Pokémon VGC legend and content creator Wolfe ‘Wolfey’ Glick, aka WolfeyVGC, has publicly claimed that he is enjoying how simple Pokémon Champions is.
Wolfey stated on his Twitter: “I don’t agree that Champions needs an evolution (immediately), and I think the increased accessibility and lowered barrier to entry is well worth a limited time with fewer tools available to veterans of the game.”
Many VGC veterans have been frustrated with the small number of options the game has and have been questioning when Pokémon Champions will receive more eligible Pokémon.
Out of the 1025 unique Pokémon, Champions only has 187 playable options. Additionally, many commonly used items are missing, like Assault Vest, Choice Band, and Rocky Helmet.
Wolfey himself has competed in countless Pokémon tournaments; he was the first player to ever have won a Regional, National, International and World Championship.
Yet, Wolfey claims that the game doesn’t need to rush to add more content.
Wolfey Praises Pokémon Champions’ Simplicity
After IGN released an article claiming that Pokémon Champions needs to evolve, Wolfey argued:
“One of my favorite things about Pokemon as a competitive game is the sheer amount of options it gives the player in teambuilding, so it may be surprising that I actually think the limited options Champions presents is actually a huge win in many ways.”
The popular creator went on to explain that he’s glad that the game has focused on the new player experience, saying:
“Pokemon Champions has one very clear goal – to make competitive Pokemon, a deceptively complex game, accessible. Like many experienced players, I found the lack of items available at game launch to be jarring, but I realize now that with the broad goal in mind, it makes sense.”
“This more limited selection keeps the core unchanged of what makes competitive Pokemon fun, while simplifying it enough that it isn’t daunting for new players. It’s not obvious why a hidden item would stop Fake Out (covert cloak) or a Pokemon survive a strong hit (Assault Vest),” Wolfey added.
Pokémon Champions has removed the need to grind hours and hours in Pokémon games to perfectly set up a competitive team. That, along with a simpler meta, is allowing new players to learn the basics.
The limited options have also created an interesting challenge for some players who have to get more creative to answer the meta.
For example, some players are running Stalwart on Archuladon instead of the defence increases of Stamina because it allows them to hit the very powerful Mega Floette super effectively with a steel move while ignoring target-swapping moves like Follow Me.
More items, Pokémon, and battle gimmicks will undoubtedly be added to Pokémon Champions as time goes on, but starting with a slower, smaller set and scaling from there is a very smart way to approach the release of the free-to-play title.
Have you been enjoying Pokémon Champions? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And try new ways to tackle the meta with a clever trick which allows you more Pokémon Champions team slots without spending money.
Comments