Speed has always been a very important stat to build around in previous Pokemon games, and this fact is doubly true in Legends Z-A. The latest title brings in a real-time twist, completely ditching the turn-based combat system.
The Speed stat in the turn-based combat determines if you are Pokemon acts before your opponent’s. However, the stat works a bit differently in this RPG, as it takes into consideration the real-time system.
Pokemon Legends Z-A Speed stat explained
While in the turn-based Pokemon games, Speed determines if your Pokemon acts before your opponent’s, in Legends Z-A, Speed directly affects the cooldown of your Pokemon’s skills. The higher the Speed stat, the less time it will take for the Pokemon’s skill to come off cooldown after it’s used.
However, keep in mind that the speed stat is related only to ability cooldowns. Higher speed will not affect Pokemon movement or the speed of their attacks.
So even if a Haunter has a higher speed than a Talonflame, the latter will have a much faster movement speed. This is because movement is based on the type of Pokemon, and flying types already come with the highest movement stats. As flying-type Pokemon can also help you get to Mega Stones on rooftops, they will be a very important asset during exploration.
Hence, the speed stat is all about how often a Pokemon is able to channel its abilities during combat.
Is it worth maxing speed on your Pokemon in Legends Z-A?
It’s not entirely worth focusing on your Pokemon’s Speed stat in Legends Z-A. This is because with the real-time system, battles are very hectic, and having a second faster cooldown speed is not as important as having a higher DPS and resistance stat.
In a turn-based system, Speed mattered a lot, allowing your Pokemon to pull off its ability before the enemy. So this allowed you to one-shot the enemy or get some CC off before they are able to act.
In Legends Z-A, atleast for the competitive PvP aspect of this game, a bit of a faster cooldown is not going to affect the outcome of a battle much. However, it can come in handy when you are going up against the Legendaries, especially Zygarde and his 100% power form.
