Pokémon Champions: How to Get and Unlock New Pokémon

In Pokémon Champions, there are many Pokémon available from previous generations of the franchise. To obtain them, this free-to-play game offers several different options that naturally differ from the traditional catching mechanics found in the series' main RPGs. If you've just started playing, you may be wondering how this system works and how to unlock new species in Champions. In this section of our guide, we'll explain the main methods for recruiting and obtaining new Pokémon for your account.

How to Get New Pokémon at Roster Ranch

Instead of catching Pokémon in Pokémon Champions, you can recruit them directly from Kitt's Roster Ranch and then add them to your battle teams.

Every 22 hours in real time, a lineup of 10 random Pokémon will appear. You can choose one of them either for a free trial period or to recruit permanently using resources, as explained below.

Before anything else, keep in mind that you can use Quick Coupons to shorten the waiting time and refresh the random Pokémon lineup sooner. Each coupon reduces the waiting time by 1 hour, although you can also spend Victory Points to speed up the process.

Trial Recruitment

As its name suggests, Trial Recruitment allows you to add a new Pokémon to your team temporarily and for a limited time.

• Pokémon obtained through Trial Recruitment remain available for a maximum of 7 days.
• Every 22 hours, you can recruit one Pokémon on a trial basis completely free of charge at Roster Ranch.
• Pokémon obtained through Trial Recruitment cannot be trained, so you will NOT be able to change their stats or moves.
• Once the trial period ends, the Pokémon will be removed from your team and you will no longer be able to use it.

Permanent Recruitment

If you want to keep a Pokémon from Roster Ranch forever, you can choose Permanent Recruitment. This unlocks the Pokémon without any time limit.

• Permanent Recruitment requires you to spend 2,500 Victory Points (VP) on the Pokémon.
• You can also use a Teammate Ticket to recruit a Pokémon permanently without spending any VP.
• Once you permanently recruit a Pokémon, you can train it to customize its stats and moves however you like.
• Permanently recruited Pokémon never expire, so they will remain unlocked in your account forever.

Transfer Pokémon from Pokémon HOME

If you don't want to rely on the Pokémon that appear at Roster Ranch, Pokémon Champions also lets you unlock new Pokémon by bringing them directly into the game from the Nintendo Switch and mobile versions of Pokémon HOME.

Pokémon HOME compatibility has been available in Pokémon Champions worldwide since day one. You can link the Nintendo Account associated with Pokémon HOME to Champions whenever you like and transfer compatible Pokémon for free. Bringing a Pokémon over from HOME unlocks it permanently in Champions, without requiring you to recruit it by spending Victory Points.

However, there are several important details to bear in mind when using this method:

• Only Pokémon that already appear in Pokémon Champions can visit from HOME. If a species is not available in Champions, it cannot be transferred.
• Pokémon obtained directly in Champions or through the game's Mystery Gifts cannot be sent to your Pokémon HOME account.
• Pokémon brought over from Pokémon HOME do not retain their original stats or level, as every Pokémon effectively starts at level 50 in Champions.
• If a Pokémon brought over from HOME knows a move that cannot be used in Champions, you will need to train the Pokémon and teach it a different move.
• If you train a Pokémon in Champions and then send it back to HOME, the changes you made will not carry over. However, if that same Pokémon returns to Champions, it will retain the stats you previously customized.
• If you send a visiting Pokémon back to HOME and later return it to Champions in a different form, the results of any training it underwent in Champions will be lost.

With all that said, remember that Pokémon Champions supports Pokémon originating from many games in the franchise, including the mobile game Pokémon GO, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and other previous RPGs developed by Game Freak. You can also bring over any Shiny Pokémon you have stored:

If you've played any of these games, you can send the Pokémon you caught in them to Pokémon HOME and then move them into Pokémon Champions to expand the selection available for your battle teams. The process is simple and intuitive and is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest way to obtain new Pokémon in Champions.