Pokémon Champions has made competitive battling much more accessible, especially as the game will be available on mobile phones.
When Pokémon Champions releases on Android and iOS, it will come with a big season update known as Regulation M-B.
It still hasn’t been revealed just exactly how many new Pokémon or items will be added to the game with the upcoming update.
But even if you don’t have a Switch or other Pokémon games to transfer Pokémon from through HOME, you can still compete.
Especially with these five tips to get you off to the perfect start and fully prepared for your own VGC battles.
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Complete the Tutorials for Big Rewards
It may seem obvious, but completing all the tutorials in Pokémon Champions is a must.
Not only will it teach you the basics of the game, it will also reward you heavily with a lot of free gifts.
Completing all the tutorials will give you a free Mega Stone to Mega Evolve a Pokémon, as well as VP, Quick Coupons, and Training Tickets.
VP (Victory Points) are the primary in-game resource used for recruiting mons, training them, and purchasing in-game held items.
Quick Coupons allow you to recruit (add a Pokémon to your roster) sooner for free without having to spend VP or wait 24 hours.
And Training Tickets will allow you to update your Pokémon’s moves, ability, nature, and stat boosts (formerly EVs) without spending VP.
Claim Free Gifts
There are a few free gifts you can claim to give yourself an extra boost at the start.
Firstly, just for logging in, you will receive Dragonite and Raichu as well as their Mega Stones for free. Make sure to claim them from the in-game mailbox.
Also, if you go to the submenu, then Mystery Gift, and enter the code ‘CHAMP10N‘ you’ll receive a free Machamp.
Finally, if you own Pokémon Legends Z-A, you can receive free gifts by transferring Pokémon from that game into Champions via Home.
Transferring over a Chestnaught, Delphox, Greninja, and Eternal Flower Floette originally caught in Legends Z-A will earn you the Mega Stones for all four Pokémon for free.
This is the only way to currently get Mega Floette, one of the strongest Pokémon, in Champions.
Look at the Meta In-Game
Before recruiting any Pokémon or building your teams, you can look at the strongest meta Pokémon in-game.
From the battle menu, scroll down to Battle Data, then select ranked battles from Season M-2.
Find the Pokémon section, select if you want to see data for single or double battles, then you can see the most popular Pokémon from the last season, as well as their most used moves, items, natures, and stat spread.
This is a great way to figure out how to build Pokémon for your own team and will give you ideas of who you might want to recruit.
Train Your Pokémon
When building your team, make sure you train your Pokémon to have the natures and stats you want.
Natures decrease one of your Pokémon’s stats and increase another. Most Pokémon either specialise in attack or special attack, so decreasing their weakest one is a common option.
These can be crucial in battle, earning you a little more damage or speed, which could win you a match.
And instead of the complex EVs and IVs system, Pokémon Champions allocates you 66 points to invest into each Pokémon’s stats.
For starters, just put the maximum 32 in two stats and the last two in something else. For example, Charizard is a fast special attacker, so 32 in special attack and speed plus two in defence is a common choice.
And make sure you use your Training Tickets to save VP, unless you’re only making one small change.
Learn The Types of Teams
Competitive Pokémon can be overwhelming at first, but learning about some of the team archetypes in Pokémon VGC is a good place to start.
However, selecting six strong Pokémon of different types, aka running a ‘Balance’ team, is also very viable.
Trick Room is a move that allows the slowest Pokémon to attack first for five turns. There are a lot of fun Trick Room teams to try in Pokémon Champions.
Otherwise, the main thing you need to worry about is weather. Weather typically gives a boost to one type of Pokémon and can lead to fun strategies.
For example, Solar Beam fires immediately in the sun, while Hurricane doesn’t miss when in the rain.
Although the new Mega Raichu abilities suggest that players may soon have to worry about Terrains, a similar battle system, as well.
Make sure to share your Pokémon Champions teams with our community on the Insider Gaming Discord.
Additionally, check out how to get additional Pokémon Champions team slots without spending money.
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