How to play Pokémon Champions.
A complete beginner's guide to the standalone competitive battle game. No overworld, no story, just battles, with your Pokémon brought in from Pokémon HOME. Here is everything you need before your first ranked match.
1. Get started in five minutes
- Download it free. Champions is on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 now, and on iOS and Android from June 17, 2026. One Nintendo Account carries your progress across every platform.
- Link Pokémon HOME. Your battle roster comes from HOME. Eligible Pokémon enter as visitors, so you do not re-grind a team in a mainline game.
- Pick a format. Singles or Doubles. They are ranked separately, so you can climb either or both.
- Build six. Draft a legal team for the current regulation. New here? Borrow a sample team from a top archetype below and tweak it as you learn.
- Battle. Start in Casual to practice, then enter Ranked when you are ready to climb the seasonal ladder.
2. The three battle modes
Ranked
Climb a seasonal ladder for rewards and Victory Points. Singles and Doubles have separate ladders and rankings. This is where the meta lives.
Casual
No-stakes matchmaking. The best place to test a new team or learn a matchup without risking your rank.
Private
Battle a friend with a room code. Good for practice sets, mirror testing, or just settling who is better.
3. Formats and the current regulation
Champions runs Singles and Doubles. The legal Pokémon, move, and item pool is set by a Regulation. The launch regulation is Regulation Set M-A, Doubles, auto-level 50, with a 20-minute total game clock.
- Banned: All Restricted / Box Legendaries, All Sub-Legendaries, All Mythical Pokémon, All Paradox Pokémon (past and future), Treasures of Ruin (Chien-Pao, Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu, Wo-Chien). Named bans: Koraidon, Miraidon.
- Clauses: Species Clause and Item Clause both active (no duplicate Pokémon, no duplicate items).
- Window: 2026-04-08 to 2026-06-17.
4. Mega Evolution is back (the Omni Ring)
Regulation M-A re-enables Mega Evolution through an item called the Omni Ring. Any legal Mega Stone becomes a valid held item if the species qualifies, and Champions adds some brand-new Mega Evolutions with abilities never seen before. There is no Terastallization in this regulation, so the Mega is your big mid-battle power spike.
Mega Stones are the format-defining held items. On the meta board you will see Pokémon like Mega Charizard Y running Charizardite Y at 100 percent. Pick your Mega first, then build the other five around it.
5. Bringing Pokémon from HOME
You do not catch Pokémon in Champions. You bring them in as visitors from Pokémon HOME, then refine them in-game. Any HOME-supported title works: Sword and Shield, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Legends Arceus, Scarlet and Violet, and Legends Z-A.
6. Victory Points (VP)
VP is the progression currency. You earn it by playing, especially Ranked, and spend it to recruit and train Pokémon. VP cannot be bought, so the strongest teams come from playing, not paying. Budget your early VP toward a single solid team rather than spreading it thin.
7. Stat training uses SP, not EVs
This trips up players coming from the mainline games. Champions trains stats with Stat Points (SP), not Effort Values (EVs). At level 50 with maxed IVs you get 66 SP total, up to 32 SP in any one stat.
Our meta pages show spreads in the familiar Showdown EV notation (0 to 252). To convert a spread to Champions SP, the rule of thumb is 1 SP is about 8 EVs, so a maxed 252-EV stat equals 32 SP. Divide an EV number by roughly 8 to get its SP cost.
| Showdown EVs | Champions SP (approx) |
|---|---|
| 252 | 32 |
| 156 | 20 |
| 124 | 16 |
| 100 | 13 |
| 76 | 10 |
| 4 | 1 |
Because SP is capped at 66 total, you usually max two stats (32 + 32) and put the last 2 SP somewhere useful, which mirrors the classic 252 / 252 / 4 spread.
8. Build your first team
The fastest start is to copy a proven archetype, then adjust. These are the highest win-rate cores right now. Each links to a full guide with a ready-to-run sample team.
Open the team builder to draft your six against the Reg M-A ban list, with archetype detection as you go.
9. Beginner tips
- Lead matters most in Doubles. Your two lead Pokémon set the tempo. Fake Out, Intimidate, and Tailwind users (Incineroar, Whimsicott) are everywhere for a reason.
- Protect is not optional. Most top Doubles Pokémon run Protect to dodge double-targeting and stall speed control. Notice how often it shows up in the usage sets.
- Learn the weather war. Sun, Rain, Sand, and Snow overwrite each other. Knowing who sets what decides a lot of games before turn three.
- Climb in Casual first. Test on the no-stakes ladder until your team feels automatic, then move to Ranked.
- Use the meta board. Tap any Pokémon on the live meta page to see its real moves, items, and spread, then copy what works.
FAQ
Is Pokémon Champions free?
Yes, it is free-to-start. Victory Points, used to recruit and train Pokémon, are earned by playing and cannot be purchased.
When does Pokémon Champions come to mobile?
iOS and Android launch on June 17, 2026, with cross-platform save carryover through your Nintendo Account. The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions launched April 8, 2026.
Do I need a mainline Pokémon game to play?
You need Pokémon HOME to bring Pokémon in as visitors. Any HOME-supported game qualifies (Sword and Shield, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Legends Arceus, Scarlet and Violet, Legends Z-A).
Does Champions use EVs?
No. Champions trains stats with Stat Points (SP), not EVs. You get 66 SP total, up to 32 per stat, at level 50 with maxed IVs. As a rule of thumb, 32 SP equals a 252-EV investment, so divide an EV spread by about 8 to map it to SP.
Is there Terastallization in Champions?
Not in Regulation M-A. Champions re-enables Mega Evolution through the Omni Ring instead, and some Pokémon get brand-new Mega forms.
Ready to climb?
See the live meta and most-used Pokémon, draft in the team builder, or ask our cited assistant: What is the best beginner team in Champions?