The 2019 Pokémon VGC rules were first revealed in August 2018, and they promised a shifting format that would take three different forms, starting in September 2018 and running through till August 2019. The new VGC rules are split into three different series, the Sun series, which started in September and will end in January, the Moon series, which will run from January till April, and the Ultra series, which will run from April to August
Each of the three series will have different rules, with Sun banning Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, the Moon series just banning Mega Evolutions, and the Ultra series allowing everything. The only Pokémon that will be banned throughout the 2019 VGC tournament are the Mythical Pokémon (Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Manaphy, Phione, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Megearna, Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal), and Ash-Greninja. The fact that the 2019 VGC tournament will be allowing almost every item, move, and Pokémon in the game means that the Ultra series is going to be incredibly chaotic.
It's well-known that some Pokémon are overpowered, yet they will be allowed to run riot over the competitive scene for one last time before the eighth generation arrives.
We are here today to find out which Pokémon should have stayed on the ban list - from the sword with the power to carve up the competition to the dragon from Hoenn that can transform with a single move.
Here are the 20 Pokémon Evolutions So Powerful They Should Be Banned!
20. Aegislash
Aegislash is a Steel/Ghost-type Pokémon that looks like an sword and shield combination. The shield part of Aegislash is fitting, considering that it resists nine different types of moves and is immune to three, offering it one of the best defensive typings in the game.
The real reason why Aegislash is overpowered is due to its unique move: King's Shield, which lowers the Attack stat of an enemy Pokémon by two stages if they used a contact move in the same round. Aegislash's incredible revenge defense capability, coupled with its ability to switch into an offensive form when it's ready to attack give it an amazing level of utility that outstrips most other Pokémon in the game.
19. Mega Blaziken
Blaziken was a Pokémon that never needed a Mega Evolution, as it has been an amazing combatant since it was first introduced in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire. Blaziken's amazing offensive stats and typing make it a powerful foe, but the Speed Boost Ability takes it to a new level, as it just keeps getting faster every turn.
Giving Blaziken a Mega Evolution was just overkill, as it received a further stat boost that made it even stronger. The fact that Speed Boost is constantly making if faster almost always guarantees that it will hit first, giving it plenty of opportunities to use its increased offensive capabilities.
18. Blissey
Chansey may look like a happy pink egg, but it was the terror of the Pokémon Red & Blue competitive scene. Then along came Blissey in Pokémon Gold & Silver, who was even more frightening. Blissey has a ridiculous amount of hit points, which allows it to tank shots from most other Pokémon in the game. Blissey's healing based abilities are also a major factor in double battles, which is what the 2019 VGC tournaments will consist of.
What Blissey lacks in offense, it makes up for with a wide range of status effect moves and healing abilities, as well as being one of the few Pokémon that can equip a Shed Shell, which protects it from the Shadow Tag users that will be present in the upcoming format.
17. Mega Lucario
Lucario was very much the star of the fourth generation of Pokémon, to the point that it received a spot in the Super Smash Bros. series. Lucario was already a potent Pokémon, thanks to its Fighting/Steel-typing giving it a lot of resistances and immunities, but Pokémon X & Y decided to boost Lucario even further with a Mega Evolution.
Mega Lucario gains a major boost to its Attack and Sp. Atk scores, which are combined with its Adaptability Ability to increase the strength of moves that share its typing. This means that Mega Lucario can unleash some incredibly powerful Fighting-type and Steel-type moves, such as Close Combat and Flash Cannon.
16. Garchomp
Cynthia may be the most powerful Pokémon trainer that we have seen in the entire franchise, with her battle at the end of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl acting as one of the toughest in the series. Cynthia's signature Pokémon is Garchomp, which is an incredibly powerful Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon with some amazing moves and stats.
Garchomp received a Mega Evolution, but you will probably want to skip it in favor of the Dragon-type Z-Crystal, which allows it to perform some incredibly powerful moves. If you combine Dragonium-Z with either Draco Meteor or Outrage, then you can fire off an immensely powerful Devastating Drake that will annihilate pretty much every non-Fairy-type/Legendary Pokémon in the game.
15. Mega Gengar
Gengar has always been an awesome Pokémon to use in competitive battles, but the introduction of Mega Evolution in Pokémon X & Y turned it into one of the most overpowered Pokémon in the game, to the point where it was banned in many unofficial tournaments.
The reason why Mega Gengar is so feared is due to its Shadow Tag Ability, which prevents the opponent from switching out their Pokémon unless they happen to be a Ghost-type. Mega Gengar's capacity to shut down teams that aren't built to fight it made it one of the best Mega Evolutions in the game... and it will be coming back to terrorize the competitive scene next year.
14. Ferrothorn
A Pokémon doesn't need to be an offensive powerhouse in order to be dominant in battle, as a strong typing and defensive stats can make them just as dangerous.
Ferrothorn's Grass/Steel-typing gives it a lot of resistances and immunities, with the trade-off that it's very weak to Fighting and Fire-type moves, which are some of the most common threats in the game. Ferrothorn doesn't have to worry too much, due to its sky-high Defense and Sp. Def stats that allow it to tank a lot of hits. Ferrothorn has an abundance and entry hazards and status effects that it can inflict on the foes, which allows it to rack up damage from non-direct sources.
13. Mega Metagross
Metagross was one of the most fearsome new Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, to the point that it became the signature Pokémon of Steven Stone, who was the Champion in the game. Metagross was already a potent threat due to its great stats and typing, but it reached new levels of power in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire when it was given a Mega Evolution.
Mega Metagross has even better stats than its base form and gains the Tough Claws Ability, which further boosts its contact-based moves, giving this Pokémon amazing offensive and defensive capabilities and making it one of the best choices for the Mega slot on your team.
12. Mega Venusaur
Venusaur might not have been as famous as the two other fully evolved starter Pokémon of its generation, but it turned out to be the most powerful of the bunch with a little help from its Mega Evolution, since Charizard would eventually run afoul of Stealth Rock and needed a Mega Evolution just to survive a few rounds against it and Blastoise ended up being outdone by numerous other different Water-type Pokémon.
Mega Venusaur gains the Thick Fat Ability, which halves the power of two of its most significant weaknesses (Fire-type and Ice-type moves), along with giving Mega Venusaur a boost to its defensive stats that allows it to survive longer in battle. With these defences in place, Mega Venusaur is free to terrorize the enemy with status effects and powerful Grass-type moves, some of which give it the ability to heal itself in battle.
11. Mega Salamence
The Dragon-type was dominated by the Dragonite line until Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire when the Salamence line first appeared. Salamence is a frighteningly powerful Pokémon on its own, as those who struggled to fight Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four can tell you, but Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire decided to make it even scarier by giving it a Mega Evolution.
Mega Salamence has incredible stats which are granted by its Mega form, but it's further strengthened by the Aerilate Ability, which transforms Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves while boosting their strength, giving Mega Salamence the capacity to use super-charged versions of moves like Body Slam and Double-Edge.
10. Greninja
Ash-Greninja is one of the few Pokémon that will remain banned throughout the 2019 VGC format, but Greninja on its own is no slouch in the combat department. Greninja has great stats for its role in battle and is one of the best Z-move users in the game.
However, the real reason why Greninja is so feared is due to its Protean Ability, as it switches Greninja's type into that of a move it is about to use. This means that Greninja receives a STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) benefit on all of its attacks, which can also be used in a defensive manner to allow Greninja to turn into something that has resistances or immunities to the enemy Pokémon that is on the field.
9. Mega Tyranitar
Tyranitar has been a consistently amazing Pokémon on the battlefield since its introduction in Pokémon Gold & Silver, due to its amazing stat spread, typing, and its capacity to whip up a damaging sandstorm that will harm most foes. Tyranitar has an amazing move pool that allows it to utilize its amazing Attack stat effectively, with the added benefit of being able to set up Stealth Rock.
Mega Tyranitar receives a massive stat boost to its Attack and Defense scores, which allows it to perform its job of dismantling enemy Pokémon in a more efficient way. Tyranitar never needed a Mega Evolution to help it do its job, which is why Mega Tyranitar just feels like overkill.
8. Volcarona
Bug-type Pokémon were looked down upon for a long time, due to their physical weakness and over-reliance on status effect moves. Pokémon Black & White did a lot to help the weaker types and bring them up to the same level as the other types, and Volcarona is an example of this, as it was the signature Pokémon of Alder - the Champion of Unova.
Volcarona has amazing Sp. Atk/Def stats, which it can easily increase even further with the use of Quiver Dance, giving Volcarona the ability to one-shot enemies using souped-up versions of powerful Bug and Fire-type moves. The only thing that lets this Pokémon down is a times four weakness to Stealth Rock.
7. Mega Mewtwo X & Y
What is there to say about Mewtwo that hasn't already been said? This is a Pokémon that was so strong that it took the introduction of the literal creator god of the Pokémon universe (who also happens to be a Pokémon) for a being to show up that was more powerful than a creature that was bred in a lab.
Mewtwo finally managed to outstrip Arceus when it gained two Mega Evolutions in Pokémon X & Y, one of which grants it amazing physical stats, while the other pushes its Sp. Atk stat into the stratosphere and allows it to destroy almost everything that isn't immune to Psychic-type moves.
6. Gliscor
There are some tactics in Pokémon that are incredibly effective but are so annoying that your opponent might actually put down their Nintendo 3DS and punch you in the face. Gliscor is a Pokémon that can use one of the most annoying tactics in the game, thanks to its Poison Heal Ability, which allows it to heal damage every turn if it's poisoned.
Gliscor is able to use a Toxic Orb to poison itself so that it heals itself every turn instead of taking damage, which gives it a chance to use Protect in order to give it some breathing room to restore health whenever it needs to. While Gliscor is poisoned, it's able to increase the power of Facade and deal tons of damage to the opponent.
5. Mega Latias & Latios
The wandering dragons of Hoenn always had difficulties when it came to their inclusion in tournaments, due to the fact that they could vastly increase their power with the aid of the Soul Dew item. This meant that the Soul Dew item was banned for years and wasn't allowed to be used until it was nerfed in Generation VII.
Latias and Latios no longer need the power of the Soul Dew, as they have access to Mega forms and powerful Z-Moves, which will allow them to increase their already amazing capabilities on the battlefield. Mega Latias and Mega Latios are amazing Pokémon in terms of their move pool, stats, and typing, which is befitting of their status as Legendary Pokémon.
4. Cloyster
Cloyster might be one of the more forgettable Pokémon from Pokémon Red & Blue, but it has consistently been one of the best choices for a competitive team, due to its amazing Defense stat and an ability to set up entry hazards.
Time has been kind to Cloyster, as it gained access to amazing abilities like Shell Armor (which protects from critical hits) and Skill Link (which allows multi-hit moves to always hit the maximum amount of times). Cloyster also gained Shell Smash, which allows it to boost its otherwise unremarkable stats in order to make the most out of Skill Link so that it can deal lots of damage.
3. Mega Kangaskhan
No one cared about Kangaskhan until the release of Pokémon X & Y. Indeed, most players who started with Pokémon Red & Blue disliked Kangaskhan due to how difficult it was to catch in the Safari Zone. The introduction of Mega Evolution in Pokémon X & Y transformed Kangaskhan from a junk Normal-type Pokémon into one of the most popular choices in the competitive scene.
Mega Kangaskhan gains the Parental Bond Ability, which allows it to hit twice with many different attacks, with the caveat that the second attack only deals a quarter damage. The reason why Parental Bond is so broken is due to how the second attack has a chance of inflicting the move's secondary effect (such as how Body Slam has a 30% chance of inflicting paralysis) and has the capacity to perform a critical hit.
2. Gothitelle
The fact that Mega Gengar was banned for so long meant that Gothitelle rose up to take its place, due to the fact that it's the second best Shadow Tag user in the game. Shadow Tag's ability to prevent opponents from switching in their Pokémon (except for Ghost-types) is just as dangerous in the hands of Gothitelle, who also has some amazing status effect moves that it can use to seal away the capabilities of an enemy Pokémon.
Gothitelle may not have amazing stats, but it's Ability and move pool make it more than a match for many other Pokémon in the game.
1. Mega Rayquaza
Mega Evolution will always grant an amazing boost to whatever Pokémon can use it, but it comes at the price of not being able to use a held-item. Rayquaza was already an incredibly powerful Pokémon, but the fact that it can Mega Evolve using a move instead of needing to hold an item means that it has become one of the most powerful Pokémon in the series.
Mega Rayquaza won't be legal until the Ultra Series starts in April 2019, but you can bet that it will be a common sight at tournaments, due to how overwhelmingly powerful this Pokémon is compared to everything else in the game.
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Are there any other Pokémon evolutions so powerful they should be banned? Sound off in the comments!