PokéBase - Pokémon Q&A
0 votes

For example, Salamence can Mega Evolve into Mega Salamence gaining the ability Aerilate boosting the power of Normal-type moves like Hyper Beam by 30%, making Hyper Beam's base power 195. However, you can give Salamence a Normalium-Z, changing Hyper Beam into Breakneck Blitz with a base power of 200. In this case, the Normalium-Z causes more damage, but what about the other megas with different moves?

this question's answers will be very opinionated: both are Relevant and useful in-game: there is no real way of telling which one is more useful. :P It can also depend o n your team. All lot f teams use both, but some use one, the other, or neither.
It depends on the Pokemon and the format.
Which is why I said it depends on your team. I just don't know if this is "answerable enough"
We could in theory list every Pokemon in every format that can use both, and for each one say which is better.
sure, fine Wiki Troll. But I am not in the mood to do a list so... someone else will have to do it :P
My opinion is mega evolution, but...

1 Answer

3 votes

Let's take a look at both, and maybe you can learn more about the advantages of each.


One key advantage is that Z-Moves can be used on any Pokémon. Let's take Naganadel(no idea if this is spelled correctly). Giving it the Dragonium-Z will negate the special attack drop of Draco Meteor and possibly earn you a very important kill on a Pokémon. Other Pokémon like Z-Crystals if:

  • They don't want recoil damage from Life Orb, a Z-Crystal alternative
  • You want to revenge kill a mon.
  • You want to turn a mediocre coverage move into a Z-Move that has OHKO potential

In addition, Z-Crystals can even be used to bolster status moves. Z-Conversion and Z-Celebrate are two examples of Z-Moves powering up your Pokémon rather than going for a high base power attack.

Mega Stones

Mega Stones are compatible only with a select few of Pokémon, it's not hard to get one Pokémon on your team that can mega evolve. Mega Stones can be game-changing. Instead of providing one turn of power, you get a permanent stat boost. Types and abilities sometimes change as well. In some instances, giving a Pokémon a mega stone changes its role in competitive battling. For example, Charizard, well, wasn't ever seen as a competitively viable Pokémon - until Gen6. Mega Charizard X quickly became a good physical sweeper and Mega Charizard Y became much more threatening, boasting high special attack.

What's Better?

It's impossible to tell which is better - it depends on the Pokémon and maybe the rest of your team as well. Some Pokémon rely on a Z-Crystal to land a powerful revenge kill, while most Pokémon with a mega evolution prefer to mega evolve. For Salamence, giving it the Salamencite is better. M-Salamence is amazing, as it can sweep with Dragon Dance, Body Slam, and other moves. Breakneck Blitz deals only 5 more damage, and Mega Salamence can dominate for more than just one turn. Garchomp, however, has a lousy mega evolution, so Groundium-Z would be a perfect held item. Like I said, it depends.

Correct, it is Naganadel!
Oh wow I actually got it right!