ZA's DLC is giving Chimecho a mega evolution

Pokemon Legends: ZA Only came out three weeks ago, but it's already getting more content in the form of a new Diancie side quest and Mega Dimension DLC, now scheduled for release on December 10th. Many fans are wondering how to get Diancie in. Pokemon Legends: ZA Despite the Pokemon's incredibly low catch rate (and the fact that it fits the color scheme of Hill Balls, which also have a low catch rate), the critter is still unusable in ranked battles. Things will change dramatically on December 10, as many returning Pokemon become available and receive new Mega Evolutions, including Gen 3's Chimecho.

Pokemon Legends: ZAThe second trailer for the Mega Dimension DLC came out yesterday, and it shows even better what's coming with the expansion:

New areas with glimpses of Hyperspace Lumiose.
- These will be accessible with donuts cooked by Hupa and Ansha, players need to farm berries.
- Each zone will have a timer, a max level increase of the player's Pokemon and wild Pokemon, and different challenges associated with each type of donut.
A donut cooking minigame involving berries.
New trainer battles and alpha encounters.
27 confirmed returning Pokemon, so far:
- Galarian Meowth
- Purserkar
- Mind
- Primape
- Annihilep
- cubon
- Marowak
- Alolan Marowak
- Gallerian Mr. Mime
- Mr. Rime
- Chingling
- chimecho
- Munna
- smile
- Gollet
- Golark
- Wimpod
- Golisopod
- Stupid
- Corvisquire
- Corviknight
- Nakli
- Naclstack
- Garganacl
- Frigibax
- Arctibacus
- Baxcalibur
New Mega Evolutions, including:
- Mega Raichu X
- Mega Raichu Y
- Mega Chimecho
- Mega Boxcaliber

At Mega Chimecho Pokemon Legends: ZA Chimecho has a very distinct appearance that combines the general idea of Chimecho as a Pokémon with the design of its pre-evolution, Chingling, whose silhouette forms a gold/metal frame that contains multiple chimes. This is an interesting take on Mega Evolution, and the fact that it gets Steel as a secondary type is also great for Chimecho. However, you should be worried about its mega evolution rather than celebrating it because it takes more than it gives.

Say goodbye to Chimecho regional variants and cross-gen evolutions after Pokemon Legends: ZA

As a gimmick, Mega Evolution is one of the most loved in the entire series. This gives Game Freak the opportunity to give fully evolved critters a new special form that is more powerful than the base, thanks to 100 extra stat points. However, this also technically means that not all Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving will be able to evolve further in future generations, and will likely have no regional forms. This is not a hard and fast rule, however Pokemon Legends: ZAThe new DLC Mega Evolutions and base game Mega Evolutions are all for critters with no other forms, and no Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving from the Gen 6 games later received regional forms or cross-gen evolutions.

That's a bad thing for Chimecho because it has a BST of 455, and since it's 50 point attack and all other stats are high it doesn't spread terribly, it's far from being a good Pokemon. This is mainly due to:

Chimecho's low stats, which Mega Chimecho can only improve with a BST of 555.
The transfer selection for Chimecho is rather weak, and the addition of Steel as a secondary type for Mega Chimecho (Psychic/Steel) can only do so much.
With that in mind Pokemon Legends: ZAThe best teams of usually use Metagross, sometimes even Mega Metagross, it's hard to justify picking Mega Chimecho when it has a BST of 555 vs. Metagross' 600 and Mega Metagross' 700s.
Chimecho getting a mega evolution means it probably won't get a regional form, and it's basically guaranteed not to get a cross-gen evolution.

Why Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Chimecho is a curse, not a blessing

Cross-gen evolutions are great for a Pokemon's potential utility in battles, as they are permanent additions. Mega Evolution is tied to a gimmick Pokemon Legends: ZAand thus temporary. While Pokemon Champions Mega Evolutions allowed, it's unclear how popular the game will be and how much traction it will gain in the competitive scene.

As such, Chimecho shouldn't have received a mega evolution, and instead, it should have received a cross-gen evolution down the line – perhaps as early as next year's gen 10. Mega Chimecho can't move the needle as far inward Pokemon Legends: ZALet alone the entire series, when this specific gimmick goes away. As good as Mega Chimecho is, it's more of a curse than a blessing for Pokemon.

One could argue that a mega evolution for Chimecho is better than nothing, but it would have been a better scenario to have more time to get a proper evolution.