Pokémon Presents: Champions

Pokémon Champions is the latest in the company's franchise, announced in February of 2025. The new game coming to both console and mobile devices had fans hype with speculation and questions about how it would intertwine with the main series games, as well as shake up the competitive scene.

On July 22nd, a lot of those questions were answered during the Pokémon Presents, as we were shown a 2-minute entry of what the game has to offer.

I'm happy to share with you the newest features that Champions introduces to the series.

Pokémon Newest Upcoming Features

Battle Interface

The first thing that you may notice is that they've removed the Bag button from the UI, which has been a standard in every main series Pokémon game since the originals from the 90's. This UI seems to be from the Nintendo Switch, as you can see the "Minus" button located in the top left corner.

The second one took me a while to notice, and I actually can't believe that it wasn't included before. Your opponent’s health percentage is now displayed within the health bar. It may seem like a small addition, but this is HUGE for more accurate calculations on how many turns it takes to KO a Pokémon.

Recruiting

Recruiting isn't necessarily a new feature. There have been quite a few game modes that allow you to rent out Pokémon. Stadium. Colosseum. Emerald. And a few other entries. This version, however, allows you to trial run with a Pokémon for a limited time before committing to a permanent recruitment. This game will be compatible with Pokémon Home, allowing committed fans to transfer their Mon's from multiple games onto the platform. But for casual players, this will give them the ability to get some of the rarer Pokémon they may not have been able to catch from the prior titles. 

Victory Points

This brings up the next implementation. Victory Points. Or VP, the in-game currency system for Pokémon Champions that is used to make digital transactions for things like recruiting and training. Another new feature that I'll discuss. If you're concerned that VP will cost since Champions is making its way to mobile, I'll ease your mind a bit. The Pokémon Company has stated directly on the official site for Champions that "VP cannot be directly purchased". Players can earn VP through Ranked Battles, and what I assume will be other event-based challenges that the game will introduce.

Effectiveness Changes

"Extremely Effective" was another new quality of life update added to the Battle UI that could be easily overlooked during the trailer. Clearly stating effectiveness on moves while battling was introduced in X and Y. Those effectiveness being, No effect or 0% damage, Not very effective or 50% (of the normal attack) damage, Normal or 100% of the attack damage, and Super-effective or 200% (double the normal) damage. But what happens when a Pokémon has 2 type weaknesses to your move? For example, if a water Pokémon attacked a ground + rock Pokémon with a water move, it’s four times the damage. Or 400%. Previously, the slang we trainers used was simply Quad-effective, but now they have given us a name. Extremely Effective, signified with a star.

Training

Other than competitive battles coming to mobile, Training is the most exciting feature that they announced, in my opinion. Training allows you to adjust what were previously known as the EVs & IVs of Pokémon, previously only achievable through a very tedious breeding or pre-save farming process. NOT FUN AND VERY TIME-CONSUMING. Now, you can easily adjust these stats to your preference by purchasing them with your earned VP. In addition, you can also choose or change their nature for 200 VP. These changes will make every Pokémon unique to the trainer! If you want to be the strongest, only boost your attack stat and choose the Adamant or Serious nature. The fastest? Speed and Timid. The world is your Cloyster...
Now, it is important to note that it does not cost VP to remove stats, but it does cost to add them elsewhere. With this, I assume that the stats set will not be perma-locked to that specific Pokémon, which is also great for quality of life.

Returning Features

Many of the features from previous Pokémon titles are returning, such as the 3 v 3 Ranked Battles, private matches, Pokémon move selection, and more. I hope that they introduce a 6 v 6 to make the matches slightly more drawn out and competitive, as well as a spectator mode for friends who want to watch other friends battle. 

This Changes Things

This truly changes things in the Pokémon world forever. With this game now launching on mobile, Pokémon will be more accessible than ever. Building a team, training your Pokémon, and diving into the casual or competitive scene by simply reaching into your pocket or grabbing the nearest Switch console. I'm also assuming this was done to help establish and preserve a central platform for the standard battle mechanics and VGC. Champions will help The Pokémon Company push more innovation to their other mainline games, like the Legends series, and Gen 10 (unannounced). Could we potentially see more live-action combat more similar to the show in an online multiplayer format in the future?
I'll keep that on my wishlist for now!

Pokémon Champions will be an exciting new addition to the franchise. I can already see myself spending hours perfecting some of my favorites, like Lucario and Ceruledge, in ways that I could never quite achieve in the game due to the lack of time. The added convenience accessed on my iPhone is greatly appreciated!

Arriving sometime in 2026. Is Champions something that you're looking forward to?
If so, I'd love to hear thoughts, wishes, and predictions for the game!

You can check out the official site here: Pokémon Champions
I'll also link the official Pokémon Champions trailer from the July 2025 Presents below.