One of the biggest questions players have heading into Pokémon Champions is centered around acquiring new Pokémon. Unlike traditional Pokémon games, Champions allows players to acquire new Pokémon, and their previously caught Pokémon alike, in a few different ways.
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Pokémon Champions is designed as a battling-focused game, so you do not catch Pokémon in the traditional sense. There is no exploration, no wild encounters, and no breeding system.
Instead, Pokémon are expected to be obtained through a more streamlined system, including the following methods:
The goal here is to remove the grind and let players focus on battling. This system is much closer to traditional competitive simulators than mainline Pokémon games.
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For new players, this makes getting started much easier. You do not need to spend hours preparing a team before playing your first match, nor IV training.
For experienced players, it allows faster iteration and testing. You can swap strategies, adjust teams, and queue into games quickly.
Overall, Pokémon Champions shifts the focus from collecting Pokémon to using them effectively in battle, which aligns with its role as a dedicated competitive platform for VGC.
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