A lot of the hype surroundingPokemon Legends: Z-Aboils down to the fact that the game is bringing back the most popular battle gimmick in the franchise in the form of Mega Evolutions, and it’s also adding new Megas for critters that didn’t have one before, granting two fan wishes at once.Pokemongames within the mainline series have moved on from Mega Evolutions, and each new generation introduces a different battle gimmick that takes the spotlight until a new one comes out, so Megas were on the back burner beforePLZA. Yet,Pokemon Legends: Z-Awill have 26 new Mega Evolutionsaccording to leaks, including the recently revealed Mega Dragonite. One of these, however, may be controversial before it’s even out.
The list of 26 Mega Evolutions to be added toPokemon Legends: Z-Acomes from a single source, which accurately described Mega Dragonite a long time before it was revealed, meaning that most of the other Megas will not only be in the game, but have very similar designs to their leaked descriptions. This can be a good or bad thing depending on who is asked, but there is one detail about Mega Skarmory that is quite puzzling, and it doesn’t bode well for it.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Skarmory May Be Shooting Itself in the Foot
Based on the leaks, Skarmory is one of the Gen 2 critters to get anew Mega Evolution inPLZA, and its description from Centro Leaks may remind fans of something specific. It goes as follows:
What’s interesting is that, if the description is accurate,Mega Skarmorywill have the same colors as Pokemon’s shiny Skarmory, instead of its usual color pattern. Shiny Skarmory’s armor is gold instead of silver, and its wings are green instead of red, which is basically what Mega Skarmory is reportedly looking like. If this is true, then one can’t help but wonder what shiny Mega Skarmory will look like, and the answer may not please all fans.
Why Mega Skarmory’s Shiny Colors May Make it or Break it
In fact, it has happened in the series before that a Pokemon’s color palette is changed to something new when it evolves, but the shiny ends up having the original color pattern instead. For example,Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s shiny Ceruldge and Armarougemaintain the exact same colors as their regular versions, but they basically swap their eyes' color. Shiny Ceruledge gets fiery eyes, and shiny Armarouge’s eyes become blue.
This is potentially concerning for Mega Skarmory, though, as the shiny version could simply revert to the original Skarmory’s color palette, which would be quite underwhelming for a shiny. In this case, one could argue that it would be best to use a regular Skarmory to Mega Evolve rather than a shiny one, and while some fans may be happy with it, many are likely to find it disappointing. Sinceshiny Pokemon inPLAwere one of its most popular features,Pokemon Legends: Z-Awill inevitably have high expectations to meet.
There is also the possibility that the leaker saw a shiny Mega Skarmory and reported its description, but this seems unlikely.
On the other hand, if Mega Skarmory has shiny Skarmory’s colors and shiny Mega Skarmory completely changes the color palette, this could prove equally problematic among fans, depending on the color choices and how the overall design is received. What follows is that Mega Skarmory’s color change may end up stirring a controversy regardless of its shiny colors, and withPokemon Legends: Z-A’s rogue Mega Evolutions, one could encounter a Mega Skarmory and get excited thinking it’s shiny, when it actually isn’t.
