Pokémon Legends: Z-A Changes into a Weirdly Restrictive Game this Week

Published Nov 13, 2026, 11:50 AM EST Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List. He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword. Season X starts today Pokémon Legends: Z-A's new season will put your free shiny legendary to good use Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo Sign in to your Polygon.com account On Thursday, Pokémon developer Game Freak started giving Pokémon Legends: Z-A players a free shiny Xerneas, the legendary introduced in Pokémon X. That gift will come in handy for the new season of Legends: Z-A's multiplayer, which has a very restrictive ruleset for what Pokémon can be used. Season X, the game's 20th season, began on Friday. Even though Mega Evolutions are Legends: Z-A's main battle gimmick, Serebii reports that only Raichunite X, Charizardite X, and Mewtwonite X Mega Stones are allowed in Ranked Battles. Legendary Pokémon are banned, except for Mewtwo and Xerneas. Season X will last until Dec. 11. That's around the same time shiny Yveltal, Pokémon Y's box legendary, will start being distributed. Don't be surprised if next season is Season Y and has a similarly restrictive ruleset. Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Ranked Battles pit four trainers against one another using the game's unique real-time battle mechanics. You'll field a team of three Pokémon and earn a point for every Pokémon on your opponent's team that you knock out. All Pokémon will be set to level 50, regardless of the team's base level. Mega Evolution is key to victory, so expect to see a lot of Charizards, Raichus, and Mewtwos this season. Season X will reward you with Greninjite, Delphoxite, Chesnaughtite, Baxcalibrite, Sceptilite, Swampertite, and Blazikenite stones for earning Rank Y through Rank S, respectively. You'll also get a bunch of different types of Poké Balls and exp. candies as you go. Check out the full list of rewards on Serebii.