Pokémon Legends: Z-A didn’t get quite the same reception as its prequel, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The city setting, while ambitious, highlighted some of the visual and technical limitations in the subseries, and as a result, it went down as a decent entry, albeit nothing special. However, like most multiplayer Pokémon games, it has a healthy battling scene, and season 12 — starting at 2 a.m. EDT on Thursday, June 4 — is set to completely change the shape of the game.
That’s because the restrictions on which Pokémon can be used in battle are being completely lifted. Any Pokémon in either the Lumiose Pokédex or the Hyperspace Pokédex will be eligible, including all “restricted” Pokémon (Groudon, Kyogre, Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde).
This is a massive change for battling in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, where previous seasonal restrictions have included banning all legendary and mythical Pokémon, only allowing Pokémon with mega evolutions, only allowing one restricted Pokémon per team, and more. Some players will no doubt be jumping for joy, because the more Pokémon available, the more diverse the meta, right?
That’s great in theory, but in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, those Pokémon are restricted for a reason: they’re arguably the strongest Pokémon in the game. Lifting all the restrictions will no doubt make for an interesting experiment, but there’s a strong chance it could also make the meta even more one-dimensional than it was previously.
You can read more about Pokémon Legends: Z-A‘s season 12 ruleset on the official Pokémon website, which also lists all the seasonal rewards available.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a fresh evolution, but still the same monster
I’ve done this before, but I’m excited to do it again
