A complete overview of all four weather archetypes in Pokémon Champions — sun, rain, sand, and snow. Covers setters, abusers, key Pokémon, and how weather teams match up against each other.
Weather teams are among the most popular archetypes in Pokémon Champions because they add a layer of board control that forces opponents to have explicit counterplay. Knowing all four weather archetypes — and how they interact — is essential meta knowledge.
Setter: Torkoal (Drought). Fire moves +50%, Water moves -50%. Solar Beam charges instantly. Solar Power and Chlorophyll activate. Best sun attackers: Mega Charizard Y (gains Drought, massive SpA), Lilligant (Chlorophyll, After You), Venusaur (Chlorophyll, petal storm coverage).
Setter: Pelipper (Drizzle). Water moves +50%, Fire moves -50%. Thunder and Hurricane become 100% accurate. Swift Swim doubles Speed. Best rain abusers: Kingdra (Dragon/Water, Swift Swim), Barraskewda (Swift Swim, Jet Punch priority), Ludicolo (Swift Swim + Fake Out hybrid).
Setter: Tyranitar (Sand Stream). Deals 1/16 HP chip damage per turn to non-Rock/Ground/Steel types. Rock-type Pokémon gain +50% Special Defense in sand. Best sand abusers: Mega Garchomp (Sand Force boosts Ground/Rock/Steel), Excadrill (Sand Rush doubles Speed in sand).
Setter: Alolan Ninetales or Abomasnow (Snow Warning). Ice-type Pokémon gain +50% Defense in snow. Blizzard becomes 100% accurate. Snow is a more niche archetype compared to sun and rain, but Alolan Ninetales provides Encore and Aurora Veil support alongside the weather.
When two weather teams face each other, the match often comes down to who can maintain their weather while denying the opponent's. Torkoal vs Pelipper is one of the most common weather matchups. Sun favors the matchup since Fire immunity means Torkoal isn't pressured by rain-boosted Water moves, and Charizard Y's Drought refreshes sun if Torkoal goes down.
The strongest counter to weather is preventing it from mattering: KO the setter fast (Tyranitar threatens Pelipper, Incineroar can pivot into it), or run Pokémon with Cloud Nine/Air Lock to negate weather entirely (Golduck, Mega Rayquaza if legal).
💡 Tip: Always check how your team handles each weather type before finalizing it. A team that loses to both sun and rain teams will struggle on any given day of competition.
Can two weather conditions be active at once in Pokémon Champions?
No. Only one weather condition can be active at a time. Whichever setter entered the field last has their weather active. This creates weather wars where both sides try to maintain their preferred weather.
Does weather from an ability last forever?
Without a weather rock (Damp Rock, Heat Rock, Icy Rock, Smooth Rock), ability-based weather lasts 5 turns. With the rock, it lasts 8 turns.
What is the strongest weather team in Pokémon Champions?
Sun teams with Torkoal and Mega Charizard Y are currently considered the strongest weather archetype, with high usage in top competitive play.
Related Pokémon