FAQ
Everything you need to know about Pokémon Champions and StrataDex. Short, direct, no fluff.
Pokémon Champions is a battle-first Pokémon game built entirely around competitive play. No story, no exploration — just types, abilities, moves, and matchups. It's the competitive scene stepping out of the mainline games into its own ring.
Yes — it launched in April 2026. The meta is still settling, which is honestly the best time to get involved. Everyone is figuring it out together.
M-B is the second regulation, running June 16 through September 1, 2026. It keeps every M-A Pokémon and item legal, then adds 38 newly usable Pokémon (Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Mawile, Metagross, Annihilape, Gholdengo, Grimmsnarl, and more — most with new Mega forms) plus 11 new items. Sinistcha jumped to the #1 spot in the new meta, and Grimmsnarl and Gholdengo broke into the top 15 on day one.
22 species joined the legal roster: Vileplume, Qwilfish, Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Mawile, Metagross, Staraptor, Musharna, Scolipede, Scrafty, Eelektross, Pyroar, Malamar, Barbaracle, Dragalge, Grimmsnarl, Falinks, Overqwil, Houndstone, Annihilape, and Gholdengo. Raichu gains two new Mega forms (X and Y). 14 of the other species also gain Mega forms, bringing 16 new Megas in total.
Nintendo Switch since April 2026, with iOS and Android launching in 2026. The mobile release brings the same competitive format to your phone — same roster, same item clause, same 66-stat-point spreads. StrataDex works in any phone or desktop browser, so your team list, builds, and meta reads stay in one place across platforms.
Open StrataDex in your mobile browser, check the tier list to see what's actually winning, then open the Team Builder and start drafting. The fastest first team: pick one S-tier core (Sneasler, Kingambit, Garchomp, or Basculegion), add Incineroar for support, then fill the last three slots with the recommended teammates each card shows. Run Deep Dive+ when you've got six picks and want a sanity check before queueing.
Yes — StrataDex runs in any modern mobile browser. Save it to your home screen on iOS or Android and it behaves like an installed app. Team building, tier list, Deep Dive+, sharing, and your saved teams all work the same on phone as on desktop.
Yes. Pokémon Champions is free to download on the App Store and Google Play, and the core competitive game (ranked battles, daily missions, the team builder) is free forever. Optional paid content includes cosmetic items, the Season M-3 Battle Pass, and VP top-ups for buying Mega Stones from the shop faster.
Open the App Store on iPhone or iPad (or the Google Play Store on Android), search 'Pokémon Champions', and tap Get / Install. The app is around 4 GB. iOS requires iOS 16 or later on iPhone 11 / iPad with A12 chip or newer. Android requires 6 GB RAM and Android 11+. Existing Switch players sign in with the same Pokémon Trainer Club account to carry over teams, Mega Stones, and ranked rating.
Yes. Cross-play and cross-progression are both enabled by default. Mobile, iOS, Android, and Switch players share the same ranked matchmaking pool, and your team list, Mega Stones, VP balance, and Battle Pass progression sync across every device you sign into with the same Pokémon Trainer Club account.
iOS: iPhone 11 or later (or iPad with A12 chip+), iOS 16 or later, 4 GB free storage. Android: 6 GB RAM, Snapdragon 720G / Dimensity 700 or better, Android 11 or later, 4 GB free storage. Both platforms need a persistent internet connection for ranked play.
Garchomp leads M-B Battle Usage at roughly 40% of ranked teams, helped by Life Orb returning to the legal item pool in M-B (it was banned in M-A). Sinistcha is #2 at 36.8% as a Grass/Ghost Trick Room enabler with Heatproof or Hospitality. Basculegion (Choice Scarf Last Respects), Whimsicott (Prankster Tailwind), and Kingambit (Sucker Punch priority) round out the top 5.
Yes — free to start. You can download it, open it, and battle without paying. Paid content unlocks extras, but the core competitive game is accessible to everyone.
Close but not identical. VGC is the competitive format and the official tournament circuit. Pokémon Champions is the game where those battles now take place. If you already follow VGC, Champions is the new venue — same sport, new stadium.
Only a curated roster is legal, and the list shifts over time. That's exactly why StrataDex keeps a clean, always-up-to-date legal Pokédex you can filter, sort, and build from.
The "meta" is the set of Pokémon, items, and strategies that are actually winning right now. Learning it is the fastest path from "losing to randoms" to "actually competitive." Our tier list is built from live tournament data, refreshed every 24 hours.
Because going first usually means going home with the win. If you don't know what outspeeds what, you're losing games you should've won. StrataDex has a dedicated Speed Tiers tool for exactly this.
A clear win condition. Real matchup coverage. Proper speed control. Roles that compress well. And six Pokémon that genuinely support each other — not six individually strong picks piled together hoping for the best.
Six strong Pokémon with zero synergy. Ignoring speed control. Wrong items. Overlapping roles. Skipping matchup prep. Most of these are easy to spot once someone points them out — which is half of what StrataDex is built to do.
StrataDex is a competitive Pokémon Champions hub — team builder, live meta data, legal Pokédex, speed tiers, core finder, guides, and Deep Dive+ team analysis. Built to help you get competitive faster without grinding through scattered forum posts.
Browse the legal roster, build and save teams, study speed tiers and cores, track the live meta, share teams with a link, and run Deep Dive+ analysis on your team to find what's broken before a tournament does.
Most Pokémon sites are general-purpose databases. StrataDex is built specifically for Pokémon Champions: legal-only roster, live tournament data, focused guides, and team analysis that tells you what to change — not just what exists.
Battling teaches you what doesn't work by losing. StrataDex helps you skip a lot of those losses by catching problems before you queue up — bad items, overlapping roles, missed speed benchmarks, and teams with no clear win condition.
Yes. Most of StrataDex is free forever: the tier list, team builder, Pokédex, speed tiers, cores, guides, and a free Deep Dive+ trial. Paid plans unlock 40 or unlimited analyses per month and advanced features.
No — you can browse most things without one. An account lets you save teams, run Deep Dives, keep a journal of your progress, and use premium features.
The Team Builder lets you assemble a team and immediately see how it holds up — type coverage, speed tiers, role balance, and where it lines up against the current meta.
Deep Dive+ is StrataDex's full-team analysis. Paste in a team and it returns an archetype read, synergy scoring, matchup coverage, concrete move/item/EV suggestions, and lead recommendations — in about 30 seconds.
Yes. Save teams to your account for yourself, or generate a shareable link to send to friends, post in Discord, or drop on Twitter. Great for team reviews and collaborative testing.
Depends on what you want. If scattered free info works for you, free resources are fine. If you want one focused tool for Pokémon Champions team building — with live meta data, legal roster, speed tiers, cores, guides, and serious team analysis — the paid tier pays for itself fast.
See a real team breakdown on our Deep Dive+ page, or contact us and we'll get back to you within 24–48 hours.