Competitive Pokemon has become more popular than ever, with official tournaments running out of entry slots. Pokemon Champions has only increased this, as well as bringing casual players in like never before. However, Game Freak has consistently damaged the competitive scene by releasing more and more powerful Pokemon with each generation. Pokemon like Incineroar, Calyrex, Urshifu, and more have either become mandatory during teambuilding, or players have to ensure they can counter these strong meta picks. Pokemon Winds and Waves is poised to continue this problem, unless it learns from Pokemon Champions.
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While balancing new Pokemon against older Pokemon has always been difficult, the problem has gotten worse. That is why the nerfs introduced in Pokemon Champions have been incredible. They have made Pokemon that were overwhelmingly dominant and taken away some of the tools that made them this way. Pokemon Winds and Waves has to keep this in mind, either further nerfing strong Pokemon or not falling for the trap of power creep when it introduces new Pokemon. Generation 10 is a chance for the competitive scene to be the healthiest it has ever been, and Pokemon Champions is paving the way.
Power Creep Has Continued to Escalate With Every New Generation
Power creep has existed in Pokemon since the franchise introduced new mechanics and stronger monsters, but recent generations have accelerated the problem dramatically. Each new generation introduces Pokemon with superior abilities, optimized stat distributions, and signature moves that frequently overshadow older options. While some level of evolution is healthy for competitive games, the pace of escalation has increasingly narrowed viable team-building options.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet highlighted this issue more than perhaps any previous generation. Pokemon such as Gholdengo, Flutter Mane, Chi-Yu, and Archaludon became defining forces across singles and doubles formats. Gholdengo’s Good as Gold ability combined with powerful offensive pressure made it one of the most influential Pokémon in competitive play. This is not even considering legendary Pokemon like Miraidon, or long-time champion Pokemon like Incineroar, who actually got buffed.
The unfortunate consequence of this escalation is that many beloved Pokemon simply stopped being competitive. Fan favorites that once occupied important niches found themselves completely overshadowed by newer, more efficient alternatives. Competitive Pokemon has always had tiers and rankings, but the gap between the strongest and weakest viable options has grown substantially over the last several generations, creating an environment where experimentation became increasingly difficult. Where once unique strategies could work, the overwhelming gap with the new Pokemon made this even harder to pull off.
Pokemon Champions Is Finally Willing to Nerf Its Strongest Pokemon
When I booted up Pokemon Champions for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to see the surprising changes made to the roster. Specifically, the nerfs to Pokemon like Incineroar and Archalaudon, and by taking away some of their tools, they felt a little more fair even if they were still strong. The next batch of Pokemon should undergo a similar process with Gholdengo and Annihilape, nerfing their signature moves Make It Rain and Rage Fist. The Pokemon were still good, but there was more risk involved with using them.
Rather than treating every existing move and ability as sacred, the developers have demonstrated a willingness to rebalance the metagame through targeted changes. That alone represents a significant philosophical shift for competitive Pokemon. If we see this continue, I wouldn’t be surprised to see other much-needed nerfs come through. My biggest hope is that some legendary Pokemon, like Urshifu, see a nerf to their ability and moves to make the power scale a little more level.
But the most encouraging part is that these Pokemon weren’t simply made obsolete by taking the nerfs too far. Incineroar is still incredibly good, and Archaludon is still one of the best mons for rain teams. This shows that even longstanding competitive giants are not immune to adjustment and that they can still be used with these changes. Balancing like this creates healthier interactions and encourages a wider variety of team compositions. That is exactly what competitive Pokémon has needed for years.
This Could Be Excellent News for Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves
The upcoming Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves mark the tenth generation of Pokemon, and they also present Game Freak with an opportunity to rethink how new Pokemon impact competitive play. If the philosophy demonstrated in Pokemon Champions carries forward, future generations could avoid repeating many of the mistakes that have defined recent competitive formats. Game Freak has shown it is considering competitive play more, so I am hopeful this is the case.
A healthier approach to balance would benefit everyone. Competitive veterans would enjoy a more diverse metagame, casual players would have greater freedom to use their favorite Pokemon, and tournaments would feature more creative strategies rather than repeatedly revolving around the same six Pokemon. Competitive games thrive when players feel empowered to experiment, not when they feel obligated to use the same handful of options. Viewers also get more diverse and interesting matches instead of watching ditto, not the Pokemon, matches.
Watching Pokemon Champions actively adjust problematic Pokemon gives me genuine optimism about the future of competitive Pokemon. For the first time in years, it feels like the developers are acknowledging that balance requires active management rather than passive observation, something Super Smash Bros. Ultimate needs to learn. If that philosophy influences the design of new Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves, Generation 10 could finally deliver the competitive reset that the franchise has needed for a very long time.
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