🎮 GamesPokémon Champions: Japanese Trainers React to the New Mega Evolutions — "Mega Staraptor realized the best defense is offense"
Pokémon Champions revealed a fresh batch of new Mega Evolutions and their Abilities for the competitive Regulation Set M-B ruleset, and Japanese trainers immediately broke out the spreadsheets and the shitposting in equal measure. The breakout star was Mega Staraptor, which got handed Contrary — meaning an enemy's Intimidate or even an ally's Charm no longer weakens it but BUFFS its Attack instead. Fans lost it over the implications and the animation: top comments joked that Staraptor "realized the best defense is offense," that it gets "so hyped by a teammate's Charm it just keeps bulking up," and that the buffed-up look is straight-up cursed ("I want the stoic, hard-boiled handsome Staraptor back!"). The other big thread was a redemption arc: a lot of reveals that fans had pre-judged as "this thing's trash" got quietly saved once the Abilities dropped — Mega Eelektross pairing Levitate with Beast Boost, Mega Pyroar slotting into the fire-type balance — with one glaring exception. Malamar, the lone Galarian-flavored letdown, landed exactly as badly as everyone predicted, prompting the instant-classic "Malamar, you didn't have to be contrarian about your stats TOO." Expect base-stat math, niche tech like Speed Boost Baton Pass setups, and a lot of love for the most unhinged bird in the format.