The launch of “Pokémon Champions,” a free-to-start battle sim now available on Switch, Switch 2, and coming soon to mobile, has been chaotic. The game faces numerous bugs, affecting battle mechanics, though some fixes have been applied. While it aims to cater to competitive players, it risks not satisfying any. Unlike the peaceful “Pokopia,” “Champions” offers no single-player story—just team-building and battling for rankings and in-game currency. It will be used in official tournaments, including the World Championships.
“Champions” targets dedicated battlers, like myself. Despite bugs, the game’s battle system remains enjoyable, though efforts to increase accessibility create tension. Competitive Pokémon needed accessibility; the VGC circuit was complex, requiring extensive grinding for team building. Recent improvements have eased this, but “Champions” simplifies it further. Building a team now takes minutes, clearly presenting training stats and benefiting both newcomers and veterans.
However, my easy team-building experience relied on a vast Pokémon collection from Pokémon Home. New players face difficulties, relying on a gacha-style “recruit” feature for Pokémon, costing in-game currency and involving luck. This is unfriendly to newcomers.
“Champions” tries to simplify gameplay but lacks key VGC items, providing many useless ones instead. This doesn’t help new players and frustrates veterans with missing tools. While the game aims to be approachable, it risks alienating core competitive players. Yet, it can still succeed as a live-service game, with potential updates to enhance the competitive scene. The future balance of features will determine its impact.