When you start a new game in Pokémon Champions and complete a short tutorial, you will be able to choose your first Pokémon for your collection, as is usually the case in Pokémon games. This time, though, things work a little differently: you can choose from a total of 10 different Pokémon at Aru’s Recruitment Center and keep that Pokémon permanently for free as a gift. But... which one should you choose, and which is the best?
You may be wondering about this before making your choice. In fact, choosing one Pokémon or another also means receiving 5 more Pokémon for free, which will make up your first team so you can start playing multiplayer battles. In this entry of our guide, we will explain which Pokémon from this first recruit are most worth picking, which ones stand out above the rest, and what different teams are formed depending on your choice.
The first time you visit the Recruitment Center in Pokémon Champions, you can permanently recruit one Pokémon from the following list of 10 species. These Pokémon are always the same for all players during this first choice:
Of course, before anything else, we should point out that each of these Pokémon has its own types, abilities and moves. Because of that, choosing one over another can be a little tricky. At first glance, we could say that there is no wrong choice. After all, later on you can get any of them through other recruits without much trouble, although you will depend a bit on luck to find them.
That said, if you have already played other recent Pokémon games, the choice becomes much less important, because you can take advantage of the Pokémon HOME connection to transfer Pokémon from that app to Champions. The Pokémon available in this first recruit are not especially rare in previous games, so you may already have them ready to go, or you may simply prefer to choose one you do not already have in your boxes.
In any case, whether you are a completely new player or a veteran, here are the 3 best Pokémon to choose, in our opinion, and why:
Gardevoir:
Tyranitar:
Pikachu:
Any of these 3 Pokémon seem like excellent choices to us, although you can obviously pick whichever one you prefer, or simply choose your favorite from the list without worrying too much about technical details...
That said, it is also worth remembering that some Pokémon on the list have access to their Mega-Evolved forms if you buy their Mega Stones from the shop. Besides Tyranitar and Gardevoir, Charizard, Lucario, Absol and Altaria can also Mega Evolve, which makes them especially interesting, since these forms are quite powerful once activated in battle.
In any case, one last key detail that may help you decide which Pokémon to choose is the team you receive as a gift after making your first recruit. Pay attention to the next section...
Depending on the first Pokémon you recruit in Pokémon Champions, you will receive 5 other Pokémon to form a team alongside it. The important thing is that you also keep these Pokémon permanently, so you may want to know which ones they are before making your choice.
Below, we show you the Pokémon you receive depending on your first recruit:
Charizard’s team
If you recruit Charizard as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Tyranitar’s team
If you recruit Tyranitar as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Armarouge’s team
If you recruit Armarouge as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Palafin’s team
If you recruit Palafin as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Pikachu’s team
If you recruit Pikachu as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Lucario’s team
If you recruit Lucario as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Gardevoir’s team
If you recruit Gardevoir as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Absol’s team
If you recruit Absol as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Altaria’s team
If you recruit Altaria as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
Snorlax’s team
If you recruit Snorlax as your first Pokémon, you also receive the following:
After receiving the Pokémon for your first team, you will also get one held item for each Pokémon. In this case, though, the items are always the same no matter which Pokémon you choose: Lum Berry, Sitrus Berry, Leftovers, White Herb, Focus Sash and Quick Claw. You can use them on whichever Pokémon you want.
Now that you have seen which Pokémon you get for your first team, you may have a clearer idea of which first recruit to choose. If you are still unsure, taking a look at our tier list of the best Pokémon in the game may help you make up your mind.
