Former Pokemon world champion says this superpowered mole "has the potential to run the metagame" in the future, but only when it breaks free from Legends: Z-A and its ability jail

1. Games
2. Adventure Games
3. Pokemon
4. Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Former Pokemon world champion says this superpowered mole "has the potential to run the metagame" in the future, but only when it breaks free from Legends: Z-A and its ability jail News By Catherine Lewis published 21 January 2026

Mega Excadrill could be an unstoppable force in Pokemon Champions

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo) Share Share by:

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

Pokemon Legends: Z-A added a bunch of powerful new Mega Evolutions to the series, and one former world champion reckons one 'mon in particular has the potential to dominate the meta in upcoming competitive-focused game, Pokemon Champions.

The Mega in question is Mega Excadrill, which buffs an already powerful Ground/Steel type with higher attack power, speed, and defense. Speaking in a recent video, 2016 Pokemon World Championships winner Wolfe "Wolfey" Glick explains that this superpowered mole might be the next big weapon for competitive players in Pokemon Champions. Champions is a battle-focused game that's essentially a spiritual successor to Pokemon Stadium, and crucially, it's the upcoming hub for official VGC tournaments (a totally new move for the series, which normally sees tournaments take place in the latest mainline games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet).

As Wolfey states, regular 'ol Excadrill is "one of the best Pokemon of all time," and "has a history of being an incredible Pokemon in competitive play," and now, its new Mega Evolution is here to make it an even bigger threat. For a start, it grants a significant 30-point boost to its base attack (increased to 165) and a 15-point boost to its speed, bringing it up to 103, which makes it even faster than Garchomp. Even if you're not a competitive player, anyone who's played Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, or the Gen 4 remakes will know full well why that's such a terrifying prospect (looking at you, Cynthia).

You may like

• Mark my words, Pokemon TCG Mega Evolution is going to change the face of the game
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A's DLC is making a change to the level cap Game Freak has "never dared touch," and a VGC World Champion thinks "there's no telling how difficult the game can get" now
• All Pokemon Legends ZA Mega Evolutions

On top of that, 40 extra points of defense make it surprisingly bulky, and it also gets, uh, 15 more points in special attack, which actually isn't particularly useful for Excadrill at all, so don't worry about that bit.

Is Mega Excadrill a BIG MISTAKE? - YouTube Watch On

The thing is, though, Mega Excadrill is currently only usable in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the first and only non-spin-off Pokemon game with a real-time combat system. As part of the other sweeping changes to the usual Pokemon formula to make real-time battles work, aside from a couple of exceptions (like Aegislash's Stance Change), Legends: Z-A removes Pokemon traditional abilities.

In the turn-based battles we've been used to in the years gone by, abilities are a massive part of what makes a Pokemon good or viable in competitive play – for example, one of Excadrill's traditional abilities, Sand Rush, makes it particularly great when paired with Tyranitar in double battles, since the latter's ability to set up the Sandstorm weather effect means Excadrill's speed can be doubled thanks to its own innate skill.

Pokemon Champions is set to use the series' traditional turn-based combat, and offer returning battle 'gimmicks' like Mega Evolution, Terastalization, and Z-Moves. Presumably, this will be where we find out the abilities of all the new Mega Evolutions introduced in Z-A, and Wolfey suspects that when it comes to Mega Excadrill's true competitive potential, "a lot will come down to its ability, whether it keeps Sand Rush, or it gets something worse, or maybe something even better. But I think Mega Excadrill has the potential to run the metagame in Pokemon Champions."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

For now, we'll have to wait and see – Pokemon Champions still doesn't have a release date beyond a vague 2026 window, but its existence isn't just exciting for competitive players. As Wolfey has previously theorized, thanks to giving the competitive scene what's essentially its own dedicated space, dividing it from the main series titles, Game Freak may be given more freedom to focus on its single-player experience in its other games, which itself demands very different optimizations to the balance required for a thriving competitive game. As he once put it, Champions could "change the way that Pokemon operates forever."

Pokemon Red and Green boss says the iconic RPGs required "a great deal of trial and error" to realize Game Freak's "simple concept," fuelled by childhood nostalgia.

TOPICS The Pokemon Company Game Freak CATEGORIES Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch Platforms Nintendo Catherine LewisSocial Links NavigationDeputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

Show More Comments

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Mark my words, Pokemon TCG Mega Evolution is going to change the face of the game    Pokemon Legends: Z-A's DLC is making a change to the level cap Game Freak has "never dared touch," and a VGC World Champion thinks "there's no telling how difficult the game can get" now    All Pokemon Legends ZA Mega Evolutions    One of Pokemon Legends: Z-A's most important items may have first surfaced 12 years ago as unreleased content in X and Y, suggesting a certain Mega Evolution may have been in the works for over a decade    All Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Stones and how to get them    Pokemon Legends: Z-A's DLC expansion Mega Dimension launches next month, adding new Mega Evolutions, more returning Pokemon, and a familiar face from X and Y    Latest in Pokemon Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé had to deal with retailers "upset" there weren't enough copies of Pokemon in his first week    Pokemon Red and Green boss says the RPGs needed "a great deal of trial and error" to realize the devs' "simple concept"    Pokemon boss says while making "the next game," he's driven by how the series "has the power to connect the world"    Where to buy Pokemon TCG Perfect Order, the brand-new set based on Z/A    Where to buy Pokemon TCG Ascended Heroes, the anticipated new set    Pokemon Z-A missed its chance to unravel the franchise's creepiest mystery    Latest in News Gears of War: E-Day is set in one city as it's both "a rich environment" and "the best gameplay playground"    New FPS from Titanfall devs shows signs of life after weeks of radio silence, and just days before its release date    Netflix just unveiled its 2026 Korean content lineup, featuring romantic comedies, reality TV, and Blackpink's Jisoo    Former Pokemon world champion says this mole "has the potential to run the metagame" once it's free from Legends: Z-A    Masters of the Universe trailer offers up first looks at Battle Cat, Eternia, and Idris Elba's Man-At-Arms    GOG co-founder says "curation is the privilege" of stores like Steam, but selling banned horror game Horses was worth it    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Looking for a good 2-player board game? This superhero adventure is worth suiting up for
2. 2Trails Beyond the Horizon review: "This JRPG's thrilling real-time and turn-based combat evolves Metaphor ReFantazio's hybrid battles, making up for a poorly paced adventure"
3. 3Scythe review: "This alt-history board game is still a gold standard for modern strategy"
4. 4Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
5. 5Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
2. 2A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
3. 3Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
4. 4Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”
5. 5Fallout season 2 review: "A hell of a lot of fun despite being overcrowded and convoluted"