Pokemon Champions' Training Finally Makes VGC Truly for…

When Pokemon Champions was first revealed earlier this year, it almost looked like little more than another straightforward competitive spin on the franchise, with quick matches, three-member squads, and a streamlined Ranked format. However, now that the game has resurfaced with real gameplay and a full breakdown in the latest Pokemon Presents, it's clear there's more going on than just another PvP experiment here — and that's especially true with how Pokemon Champions handles training.

If there's one thing worth paying attention to in Pokemon Champions' latest reveal, it isn't the high-octane battles, but what happens before those matches ever begin. Behind the age-old structure is a surprisingly flexible and accessible training system that could do more than chip away at the VGC (Video Game Championships) barrier to entry. Depending on how players respond to the new system, it might even set a standard for how competitive Pokemon works moving forward.

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By Enricko Ozoa

Pokemon Champions' Training System Makes Competitive Pokemon More Accessible Than Ever

Grinding for EVs and IVs Might Finally Be a Thing of the Past

For years, building an effective Pokemon team for competitive play meant hours of EV (Effort Values) training, IV (Individual Values) breeding, nature syncing, and ability hunting, all before even touching strategy. Players essentially had to max out EVs by fighting specific wild Pokemon, farm Bottle Caps for IV tuning, breed countless eggs to get the right nature, and teach moves to Pokemon through TMs or move tutors, all just to bring one team member up to standard. If that sounds like medical jargon, it's because it was a process that demanded extensive game knowledge, as well as a degree of repetition and resource farming that would understandably drive away most casual players from the scene.

Pokemon Champions changes that almost completely with its new training system. Firstly, not only can players manually customize each of their Pokemon's stats (HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed), but they can also teach their Pokemon new abilities and modify their stat alignment directly, all with the Victory Points they earn while playing the game. As a result, Pokemon Champions offers players a system that requires far less grinding and encourages more experimentation than ever before, thereby increasing the accessibility of competitive Pokemon across the board and potentially setting up the franchise's future to do the same.

VGC Is No Longer Just for the Hardcore

Competitive Pokemon has almost always been a space for the hardcore elite who are willing to endure its steep prep curve. However, Pokemon Champions effectively dismantles that curve by making its Pokemon training more accessible while still offering the same amount of depth that has always been there. On top of that, Pokemon Home is fully integrated into Pokemon Champions, removing yet another obstacle between Pokemon's more casual community and competitive play by allowing players to import their Pokemon from other titles directly into Pokemon Champions.

Pokemon Champions offers players a system that requires far less grinding and encourages more experimentation than ever before...

Pokemon Champions may not be making a lot of changes to the competitive Pokemon formula, but how it handles Pokemon training could at least change its audience. By making stats, moves, and team customization easier to control without countless hours of preparation, it opens the door to a broader audience without losing what makes the competitive aspect of Pokemon and now Pokemon Champions so special. If the Pokemon community at large responds positively to these changes, it could even set a precedent for the future of the franchise.

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