The pokemon champions best starter pokemon for pure beginners are Snorlax and Pikachu — both give you a forgiving, well-rounded squad that wins games without requiring deep mechanical knowledge. If you plan to dive into Double Battles immediately, Tyranitar is the clear standout. Charizard and Gardevoir round out the top five for players who want a path toward Mega Evolution without a steep learning curve. All 10 starters are permanently free — read on to see exactly what each one gets you.
How Starters Work — and All 10 Teams at a Glance
When you start Pokemon Champions, you pick one of 10 starter Pokemon. That choice gives you a complete squad of 6 immediately: your starter plus 5 additional Pokemon that come bundled with it. The whole team is permanently added to your roster at no cost — no Victory Points (VP), no real money, no waiting.
This is worth stressing for anyone who played mainline games: you are not locking yourself out of everything else. After the tutorial, you expand your roster through the Recruit Ranch (more on that below) and through Pokemon Home transfers. Your starter team is your foundation, not your ceiling.
The game launched on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on April 8, 2026. Mobile (iOS and Android) releases June 17, 2026, with cross-platform play and shared save data via Nintendo Account.
Every starter comes with a fixed team of five Pokemon. Here is the full list — use this as a reference when making your pick:
| Starter | Bundled Team |
|---|---|
| Charizard | Azumarill, Steelix, Whimsicott, Gengar, Drampa |
| Tyranitar | Arcanine, Whimsicott, Drampa, Aggron, Sylveon |
| Armarouge | Hydreigon, Hawlucha, Steelix, Manectric, Victreebel |
| Palafin | Gengar, Aggron, Beedrill, Sylveon, Hydreigon |
| Pikachu | Kingambit, Garchomp, Azumarill, Gyarados, Gengar |
| Lucario | Sylveon, Manectric, Victreebel, Gyarados, Froslass |
| Gardevoir | Heracross, Drampa, Azumarill, Corviknight, Abomasnow |
| Absol | Froslass, Corviknight, Garchomp, Arcanine, Whimsicott |
| Altaria | Kingambit, Arcanine, Heracross, Hawlucha, Victreebel |
| Snorlax | Hawlucha, Abomasnow, Kingambit, Beedrill, Hydreigon |
Last verified: June 11, 2026.
Now let’s break down which starters actually work best for new players and why.
Snorlax — Safest Pick for Total Beginners
If you have never played a competitive Pokemon format before, start with Snorlax. It is described across multiple community sources as the most forgiving starter in the game: it absorbs damage, gives you time to think, and does not punish you for misplays the way a fragile, fast attacker would.
Snorlax does not require you to know speed tiers (which Pokemon moves first), does not demand optimal sequencing, and does not have a gimmick like Mega Evolution that adds decision layers on top of basics. It just walls hits and hits back.
Its bundled team — Hawlucha, Abomasnow, Kingambit, Beedrill, Hydreigon — gives you coverage across multiple types. Kingambit in particular appears on three starter teams (Pikachu, Altaria, and Snorlax), which community sources flag as a sign of its competitive value: it is a genuinely useful teammate to have early.
Best for: Players who want to learn the game’s UI, type matchups, and turn structure without being punished for every mistake.
Pikachu — Best All-Round Beginner Starter for Single Battles
Pikachu is the recommended starter for beginners in Single Battle formats (one Pokemon per side), and its bundled team makes clear why: Kingambit, Garchomp, Azumarill, Gyarados, and Gengar is a squad with multiple independent win conditions.
“Multiple win conditions” means that if your opponent counters Pikachu, you can win with Garchomp instead. If they counter Garchomp, Gyarados applies pressure. You are not banking on one strategy succeeding — the team is built to win through different paths, which is exactly what beginners need when they do not yet know what their opponent is going to throw at them.
The game also helps beginners with on-screen type-effectiveness indicators: instead of requiring you to memorize the full type chart, Pokemon Champions shows “Extremely effective” and “mostly ineffective” icons when attacks land. That context removes one of the steepest barriers in competitive Pokemon.
Best for: New players focused on Single Battles who want a team they can grow with rather than outgrow.
Tyranitar — Top Pick for Double Battles
If you know you want to play Doubles (two Pokemon per side — the format used in official VGC tournaments), Tyranitar is the correct starting choice and it is not particularly close.
Tyranitar is the only starter with immediate weather control via its Sand Stream ability, which automatically summons a sandstorm when Tyranitar enters the field. Weather in Doubles is a core meta mechanic: it enables team synergies, chips down opponents passively, and forces reactions from the other side.
Its bundled team is purpose-built for Doubles. Arcanine has Intimidate, which lowers the Attack stat of both opposing Pokemon simultaneously — one of the most impactful abilities in the Double Battle format. Whimsicott provides Tailwind (doubles team speed for four turns) and Trick Room (reverses speed priority for five turns), giving you speed control in both directions depending on your opponents. Sylveon brings Hyper Voice with Pixilate, which converts Normal-type moves to Fairy-type and hits both opponents at once for spread damage.
That toolkit — weather, Intimidate, speed control, spread damage — is a complete Double Battles framework handed to you at game start. More experienced Double Battle players will recognize these as the building blocks of meta teams.
For a deeper breakdown of how these mechanics interact, see our Pokemon Champions Best Doubles Teams guide and the Mega Evolution guide.
Best for: Players who already know they prefer Doubles, or who want to learn Doubles from the start.
Charizard — Best Starter for Mega Evolution Learners
Charizard is rated a safe beginner pick with “amazing tournament results” at launch according to community analysis. The key advantage is its dual Mega Evolution paths: Charizard has two distinct Mega forms, giving you strategic flexibility as you learn the game.
Mega Evolution in Pokemon Champions is a powerful mechanic that transforms your Pokemon mid-battle. See our Mega Evolution guide for how to unlock and use it — but at a basic level, Charizard lets you experiment with two different Mega approaches without switching starters.
Its bundled team includes Whimsicott (support), Gengar (coverage), Azumarill (bulk), Steelix (physical wall), and Drampa (special attacker). It is a well-rounded squad that works before you figure out Mega Evolution and rewards you with more options once you do.
Best for: Players who want to learn Mega Evolution without committing to one transformation.
Gardevoir — Fewest Weaknesses, Easiest Offense
Gardevoir is recommended for beginners for a specific structural reason: it has only three type weaknesses and is immune to Dragon-type moves. In a meta where type matchups determine outcomes, having fewer exploitable weaknesses means fewer situations where an opponent can one-shot your lead Pokemon before you act.
Its Mega Evolution is also particularly beginner-friendly. Mega Gardevoir’s Pixilate ability converts Normal-type moves to Fairy-type, which means you do not need to manage a complex moveset — you run Normal attacks and they automatically become Fairy-type damage. That simplifies the offensive decision-making significantly.
The bundled team — Heracross, Drampa, Azumarill, Corviknight, Abomasnow — gives you physical and special coverage, plus Corviknight as a defensive pivot and Abomasnow for Hail weather control.
Best for: Players who find themselves losing to type matchups and want a more defensively resilient lead.
Palafin — Power Without Mega Evolution Dependency
Palafin is ranked alongside Charizard and Tyranitar as a safe pick for new players, with one notable quality: its team provides raw power without requiring you to invest in Mega Evolution to keep up. For players who find Mega Evolution’s added decision-making stressful early on, Palafin’s team of Gengar, Aggron, Beedrill, Sylveon, and Hydreigon hits hard in a more straightforward way.
This also means your team-building downstream is more flexible — you are not building around Mega slots from day one, which opens up more options as your roster grows via the Recruit Ranch.
Best for: Players who want a strong team but prefer to learn the core battle system before adding Mega Evolution complexity.
Starter Tier Summary for New Players
The remaining four starters — Altaria, Absol, Lucario, and Armarouge — do not have the same weight of beginner recommendations behind them based on available sources. That does not mean they are bad; it means community consensus has not settled on clear beginner use cases for them the way it has for the top five. Altaria’s team includes Kingambit and Arcanine; Absol brings Garchomp and Whimsicott; Lucario pairs with Gyarados and Sylveon; Armarouge gets Hydreigon and Hawlucha. If one of these four is your favorite Pokemon, pick it — the Recruit Ranch lets you fill gaps over time.
Here is the full picture in one place:
| Tier | Starter | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Best Beginner | Snorlax | Total newcomers, learning the basics |
| Best Beginner | Pikachu | Single Battle learners, multiple win conditions |
| Best Doubles | Tyranitar | Players entering Double Battles / VGC format |
| Strong Pick | Charizard | Mega Evolution learners, tournament-tested |
| Strong Pick | Gardevoir | Players frustrated by type matchup losses |
| Flexible | Palafin | Power without Mega Evolution dependency |
| Personal Pick | Altaria, Absol, Lucario, Armarouge | Fan favorites — viable, less community data |
How to Grow Your Roster After the Tutorial
Your starter team is just the beginning. Here is how roster expansion works:
Recruit Ranch (free daily trial): Once every 22 hours, a free Trial Recruitment presents 10 random Pokemon. You pick one to use on a 7-day trial. Trial Pokemon cannot be trained or edited, but they let you test before you spend. To permanently recruit a Pokemon, it costs 2,500 VP or one Teammate Ticket.
Victory Points (VP) — how to earn them:
| Source | VP Earned |
|---|---|
| Ranked win | ~300 VP |
| Ranked loss | ~150 VP |
| Daily missions | Up to 500 VP/day |
| Battle tutorial completions (total pool) | Up to 10,000 VP |
| Starter Mission (first Home transfer) | 3,000 VP |
VP cannot be purchased with real money. It is earned through gameplay only. Working through the in-game battle tutorials is the single biggest VP windfall available early — the completion pool can reach around 10,000 VP and covers several permanent recruits.
Pokemon Home transfers: Pokemon transferred from Home are permanently unlocked in Champions without spending VP. They are flagged as “visiting” and temporarily locked in Home while in use. Sending a first Pokemon from Home also triggers a 3,000 VP Starter Mission reward.
For a full daily checklist of how to maximize VP and resources, see the Pokemon Champions Daily Checklist.
The Stat System: Why All Starters Start Equal
Pokemon Champions uses a simplified competitive stat system designed for fairness. All Pokemon are calculated at level 50. All IVs (individual values — the hidden stat modifiers in mainline games) are treated as 31, the maximum. The game replaces Effort Values (EVs) with a new stat point system.
The practical effect: you do not start behind because you have not trained your Pokemon. A freshly recruited Pokemon and a long-held favorite compete on even footing. This removes one of the biggest barriers from competitive mainline Pokemon — the grind to optimize stats — and lets you focus on team composition and battle decisions.
For a deeper look at how the stat system works, see our Pokemon Champions EV/IV Stats Guide.
Is Pokemon Champions Free? What Does the Starter Pack Add?
Pokemon Champions is free to download and start on all platforms. The paid options are:
- Starter Pack DLC — $6.99: Includes 30 Teammate Tickets, 50 Training Tickets, and expanded box storage (from 30 to 80 Pokemon slots). Teammate Tickets allow permanent recruitment without spending VP — effectively 30 free recruits.
- Premium Battle Pass — $6.99/month: Seasonal cosmetic and resource rewards.
- Membership — ~$4/month or $49.99/year: Access to additional features (exact feature set varies by platform).
The Starter Pack is the most directly useful early purchase if you want to accelerate roster building. But it is genuinely optional — the daily VP grind is the intended free path.
New players on Switch and Switch 2 should also check the in-game mailbox for an early download bonus: Dragonite and 100 Quick Coupons.
For the full breakdown of current codes and bonuses, see the Pokemon Champions Mystery Gift Codes list.
FAQ
Which starter is best for new players in Pokemon Champions? Snorlax is the single safest pick for total beginners — it tanks damage and forgives mistakes. Pikachu is the second-best beginner starter thanks to a well-rounded team with multiple win conditions. Both are free to keep permanently after the tutorial.
How many starters are there in Pokemon Champions? There are 10 starter Pokemon: Charizard, Tyranitar, Armarouge, Palafin, Pikachu, Lucario, Gardevoir, Absol, Altaria, and Snorlax. Each comes with a fixed team of 5 additional Pokemon, giving you a full squad of 6 from the start.
Are Pokemon Champions starters free to keep? Yes. All 10 starter Pokemon and their full teams are permanently added to your roster for free — no Victory Points (VP) or real money required.
Can you change your starter in Pokemon Champions? No — your starter choice is permanent. You cannot re-pick after the tutorial. However, you can recruit all 10 starters’ full teams later through the Recruit Ranch (2,500 VP per Pokemon) or via Pokemon Home transfers.
Which starter is best for Double Battles? Tyranitar is the only starter with immediate weather control via Sand Stream, making it the top pick for players who want to jump into Double Battles. Its team includes Arcanine (Intimidate), Whimsicott (Tailwind/Trick Room), and Sylveon (Hyper Voice spread damage).
Does it matter which starter you pick if you plan to use Pokemon Home? Less so. Pokemon transferred from Pokemon Home are permanently unlocked in Pokemon Champions without spending VP, so Home transfers can quickly supplement a weaker starter team. That said, starting with a strong team still makes the early experience smoother.
What is the Recruit Ranch in Pokemon Champions? The Recruit Ranch (operated by a character named Kitt) is where you expand your roster after the tutorial. Once every 22 hours, a free Trial Recruitment lets you pick one of 10 random Pokemon on a 7-day trial. To permanently recruit a Pokemon, you spend 2,500 VP or one Teammate Ticket.
Can you get Victory Points without spending money? Yes — VP cannot be purchased with real money at all. You earn VP through gameplay: ~300 VP per ranked win, ~150 VP per loss, up to 500 VP per day from daily missions, up to 10,000 VP from completing in-game battle tutorials, and 3,000 VP via a one-time Starter Mission for transferring a Pokemon from Home.
Is Pokemon Champions free to play? Yes, it is free to download and start on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, iOS, and Android. Optional paid content includes a Starter Pack ($6.99), Premium Battle Pass ($6.99/month), and Membership (~$4/month or $49.99/year).
Does Pokemon Champions have crossplay between Switch and mobile? Yes. Cross-platform play between Nintendo Switch and mobile is fully supported. Save data carries over between platforms when linked to the same Nintendo Account.
