Subj : Pokmon Champions Review
To   : All
From : Blue White
Date : Mon Apr 13 2026 08:26:28

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
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 ).

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/nintendo-switch/pokemon-champions-isnt-perfec
t-but-that-hasnt-stopped-me-playing-it-non-stop-for-days

$$
--- MultiMail/DOS
 * Origin: SFnet Mission Control (42:1/100)

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