Pokémon Champions Will Make One Major Change To The Pokémon Competitive Scene

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Pokémon Champions is a new game set to shake up the competitive Pokémon scene, and players have mixed feelings about it. The game, coming to Switch and mobile devices, will let players battle each other casually or in ranked matches from anywhere in the world.

Recent leaks from Centro Leaks on X (formerly Twitter) suggest a major change to how Pokémon battle stats are calculated. It appears Effort Values (EVs) will be removed and replaced with a new system called Stat Points (SP). This change will also affect how Pokémon are transferred between different games.

Pokémon Champions Will Usher In Changes

How the new stat formula changes the game

The latest update to Pokémon Champions removes Effort Values (EVs), which were previously earned by Pokémon through battles. These hidden stats used to increase a Pokémon’s strengths based on the opponents they fought – for instance, battling a Pokémon with high Defense, like Geodude, would increase your Pokémon’s own Defense stat in future encounters.

For a long time, players have been able to improve their Pokémon’s strengths using something called EVs. But in the new Champions game, EVs are changing. We’re introducing a new SP system instead. Think of it this way: each SP is about as effective as 8 EVs. You’ll be able to put up to 32 SPs into each stat, but the maximum total SP you can assign is 66.

The increased stat limit is beneficial because you can now fully maximize two stats for each Pokémon without any leftover effort values. However, there’s a catch: if you transfer Pokémon from the newer game back to an older one, any customizations you’ve made – like stat changes, nature, or moves – won’t be saved.

Fans Are Calling These Changes Positive

But some are scared to lose progress

The new way stats are calculated in Pokémon Champions is getting a good response from players. For a while, fans have been worried about how Effort Values (EVs) affect competitive battles, and many see this change as a positive first move towards fixing those issues.

Some players are worried the new way stats are calculated might undo all the hard work they’ve put into improving their characters. One player put it bluntly, asking if this means all their existing strategies are now useless.

Some players believe these adjustments to how stats are calculated might indicate larger changes coming to the Pokémon games. One commenter speculated that Individual Values (IVs) may have already been removed in the tenth generation of Pokémon, and if not, will likely be gone by the eleventh.

We’re still figuring out exactly how the recent stat changes will impact battles and training, but we’ll know for sure soon. Pokémon Champions will be released on Nintendo Switch in April 2026, and will be available on iOS and Android devices after that.

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2026-03-08 17:10