Pokemon Legends: Z-A Gives One Type the Short End of the…

With the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, players get the chance to dive back into the Kalos Region and explore the vast map of Lumiose City in hopes of catching and training their favorite critters. However, not all types are created equal in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and the Pokedex proves that some mons are more heavily favored than others when it comes to representation. Some fans may be disappointed to find that their favorite type of Pokemon is severely underrepresented in the Legends: Z-A Pokedex, leaving them with few options for incorporating these critters into their team.

When it comes to team building in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, choosing a balanced team with good type coverage is a must. To this end, having a large pool of critters to choose from ensures players can pick the mons they want to use while maintaining the necessary offensive and defensive diversity. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Pokedex contains 234 mons, the Ice type has the fewest number of representatives, so players will have to choose wisely when adding one to their team.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has Bad News for Ice-Type Fans

While Ice-Type Pokemon have never been the best in terms of defense, boasting a whopping 4 weaknesses and only 1 resistance, they make excellent attackers with solid coverage against Ground, Grass, Flying, and Dragon types. As such, Ice types can be perfect for players looking to add a glass cannon creature to their roster. It seems as though Lumiose City is not as hospitable to Ice types as it is to other Pokemon types, since there are only 14 unique species to be found there.

Only 14 Ice-Type Pokémon are Obtainable in Legends: Z-A

Delibird
Snorunt
Glalie
Froslass
Snover
Abomasnow
Glaceon
Vanillite
Vanillish
Vanilluxe
Amaura
Aurorus
Bergmite
Avalugg

Down from 24 Ice-Type mons in Pokemon X and Y, Legends: Z-A cuts some of the series' best options for players to choose from. Weavile, Lapras, and Mamoswine all miss out on access to Lumiose City, despite the Kalos Region having some iconic frozen locations like Dendemille City, Frost Cavern, and Snowbelle City. Geographically, these areas must be far enough removed from Lumiose City to make it difficult for certain species to survive in an urban environment. As a result, players looking to add an Ice-type to their team should consider Froslass, Glalie, and Abomasnow as their top options.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Still Has a Silver Lining for Ice-Types

It's not all doom and gloom for Ice-Type fans in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, despite the drastic scale-back in total number of representatives. Ice-Types still boast 3 Mega Evolutions in Legends: Z-A, which is a massive win relative to their overall Pokedex representation. In addition to two returning Megas, the Ice-Type also receives one of the few new Mega Evolutions added in Pokemon Legends: Z-A:

Mega Glalie
Mega Abomasnow
Mega Froslass (New to Legends: Z-A)

Mega Froslass is the clear star of the show for Ice-Types in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, with this latest game being the Mega's first appearance. It makes quite the introduction as well, as a fast Special Attacker with the dual Ghost/Ice type for a broader range of STAB attack coverage.

Its counterpart, Mega Glalie, splits its offensive stats between Special and Physical Attack, giving Mega Froslass the edge for players looking to optimize their damage output and lean into Special over Physical. Mega Froslass is also preferable to Mega Abomasnow as it suffers a similar problem as Mega Glalie in splitting its offensive stats between Physical and Special, but also has a drastically decreased Speed stat and far more weaknesses. Despite having limited overall Ice-Types in its Pokedex, Mega Froslass is one reason for Ice-Type fans to get excited about Legends: Z-A.

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