Pokémon champions excludes non-final evolutions at launch

In a surprising move, The Pokémon Company has announced that Pokémon Champions will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise at launch. According to producer Masaaki Hoshino, only final evolutions will be available initially, with earlier evolutions potentially being added later to make the game more accessible to new players.

Strategy and balance impacts

The decision to exclude non-final evolutions, including fan favorites like Chansey, Dusclops, and Porygon2, raises concerns about the game's strategic depth and balance. Eviolite, a held item that boosts the defense of a Pokémon that can still evolve, has played a significant role in certain strategies over the years.

Moreover, this limitation may disappoint casual players who were hoping to use their favorite Pokémon, like Pikachu, in the game. While Pikachu can evolve into Raichu, Hoshino's stated rule would theoretically exclude it from Champions at launch. However, given Pikachu's iconic status, it's likely that an exception will be made.

Pokémon Champions is set to release on April 8 for Switch consoles, with a mobile release following later this year. The game will serve as the primary competitive platform for official Pokémon tournaments, including the Pokémon World Championships.