5 articlesPokémon Champions is not your typical Pokémon game. There is no catching wild Pokémon. There is no gym circuit to work through. And there is no story to follow at your own pace. It is a dedicated competitive battling platform built entirely around ranked play. If you jump in expecting the usual experience you are going to have a rough time figuring out what is actually going on.
The good news is that once the basics click it is genuinely a lot of fun. You build a team of six, customize their moves, stats, and abilities using the in-game currency VP, and then take them into battle. There is a decent amount to wrap your head around early on so this guide covers everything you need to know to get started.
Complete Beginners Guide
Before getting into anything else, let me first go over how you actually get Pokémon in Champions since it works completely differently to what you are used to. There are no wild encounters and no Pokéballs involved.
Recruiting Pokémon
There are two ways to build your roster. You can recruit Pokémon through the Roster Ranch directly in the game, or you can bring your existing Pokémon over from Pokémon HOME.
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From the Roster Ranch you will get the option to select a Pokémon from a lineup of 10 options. This lineup refreshes every 22 hours so you will need to be a bit patient if you want a fresh set of choices.
If you do not want to wait that long though, you have a couple of options to speed things up. You can either spend 20,000 VP to refresh the lineup immediately or use Quick Coupons, which are specifically designed for this purpose. Each Quick Coupon reduces the timer by 1 hour. So if you stack a few of them, you can cut down the wait significantly without spending any VP.
When you actually go to recruit a Pokémon from the lineup, you will be presented with three options. The first is Trial Recruitment which is completely free. This gives you the Pokémon for 7 days to try out in battle and get a feel for how it performs. The catch is that during the trial period you cannot change its moves or train it in any way. You are working with whatever it comes with. That said, if you decide you want to keep it permanently at any point during those 7 days, you can upgrade to a permanent recruitment whenever you want.
The other two options are for Permanent Recruitment. You can either spend 2500 VP or use a single Teammate Ticket to get the Pokémon permanently. Going permanent immediately gives you full access to training and moves customization straight away.
Pokémon Home
You can also bring your existing Pokémon over from Pokémon HOME. It acts as a central hub for Pokémon across multiple games. If you have been building up your collection in Scarlet and Violet, Legends Z-A, or any other compatible title, those Pokémon can be brought into Champions. From there they can be used in battle just like any other Pokémon on your roster.
It is worth knowing that they are considered visitors rather than permanent additions. This means they will sit in your HOME boxes and can be sent back whenever you want. If you want a full breakdown of how the transfer process actually works, then check out my guide on how to transfer Pokémon between Pokémon HOME & Champions.
Limited Box Size
One thing worth knowing as a new player is that your Pokémon box size is limited to 30 if you are playing completely free to play. That means you can only store up to 30 Pokémon at any one time. This can start to feel tight once you have been playing for a while. Especially once you start building out your roster and recruiting more Pokémon regularly.
If you want more storage, there are two ways to expand it. The Starter Pack, which currently goes for $6.99, increases your box size from 30 up to 80. That is a fairly significant jump and should be more than enough room for most casual players. If you are serious about the game and want maximum storage, the Membership option scales your box size all the way up to 1000. This gives you essentially unlimited room to collect and store as many Pokémon as you want.
Training Pokémon
One of the best things about Pokémon Champions is how much freedom you have when it comes to training and customizing your Pokémon. Pretty much every aspect of a Pokémon’s build can be adjusted using VP. This gives you a lot of flexibility to tailor your team exactly how you want it.
Starting with stats, each Pokémon has a total of 66 stat points that you can distribute across their six stats however you like. Each individual stat point costs 5 VP, which means fully maxing out a Pokémon’s stats will set you back 330 VP in total.
You can also change a Pokémon’s nature, referred to in the game as Star Alignment, for 500 VP. Nature affects which stats get boosted and which get reduced so it is worth thinking about before spending. Abilities can also be swapped out for 500 VP, which is worth doing if a Pokémon’s default ability does not suit the role you want it to fill on your team.
Finally, individual moves can be changed for 250 VP each. If you want to swap out all four moves on a Pokémon that is going to cost you 1000 VP in one go, so it is worth planning your move set carefully before committing to changes rather than just swapping things around freely.
Free Rewards
If you are trying to build up your VP and Quick Coupons without spending any money, the daily login routine is your best friend. Simply log in every day, recruit a Pokémon from the Roster Ranch, and complete at least one ranked battle. Doing this will earn you 500 VP and 24 Quick Coupons each day.
On top of the daily rewards, there are also various mission types that hand out VP and Coupons as well. These include Weekly Missions, Starter Missions, and a few other categories. They are worth keeping an eye on and knocking out whenever you can. They are one of the more reliable ways to stockpile resources as a free to play player. You won’t have to grind ranked battles all day just to keep up.
Team Building
Unlike previous Pokémon games, renting out teams works a little differently this time around. These are called Replica Teams in Pokémon Champions. Before you could simply borrow a team and jump straight into battle. Now you actually have to train all six Pokémon yourself and match all the held items before the team is ready to use. It is still a relatively straightforward way to get a competitive team together. But it can get quite costly depending on which Replica Team you are going for.
Because of that, putting together your own team from scratch is often the better route in the long run. If you want to learn more about building a solid team, give our Team Building guide a read as it covers everything you need to know to get started.
Battle Modes
Pokémon Champions offers four different battle types for you to choose from, each serving a different purpose depending on what you are looking for. They are as follows:
Ranked Battles
Ranked Battles are the main competitive mode in the game. You will be matched against other players of a similar ranking, so expect the fights to get progressively tougher as you climb. There are multiple Tiers in the ranking system and each Tier is broken down into several Ranks within it. Winning and losing both reward you with VP, though the amount you earn or lose will vary depending on your current tier and the outcome of the match.
Casual Battles
Casual Battles play out very similarly to Ranked Battles but without any of the pressure that comes with them. There is no ranking system involved and no VP on the line. This makes them a great option if you want to practice with a new team. You can also test out a strategy before committing to it in ranked. Or simply jump in if you want to play a few games in a more relaxed setting without worrying about your standing.
Private Battles
Private Battles let you create your own custom battle room to play against friends directly. It is a straightforward mode designed specifically for playing with people you know rather than being matched against strangers.
Online Competitions
Online Competitions are timed events where every participant starts from the same rank regardless of their usual standing. The goal is to climb as high as possible within the given time period, making it a level playing field where everyone has an equal shot from the very beginning.
Victory Points
VP stands for Victory Points and it is the main currency in Pokémon Champions. Pretty much everything in the game that costs something will cost VP. The most important use for it, especially if Ranked Battles are your focus, is picking up Held Items and Mega Stones from the in-game shop. Having the right items on your Pokémon can make a significant difference in competitive play.
Outside of that, VP can also be spent on a range of cosmetic options to customize your experience. Moreover, there are even battle songs available to purchase if you want to add a little personality to your matches.
Purchasable Content
If you are considering spending some real money on Pokémon Champions, there are currently three options available to choose from. Each one offers something a little different. It is worth knowing what you are getting before committing to any of them. Here is a breakdown of all three:
Starter Pack
This one costs $6.99 and is honestly the best value option available if you are looking to spend a little money on the game. It is a one time purchase which already sets it apart from a lot of the other options out there. For the price you get your box size expanded to 80, 30 Teammate Tickets, and 50 Training Tickets, all of which are genuinely useful things to have. You also get the “Battle! (Trainer Battle)“ song from “Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu!” and “Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee!” thrown in as a bonus.
If you are only going to spend money on one thing in Pokémon Champions, this is the one I would go with. The rewards are solid and you only have to pay for it once.
Premium Battle Pass
This is the premium version of the standard battle pass and costs $9.99. As you play through Ranked Battles and complete missions you will earn SP, which stands for Season Points, and these are what unlock the various rewards sitting on the battle pass track.
The rewards themselves change with each new season so there is always something fresh to work toward. Whether or not this is worth picking up really comes down to personal preference. If the rewards on offer for a given season appeal to you then it can be a decent investment. But if nothing in the current rotation catches your eye, it is probably worth holding off until the next one rolls around.
Membership
The membership will cost you $4.99 per month or $49.99 if you opt for the yearly subscription instead. In terms of what you get, it bumps your box size up to 1000 and gives you 15 team slots to work with. Also, it grants you access to exclusive missions and battle songs.
On paper it sounds like a solid package. But the fact that it is a recurring subscription makes it a harder sell compared to the one time purchases. The monthly cost adds up quickly if you are not playing regularly. Most players will likely find it difficult to justify over the long term. If you are a more casual player, I would recommend staying away from this one.
Wrapping Up
That covers everything you need to know to get started in Pokémon Champions. It is a different kind of Pokémon experience and it takes a little while to find your footing. Especially if you are coming in expecting the usual formula. But once you get your first team together and get a feel for the battle system, it genuinely gets its hooks into you. Start climbing the ranked ladder and you will see why.
