Pokemon Champions Players May Face a Huge Problem Next Season

Competitive Pokemon has always had an accessibility problem. Every new generation introduces another list of Pokémon to breed, train, and prepare before players can seriously compete online. Pokémon Champions has lowered the entry barrier and made it easier than ever to get into competitive Pokemon. With it, new regulations and seasonal formats will shape the future of competitive Pokemon and keep players on their toes. However, depending on where The Pokemon Company takes future seasons, some players may face a major problem.

When legendary Pokemon enter the picture, the power level is vastly higher than in regular formats. While nothing has been officially confirmed yet, there is little doubt that future Pokemon Champions seasons will eventually allow restricted or legendary Pokemon formats similar to past competitive scenes. The problem is that not every player has easy access to powerful legendary Pokemon. Some are locked behind older titles, DLC expansions, limited-time events, or older games. If Pokemon Champions follows the same path, many players may face a steep disadvantage before a battle even starts.

Restricted Formats Are Coming Sooner or Later

Competitive Pokemon seasons rarely stay limited to standard regional Pokédex formats forever. With each new format, more and more Pokemon are added to the roster, with the penultimate formats being restricted formats. This means that players can use legendary Pokemon on their teams, with some formats even allowing two of these powerful Pokemon. This significantly alters the meta and prompts players to construct teams around dominant threats.

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Fans of the VGC scene remember how massive restricted formats became during Pokemon Sword and Shield. Pokemon like Zacian, Kyogre, Groudon, and Calyrex completely reshaped competitive play. Teams were often designed specifically to counter or support these Pokemon because they were too strong to ignore. Even in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, this is true. If Pokemon Champions adopts a similar seasonal system, players should expect legendary Pokemon to become central to the online ladder at some point.

The issue is not just balance, but accessibility. Many new players coming into Pokemon Champions do not own every Pokemon game released over the last decade. Some may only own the most recent games. So, when legendary Pokemon become legal, players without access to those Pokemon immediately start behind the competition. Even if transfers are allowed through Pokemon Home, the process of collecting older Pokemon can become expensive and time-consuming.

Players Will Need to Get Legendary Pokemon to Keep Up

Without legendary Pokemon, players will not be able to keep up in formats where these Pokemon are allowed. The next regulation in Pokemon Champions, Set M-B, will be when new Pokemon are introduced. However, it seems unlikely that The Pokemon Company will introduce legendary Pokemon this early in the game’s life cycle. But there is no doubt that these Pokemon will eventually come, and players should start working toward collecting them now.

Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC is one of the best ways to obtain legendary Pokemon outside of Pokemon Go. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were also excellent ways to obtain legendary Pokemon thanks to their Tera Raids. Those looking to continue in Pokemon Champions would do well to play these games and get the legendary Pokemon that will eventually come to the game.

Other games may contribute to this ecosystem, too. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and even older Nintendo Switch releases all contain exclusive legendary encounters. The more recent Pokemon Legends: Z-A also offers some strong legendary Pokmeon for players. If Pokémon Champions pulls heavily from the wider Pokémon ecosystem, competitive preparation could become more about ownership history than player skill.

Accessibility Could Become Pokemon Champions’ Biggest Competitive Problem

Accessibility matters more in competitive gaming than many players realize. The strongest esports scenes thrive when players can jump in quickly and compete on relatively equal footing. Pokemon has struggled with this for years because team building often requires dozens of hours before battles even begin. Rental teams have helped reduce that problem in recent games, but they are not a perfect solution. Serious competitors usually want to build and customize their own teams rather than rely on borrowed strategies.

Pokemon Champions has made this issue easier thanks to recruiting Pokemon and the ability to quickly train them. However, we do not know if legendary Pokemon will be available to recruit in-game, or if players must transfer them. And with the way rental codes are handled in Pokemon Champions, players must still have the Pokemon in order to use them. So this makes accessibility a major problem, especially when you consider the financial side. A new player trying to enter competitive Pokemon could potentially need multiple games, DLC purchases, Pokemon HOME compatibility, and even time spent in Pokemon Go to access the full competitive roster.

Game Freak and The Pokemon Company still have time to address these concerns. Pokemon Champions could include easier legendary acquisition systems, battle rental mechanics, or standardized competitive rosters that give all players equal access. Those systems would make competitive play far more approachable while keeping the focus on strategy instead of collection size. Pokemon’s history suggests legendary formats are almost inevitable, and if Pokemon Champions follows the same pattern, some players may enter next season already at a major disadvantage simply because they do not own the right games or Pokemon.

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