Primal Reversion (Japanese: ゲンシカイキPrimal Regression) is an ancient transformation affecting Pokémon that debuted in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Pokémon that have undergone Primal Reversion are distinguished by the word "Primal" in front of their species name. Primal Reversion is said to restore a Pokémon's true powers as it absorbs the energy of nature to greatly increase its power. Primal Reversion has been removed from the core series as of Pokémon Sword and Shield.
In order to undergo Primal Reversion, a Pokémon only needs to be holding the appropriate orb. Like Mega Stones, orbs cannot be removed during battle if held by the appropriate Pokémon. Unlike Mega Evolution, however, the player does not need a Key Stone or have to manually trigger Primal Reversion; it will simply happen automatically after the Pokémon enters battle and after any entry hazards take effect, but before the activation of weather-changing Abilities.
If a Pokémon that has undergone Primal Reversion faints and then is revived, it will still be in its primal form after revival. In contrast, this does not occur to a Pokémon that has Mega Evolved.
In a Rotation Battle, the Pokémon will only undergo Primal Reversion if it is sent out in the primary position; the Primal Reversion will not activate if the Pokémon is sent out in a secondary position at the start of the battle and then rotated to the primary position. Also, unlike Mega Evolution and Ultra Burst, there is no limit to the number of times a Primal Reversion may be performed per battle.
Outside of battle
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, if a Pokémon is holding the appropriate orb for Primal Reversion when it is entered into a Pokémon Contest Spectacular, it will automatically appear in its primal form for the entirety of the show. However, this has no effect on the Pokémon's performance.
Primal Reversion was introduced in Pokémon GO on February 18, 2023. Rather than using a ColoredOrb, an eligible Pokémon instead consumes Primal Energy to undergo a temporary Primal Reversion (300 initially). The effects, duration and leveling system of Primal Reversion are identical to Mega Evolution, the only difference being the types affected by the 1.3x power boost given to allies in raids (Primal Groudon affects Grass, Fire and Ground, while Primal Kyorge affects Electric, Water and Bug).
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre both appeared in Mega Evolution Special III, where they had a clash with one another off the coast of Rustboro City. Alain and Steven attempted to fight the ancient Pokémon with their MegaCharizard X and Mega Metagross, but they were soon overpowered. Soon after, a Mega Rayquaza appeared, battled, and eventually managed to defeat the two Primal Pokémon, causing them to return to their regular forms.
Primal Groudon appeared in Courtney's vision in The Vision. She imagined it attacking Maxie, Tabitha, and the rest of Team Magma, but this did not deter her from her Team's plans for long.
Primal Kyogre appeared in The Cavern. Despite Shelly's insistence not to, Archie awakened it in the Seafloor Cavern. It proceeded to cause destruction across Hoenn, and eventually prepared to attack Archie and Shelly.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre both appeared in a fantasy in The Wish. They were shown battling before being calmed by MegaRayquaza as Zinnia told the story of the Draconid people to May.
Archie and Maxie used the Red and Blue Orbs to transform Groudon and Kyogre into their Primal forms in order to help save the world from the giant meteoroid headed for the planet. After some training at the Meteor Falls, both Primal Pokémon managed to master their special moves; Precipice Blades and Origin Pulse, respectively. However, both ancient Pokémon, even when assisted by Rayquaza, completely exhausted themselves while destroying a large piece of the meteoroid falling before the main body, causing them to revert to their regular forms.
In the TCG
Primal Groudon-EX
Primal Kyogre-EX
Primal Reversion were brought into the Trading Card Game with the release of Primal Clash (Gaia Volcano • Tidal Storm in Japan). Primal Reversion is an extension of the Mega Pokémon-EX mechanic, evolving from the long-standing Pokémon-EX. The only Primal Pokémon-EX are the Primal Kyogre-EX and Primal Groudon-EX cards from Primal Clash and Ancient Origins. Each Primal Reversion Pokémon features an Ancient Trait. The Ancient Origins prints feature the Shiny versions of the Pokémon and replace the original Ancient Traits with θ Max, but are otherwise identical to the Primal Clash cards.
Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
