So, Mega Evolution, huh? Of all the spangly new additions that Pokémon X and Y brought tꦑo the formulaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ, this was probably the most controversial.

As we know, the Pokémon franchise get🧔s a lot of stick for resting on its laurels. It may mark each new game by generations instead of sequels, but🃏 sequelitis is definitely a thing here.

Evolution, not revolution. That’s the key. The second generation of games, for insta✨nce, added breeding and baby Pokémon. It also threw in the Dark type, just to stop those rampaging Psychics from trampling everyone else into cubes of sad, defeated spam.

Until Pokémon Sun and Moon, the general series gameplay remained the same: travel between the gyms, nab all the badges, become the very best like no-one ever was. Along the way, a bum🎃blin☂g Evil Team™ and a rival will appear to mildly inconvenience you.

Mega Evolution seemed like a fantastic idea from the outset. A way to make previously unloved and forgotten Pꦆokémon relevant again! What’s not to like? Sadly, the mechanic proved to have mixed results. Only a select group of Pokémon are able to Mega Evolve. Some have no busines🌳s doing so, and some definitely aren’t that great when they do. You never know what you’re going to get.

Buckle up for a rundown of the worst (and the beꦜst) Mega Evolutions in the franchise.

30 WORST: Mega Glalie- The Angry One

Now, don’t get me wrong here. In my eyes, Glalie is the perfect target for a Mega Evolution. A Pokémon that’s totally underappreciated, always passed over in favor of its alternate evolution, Froslass (🦄which is a dang rare sight 🐻in itself).

Statistically, though, Mega Glalie is still to𝄹tally lackluster. Its signature party trick, a Refrigerate-boosted Ice-type Explosion, is darn powerful, but is that really where you want your precious Megas slot to go? Furious floating snow-beard heads just don’t really cut it a𝕴round here.

29 BEST: Mega Rayquaza- The Broken One

Now, I need to have words with somebody here. Who was the person at Game Freak who said, “Hey, remember Rayquaza? That super-strong OP mixed sweeper that makes even the staunchest Poké-battler lose control? Let’s make it even more broken. You know, just for the meme’s sake.”

As Liam Neeson did not say in Taken, I have no idea who you are, and I can’t find you, but… I don’ܫt really like you and I’m going to tell my mom on you. Mega Rayquaza has absurd stats and doesn’t need to🐭 hold a Mega Stone, which isn’t even funny.

28 WORST: Mega Aerodactyl- The Speedy One

A🐓gain, I’m not just talking needless smack here. From a design point of view, I must admit that Aerodactyl is probably one of my favorite Megas. I mean, you’ve got to have a special kind of chutzpah to be able to pull off🔯 a goatee made of rock. That’s admirable, right there.

It’s just… this thing’s the very definition of middle of the road. It’s not bad, per se, but it just can’t do anything that others can’꧂t do better. It’s 🅠very fast (base 150) and moderately powerful, but there are many others that can perform the sweeping role better.

27 BEST: Mega Mawile- The Bitey One

As we saw with Glalie, it’s always neat when a forgotten Pokémon is given a chance to shine in Mega form. Glalie didn’t really have the tools to do so, bu🏅t do you know who did? Freaking Mawile, that’s who.

In the early days of X and Y, this obscure Steel-type’s time finally came. Bolstered by its excellent Steel/Fairy typing, coverage and ability (Pure Power, which gives it the highest attack stat in the game), Mega Mawile remains a meta menace. In Trick Room, this little thing is a whole bu🗹cket full of hurt and sadness.

26 WORST: Mega Banette- The Tricky One

Onc𝐆e again, I find myself a little conflicted here. I wantedꦰ to like Mega Banette. Its whole design is about the biggest trope there is, and Mega Banette is pulling it off in style.

Looks a⛦side, though, it doesn’t bring all that much to the tab♊le. Its high attack power is tough to implement with its awkward speed, and its party trick (priority Destiny Bond) has become a little predictable.

25 BEST: Mega Gengar- The Trapping One

If you really want to see how Ghost-type Pokémon do Mega Evolution where I come from, look no fuಌrther than Mega Gengar. With this guy, Game Freak really did creat𝓰e a monster.

Firstly, just what in heckola is going on w♐ith those tiny stumpy legs? Secondly, why Shadow Tag? Thirdly, why Shadow Tag and Perish Song? Mega Gengar sports some dang high Special Attack, but it’s most often seen on devious Perish Trap teams. As such, it’s not a good time in any kind of way.

24 WORST: Mega Houndoom- The Also-Ran One

I can respect Mega Houndoom. I totally, totally can. The whole concept is great. It’s a Po🎃kémon that sorely deserved a Mega form, and said form is actually di꧟fferent and interesting. All in all, I give this thing seven thumbs up.

There’s a slight snag, though. Its ability is Solar Power, which drains a little health each turn (in sun) in exchange for a boost to its Special Attack. It’s made for sun teams, in short, which tend to be presided 🍷over by a different Mega evolution (you know the one). You can’t run both, maꦺking poor Houndoom quite redundant.

23 BEST: Mega Lopunny- The Scrappy One

Now, let’s pretend that the internet hasn’t given poor Lopunny a bad name with questiona🍷ble fan art. Let’s put all of that to one side and appreciate the fact that its Mega form is all kinds of good.

It may not be right at the top tier of Megas, but it’s not to be underestimated either. A fast and powerful attacker, it can sweep through weakened teams with ease with its good STAB. Thanks to Scrappy, it isn💦’t shut down by Ghost-types, and is the only Pokémon that can land a super effective Fighting move on Aegislash.

22 WORST: Mega Audino- The White Mage One

Maybe it’s my status as a lifelong Final Fantasy fan, but I was instantly drawn to Mega Audino’s♋ desig💞n. That’s an angelic/White Mage-ish looking thing, right there, and that’s a life I’m certain about.

Sadly, Mega Audino soon san😼k straight down to the bad tiers over on competitive communi♋ty Smogon, which makes perfect sense. With its bulky defensive stats, it’s best suited to be a sort of cleric or pivot. These are great qualities for lots of teams, but that’s not really where you want your mega slot to be going.

21 BEST: Mega Beedrill- The Super-Upgraded One

As far as I’m concerned, this is the very essence of how Mega Evolution should have been done. Beedri🌜ll, one of the most hilariously awful Pokémon of all time, is a powerhouse. It’s not OP, with some real flaws (read: its defenses are so bad it’ll faint if a newborn kitten sneezes in its general direction from 500 yards away), but it’s very usable.

As feeble as it is, Mega Beedrill is a very powerful and speedy sweeper.

If you support it well and play carefully🌺, it can win games in an instant.