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Pokemon Champions Adding Z Evolutions and Bringing Back a Fan Favorite
The Pokémon Company used the Pokémon World Championships to unveil upcoming additions to Pokémon Champions, its competitive turn-based game, ahead of the new Regulation Set M-C launching on 9 September. The headline reveal is the introduction of Z Mega Evolutions, previously exclusive to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, marking their first appearance in a turn-based Pokémon title and giving the competitive scene a fresh set of tools to build strategies around.
Lucario, Absol and Garchomp will each gain a Z Mega Evolution with distinct stats and abilities: Mega Absol Z gets Sharpness, boosting cutting moves by 1.5 times; Mega Lucario Z gets Wave Shield, halving damage from contact moves; and Mega Garchomp Z gets Levitate, granting immunity to Ground-type attacks. These join previously confirmed newcomers Rillaboom and Baxcalibur, with more likely to follow given that the prior set, M-B, added nearly 40 Pokémon. The trailer also teased Mega Heatran, which leaked reports suggest may actually arrive later in Regulation Set M-D this December rather than M-C, potentially becoming the game's first legendary Pokémon.
In short
- Pokémon Champions adds Z Mega Evolutions for Lucario, Absol and Garchomp on 9 September.
- New abilities include Sharpness, Wave Shield and Levitate for each Mega form.
- Mega Heatran teased, possibly the game's first legendary, expected around December.
Explained simply
Pokémon Champions is a turn-based game built around competitive battles, where players choose Pokémon and plan moves against an opponent. Its rules are organised into regulation sets, which determine which Pokémon and battle options are available at a given time.
Mega Evolution is a temporary change that can alter a Pokémon’s appearance and battle strengths. Z Mega Evolutions first appeared in Pokémon Legends: Z-A; bringing them into Champions gives players new abilities and stats to consider when building teams. The Pokémon Company develops the series, while competitive players use its games in organised tournaments, including the Pokémon World Championships.