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Salutations, everybody! Have you seen this picture? If not, here’s a brief history of that picture. When that picture was spread among the fansites, it was thought that there would be a lot of Mega Evolutions because of what was shown. Unfortunately, it was a fake when more about the games were revealed, such as the lack of Unova Mega Evolutions.
When I rediscovered this poster, I took it upon myself to look at some of these potential candidates and give them some theoritical Mega Evolutions! If you want to know my picks, please read on.
Exeggutor
[B]Type:[/B] Grass/Psychic
[B]Ability:[/B] Split Attack*
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +20, Def +10, SpAtk +30, SpDef +30, Speed +10
*Non-contact attacks hits two to three times, but damage is halved for each hit. (30% chance of three hits)
Since Exeggutor is the only Generation 1 Pokemon I didn’t cover that is on that fake list, this addition is a no-brainer. When Exeggutor unleashed its power, its individual heads are better able to coordinate attacks so that they could each perform on their own. This could be demonstrated by their heads having slightly different tones. The leaves on its head will also become bigger and more palmtree-like. Perhaps the trunk could be a bit taller and leaner, as a reference to the [URL=”http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/6/66/JPJungleBoosterbox.jpg/180px-JPJungleBoosterbox.jpg”]Jungle booster box[/URL] for the TCG.
This ability would basically allow Exeggutor to take advantage of its non-contact moves, which it learns a lot of, to bypass anything that uses Substitutes or Focus Sash. The caveat is that it doesn’t work every time, so at worst, you will be doing normal damage. Therefore, Seed Bomb has a chance of having the same damage output as Power Whip, while Ancient Power has three chances of stat-boosting.
Stat increases are spread out, with the Special stats getting the highest boosts, because Special attacks tend to be non-contact moves. The Attack increase is for certain Physical attacks that are non-contact, such as the aforementioned Seed Bomb and Egg Bomb. Its defences are now equal, and some Speed is because more of it is useful, though not too much to make it too slow in Trick Room.
Meganium
[B]Type:[/B] Grass
[B]Ability:[/B] Super Healer*
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +10, Def +30, SpAtk +20, SpDef +40
*Healing moves recover more HP.
Meganium’s Mega Evolution would be similar to how Mega Venusaur is like: give its flower more radiance. The body could have some leaves, particularly its back, like the fins found on some dinosaurs and some reptiles, since the leaves are to gather more sunlight for healing. Its antenna could also become a more plant-like vine, and it would have petal sails, similar to Aurorus. Essentially, the Mega Evolution isn’t over complex, to match the simplicity of Johto’s starters.
Helping Meganium out is a really tricky task, because there are several reasons Meganium wasn’t able to stand up against several other contenders, even its predecessor Venusaur. I guess I could give Meganium another type, but this article seeks to minimise type changes, even if Meganium is still weak to five types. Custom ability time!
Meganium is a lot better at taking the damage with it much-improved defences, in order to differentiate it from Venusaur by a bit. Its attack stats are improved by a little thanks to this. The custom ability that would help Meganium will hopefully help Meganium out. The way it works is that any healing move that Mega Meganium uses recover more damage, both to Meganium and to others. So, a Leech Seed used by Meganium will do the regular 1/8 HP to the opponent, but it will add 50% more to the receiver. To a lesser extent, Aromatherapy recovers 1/16 HP for every party member alive in addition to the healing effect, and Ingrain heals 1/8 HP instead of 1/16 HP.
Typhlosion
[B]Type:[/B] Fire
[B]Ability:[/B] Super Flame Body*
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +10, Def +20, SpAtk +50, Speed +20
*Contact moves always burn the target.
Once the Mega Stone activates, Typhlosion experiences a burst that powers up its flames. These flames are so intense that it is guaranteed to burn anything that touches it. For the design, Typhlosion will have a larger fire that extends to its whole back. Its fur colour would also be changed to incorporate more black, even up to its eyes, like a badger. Perhaps it could have a streak on its head like Mega Charizard Y.
In order to differentiate itself from Charizard, Typhlosion would need a different approach in its stat boost. Unlike Mega Charizard, Mega Typhlosion will have more speed in addition to the same Special Attack boost, and its Defence will increase instead of Special Defence. The point of this is to take advantage of this new ability that guarantees that the opponent would think twice before their direct attack, and helps keep U-turn and priority users at bay, since they tend to make contact.
There was a disproven rumour that Typhlosion might have No Guard, but that was disproven, probably because the CPUs in Battle Maison have an accuracy advantage at times. No Guard could be interesting on Typhlosion, since it has Inferno and Focus Blast to use it with. I didn’t go through with this idea because I already made two No Guard Pokemon, so there is no need for another (it’s a powerful ability that’s on slower Pokemon for a reason).
Wobbuffet
[B]Type:[/B] Psychic/Fairy
[B]Ability:[/B] Shadow Tag
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Def +50, SpDef +50
When Wobbuffet Mega Evolves, its black tail takes a life of its own, which causes it to be able to participate in the battle too. Wobbuffet’s a simple Pokemon, so its Mega Evolution doesn’t need to be quite detailed like the other Mega Evolutions are.
With Wobbuffet’s movepool, you won’t be getting any more mileage from what you could do. Except now, Wobbuffet can’t deal with Ghost-types quite well since it can’t trap them like it used to be able to do. Since Wobbuffet can’t recover, it’s safe to boost its defences by a lot, so that it could return more attacks.
The only way to give Mega Wobbuffet a degree of differentiation is to add a type. Ideally, it needs to be neutral to Bug since U-turn can wear Wobbuffet down quite easily, and if the opponent has a Ghost-type, Wobbuffet can’t do much. After some delibration, I decided Fairy is the best to go. Not only for the Bug neutrality, but the Dark as well. Ghost doesn’t matter much anyway since they can just get out of there. The best part is, it is a reliable answer to many Dragon-types since Wobbuffet is able to survive a coverage move and retaliate (unless it’s Hydreigon), or Encore a set up move if they don’t want to attack.
Swampert
[B]Type:[/B] Water/Ground
[B]Ability:[/B] Water Absorb
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +40, Def +40, SpDef +10, Speed +10
We’ve got another starter in the mix. Let’s see what we could do for Swampert design-wise. For one, its two fins on its head would be more stylised. Its gills could be sharper, as well as the plates on its arms. Its body could become longer to better resemble a salamander.
So, now to describe the direction to go with Swampert. I decided to go for a tank, so Swampert’s Attack and Defence received the biggest boost. A few boosts go to Special Defence and Speed for being able to better fit this role. The stat changes are reminiscent to Tyranitar, except Swampert received a bit more Attack and a bit less Special Defence.
The ideal ability for Mega Swampert at this state is something that reduces the impact of certain attacking types. Thick Fat was one idea, since it notably mitigates Ice attacks. Sap Sipper is off limits because of clearing its only weakness. In the end, I wanted an ability that grants a Water immunity because most of the other Water/Ground-types have Water-immune abilities. Of those abilities, Water Absorb would be beneficial for Swampert for the recovery.
Infernape
[B]Type:[/B] Fire/Fighting
[B]Ability:[/B] Filter
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +10, Def +35, SpAtk +10, SpDef +35, Speed +10
When Infernape Mega Evolves, it becomes somewhat buff and more muscular to accommodate its increased bulk. This would include a wider chest and thicker arms. In addition to this, its body armour covers more of its body. Perhaps its face could use more white to make it more crown-like, to signify that it is a leader.
With Infernape, I shall attempt something different with it. Since Blaziken is the better Fire/Fighting-type thanks to being more powerful and speedy (Thank you, Speed Boost), Infernape should take advantage of its other options, namely those support ones such as Taunt, Encore and Will-O-Wisp. Infernape’s ability to learn Swords Dance and Nasty Plot meant that it could more reliably set up on the Physical or Special side with that increased bulk.
If you haven’t noticed, Infernape is supposed to be a defensive Fire/Fighting user. While Infernape has some undesirable weaknesses (Water, Ground & Flying), it is a Fire-type that takes neutral Rock damage, as well as having something important: recovery. With Slack Off, it get chances to heal the damage and become full-on support. Perhaps it could be a bulky booster, since it has Bulk Up and Calm Mind to help it out.
To help it out as a defensive Pokemon, Filter is the ability of choice. It would help even better if Sun is up, because that means that after super-effective damage, Water attacks do 75% of damage.
Porygon-Z
[B]Type:[/B] Normal/Ghost
[B]Ability:[/B] Adaptability
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +20, Def +10, SpAtk +30, SpDef +20, Speed +20
With its latent powers unleashed, Porygon-Z is able to shift between the alien dimensions in a whim, turning it into a dual-reality Pokemon. This is why it got a new Ghost-type: to have more immunities. It would have a purple and holographic look, because that is the primary colour of Ghost-types. The eyes will still be yellow, but it could be more dilated. Its arms are detached by default, and it will have two antennae. The bill will be flatter at the tip, but still rounded, almost like a duck.
The extra Ghost-type will give Porygon-Z four more resistances, and if it manages to Mega Evolve, then you will more easily switch in. Or, if your opponent expected Porygon-Z to be weak to Fighting, you can easily dodge their incoming attack, unless they have Scrappy! You get STAB for Shadow Ball as a bonus.
For Porygon-Z’s ability, I decided to go for Adaptability, because it’s what makes Porygon-Z deadly in the first place. Its STAB combination isn’t resisted by many, surprisingly enough. If your default ability is Download, there is a timing component with your Mega Evolution if you needed to get stronger.
Stat boosts are somewhat straightforward. Special Attack got a decent boost since it’s Porygon-Z’s best stat, while its other stats got a decent amount of boost, though its Defence got less since it’s to balance Porygon-Z a bit. Attack got a bit of boost for padding, like some Mega Evolutions do.
Gallade
[B]Type:[/B] Psychic/Fighting
[B]Ability:[/B] Scufflate*
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +40, Def +20, SpAtk +20, Speed +20
*Normal-type moves become Fighting-type moves.
Gardevoir has a Mega Evolution that dealt with the opening of its heart, so what would Gallade have? Similar to Gardevoir’s opening of the heart, it will have two blades instead of one on its chest. Another thing is that Gallade would have some armour to cover its chest a bit, to match an image of a knight. The blades on its arms will be coloured white or silver to signify a stronger blade.
The stat gains for Mega Gallade is similar to Mega Gardevoir, but the Physical and Special ones are reversed because Gallade is opposite to Gardevoir in that regard. Gallade won’t be taking advantage of the added Special Attack anytime soon, but the extra Defence will be handy since it used to be frail without the boost. Last but not least is the Attack boost. This makes Gallade much stronger, so would use Shadow Sneak much better.
There are several possibilities for Gallade’s ability. Justified made the most sense for Gallade, but I felt that Gallade’s lack of Dark resistance prevents this ability from being the most useful. Defiant is possible, which would give Gallade a free boost in case of Intimidate or Parting Shot, as well as making Aegislash’s evading endeavours less successful. A Fighting version to Pixilate is what I went, to play up its existance as Gardevoir’s counterpart. With this, Return/Frustration would be the attack of choice instead of Close Combat, though I am not sure if that’s too good for something like Gallade.
Serperior
[B]Type:[/B] Grass
[B]Ability:[/B] Inverse Nature*
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +25, Def +20, SpAtk +25, SpDef +20, Speed +10
*Type interactions are reversed to and from the user.
Contrary is Serperior’s defining ability because unlike every other starter (besides Kalos’ starters), this ability is made for Serperior, being that it was introduced in Generation 5. How does one make Grass into a formidable type? You reverse the type interactions! That’s the idea with Inverse Nature. If you played Inverse Battle, you would find out that Grass is one of the best offensive types due to the hitting seven types for super-effective damage.
Since being contrary was one of Serperior’s traits based on this, this would be the focus. To show this, Serperior’s base colours are inverted, so green becomes red, yellow becomes purple and white becomes black. Its eyes didn’t change colours, however. The two flaps behind its head will resemble horns facing in opposite directions to show some “evilness” in its design. In addition, its flapped skin around its neck becomes bigger, like the frills or royalty.
Due to Serperior’s limited coverage, this would help Serperior a lot. Not only that, it resists different things now, so now Fire and Ice are not very effective against Serperior, but unfortunately, Ground is super-effective now. Like the game’s Inverse Battle, immunities are weaknesses. It should be noted that Serperior doesn’t have any immunities, so it is not hindered by originally having them.
Serperior’s stat gains are all-around to take advantage of this ability. Its offences got a slightly bigger boost compared to other stats because its offensive viability would be helped with this. Speed is the smallest upgrade because Serperior is already quite fast, though it helps that it out-speeds Greninja (though its Water Shuriken would hurt a lot).
One could use Contrary to boost Serperior as much as possible before changing “type”, or you could be a set-up attacker. There are several ways to take advantage of this ability, and it would give Serperior some new life.
Samurott
[B]Type:[/B] Water
[B]Ability:[/B] Lightning Rod
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +20, Def +30, SpAtk +20, Speed +30
When Samurott Mega Evolves, the power it received allowed it to stand upright. This allows it to have more shell armour, especially on its chest. In addition to this, its moustache extends to a beard to have a more “admiral” look. Its shell helmet now has two prominent horns like a samurai’s helmet, which helps in absorbing lightning.
As you might guess in the last sentence, the idea is to use Samurott’s helmet as a way to absorb lightning. It’s something inspired by Seaking, but Samurott takes more advantage of this because it has a high Special Attack, in addition to covering one of its weaknesses.
Since Samurott is more like a samurai, it needs more Defence, which would help it survive most assaults. Speed is another thing that is increased to help Samurott achieve the ideal Speed for mixed attacking. The rest is split in both attack stats to help it achieve balanced offensive stats. Remember that Samurott has Swords Dance, which it could use more easily with its extra Defence. If your correctly guessed the opponent using an Electric attack, your effort is rewarded with a Special Attack bonus, which is the only way to boost that stat.
Druddigon
[B]Type:[/B] Dragon
[B]Ability:[/B] Tough Claws
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +20, Def +40, SpAtk +10, SpDef +30
Druddigon is another one of those Pokemon that was thought to have a Mega Evolution, but as with Galvantula, it turned out to be disproven. Not that Dragons are in need of them, but Druddigon in particular would be alright with one. So, when Druddigon got its power unleashed, its wings become a lot stronger, its neck becomes longer, scales more visible and claws become longer. Its head becomes larger and grey like a rock to reinforce toughness. Not only that, its spikes become grey as well.
A Druddigon would fit with Tough Claws because it has claws, so that’s simple enough. Now as to the stat boosts for Mega Druddigon, I put more emphasis on defence because of the gargoyle influence. This will make Druddigon much tougher. I didn’t put too much in Attack because it has a lot of contact moves, and Tough Claws already boost the majority of them. If you take into account Tough Claw’s boost, a Max Attack Mega Druddigon would be around base 204 Attack! Its still-low Speed would keep things in check though, so it’s not always easy to get it going.
Volcarona
[B]Type:[/B] Bug/Fire
[B]Ability:[/B] Shield Dust
[B]Stat Increases:[/B] Atk +20, Def +20, SpAtk +40, SpDef +20
When Volcarona unleashes its Mega Stone’s power, its radiance becomes much brighter thanks to its wings. As such, they become brighter than before. Its face become more royal-like, where it has a crown on its head and the two horns beside its head becomes wider. Its white tuft becomes longer and more overgrown as well.
Volcarona is already a very good Pokemon, despite what its stats might suggest. Its great Special stats and Quiver Dance made it a threat to watch out for, unless you have Rock-types, but even then that’s not guaranteed since they are defeated by Giga Drain. Making a Mega Evolution for an already great Pokemon is a great challenge by itself.
Stat boosts for Volcarona is nothing special, because the boost to Special Attack is larger, while the other stats got a decent boost, except Speed because Volcarona doesn’t need the extra Speed as long as you have Quiver Dance. The objective of this boosts is to make using Quiver Dance easier, and to make it more rewarding, Special Attack received the largest boost.
When it comes to choosing an ability for Volcarona, I decided for something somewhat situational yet useful. Shield Dust may not be the best ability on any Pokemon, but its effect could prevent some unfortunate circumstances, such as freezing (since Freeze is caused by secondary effect) and flinching. This meant that Fake Out won’t be ruining your day, which is helpful in some instances.
To the observant eye, half of these picks are starters. That’s because starters are the most likely to get a Mega Evolution, given their popularity and visual splendour. I do admit that it’s difficult to improve on the looks on the starters, so this article was a challenge when it comes to the designing.
We’re not done yet, everyone! The next Mega topic will be something personal from me… it would be able my [B]personal picks[/B] for Mega Evolutions. This would mean that any restrictions I previously had won’t be present in the next one, so there might be even several type changes even if they are supposed to be the exception. Perhaps your favourites could even be shared with mine, so be sure to look back to see if that’s the case. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.
[CENTER]Thanks for reading.[/CENTER]
