Pokemon GO’s New Mega Metagross is Officially Not The Best Steel Attacker
Both in preparation of and in celebration of Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s upcoming launch, Pokemon GO is holding an entire season called Tales of Transformation that features all types of different Pokemon forms. Players can look forward to events featuring new special forms, Gigantamax, Dynamax, Mega, and Shadow Pokemon until December 2, 2025. Some events have already made their way into the game, and Mega Metagross finally being added to Pokemon GO was one of them. After years of going without Mega Metagross in the AR adventure title, if fans were hoping Mega Metagross would be competitively impressive, sadly, it doesn’t look to be the case.
Pokemon GO's Meta Metagross is Outclassed as a Steel-Type, Even By Itself
When Mega Metagross was announced alongside Tales of Transformation itself, the next-level evolution was expected to shake up the meta at least a fair bit when it came to Steel-type attackers. Metagross has been among the top 10 best Steel-attackers in Pokemon GO for a while, and it certainly gains a hefty stat boost that makes good use out of players’ Mega Energy stocks, capping out at 248.9 Attack, 240.3 Defense, and 162.0 HP. However, after careful fan analysis, it seems Mega Metagross gets beaten out by Shadow Metagross by just an inch.
According to DialgaDex and PokemonGOHub, Mega Metagross may indeed have the stats, but there’s no higher standing on the tier list as its DPS is just a second too short to make the mark. In other modes, there may be a benefit to using Mega Metagross, and if players don’t mind losing a few points of damage overall, then the Steel-type Pokemon can still have an important place on fans’ teams. When it comes to getting the most out of a mon’s job as an attacker, though, DPS is critical. Pokemon GO is no exception to this standard gaming rule, especially since its battles hide complex checks and balances underneath its very simplistic exterior while players are tapping away on their phones.
Why Shadow Metagross is Better than Mega Metagross in Pokemon GO
|
Max CP |
DPS |
TDO |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mega Metagross |
5552 |
18.623 |
564.2 |
|
Shadow Metagross |
4286 |
19.243 |
391.8 |
The chart above makes it clear that Shadow Metagross might deal less total damage overall, but it deals it at a slightly faster rate, which changes the game for a lot of players. This keeps both Shadow and Mega Metagross from being completely top-tier, though, as Dusk Mane Necrozma, Crowned Shield Zamazenta, and Crowned Sword Zacian perform better than them both. Metagross is much more accessible at the moment and in general for a lot of players, which makes this Pokemon very important, though they’re not the #1 option.
Luckily, this difference between Shadow and Mega Metagross should only apply to specific raids and any PvP situations where fans favor quick damage over any long-term strategies. At the same time, using Pokemon GO Mega Energy to use Mega Metagross casually might be seen as a drain of resources by a few players, so there might not be much reason to bring the special form out if players prefer Shadow Metagross. Even if these stats don’t look to be too important, they can lead to different strategies and outcomes in picking one over the other. One is better at holding down players’ field presence, while another may be the kingpin needed in a raid where just a bit more quick damage could win the day.
Metagross is a popular Pokemon for a reason, and to have its long-awaited Mega Evolution outclassed by the forgotten darkened heart creatures of Pokemon Colosseum is certainly an interesting sight. There aren’t many instances of a more obscure Pokemon form overpowering fan-favorites like Mega Evolution, even if the edge it has is a minor one. The way Pokemon GO manages to bring so many popular and forgotten Pokemon gimmicks together is one of the things that helps set the game apart from the others, and this situation is a great example of that fact.
