Pokémon Go Mega Evolution Rework

The last time I made the post on the rework of a Pokémon Go feature was in the first year of this blog, on the hottest key feature at that time, being Gyms. Gyms are still hot today, but so is Mega Evolution presently due to its facilities and controversies. The latter aspect especially indicates that the feature needs a rework, and that rework finally came on Friday last week after having been regionally tested at the beginning of that week. Now that its respective event is over and I've had some hands-on with the rework, I can and should write about it.

One controversial point to the implementation of Mega Evolution here is the usage of Mega Energy. Mega Energy is still being used, particularly to Mega Evolve a Pokémon for the first time, but now, subsequent Mega Evolution costs no Mega Energy... for as long as the Pokémon has gone through a rest period (in other words, a cooldown). Those that have not cooled down can still Mega Evolve by expending Mega Energy in fractional amounts. It may be considered that the first Mega Evolution creates a "stone" to allow that Pokémon to evolve, and Mega Energy allows the process to take place without resting. Mega Energy can still be collected from Mega Raids, Research rewards, or by walking with a previously Mega Evolved Pokémon, but now it is not as fleetingly consumptive nor paramount, except for that first time.

Speaking of Mega Raids, some of those have been made easier to complete with fewer people, though more people will still make them go faster and allow earning of more Mega Energy, as its earning is still dependent on speed. For the forgetful sort of people, like me at times, now they can Mega Evolve a Pokémon of choice directly from party selection before starting a raid without having to exit; this also applies to Gym battles, for which party selection is the same. A Mega-Evolved Pokémon also retains the perk of strengthening other battling Pokémon in battle. Beyond these battles, there are other perks for Mega Evolution, one of which is the retained Candy bonus, but now there are bonuses for Candy XL and XP, which are gained by Mega Evolving several times to increase its Mega Level, another new perk.

A few other changes are also abound. Pokémon that have Mega Evolved at least once in the past now has its Mega-Evolved form(s) "peeking" at times on the background of the Pokémon information page. Information on the period of an active Mega Evolution, the cooldown period between successive Mega Evolution, and Mega Levels and their perks are also collated in an icon on the top-left corner of the information page, though Mega Evolution is still accomplished through a button on the page itself, with Mega Energy (now up to 9999) still delineated accordingly. Some of these changes are plainly cosmetic, but they're just as important as the other substantial changes that I've mentioned above. They're a prompt to gather sufficient Mega Energy for the respective Pokémon, evolve them, and manage the results as necessary.

When Gyms were introduced for the first time, they were good, but they weren't as perfect as they could be. Since the rework, they've gotten more so, and in fact, they still stand as such today. For Mega Evolution in Pokémon Go, the same initial situation has been apparent and could only necessitate a rework, which couldn't come at a better time of right now, resolving some controversial parts and throwing in nifty bonuses as well. While it's still too early to see how the future of this will play out, at least there is a present resolution on a "Mega" scale.

One year ago: Like a Slowking Without the Shell

Two years ago: Seek and Ye Shall...

Three years ago: Transcending to a Beautiful Harmony

Four years ago: Old Memories, New Memories

Five years ago: Indie Pokémon Stickers