Pokémon Champions Starter Tier List: Best Early Team to Pick
Selecting your starter in Pokémon Champions immediately locks you into a permanent six monster roster that will absolutely dictate your success during the early game.
I am honestly thrilled that Pokémon Champions skips the usual Grass, Fire, and Water tutorial routine and just dumps 10 fully evolved heavy hitters right in your lap. The composition of your chosen squad matters exactly as much as the lead, especially since a lot of the initial ranked matches you take on will be against bots while you find your footing. Before you waste hours trying to make a terrible roster work because you thought Altaria looked pretty, let me break down the actual value of each team. This tier list covers what works for early climbing and what sets you up for long term dominance in the meta.
The Full Starter Roster Data
Before getting into the rankings, here is exactly what each of the 10 starters brings with them. Note that you unlock this draw immediately after the introductory battle mission.
S Tier: The Meta Kings
If you plan on getting sweaty in ranked right out of the gate, these are your absolute best choices.
Pikachu
Don't laugh. I am dead serious. You aren't picking the electric Mascot for its own stats, you are picking it for the ungodly supporting cast it throws into your lap. Picking Pikachu hands you a dominant Singles team featuring Garchomp, Kingambit, Gengar, and an Azumarill with Huge Power. Gyarados is in there too, bringing Intimidate for defensive utility. Kingambit alone is worth the price of admission to destroy the Mega Floettes that plague higher tiers. If you are diving headfirst into 1v1 formats, this is the undisputed best start.
Tyranitar
While Pikachu dominates Singles, Tyranitar is your undisputed king of Doubles formats. Its Sand Stream ability triggers a sandstorm on battle start, which passively chips down the entire enemy board while canceling out whatever weather strategy your opponent wanted to run. It doesn't even need its Mega form to be devastating, which is a huge plus when building out your final comp. The accompanying team pairs it with an Intimidate Arcanine, giving you two massive layers of passive pressure from turn one. Plus, its Rock and Dark typing makes it totally immune to the Psychic moves spammed by Gardevoir leads.
A Tier: Strong and Reliable
These picks give you fantastic standalone power and solid teams, with a few very specific caveats.
Charizard
Charizard is probably the safest, most comfortable pick for an absolute beginner. It brings a lot of immediate aggression with solid Speed and Attack, while its Blaze ability gives its Fire moves an early edge. What really makes this a great grab is the access to Whimsicott, which is a top tier support option you will rely on heavily in the late game. Charizard is extremely customizable because both of its Mega forms are overpowered, allowing you to run it as a physical attacker or respec it for special damage depending on what your roster needs.
Gardevoir
Here is the deal with Gardevoir. Normally, this would easily be S Tier. Its Psychic and Fairy typing is fantastic, its Mega Evolution's Pixilate ability is devastating in double battles, and it comes with a well rounded team featuring Heracross and Corviknight to cover its physical defense gaps. It has insane move coverage and handles Dragon types like a champ.
So why isn't it higher up? Because Gardevoir is literally a free reward in a weekend event battle competition right now. Before you burn your one starter choice on a monster the game is handing out for free, check your events tab. If you are reading this after the event ends, bump her right up to the top.
B Tier: Niche Powerhouses
These starters demand specific playstyles, but they reward you heavily if you lean into their gimmicks.
Snorlax
This is your safety net. Snorlax is the immovable object of the early game. It is incredibly slow, but its massive bulk and Thick Fat ability let it absorb damage that would instantly wipe a frailer squad. It gives you incredible room for error while you learn the ropes.
Palafin
Palafin has a unique and highly rewarding mechanic. If you use Flip Turn to switch it out and then bring it back in, it activates its Hero Form, turning it into an absolute unit that hits like a truck. The team it unlocks relies heavily on special damage from Gengar and Hydreigon to bypass physical defenders. If you love tactical setups, this is a very satisfying pick.
Armarouge
If you want to run a Trick Room team, grab Armarouge and don't look back. Trick Room reverses the turn order so slow Pokémon move first, and Armarouge thrives in that environment. While you won't have Indeedee to set up psychic terrain right away, you can pair it later with a Sinistcha or Farigiraf to comfortably climb to Master Ball rank.
C Tier: Proceed With Caution
These aren't necessarily bad, but they demand a lot more work or just lack the early game impact of the top tiers.
Lucario
Lucario is cool, it hits hard, and it is highly customizable for physical or special setups. The problem is that it essentially requires its Mega Evolution to reach its potential, which limits your options elsewhere on the team. You could have just picked Charizard to get a Gengar along with your versatile Mega.
Absol
Using Absol as a critical hit fishing monster with Scope Lens and Super Luck sounds fun, but it is notoriously difficult to pilot in the lower ranks. Its Mega Z form is neat, but you will struggle heavily against bulkier, optimized teams before you get the right support items.
Altaria
Altaria has a gorgeous Mega Evolution, but you might find yourself regretting the choice immediately. Its auto build team is completely lackluster against early competitors. If you don't know exactly what you are doing, you are going to get steamrolled before you can even set up your strategy.
