Pokemon Champions Z Mega Evolutions Arrive September 9

Z Mega Evolutions are coming to Pokemon Champions on September 9, 2026, with Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z joining the battle-focused game through Regulation Set M-C. The update will also add Rillaboom and Baxcalibur, while Mega Heatran has been revealed with further details still to come.

The additions were unveiled on 31 August during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokemon World Championships, where The Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara introduced a new Pokemon Champions trailer showing the incoming forms and Pokemon.

Three Z Mega Evolutions Join Regulation Set M-C

Regulation Set M-C will bring all three currently revealed Z Mega Evolutions into Pokemon Champions. Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z were originally introduced outside Champions, and September 9 will mark their move into the game’s competitive battle system.

Rillaboom and Baxcalibur are also notable competitive additions, with both having previously featured in the Pokemon Championship Series. Mega Heatran appeared alongside them, although The Pokemon Company stopped short of confirming when players will be able to use it.

What Is Z Mega Evolution?

Z Mega Evolution is a variation of Mega Evolution that was introduced through the Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension DLC rather than the original base game. The mechanic was formally explained alongside Mega Lucario Z in December 2025.

These are separate Mega-Evolved forms rather than replacements for previously established Mega Evolutions. Mega Lucario Z, for example, exists alongside the original Mega Lucario. The Pokemon Company explained that the Z form was classified as a Mega Evolution because its transformation occurs through exposure to a Mega Stone and produces a substantial increase in power.

The defining difference in Mega Dimension was how the forms behaved during battle. Z Mega Evolutions needed less time to execute moves after receiving an order, allowing them to attack more quickly. The trade-off was that they consumed Mega Power at a much faster rate, making them less suited to prolonged fights.

That created a deliberately aggressive version of Mega Evolution in Legends: Z-A. Players gained quicker move execution, but keeping the form active for an extended battle became more difficult because its Mega Power disappeared faster.

Pokemon Champions Has Not Detailed How Z Megas Will Work

The original Z Mega mechanic cannot simply be assumed to work identically in Pokemon Champions. Legends: Z-A uses its own timing-based battle system, where reducing the delay before a Pokemon can perform another move has an immediate mechanical effect. Pokemon Champions instead uses the familiar Pokemon battle structure built around moves, types and Abilities.

The September 9 announcement confirms that the three Z Mega forms will be usable under Regulation Set M-C, but does not explain what gameplay properties will distinguish them from regular Mega Evolutions in Champions.

There is already precedent for Pokemon Champions adapting Mega Evolutions from Legends: Z-A to suit its own battle system. The official Pokemon Champions launch information detailed newly discovered Abilities for Mega-Evolved Pokemon such as Mega Meganium and Mega Feraligatr, including Mega Sol and Dragonize. The exact treatment for Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z remains to be detailed.

Mega Heatran Is the Next Unanswered Addition

Mega Heatran was the other new Mega-Evolved Pokemon revealed in the World Championships trailer, but it was separated from the confirmed Z Mega Evolution rollout. The announcement only said that further information on Mega Heatran would come later, so its Regulation Set eligibility and release timing remain unconfirmed.

For now, Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Absol Z are the Z Mega Evolutions locked in for Pokemon Champions from September 9, alongside Rillaboom and Baxcalibur. Mega Heatran remains the next newly revealed form awaiting further details.