Best Starter in Pokémon Champions
After the tutorial, Pokémon Champions hands you a choice: one of around ten starting lineups, each named after a lead Pokémon and built out to six. This guide picks the best starter for your playstyle and links every Pokémon in each lineup to its dex page.
How to Choose Your Starter
There is no single best starter, only the best one for how you want to play. Every lineup is viable, so pick by goal. Want a forgiving first team? Lean beginner. Planning to climb ranked Doubles? Go competitive. Want something that grows with you? Pick balanced.
- New to Pokémon
Pikachu or Snorlax. Broad coverage, tanky, and hard to lose with while you learn the basics.
- Aiming for ranked Doubles
Tyranitar. Weather control plus Intimidate and spread damage, the strongest pick for competitive play.
- Want a flexible all-rounder
Gardevoir or Charizard. Safe defaults that carry you from casual battles into competitive without a reset.
1Best Starter for Beginners
If this is your first competitive Pokémon game, start here. These lineups forgive mistakes, cover a wide range of threats, and shine in Single Battles where you only steer one Pokémon at a time.
The most forgiving pick and the best lineup for beginners and Single Battles. Its team answers a huge slice of the early ladder with broad type coverage, and Static punishes anything that touches it.
The safest, tankiest starter. Enormous bulk soaks hits while you learn matchups, so games rarely fall apart in one turn. A great pick if you would rather grind out wins than race.
2Best Starter for Competitive Doubles
Planning to take ranked Doubles seriously? This lineup brings the tools top players actually want: weather, Intimidate, and spread damage that hits both opponents at once.
The strongest pick for competitive Doubles. Sand Stream sets the weather, Arcanine drops attack with Intimidate, and Sylveon adds area damage. Higher skill ceiling, but the most upside on the ladder.
3Best Balanced Starters
Want one team that does a bit of everything? These all-rounders play well in casual battles and hold up in competitive, so you will not need to rebuild the moment you start laddering.
A strong, safe default. Good in casual play and competent in competitive, the easiest lineup to recommend when you are not sure how you want to play yet.
The aggressive balanced pick. Blaze powers up its Fire moves under pressure and it brings early Dragon coverage. A mid skill requirement, rewarding once you know when to commit.
A flexible, viable pick with strong defensive typing. A solid choice if you like supportive teams that stick around and grind opponents down.
A high-upside pick built around a powerful transformation. Viable and rewarding for players who want a starter with a clear win condition to build toward.
Whichever lineup you choose, build it out in the Team Builder and check the live meta rankings to see what your starter will face on the ladder.
Best Starter FAQ
What is the best starter in Pokémon Champions?
There is no single best starter, only the best one for your playstyle. Pikachu and Snorlax are the most forgiving for beginners, Tyranitar is the strongest for competitive Doubles, and Gardevoir or Charizard are the safest balanced all-rounders.
Which starter is best for beginners?
Pikachu is the most forgiving starter and the best for new players and Single Battles, thanks to broad type coverage and the Static passive. Snorlax is the tankiest alternative if you prefer to grind out wins instead of racing.
Which starter is best for competitive?
Tyranitar is the best competitive and Doubles starter. It brings weather control through Sand Stream plus Intimidate support and spread damage, the toolkit top players want on the ranked ladder.