Pokémon champions: skip the grind, dominate the game

Forget endless daily hunts and VP sinks. Pokémon Champions, the new mobile RPG, has a clever workaround for those wanting a head start – and it leverages a feature many players already have: Pokémon Home.

Unlock your dream team before launch

The core gameplay loop of Pokémon Champions—building competitive teams—is hampered by a frustrating progression system. Finding the right Pokémon in daily rolls relies heavily on luck, and securing them permanently, or even customizing their movesets, demands a steady stream of Victory Points (VP). However, a loophole exists, one that savvy Pokémon trainers are already exploiting: the Pokémon Home app.

Pokémon Home, a free app (available on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android with an optional subscription), allows players to transfer Pokémon from previous games, effectively circumventing many of Champions’ progression barriers. The trick? Building a ‘living dex’—a comprehensive collection of Pokémon and their variants—before Champions even launches.

Here's how it works: Link your existing Pokémon RPGs (like Scarlet and Violet, including their DLC) to Pokémon Home. Then, diligently collect every Pokémon variant and transfer them. Finally, send the Pokémon you want into Pokémon Champions. This minimizes VP spending, focusing instead on refining your team's moves and stats.

The beauty of the ‘living dex’ strategy is its proactive nature. Instead of hoping for the best each day in Champions, you build your arsenal beforehand. While Pokémon Home offers 30 free storage slots, expanding beyond that requires a subscription, a small price to pay for a significant advantage.

But it doesn’t stop there. Even before Champions’ release, you can optimize your Pokémon. A complete ‘living dex’ saves you the 2500 VP it costs to permanently recruit a Pokémon in Champions. Furthermore, you can train your team—adjusting moves, abilities, and even natures—before sending them into the fray, avoiding additional in-game costs. Given Champions’ simplified progression, focusing on movesets, abilities (using Ability Patches and Capsules), and natures (with Mints) is the key.

And for those with older game consoles (like the 3DS), don’t despair. Many of your veteran Pokémon can be transferred to more recent titles like Scarlet and Violet, then ultimately to Champions. Even Pokémon GO, with its own limitations—like event-dependent spawns—offers a viable, albeit imperfect, alternative for expanding your roster and bolstering your Home collection.

The savvy trainer understands this: Pokémon Champions isn’t about grinding; it’s about strategic preparation. By leveraging existing resources and a little foresight, you can avoid the frustrating progression bottlenecks and build a truly formidable team. The game’s systems, while simplified, still reward intelligent planning. And with the transfer options available, the Pokémon you’ve nurtured for years aren’t relics of the past—they’re your ticket to Champions glory.