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The Leaks Were Real - Starters Confirmed for Pokémon Legends Z-A, Plus Potential Ranked Mode Teased

Cale Michael

Pokemon Legends Z-A players will choose from Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile as starters
Pokemon Legends Z-A players will choose from Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile as starters / The Pokemon Company, screenshot via Serebii.net

After a full year of mostly silence, Pokémon Legends: Z-A got a new trailer with plenty of previously unseen content, including an entirely new battle system and actual gameplay within Lumiose City.

From Mega Evolution to introducing combat reminiscent of action RPGs mixed with the classic Pokémon formula, Legends: Z-A is taking Pokémon in an entirely new direction, even compared to its predecessor. 

Pokémon Legends Z-A Reveals Starter Pokémon, New Battle System, and More

While we didn’t get a release date, Pokémon Legends: Z-A will release in late 2025—likely around November. Beyond that, the Pokémon Day trailer's focus was on giving players a look at gameplay for the battle system, which is entirely different from Legends: Arceus.

Hippowdon battle in Legends Z-A
Battles take place in real-time in Pokemon Legends Z-A / The Pokemon Company, screenshot via Serebii.net

Gone are the Strong and Agile Style options; in their place is a more action-RPG form of combat that has you taking more direct control of your Pokémon during battles based on positioning for the Pokémon and your player character. Using that positioning, you can set up traps on the field, dodge incoming attacks, and more.

Mega Evolution has also been reworked for this system. Instead of being a static buff, it appears that a Pokémon can only remain Mega Evolved for a set duration of time before reverting back to normal and losing its enhanced powers.

It was also revealed that Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile are the Starters you will choose between for Legends: Z-A. This likely means they will either get alternate third evolutions like Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott in Legends: Arceus, or receive Mega Evolutions since that mechanic is making a big comeback. Perhaps it will be both, but we won’t know until closer to release.

Flabebe returns in Pokemon Legends Z-A
The Pokemon Company, screenshot via Serebii.net

Along with the Starters and new battle system, we can now assume Legends: Z-A is a sequel of sorts to Pokémon X and Y, as AZ and his Floette are running a hotel that seems to serve as a base of operations for you. The rest of the characters seem new and centered around Lumiose City’s urban development planb and Quasartico.

And, despite how odd it sounded when the game was initially revealed, it actually does appear that most of Legends: Z-A will take place in Lumiose City alone. There are various “Wild Zones” throughout the city where wild Pokémon are located, and you can battle and catch them. 

Capture mechanics appear to be a slightly reworked version of Legends: Arceus’ where you can throw Poké Balls outside of combat. Movement outside of battles also looks to be different too, with one trailer showing the player character jumping from roof to roof in the overworld with the help of a Rotom Phone.

And, as if it wasn’t clear enough from the trailer and general theming, Zygarde will play a major role in Legends: Z-A’s story.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Esports Impact

We still don’t have a full grasp on how Pokémon Legends: Z-A could potentially impact the competitive Pokémon scene, largely due to how odd Legends: Arceus fit into the equation back in 2022. 

While Legends: Z-A will introduce new Pokémon via entirely unique species, new evolutions, and new Mega Evolutions, it is not clear how the game itself will function as an online entity. Legends: Arceus did not have any element of online battling, instead focusing on being a single-player experience while still allowing players to trade with each other or use online for things like retrieving lost satchels from players who had whited out in the overworld.

It took more than a year for Pokémon introduced in Legends: Arceus to become usable in competitive battles through Scarlet and Violet. VGC competitions continued using Sword and Shield for an additional year due to Legends: Arceus’ lack of online modes.

Thankfully, The Pokémon Company also announced Pokémon Champions, a new, battle-centric game that is currently in development for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. It will focus on letting players battle online with Pokémon from their Pokémon HOME collection where Legends: Z-A might not include that feature.

What's more, the introduction of Champions combined with Legends Z-A's more robust real-time battle system could present an interesting future for Pokemon esports. It's entirely possible that the standard, turn-based VGC format will live on in Champions while Legends Z-A introduces an online ranked mode and pushes the series into a more real-time battle competition style.

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Cale Michael
CALE MICHAEL

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