Pokemon Legends: ZA Now out for a month, its Mega Dimension DLC drops in just three weeks. Although the game features 26 new Mega Evolutions in total, only a few can be acquired and used early on, with the earliest being Mega Absol and the Chosen Starter. The newest Mega Evolutions Pokemon Legends: ZA Story progression, post-game content, or more money farming and mega shards are locked behind, essentially time-gated. This is especially true for the Mega Evolution of Gen 6 starters, as they were put on hold as online play rewards at one time with Greninzite in Season 1, Delfoxyte in Season 2, and Chesnatite in Season 3.
This is especially bad for Delfox and Chesnut, as Mega Greninja became available at launch, while Mega Delfox debuted 10 days ago, and Mega Chesnut doesn't arrive for another two weeks. Considering it was arguably the worst Gen 6 starter Pokemon when the games first came out, it might come as a surprise to hear that Mega Chesnut In Pokemon Legends: ZA It is actually a secret weapon in battle. There are several reasons for this:
- Pokemon Legends: ZAXerneas is dominating online battles alongside Charizard, Delphox, Garchomp, Gyarados, Metagross, and other critters. Mega Chesnaught has incredible defensive stats to take hits from Xerneas very well, while further boosting himself with moves like Iron Defense and Swords Dance.
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Mega Chesnaught has 137 Attack, 172 Defense, and 115 Sp. Defense, meaning it can be a walking bulwark that deals even more damage. Despite its weaknesses to Fire and Fairy, Chesnaught has access to incredible coverage moves, such as:
- Rock slide – Can 1-hit-KO Charizard and Mega Charizard Y
- Earthquake – Excellent vs. Steel-type Pokemon like Metagross and Excadrill, and even Fire-types
- dig in – Amazing tool against steel and fire monsters, but as a gap closer
- poison when/iron head – Potentially lethal against Xerneas, with high EVs and IVs on attack
- A wooden hammer/Stop fighting – STAB runs with 120 base power
- Dragon Claw – Good to counter Dragon-type Pokemon Pokemon Legends: ZA
- Thunder Punch – Great for defeating flying critters, which can deal 4x damage to Chesnut, and it probably gives non-mega-evolved Gyarados a shot.
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Chesnaught has access to Curse, meaning it can decrease its speed to increase its attack and defense at the same time.
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Brick Break can remove a light screen and reflect off opposing minds, reducing the amount of damage they take.
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Speed is Mega Chesnut's weakest position, but not necessary to succeed in online battles Pokemon Legends: ZABecause it reduces cooldowns rather than determining turn order.
Compared to the regular Chesnaught, its Mega Evolution gains 30 Attack, 50 Defense, and 40 Sp. Defense, and loses 20 speed. Seeing as how speed isn't a must in the game, losing 20 points in favor of extra protection is a huge trade-off, especially considering that it makes Mega Chesnut one of the most flexible critters in the game overall. Since its special defense is already very high, it makes sense to use Curse on most Mega Chessnuts. Pokemon Legends: ZAThe best teams do.
Pokemon Legends: ZA finally takes Chesnaught full circle
However, it's equally possible to skip curse and sword dance to use four attack moves – maybe two STAB moves and two coverage moves. This requires more fine-tuned EVs, such as points in Defense or Special Defense, with a good amount in Attack, and the rest in HP. However, there are many ideal setups for Mega Chessnut, and it can really be an ace in ranked battles.
This shows an interesting trend, as Chessnut is better in the game as speed is less effective, while Aegislash is worse. Pokemon Legends: ZA Because real-time battles force it to change position in long animations. It's unclear what role Mega Chesnut will play, but it could be one of the best critters around, and it will come out soon.
- issued
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy violence, in-game purchases
