Pokemon Champions makes one of my favorite Pokemon from Gen 9 better without its mega evolution

While the general perception of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet wasn't very positive when they came out, I've always thought they were great games in terms of scope, general experience of Pokémon the world, and even how good their story was. I played through Pokemon Violet first, beat the game, got myself some shiny pokemon, then started the journey again Pokemon Scarletwhich became my main save file. By the way, I'm sorry, but I think Pokemon Scarlet is better than Pokemon Violet when it comes to exclusives. Now, Pokemon champion officially marks the end of an era for Gen 9 gaming, and that's very bittersweet for me, as much as I'm looking forward to it Pokemon winds and waves.

What's also bittersweet is that I can play competitive battles in Pokemon champion with some of my favorite Pokemon. Still, one of them got a new Mega Evolution Pokemon Legends: ZAs DLC, and it doesn't feel quite right. One of the reasons I loved Gen 9 games so much is that I felt very connected to Paldea as a region. Between the Legacy story and possibly my favorite national Pokedex overall in terms of design, Gen 9 was magical to me. I am very fond of Fuecoco, Sprigatito, Maushold, Bellibolt, Orthworm, Dondozo, Tatsugiri, Gimmighoul, Farigiraf, Pawmot, Fidough, Smoliv, Garganacl, Grafaiai, Scovillain, Rabsca, Cetoddle, Tinkaton, Clodsire, Scream many more. Among them, one of my favorites is Glimmora, but it pains me to say that its Mega Evolution is a disappointment.

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These are the top 5 Pokemon not yet available in Champions

Missing from Pokemon Champion's limited roster of creatures are some competitive staples that have dominated the Gen 9 meta up to this point.

Pokemon Champions Mega Glimmora is a lot less impressive than it sounds

In terms of design, I think Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Glimmora is awesome for several reasons.

It acts as a sort of counterpart to the Mega Floette and Pokemon Legends: ZAs flower theme.
It may represent the ultimate weapon in Pokemon form, given its cannon-like appearance.
It builds on the original design with new features, without destroying its identity.
It retains its Rock/Poison type combination, which makes it interesting.

So in terms of Mega Glimmora's appearance, I think it's top notch. The problem arises when considering its ability and stat distribution.

Mega Glimmora's ability is Adaptability, meaning it deals 2x damage instead of 1.5x with its STAB moves, which are Rock and Poison.
Adaptability makes Glimmora very strong in terms of damage, boosting its stats.
- HP stays at 83
- Attack goes from 55 to 90
- Defense goes from 90 to 105
- Special Attack goes from 130 to 150
- Special Defense goes from 81 to 96
- The speed goes from 86 to 101
101 Speed is especially good because it's faster than Charizard, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Charizard Y, and because Mega Charizard Y is one of the best Pokemon in Pokemon championthis means Mega Glimmora can OHKO it with Power Gem due to its 4x Rock weakness.
Giving Mega Glimmora a 35 point increase in Attack instead of giving it a bit more Defense is far from ideal, as Mega Evolution requires Glimmora to hold Glimmoranite, meaning it has to give up the items that make its base form good, like Focus Sash, Shuca Berry, Rocky Helmet or Assault Vest. With a 4x weakness to Ground-type Pokémon, only a small bump in defense, and an offensive ability, Mega Glimmora is extremely fragile.
While 101 Speed is good against Charizard and some other threats, Mega Glimmora isn't fast enough to outrun Garchomp, one of its biggest counters, and it's outmatched by several Pokemon that can OHKO it with a ground move. Also, 101 Speed isn't very good if you want to use Mega Glimmora in Trick Room teams Pokemon championeither.
One of the best strategies with base Glimmora is to use Power Herb and fire a Meteor Beam in one turn, which also increases Glimmora's Special Attack by one step, meaning it's easier to invest in bulk instead.
Mega Glimmora loses Toxic Debris, which essentially means it plays very differently than its base form, but the cost of this can be too high – a held item that isn't defensive and a Mega Evolution slot on a team that may have better options.

Why Glimmora is better than Mega Glimmora

What follows is that it's pretty hard to justify using Mega Glimmora over its base form, as it can also achieve some high offensive peaks, but without sacrificing its survivability and stamina. Beyond that, Glimmora can offer good utility with Toxic Debris, as well as chip damage with Spiky Shield against physical attackers. Instead, Mega Glimmora wants to take them down as soon as possible, which changes the entire philosophy of Pokémon. Seeing how much I used Glimmora in Gen 9, and how much I like it as a Pokemon, I can't help but feel disappointed with how its Mega Evolution was handled.

I'm not saying it's impossible to find success with Mega Glimmora, but so far I don't think it's worth using. Power Herb is not in the game, as Pokemon champion' item list is very limited, but once added, base Glimmora can increase in usage quite a bit, leaving its Mega behind. And to be honest, as much as I love this Pokemon, I think it's only fair if that happens.