Pokemon Champions Needs This Item Back, And It Needs It Now

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When Pokemon Champions was released, I initially thought, like many VGC and even non-VGC players, that it should have included more Pokemon and items from the start. However, my opinion has changed. I now believe a limited selection of Pokemon is actually beneficial for a developing competitive scene. Regarding items, it really depends on what gets added in the future. The current item pool has led to a specific meta, where Pokemon like Aerodactyl in Pokemon Champions became popular for countering Mega Charizard Y, boosting allies with Tailwind, and preventing opponents from using Berries.

Aerodactyl’s ability, Unnerve, is currently very strong because Berry-focused strategies are popular. However, its usefulness might decrease as the game evolves and more items and Mega Evolutions – including those with new abilities in Pokemon Legends: Z-A – are introduced. The most effective Pokemon and strategies always change with new options. That said, I think a particular item should have been available from the start, as its absence is contributing to some unhealthy competitive trends.

Pokemon Champions’ Meta Explained

Covert Cloak quickly became essential in competitive Pokémon battles (VGC) because it blocks the extra effects of opposing moves. For instance, a Pokémon with Covert Cloak will take damage from a Fake Out attack, but won’t be flinched. This item was crucial for players in Pokémon Champions when the game launched, and remains vital now, all because of how disruptive flinching can be.

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The current meta is as follows:

  • Sneasler in Pokemon Champions offers incredible Speed, Fake Out support, and powerful STAB moves like Close Combat and Dire Claw.
  • Kingambit is an Incineroar counter in Pokemon Champions with Defiant, raising its Attack whenever it’s intimidated, and it gets very powerful attacks to counter Ghost-type, Psychic-type, and Fairy-type Pokemon.
  • Basculegion is an endgame beast thanks to Adaptability boosting its Last Respects damage, and can also deal massive damage with Water moves. It’s also perfect for rain teams in Pokemon Champions.
  • Incineroar is the go-to Fake Out and Intimidate user, with good bulk to survive enemy attacks while also dealing decent damage and having more utility via Parting Shot.
  • Garchomp in Pokemon Champions offers very good damage and Speed, with incredible coverage and various available sets, like Choice Scarf, Sitrus Berry, Soft Sand, and White Herb.
  • Aerodactyl offers Tailwind support, great damage, incredible Speed, and Unnerve. Aerodactyl in Pokemon Champions is one of the prime abusers of Rock Slide’s flinching effect.
  • Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur form an overpowered duo for sun teams in Pokemon Champions, boosting Charizard’s damage and making Solar Beam instant, while also doubling Venusaur’s Speed to use Sleep Powder or attacking moves.
  • Mega Floette is perhaps the best Mega Evolution in Pokemon Champions, as it has amazing stats, Fairy Aura to boost its damage, and has access to powerful moves like Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, and Light of Ruin.
  • Farigiraf is the best critter to set up Trick Room teams in Pokemon Champions for victory, as it has few resistances, great bulk, good moves, and an ability that makes it and its ally immune to Fake Out.
  • Archaludon is the best attacker in rain teams, as it gets a powerful Electric-type move that also boosts its Special Attack, while also having fantastic bulk, stats in general, and type combination.
  • Whimsicott is one of the best Grass-type Pokemon ever and has the combination of Prankster plus Tailwind to activate it even faster than Aerodactyl.
  • Tyranitar enables sand teams in Pokemon Champions, has a very powerful Mega Evolution, and together with Excadrill makes for one of the strongest and most dangerous leads in the game, thanks to double Rock Slide.
  • Milotic and Corviknight both counter Incineroar and serve the same purpose as bulky attackers that can survive well in messy endgame sections. Their rise in usage goes hand in hand with Incineroar dropping in Pokemon Champions.
  • Aegislash is a great attacker who can OHKO Mega Floette with Iron Head, deal massive damage to Basculegion with Poltergeist if not OHKO it, potentially OHKO both Tyranitar and Kingambit with Close Combat, and more.
  • Pokemon Champions‘ Mega Froslass is one of the best Megas around for snow teams, but even as a standalone attacker.
  • Rotom Wash is an amazing attacker with options for Speed control via Electroweb and Choice Scarf, dealing damage to opponents and lowering their Speed by one stage.

Several other Pokemon, like Dragonite, Maushold, Talonflame, and Sinistcha, are also performing well. Many of the top Pokemon share a common trait: attacks with additional effects. A particularly annoying strategy in Pokemon Champions involves opponents using two fast Pokemon to repeatedly use Rock Slide, which can quickly stun your team.

Rock Slide is currently a very overused move in Pokemon battles, and it’s a major reason why Pokemon like Tyranitar, Excadrill, Aerodactyl, and Garchomp appear so frequently on competitive teams—sometimes even multiple times on the same team. It’s fairly accurate (90%) and decently powerful (75 base power), but its real strength lies in its ability to stun opponents 30% of the time. When two Pokemon who can use Rock Slide quickly are on a team, the chances of stunning the other team’s Pokemon become very high, which can lead to frustrating situations where you feel unable to make a move. I’ve experienced this myself a number of times, and it’s incredibly annoying.

How Covert Cloak Can Help With Luck Issues in Pokemon Champions

While Covert Cloak won’t completely fix the problem since only one Pokémon can wear it at a time, having a support Pokémon like Whimsicott, or one that relies on recovery or boosting allies, equipped with it would guarantee a positive outcome on some turns. Importantly, Covert Cloak also protects against flinching caused by Fake Out, which is a major reason why Pokémon like Sneasler and Incineroar are currently so popular. Essentially, Covert Cloak would prevent:

  • Flinching from Fake Out, Rock Slide, Iron Head, and similar moves
  • Burn from Scald, Flare Blitz, Heat Wave, and similar moves
  • Freeze from Blizzard, Ice Beam, and similar moves
  • Sneasler’s Dire Claw effects (poison, sleep, and paralysis)
  • Paralysis from Thunderbolt and similar moves
  • Confusion from Hurricane and similar moves
  • Speed reduction from Electroweb, Icy Wind, and similar moves
  • Attack reduction from Trop Kick and similar moves
  • Special Attack reduction from Snarl and similar moves
  • Special Defense reduction from Shadow Ball and similar moves
  • Psychic Fangs’ and Brick Break’s ability to break screens
  • Accuracy reduction from Muddy Water and similar moves
  • The inability to use sound-based moves from Throat Chop

Man, some Pokemon combos are seriously tough to beat! Like, I keep running into Blastoise and Farigiraf teams that are a real pain. Blastoise can use Fake Out to stun one of my Pokemon, and then Farigiraf sets up Trick Room, which flips the turn order. Then, Mega Blastoise just blasts you with super powerful Water Spout or something similar, while Farigiraf either attacks or boosts Mega Blastoise with moves like Rain Dance and Helping Hand. These two are just examples of the really strong Pokemon and combos everyone’s using right now in Pokemon Champions. Honestly, if they added the Covert Cloak ability, it would make building a team so much easier because you wouldn’t have to worry about these consistent threats all the time.

Cover Cloak prevents a lot of things, and I really wish there was a way to make it harder for players to repeatedly use moves like Rock Slide just to stun their opponents. Right now, it feels too easy and relies too much on luck, and it would be great to reduce that element of chance.

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2026-05-07 05:05