Pokémon Legends: Z-A is reshaping its Ranked Battles again, and Season 16 puts the game’s signature feature at the centre of competition. From 27 August, only Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution will be eligible.
The previous rulesets focused on individual types: Season 14 allowed only Flying-type Pokémon, while Season 15 was restricted to Water-types. Season 16 takes a different approach, limiting teams to Pokémon that can Mega Evolve and allowing Mega Stones as the only held items.
How the Season 16 rules work
Mega Evolution temporarily changes a Pokémon’s form during battle, improving its stats in the process. The transformation requires the species’ specific Mega Stone. Only the final Pokémon in an evolution line can Mega Evolve, and some final-stage Pokémon still do not have a Mega Stone.
The game brings back Mega Evolutions from earlier Pokémon releases while also introducing new forms. Mega Starmie has an especially unsettling design, whereas Mega Victreebel takes a more flamboyant and polished approach.
Although the eligible pool is limited to a few dozen Pokémon, several familiar choices remain available. Charizard, Gengar and Lucario can all enter the competition, while Pokémon introduced through the Mega Dimension downloadable content, including Tatsugiri, are also permitted.
For a complete list of eligible Pokémon and the locations of their required stones, consult the Season 16 reference at Serebii.
Ranked Battles remain a real-time contest
Ranked Battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A place four trainers in the same match. Each competitor brings a team of three Pokémon, then earns one point whenever an opponent’s Pokémon is knocked out. The battles use the game’s real-time system rather than traditional turn-based exchanges.
Team level does not provide an advantage in this format: every Pokémon is standardised at level 50. Players therefore need to focus on team composition, timing and making the most of a temporary Mega Evolution.
Season 16 ranking rewards
As with the previous season, progressing from Rank Y through Rank S provides a series of Mega Stones. The rewards are distributed as follows:
- Rank Y: Greninjite
- Rank X: Delphoxite
- Rank W: Chesnaughtite
- Rank V: Baxcalibrite
- Rank U: Sceptilite
- Rank T: Swampertite
- Rank S: Blazikenite
Season 16 begins on 27 August and runs until 17 September. Players preparing for the new format can also browse RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming coverage, explore the arcade machine buying guide, or compare compact bartop arcades for a dedicated Pokémon-friendly gaming space.
The wider Pokémon calendar has also been busy. Pokopia received its Bubbly Basin expansion, The Pokémon Company gave away a large amount of free merchandise at Pokémon Worlds, and new collaborations with Polaroid and Krispy Kreme attracted attention.
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