Pokemon champion is less than 10 days away from official release, and while it may be a secondary battle hub for the series for some time, it has all the building blocks to be the most important VGC game in the future. Even if this does not work for some reason, Pokemon champion is truly built to be the ultimate combat focused Pokémon the game, to the extent that it has the so-called Omni ring. This will allow players to use all existing gimmicks, so while only Mega Evolution will be usable at launch, Terastallization, Dynamax, and Z-Moves should all be added over time. But for now, the options are a bit more limited, and it's natural to have some team cores perform better than others.
For those unfamiliar with VGC terminology, a team core is a subset of Pokémon to use in a 6-Pokémon team in competition that work well together for various criteria. These could be Speed augmentation with Tailwind, slow Pokémon becoming faster during Trick Room, or generally synergistic options that benefit each other. One such example is weather teams, as they usually have very strong, lightweight cores that can do very well in competition. Pokemon champion' best Pokémon is still not determined, but one type of weather is likely to reign.
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Pokemon Champions' best teams will rain on your parade
Given that both Pelipper and Politoed have been confirmed to return Pokemon championand given that they are exceptional VGC threats due to the rain, rain teams will certainly thrive. But that's not all, as there are various reasons why rain teams are most likely to take over the meta when Pokemon champion launches:
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violets Archaludon is confirmed to be in the game, and it's one of the best Pokémon ever created for rain teams. It has Electro Shot to increase its already high Special Attack by one step at the cost of performing the move over two turns, but this is done on the same turn if it rains. Then it has stamina to boost its defense when hit, increasing the damage it takes on Body Press. Finally, its Dragon/Steel type means it has many resistances and does well against Fairy.
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Another confirmed animal is Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Bascule Legion. This Water/Ghost Pokémon is great in the rain with Swift Swim, doubling its speed, and it can become an overwhelmed sweeper with its high base attack and Wave Crash, which deals massive damage to opponents.
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Pelipper is Water/Flying, meaning it can use STAB-boosted Hurricane to deal massive damage despite its low stats with 100% accuracy, potentially confusing the opponent's Pokémon.
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Politoed has access to Pokémon's Perish Song, a move infamously used by World Champion Wolfe Glick to win several tournaments with appropriately crafted “Perish Trap” teams that combine Perish Song with Gothitelle to prevent opponents from switching out.
- Pokemon Legends: ZANewbies have gained new abilities Pokemon championand Mega Meganium has Mega Sol. This exclusive ability allows Meganium to act as if it is under bright sunlight at all times for its movements, meaning it can fire Solar Beams in one turn without needing the sun as weather. This is perfect for rain teams, as rain reduces the damage done by Fire-type moves by 50%, so it protects Meganium.
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Why Pokemon Champions' best strategy is weather
These are just a few reasons why rain teams will have a good chunk of the meta dedicated to them. If Pokemon Legends: ZAs best Pokemon is any indication, if or when Kyogre is added Pokemon championrain teams will be even more broken, as Kyogre is often considered one of the best Pokemon of all time.
Then Pokemon champion will have a heavy focus on dual battles, which is the main VGC format anyway, it's a given that weather teams will be meta in some shape or form. Sun teams will also have very powerful options, as Venusaur is one of the best grass-type Pokemon ever, and it has chlorophyll as an ability. Sand team will have the ever-powerful Tyranitar leading them, but now with the new tool of Mega Excadrill to help in the process, or perhaps the tired and true Mega Garchomp.
Also Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Froslass gets a weather-based ability in Snow Warning, which will not only make its Blizzard 100% accurate, but also increase its defense by 50%. Mega Dragonite could also appear in rain teams with, for example, STAB Hurricane. The options for weather Pokemon are there, and it's only a matter of time before they take over Pokemon champion after it starts.
Pokemon champion


- Released
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April 8, 2026
- ESRB
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All / Mild Fantasy Violence
- Publisher
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Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Cross-platform play
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Full

