Pokemon Champions' Z-Mega Evolutions Shake Up Portable Battles

Pokemon Champions is about to get faster. All three Z-Mega Evolutions from Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Mega Absol Z, Mega Lucario Z, and Mega Garchomp Z — arrive September 9 with a base 151 Speed stat that leaves nearly every current threat in the dust. For anyone running ranked battles on a Switch or Switch 2, that changes more than team comps: it changes how many turns a match should last.

The reveal paints two of the three as genuine contenders, while the third might already be outclassed by a Life Orb. That distinction matters on a handheld, where teams are often built for short, repeatable queue sessions rather than long tournament grinds — the same short-session pull behind Pokopia’s five million Switch 2 sales. Here’s how each Z-Mega actually performs and which one deserves a slot in your portable rotation.

Mega Absol Z Wins Before the Opponent Moves

Mega Absol Z is the cleanest fit for fast portable play. Base 151 Speed outpaces Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Alakazam, and Sharpness gives its slicing moves a 50% power boost that pushes Night Slash, Shadow Claw, and Psycho Cut into nuclear territory. In practice, that means one Swords Dance can turn Mega Absol Z into a game-ending threat, which is exactly the low-setup, high-payoff profile that works when you only have a short window for a battle.

The trade-off is real: Absol is fragile even at Mega level, and any priority move can end it. But its Dark/Ghost typing blanks Mach Punch and leaves it neutral to most other common priority, and Sucker Punch still threatens Basculegion. In doubles this becomes a Protect puzzle, but in the singles queue, Mega Absol Z is a one-turn sweep machine perfect for pick-up-and-play Ranked.

Mega Lucario Z Looks Great Until Something Resists It

Mega Lucario Z has the same blistering Speed and a base 164 Special Attack, but the matchup data shows it doesn’t close out cleanly. It needs a Calm Mind or Nasty Plot boost before it can reliably punch through Basculegion, and a boosted Garchomp still threatens it through Aura Guard. On a handheld, that extra setup turn can be the difference between a smooth battle and a tedious stall.

It does have clear standalone value against Incineroar and Kingambit, and its special attacker build doesn’t care about Intimidate — the same reason Scarlet/Violet’s 7-star Annihilape raid calls for a special attacker. If you’re the type who enjoys building around one setup window, Mega Lucario Z can be rewarding. For quick competitive sessions, though, the gap between “can threaten” and “will threaten” is exactly where matches slip away.

Mega Garchomp Z Is the Brand-Name Trap

Mega Garchomp Z is the least interesting addition for handheld players because it asks you to run a near-identical Pokemon to one you already have. Regular Garchomp holding a Life Orb has the same Attack, better STAB Earthquake, and leaves your Mega slot open. Mega Garchomp Z does gain Levitate and loses its Ice weakness, but it also doesn’t get Nasty Plot in Pokemon Champions, so its extra Special Attack is mostly wasted.

It’s fast, and an unboosted Rock Slide still mauls Mega Charizard Y, but there’s no scenario where you need to build a new team around it. On a platform where match time is precious, skipping this evolution isn’t missing out — it’s protecting your win rate and your session count.