ZA's new threat is confirmed to be even scarier in DLC

Pokemon Legends: ZA is launching its Mega Dimension DLC very soon, on December 10th, and there will be a new trailer in just over a week. Many fans have already beaten the base game in its entirety, including the various side quests, the quests to unlock both Xerneas and Yveltal in Pokemon Legends: ZAand Infinite ZA Royale, but there is more side content to do. This mainly revolves around the ranked battles in the game, as they are not only a way to test your skill against other trainers, but they also give players some exclusive or rare rewards. These are:

Bottle caps & gold bottle caps – Obtained at the end of ranked matches and at the end of a season i Pokemon Legends: ZA.
Greninjite & Delphoxite – Obtained at Rank Y and Rank S respectively, the first time they are accessed in Season 2. Chesnaughtite will be available in Season 3, November 26th.
Speed Ball, Lure Ball, Level Ball, Heavy Ball, Love Ball, Friend Ball, & Moon Ball – Obtained as random rewards at the end of the match for ranked battles.
Sports ball, dream ball and safari ball – Obtained at the end of Seasons 1, 2 and 3 respectively, based on rank.

As these are all valuable and coveted rewards, compete in Pokemon Legends: ZAs ranked battles are more a matter of when rather than if. This means that using powerful and efficient teams is critical, which is why the current meta heavily favors critters like Xerneas, Garchomp, Metagross, Excadrill, Vaporeon, Charizard, and Skarmory. However, there is a new threat emerging in ranked battles, and it is none other than Pikachu.

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Pokemon Legends: ZA Mega Dimension DLC adds 2 Mega Evolutions for Raichu

Pokemon Legends: ZA reveals two Mega Evolutions for Raichu coming as part of the Mega Dimension DLC.

It's time to welcome Pokemon Legends: ZA's best glass cannon into the rankings

It would be absurd to think that Pikachu would be competitive Pokemon Legends: ZA before it came out, but the game makes this possible. There are a few reasons for this:

Pokemon Legends: ZAs hold items include the Light Ball, which is exclusive to Pikachu, and it doubles its attack stats.
Then Pokemon Legends: ZA features real-time battles instead of turn-based battles, Pikachu can spam his attacks in a row to decimate slower opponents.
Pikachu has access to Charge, which increases its Sp. Defense as well as the damage dealt by its next Electric move, meaning it can do incredible damage with attacks like Volt Tackle and Thunderbolt.
Pikachu can learn Dig and Play Rough, which is good for moving towards the target, as well as Brick Break, which is the only move in the game that can break Reflect and Light Screen.
Pikachu can use Light Screen, Reflect, Agility, and Nasty Plot as buffing moves, if needed. Nasty Plot stacks with Charge.

Why you should use Pikachu in Pokemon Legends: ZA

The reason Pikachu is so strong is because Light Ball, Charge and Plus move in Pokemon Legends: ZA everyone stuck. This means that Pikachu with 252 IV and 31 EV in attack, holding a light ball, with Charge active, can one-shot even Pokemon like Xerneas by using a Plus Volt Tackle, since it has base 120 power.

Because the only type immune to electric moves is Ground, with the main user being Garchomp Pokemon Legends: ZAPikachu can run Play Rough and still do a lot of damage to the popular Dragon type. Otherwise, it may be wise to switch when opponents use a Ground-type Pokemon. Still, Pikachu can theoretically one-shot almost any non-Ground Pokémon in the game with the right setup, and there are many cases of players getting 5+ KOs per match thanks to Pikachu.

How Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Dimension DLC Will Buff Pikachu

As such, if you haven't used Pikachu in Pokemon Legends: ZA but now might be the best time to do it. This is especially true since the Mega Dimension DLC is right around the corner, and that's very good news for Pikachu lovers.

In fact, Pokemon Legends: ZAs DLC adds two Mega Raichu variants, which will inevitably increase Pikachu's evolution further and in different ways. This means that a good Pikachu build may not only serve you well in the upcoming Season 3, but it could provide even more value down the road when Mega Raichu X and Y are released on December 10th. Pikachu has a paltry 320 BST compared to Raichu's 485, but with Light Ball it becomes a huge threat. Now Raichu's BST will be 585 with their Mega Evolutions, meaning they will most likely be better than Pikachu – potentially with new type combinations as well.