What Pokémon Champions Is and What the Mobile Launch Changes
Pokémon Champions is a battle-focused Pokémon game built around online player-versus-player combat, using the familiar turn-based system from the main series but narrowing its design to competitive team-building and ranked matches. With the new Pokémon Champions mobile release on iOS and Android, that competitive format moves from Nintendo Switch hardware to phones and tablets, opening the ladder to many more players at once. The mobile version launched on June 17, following its original console release two months earlier, and arrives with full cross-play support between mobile and Switch, so your opponents can be on any platform. This means the same queues, rulesets, and rewards, no matter where you play. For returning trainers, the mobile launch is less about a separate port and more about expanding access to the same central competitive ecosystem.
Regulation Set M-B: New Pokémon, New Items, New Meta
Regulation Set M-B is the first major ruleset update for Pokémon Champions and it lands alongside the iOS Android launch. Running from June 17 to September 2 and covering at least Season M-3, it reshapes the ranked landscape by expanding the roster and held item pool at the same time. In total, Regulation Set M-B adds 38 newly usable Pokémon and 15 new held items, the biggest single content drop the game has had since release. Sixteen of those additions are Mega Evolutions, including Mega Blaziken, Mega Metagross, Mega Sceptile, Mega Swampert, and both Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y. According to ComicBook Gaming, Mega Eelektross and Mega Pyroar stand out because they introduce abilities that were not previously available in Pokémon Champions, which is likely to shake up team archetypes in early M-B seasons.
Key Additions: Mega Evolutions, Battle Pass, and Item Pool Fixes
Beyond the headline Megas, Regulation Set M-B folds in a mix of returning and newer favorites like Annihilape, Gholdengo, Grimmsnarl, Overqwil, Vileplume, and more. You can recruit new Pokémon via the Pokémon Ranch or by transferring them from Pokémon HOME, so long-time fans with existing collections can bring old partners into the arena. The update also tackles a launch complaint about limited item choices: Big Root, Life Orb, Wise Glasses, Muscle Band, Light Clay, Metronome, and several weather rocks are now available as held items, giving offensive and support builds more flexibility. A fresh Battle Pass launches with the regulation cycle: the Premium track features Eelektross and Metagross plus their Mega Stones, while the regular track highlights Starmie and its Mega Stone along with VP, Quick Coupons, and various tickets used to grow your roster over time.
Cross-Play, Pokémon HOME, and Your Free Mega Raichu
With Pokémon Champions mobile now on iOS and Android and cross-play support enabled, there is no split between console and phone players; everyone shares the same matchmaking pool and seasonal rules. Pokémon HOME integration means you can transfer compatible Pokémon into Champions, preserving some of your long-term progress from other Pokémon games instead of starting from zero. To mark the mobile launch, The Pokémon Company is running a limited-time giveaway: all players can claim a Raichu plus either a Raichunite X or Raichunite Y to evolve it into Mega Raichu X or Mega Raichu Y. The free launch rewards are available via your in-game mailbox on both Switch and mobile between Wednesday, June 17 and Tuesday, September 1 at 6:49 p.m. PDT, so new and returning trainers should log in early to secure this flexible electric attacker.
How to Start Strong in the New Ranked Season on Mobile
Season M-3 opens under Regulation Set M-B on the same day as the mobile expansion, which means even veteran Switch players are adjusting to the revised roster and item pool. New trainers on Pokémon Champions mobile enter a ranked environment where no one has months of practice in the current ruleset, making this a good window to learn without facing fully optimized teams every match. Focus your early games on understanding how new threats like Annihilape, Gholdengo, and the various Mega forms interact with staples you already know. Use your free Mega Raichu as a core damage dealer while you experiment with support options enabled by Light Clay screens or weather rocks. Since future seasons will continue under M-B until the next regulation cycle, any lessons you learn now should stay relevant for several ranked resets.
