Welcome back, trainers! It’s been a week since our last evaluation, so let’s get down to it. We’ll be evaluating the capabilities of the Mega Evolutions of Camerupt, Altaria, Glalie, and Salamence, so there’s no time to waste! Click below to get started!
The signature Pokemon of Team Magma’s leader Maxie, Camerupt is a Pokemon that debuted in the Generation III games, Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire Versions. For Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it was revealed not long ago that Camerupt had a Mega Evolution! Camerupt’s Fire- and Ground-typing allows it five resistances along with one immunity, which is pretty good for a Pokemon with only two weaknesses. However, Camerupt has sub par bulk and a crippling 4x weakness to the Water-type, a relatively common type. Mega Camerupt greatly improves on its bulk, allowing it to take some Water-type attacks and strike back.
70/120/100/145/105/20
Mega Camerupt hits hard with both of its attacking stats, with a 120 base Attack and 145 base Special Attack along with its ability Sheer Force, it can deal some massive damage as a mixed attacker. What’s more, its dismal 20 base Speed can be used to its advantage, especially in a double battle. If Mega Camerupt’s partner sets up Trick Room, Mega Camerupt can come in and hit hard with a 150 base damage Eruption, plus STAB. Keep in the back of your mind that if you use this tactic, be sure to pay attention to Camerupt’s Speed. Camerupt has a base 40 Speed before Mega Evolving, and while this doesn’t outspeed much, it can outspeed Slowbro, Mega Slowbro, and Slowking, which can take advantage of your Trick Room possibly KO Camerupt. Camerupt isn’t exactly a spectacular choice against those Pokemon regardless, so it’s best to avoid Water-types unless you can KO them with Solar Beam.
With Sheer Force, Mega Camerupt can wreck unsuspecting Pokemon. Fire Blast, Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Iron Head, and Rock Slide are some moves to consider. Heat Wave is also spectacular for doubles! Camerupt’s STABs OHKO a lot of anti-Trick Room Steel-types like Escavalier, Scizor, Bisharp, and even Aegislash-Shield. Even without STAB moves, Camerupt’s wide variety of moves make it hard to tank. This sheer monstrosity also has a pretty spectacular design, so it definitely deserves the high rating I’m giving it, 8 out of 10!
Mega Altaria is one of, in my opinion, the best Mega Evolutions of ORAS. Aside from its beautifully astounding design, it hits like a truck with a Dragon Dance’d Pixilate-boosted STAB Return.
75/110/110/110/105/80
With 75/110/105 bulk, 110/110/80 offenses, a superb defensive typing, amazing ability, wide movepool, and immediate access to Roost recovery, Altaria can become ungodly if used right. It can play many different roles, such as a bulky wall, bulky physical, bulky special, physical sweeper, special sweeper, doubles, or even support. Altaria’s balanced base stats and wide movepool allow it to become whatever the trainer desires. Though the best set is a bulky physical sweeper for singles or a bulky special sweeper for doubles. In singles, Altaria can set up Dragon Dance, then proceed to sweep with Pixilate Return, Outrage, or Earthquake, and Roost when needed. In doubles, Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice hits both opponents very hard, and even bypasses a Substitute. Draco Meteor is used as a hard-hitting STAB, and Fire Blast to hit Ice- and Steel-types. Again, Roost when needed.
Along with its competitive viability, Mega Altaria’s design is almost unbeatable. That gorgeously beautiful uber-cute design makes it perhaps the cutest Dragon-type out there. Mega Altaria certainly has a lot going for it, so it definitely deserves the rating of 10 out of 10 from me. It could be better competitively, but the design fills the slots and makes it close to a perfect Pokemon!
Glalie is a rather unimpressive specimen; it has an 80 base stat all across the board, with a 480 base stat total. It’s design isn’t much to gawk about either. Snorunt’s alternative evolution, Froslass, was the only saving grace of the line. Not how I said was. Glalie’s Mega Evolution was revealed in the Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version, and boy is it a doozy. Glalie has unimpressive stats, a bad type, and quite a horrid design. Upon Mega Evolving, however, it utilizes its Ice-typing and gains some very needed stat boosts.
80/120/80/120/80/100
While its bulk remains unchanged from Glalie, Mega Glalie now has fire power and Speed. 120 base in its attacks is much better than 80, and 100 base Speed is pretty good too. There is one thing non-Mega-Evolved Glalie does have going for it: Moody. Protect once before Mega Evolving, and you get a free sharply-boosted stat. If you’re really lucky, it’ll be Speed or Attack. Mega Glalie possesses the ability Refrigerate, which turns Normal-type moves into Ice-type moves and boosts their power by 30%. Return on Glalie is a must, so a boosted Attack or Speed stat can really make a difference. 120 base Attack already hits hard, and 100 base Speed is pretty decent, but could be boosted. With the move Return, Glalie hits with over a 100 base power, not calculating Refrigerate boosts and STAB.
The real kicker is Explosion. Not many Pokemon can withstand a 120 base Refrigerate-boosted STAB 250 base power Explosion. While Return does hit hard, it simply can’t match Explosion. However, Explosion does KO the user as well, so it’s only a good choice when it’s about time for the curtains to close on Glalie. Mega Glalie can almost always put two of your opponent’s Pokemon back in their Pokeballs once things are said and done, making it very useful competitively. Mega Glalie even improves on Glalie’s design, making one of the ugliest Pokemon utterly terrifying. I mean come on, its jaw is blasted open from the Mega Evolution’s power, and it can freeze foes instantly with its breath. Overall, I give Mega Glalie a 7 out of 10. While it’s Mega Evolution is superb competitively, normal Glalie still remains one of my least favorite Pokemon.
Salamence was very high up on the competitive ladder until this Generation, due to the introduction of Fairy-types. Still, Salamence is nicely high up, as all pseudo-legendaries are. Mega Salamence, however, will certainly put Salamence back up to OU, if not Ubers.
95/145/130/120/90/120
Mega Salamence is an absolute monster. 95/130/90 bulk with Intimidate from its normal form allow Salamence to set up easily. Set up what, you ask? Dragon Dance, of course. As if a 145 base Attack and 120 Speed needed a boost, Mega Salamence can demolish entire teams with just one boost. Just one. Not even to mention Aerilate, which let’s Mega Salamence utilize its Flying-type STAB by turning Normal-type moves like Double-Edge and Return into Flying-type moves and boosts them by 30%. Not only that, but Mega Salamence has a wide variety of moves to take opponents down with. The obligatory Double-Edge/Return for Aerliate, Dragon Dance to boost, Earthquake to take care of pesky Steel-types, and Fire Blast for prominent defensive Steel-types, or Outrage to use as a Dragon-type STAB. Outrage does confuse Salamence in the end, and can be interrupted by a Fairy-type, so a weaker Dragon-type move like Dragon Claw or even Draco Meteor can be used due to Salamence’s high Special Attack.
Mega Salamence is not only extremely powerful, but has a pretty cool design, too. The swift, sharp wings and very draconic head really add to its design! I give Mega Salamence a 9 out of 10, for that insane power and sleek design.
We’ve evaluated four more Mega Evolutions! Are there any you changed your mind about after you read, or maybe some you really want to try now? Anyway, that’s all for now, so stick around for another edition of ORAS Mega Evolutions! I’ll be starting the next edition with Mega Metagross, and we’ll also take a peek at the Primal Reversions!
