Pokemon Champions lands on April 8, bringing with it new ways for fans to battle either casually or competitively. It comes at a perfect time, as the online competitive scene for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is winding down. Season 41 is the last season for it, and it launches on April 1. After that, more eyes than ever will be on Pokemon Champions following its April 8 debut.
While this timing is interesting, the relationship between Pokemon Champions and Pokemon Legends: Z-A is even more so. Pokemon Champions represents an evolution of Pokemon battling at its best, while Pokemon Legends: Z-A was much more experimental in nature. Not only did the title give fans a taste of real-time Pokemon battles, but it also received some flak for the removal of a long-standing and beloved feature: abilities.
The Best Pokemon Champions Team Core is Already Clear
Pokemon Champions is officially releasing in just under 10 days, and the best Pokemon to use are already clear even without the full roster.
Pokemon Abilities in Legends: Z-A and Champions
Now, to be fair, some Pokemon abilities (as they are tied to specific behavior) are somewhat present in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Mimikyu’s ability still comes into play, as well as Aegislash (making it a weaker Pokemon than ever in Legends: Z-A). The same can be said of the Weather trio, with Primal Groundon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza having special gameplay akin to ability usage. For the most part, however, Pokemon Legends: Z-A makes battling less strategic than ever with this removal.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus did not feature abilities either. Abilities are passive characteristics introduced in Pokemon Gen 3 that give unique powers in battle, ranging from boosting stats or cutting stats to changing the weather or influencing specific movesets.
Which makes their official return in Pokemon Champions all the more exciting. Poor Mega Emboar in Pokemon Champions gets the disappointing Mold Breaker, but Mega Meganium and Mega Feraligatr get brand new abilities. There haven’t been many abilities revealed yet, but this suggests fans can expect an array of returning and new abilities when Pokemon Champions launches in April. Obviously this is exciting for what it brings back, but also for what it does for new abilities. It almost makes Pokemon Legends: Z-A skipping out on abilities worth it because the excitement is even higher now.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
New abilities mean new strategies, and while Mold Breaker is not the best thing in the world for Mega Emboar, there could be something new involved that fans have yet to consider. At the same time, it’s also confirmed that Pokemon Champions is focused on the Mega Evolution gimmick for now, meaning that other battle gimmicks (like Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing, for example) will have to wait before they are introduced. Combining Mega Evolution and new abilities is obviously enough to balance for now, and it could be that new abilities continue to come throughout Pokemon Champions‘ life cycle.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen if Pokemon Champions makes the waves for casual and competitive players that ILCA, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company are seemingly betting on. The grind for Mega stones, for one, seems likely to upset some Pokemon Champions players, and it’ll be interesting to see how Battle Pass fatigue impacts the upcoming Pokemon game. But while Pokemon Champions is definitely something new in the Pokemon space, it’s no more or less experimental than Pokemon Legends: Z-A, all of which bodes well for future Pokemon games. Sometimes you have to break the mold, as Pokemon Legends did with abilities and as Pokemon Champions is doing for the battling scene.
Every Confirmed Ability in Pokemon Champions (So Far)
While Mega Emboar having Mold Breaker is lackluster, the same cannot be said of Mega Meganium or Mega Feraligatr. Mega Feraligatr’s Dragonize Ability ensures it gets STAB on its strongest physical moves, while Mega Meganium’s abilities all receive bonuses as if Harsh Sunlight is on the field. They are called Mega Sol and Dragonize, respectively, while Mega Froslass gets Snow Warning and Mega Dragonite gets Multiscale.
- Mega Meganium: Mega Sol – Moves are boosted as if Harsh Sunlight was active (Solar Bear fires immediately, Synthesis is boosted, Weather Ball is boosted)
- Mega Feraligatr: Dragonize – Normal-type Moves are converted into Dragon-Type Moves, providing STAB and a power boost on moves like Double-Edge or Slash
- Mega Emboar: Mold Breaker – Emboar gets Mold Breaker, which means it ignores the opponent’s ability when attacking.
- Mega Froslass: Snow Warning – Summons hail when it enters battle
- Mega Dragonite: Multiscale – Reduces damage taken when at full HP
April 8 Will Be a Very Busy Day for Pokemon Fans
While abilities already feel fresh for Pokemon Champions, the competitive battling scene is no stranger to shake-ups. It’ll be interesting to see how both casual and competitive players adjust to the game, especially ahead of its use in the VGC this year. Having new abilities to factor in, as well as consider after the seasonal gameplay of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, will no doubt help it click for many players. There’s a lot of hype around its April 8 release for a reason.
As GameRant wrote in its preview of Pokemon Champions, “If you’re in the camp of Pokemon fans who look forward to battles, then Pokemon Champions is right up your alley. But even if you’re not, the game has enough resources and support to help ease you into that experience. Some choices will likely be seen as controversial, but time gating and economic restrictions have been a part of Pokemon for a while now and it’s not too surprising to see it here.”
