Pokemon Champions cuts out the boring bits to unite casuals and tryhards

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When I got to try out Pokemon Champions, I pretty much knew what it would be like: a competitive Pokemon game with traditional turn-based battles, official rules for tournaments, and the fun of building the best possible team.

What surprised me most was how carefully designed the game is to be enjoyable for both experienced competitive players and those completely new to it.

Champions isn’t aiming to be like traditional role-playing games or to simply improve competitive gameplay. Instead, it’s designed for players to quickly jump into competition without spending a lot of time raising characters, leveling them up through repetitive tasks, or meticulously researching the best character builds.

A competitive playground that doesn’t punish newcomers

One of the first things I noticed while playing was that Champions removes all the tedious setup before a game.

You can customize your Pokémon for battle by changing their held items, adjusting their stats, choosing their natures, and teaching them new moves – and you pay for everything with money you earn from battles. Unlike some games, you don’t have to spend a lot of time at the very end of the game collecting special items to optimize your Pokémon; these options are available right from the start.

Champions also lets you rent Pokémon using the in-game currency. This is a great way to make competitive battling more accessible for new players who haven’t built up their own teams, while still valuing the effort experienced players have put into creating perfect Pokémon collections.

It’s almost as if the game encourages shortcuts. For years, Pokémon has required players to spend a lot of time collecting resources to strengthen their Pokémon. Champions simplifies this process, but still lets you make strategic choices when building your team and battling, which is what makes the game so fun.

Bringing Pokémon over from the core series games feels well-thought-out, not like a restriction. Producer Masaaki Hoshino clarified in an interview that it’s not a permanent import, but more of a temporary loan.

It’s not a permanent transfer; it’s more like temporarily sending Pokémon to the Pokémon Champions. They’ll arrive with all their current stats, moves, and abilities intact.

Your progress in previous games will still matter, but it won’t immediately give experienced players a significant advantage over newcomers – at least when the game first releases.

Keep in mind that not every move from other Pokémon games is available in Pokémon Champions, so those won’t transfer over. However, everything else – like a Pokémon’s stats and abilities, and how well it performs in battles – will carry over. Importantly, any changes you make to a Pokémon in Champions will stay with it, even if you transfer it back and forth between games.

If you switch between your main workspace and a ‘Champions’ area, any edits you make will be saved and remain visible even after switching back and forth.

What it is (and what it still isn’t)

Visually, Champions looks about as good as recent games in the series – it’s not stunning, but it gets the job done. The arenas are clear and easy to see, which is more important for competitive gameplay than fancy graphics.

It’s currently unknown how much single-player story or extra campaign content the game will feature, and we don’t yet know how many Pokémon will be available when it first releases. Hoshino has stated that not all Pokémon will be available right away.

Eventually, there could be a huge number of Pokémon. But if all of them were available at the same time, it might become too complicated to manage.

The way Pokémon become available and then rotate out of competitive play is similar to how VGC formats work now.

Okay, so from what I’m hearing, the initial Pokémon selection in Champions might be a bit limited. But honestly, if they’re trying to get more players into competitive battling, that actually makes sense. It’s like a stepping stone – easier to learn with fewer options at first, and still a great place for us hardcore fans to hang out.

A new home for competitive play

Champions delivers on its promise by bringing Pokémon together in one game, without requiring players to navigate the extra features found in the main RPG titles.

The game offers extensive customization options, a clever rental system to help new players get started, and a progression system that rewards existing players while still being accessible to those just beginning.

Champions is designed to be welcoming to all players, from seasoned competitive veterans to those completely new to battling and breeding. It feels intentionally crafted to help everyone get involved in the competitive scene.

After trying out the preview build and speaking with Hoshino, it’s evident that the goal with Champions isn’t to overhaul competitive gameplay, but to make the game enjoyable for a wider audience.

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2026-03-25 19:50