Pokemon Champions Needs This Item Back, And It Needs It Now

When Pokemon Champions first came out, I, like many other fans who were into VGC at various levels and even non-VGC players, was quick to think that the game should have had more Pokemon and items on launch. I think my perspective changed a bit over time, and I believe a smaller roster of Pokemon is actually very good for an evolving meta, whereas for items, it depends on what is added next and when. The current selection gave way to a very specific meta, such as Aerodactyl in Pokemon Champions becoming a prime attacker to counter Mega Charizard Y, use Tailwind to speed up allies, and prevent opponents from eating Berries.

Naturally, in a Berry-dominated meta, Aerodactyl’s Unnerve is extremely useful, whereas it may dwindle in usage once more and better items are added. With the likes of Assault Vest, Rocky Helmet, Choice Band, and Choice Specs, not to mention the many other Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Z-A being added and receiving new abilities, Unnerve may become less powerful, and so Aerodactyl itself. The meta is inevitably linked to what kind of Pokemon and items are available, and what is good now may change dramatically in the future. Still, I believe one item should have been in the game on day one, and its absence promotes a rather toxic meta.

Best Teams for Double Battles in Pokemon Champions

Discover the top-performing meta Duos in Pokemon Champions for double battles, including battle statistics, ideal movesets, strategy, abilities, and gameplay overview.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Covert Cloak immediately became a staple in VGC, as it prevents all the secondary effects from opposing moves. For example, Fake Out will deal damage to a Pokemon with Covert Cloak, but it will not flinch that Pokemon. The reason Pokemon Champions needed this item on launch and still desperately needs it now is very simple: flinching.

GameRant Quiz

Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)

The current meta is as follows:

Sneasler in Pokemon Champions offers incredible Speed, Fake Out support, and powerful STAB moves like Close Combat and Dire Claw.
Kingambit is an Incineroar counter in Pokemon Champions with Defiant, raising its Attack whenever it’s intimidated, and it gets very powerful attacks to counter Ghost-type, Psychic-type, and Fairy-type Pokemon.
Basculegion is an endgame beast thanks to Adaptability boosting its Last Respects damage, and can also deal massive damage with Water moves. It’s also perfect for rain teams in Pokemon Champions.
Incineroar is the go-to Fake Out and Intimidate user, with good bulk to survive enemy attacks while also dealing decent damage and having more utility via Parting Shot.
Garchomp in Pokemon Champions offers very good damage and Speed, with incredible coverage and various available sets, like Choice Scarf, Sitrus Berry, Soft Sand, and White Herb.
Aerodactyl offers Tailwind support, great damage, incredible Speed, and Unnerve. Aerodactyl in Pokemon Champions is one of the prime abusers of Rock Slide’s flinching effect.
Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur form an overpowered duo for sun teams in Pokemon Champions, boosting Charizard’s damage and making Solar Beam instant, while also doubling Venusaur’s Speed to use Sleep Powder or attacking moves.
Mega Floette is perhaps the best Mega Evolution in Pokemon Champions, as it has amazing stats, Fairy Aura to boost its damage, and has access to powerful moves like Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, and Light of Ruin.
Farigiraf is the best critter to set up Trick Room teams in Pokemon Champions for victory, as it has few resistances, great bulk, good moves, and an ability that makes it and its ally immune to Fake Out.
Archaludon is the best attacker in rain teams, as it gets a powerful Electric-type move that also boosts its Special Attack, while also having fantastic bulk, stats in general, and type combination.
Whimsicott is one of the best Grass-type Pokemon ever and has the combination of Prankster plus Tailwind to activate it even faster than Aerodactyl.
Tyranitar enables sand teams in Pokemon Champions, has a very powerful Mega Evolution, and together with Excadrill makes for one of the strongest and most dangerous leads in the game, thanks to double Rock Slide.
Milotic and Corviknight both counter Incineroar and serve the same purpose as bulky attackers that can survive well in messy endgame sections. Their rise in usage goes hand in hand with Incineroar dropping in Pokemon Champions.
Aegislash is a great attacker who can OHKO Mega Floette with Iron Head, deal massive damage to Basculegion with Poltergeist if not OHKO it, potentially OHKO both Tyranitar and Kingambit with Close Combat, and more.
Pokemon Champions‘ Mega Froslass is one of the best Megas around for snow teams, but even as a standalone attacker.
Rotom Wash is an amazing attacker with options for Speed control via Electroweb and Choice Scarf, dealing damage to opponents and lowering their Speed by one stage.

There are more Pokemon in the meta that deserve a shout-out, like Dragonite, Maushold, Talonflame, and Sinistcha, but there is one pattern among several of the ones I already mentioned: secondary effects on attacks. One of the most frustrating things that can happen to you in Pokemon Champions is an opponent using two relatively fast attackers who can click Rock Slide simultaneously, which can then flinch your Pokemon very easily.

In fact, Rock Slide is one of the most abused moves in the game right now, and a big part of the reason why Pokemon like Tyranitar, Excadrill, Aerodactyl, and Garchomp are on every team — sometimes even two or three of them. Rock Slide has an accuracy of 90%, base power of 75, and its secondary effect is that it can flinch an opponent 30% of the time. With two fast Rock Slide users, the odds of flinching opposing Pokemon are extremely high, resulting in games where you can’t do anything. This has happened to me several times, and it’s infuriating.

How Covert Cloak Can Help With Luck Issues in Pokemon Champions

Covert Cloak wouldn’t solve the issue entirely, as only one Pokemon can use it, but having a setup Pokemon like Whimsicott, or a Pokemon that depends on self-healing or whose job is to support its ally, wear Covert Cloak would ensure that something always goes right on a turn. Likewise, Covert Cloak stops flinching from Fake Out, which is also a big reason why Sneasler and Incineroar are so prevalent right now. Covert Cloak would prevent:

Flinching from Fake Out, Rock Slide, Iron Head, and similar moves
Burn from Scald, Flare Blitz, Heat Wave, and similar moves
Freeze from Blizzard, Ice Beam, and similar moves
Sneasler’s Dire Claw effects (poison, sleep, and paralysis)
Paralysis from Thunderbolt and similar moves
Confusion from Hurricane and similar moves
Speed reduction from Electroweb, Icy Wind, and similar moves
Attack reduction from Trop Kick and similar moves
Special Attack reduction from Snarl and similar moves
Special Defense reduction from Shadow Ball and similar moves
Psychic Fangs’ and Brick Break’s ability to break screens
Accuracy reduction from Muddy Water and similar moves
The inability to use sound-based moves from Throat Chop

Even the Blastoise and Farigiraf duo can sometimes be very painful to deal with, as the former can use Fake Out to make one of your Pokemon flinch while the latter sets up Trick Room. Then, Mega Blastoise uses Water Spout or some other move to deal massive damage, and Farigiraf either attacks or uses moves like Rain Dance and Helping Hand to support Mega Blastoise. These are just some of the best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions or the best combos at the moment, and Covert Cloak would provide some relief in teambuilding for their consistent presence in the meta.

There are many things Cover Cloak would block, and I desperately want a meta where clicking Rock Slide for the sake of flinching opponents is not so easy and free. It turns the game into a very luck-based engine, and any way to stop that would be amazing.