2024 is proving to be a strong year for Pokémon games beyond the main series. Pokémon Pokopia has been successful, and the strategic title Pokémon Champions is set to launch in April 2026. Champions focuses heavily on battling, offering both highly competitive Ranked Battles and more laid-back Casual Battles. Players will progress by earning and spending Victory Points, which allow them to recruit Pokémon and customize their traits. However, recent reports suggest that earning enough Victory Points to really advance in Pokémon Champions may require a significant time commitment.
Pretty Much Everything In Pokemon ChampionsWill Cost VP
In Pokemon Champions, Victory Points (VP) are how players track their progress. You earn VP by playing Ranked Battles, though the exact amount you get depends on whether you win or lose. Currently, playing Private or Casual Battles doesn’t award any VP.
On March 24, 2026, the X (formerly Twitter) account CentroLeaks shared details about how Victory Points (VP) will work in the upcoming Pokémon game. CentroLeaks has a history of accurately leaking Pokémon information, including details about Pokémon Winds and Waves before it was officially announced in the 2025 “Teraleak 2” event. According to their latest post, players will earn 200 VP for each battle they complete, and different features will require varying amounts of VP.
- Recruiting a new Pokemon: 2500 VP
- Changing a Pokemon’s moves: 250 VP per move
- Maximizing a Pokemon’s stats: 330 VP per stat
- Changing a Pokemon’s Ability: 500 VP
- Changing a Pokemon’s Nature: 500 VP
- Purchasing a Mega Stone, allowing for Mega Evolution in battle: 2000 VP
According to information from CentroLeaks, Pokemon Champions appears to require a lot of repetitive effort. Currently, it takes 13 battles to recruit each new Pokemon, and it’s unclear if the 200 VP earned is just for participating or for winning. Making a Pokemon strong enough to compete is even more demanding. If you want to fully upgrade all six Pokemon on your competitive team—including their stats, moves, Ability, and Nature—you might have to play around 165 battles, based on the current VP system.
VP Rewards Could Increase Depending On Tier
Several people on X noticed that the player shown receiving 200 VP in the CentroLeaks screenshot was in the lowest rank, called Tier 1 or “Poke Ball Tier.” A progress bar suggested players can climb to higher ranks, and it’s likely the VP earned would increase – possibly dramatically – as they do. It’s also probable that Pokemon Champions will offer special, limited-time events or tournaments with even bigger VP prizes.
Players Can Build Their Champions Team Using Pokemon Home
Players will be able to connect Pokemon Champions to Pokemon Home and bring Pokemon over. This lets them avoid the usual 2500 VP cost for recruiting Pokemon directly in Champions. There are a few limitations – only Pokemon found in Champions can be transferred, and any moves not available in the game will need to be changed – but it makes building a team much easier, particularly for those with a lot of Pokemon already stored in Home.
As a Pokémon fan, I’m really excited to hear that any training my Pokémon do in Champions will stick with them, even if I move them back to Pokémon Home and then bring them back later! But, it sounds like if you don’t have a Pokémon Home subscription, or if you’re starting from scratch with battle-ready Pokémon, you’ll have to work pretty hard to earn VP in Champions. Honestly, I think newer players, or those who haven’t really built competitive teams before, are going to find it a lot more grindy than those of us who can jump in with our already-trained Pokémon on day one.
The Victory Points Grind Potentially Points To A Major Microtransaction Focus
Shortly after Pokemon Champions was revealed during the Pokemon Day 2026 broadcast, it was confirmed the game will include microtransactions. The official Champions website details several purchasable items, such as cosmetic outfits, poses, and animations for Poke Ball throws. There will also be a paid membership option, a Starter Pack, and both regular and Premium Battle Passes. While specific details are limited, the Battle Passes are expected to offer significant rewards, including powerful items like Mega Stones and even Pokemon, such as Emboar.
According to the official Pokémon Champions website, you can’t directly buy VP – you earn it by battling. However, this doesn’t rule out ways to get more VP through options like Battle Passes or paid memberships, which might offer boosted rewards or discounts. The paid membership includes special missions that are likely to give out significant amounts of VP.
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Based on leaks, Pokemon Champions might require a significant time commitment or spending real money to stay competitive. This is worrying for a game centered around battling, as players who don’t want or can’t spend money could fall behind. Even before release, some fans are concerned Champions will be unfair to free-to-play players, comparing it to pay-to-win mobile games. While we won’t know for sure until the game launches, it appears climbing the ranked battle ladder with a strong team will be very challenging.
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2026-03-28 20:05