While the promotional push of Pokemon Champions has centered around the VGC scene, singles players are also going to have to figure out which Pokemon to recruit.
Pokemon players of all walks are seemingly tired of the final formats of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which has most excited for Champions. The trouble is that the game doesn’t just let players do whatever they want initially. Players instead have to grind their way into creating a team by spending VP earned through battle.
This means a lot of the early life of Pokemon Champions will be dedicated to putting together a team. So who are the best Pokemon to target?
The best Pokemon to recruit in Pokemon Champions for singles battles
A handful of Pokemon stand atop the pack of the best to recruit in Pokemon Champions. Though players may want to run unique lineups and builds, these are great catch-all options that offer both an immediate impact and long-term value. The format will likely change many times over ahead of Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ release, but each of these has the capacity to rack up wins, if used properly.
Charizard
| Move 1 | Flamethrower | Item | Charizardite Y |
| Move 2 | Solar Beam | Ability | Blaze |
| Move 3 | Scorching Sands | Nature | Timid |
| Move 4 | Roost | EVs | 2 Def, 32 SpA, 32 Spe |
Charizard is one of the most iconic Pokemon in existence, and it’s also one of the most powerful in Champions’ early roster. It’s one of the favorite mega evolution options of early Champions gameplay, with Mega Charizard Y’s Drought being one of the best passive weather-setting options available.
Couple that with the ability to use both boosted fire moves and one-turn Solar Beams and it’s easy to see Charizard sticking around for a good while. The kicker is how it will likely also be a meta-defining Pokemon whenever Dynamax returns.
Dragapult
| Move 1 | Draco Meteor | Item | Dragon Fang |
| Move 2 | Dragon Darts | Ability | Infiltrator |
| Move 3 | Shadow Ball | Nature | Naive |
| Move 4 | U-Turn | EVs | 2 Def, 32 SpA, 32 Spe |
Dragapult is one of Pokemon’s most versatile threats. It can be built as a physical, special, or mixed attacker and has three solid abilities to choose from that can be changed as the meta shifts. Just as importantly, in the low-power formats that will make up Pokemon Champions’ foreseeable future, it boasts an outrageously high speed stat.
All this combines to make Dragapult a particularly valuable Pokemon to pick up. It’s also a Pokemon that has held up across multiple formats and multiple games, making it a great piece in the long term.
Gengar
| Move 1 | Shadow Ball | Item | Gengarite |
| Move 2 | Sludge Wave | Ability | Cursed Body |
| Move 3 | Thunderbolt | Nature | Timid |
| Move 4 | Substitute | EVs | 32 SpA, 2 SpD, 32 Spe |
Gengar is one of the premier mega evolution options in Pokemon Champions singles battles. It boasts one of the best abilities in the game in Shadow Tag, allowing it to lock down opponents. With a great move pool and solid typing, it serves as a potential trump card for any iteration of the meta.
While it doesn’t have its notoriously evil Encore-Perish Song combo that made it unstoppable back in the day, Gengar is still a great all-around package for singles battles.
Corviknight
| Move 1 | Body Press | Item | Leftovers |
| Move 2 | Brave Bird | Ability | Pressure |
| Move 3 | Iron Defense | Nature | Impish |
| Move 4 | Roost | EVs | 32 HP, 32 Def, 2 SpD |
While many of the other Pokemon on this list are designed to move fast and hit hard, that’s not the case with Corviknight. Sword and Shield’s taxi bird is instead meant to stay on the field and chip away at opponents who can’t take it down.
Body Press is a unique move that scales based on the user’s defense stat. This means Corviknight hits harder, and takes less physical damage, with each use of Iron Defense. Leftovers and Roost give Corviknight two sources of healing, making it even tougher to get rid of.
Hisuian Samurott
| Move 1 | Razor Shell | Item | Focus Sash |
| Move 2 | Ceaseless Edge | Ability | Sharpness |
| Move 3 | Sucker Punch | Nature | Jolly |
| Move 4 | Encore | EVs | 32 Atk, 2 SpD, 32 Spe |
Hisuian Samurott is a great lead for teams in Pokemon Champions’ singles. Its sharpness ability boosts both Razor Shell and Ceaseless Edge, which are further amped by a same-type attack bonus. Focus Sash and Sucker Punch effectively guarantee that it has the opportunity to land two attacks before being knocked out.
The cherry on top of all this is that its signature move, Ceaseless Edge, sets up Spikes entry hazards. If players manage to land three Ceaseless Edge hits, any Pokemon that switches in loses 25% of its HP.
