Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s Multiplayer Battles Are Already Feeling Stale—And It’s Only Getting Worse.
Remember the thrill of those first few nights after Pokémon Legends: Z-A launched? The chaos of real-time battles, the satisfaction of sweeping multiple opponents with a single Surf tsunami—it was pure, unfiltered fun. Even my mismatched team of favorites felt like a winning squad. But here’s where it gets controversial: that magic didn’t last. Fast forward a few days, and the multiplayer mode has devolved into a predictable game of rock-paper-scissors, dominated by the same three Pokémon: Metagross, Xerneas, and Garchomp. Is this the future of competitive play, or just a temporary setback?
Don’t get me wrong—metas are a natural part of any competitive game. But Legends: Z-A’s multiplayer format has taken this to an extreme. The game’s 4v4 battles, where players compete for knock-outs in a limited time, have inadvertently rewarded players for relying on these three monsters. Why? Because they’re not just powerful—they’re overpowered. Metagross’s Steel/Psychic typing, Xerneas’s Fairy moves, and Garchomp’s Dragon/Ground dominance create a trifecta that’s nearly impossible to counter without… well, using them yourself. And this is the part most people miss: their synergy isn’t just offensive; it’s defensive. These Pokémon resist so many elements and cover each other’s weaknesses so effectively that they’ve become the ultimate safety net.
Take Metagross, for example. Its steel attacks can dismantle Xerneas, but Xerneas’s fairy moves are a hard counter to Garchomp, which in turn can flatten Metagross with Earthquake. It’s a self-sustaining cycle that leaves little room for creativity. When I jumped into a match while writing this, I didn’t face the exact trio, but every opponent had at least two of them. It’s not just me noticing this—Reddit user TheFierceDiety summed it up perfectly: ‘Legends Z-A online battles went from actually quite fun at release to the most monotonous and miserable thing ever over such a short time.’ Ouch. But is this entirely the players’ fault, or did Game Freak set the stage for this meta-dominated mess?
Here’s where it gets even more controversial: D00MPhd pointed out that introducing legendaries like Xerneas into ranked battles so early was a ‘crazy move.’ Their argument? It homogenized the format before players had enough legendary options to balance it out. Older games waited to introduce legendaries, fostering diversity in team building. Legends: Z-A didn’t—and now we’re paying the price. Without tiered competitive play (like official Pokémon tournaments have), players are stuck battling these meta teams whether they like it or not. Even worse? You have to play ranked battles to unlock certain Mega Stones, forcing players into this stale environment just to progress.
And let’s not forget the growing cheater problem. Combine that with the meta monotony, and it’s no wonder frustration is boiling over. Sure, Game Freak made it easier to rank up by removing rank loss, but that’s a band-aid solution. The real fix? Maybe the Mega Dimension DLC dropping on December 10 will shake things up by introducing new monsters. But until then, we’re stuck in a loop of Metagross, Xerneas, and Garchomp. So, here’s the question: Is this meta dominance a flaw in the game’s design, or just the natural evolution of competitive play? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments—agree or disagree, I want to know what you think!
