ORAS rebuilds Hoenn on the Gen 6 engine, and the additions change everything. Mega Swampert gets Swift Swim in rain and 150 Attack, making an already-strong starter even better. Fairy type means Dragon isn't unchecked anymore, and Mega Gardevoir with Pixilate turns Normal moves into boosted Fairy attacks. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are available before the Elite Four with 770 BST. Everything here is ranked for ORAS's Hoenn specifically — the Gen 3 originals play differently.

How to read this tier list
Elite Pokemon
Base Stat Total of 600+
Legendary
Story-central, catchable in-game
Mythical
Rare, event-exclusive
BST
Base Stat Total (sum of all 6 stats)
Fast with strong offense
Bulky with good offense
Very high offense, slow
Extremely bulky, low offense
High offense but fragile
Bulky support, low offense
Fast utility, momentum control

  • Mega Swampert might be the strongest non-legendary option. Swift Swim in rain doubles its Speed, and 150 Attack with Water/Ground STAB wrecks most things. Primal Groudon (Omega Ruby) or Primal Kyogre (Alpha Sapphire) are the box legendaries at 770 BST in Primal form. If you use legends, they're the clear top picks.

  • Mudkip. Swampert was already the best Hoenn starter, and Mega Evolution makes it broken. Mega Swampert gets Swift Swim (doubles Speed in rain) and 150 Attack. Torchic into Mega Blaziken with Speed Boost is also S-Tier — it outspeeds everything after one turn. Treecko into Mega Sceptile gains Dragon typing, which adds an Ice weakness.

  • Mega Evolution gives select Pokemon huge stat boosts and sometimes new types or abilities during battle. Swampert, Blaziken, and Sceptile all get Mega forms that push them well above their Gen 3 stats. Mega Salamence with Aerilate turns Return into a 150+ power Flying STAB. Pokemon without Megas drop in relative ranking since they can't keep up.

  • Primal Reversion is Mega Evolution for the box legendaries. Primal Groudon (Ground/Fire, 770 BST) gets Desolate Land which blocks Water moves entirely, removing its 4x weakness. Primal Kyogre (Water, 770 BST) gets Primordial Sea which blocks Fire. Both are available before the Elite Four. If you're okay using your box legendary, they trivialize the rest of the game.

  • Mega Swampert (starter), Gardevoir from Ralts on Route 102, Breloom from Shroomish in Petalburg Woods, Manectric from Route 110, Swellow for Fly, and Aggron from Aron in Granite Cave. Similar core to the originals, but Mega options change the team ceiling.

  • Omega Ruby gets Primal Groudon (Ground/Fire, Desolate Land nullifies Water moves) and Alpha Sapphire gets Primal Kyogre (Water, Primordial Sea nullifies Fire). Primal Groudon is arguably better since Desolate Land removes its 4x Water weakness entirely. For regular exclusives, Omega Ruby has Mega Mawile (Huge Power is incredible) while Alpha Sapphire has Mega Sableye.

  • The Delta Episode is a free postgame story exclusive to ORAS. It involves catching Mega Rayquaza (780 BST, the highest stat total of any Pokemon) and Deoxys in space. Mega Rayquaza doesn't need a Mega Stone, so it can hold any item while Mega Evolved. It's about 2-3 hours of content and gives you two of the strongest Pokemon in the franchise.