In the short time that Pokémon Champions has been out, we’ve already seen major metagame developments, including many staple Mega-Evolved Pokémon from prior VGC formats clashing with some of the newest from Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Here we’ll break down the top meta Pokémon in the latest regulation, take a look at the strongest teams (including Battle Team IDs) so that you can try them yourself, and discuss everything you should look forward to in the first tournaments of the format.
The Return of the Sun
Mega Charizard Y dominated the early tournaments of Pokémon Champions, and as a result became the subject of most meta development the first few months after the game’s launch. Its many variations performed well, but there are some important partners that have remained key staples next to Charizard.
Garchomp has been on every successful build, mainly for its capability to check opposing Charizard, Aerodactyl, and—most importantly—other Garchomp. The synergy between Earthquake and Heat Wave is incredible, and Charizard won’t be hit by Earthquake due to being a Flying type.
Mega Charizard Y’s other partners have seen significant changes over time, with one of the first successful builds utilizing Venusaur and Incineroar. This team variation ended up winning the first Pokémon Champions Regional Championship in Indianapolis this year, but has phased in and out of the metagame.
In its place, two main versions of Mega Charizard Y teams have emerged as the ones to beat. The first version had a very successful run at NAIC, taking both first and second place; it uses Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Charizard Y, providing the team with lots of flexibility with two Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution available. The team variant that won second place seems to have picked up more interest, leveraging unique picks like Focus Sash Kingambit and Ice Fang Mega Aerodactyl. Farigiraf has been a huge development, providing the team with flexibility between the faster Tailwind mode and Trick Room mode while blocking priority moves with Farigiraf’s Armor Tail Ability.
The second version of a Mega Charizard Y team build uses Whimsicott as the Tailwind setter, and has adopted Mega Floetteas the second Mega-Evolved Pokémon of choice. The resulting team has become so dominant that players have dubbed it the “Big Six,” a name previously given to one of the strongest Pokémon teams of all time in 2015. This team features the absolute top tier highest usage Pokémon in the format, and has seen many successful placements, taking up five of the Top 8 spots in Japan Nationals, including first place. This variation is the strongest Charizard team around, and has not been slowed at all by the new Pokémon added in Regulation M-B.
Want to play the meta-dominant Aerodactyl / Charizard team yourself? Try it out!
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The Most Effective Non-Mega-Evolved Pokémon
Since the start of Pokémon Champions and Regulation M-A, it’s been clear that many Pokémon who have been powerful in previous formats were going to drive the competition, each performing their unique roles so well that they heavily limit
Sneasler saw a lot of action early on, and although its usage has calmed down a bit, it’s still an incredibly important piece of the format. Dire Claw and Close Combat offer excellent coverage against the current metagame, while Fake Out provides a great support option for many Pokémon.
Garchomp was mentioned earlier, but it’s hard to overstate how impactful it is in the current format. It has dominated the top cut in every tournament so far, while vying with Basculegion and Kingambit for the most-used Pokémon in the format early on. Garchomp is by far the best Ground-type option available. As a Dragon type, it is perfectly suited for dispatching Charizard, resisting its Heat Wave and responding with powerful Rock-type coverage.
Garchomp can use a wide range of items effectively, the most prevalent being Life Orb, Choice Scarf, Roseli Berry, and Sitrus Berry. Life Orb helps maximize Garchomp’s damage output, making it a terrifying threat. Before Life Orb was added to Pokémon Champions, Garchomp couldn’t reliably knock out bulky Mega Charizard Y on its own, but that’s no longer the case. Life Orb really is one of the most impactful new items for getting major knockouts on key threats.
Basculegion provides significant competition for the title of best Pokémon in the format, with a toolkit well suited to utilize this format’s pacing to its advantage. The primary way Trainers use Basculegion is at the end of the game, to sweep opposing teams with its move Last Respects, one of the strongest moves in Pokémon history. Last Respects starts off with only 50 base power, but for every teammate knocked out, it gains another 50 base power. That means if it’s the last Pokémon remaining, Basculegion’s Last Respects would be up to 200 base power. Plus, the Adaptability Ability changes the boost of Basculegion’s same-type moves from ×1.5 to ×2, meaning a potential 400 base power in the final turns of a game. This has turned Basculegion into one of the most potent late-game sweepers, with few Pokémon able to stop it.
Kingambit is the second to last member of the five main Pokémon in the current meta, and it has distinguished itself as the best Steel type in the format without much contention. One of the main reasons for Kingambit’s popularity is how it is the game’s undisputed best check to Basculegion, with Sucker Punch providing huge damage to Basculegion before it can throw out attacks. This is especially effective against the Choice Scarf sets. Kingambit’s coverage is a little simpler than others, but it can suffer from “four move-slot syndrome,” with too many great moves to choose from. Kowtow Cleave and Sucker Punch are usually non-negotiable move choices, with the last slots cycling between Protect, Low Kick, Swords Dance, and Iron Head. Protect is really hard to cut from any VGC format due to its utility, but some players have found the other coverage options to be so valuable that it’s worth the loss.
Incineroar had a slow start at the beginning of Pokémon Champions, but has slowly crept back up to the top of usage. Incineroar did receive some nerfs to its moveset, losing U-turn and Knock Off, which have substantially changed how it interacts with other Pokémon. That said, it’s clear that Incineroar’s dual Fire and Dark types, utility via Intimidate, and ability to pivot with Parting Shot put it on a different level than most other support Pokémon. Incineroar helps many Mega-Evolved Pokémon do their job better, and it’s especially excellent next to Mega Floette and Mega Charizard Y. Sitrus Berry is its most common held item, allowing Incineroar to take more hits thanks to the HP recovery. Some Incineroar opt for berries that resist supereffective attacks, targeting survival from moves like Basculegion’s Wave Crash or Sneasler’s Close Combat. It’s likely we will see Incineroar continue to rise in usage and find its place on more teams as more Pokémon get added to Pokémon Champions.
Mega Floette Comes Into Bloom
Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduced a new meta staple in Mega Floette. It has incredible stats across the board and a very powerful Ability that was previously exclusive to the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas. Fairy Aura grants all Fairy-type moves on the field a power boost, allowing those moves to do insane damage, even on resisted hits. What makes this Ability spectacular for Mega Floette is the strength added to its signature move, Light of Ruin. A 140 base power Fairy-type move with 90 accuracy, Light of Ruin throws out mind-numbing single-target damage once that 33 percent power boost kicks in. There is a cost, however, as half of that damage is dealt in recoil to Mega Floette. Thus, this Mega Floette strategy works best on Tailwind teams to throw out big damage fast.
This doesn’t mean it’s the only way Mega Floette can be run, however. Some Trainers opt to drop Light of Ruin for Calm Mind and build their teams around supporting its setup with Mega Floette team staples Incineroar and Sinistcha. Calm Mind Floette sometimes opt for Draining Kiss over Moonblast, trading off a stronger damage option for the ability to heal.
Regardless of moveset, Mega Floette is easily one of the best Mega-Evolved Pokémon in the game, consistently finding its way onto almost all of the recent tournament-winning teams.
Try out Mega Floette’s Big Six team for yourself!
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Mega Scovillain Brings the Heat
Mega Scovillain was one of the most surprising Mega-Evolved Pokémon to find early success, giving Trainers an intriguing alternative Mega Evolution option to build around. The main draw of Mega Scovillain is its Spicy Spray Ability, which dishes out a burn to any Pokémon that does any damage to it regardless of whether it’s through a physical or special attack. This makes it incredibly potent at spreading burns. Combined with its Rage Powder move, Mega Scovillain generally plays a supportive role in battles, very unique for a Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
It’ll typically run Overheat and Giga Drain or Leech Seed as its final moves, providing both a strong burst damage option and a way to recover its health to continue to annoy the opponent. Mega Scovillain has a challenging matchup against Charizard, causing it to commonly be paired with another Mega-Evolved Pokémon. The most successful Scovillain build so far in tournament play was a team featuring Lycanroc and Mega Froslass with an incredible conversion rate in both the Turin Special Event and the North American International Championship. Trainers have continued using this team with great success in Regulation M-B.
The Return of Weather Wars
Weather is still a critical part of the current Pokémon Champions metagame. Right now, the main Mega Evolutions that influence weather wars are Mega Charizard Y, Mega Froslass, and Mega Tyranitar.
Heavily sun-based teams featuring Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur have had successful appearances, but have proven to be more vulnerable to shifts in the metagame. Another path is to use one of Regulation M-B’s new additions, Mega Pyroar, instead of Charizard as the Pokémon taking advantage of Torkoal’s Drought. Mega Pyroar deals even more Fire-type damage than Charizard due to stacking multipliers from the Ability Fire Mane, which gives Fire-type moves an additional ×1.5 boost. With Torkoal to set sun and use Helping Hand, Mega Pyroar’s damage can soar to unfathomable heights.
Mega Froslass triggers Snow Warning upon Mega-Evolving, allowing it to set up a crucial Aurora Veil or use Blizzard with 100 percent accuracy the turn it Mega Evolves. Its main weakness right now is its generally negative matchup against Mega Charizard Y, forcing players to be very cautious around Snow Warning getting overridden and leaving Mega Froslass vulnerable to Heat Wave. However, Lycanroc as a partner can properly address this issue.
Sand teams have seen a lot of interesting developments over the course of Pokémon Champions. Mega Tyranitar is a solid option, primarily acting as a hard check to oppose Mega Charizard Y. Mega Tyranitar can completely swing games with its presence, utilizing its insanely high Attack and Defense to remain a nuisance on the field and control weather consistently as long as it can overcome Mega Charizard Y’s main partner, Garchomp. There has also been exploration with Dragon Dance Tyranitar, providing terrifying setup potential. Mega Staraptor is a recent addition to the format but has vast potential when paired with sand due to how well its Flying type immunizes it from Excadrill’s Earthquake.
Although Regulation M-B doesn’t have a Mega-Evolved Pokémon with Drizzle to activate rain mid-turn like the other weather-based teams do, rain remains a powerful archetype. Trainers just have to get creative when facing Mega Charizard Y, focusing more on manual setup with Rain Dance from Prankster Sableye or from Parting Shot Grimmsnarl switching into Pelipper or Politoed. Archaludon is an incredible rain Pokémon with Stamina and Leftovers being its default setup. It’s especially strong on rain teams because it’s able to charge its powerful signature move Electro Shot immediately in the rain. Mega Swampert has been the most common Mega-Evolved Pokémon on rain teams, throwing out powerful rain-boosted Wave Crash attacks and almost always moving first if rain is active because of its Swift Swim Ability.
Try out this recreation of a standard Mega Swampert rain team!
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Set Up for Mega Success
Mega Delphox is built around the core of Incineroar and Sinistcha, utilizing Nasty Plot to stack Sp. Atk boosts and quickly become a monster threat. It also enjoys being paired with Swords Dance Kingambit, providing an alternative sweeper option and helping it against Basculegion, Mega Aerodactyl, and opposing Mega Delphox. Focus Sash Sneasler with Quick Guard typically appears on this core as well, potentially blocking opposing Sucker Punch and Fake Out. The secondary Mega Evolution on the team can vary, but Mega Floette has seen a lot of play.
Mega Blastoise has had lots of exploration, using Shell Smash to become a setup threat and sweep teams with Water Spout and Dark Pulse. Pokémon like Sinistcha and its Hospitality Ability commonly support Mega Blastoise’s heavy damage, as Water Spout’s damage is based on the user’s total health. Mega Blastoise has been an interesting sleeper pick in Regulation M-B following a good performance paired with Weavile at NAIC to close out Regulation M-A.
Try out setting up your own strategies using both Mega Delphox and Mega Blastoise!
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Mega Mawile is also worth mentioning, with some players experimenting with a Swords Dance Mega Mawile to synergize with Mega Delphox or Farigiraf / Charizard teams. Mega Mawile runs Play Rough and Sucker Punch as its attacking moves, giving it a powerful priority attack for Basculegion and Gholdengo, while Play Rough does insane damage to everything because of the same-type attack bonus and Huge Power.
Champions con Perish
Mega Gengar is one of the most interesting Pokémon in the format, with Shadow Tag allowing it to keep non-Ghost types trapped on the board, susceptible to consistent cycling from Incineroar.
There are two primary ways Mega Gengar functions, with the most-known teams being built around Perish Song. Perish Song gives every Pokémon that hears the song a three-turn countdown to switch out before they faint. The synergy is obvious with Mega Gengar, which actively prevents opponents from manually switching to clear the effect. Incineroar, Sinistcha, and Politoed are typical partners on a team like this, providing excellent options to facilitate the trap. Politoed provides a secondary Perish Song Pokémon to safely end the game after the first two Pokémon are knocked out.
The second way Mega Gengar is used is on balance teams, with Shadow Tag allowing Trainers to reposition key threats like Incineroar, Sneasler, and Alolan Ninetales. Alolan Ninetales with Encore pairs incredibly well with Mega Gengar’s Disable, trapping Pokémon on the field and forcing them to use Struggle. Veteran player Marco Silva earned Mega Gengar its first Pokémon Champions tournament win at the Turin Special Event using a variation of this team focused on Swords Dance Kingambit with Fake Out pressure from two Pokémon and using Floette instead of Alolan Ninetales.
Off-Meta Mega Evolution
There’s been a lot of exploration of other Mega Pokémon that don’t fit into the mold of the format, although they are seen less frequently than the top-tier Mega Evolutions. That being said, it’s clear that some Mega Evolutions have made solid impacts on the meta in specific roles.
Mega Staraptor is probably the most notable new Mega Evolution added to Regulation M-B outside of the ones that have already been discussed, using its Contrary Ability to boost its defenses when using powerful Close Combat attacks. It typically finds itself next to Pokémon like Whimsicott using Fake Tears and Charm to further boost its stats, making it a monster threat that’s tough to stop once it gets going.
Try out this team featuring Mega Staraptor!
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Mega Scrafty has one of the most unique Ability interactions, able to reset Intimidate while still on the field by using its Mega Evolution. This allows it to use Intimidate twice while using Fake Out to keep one opponent from moving for a turn, making it an excellent support next to certain setup threats.
Mega Kangaskhan has been used as an alternative Mega Evolution on Mega Charizard Y / Whimsicott teams, and it sometimes appears on hard Trick Room teams as well. Its ability to output heavy damage with Parental Bond is an excellent asset to a lot of teams, but compared to its heyday, it is slightly less splashable in a format where the Mega Evolution slots are so competitive.
Mega Glimmora has seen exploration due to its Ability, Adaptability, and its excellent type coverage, able to pressure heavy damage with its incredible moveset of Power Gem, Sludge Bomb, and Earth Power. Before its Mega Evolution became available, Glimmora soared in usage once Mega Charizard Y and Mega Aerodactyl teams took off, being able to shred through a lot of teams. It’s likely that this concept can apply to Mega Glimmora as well, albeit utilized a little differently.
Mega Raichu X and MegaRaichu Y have both seen a little play online, but haven’t really been as successful as some of the other new Mega-Evolved Pokémon. Off of pure results, it seems as though Mega Raichu Y has had a greater impact, leveraging No Guard with Zap Cannon and Focus Blast to output lots of offensive pressure. Mega Raichu X primarily struggles due to its reliance on its physical offense despite having very limited physical options.
The Pokémon Champions meta has undergone quite a bit of development over the past few months, and now with Regulation M-B introducing new Pokémon, Trainers are racing to find the next metagame-breaking team for the World Championships. Will the king of the format, Mega Charizard Y, take the crown? Will it be one of the newer Mega Evolutions making a huge splash on the metagame? Or will it be something completely unexpected? Make sure to follow upcoming events to answer all of those questions soon! It’s sure to be an exciting watch.
For more competitive Pokémon strategy and analysis, visit Pokemon.com/Strategy.
Release Date
April 8, 2026
Genre
Battle
Platform
Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android
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