Beasts & Tapus were everywhere in gen 7, gen 8 was a bit more varied (unless you count Dynamax), and now in gen 9 most teams have a paradox Pokemon. Are Ultra Beasts or Paradox Mons "bad for competitive" because most teams require one? Especially since these groups are even more thinned than Megas? (48 Megas, 11 Ultra Beasts, 20 Paradox)

[@Yamartim]

the spin off point doesn't really work, megas are just in more spin offs because they're easier to implement for spin offs since they're just a simple form change, unlike z moves that have elaborate animations and dynamax that completely changes the scale of the game. also as a gameplay mechanic they're very much just a gimmick and always were... its a get stronger button that plays a fancy animation there's zero depth to it, if anything it made battles a lot worse as lockstin described making options way more limited

[@carterlazarus813]

@@Yamartim Sure they're easier to implement than other gimmicks but by that point developers could just as easily not include any gimmicks form the main series; and in many cases went out of their way to squeeze them in. Why? Because they're not meant to be a gimmick. Also doesn't change the main point: They're essentially full-blown Pokemon. They deserve to be kept around just as much as Purugly or Crabominable because they're someone's favorite somewhere

[@Surkk2960]

I miss Mega Mawile because it felt like they finally gave the poor thing the evolution it truly needed... though it was a bit overtuned battle-wise.

[@xeonbeast9948]

Based take. Just goes to show that Pokemon focusing on one off gimmicks has been a mistake.

[@rafal.qwerty]

Mega Evolution was the best gimmick, because all the later ones were just some single aspect of mega with some twist. Z-Moves - it's like mega evolving a single attack, but only to use once per battle (Dyna/Giant)max - it's like a weird mix of Mega Evolution with Z-Moves. Terastalization - pokemon changes it's type just like some megas and got little buff for attacks.

[@Tm_Slink]

That's because Mega Evolution was broken as hell.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

​@@Tm_SlinkYeah, I don't buy that excuse when Dynamax exists. A mechanic so broken it alone can win most single battles

[@gamerskingdom4897]

​@@Tm_Slinkyeah but for the 90 percent of the player base that only realy plays single player that meant the later ones just felt like lamer versions of the same thing

[@mastermarkus5307]

As someone who doesn't play competitively, the other gimmicks being lamer forms of mega evolution is EXACTLY the impression I got. They're also easier to design than mega evolutions, both from a visual standpoint and a mechanic standpoint (except for the gigantamaxed forms of some Pokémon, which were basically mega evolutions but focused on "being big".

[@timdoe8895]

Lockstin is not stupid and I refuse to believe he doesn’t understand why mega evolution is so popular. Like it is very common sense why cool new forms made through bond of friendship would be popular compared to the timed events that gave even less Pokémon new forms and just new moves.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

Yeah, this video feels like a desperate attempt to find a reason to justify his own dislike of the mechanic, rather than for the popularity of it... Like, "People like this popular thing, but I dislike it, so clearly everyone who likes it must be wrong!" Him belittling people for liking Megas is what makes this video stick out negatively though...

[@jeffreylayton3411]

Megas are the only gimmick to span over multiple regions (xy and oras) showing they are NOT locked to region or Era. There wasn't a good reason to drop Z moves either. The fact that both are linked by held item shouldn't factor them out of future games lore wise. I think they only did so as not to have too much going on in any given game.

[@IndigoEuphonium]

20:44 When threatened, the wild Lockstin can unfurl its frills and spit acid 6 feet away

[@thebeber2546]

Yeah… and that sound at the end of the was primal.

[@adhamwashere5320]

I've never heard someone say Dmax was more healthy for the meta than megas. Dmax were only that way in doubles, and in singles they were so overpowered that Smogon has completely banned them from any singles tier.

[@Tm_Slink]

And you don't think Megas wern't way overpowered in Singles? o.O

[@KunouNoHana]

@@Tm_Slink There were, what, 6 megas moved to Ubers from OU, and a couple from ubers to AG. Meanwhile dynamax and Gmax are just straight banned at ALL tier levels on ALL pokemon for gen 8 singles.

[@Yamartim]

@@KunouNoHana that's because ever since gen 7 pokemon was never bothered to be for singles in the first place really, vgc reigns king

[@Sigmund_Froid]

​@@Tm_SlinkYes, yes I do in Fact think Megas weren't broken in Singles. Unlike Dynamax, only a handful of Megas have been banned as opposed to the entire Mechanic

[@josephinefeng3990]

Singles is irrelevant though, Smogon isn't official. Dynamax is very balanced when it comes to doubles, the actual format of the competitive scene.

[@KCERTLEZ]

One big thing that I liked about Mega-Evolution is that it makes a lot of sense within the Pokemon world(granted, you could argue the same thing with other gimmic's. Probably less so with Z-Moves). Mega-Evolution takes the process of evolution(a concept thats already intertwined with the games/world and is heavily researched by many scientists within said world) and take's it a step further. Pokemon pushing the boundaries of evolution to the next level. Maybe I'm weird for liking that aspect of it, but it's always been one of the reason's why I liked it.

[@wyattdupre2721]

To me Mega Evolution always seemed like a natural "evolution" for pokemon, its kinda of like you amd your partner achieving your final forms together. Also I choose to ignore that mega evos hurt the pokemon😊that doesnt exist in my reality

[@Davanthall]

Its a super form. That's why they're so popular. Because the concept of Super Forms in general are popular. People LOVE Super Saiyan. People LOVE Super Sonic. Avatar State, Black Suit Spiderman, Golden Armor Wonder Woman, Fierce Deity Link...Mario, Naruto, Scott Pilgrim, Star V Forces of Evil, Amphibia- there are SO MANY franchises that try their hand at experimenting with the general concept of "Super Form", not necessarily always as a transformation but the basic premise of the idea of a form distinct from the characters usual form that improves their abilities and attributes, giving a significant boost to what they can do. Mega Evolutions are Pokemon's "Super Form", that's why they're the most popular.

[@cluless5227]

For the variants/paradox conversation, they feel like different but similar Pokémon. When I see Farfetch’d and its variant I see one as the original, and the other as the new and improved regulating the old to the bin. Similar to paradox Pokémon with Delibird. At least Megas makes you feel like they are adding to the Pokémon

[@nechocat1234]

well that's also because farfetch'd and delibird really really really suck,while mega beedrill is the best example of making a pokemon somewhat relevant megas have, it's stat spread is completly different from beedrill, bedrill was a somewhat fast and had special bulk, but the mega made it a physicall sweeper

[@EmiCheese]

Yeah, not getting anything for our Leekduck while there's a new one that gets all the love feels a little sucky

[@Castersvarog]

I was gonna say the same, the regional variants are an amazing concept and help bring new opportunities for an evolution line, but it almost requires pushing an older Mon out of its spotlight. Like Sirfetchd was a great thing, but what does it do for regular Farfetch’d? Nothing. It’s still awful and has nothing to its name. Same with the Paradoxes, that’s not a Donphan, that’s Great Tusk, it’s not the same Mon, it’s effectively just a look alike.

[@CobaltClaw]

I mean, at the same time there is Ninetales. Both ice and fire fox have a use, and while A-Ninetales is arguably better, you can still run the other Ninetales on a deciated team and do fine.

[@cesarflamenco9484]

I feel like Paradox Pokemon aren't the best argument for defense of cutting Mega Evolutions considering I doubt they are going to make new ones for the next generation. They're more in like a similar category than Ultra Beasts than anything.

[@henriquebecker4453]

I hate this historicall revisionism of "oh, megas weren't as popular as you remember" stuf. Having few pokemon that could mega evolve *was* part of what made it so intresting, unlike z-moves and Gigantamax you had a very select grupe of pokemon that could megaevolve, making the hipe for who would get a megaevolution next grow exponentially. Also, the anime drove the hipe for megas in to an absurd degree, while z-moves just needed a dance and Gigantamax needed you to battle in a soccer stadium, mega (lore wise, at least) needed you to bound with your partner in order to access this temporary boost.

[@ZachZombie]

The implicit "Beedrill didn't deserve a Mega because it's a Gen 1 Mon" is quite possibly the biggest slap in the face I've ever heard. I do agree that a lot of already strong Pokémon getting special treatment is stupid. Like, did Venusaur and Blaziken really NEED Megas? Absolutely not; if any starter deserved a Mega, it was Meganium. But BEEDRILL?! Beedrill and Mawile are the commonly cited poster children for Mega Evolution giving a much-needed boost in power. The whole "It's a Gen 1 Mon, so it's excluded" idea just doesn't mesh with that for me; it goes against the point of Mega Evolution. In my eyes, Mega Evolution should be that whole anime thing about "beating the odds with the power of friendship" and "the underdog punching up against the big strong bad guy." Y'know, all that trope-y stuff. The limited pool of Mons that can do it is part of the appeal for me. If every Pokémon can do it, then being able to do it isn't special. Like, yeah, Dynamaxing is cool and all, but everyone talks about GIGANTAMAXING; certain Pokémon achieved new, beefed-up forms when Dynamaxing, and wouldn't you know it: a lot of them are Mons that the general public doesn't care much for otherwise, like Centiskorch, Garbodor, Coalossal, or even Inteleon. Oversaturation of a gimmick doesn't help anyone, but letting the less powerful Mons get a chance in the spotlight is what Mega Evolving IS to me; it's what it should be; it's what I worked SEVEN GYMS FOR through BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS. [Side Note for Context: the fan game Floral Tempus locks Beedrillite behind being able to use Surf, and you can't use Surf outside of battle until you beat the seventh gym out of twelve, when you get like a dozen stones for Mons like Heracross, Houndoom, and Absol WAY before that.] "Oh, but Beedrill doesn't NEED a Mega; KANTOOOOOO rule!" Then why haven't we seen it since Gen 7, AKA the last generation to have Mega Evolutions in it as of now? Like, to me, that's just a little more than a weird coincidence. "But Pokémon are harmed by Mega Evolution!" Not all of them. Heracross just gets a bit sore once it reverts to normal, and Pinsir actually ENJOYS Mega Evolving because of its new wings. Coincidentally, Mega Beedrill's Dex entriy makes ZERO MENTION of the long-term effects of Mega Energy, despite the Alolan Dex being notoriously hardcore. If anything, I feel like it'd just get more aggressive and protective, because that's just how Beedrill acts in general. "Mega Evolution is HORRIBLY balanced! I bet you HATE Teras, don't you?! Teras are the BEST because they're BALANCED!" (Sorry for the exaggeration of that.) Oh, wow... it's almost like people play games casually, and don't really give a damn about competitive balance. This is also the reason why I find it hilarious when people take down a team of Legendaries with, like, a Bidoof or something. My point is, the Generation a Pokémon is from should have no bearing on its treatment in future. Like, seriously, when was the last time anyone gave a damn about Venomoth, or Fearrow, or even Starmie? It has to DESERVE it. And in my (admittedly very inexperienced) eyes, Beedrill was in desperate of something like this. And even then, compared to other Megas (notably the Starters and the Psuedos), it just lags behind... Fitting, isn't it? Even when it gets special attention, everyone just uses the better ones... Damn. I know I'm probably biased cause it was my first proper Shiny, and it carried me through the first two Gyms, and all that. Just... the anguish I felt when I realized my Beedrill would have to just... sit in the Box for the rest of the playthrough. But then... I was told of the Beedrillite. Finally, a glimmer of hope! And when I finally got it... he was finally back... and better than ever... So, pardon my rant; I just... it feels like you've spat in the face of everything I worked for. My attachment to Mega Evolution isn't about nostalgia; I've only gotten into this franchise earlier this year. Just HAVING this form now... it reminds me of all that I've done: The Mons I caught, the battles I fought, all of it for the sake of one Bug. So... admittedly, trashing on Megas and ESPECIALLY Mega Beedrill is just... it feels like a personal attack, I guess.

[@egbertmilton4003]

Oh, you know what would have been better though? If they actually buffed Beedrill’s base stats and move pool. Just accept that Mega Evolutions were an embarrassment of an addition. You don’t work towards a Mega, there’s no blood sweat and tears, it’s literally a button press and that’s it. And like you said, Beedrill’s Mega was heavily outclassed by more popular Pokémon with Megas, who you would be giving up a slot for. So, the mechanic didn’t even work to give Beedrill the spot light. Just because Megas made a Pokemon you liked a little better, doesn’t mean it was a good mechanic.

[@revantobias8567]

​@egbertmilton4003 If people had fun then it was a good mechanic. The point of this game is to have fun. Fun can be had in many different ways. For many casuals, megas are fun. Yet we are belittled by lockstin and comments like yours. If GF wasn't so lazy and greedy they could have fixed the issues competitive purists have while letting us casual continue to have our fun. But they got rid of it like they do with every good thing in these games.

[@froggerfly13]

I like mega evolution because of the designs, and the fact that its not universally distributed makes for fun theorymonning. I remember how exciting it was when ORAS was announced and waiting to see which pokemon would get one.

[@kayschut9327]

And then get disappointed and having to hold out hope for the next few years. The chip analogy is spot on.

[@froggerfly13]

​@@kayschut9327 it's true, but I don't see it as that different to the hype for new Pokémon or regional forms. Other than it being left behind after gen 7 I don't see why it's any more "addictive" or "unsatisfactory" than the other new features.

[@cesargpfis]

@@froggerfly13I think I can see a big difference, speaking in broad terms. New Pokémon are, you know, new; there is no expectation of what they’ll be (there is a case to be made for the starters final evolutions, but that is a separate matter). Regional forms are mostly just an added bonus, a treat; nobody is begging for, I don’t know, Sunflora to get a regional form but, if it ends up getting one, that’s cool. The feeling of megas is much different because they inherently imply an “upgrade”. You WANT underused Pokémon to get megas, and will get disappointed when they don’t get one (i.e. “why neglect this one in favour of this other one?”) or worse, if they do get a mega and it ends up being disappointing to you. The backlash from “I was expecting something better and I get this garbage” is much stronger than the backlash from “wow, this new thing is garbage”.

[@dave9515]

@@cesargpfis Except regional forms and new evos get backlash like that already. Look at how many got made about dundunsparce.

[@cutedarkarts]

Honestly, it’s power fantasy that makes me like megas so much. It felt like I had to go out of my way to find not only the items that allowed you to mega evolve pokemon, but that you needed to find the pokemon themselves. And with the idea that megas become super powerful and often are described as being in immense pain and/or rage, it felt like it took a lot to be able to control one. Like just imagine you are one of the strongest trainers in the region not just because you beat the champion, but because you can control Pokémon that are known for being almost impossible to control, especially the legendaries with megas. While the other gimmicks are all fine and dandy, they felt less like such a big scary thing because they didn’t make them seem like they were harder to control. Z moves were just like silly dances you do with your pokemon, gigantimaxing was just “hey you’re big now!”, and terrastelizing it’s just “take this magic crystal hat, it give you powers”. I don’t hate those gimmicks though, just felt like they were a tad bit “meh” after the idea of mega evos.

[@joegamergaming]

This

[@saadinhalf]

Paul moment

[@mewziikal8331]

For me, it's a way of having a Pokemon that you like become the uncontested star of your team. Other gimmicks are too uniform, and alternate forms are too mundane : neither makes the chosen pokemon stand out quite as much. The process of choosing a mega is incredibly enjoyable imo. And i don't think the lacking number of them is inherent to the concept of megas : imagine if a lot more megas existed, anyone could just pick one of their favorite Pokémon to be the backbone of their team by becoming cooler and more powerful than others of the same species. It's like how cool it is for gym leaders to have an ace, or for the characters in pokemon Masters to each have their one designated partner pokemon ; that individuality makes them more interesting. Except as a player, in a team of 6 similar (or max) level pokemon, there's no way for you to have one visibly stand out from the 5 others, except by being the one you choose to Mega evolve.

[@WhyYouWahYoo]

I completely understand why some folks don’t like them. They gave all the big boys forms when they didn’t really need them, making them overpowered, they’re a lot messier in terms of battle mechanics in terms of how they function, too. All that said, I love a good Super Forme trope. I’m a sucker for going even further beyond. Mega Banette, Absol, Gardevior, and Charizard X are some of my all-time favorites

[@darkagestudio3843]

- Megaevolution hurt pokemon!!! - Guess what!? Pokemon Battles hurts too!!!

[@sptflcrw8583]

EXACTLY

[@aracharsley7357]

There is a stark difference to a boxer getting beat up in the ring and being tortured to unlock some sort of inner power.

[@MaineMaineJr]

@@aracharsley7357 that part

[@darkagestudio3843]

@@aracharsley7357 there is a stark difference to a boxer gettin beat up in the ring and a little pikachu been torched alive by a Flametrower, or been trowed in to a Earthquake, or been drived to madness by a Psych, or...

[@O.D25]

THANK YOU! Geez, why do people choose to Go full team Plasma when it comes to Mega Evolution alone?

[@SilverSonic72]

Something that kept being brought up was how you are kinda forced into using specific pokemon because those were the only ones with Megas. So why not just make that pool of options bigger? It seems like a no-brainer to just have more to choose from if that is a major issue you have with it. It's cool and interesting. There was a lot of reasons behind why people liked it. So why is it "bad" if it is simply too limited so far? You don't have to like it to admit that it has merit. If so many more people are fans of it than people who aren't, who do you think should be appealed to? Charizard is evidence of that enduring mentality in the games. This whole video just comes across as Lockstin saying "I get why you like it, but you're wrong." Even if that's unintentional.

[@kayschut9327]

They did though, by removing megas and making new gimmicks that every pokemon could use. 'If so many more people are fans of it than people who aren't', looking at the comments here people are pretty split. Like Lockstin said, I like the IDEA of megas. I absolutely hated the execution and, most of all, the selection of pokemon that got megas. The selection didn't even make sense from a lore perspective, considering only Diancie got a mega out of all the pokemon introduced in the generation (which it basically only got because of the movie).

[@coltonstewart8698]

​@@kayschut9327To the point of no Kalos Pokémon got it, technically, that's not true because every Pokémon that got it was natively found in Kalos even though we had seen them in other regions first. Just because we saw it in Kanto first, doesn't mean it's not native to Kallos as well. Imagine saying India or Africa can't have "native" elephants because the other has elephants.

[@kayschut9327]

​@@coltonstewart8698 So let me rephrase it: none of the new pokemon that got introduced got a mega evolution, only those that already existed.

[@coltonstewart8698]

@@kayschut9327 Don't get me wrong, the newly introduced Pokémon deserved megas, too. I, personally, wanted/want a mega Goodra.

[@kayschut9327]

@@coltonstewart8698 I'd rather no pokemon above starter bst to have a mega, cause they generally dont need the buff. But if they were doing it anyway Goodra would be highest on my list considering it's my all time favourite

[@tomasalvarez6011]

"only 28 megas" THATS WHY WE WANT MORE

[@errorno1085]

What i liked about mega evolution was the whole "your connection, understanding, and bond with your pokemon has allowed it to brake through its limitations" it let me feel connected to the pokemon I had, and gave me the felling that we were very good friends.

[@mung01re]

The pain/crazed aspect also doesn’t happen for every Mega. Pinsir seems pretty happy with it.

[@FoxxyFire-HellFrost]

It's not JUST nostalgia. I think it's also the concept of giving something new to the Pokémon. A new design, a new ability, a new type, new stats, it adds something to your favorite Pokémon that makes them actually viable. I loved a lot of the new additions they added to ORAS. All of the starters getting Mega forms, Pokémon like Mawile and Manectric whom I loved in Gen 3 but were not exactly powerhouses, and the entirety of the Delta episode giving us the chance to catch a flippin' Deoxys! It was just such a pleasure to see some life breathed into a generation that was once toward the bottom of my list of faves to having remakes that, until PLA, were at the top. I just really enjoyed that there was a generation with Megas that didn't make an easy game even easier. I always though Gen 3 was actually on the harder side due to the lack of leveling but this was helped a lot in ORAS.

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

It also allows Gym Leaders & important characters with kind of meh aces to get some major buffs without technically changing the team comp or fiddling with the pokedex in some cases. Imagine in a Gen 2 remake - Clair Mega Evolved her Kingdra. Or Skyla Mega Evolved her Swanna. Tate & Liza Mega Evolving their Lunatone & Solrock. Hell, imagine a proper XY remake but the grass Gym Leader Mega Evolved his Jumpluff lol. Never underestimate the power of ace pokemon.

[@lazerith84]

I feel like it's because Mega's were an actual part of your team - Gigantamax can only be used in certain places - Tera has to be recharged ... Mega could be used every battle - IMO

[@FryIronicMemeFace]

To be fair. "The idea was cool" could be used to explain most of Gamefreak's output over the past decade.

[@CamDaGR8X]

Yeah too bad about the actual games being dogshit lmao

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@CamDaGR8X U guys see Pokémon as a game or any other series that’s either good or bad but it’s not that it’s more than that It’s a culture and a lifestyle a living breathing world with a story and lore and characters We form parasocial relationships with these fictional animals because we love them so much and they have so much personality and backstory ​​⁠their dev time is 3-6 actually u just don’t feel it cuz they work on multiple projects simultaneously with the budget of a Disney channel movie around 15-20mil and they have to balance game release with the anime and the cards Everyone can say pokemon should be like Zelda or xenoblade but those games don’t have an anime and a tcg they have to abide by it’s like jenga Also they do make decisions dictated by the competitive scene And they may or may not share resources that part I’m unsure of Hot take: the point of Pokémon is to appeal to the widest audience possible and that there’s something for everyone from mainline to the anime to the spin offs Well maybe if people got into the other avenues of the franchise rather than solely the games u wouldn’t be disappointed Since the series was designed to be symbiotic with itself and to experience every avenue together for a complete experience U guys need to reevaluate ur priorities Visuals,frame rate,art style are irrelevant People are too focused on superficial nonsense ​​⁠let’s be real u didn’t get into the original games for the graphics And If u didn’t play games for the graphics as a kid then why would u play them for the graphics now Sorry u forgot what the point of Pokémon was to begin with Pokémon is always meant to be an entry level jrpg maybe the people trying to hate on pokemon maybe they just aren’t into jrpgs If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need The series knows what it is and its niche(by niche I mean space) and what it wants to be and there’s nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t have to be anything else The mainstream audience doesn’t care about graphics or bugs or anything they just like to vibe People are just trying to make it something that is isn’t And something that doesn’t fit its style Maybe u don’t like Pokemon just aren’t into RPGs and that’s fine dont have to use that as an excuse to be toxic If its not ur thing just move on imo They’re gonna do their own thing and be their own thing in their own way Pokémon is always meant to be an entry level jrpg maybe the people trying to hate on pokemon maybe they just aren’t into jrpgs If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need The series knows what it is and its niche(by niche I mean space) and what it wants to be and there’s nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t have to be anything else The mainstream audience doesn’t care about graphics or bugs or anything they just like to vibe People are just trying to make it something that is isn’t And something that doesn’t fit its style Maybe u don’t like Pokemon just aren’t into RPGs and that’s fine dont have to use that as an excuse to be toxic If its not ur thing just move on imo They’re gonna do their own thing and be their own thing in their own way Calling pokemon “lazy” is lazy they got more to do than most devs they make two games and have to be symbiotic with the rest of the series and all this other stuff They can’t delay the game they have a symbiotic release system The games are leashed to the anime,tcg,etc and the anime,tcg etc is leashed to the games Tpc is constantly playing a game of jenga trying to balance each of its branches The games are in development for 3-6 years we just don’t feel it because a lot of times they work on multiple generations at the same time they have two teams the games have a 15-20 million dollar budget They probably share resources Maybe about the sharing idk They have been working on Gen 10 for a few years now Visuals,frame rate,art style are irrelevant People are too focused on superficial nonsense If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need Can’t believe people still care about that frame stuff I’m sorry people got so lost and brainwashed by the superficialities of the industry you forgot what Pokémon was originally about And I know that the game isn’t perfect and that there’s issues Pokémon is a franchise where the theme is friendship is magic and meeting cute and cool unique monsters What the hell does graphics and performance have to do with those things? Nothing if you wanna criticize a franchise criticize it on whether or not it delivered on the messages and themes it promised Was friendship magic? Did you meet cute and cool unique creatures? Ok then it’s a good game Those are what’s important to Pokémon As the og theme said Pokémon is about Oh your my best friend in a world we must defend I will travel across the land searching far and wide each pokemon to understand the power that’s inside Our hearts so true our courage will pull us through you teach me and I teach you” That’s what it is about and that’s what it will always be about and if that’s what it continues to be about until the end Then that’s a strong enough ending for me Not sure what graphics and animation and performance has to do with that Performance graphics those things never Mattered You have to remember pokemon games have only been 3D since 2013 that’s pretty recent compared to other games like Zelda that have been 3D since the 90s and early 2000s so obviously they’re gonna be behind Mixed with the fact that They can’t delay the game because main console for only 5 years compared to Zelda since n64 The franchise was designed so that every aspect of it has a symbiotic relationship The games can’t release without the anime the merch and the manga and the manga the merch and the anime can’t release without the games And it’s about time you all understand that by now They are doing their best trying to balance the games with the tcg and the anime The Pokémon franchise is like a game of jenga If you move one thing it all falls apart They are doing the best they can sorry I’m the only one who appreciates that Unless you want them to hypothetically release the Gen 10 anime and then wait till the anime gets to Gen 15 to release the Gen 10 games they are still learning as they go so y’all gotta be patient and give them time to catch up Their partnership with take two they’ll apply what they learn back into Pokémon so that’s good You have to remember gamefreak are inexperienced with developing open world games so of course there will be some trial and error the more they work on and improve the game and do future games the better at it they’ll get Rome wasn’t built in a day we need to be patient Assuming we get more open world games NOT TO MENTION ScarVi’s development was probably screwed up by the pandemic Probably turned it upside down And before u say just delay the game They can’t delay the game The franchise was designed so that every aspect of it has a symbiotic relationship The games can’t release without the anime the merch and the manga and the manga the merch and the anime can’t release without the games And it’s about time you all understand that by now They are doing their best trying to balance the games with the tcg and the anime The Pokémon franchise is like a game of jenga If you move one thing it all falls apart They are doing the best they can sorry I’m the only one who appreciates that Unless you want them to hypothetically release the Gen 10 anime and then wait till the anime gets to Gen 15 to release the Gen 10 games ​​⁠it’s not outdated it’s rebellious and nonconformist The games aren’t rushed there is a schedule they abide by for symbiosis The games and the anime and tcg are all beholden to each other You can’t move one without ruining the groove Unless you one gen 10 game to come out years after the gen 10 anime and have it spoiled There is a symbiosis there When you watch the anime it makes u wanna play the game and vice versa so they are companion pieces designed to be experienced together for a complete experience They choose to live in their own bubble and be one of a kind and not imitate what everyone else does and they have my respect for that

[@madnessarcade7447]

U guys see Pokémon as a game or any other series that’s either good or bad but it’s not that it’s more than that It’s a culture and a lifestyle a living breathing world with a story and lore and characters We form parasocial relationships with these fictional animals because we love them so much and they have so much personality and backstory ​​⁠their dev time is 3-6 actually u just don’t feel it cuz they work on multiple projects simultaneously with the budget of a Disney channel movie around 15-20mil and they have to balance game release with the anime and the cards Everyone can say pokemon should be like Zelda or xenoblade but those games don’t have an anime and a tcg they have to abide by it’s like jenga Also they do make decisions dictated by the competitive scene And they may or may not share resources that part I’m unsure of Hot take: the point of Pokémon is to appeal to the widest audience possible and that there’s something for everyone from mainline to the anime to the spin offs Well maybe if people got into the other avenues of the franchise rather than solely the games u wouldn’t be disappointed Since the series was designed to be symbiotic with itself and to experience every avenue together for a complete experience U guys need to reevaluate ur priorities Visuals,frame rate,art style are irrelevant People are too focused on superficial nonsense ​​⁠let’s be real u didn’t get into the original games for the graphics And If u didn’t play games for the graphics as a kid then why would u play them for the graphics now Sorry u forgot what the point of Pokémon was to begin with Pokémon is always meant to be an entry level jrpg maybe the people trying to hate on pokemon maybe they just aren’t into jrpgs If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need The series knows what it is and its niche(by niche I mean space) and what it wants to be and there’s nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t have to be anything else The mainstream audience doesn’t care about graphics or bugs or anything they just like to vibe People are just trying to make it something that is isn’t And something that doesn’t fit its style Maybe u don’t like Pokemon just aren’t into RPGs and that’s fine dont have to use that as an excuse to be toxic If its not ur thing just move on imo They’re gonna do their own thing and be their own thing in their own way Pokémon is always meant to be an entry level jrpg maybe the people trying to hate on pokemon maybe they just aren’t into jrpgs If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need The series knows what it is and its niche(by niche I mean space) and what it wants to be and there’s nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t have to be anything else The mainstream audience doesn’t care about graphics or bugs or anything they just like to vibe People are just trying to make it something that is isn’t And something that doesn’t fit its style Maybe u don’t like Pokemon just aren’t into RPGs and that’s fine dont have to use that as an excuse to be toxic If its not ur thing just move on imo They’re gonna do their own thing and be their own thing in their own way Calling pokemon “lazy” is lazy they got more to do than most devs they make two games and have to be symbiotic with the rest of the series and all this other stuff They can’t delay the game they have a symbiotic release system The games are leashed to the anime,tcg,etc and the anime,tcg etc is leashed to the games Tpc is constantly playing a game of jenga trying to balance each of its branches The games are in development for 3-6 years we just don’t feel it because a lot of times they work on multiple generations at the same time they have two teams the games have a 15-20 million dollar budget They probably share resources Maybe about the sharing idk They have been working on Gen 10 for a few years now Visuals,frame rate,art style are irrelevant People are too focused on superficial nonsense If The lore was good The writing was good The music was good The vibes were good The messages were good The character designs were good That’s all you really need Can’t believe people still care about that frame stuff I’m sorry people got so lost and brainwashed by the superficialities of the industry you forgot what Pokémon was originally about And I know that the game isn’t perfect and that there’s issues Pokémon is a franchise where the theme is friendship is magic and meeting cute and cool unique monsters What the hell does graphics and performance have to do with those things? Nothing if you wanna criticize a franchise criticize it on whether or not it delivered on the messages and themes it promised Was friendship magic? Did you meet cute and cool unique creatures? Ok then it’s a good game Those are what’s important to Pokémon As the og theme said Pokémon is about Oh your my best friend in a world we must defend I will travel across the land searching far and wide each pokemon to understand the power that’s inside Our hearts so true our courage will pull us through you teach me and I teach you” That’s what it is about and that’s what it will always be about and if that’s what it continues to be about until the end Then that’s a strong enough ending for me Not sure what graphics and animation and performance has to do with that Performance graphics those things never Mattered You have to remember pokemon games have only been 3D since 2013 that’s pretty recent compared to other games like Zelda that have been 3D since the 90s and early 2000s so obviously they’re gonna be behind Mixed with the fact that They can’t delay the game because main console for only 5 years compared to Zelda since n64 The franchise was designed so that every aspect of it has a symbiotic relationship The games can’t release without the anime the merch and the manga and the manga the merch and the anime can’t release without the games And it’s about time you all understand that by now They are doing their best trying to balance the games with the tcg and the anime The Pokémon franchise is like a game of jenga If you move one thing it all falls apart They are doing the best they can sorry I’m the only one who appreciates that Unless you want them to hypothetically release the Gen 10 anime and then wait till the anime gets to Gen 15 to release the Gen 10 games they are still learning as they go so y’all gotta be patient and give them time to catch up Their partnership with take two they’ll apply what they learn back into Pokémon so that’s good You have to remember gamefreak are inexperienced with developing open world games so of course there will be some trial and error the more they work on and improve the game and do future games the better at it they’ll get Rome wasn’t built in a day we need to be patient Assuming we get more open world games NOT TO MENTION ScarVi’s development was probably screwed up by the pandemic Probably turned it upside down And before u say just delay the game They can’t delay the game The franchise was designed so that every aspect of it has a symbiotic relationship The games can’t release without the anime the merch and the manga and the manga the merch and the anime can’t release without the games And it’s about time you all understand that by now They are doing their best trying to balance the games with the tcg and the anime The Pokémon franchise is like a game of jenga If you move one thing it all falls apart They are doing the best they can sorry I’m the only one who appreciates that Unless you want them to hypothetically release the Gen 10 anime and then wait till the anime gets to Gen 15 to release the Gen 10 games ​​⁠it’s not outdated it’s rebellious and nonconformist The games aren’t rushed there is a schedule they abide by for symbiosis The games and the anime and tcg are all beholden to each other You can’t move one without ruining the groove Unless you one gen 10 game to come out years after the gen 10 anime and have it spoiled There is a symbiosis there When you watch the anime it makes u wanna play the game and vice versa so they are companion pieces designed to be experienced together for a complete experience They choose to live in their own bubble and be one of a kind and not imitate what everyone else does and they have my respect for that

[@legonerd0666]

@@madnessarcade7447i think this might be the longest comment ive ever seen on youtube

[@InquisitorThomas]

So in regards to the original tweet: Maybe? I feel part of the reason I don't like Gigantamax as much as Megas because I learned twice already that these big flashy mechanics were essentially one generation gimmick. I might have potentially been more fond of certain Gigantamax Pokémon if I thought "Oh Gigantamax Garbodor is around to stay." With that being said that implementation of Megas in the world and the way they elevated certain Pokemon did feel like a significant evolution in certain Pokemons' design, like I'm going to be honest, there are Pokemon like Lucario, Sableeye, Mawhile, and plenty others who now feel "incomplete" without access to their Megas, like why pick up an Aundino in a modern game without it's Mega.

[@Andrewtr6]

I didn't care for the generally idea of "pokemon gets large" but the Gigantamax forms were cool and many of them could have been megas.

[@coltonstewart8698]

​@@Andrewtr6 the thought of Mega Snorlax is crazy... I love it!

[@snappgator]

Breaking news: old man yells at cloud

[@nanya524]

"We moved onto better things..." Hats Over-powered moves that NO ONE in the VGC liked And giant form that is barely used in story. Megas were allowed to be used at any time after you got the crystals.

[@Destinum]

Regional variants and Paradox Pokémon don't help Pokémon that need it, they're simply new Pokémon that just happen to look similar, while the original gets left in the dust. With Megas on the other hand, you can take a Beedrill you've had since gen 3 and actually make it usable in battle.

[@kotlolish]

Thought that as well. Mega's can also be used for a nice "Different' approach. Like Z-moves, mega's could been totally become useless by.."removing said item" Until Mega-Rayquaza.. but let's be real... that was the lamest mega since it wasn't a reversal.. doesn't need a cool item.. and while looking cool... felt the least earned.

[@ObrigadaJim]

i can pick my pikachu from gen3 and evolve it to a alolan raichu

[@itsturniptime3699]

But at that point is Mega Beedrill still Beedrill? Or is it a different Pokémon that just looks and has the same name as your Beedrill Does it feel the same?

[@TheWinnersAlley]

Well you still have to use regular beedrill to mega-evolve so, yes? Honestly it could go either way. Regular beedrill is the form it has until you get into battle and "go mega". On the other hand, if Mega Beedrill was just Kalosian Beedrill, it would outstrip regular beedrill in everyday and kanto beedrill may as not exist (competitively, so like it is now😅). Doesn't mean some people won't prefer Kanto beedrill, it just won't have nearly as much (pardon my pun) buzz around it

[@Yamartim]

you can do the same with way more pokemon by giving it a z-move, dynamaxing or terastalizing it, thats not unique to megas

[@infernaldisdain8051]

…Regional Variants are basically different Pokémon. I don’t count them as a refresh or improvement of the base version.

[@garryjones-jv3sz]

Bruh

[@EmiCheese]

Yeah, I agree. I'm still waiting to get some love for my boi Qwilfish. Overqwil is nice and all, but it's not the one I love 😢

[@XIII_Vanitas]

they're cousins

[@JackDout]

If I were to be blunt about it, they're recolors.

[@shadowmarauder6033]

true. i love them, but they're more like retools of existing pokemon. The original still sucks

[@anbuagent12]

"Man spends 20 minutes defending his exceedingly unpopular opinion" is my favorite type of youtube video.

[@danilogomes8195]

And he put megas into his own series too. Weird that he didn't bring it up.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I see you are also an Arlo fan. 🤣

[@ultimateaura7629]

I wanna chime in on the whole balance discussion. I think megas are a more balanced mechanic than tera. Sure, every pokemon can use tera, but that's kind of the problem. With megas you can immediately see which pokemon on your opponents team is going to be their mega. With tera it adds a whole guessing game of "What pokemon will they use their tera on and what type will it turn into" and in a game that's all about information, and using that information to make informed decisions about what your opponent is going to do, adding a factor that adds so much random variance is just bad. With Z-moves as well it was much more committal because the pokemon had to hold a z crystal and if you used it at the wrong you won't get any further value out of it

[@karenbonds264]

0:42 My theory is that Alola and Kalos got into a war with each other and Alola lost because Kalos has Mega Evolution. So all those Sun/Moon Dex entries about Pokémon becoming violent or in pain while Mega Evolving could just be Alola demonizing the phenomenon and discourage local trainers from using it. Heh. That could be its own theory.

[@pikminboi7255]

That’s honestly a super cool theory

[@GhaniPulangDariSawah]

That honestly sounds like a really cool piece of lore and is surprisingly close to the irl reason....

[@gyga100]

"terastal the least flash and more balanced gimmick"...........man, Smogon would like to have a talk with you........

[@Dani-Claw]

The amount of tera types for EACH Pokémon in addition to the natures and abilities and marks...🤯

[@scrunkore]

it's balanced for doubles ...don't ask why there are hardly any double battles in the main game

[@gyga100]

@scrunkore its kinda,in tournaments yes,because you can know the adversary Terá type,but in the ladder, you can loose a whole battle just because you didn't predict correctly a type change

[@MrAsh1989]

You don't understand mega evolutions popularity, besides it's timing in the series? Mate, it's a THIRD evolution..... It's the single coolest gimmick Pokemon ever came up with.... Duhhhh, lol

[@ThePrestoGuitar]

Personally, I think it might actually be due to the personalization of Pokemon- that being, everyone has their own favorites, and even if YOURS doesn't have a Mega Evolution yet, you might see it in the future if they bring Megas back, y'know?

[@Blaze_1013]

My issue is I don't see Mega Evolutions as a "gimmick". I see them just as evolutions. That's why I want them back, because these were upgrades for the Pokemon in the same way that Mamoswine was an upgrade for Piloswine or Yanmega was an upgrade for Yanma. For me, the Pokemon that got Mega Evolutions are now incomplete because I can't use them to their full potential anymore. Yes, some are still good, or at least decent, but a number are just bad. And it's incredibly frustrating that Pokemon that needed evolutions "got them" only to essentially lose them. Mega Pokemon are, essentially, permanently dexitted and with it we also miss out on some really cool designs. If your favorite Pokemon is Mega Mawile you might never see them in a mainline game even though Mawile is still around. At least if your favorite is Swellow (one of the few Pokemon not available in SwSh or SV) you still know they probably will eventually show up in a mainline game at some point.

[@andrewharris1344]

That’s my main issue some of these showed have just been evolutions. There’s no reason Mawhile shouldn’t have been able to just evolve into that.

[@stevenreyes4791]

I think a major factor is that they started retconning RSE to make mega evolutions fit in so it seemed like GF was a lot more committed to making Megas a thing people could expect and speculate on which wound up not being the case. Now we know that every new gimmick that gets introduced will get scrapped immediately and will have no bearing on the series going forward unless that gen/region comes up again

[@Hazaak.]

They never retconned the games. ORAS was basically a parallel universe and was actually explained in the Delta episode I'm pretty sure. That's why things were different, It was a completely different version of Hoenn

[@nullpoint3346]

The negative lore _only exists_ *because* _they were getting rid of it._

[@manoftruth0935]

Boy did that move backfire on Pokémon. Dynamax could’ve been better if there was something that kept it in check and the same with Terastal.

[@nullpoint3346]

The idea of Mega Evolution is my hill, and I'll use the bodies of my enemies to turn it into a space scrapping mountain. We can argue about the implementation on nearly even ground.

[@nullpoint3346]

I don't hate Tera, I hate that the only idea they had for the form was _stupid_ hats. The creepy eyes hinting towards something darker was neat, but the darkness was a terrible implementation of the null type.

[@joshuabennett8256]

Thank Arkoos someone else said it. I felt like I was in an echo chamber

[@itsturniptime3699]

I’m not sure if this is entirely true as we only got those dex entries in Gen 7 but Pokémon like Tyranitar and Steelix clearly show certain parts of their bodies being damaged or blown out so I feel like this energy oversurge Pokémon go through was planned from the start If they were planned to be temporary it’s weird to make them also in pain but then also only add the pain context in the games after

[@BugCatcherSilva]

Mega evolution was (is) the best of the gimmick mechanics, but was somewhat poorly implemented. There should have been 4 or 5 times more of them, and they should have been given almost exclusively to Pokémon that NEED them to function (Beedrill, Kangaskhan, Pinsir, Mawhile,etc). The exception being the starters, every starter should have a mega (just one... we're looking at you Charizard) because you're meant to really bond with your first partner and help them come into, and grow beyond their full potential. Nothing an over 570 BST should have a mega, period.

[@ShadowZabre]

Hard counter to most of your complaints: "Make more Megas." Look at Z-moves, upgrade some powers and make a single super move. Mega Evolution was a flashy big transformation that the pokedex info Flavoured up to be a dangerous super powerup, a risky move to make you stronger. Dynamax and Gigantamax, Sure you get a big powerup, that you can only use in certain specific fights. Gives you powered up weapons on a timelimit. But you're still the same thing, but big. Megas include a Paradigm Shift. Look at two right pokemon right next to each other on the dex, Gyrados (Mega) and Lapras (Gigantamax). Lapras does gets big and gets access to the big attacks, that everyone else gets. Mega Gyrados literally has a Paradigm shift from intimidate to Mold Breaker, It goes from Water/Flying to Water/Dark. Which is more unique and intresting? Terrastalizing has that Paradigm Shift, but other than Type change, which can only really affect a little bit, but it's not really that cool. Also think about how much more grindy it is to ALSO look for the correct Terra form ontop of the IV and shiny hunting. Your entire complaint about "It forces you into using the same pokemon" That was never NOT a problem in Pokemon. No Gimmick has ever Fixed that, complaining just on Mega Evolution alone is asinine. It's called a Meta, Every competitive game has it, and for those of us who don't -Care- about the Competitive aspect of Pokemon, you can literally use any pokemon you want to beat any of the games, with or without Gimmick. The Gimmick is there for Flavor, and of the Regional Gimmicks, the one I like most is Mega Evolution, followed by Z-Moves, Dynamaxing and last place Terrastylizing.

[@emanueleragazzi341]

You summed up my thoughts exactly

[@penguinpulverizers5985]

I do get what you're saying but the point was that it restricts team building. For example, in VGC 2 of your 6 pokemon was already restricted to the pool of legendary pokemon and of that small pool there are clearly some that are better than others. Mega evolution adds another slot that needs to be filled and it is the only gimmick that does that. Also the point about gmax doesn't really make sense as they do get an exclusive gmax move, in the lapras example it's max move was the reason why it was used (It set up an aurora viel).

[@ShadowZabre]

@@penguinpulverizers5985 Your entire argument is meta. The only Gimmick that restricts a spot is just how much a Mega can turn the tide. "Oh well you have to bring only one of a viable pool of Mega." And then remind me that people brought GMax Lapras because it's attack sets up Aurora Viel, and teams were built up around it, or built to counter it. That's how meta goes. You can't base your entire argument on Meta, when I'm betting 80% of the population playing the game doesn't care about competitive. They are way more interested int hings like Nuzlockes. Though now that I think of it, a Tournament of teams made only through a Nuzlocke playthrough would be pretty damn interesting.

[@penguinpulverizers5985]

@@ShadowZabreOh yeah I completely agree that megas are by far the best gimmick for most pokemon players and even as someone who mostly plays competitive megas are still the coolest gimmick. I was just pointing out what he meant by how it does restrict team building even though team building will always be restrictive because that's what a meta does.

[@Havoc-kun]

The only reason they started saying megas hurt the pokemon is because they wanted to try and get us to hate it. It didn't work.

[@tobysinbad]

They always said it hurt them

[@RaguPastaSauce]

@@tobysinbad They didn't until the Alola games dex entries. In gen 6, the gen they were introduced, it was described as a form that can only be done when there's a strong bond between pokemon and trainer.

[@keithflippers4429]

​@RaguPastaSauce my theory is that the people of Alola wants people to focus on Z-moves instead so they gaslight trainers

[@legendarytrainer5312]

That's not the reason buddy 😂

[@keithflippers4429]

@@legendarytrainer5312 you just wanna disagree

[@Aurinor]

Mega evolutions feels better than other gimmicks simply because it feels like an evolution, a next form what those mons can be advanced to. Now any other gimmicks feels like _just_ gimmicks. In a sense what they don’t feel natural at all. All those dumb crystal hats & auras, whacky moves, ballooning to the size of a kaiju.. All that just feels extremely artificial, whereas with megas we just have + one evolution what mon can have mid battle, and that’s pretty much it🤷 Ah, and also because mega evolutions are evolutions, they all have their own unique designs as well, which is IMO a better trade off in a situation where ”you either have a gimmick compatible with all Pokemon, but they don’t look anything special, OR you have a gimmick affecting just a few, yet they all look unique with that gimmick”.

[@legendarytrainer5312]

Shut up😂 Mega evolution DO NOT feel natural. That's the point of all the gimmicks. None of them are natural & give the Pokémon explosive power during battle. And I'd prefer the designs of a kaiju gmax mon than some of the dumb mega evolution designs. Alakazam is literally just sitting Kriss Kross applesauce, sableye is playing hide & seek, Lopunny just became a stripper, metagross just has his legs forward😂. None of the other gimmicks are supposed to feel like evolutions hence why they don't have evolution in their names but they are all mega powerful and more powerful than A LOT of mega evolutions especially Dynamaxing and terastallization. I'd take weird hats & kaiju any day if it means feeling powerful asf & kicking mega evolutions ass.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

@@legendarytrainer5312 Megas feel natural because they were an extension of concepts already in the series, like having an Ace/Partner Pokemon, Evolution Stones and most importantly, Evolution itself. And unlike all the other Gimmicks, they weren't introduced as a One-Off thing that will never come back... And if the other Gimmicks kick Mega's Butt, it's because they are stupidly broken and unbalanced. :P

[@5h0ckblock]

I mean, if the biggest argument against mega is not every poke has one, then the obvious solution would be to just make more. Just go nuts.

[@unclechuck3333]

>>mega evolution causes pain >>Completely ignores the fact that battles cause pain Gen 7 Pokedex entries are a product of culture and are irrelevant

[@Surkk2960]

Dex entries aren't the best source of facts sometimes, even though they are supposed to be.

[@Anaheylaatyahoo]

Also, pokemon are fictional characters, which is why the love I feel for my pokemon negates any and all pain they feel and when they "faint" they're actually just pretending to faint to give the other team a sporting chance.

[@jaschabull2365]

Why did I never realize the irony of this until just now?

[@unclechuck3333]

Looking at who pays the historians makes you a baddie bad poo poo head and a domestic terrorist.

[@KingKuron_]

SuMo Dex entries retroactively writing about the demonstrably painful aspects of Mega Evolution was more or less PR. It was a way for TPC to divorce players from the idea of liking Mega Evolutions (superficially I'll admit) in order to transition them out of the mainline games.

[@CaptainObliviousV]

It was a thing in the XY anime long before Sun & Moon. Either they just didn’t know how to implement that lore into the games in a meaningful way, or they adopted that part of the anime’s canon.

[@KingKuron_]

Are you talking about Korrina's Lucario and the berserk mode thing? Personally I'd count that as an issue with them being on the threshold of being fully in sync. I was referring to the SuMo dex entries where it describes Mega Evolving being physically painful for the Pokémon, like with Glalie's jaw breaking or Houndoom's claws melting.

[@CaptainObliviousV]

@@KingKuron_ the bond aspect can still apply there. Despite being in physical pain, the Pokémon is able to tolerate it because it has a trainer it can focus on and trust.

[@Highstar25]

@@CaptainObliviousV that was also the case with regular evolutions in the anime though. Ash's Charizard practically goes berserk just from evolving in the normal fashion and has to be sent to a boarding school for feral 'zards.

[@CaptainObliviousV]

@@Highstar25 Ash’s Charizard never went berserk, it evolved purely so it could fight Aerodactyl. It didn’t obey him because it didn’t respect him, thought it was too good for Ash after it evolved into Charmeleon; it’s stated as such in the Paras episode. It was the anime’s way of doing the obedience cap the badges have in the games. The whole “boarding school” thing wasn’t because it was feral, Ash had long since gained its respect and trust by that point and he left it there because he felt it would be able to grow stronger there than it could with him; even though Charizard didn’t want to leave him, he felt it was the right thing to do for Charizard’s sake.

[@RebelliousTreecko]

Mega evolution gave Sceptile a Dragon type, which was something I wanted to see for many years.

[@itsturniptime3699]

And it couldn’t learn Draco Meteor because it was a tutor move for dragons which Sceptile and Ampharos technically weren’t

[@Gnoggin]

But would a regional Gress/dragon sceptile be just as if not more cool?

[@echoecho2763]

@@Gnoggin With respect, no. The reason I dislike regional variants is it can leave the original in the dust and be forgotten or never used. The original Sceptile will probably always be the coolest and fan favorite, so to have a different form replace it would be in bad taste. Rather with a mega, you get the cool design, type, and buffed stats with your favorite pokemon, without taking away its original form because it reverts back to it. I would much rather have my favorite pokemon Steelix get its sick mega design, and better usage, rather then some weird paradox pokemon that doesn't make alot of sense and it just super overpowered where you never look at normal Steelix again... Cough Delibird,

[@feyrethsolair7127]

@@GnogginSee I’d have liked it if Megas had have been kept along as regional forms! It’s the fact they only got one generation to shine that makes me miss them. Dynamax and Terastal didn’t really have the same feel and Z-moves were such a flash in the pan that I kind of forgot it existed.

[@MrMisutei]

​@@GnogginNot at all because that is another pokemon that is part of the Sceptile family but is not Sceptile. That is the thing with paradox and regional forms, they are not adding to the pokemon they are based of, they are replacing it. Alolan ninetales is very used, but nobody even look to Kantonian Ninetales, Sirfetch'd is a really cool evolution for... galar farfetch'd, meanwhile Kalos farferch'd is just as dead as always. Like many people already said, mega evolution really do something for the original pokemon without replacing it but enhancing it, that is the why at least for me is better.

[@lukerabon7925]

Also, I'm gonna be fully honest "not balanced for competitive" is not a drawback of Megas, it's a drawback of trying to make a single player kids game with a player vs player side mode into a professionally competitive game. It's why some of the mechanically best strategies (that have nothing to do with any generation gimmic) get banned outright in competitive play.

[@Sigmund_Froid]

Heck, Smogon uses a Tier System for that Reason. They realized, that in a Game with such a casual focus will have a lot of different Mons with different viability, and balanced each accordingly.

[@cathal_account9815]

To me, the reason the mega reveal was so hype for legends za is moreso what it represents. No one ever thought megas were coming back, and it just feels like they represent a more odd, but creative era of pokemon in a way.

[@Animelover3819]

When a good fraction of your video is literally making fun of the people who disagree with you by indirectly calling them immature or calling them stupid, you don’t look like a good debater or like you want to open to an actual conversation.

[@Nimi450]

I was wondering what you were talking about... Then came the part about junk food and... Yeah now I know.

[@egbertmilton4003]

Nah, it’s just that in general, Mega Evolution fans are the stupidest ever known. It objectively made the games worse when it was part of the battles, with no one using the other Mega Evolutions over things like Mega Scizor or Mega Metagross, which were busted even in their original forms. Why engage with dumb points in a serious way? Imagine actually thinking an insightful conversation can be had when Mega fans don’t make any insightful points

[@Anaheylaatyahoo]

@@egbertmilton4003 What are your metrics for objectivity?

[@J3Puffin]

@@egbertmilton4003 Doubling up on the ad hominem does not make you sound more convincing, and I’m on the side of “hey I don’t think they should bring back Megas honestly”

[@RazeAndSew]

​@@egbertmilton4003 so this just shows that you aren't good at having discussions unless you're winning, which makes you look worse

[@bgp2k]

How is this even a question? Are we really comparing pokemon getting another evolution with putting a crystal chandelier on their head? Come on lol The balancing/pokemon they chose may not have been ideal but the concept itself is easily the best

[@4restFinders]

This comment sums up my feelings perfectly.

[@LovesickJo]

And teras don't even don't even have any super special "only this pokemon has this one" things like pokemon specific z crystals or gigantas unless you count something that's only from the dlc and doesn't even change anything

[@noskes1]

I agree. Getting basicly new pokemon (new stats, ability, typing) is much more interesting than some kind of power that any other pokemon can use. From mechanic point of view I dont think that megas are better (i think I enjoy tera more, as is less OP, and more flexible), but from fun side megas are S++ tier.

[@DKforever24]

From a worldbuilding standpoint as well, it doesn't make much sense to say "pokemon in this region and this region alone are capable of breaking normal pokemon limits" and not see it spread to the wider pokemon world. Comparing to irl history, its like China inventing rockets and guns, but they never spread beyond to the rest of Eurasia. It kind of begs the question of whether each region developed pokeballs independently of each other simultaneously or is each region just supposed to be its own isolated world or what?

[@Juju2927]

"A gimmick that not all pokemon can use" not only that, but also a gimmick that none of the Pokemon from the Gen it was introduced in can use. In retrospect, it flabbergast me that there was no Megas of the Gen 6 starters or some specific Pokemon. It's so obvious it's a missed opportunity that they had to invent an anime reason for Ash Greninja.

[@AtariYeo]

THIS. THANK YOU. One of my major beefs with megas has always been how it makes Kalos as a whole feel like less its own thing and more like an excuse to pander to (arguably overindulgent) nostalgia. I would likely not have as many issues with megas if: 1. It wasn't a gimmick confined to Pokémon OUTSIDE the generation it was introduced in, or 2. It was introduced in a remake or sequel of an older gen.

[@noahthecrazy1632]

well there is diance, so you have that going for you.

[@RychuAlolan]

no they're pretty cool, like super saiyan transformations for pokemon

[@unfezanter]

I argue that paradox pokemon are a much worse way to add forms. Not only was it a very weird selection of who was given paradox forms, it has no impact on the original pokemon. Delibird didn't change, but now theres also a cyber delibird.

[@majesticgothitelle1802]

I just feel it's just the ultra beast treatment. Regional forms and conversion pokemon pretty much the same thing that both can be new Pokemon of their own

[@Articfoxgamez]

it's weird, on one hand yes. But on the other hand, How else WOULD they buff pokemon like delibird? Giving a pokemon a 200 bst stat increase randomly seems way too drastic. Also allows you to do stuff with not fully evolved pokemon. Any other form addition would go to say say, Mismagius, not Misdreavus. (Or both but one is fully evolved so its the one that matters)

[@unfezanter]

@@Articfoxgamez i think a better example than delibird would have been donphan. Great tusk could have been an evolution

[@joewoloson1224]

This. I would've at least liked to see the Paradox Pokemon be treated like regional variants and not take up their own spot in the Pokedex. Especially since the lack of regional variants in Paldea suggests to me that they were meant to be a sort of substitute.

[@Theolis]

@@unfezanter I legitimately was angry for the first time ever at the games for Great Tusk not being an evolution or even like a mega-style form change. Like way to tease me with this cool thing for one of my fav pokemon that I never get to use then to rip it away and make it something completely different to the point that it doesn't feel like a true pokemon because it's in its own little special legendary-esque category /and/ it has no name. Like what were they thinking?

[@TheXMan]

I think another thing is that it was expanded on. In Let’s Go, there aren’t any Z-Moves. In BDSP, there aren’t any gym battles with Dynamax Pokémon. Not only did Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have Megas, they added new ones and put megas in the story too. It showed that megas could obviously be added to in later games.

[@pasqualiniantoine1007]

One thing missing is that I think there’s something to be said about thinking conceptually about the concept that is better in Megas than the other gimmicks. Even Gigantamax moves are only one attack, where megas have type, ability and stats change. There’s more to talk about and made more interesting discussion which made them more relevant.

[@bobmarkerson]

Mega Evolution is like the Bankai of the Pokeverse

[@egbertmilton4003]

Oh, so another poorly written power you mean? No wonder both were utter garbage.

[@StickMaster500]

It'd be very interesting to see how Megas will be featured in Legends Z-A lore wise depending on when the game takes place and if we'll get new Megas