Pokémon Champions replaces traditional EV grinding with a streamlined training menu that lets you customise your team’s stats, moves, abilities, and Nature all in one place. No traditional EV training, Vitamins, Berries, or Mints are needed; everything is handled directly in the menu. The better your training setup, the easier it becomes to outplay rivals consistently. This guide covers every part of the system, including how to earn Victory Points (VP), exact costs, and how to spend them efficiently from day one.
Pokémon Champions Training System Overview
| Training Option | What It Does | VP Cost |
| Stat Points | Redistribute stats across HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | 5 VP per Stat Point |
| Stat Alignment (Nature) | Boost one stat by 10%, reduce another by 10% | ~500 VP |
| Moves | Select any move from the Pokémon’s full learnset | ~250 VP per move |
| Ability | Choose any ability including Hidden Abilities | ~500 VP |
All training costs Victory Points (VP), which you earn purely through gameplay. VP cannot be bought with real money, which means training progress is tied entirely to how much you play. Alternatively, a Training Ticket reduces the total VP cost of a full session to zero.
Realistic total cost for fully optimising one Pokémon across all four categories sits at approximately 2,000 to 2,340 VP without a Training Ticket. Exact totals vary slightly depending on how much stat redistribution a specific Pokémon requires.
How to Earn Victory Points (VP)
VP is the foundation of the entire training system, so understanding how to earn it efficiently matters before you start spending. Here are all the confirmed ways to earn VP in Pokémon Champions:
| VP Source | Details |
| Ranked Battles | Primary method. VP awarded for both wins and losses, with significantly more for wins and win streaks |
| Daily Missions | Complete any 3 daily tasks to earn up to 500 VP per day |
| Weekly Missions | Tasks such as winning ranked battles or landing super-effective moves reward several thousand VP per week |
| Starter Missions | One-time early game tutorial rewards totalling around 10,000 VP |
| Battle Pass (free track) | VP awarded at multiple reward tiers |
| Battle Pass (paid track) | More VP rewards and additional Training Tickets than the free track |
| Monthly / Annual Membership | Extra benefits beyond the Battle Pass, including additional Training Tickets and missions |
| Training Tutorials | Completing tutorials such as the Double Battles training grants VP |
| Training sessions | Completing training changes can occasionally reward small amounts of VP (around 50 to 100 VP per session) |
| Login streaks | Logging in for 5 consecutive days can grant 2,000 VP, repeatable in some cases |
| Pokémon HOME transfer | First-time transfer of eligible Pokémon grants a one-time bonus of 3,000 VP |
| Achievements and events | Occasional VP rewards during special in-game events |
Ranked Battles are the most efficient long-term source since even losses award VP. However, Daily Missions deserve consistent attention as well. The 500 VP per day from completing daily tasks compounds quickly into a substantial training budget across a week of regular play.
Since VP cannot be purchased directly, competitive training is fully accessible through regular gameplay. The paid Battle Pass and Monthly or Annual Membership options speed up ticket and VP gains for players who want to accelerate their progression, but the free track provides enough to train competitively through consistent play.
How to Access the Training Menu
- Step 1: Open the Training menu from the main navigation.
- Step 2: Select Pokémon Training from inside the menu.
- Step 3: Choose the Pokémon you want to train from your roster. Note that permanently recruiting a Pokémon via VP or a Teammate Ticket is required before full training access unlocks. Trial Recruitment Pokémon cannot be trained at all during their 7-day trial period.
- Step 4: Make your desired changes across Stats, Moves, Stat Alignment, and Ability.
- Step 5: Press Confirm (A button on Nintendo Switch) to spend the required VP and make your changes permanent. Alternatively, on the confirmation screen, select the Training Ticket option to reduce the total cost to zero.
At any point during this process, press Y to view your Pokémon’s battle data. This helps you identify stat weaknesses or patterns from recent battles before committing your VP spend.
Stat Points – How the New System Works
The Stat Point system fully replaces traditional EV training. No consumables, no grinding specific Pokémon species, and no Vitamins required. You allocate stat points directly through the training menu with complete control over the outcome.
Key numbers to know:
| Detail | Value |
| Total Stat Points per Pokémon | 66 SP |
| Maximum SP per individual stat | 32 SP |
| Cost per Stat Point | 5 VP |
| Battle level (all matches) | Fixed at Level 50 |
| IVs | Maximum (31) assumed for all Pokémon |
You can distribute your 66 Stat Points freely across all six stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
How to adjust stat points:
- Select the stat you want to reduce and use the L button to decrease assigned points
- The freed points become available to assign elsewhere immediately
- Select the stat you want to increase and use the R button to add points to it
- If the gauge turns red, you have hit the 32 SP cap for that stat and cannot increase it further
- The screen displays your current allocation, for example 66/66, confirming whether all points are accounted for before you confirm
Fully optimising a Pokémon’s stat spread can cost 300 to 400+ VP depending on how much redistribution is needed from the default layout.
Stat Alignment – Changing Your Pokémon’s Nature
Stat Alignment is the Pokémon Champions version of Natures. Each alignment boosts one stat by 10% while reducing another by 10%, so choosing the right one for your Pokémon’s intended role matters significantly.
To change Stat Alignment, select the current alignment shown on the left side of the training screen. A chart appears showing all compatible options for that Pokémon. The top row shows which stats will be decreased, and the left side shows which stats will be increased by each option.
One of the biggest quality-of-life improvements here is that you can apply any compatible alignment regardless of what Nature the Pokémon originally had. This eliminates the need to hunt for specific Natures during recruitment, which saves considerable time when building your team.
Cost: approximately 500 VP per change.
Moves – Full Learnset Access
From the right side of the training screen, you can view and change your Pokémon’s current move set. Selecting a move brings up the full list of compatible options from that Pokémon’s complete learnset, including moves learned through TMs and other methods.
You are not limited to moves the Pokémon currently knows. If a move exists anywhere in that Pokémon’s learnset, it is available through training. You can also reorganise move order by highlighting a move, pressing Y, and using the D-Pad to reposition it.
Cost: approximately 250 VP per move changed.
Ability – Including Hidden Abilities
In Pokémon Champions, selecting any ability including Hidden Abilities requires only opening the Ability section on the right side of the training screen and choosing from the full compatible list. Previously, accessing Hidden Abilities required specific methods such as Max Raids, hidden grottos, or Ability Patches. Here, it is a straightforward menu selection.
This also means you can freely switch between regular abilities and Hidden Abilities whenever your strategy changes, without sourcing a new Pokémon or specific items.
Cost: approximately 500 VP per change.
How to Use Training Tickets
Training Tickets reduce the entire VP cost of a training session to zero. On the final confirmation screen before committing your changes, select the Training Ticket payment option rather than VP. One ticket covers all changes made in that session, regardless of how many adjustments you are making at once.
Training Tickets come from Battle Pass rewards, Monthly and Annual Membership missions, and occasional in-game events. They are best saved for expensive full overhauls where you are changing Nature, Ability, multiple moves, and stats simultaneously in a single session.
Important Training Restrictions
| Restriction | Detail |
| Trial Recruitment Pokémon | Cannot be trained during the 7-day trial period. Permanently recruit using VP or a Teammate Ticket before training unlocks |
| Pokémon HOME transfers | Training changes in Champions do not carry over to HOME when the Pokémon is sent back. However, if the same Pokémon returns to Champions later in the same form, its previous training restores automatically |
| Form changes | Any training including stats, moves, Nature, and Ability is lost when a Pokémon changes form. Retraining is required afterward |
| Champions Pokémon to HOME | Pokémon recruited in Pokémon Champions cannot be sent to HOME at all |
VP Efficiency Tips for New Players
Training VP costs add up quickly when building multiple competitive Pokémon. These tips keep your spending efficient from the very start:
- In the first few days, focus on cheap changes. Move changes at ~250 VP and minor stat adjustments cost far less than Nature and Ability changes at ~500 VP each. Farm VP through daily missions and ranked battles before committing to full overhauls
- Recruit Pokémon with desirable base alignments and abilities. If a Pokémon already arrives with the right Stat Alignment and Ability, you only spend VP on Stat Points and Moves, cutting your total session cost significantly
- Complete Daily Missions every day. The 500 VP from daily tasks is the most consistent passive income in the game and compounds into thousands of VP per week without extra effort
- Use your first HOME transfer early. The one-time 3,000 VP bonus from transferring an eligible Pokémon from Pokémon HOME is one of the best early injections of training currency available to new players
- Press Y before spending to review battle data and confirm your planned changes address the right weaknesses before you commit your VP
- Since VP cannot be purchased directly, every player trains through the same gameplay loop. Consistency with daily missions and ranked battles puts you in a strong position without spending anything beyond the base game
Pokémon HOME Integration Rules
You can bring Pokémon into Pokémon Champions from Pokémon HOME by linking the same Nintendo Account to both platforms. Pokémon from titles including Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Pokémon GO can visit Champions as long as they appear in the game’s roster.
Key rules to know before you transfer:
- Only Pokémon that appear in Pokémon Champions can visit from HOME
- Pokémon recruited in Champions cannot be sent back to HOME
- Visiting Pokémon from HOME may arrive knowing moves that are not usable in Champions. Training is required to swap those moves before they can compete
- Training applied in Champions saves to that specific Pokémon and restores automatically if the same Pokémon visits again in the future, provided the form has not changed
- The first-time transfer of eligible Pokémon grants a one-time 3,000 VP bonus, making an early HOME connection one of the smartest opening moves for any new player
Leave a Reply