Pokemon Legends: Z-Arecently confirmed in a new trailer that it will indeed include new Mega Evolutions like the leaks in the past few months had stated, which is great news for fans of all the critters that will get some love from this gimmick. The current list includes26 new Mega Evolutions inPokemon Legends: Z-A, and while this comes from the leaks, these same leaks all come from a single source that correctly described Mega Dragonite months before its official debut. The only problem with Mega Evolutions in the series is that they are “cursed,” or rather, that they curse a specific Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving.
While this is a fan theory in part and also a meme, there is some merit to the “Mega Evolution curse” inPokemongames. Going back to the various Mega Evolutions inPokemongames from Gen 6 titles and then Gen 3 remakes, there is a weird pattern where all of the critters that were capable of Mega Evolving ended up not getting a cross-gen evolution or regional form afterwards, including some Pokemon that were prime candidates for either. Now thatPokemon Legends: Z-Ais coming out, the same may happen to some of the leaked critters with Mega Evolutions, and one of them is the worst possible candidate for it.
Pokemon’s Mega Evolution Curse Explained
There is a reason whyPokemon with Mega Evolutionsmay have skipped cross-gen evolutions or regional forms, and outside of the GMax forms for Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, and Gengar, the only creature to actually get a new form from the list is Slowbro with Galarian Slowbro in Gen 8. More importantly, no creature with Mega Evolutions ever got a proper evolution, which is particularly bad for the likes of Pinsir and Heracross. This also may make sense because a Mega Evolution is something that goes beyond regular evolutions, so if a Pokemon is capable of Mega Evolving, the question is whether it should have cross-gen evolutions afterward.
Cross-gen evolutions happened as early as Gen 2, and they typically make basic or Stage 1 Pokemon more powerful and/or with more interesting themes and design.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Barbaracle May Get a Small Win at a Hefty Cost
And yet, this should be the case for some of the Pokemon with Mega Evolutions that are not great on their own, but unless this “curse” is broken in the future, it may become an unwritten rule. In the case ofPokemon Legends: Z-A, it will allegedly have aMega Evolution for Barbaracle, which will also get a type change from Rock/Water to Rock/Fighting. As cool as this is, Barbaracle is far from a fan-favorite Pokemon, and if it never gets a cross-gen evolution in the future, its status may never change.
Not only that, but since Barbaracle is part of a rather exclusive club made of only Clefable, Meganium, andFeraligatr inPokemon Legends: Z-A, meaning only these four creatures will get a type change or new type, this seems like yet another nail in the coffin for any future forms or evolutions for Barbaracle. Clefable, Meganium, and Feraligatr are all Stage 2 critters, so this automatically excludes them from getting cross-gen evolutions, but they may still get regional forms. However, Barbaracle is a Stage 1 Pokemon, and with subpar battle capabilities and very low popularity, a cross-gen evolution may have saved it.
This doesn’t mean that a new look with an enhancedMega Evolution design inPokemon Legends: Z-Acan’t be a good thing for Barbaracle, but unless the series fully moves to competitive battles on the upcomingPokemon Champions, Megas will most likely not return to the VGC series. Without a Mega Evolution outside ofPokemon Legends: Z-Aand no future cross-gen evolutions, Barbaracle may enjoy some time in the limelight when the new game comes out before going back to a “forgettable” state afterward, which is the exact opposite of what it needs.
