ZA's DLC gives Chimecho a mega evolution

Pokemon Legends: ZA came out just three weeks ago, but it's already getting additional content in the form of the new Diancie side quest and the Mega Dimension DLC, which is now scheduled for release on December 10th. Many fans are wondering how to bring in Diancie Pokemon Legends: ZA due to the Pokémon's incredibly low catch rate (and the fact that it fits the color scheme of Heal Balls, which also have a low catch rate), although the critter is not yet useful in ranked battles. Things will change dramatically on December 10, as several returning Pokemon become available and gain new Mega Evolutions, including Gen 3's Chimecho.

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

New zones that are glimpses of Hyperspace Lumiose.
- These will be available with donuts baked by Hoopa and Ansha, requiring players to farm berries.
- Each zone will have a timer, an increase to the maximum level of the player's Pokemon and wild Pokemon, and different challenges associated with each type of monk.
A donut cooking minigame involving berries.
New trainer battles and Alpha encounters.
27 confirmed returning Pokemon so far, including:
- Galarian Meowth
- Perrserker
- Monkey
- Primape
- Annihilape
- Cubone
- Marowak
- Alolan Marowak
- Gallery Mr. Mime
- Mr. Rime
- Chingling
- Chimecho
- Mouth
- The mushers
- Gollett
- Golurk
- Wimpod
- Golisopod
- Beginner
- Corvisquire
- Corvik night
- Nacli
- Nacl stack
- Garganacl
- Frigibax
- Arctibax
- Baxcalibur
New Mega Evolutions, including:
- Mega Raichu X
- Mega Raichu Y
- Mega Chimecho
- Mega Baxcalibur

Mega Chimecho in Pokemon Legends: ZA has a very distinct look that combines the general idea of Chimecho as a Pokémon with the design of its pre-evolution, Chingling, whose silhouette provides the gold/metal frame that houses several 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 upset about its Mega Evolution rather than celebrating it because it takes away more than it gives.

Say goodbye to Chimecho Regional Forms and Cross-Gen Evolutions After Pokemon Legends: ZA

As a gimmick, Mega Evolution is the most popular in the entire series. It gives Game Freak an opportunity to give fully evolved animals a new special form that is more powerful than the base, thanks to 100 extra stat points. However, this also technically means that any Pokémon that can Mega Evolve cannot have further evolutions in future generations, and may not even have any regional forms. This is not a hard rule, however Pokemon Legends: ZAs new DLC Mega Evolutions and the base game Mega Evolutions are all for critters with no other forms, and no Pokemon that can Mega Evolve from the Gen 6 games got a regional form or cross-gen evolution afterward.

This is a bad thing for Chimecho as it has a BST of 455, and while it's not a terrible spread with 50 points in Attack and all other stats being higher, it's far from a good Pokemon. This is mainly due to:

Chimecho's low stats, which Mega Chimecho can only improve so far with a BST of 555.
The move selection for Chimecho is pretty bad, 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: ZAs best teams usually use Metagross, sometimes even Mega Metagross, it's hard to justify picking Mega Chimecho when it has a BST of 555 compared to Metagross' 600 and Mega Metagross' 700.
Chimecho getting a Mega Evolution means that it most likely won't get a regional form, and it's basically guaranteed that it won't get a cross-gen evolution either.

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

Cross-gen evolutions are much better for a Pokemon's potential utility in battle, as they are permanent additions. Mega Evolution is a gimmick attached to Pokemon Legends: ZAand thus temporary. While Pokemon champion allows Mega Evolutions, it is unclear how popular the game will become and how much traction it will gain on the competitive scene.

As such, Chimecho should not have received a Mega Evolution, and instead should have received a cross-generational evolution further down the line – perhaps as soon as Gen 10 next year. Mega Chimecho might not move the needle that much Pokemon Legends: ZAlet alone the entire series, when this specific gimmick goes away. As cool as Mega Chimecho is, it's more of a curse than a blessing for this otherwise underwhelming Pokémon.

One could argue that a Mega Evolution for Chimecho is better than nothing, but waiting longer for it to properly evolve would have been a better scenario.