Pokmon Champions isn't perfect, but that hasn't stopped me playing it
non-stop for days

Date:
Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
Pokmon Champions is the VGC game I hoped it would be, and I can't wait for
the mobile launch.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
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your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Pokmon Champions has had a mixed debut, but the haters are wrong this title is precisely what I dreamed it would be: the perfect jumping-in point to
Video Game Championships (VGC), the series competitive format.

Champions is a free-to-play title for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 with a mobile release also planned and the sole focus of the game is battling. Theres a bit of story to get you into the action, but theres not a dedicated single-player mode beyond the quick training courses and a few moments that you see as you progress through the competitive ranks. This battle focus extends so far that Champions also excludes the series iconic catching as a method to add mons to your lineup. Its instead replaced by recruitment and collection the first is a loot box-like mechanic where every 22 hours you
can select one of ten random critters to add to your roster either on a 7-day trial (free) or permanent basis (using VP or a ticket), while second has you bring in pokmon from your Home storage (which are added from other titles
like Legends Z-A or Scarlet and Violet ). Article continues below You may
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Once your team has been sufficiently sculpted using the training service which gives you full control over your partners stats, moves, ability, and nature youre ready to hit the Single or Double battle ladder, with my focus being on the VGC-style double battle scene as I find it the most engaging. (Image credit: Nintendo / The Pokmon Company) VGCs Route 1 equivalent Now Ive explained the Champions basics, what makes it so approachable? Well, for a start, it really strips the competitive scene back so that you arent overloaded with possibilities.

The first is your mon selection. As is common for the first VGC format of a new game, Pokmon Champions has a seriously limited pool just 186 out of the series 1,025 official species make the cut, not including alternate forms and mega evolutions. Crucially powerful pokmon such as legendaries, paradox pokmon, and ultra beasts are absent. (Image credit: Nintendo / The Pokmon Company) With some critters clearly much worse than others, and some intended for either single or double battles exclusively rather than both formats, Champions selection feels approachably tight. If youve played the recent games, you can easily accrue a synergistic team using Home transfers, and
with a bit of practice, youll quickly learn your favorable and unfavourable match-ups and how your strategy should adapt accordingly. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Another tweak is something we havent seen much before: the item pool is very restrictive. Every pokmon can enter battle with an item, and its arguably as important as your mons moves and ability, if not more so.

With Champions, several VGC mainstays have been left behind there's no Life Orb, assault vest, or clear amulet, to name a few. There are a couple of utility picks like leftovers and focus sash, but the large majority are type damage boosters and mega stones.

While a lack of items is frustrating to some, as you cant easily port game plans from previous entries into Champions right now, this smaller starting pool again makes team planning much simpler, as there are fewer moving parts and strategies to consider. It also puts a higher focus on the flashy mega evolution mechanic, which does help to make battles feel more exciting. What to read next These are my top 5 Pokmon games on Nintendo Switch 2 including
a controversial entry, and one that you may have forgotten As a lifelong Pokmon fan, the return of FireRed and LeafGreen has me feeling hopeful now I need these 3 classic entries to land on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 From Pokmon Champions to a Gen 10 reveal heres everything I hope gets announced
at this weeks Pokmon Presents event (Image credit: Nintendo / The Pokmon Company) With fewer good items in the game, the drawbacks of giving your partner a mega stone over something else arent present as currently a mega stone is the only sensible item to make some carry.

I also love that Champions tutorials are quick yet informative, and reward your time well. Even as someone with a solid grasp of the core game, Ive quickly gone through all of the tutorials to earn their prizes, as it wasnt a hassle at all. Actually free-to-play? There are some fair criticisms of
Pokmon Champions . The title can reportedly be buggy (though I havent experienced any issues), the 30 frames per second (fps) framerate is a little disappointing, and I wish changing a mons moves wasnt quite the VP drain it is, but one critique I dont understand is that this title is pay-to-win.

To help me test this game, Nintendo did send me a premium battle pass, a one-month membership, and the starter pack, which each included a bevy of supplies, but I didnt activate them until Id spent several hours in
Champions. Instead, in my first hours with the game, I got the free-to-play experience, and boy, do you get loaded up with support.

Using the VP and bonuses I earned from missions and tutorials, I was able to train and outfit an entire rain team I had been excited to try relying on Mega Meganiums new ability to fire off powerful solar attacks as if it were
in the sun, even when its pouring. And I had enough VP left over to pick up some cool new threads and poses to flex on my foes. (Image credit: Nintendo / The Pokmon Company) The only aid I used was Pokmon Home to bring in a team from my collection rather than relying on Champions recruitment method, as
the loot box-like system is admittedly not ideal for collecting specific pokmon. Though if youre playing Champions, youve probably played some of the other titles, even the free-to-play Pokmon Go (which is actually where a lot of my team came from), so using Home doesnt feel like cheating.

Ive played my fair share of free-to-play games, and Champions doesnt register as anything close to egregious in its monetisation tactics.

All thats to say: I love Pokmon Champions its precisely what I hoped it
would be, and Ill absolutely be sinking more time into it: plus its mobile release cant come soon enough. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as
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