It's a good year Pokemon spin-offs, p Pokemon Pokopia good performance and strategy name Pokemon Champions to debut in April 2026. Champions puts the spotlight on the series' combat mechanics, from ultra-competitive ranked battles to more relaxed casual battles. The game's announcement revealed that progression will be centered around earning and spending Victory Points, which can be used to recruit new Pokémon, change their nature and abilities, and more. However, new information seems to indicate that gaining enough VP to make significant progress Pokemon Champions it will be quite hard work.
Some fans will play Pokemon Champions before others
Lucky players will get a chance to play Pokemon Champions ahead of the game's release next month on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2.
Almost everything in Pokémon Champions Will stand VP
Victory Points, or VP for short, are the primary currency Pokemon Champions. Players earn victory points by competing in ranked battles, with the game's official website stating that VP earnings vary “depending on the outcome” without giving further details. At the moment, it appears that Private Battles and Casual Battles, the other two modes available in the game, do not provide any VP for winning.
On March 24, 2026, the X account of CentroLeaks published a post sharing details about the Victory Points system. This account has previously provided accurate information on Pokemon games on several occasions, including the 2025 “Teraleak 2” reveal Pokemon winds and waves before their official announcement. According to CentroLeaks, players will receive 200 VP for completing the battle, with the VP cost for the various features being as follows:
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Recruiting a new Pokemon: 2500 VP
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Changing Pokemon Moves: 250 VP per turn
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Maximizing Pokemon Stats: 330 VP per stat
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Changing Pokemon Abilities: 500 VP
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Changing Pokemon Nature: 500 VP
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Buying a Mega Stone, enabling Mega Evolution in battle: 2000 VP
If the CentroLeaks information is indeed accurate, the gameplay Pokemon Champions It seems to be quite a scrap. Currently, players would have to compete in 13 battles to recruit a single new Pokémon — and CentroLeaks doesn't say whether the 200 VP is for winning the battle or just participating. Equipping the desired Pokemon to be competitive is an even bigger task. If all six members of the player's competing Pokémon team require a complete overhaul of their stats, moves, abilities, and nature, players would need to complete approximately 165 battles at the current VP count.
VP rewards may increase depending on level
Some commenters on X pointed out that in a screenshot shared by CentroLeaks, a player who received 200 VB was ranked Tier 1, or “Poke Ball Tier”. A progress bar at the bottom of the screen indicated that players could level up, and it's definitely possible that VP rewards would increase at higher levels, perhaps exponentially. It is also very likely Pokemon Champions could host limited time events or tournaments that would have higher VP rewards for participants.
Players can create their team of champions using Pokémon Home
It has also been confirmed that players can join Pokemon Champions with the existing one Home of Pokemon system and import Pokémon from Home to Champions. This would allow players to skip the 2,500 VP fee required to recruit Pokémon directly Champions. There are some restrictions – only Pokemon appear Champions can be imported, and non-game moves must be replaced before the Pokémon can battle – but this greatly eases the grind, especially for players who already have a large Home collection.
It is also confirmed that any training Pokemon will receive Champions they will transfer even if they are taken back Home and returned to Champions at a later date. However, players who do not have a Home of Pokemon subscriptions or who don't have a large collection of battle-ready pokemon will have no choice but to beat up VP in Champions. Newer players who haven't built competitive Pokémon before will likely find Champions significantly more grind than veterans who can bring their longtime battle partners on launch day.
Crunching victory points potentially indicates a heavy focus on microtransactions
This was confirmed shortly after the announcement Pokemon Champions during the Pokemon Day 2026 broadcast that the game will feature microtransactions. Currently official Champions The website mentions cosmetic rewards that can be purchased, including clothing, poses and Poke Ball throwing animations, paid memberships, Starter Packs, Battle Passes and Premium Battle Passes. While few details have been confirmed, it has been said that the Battle Pass and Premium Battle Pass will include valuable rewards such as Mega Stones and even Pokémon like Emboar.
Statement to the official Pokemon Champions The website says “VP cannot be purchased directly, so keep fighting and earning VP to make your team even stronger.” This statement does not rule out options such as Battle Passes or paid memberships containing items that increase VP rewards, or perhaps discounted VP prices for changing stats or recruiting Pokémon. The paid membership is confirmed to include “membership-exclusive missions” that could definitely feature hefty VP rewards.
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Start
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
If Pokemon Champions the grind is so intense, as CentroLeaks suggests, players may be motivated to spend real money on the game. Players unwilling or unable to spend money may find themselves unable to keep up with the competition in a game as focused on combat as Champions. Since the game isn't even out yet, some fans are writing it off on sites like X and Reddit Champions as hostile to free-to-play players compared to various mobile and gacha games. While nothing will be confirmed until Pokemon Champions After the official release, it certainly looks like players looking to advance to the ranks of ranked battle with a competitively viable team will have their work cut out for them.
