Mega Optimization; The Top Mega Evolutions for Raids

• Current DPS Ranking: #4
• Projected Final Ranking: #6

Overall, Mega Sceptile pretty much dominates the Grass Type Mega Slot. Its devastating DPS dwarfs the competition, and its TDO stands a solid chance of actually beating out Mega Venusaur in practice thanks to its Dragon sub-typing. On that note, Mega Venusaur barely holds on due to the fact that many Water Types that Mega Sceptile hopes to prey on will pack Ice Type charged moves, which can drop this Hoenn Mega very quickly thanks to its double-weakness. That, and the fact that Vine Whip means that Mega Venusaur will have an easier time dodging.

Abomasnow is only worth a passing honorable mention due to the fact that it's the only Grass Mega that isn't weak to Ice, so it may have occasional niches

• Current DPS Ranking: #3
• Projected Final Ranking: #4

Fire is home to some of the strongest Mega Evolutions in the game, and the two that compete for the crown the hardest are Mega Blaziken and Mega Charizard Y. They tend to sit in similar tiers when it comes to Fire Power, though Mega Blaziken's higher base DPS tends to make it the better option overall, as does its Fighting sub-typing as it can leverage Counter over Fire Spin for even more damage on Ice and Steel Types. But even with that in mind, Mega Charizard Y's performance is still stellar, and its Flying sub-typing will occasionally allow it to come out on top in select raids.

• Current DPS Ranking: #6
• Projected Final Ranking: #7 

Water is largely tied up with Mega Swampert's massive power and pervasive typing, allowing it to stand as the best overall Water Mega for the foreseeable future. However, its double weakness to Grass Type moves means that Mega Blastoise can occasionally step up to the plate thanks to its situational advantages. Mega Blastoise is definitely the runner-up here, but it still works well enough to be worth a mention!

We know as a fact that Primal Kyogre is on its way, and it's pretty likely that it will be considered a Mega Evolutions for all intents and purposes, so we'd be amiss to not mention the king of the oceans in this rating. The power of Primal Kyogre really depends on what Niantic chooses to do with it in the coming months. If it's released as-is, then it will sit between Mega Blastoise and Mega Swampert, with an average TDO fairly similar to the latter. If it's given its signature move, Origin pulse, then it will instantly strip away the title and become the best Water Type "Mega Evolution" in the game. Of course, our assumption here is based on the version of Origin Pulse that's been sitting dormant in the game's data for several years now, so these numbers may be subject to change.

NOTE: The projected final ranking highlighted above assumes Primal Kyogre with Origin Pulse.

• Current DPS Ranking: #9
• Projected Final Ranking: #13

One of the more straight-forward options here, Electric only has two Mega representatives to talk about, and it's pretty clear which is the best. Mega Manectric is a bit frail, but it has very high damage output that allows it to top our raid guides with ease. The major variable here is Mega Ampharos' Dragon sub-typing, which grants it a resistance to Water Type attacks, meaning it will have moments where it can shine. Still, Mega Manectric is generally the way to go here.

• Current DPS Ranking: #14
• Projected Final Ranking: #16

The Bug Type Mega Meta is... a bit of a mess, honestly. At the moment, Mega Beedrill is the king of the meta thanks to its clear DPS advantage over its only real competition at this point, Mega Scizor. However, Mega Pinsir will likely dethrone it thanks to a stronger TDO and arguably better sub-typing at the cost of a token amount of DPS. And going even farther than that, Mega Heracross is on the horizon with an even stronger performance than any of its competition, but the fact that it's currently a regional Pokemon means that the majority of Pokemon Go players will have to pick it up via Raids or not at all, offering fewer chances to nab one worth raising. Meanwhile, Mega Scizor sits on our list and quietly relaxes, knowing that its Steel sub-typing keeps it relevant for select raids.

• Current DPS Ranking: #10
• Projected Final Ranking: #14

Mega Pidgeot is currently the hands down best Flying Type Mega Evolution in the game thanks to its great moveset and stats. However, the future is coming, and Mega Rayquaza is looming. Mega Rayquaza is destined to strip away Mega Pidgeot's title, and just for the sake of completionism we've also included a theorycrafted Dragon Ascent using the same stats as Origin Pulse/Precipice Blades. If this holds true, then that will greatly increase Flying Type's potential.

NOTE: The projected final ranking highlighted above does not assume that Rayquaza will receive any version of Dragon Ascent, as we do not have any in-game precedent for it at this time.

• Current DPS Ranking: #7
• Projected Final Ranking: #12

And here we have the reason that this article doesn't strictly focus on Mega Evolutions with a Fast and Charged move that matches the type in question. Probably the worst type in the game, Poison really got the short end of the stick here. Mega Beedrill isn't the best Mega in the game, but it's literally the only Poison Type Mega Evolution with a double-Poison moveset. But even then, it's actually very competitive with Mega Gengar, who lacks a Poison Type fast move. If Mega Gengar ever gets access to a Poison Type fast-move, then that's pretty much the end of the Poison meta competition.

Just for the sake of being a bit more complete, here's a look at their performance against Tapu Bulu and its 2x Poison weakness to showcase how much of a difference a properly typed Fast Move can make:

• Current  DPS Ranking: #5
• Projected Final Ranking: #2

Fighting is another high-ranking type, and its pervasive ability to hit Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, and Steel Types for Super Effective damage means that it is likely to show up as a top recommendation pretty frequently. Mega Lucario stands head-and-shoulders above the competition with its devastating Fighting Type moveset, but Mega Blaziken sits surprisingly close behind despite having the sub-par Focus Blast as its only Fighting Type option, and Mega Heracross comes up just behind them. Honestly, any of the three could be the top pick for a given raid if their Sub-Types turn out to be useful, with Mega Blaziken able to soar above Mega Lucario against Ice and Steel types thanks to the power of Blast Burn, but in general Mega Lucario will take the trophy.

Mega Mewtwo X is the interesting outlier due to the fact that it lacks a Fighting Type Fast Move. Because of this fact, it will tend to under-perform in raids weak to Fighting Type attacks. To put this into context, here's the same list shown above, but set against Regirock:

"But what about Raid Bosses weak to Fighting and Psychic?", I hear some of you ask. Well, in those cases... just use Mega Mewtwo Y.

After the heavy-hitters, the backup uptions like Mega Gallade and Mega Lopunny hold up as decent backup options. Of real interest here is the presence of Mega Alakazam, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Kangaskhan, all three of which have Fighting Type movesets but no Fighting Type Mega Boost for the team to take advantage of.

• Current DPS Ranking: #12
• Projected Final Ranking: #11

Another highly pervasive type, Rock has traditionally been one of best starting types for players working on getting together a good Raid team, and the Mega Evolutions can definitely deliver. Right now, the front-runner is Mega Aerodactyl with its impressive Rock Type DPS, but it's got major competition from Mega Tyranitar in the future. The latter will generally be the top pick for Rock-weak raids when it drops, though Flying and Dark alike can be problematic sub-types in some situations, so we have a bit of wiggle room. Still, its superior base TDO and similar DPS means that Tyranitar will tend to come out on top most of the time.

And then there's Mega Diancie. Diancie will probably drop as part of a future event, and its Mega Evolution may drop a year or longer after that given Niantic's track-record, but when it joins the game it's going to be a strong contender for best Rock Mega due to its sheer power.

• Current DPS Ranking: #16
• Projected Final Ranking: #7

Ground is a rather interesting type. It has wide and useful Super Effective coverage, but it traditionally also has lackluster outright power. Still, it's a useful type to have, and while Mega Swampert is our current earthen ruler, Mega Garchomp is destined to take away its throne whenever it drops. With Mega Garchomp available, Ground Type will become a lot more viable than it is now.

...and then we have Primal Groudon. Much like Primal Kyogre, this monster is expected to function as a Mega Evolution, and it provides quite a bit of power, but not quite as much as Mega Garchomp... unless we also see the release of the long-dormant Precipice Blades, at which time it outright trounces poor Mega Garchomp. Still, its newly-acquired Firre sub-typing can be a hinderance in some raids, so it will have competition. And fun fact: the two Primals share the same statline, and Precipice Blades/Origin Pulse are differently types clones of one another. At the moment, the only statistical difference between the two is Mud Shot/Water Fall, yet these two very different moves give identical projected DPS in a neutral scenario. This will definitely change given any number of different scenarios, but it's still pretty interesting!

And yes, we see you down there, Mega Kangaskhan! Keep trying, little buddy!

NOTE: The projected final ranking highlighted above assumes Primal Groudon with Precipice Blades.

• Current DPS Ranking: #2
• Projected Final Ranking: #1

Let's get this out of the way; Mega Mewtwo Y is the destined ruler of Pokemon Go. It's got the highest neutral DPS in the game by a decent margin, and its closest competition is Mega Mewtwo X, which will have no discernable utility above Mega Mewtwo Y short of spreading around a Fighting Type Mega Boost in conjunction with its Psychic Type boost while on the field. Well, it also has different resistances, but that's unlikely to be enough to make it worth picking over Y.

Coming back down to the present, Mega Alakazam is a very strong Mega Evolution, and it has basically no major competition aside from Mega Latios at the moment. We've got more Psychic Type Mega Evolutions on the horizon, but they aren't set to genuinely shake the boat.

Ah, but the observant reader may have seen an odd name on that list. What in the world is Ultra Necrozma doing listed among Mega Evolutions? Well, this Psychic/Dragon Type monster was released in Generation 7, one generation past the introduction of Mega Evolutions. This Generation brought with it "Z-Moves" as the regional-gimmick, which had the goal of unleashing a single, powerful attack or effect once per battle. but Necrozma used Z-Moves a little differently. You see, when combined with Solgaleo or Lunala, Necrozma would not only launch its own poweful Psychic Type Z-Move, "Light that Burns the Sky" (you cannot tell me that there's a cooler sounding attack name in all of Pokemon), it would also undergo a forme-change into Ultra Necrozma, which would see it gain a substantial amount of power for the remainder of the battle. In practice, this is basically identical to Mega Evolution, and honestly wouldn't be very different from the Primals, so we're including it here just in case Niantic decides to dub Ultra Necrozma an honorary Mega Evolution in the future.

And... well... given its most reasonable possible moveset it's definitely viable, sitting around Mega Alakazam. And to add to this, we've also included a theorycraft of its Psychic Type Signature Move, Photon Geyser. To be able to compare apples to apples, we've used the base stats of Mewtwo's Signature Move, Psystrike. And, sadly, Ultra Necrozma just can't compete with Mewtwo X, yet alone Mewtwo Y. 

• Current DPS Ranking: #1
• Projected Final Ranking: #3

Yes, Mega Banette exists. Yes, Mega Gengar is better.

That pretty much sums it up. Mega Gengar is stupid strong, and despite the fact that its Poison sub-typing makes it vulnerable to the Psychic Types that it seeks to haunt, it generally has a TDO very comparable to the competition.

And Mega Sableye exists!

• Current DPS Ranking: #15
• Projected Final Ranking: #18

Well, one type has to be the bottom of the barrel, and poor Ice Type got the short stick this time. Of course Ice is still a very pervasive type, so an Ice Type Mega should be a priority for basically any serious raid team.

Ice is one of the most contested types when it comes to Mega Evolutions, as it only has two representatives and they're fairly close to one another. Generally speaking, Mega Glalie has the DPS advantage, but Mega Abomasnow at least has some resistances that can be utilized. However, Grass does have a number of weaknesses itself, so at times Mega Glalie will pull even farther ahead. Either way, both are perfectly viable options.

• Current DPS Ranking: #8
• Projected Final Ranking: #5

Another of the high-end types, Dragon is known for being very strong and very useful, and it has a lot of power behind it... in the future. Right now, the Dragon Type Mega Evolutions are perfectly fine, with Mega Latios standing at the forefront. It will see competition from Mega Salamence in the future, and then outclassed by Mega Garchomp before finally being laid to rest by Mega Rayquaza. Worth noting is that Mega Rayquaza's signature move is Flying Type, so we're not super-likely to see major upsets to this list in the future.

Mega Altaria gets a special mention here due to being a Dragon that actually resists Dragon Type moves, meaning it can be useful in select scenarios. However, it's generally not worth going for.

Oh, and Ultra Necrozma doesn't have any Dragon Type Fast Moves, so it didn't show up here.

• Current DPS Ranking: #11
• Projected Final Ranking: #15

Dark is frequently considered the baby-brother to Ghost, and it kind of shows through with the Dark Type Mega Evolutions. The top option in terms of DPS is Mega Absol, though the difference between it and Mega Houndoom is so tiny that either one takes the top spot easily. Mega Tyranitar, meanwhile, is destined to become the top TDO option with DPS close enough to the top to be a very real contender for the top spot.

Moving down, we see Mega Gengar moonlighting in Dark Type, while Mega Gyarados stands as a low-DPS tank option.

Hi again, Mega Sableye!

• Current DPS Ranking: #17
• Projected Final Ranking: #9

Right now, Mega Scizor is the king of the Steel Megas. Howveer, this is a type with a clear winner, as Mega Metagross looms over the meta with an iron fist. Mega Lucario is also good and may be worth packing depending on the target's moveset, but it generally cannot stand up to Mega Metagross.

• Current DPS Ranking: - 
• Projected Final Ranking: #10

Fairy is another type destined to have a clear winner thanks to Mega Gardevoir, but at the moment our best options are Mega Alakazam or Mega Altaria. The former has higher base DPS, but will tend to fall behind its apparent position due to not having a Fairy Type Fast Move and doesn't provide a Fairy Type Mega Boost to the raid group, while the latter has a Fast Move that has STAB and is capable of dealing Super Effective damage to most Dragon Types, making it better than it appears.

The main outlier here will be Mega Diancie, who has the potential to be good on stages weak to Fairy and Rock in particular.

NOTE: We currently have no Fairy Type Mega Evolutions with a double-Fairy moveset, so Fairy is currently considered unranked for our intents and purposes.

• Current DPS Ranking: #13
• Projected Final Ranking: #17

So we're going to cheat here and say that only Mega Evolutions that have a Normal Type Fast and Charged Move count here, because otherwise this entry would be limited to Mega Mewtwo Y with Hyper Beam.

Normal is the single worst type, and should not be considered to any great degree. The only reason that it's on this list is for the sake of covering all bases.