Mega Evolution is Live in Pokemon Go

Mega Evolution is officially part of Pokemon Go. Earlier today, Pokemon Go officially added Mega Evolution, which adds more powerful versions of Pokemon like Charizard, Venusaur and Beedrill to the game. Players have to participate in Mega Raids, a new, more difficult multiplayer Raid Battle, in order to collect the Mega Energy needed to temporarily Mega Evolve their Pokemon. Once a player Mega Evolves one of their Pokemon, they can use that Pokemon in raids and gym battles. Other Pokemon also receive benefits when battling alongside a Mega Evolved Pokemon in raids – all Pokemon get a 10% boost when a Mega Evolved Pokemon is in a raid, and Pokemon also get a 30% boost when using an attack of the same type as the Mega Evolved Pokemon.

One notable consequence of Mega Evolution is that Charizard has become a much more powerful Pokemon in the game. Mega Charizard X is the third strongest Pokemon in the game, with a damage per second rate that ranks only behind Shadow Mewtwo and Shadow Salamence. Mega Charizard X also has the highest CP in the game, with a max CP of 4512.

Mega Evolution is just one of several big changes made to Pokemon Go. The game also did away with its “Team Bonus” in raids, replacing it with a Speed Bonus that’s tied to how much time is left on a Raid timer. They also did away with 2-Star and 4-Star raids, which has created a more streamlined raid system.

There are a few nuances of Mega Evolution that are disappointing. It’ll take 4-7 Mega Raids to collect enough energy to Mega Evolve a Pokemon, which is a pretty steep cost for casual players that aren’t willing to purchase premium raid passes.

We’ll have more news about Mega Evolution in the coming days. Let us know your thoughts on Mega Evolution in the comments section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to talk all things Pokemon!