Araquanid is an interesting one. If you looked at its stats it would be rather unremarkable. A great special defense stat but nothing else that makes you think it's anything above average. And just like similarly perceived bug type pokemon such as Galvantula or Leavanny, it gets access to one of the best moves in the game in Sticky Web.

Sticky Web is an entry hazard like spikes or stealth rock, but unlike its brethren it does not cause damage when your opponent switches a pokemon in. Instead, it will automatically lower the speed stat of the incoming pokemon by 1. In a turn based battle system, the speed stat is widely considered to be the most important one. With Sticky Web on the field, you can then use other destructive offensive pokemon normally held back by a mediocre speed stat to actually outspeed and K.O. everything in your path.

This niche in itself would give Araquanid a good score, but then you look at its ability. Water Bubble is a signature ability to Araquanid, and it is incredibly broken. It gives you not one, not two, but THREE abilities in one. First of all, it makes you immune to burn (such as the ability Water Veil). It also halves the damage you take from Fire moves (like Heatproof), essentially giving Araquanid a fire resistance. And if that wasn't enough, it also DOUBLES your water type damage. Just a straight up x2 multiplier to damage. Add this on top of your x1.5 multiplier from being a water type pokemon and your average attack stat does not matter anymore. Absolutely insane. Of course Araquanid is still held back by its other stats, which prevents it from being broken, but it is a very clear threat in its own right.

I'd give it an 8.5/10

Since he just got a mega evolution, Dragonite is up next

Dragonite is a Pokemon that I feel like compared to the other pseudos gets underrated I think it has an amazing design that can pull off being intimidating but also one of the cutest Pokemon at the same time.

Stat wise it's a bit disappointing I mean with it's hidden ability you can almost always get a free dragon dance to make up for the lackluster speed but the rest of it's stats are pretty well balanced where I could see Mega Dragonite being seriously impressive depending on where they put the stats give it some speed and attack and its set.

Dragon and Flying isn't an amazing type combo but I don't think it's particularly bad either it does suck being 4x weak to ice but once again the hidden ability making it so the first hit on it does less is really helpful. As for it's regular ability Inner Focus making it so you can't flinch I've never really used one in a competitive sense but I feel it's likely the better ability for VGC.

I love it's mega design which I know is controversial but I think it's really well done and it only grows on me more every time I see it I'm very excited to use one for myself in Legends Z-A!

I'll give it a 10/10

Next Pokemon is another mon with a new mega! Chesnaught I choose you!

See if you had said his name this time last year, I would have gone off about how ugly and bad this pokemon is. And I will still do that, but now there is light at the end of the tunnel for Chesnaught.

Chesnaught is the final form of one of the three starter Pokemon from the Kalos region, Chespin. My initial impression upon seeing it was one of confusion. I still struggle to see how Chespin turns into this guy. Anyway, long story short I am not a fan of its design.

Like all the other starter Pokemon, Chesnaught's stat total is around the 530 mark, which is fairly high. Unfortunately for Chesnaught his stats aren't distributed very well. He's clearly meant to be this big tank, but when you look at his actual defensive stats, you are met with an 88/122/75 spread. Is he bulky? Yes. Is he a tank? No not really. It's doable on the physical side but he gets obliterated by even neutral special hits. But okay, other Pokemon have done well with similar if not worse defensive stats. Where this Pokemon really went wrong was its typing. Grass/Fighting has been tried a few times before, a notable example being Breloom. It's a great offensive pairing. Offensive. Defensively it has, and count with me, 6 weaknesses, 1 of which being a quad weakness. The types it is weak to are some of the more common and better offensive types as well, such as Fire, Flying, Ice, and Fairy. So now you have a Pokemon meant to be bulky with slightly above average stats and a typing weak to a lot of the most common damaging types in the game. In other words, it does nothing.

Thankfully Legends: ZA granted him a Mega Evolution. Not only did they do the impossible and fix his ugly design so he actually looks really cool now (how did they pull that off???). They actually fixed his stats. 88 HP is still not great but it's enough, because he now has 172 defense, and even a big boost to 115 Special defense. Now we're talking! You can run him fully defensively and still do massive damage now with Body Press, which he does get a stab multiplier on as well. What an actual godlike mechanic, they should keep Mega Evolution around.

Before Legends: ZA he would get a 4, now he gets an easy 7.5 from me in his Mega form

Well since I wasn't given a pokemon to rate I'll also rate Chesnaught and like Furret with his new mega I'll give him a nice 7.5

The next Pokemon to rate is Buizel.

Decent Pokémon, and actual better Pokémon from the newer gens, ig hes not really that new. 6/10

Sunflora

Sunflora is one of the worst Pokemon of all time. It has terrible stats, with a useable Special Attack stat being the only one that is not completely dreadful.

It has a poor movepool and evolves with a Sun Stone, which is not always readily available.

It has Chlorophyll as an ability, doubling its speed in sunlight. Normally that makes a Pokemon a potential sweeper, but even with doubled speed Sunflora fails to outspeed anything.

It's like anything Sunflora tries to do, it sucks at. Even its pre-evolution Sunkern has a niche as being the single strongest Pokemon in the Pokéathlon in Heart Gold and Soul Silver. I'll rate Sunflora a 2/10

Next up to rate is Chimecho

Up until recently, Chimecho was incredibly mediocre as far as in-game usefulness and competitive viability go. It has only average overall bulk (75/80/90), awful speed (65), and its offensive presence is unremarkable as well (50 Attack, 95 Sp. attack). Overall, it doesn't excel at anything, with none of its stats exceeding 100. It's too frail to be a tank, and too slow and weak to be a sweeper, or to be worth using in any offensive capacity, really.

I'll give it a few points for its design being a simple yet cute Japanese wind chime, but that's about all I can give it. It also does receive a much needed Mega Evolution in Legends Z-A, which makes it a Psychic/Steel type and massively improves its offense (95 -> 135 Sp. Atk) and defenses (110/120). It's definitely a Pokémon that enormously benefits from having a Mega (now if only they'd give Kingdra and Flygon one...). With this new Mega, Chimecho is finally usable now, lol.

Unfortunately, even with a shiny Mega Evolution, there are plenty of far more powerful Mega Evolutions that are better picks for the one Mega slot on your team.

Before its Mega Evolution in Z-A, I'd give Chimecho a 3, in Z-A, I'll give its Mega a 5.5 overall.

The next Pokémon to rate is Electivire.

I do like Electvire a lot, and I don't really know why other then him being an Electric Pokémon. 8/10

Next Pokémon up is Raichu

I give Raichu and 6/10 and not very big on electric types in general. It just gives overshadowed way too hard by Pikachu to be any relevant.

Next to rate is Hisuan Typhlosion.

Hisuian Typhlosion is an interesting design choice. I like Fire/Ghost as a typing, but I find it quite peculiar that they decided to basically do back-to-back ones with Skeledirge the following generation.

It looks high as all hell, which is funny. I have the same issue with it as regular Typhlosion, namely that it only activates its flames when it attacks. The old Typhlosion sprites were so good because its fire neck made it look so menacing. The ghostly purple fire is a great look, but only when it attacks.

In battle it functions basically the same as regular Typhlosion. It uses Eruption to spread as much fire damage as humanly possible. The ghost type does give it something else to do, but its signature move is a bit strange. It's like Hex in that it doubles in power when the opponent has a status condition, but it also has a 30% burn chance. What I don't get is that either the burn chance is irrelevant because the opponent already has a status condition, or you're using it to try and fish for a burn, but the attack won't even get doubled until the turn after, plus it's only a 30% chance. Very clunky move.

Its stats are near identical to regular Typhlosion, only losing like 5 points of speed in exchange for 5 points in special attack. It still wants to hold choice scarf in most battles, so it barely matters.

I did use it as my starter in Legends: Arceus, and loved it there, so it gets a 7.5/10 from me

Next up to rate is Kingdra

A very strange Pokemon. I like it for what it is, even if it's infamous for what it's used for (mainly to stall with Double Team and Rest using its surprisingly defensive typing.) Overall, I find it to be quite solid?

7.5/10

Next up to rate is...Flygon? This one should be funny, because it's kinda-sorta outdone both in its own generation and directly in the next one.

Flygon has always been a pokemon I've thought is a bit overrated maybe that's because I didn't grow up playing Hoenn but it's stats are really rough and gamefreak hates it and won't give it a mega that said I doubt that would even save it at this point. I'll go 6/10 since the design is cool.

Next up to rate is Ursaring.

Ursaring is a cool one! It was always one of the best Gen 2 designs, but unfortunately they put it so late in the game (in just one version no less) so lots of people never really used it on their teams.

Ursaring has a pretty balanced stat spread. 95 HP with 75 in both defenses is respectable enough bulk to live an attack, and a staggering 130 base attack will make it rip through a lot of opponents. It does have a pretty terrible speed stat of 55, which isn't even slow enough to be great in Trick Room teams.

Ursaring is most known for having the Guts ability and being able to spam powerful boosted attacks because of it, including the scary Facade. It does later get Quick Feet as well, potentially allowing you to bypass its bad Speed, but it will still get outsped by the faster Pokemon in the meta.

Ursaring did get its time to shine in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Teddiursa is the mandatory tutorial capture, and with it knowing the move Return, it turns into a beast in that whole game.

Ursaring's most notable anime appearance has to be Paul's Ursaring in the Sinnoh seasons. That thing literally had rabies or something, it destroyed so many of Ash's Pokemon, especially at that Lake Aquity battle they had.

Finally, Ursaring got blessed with one of the coolest cross-generation evolutions ever in Ursaluna in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This allows Ursaring to use the Eviolite item, potentially giving it a more defensive role if you so desire.

I'd give it a 6.5/10 overall

Next up to rate is Sharpedo

Sharpedo is an interesting one. It has a strong offensive presence of 120/95, and a solid speed of 95. Even though its speed falls short of the all-important base 100 speed benchmark, this doesn't matter if it has its hidden ability, Speed Boost. This will allow its speed to quickly snowball each turn. Unfortunately, aside from offense and speed, Sharpedo falls flat defensively – its unimpressive 70/40/40 bulk leaves a lot to be desired. It's basically one Bullet Seed or Thunder Shock away from getting knocked out at any given time!

Fortunately, Sharpedo was blessed with a mega evolution in ORAS, which puts nearly half of its boosted stats points into its speed and offenses, bringing them up to 140/110/105. More importantly though, its defense and special defense increase to 70 and 65 respectively. It still won't be taking hits anytime soon since a strong hit will still take it down, but the boost is nice, especially since both defenses were at 40 before. Its boosted offensive presence combined with its new ability, Strong Jaw (which boosts biting moves like Crunch and Ice Fang) allows it to more immediately become a threat. The loss of Speed Boost kinda hurts, but I think it's a worthy trade-off. Ideally, you want to get one speed boost from its base form before Mega evolving.

Overall, Mega Sharpedo is definitely an improvement that can chomp through teams with careful play and setup, but it still faces a lot of competition from other Megas since you can only have one Mega per battle.

Taking its Mega into account, I'll give Sharpedo a 7/10 overall.

The next Pokémon to rate is Golisopod.