In the Kalos region of the Pokémon series, certain Pokémon were able to Mega Evolve. This involved them changing their form and becoming stronger during battle for a short period of time. Niantic have been teasing Mega Evolutions in Pokémon GO for a few months, and now they have finally begun to arrive.
How Mega Evolutions Work in Pokémon GO
Currently, there are only four Pokémon in the game that can Mega Evolve – Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise and Beedrill. Presumably, Niantic will slowly introduce more Mega Evolutions as time goes on, but these are your small group for now. In order to Mega Evolve one of these Pokémon, you need Mega Energy, which can be accumulated through completing Mega Raid battles.
These battles feature stronger Pokémon than your usual T5 raids, so will require a strong group of raiders in order to defeat them. The quicker you beat the raid, the more Mega Energy you will earn, and once you’ve earned enough, you can then Mega Evolve your Pokémon (as long as they aren’t a Shadow or Clone Pokémon).
Pokémon GO Mega Raids
As of right now, you’ll only see Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard X and Y and Mega Blastoise in the Mega Raids. Their CP is probably higher than any other raid you’ve seen, but the rewards make it well worth doing. Here’s a few tips on what to bring depending on which Mega Evolved Pokémon your facing:
Mega Venusaur – This tanky Grass/Poison type will still fall weak to your Fire and Psychic types, so look into bringing Reshiram, Darmanitan, Moltres, Charizard and Mewtwo. These will be your best choices, whilst Entei and your other Fire types will be good secondary choices.
Mega Charizard – Depending on whether your facing X or Y, your team for Charizard will change slightly. Charizard Y is Fire/Flying, making it double weak to Rock, so bring Rhyperior, Rampardos, Tyranitar and similar Rock type Pokémon. Charizard X is Dragon/Fire, so look to Pokémon such as Kyogre, Swampert, Rayquaza and Zekrom, but be wary of using Dragon types when it has a Dragon move.
Mega Blastoise – Due to the access it has to Ice type moves, your best bet against Blastoise is to bring Electric types. Look to Raikou, Melmetal, Zekrom, Electivire and Zapdos as your main battlers here to get a quick win.
How to use Mega Evolutions
Once you’ve unlocked your Mega Evolved Pokémon, they will only stay in that form for a set amount of time, so you need to make sure you put them to good use. Here’s a quick list of things you can do using your Mega Evolutions:
Battle in Raids – Using a Mega Evolved Pokémon in a Raid is great because everyone who battles with you will get an attack boost, meaning the raid boss goes down quicker.
Battle in Gyms – Although your Mega Evolution can not be a gym defender, they will definitely speed up the process of taking a gym.
Battle Team GO Rocket/Friends – While they cannot be used in the GO Battle League yet, your Mega Evolved Pokémon still pack a punch, so make sure to use them in the battles where they’re allowed.
Mega Evolution Themed Weeks and Research
In order to give everyone a bit of a kick start, Niantic have a group of special themed weeks across September, all related to Mega Evolutions. September 1st until September 7th is revolved around Mega Raids, September 11th until 17th will focus on battles, while September 22nd until 28th is all about becoming buddies with your Mega Evolved Pokémon. There’s also a Special Research that is live now, which, when completed, will allow you access to Mega Beedrill. This has no end date, so complete it within your own time.
This is everything we know about Mega Evolutions so far, and hopefully it won’t be too long before we get more following these initial four. Make sure to get out there, grab a group of friends and get Mega Raiding.
Pokémon GO is a downloadable game for mobile, where you can catch, trade and battle with Pokémon in the real world. Fill your Pokédex as you try and catch them all, but beware of the super strong Mega Evolved Pokēmon!
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