{"id":18160,"date":"2026-04-14T19:35:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18160"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:35:48","slug":"pokemon-champions-review-it-hurt-itself-in-its-confusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18160","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon Champions Review &#8211; It Hurt Itself In Its Confusion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon has persisted for decades for many reasons \u2013 cute characters, a popular anime, lucrative trading cards \u2013 but chief among them is the game series&#8217; consistently satisfying turn-based battles. Pok\u00e9mon Champions captures this highly refined system, cuts out much of the grinding necessary to train a viable team, and puts a thrilling competitive battling system in the hands of players around the world. The features around those battles, however, are often confusing and uneven, and despite a solid core, Pok\u00e9mon Champions fails to reach its full potential.<\/p>\n<article data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"6b5f8e7e-ba5c-467d-bcb9-556869b9ed73\" data-embed-button=\"image_browser_uploader\" data-entity-embed-display=\"image:responsive_image\" data-entity-embed-display-settings=\"{&quot;responsive_image_style&quot;:&quot;content_body&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;},&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_target&quot;:1,&quot;link_original&quot;:1,&quot;image_source&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_source&quot;:0,&quot;image_caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_caption&quot;:0,&quot;content_warning&quot;:0}\" data-langcode=\"en\" class=\"embedded-entity\">\n<p>      <a class=\"linkoriginal\" data-featherlight=\"image\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\">\n          <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/5cddd6e3\/pokemon_champions_-_overview_trailer_-_nintendo_switch_5-42_screenshot.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 851px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/5cddd6e3\/pokemon_champions_-_overview_trailer_-_nintendo_switch_5-42_screenshot.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 315px) and (max-width: 450px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/5cddd6e3\/pokemon_champions_-_overview_trailer_-_nintendo_switch_5-42_screenshot.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (max-width: 314px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"It Hurt Itself In Its Confusion\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/5cddd6e3\/pokemon_champions_-_overview_trailer_-_nintendo_switch_5-42_screenshot.jpg.webp\" class=\"lazyload\" typeof=\"foaf:Image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p>As a longtime observer of the competitive Pok\u00e9mon scene, I am glad to play a game that sidesteps the dozens of hours of legwork necessary to even participate in ranked play. Mainline games require you to catch, level up, evolve, and EV train monsters, sometimes even sourcing them from past games in the series. In Champions, there are no levels, and swapping natures, abilities, movesets, and stat spreads is as easy as clicking menu options.\u00a0 After years of watching, I&#8217;m finally able to participate, and that alone is worth commending.<\/p>\n<p>Champions includes single and double battles, each in ranked and unranked modes. There is not much content on the surface, but for a free-to-play game, infinitely playable multiplayer is plenty to satisfy me. Each format includes its own strategies, and building teams catered to either style is one of my favorite parts. Champions sees the return of mega evolutions, which allows one Pok\u00e9mon per team to become more powerful for the battle&#8217;s duration. Recent competitions have centered around Scarlet and Violet&#8217;s terastallization mechanic, so the return of mega evolutions shifts the meta in a fun, fresh direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<article data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"16f1ac87-f85f-4a35-b760-a68f7fbd244c\" data-embed-button=\"image_browser_uploader\" data-entity-embed-display=\"image:responsive_image\" data-entity-embed-display-settings=\"{&quot;responsive_image_style&quot;:&quot;content_body&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;},&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_target&quot;:1,&quot;link_original&quot;:1,&quot;image_source&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_source&quot;:0,&quot;image_caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_caption&quot;:0,&quot;content_warning&quot;:0}\" data-langcode=\"en\" class=\"embedded-entity\">\n<p>      <a class=\"linkoriginal\" data-featherlight=\"image\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\">\n          <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/2b516f8d\/pkmn_champions_1.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 851px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/2b516f8d\/pkmn_champions_1.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 315px) and (max-width: 450px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/2b516f8d\/pkmn_champions_1.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (max-width: 314px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"It Hurt Itself In Its Confusion\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/2b516f8d\/pkmn_champions_1.jpg.webp\" class=\"lazyload\" typeof=\"foaf:Image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p>Series veterans can import their favorite companions from Pok\u00e9mon Home, a cloud-based Pok\u00e9mon storage system, but the available options are shockingly limited. The series has over 1,000 creatures, but only around 190 are available in Champions. Held items are also severely limited, with many major items like the choice band, assault vest, or life orb nowhere to be seen. For a game billed as the new future of competitive Pok\u00e9mon, it&#8217;s surprisingly restrictive.<\/p>\n<p>A limited spread of options is more appealing to newcomers, however. Even then, the onboarding process for someone completely fresh is lacking. In true Pok\u00e9mon fashion, the tutorial explains the most basic concepts, with instructions aimed at true beginners. Past that tutorial, however, it&#8217;s a little overwhelming. How do you build a team? Which items are best with which Pok\u00e9mon? Which Pok\u00e9mon are even good? Anyone seriously interested in answering these questions can access plenty of vast, free resources on the internet, but Champions teaches such basic building blocks that it implies it can be played in a vacuum. That is not the case.<\/p>\n<article data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"f6c59a93-cb81-4849-ab27-e31aaf349634\" data-embed-button=\"image_browser_uploader\" data-entity-embed-display=\"image:responsive_image\" data-entity-embed-display-settings=\"{&quot;responsive_image_style&quot;:&quot;content_body&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;},&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;link_target&quot;:1,&quot;link_original&quot;:1,&quot;image_source&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_source&quot;:0,&quot;image_caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;embed_caption&quot;:0,&quot;content_warning&quot;:0}\" data-langcode=\"en\" class=\"embedded-entity\">\n<p>      <a class=\"linkoriginal\" data-featherlight=\"image\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\">\n          <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/4d91949f\/pkmn_champions_2.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 851px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/4d91949f\/pkmn_champions_2.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (min-width: 315px) and (max-width: 450px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.comhttps:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/content_default_mobile_\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/4d91949f\/pkmn_champions_2.jpg.webp 1x\" media=\"all and (max-width: 314px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"It Hurt Itself In Its Confusion\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/gameinformer.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/body_default\/public\/2026\/04\/14\/4d91949f\/pkmn_champions_2.jpg.webp\" class=\"lazyload\" typeof=\"foaf:Image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p>The microtransactions also disproportionately affect new players. VP, the game&#8217;s currency, is needed for just about everything. Cosmetics understandably cost VP, but so does unlocking held items and mega stones. Collecting Pok\u00e9mon is free once a day, but keeping them permanently costs VP. Training them to have different moves or stats costs VP. You gain VP by playing battles (winning gets you bonus VP), and Champions is generous in the opening hours. Still, for a game so seemingly focused on pulling new players in, it&#8217;s hard to shake the feeling that you should have been buying and playing the main series games this whole time.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s never been easier to get into the competitive Pok\u00e9mon scene, and playing Pok\u00e9mon Champions has been a highlight of my last week. Champions seems to be designed for people like me, who are familiar with competitive battles and want an easier way to participate. However, it also makes moves to cater to completely new players and extremely seasoned players, and by trying to satisfy all three audiences, it fails to properly serve either. With minimal content and a pressure to collect Pok\u00e9mon in mainline games, it works best as an additional mode for the main series. As a standalone product, it&#8217;s a game confused about its own goals. And much like the in-game status condition, that confusion only hurts it in the long run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pok\u00e9mon has persisted for decades for many reasons \u2013 cute characters, a popular anime, lucrative trading cards \u2013 but chief among them is the game series&#8217; consistently satisfying turn-based battles. Pok\u00e9mon Champions captures this highly refined system, cuts out much of the grinding necessary to train a viable team, and puts a thrilling competitive battling [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":18161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-games"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pok\u00e9mon Champions Review - It Hurt Itself In Its Confusion | Unlock Informed Choices with Us<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite its fantastic core battle system, poor game direction and an overbearing free-to-play structure keep 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