It has only been a few days since Pokemon Champions came out, but it quickly became a hot topic for fans of the series for good and bad reasons. This is going to be the new competitive hub for the series moving forward, and while that can be a good thing in the long run, the current state of the game, and especially Pokemon Champions‘ recruit options and item selection, don’t really help its cause. The foundations for a good competitive game are there, but it may be a while before the title gets there. With the current Pokedex, though, the options are not exactly a lot.
Pokemon Champions came out with an initial roster of 187 Pokemon and their respective regional forms, or even gender forms, like in Basculegion’s case. One may argue that 187 Pokemon are enough or too few, but whatever the stance, the problem is that some of these critters are simply much better than almost anything else by a significant margin. The meta always warps around some more powerful Pokemon, but in the case of Pokemon Champions, you are almost required to have 21 of them.
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The Best Pokemon in Pokemon Champions Explained by Role
- Archaludon
- Basculegion
- Charizard
- Dragonite
- Excadrill
- Farigiraf
- Floette (Eternal Flower)
- Froslass
- Garchomp
- Gengar
- Incineroar
- Kingambit
- Meganium
- Pelipper
- Primarina
- Sinistcha
- Sneasler
- Torkoal
- Tyranitar
- Venusaur
- Whimsicott
One of the main effects of Pokemon Champions‘ held items and Pokedex is that there are not many options to begin with. Fewer options also mean a more samey meta, where everyone mostly uses the same cores. This is especially true with weather Pokemon, as the game is missing all other options, like terrain setters, most Trick Room abusers, unique strategies like Dondozo plus Tatsugiri, and the various game-changers, like Paradox Pokemon and Legendaries. For these reasons, these 21 Pokemon are most of what you need for any team, as they cover all bases of what the current meta entails.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Weather Wars in Pokemon Champions
One of the biggest issues with the current meta is that Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur are dominating the ladder as the single best core for sun teams, as Mega Charizard Y has Drought to change the weather to sun on Mega Evolution, and Venusaur has Chlorophyll to abuse it and become a speedy attacker or put opponents to sleep. Common partners for sun teams are Whimsicott instead of Venusaur for Tailwind with Prankster priority, or Torkoal as a different sun setter. While Venusaur is one of the best Grass-type Pokemon, Mega Charizard Y is one of the best Fire-types in the game.
Opposing sun are the three other weather options, though all are less prevalent. Rain teams in Pokemon Champions typically include Pelipper, Archaludon, and Basculegion as the main core, as Pelipper’s Drizzle ability sets the rain, Archaludon can abuse it with one-turn Electro Shots, and Basculegion is one of the best attackers in the game with plenty of great Water-type attacks to boost in the rain. Mega Meganium also fits nicely here because the rain reduces incoming Fire damage, and Mega Meganium’s Mega Sol ability allows it to use sun-boosted Solar Beam and Weather Ball in any weather.
New Questions Added!
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
Hurricane and Thunder never miss when the rain is up, making Pokemon Champions’ Mega Dragonite a fantastic Pokemon to use in rain teams. Politoed also works as an alternative rain setter, but Pelipper is stronger because of its access to Hurricane.
Tyranitar is the only sand setter in the game, and since it’s an incredibly strong Pokemon on its own, it’s a great switch-in when you want the opponent’s weather to change so they cannot abuse it. It pairs very well with Excadrill and Garchomp, as they take no damage from sand, and can thrive in it with their abilities and coverage. Pokemon Champions‘ Mega Froslass is the icing on the cake (pun intended) for snow teams, as it gets Snow Warning when it Mega Evolves, immediately changing the weather and gaining a 50% Defense boost, as well as making its STAB Blizzard never miss.
Trick Room and Pokemon Champions’ Best Attackers and Supports
Last but not least is Trick Room, which is still a powerful strategy that can mess with regular teams. Opposite Tailwind in concept, which increases the speed at which your Pokemon use their moves, Trick Room allows the slowest Pokemon to go first. The best setters for Trick Room in Pokemon Champions are Sinistcha and Farigiraf, as they are rather slow and act quicker under Trick Room, and they offer amazing kits overall for support and damage.
Then, for balance teams and general applications of good attackers and supports, the list is also not very long when it comes to the best critters overall. Incineroar is one of the best Pokemon ever, with access to Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, and good attacks. Sneasler is possibly the best non-weather attacker in the game, with Dire Claw and Close Combat dealing massive damage. Kingambit threatens very powerful Sucker Punches boosted by Defiant in the face of opposing Incineroar.
Mega Gengar is an incredible attacker, and it can be used as the only way to set the so-called Perish Trap, which is Perish Song combined with Shadow Tag to make it impossible for opponents to switch. Eternal Flower Floette and Mega Floette in Pokemon Champions are simply OP, as Mega Floette has an incredible base Special Attack boosted with Fairy Aura for devastating Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam. Finally, while Primarina is not the best attacker in the game, it’s bulky and powerful enough to typically win against all weathers if boosted by Calm Mind.
