Pokemon Legends: Z-A Makes a Big Change to Ranked Battles for Season 3

It feels like Pokemon Legends: Z-A only just arrived. And yet, we’re already headed for the 3rd season of Ranked Battles in the newest Pokemon game. The next season for Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s ranked mode begins on November 26th and will run through December 17th. And once again, The Pokemon Company has unveiled a few changes to how these competitive battles will work once the new season begins.

As always, players will begin at Rank Z and work to battle their way to Rank A. And once again, the only way to earn Mega Stones for the 3 original Pokemon X and Y starters will be to climb the ranks. But although these basic facts and the general structure of Ranked Battles remain the same, there is one major change for Season 3. The list of Eligible Pokemon is once again expanding, this time to include the game’s central Legendary Pokemon, Zygarde. And fans are confident it’s going to really shake up the meta.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Removes Zygarde Restriction for Season 3 of Ranked Battles

Let’s start with the good news about the updated Ranked Battle details for Season 3. Players will be able to earn Mega Stones for all three Pokemon X and Y starters this time around. Previously, the list has been limited, but with the addition of Chesnughtite for Season 3, dedicated trainers can theoretically earn all 3 Mega Stones. The required ranks for each are:

• Chesnaughtite – Rank S
• Delphoxite – Rank V
• Greninjite – Rank Y

If you’re still missing any of these Mega Stones in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, you’ll just need to grind your way to Rank S to get all 3. Those are just some of the rewards on offer for Season 3, as ranking up will also earn items like Nuggets, Seeds of Mastery, Bottle Caps, and more.

While that’s good news, getting up the ranks did just get a bit harder. With the start of Season 3, previously excluded Legendary Pokemon Zygarde is now allowed in these competitive PvP battles. That means that players can build teams featuring Zygarde, Xerneas, and Yvetl, and that could make for some formidable fights. Though Zygarde fans are excited to see it included, many players are less than thrilled about what this Legendary is likely to do to the PvP meta in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

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Given that Pokemon Legends: Z-A just released in October, many players are surprised that all 3 of the game’s current legendaries are already allowed in its PvP mode. With last season’s introduction of Xerneas, many players feel the meta got a lot less interesting. And with the approaching release of more Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in the Mega Dimension DLC, many are concerned about the future of Ranked Battles.

That said, there’s always a chance we will see more changes to permitted Pokemon when the DLC arrives. Whether that means adding in the new Legendaries and Mythicals or taking all of them back off the table remains to be seen. At any rate, players have less than a month to try and contend with Zygarde and the rest if they want to get all 3 Mega Stones for the Kalos starters.

What do you think about adding Zygarde to Ranked Battles so soon? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!