Niche Pokemon Champions Teams
Regulation M-C runs from 9 September 2026 at 02:00 UTC to 2 December 2026 at 01:59 UTC. The table below separates the official rules from six tournament team lists. Moves, EVs, and items are not filled in.
What the official pages say
The Pokemon Company’s 24 March 2026 press note says Pokemon Champions launches on Nintendo Switch on 8 April 2026, with a mobile version during 2026, play on Switch 2, and Pokemon HOME support. It also says the game becomes the main VGC platform starting with the Indianapolis Regional on 29–31 May 2026, and that Worlds 2026 is 28–30 August. I am treating that press note as one source.
The official M-C rules page adds Mega Absol Z, Mega Salamence, Mega Garchomp Z, Mega Lucario Z, Mega Golisopod, and Mega Baxcalibur. A battle allows one Mega Evolution. Items cannot be duplicated. The clock is 20 minutes total, 7 minutes per player, 45 seconds per turn, and 90 seconds of preview. An official feature dated 22 October 2026, by Joseph Ugarte, says Mega Garchomp Z was on both Frankfurt finalist teams and that Eric Rios won undefeated. The same piece describes Mega Salamence’s Aerilate on Hyper Voice and Draco Meteor, and Mega Golisopod’s quadruple Fire weakness next to a rain setter.
Six lists, and one calendar conflict
The six rows are sample lists from Smogon’s Champions VGC Regulation M-C sample-team thread: Eric Rios (Frankfurt winner), Kiran Singh (Brisbane winner), Joseph Ugarte (Baltimore winner, marked RECREATION), Sebastian Liu Li (Frankfurt finalist), Louis Fontvieille (Nice winner, marked RECREATION), and a classic hard Trick Room sample. The thread marks some lists as recreations; the table keeps those labels and does not upgrade a recreation into an official paste. I do not add moves.
Serebii’s 2027 season page lists regionals from Baltimore on 18–20 September 2026 through June 2027, and Worlds on 13–15 August 2027. The same page’s prose says the season “began in September 2027,” which disagrees with the table on that page. I am keeping both wordings. Role language from Scarlet and Violet OU stays on niche pokemon competitive.
| Team | Regulation | Event | Place | Core Pokemon | Archetype | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Rios — Frankfurt Regional winner | M-C | Frankfurt Regional, Regulation M-C | 1 | Raichu-Mega-Y, Rillaboom, Volcarona, Incineroar, Gholdengo, Garchomp-Mega-Z | Mega Garchomp Z + Volcarona | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
| Kiran Singh — Brisbane Regional winner | M-C | Brisbane Regional, Regulation M-C | 1 | Charizard-Mega-Y, Pelipper, Archaludon, Venusaur, Grimmsnarl, Garchomp-Mega-Z | Mega Garchomp Z on a rain team | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
| Joseph Ugarte — Baltimore Regional winner | M-C | Baltimore Regional, Regulation M-C | 1 | Tyranitar-Mega, Excadrill, Sneasler, Indeedee, Corviknight, Salamence-Mega | Mega Salamence + Mega Tyranitar sand | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
| Sebastian Liu Li — 2nd, Frankfurt Regional | M-C | Frankfurt Regional, Regulation M-C | 2 | Farigiraf, Incineroar, Torkoal, Sneasler, Sylveon, Garchomp-Mega-Z | Mega Garchomp Z + Torkoal sun | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
| Louis Fontvieille — Nice Regional winner | M-C | Nice Regional, Regulation M-C | 1 | Raichu-Mega-X, Golisopod-Mega, Archaludon, Pelipper, Basculegion-F, Sneasler | Mega Golisopod rain | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
| Classic Hard Trick Room Psyspam | M-C | Regulation M-C sample teams | Farigiraf, Incineroar, Indeedee-F, Hatterene, Kingambit, Camerupt-Mega | Trick Room + Psychic Terrain | 1 official report + 1 sample-team list |
Video
A Champions team video. The six lists on this page are from the sample-team thread and the official M-C pages, not from the video.
FAQ
What is the best niche Pokemon Champions team?
I will not name a best team. The sourced winners on this page are Eric Rios in Frankfurt, Kiran Singh in Brisbane, Joseph Ugarte in Baltimore, and Louis Fontvieille in Nice. “Best” would need a second metric I do not have.
When does Regulation M-C end?
The official rules page says 2 December 2026 at 01:59 UTC. It starts 9 September 2026 at 02:00 UTC.
Related
- niche pokemon competitive — OU roles, a different rule set
- niche pokemon list — species rows
- what is a niche pokemon — definition
Sources
- Pokémon Champions launch note — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation M-C rules — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation M-C overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Serebii — 2027 season — checked 2026-11-05
- Smogon — M-C sample teams — checked 2026-11-05
Sources for individual table entries
- Eric Rios — Frankfurt Regional winner
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
- Kiran Singh — Brisbane Regional winner
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
- Joseph Ugarte — Baltimore Regional winner
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
- Sebastian Liu Li — 2nd, Frankfurt Regional
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
- Louis Fontvieille — Nice Regional winner
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
- Classic Hard Trick Room Psyspam
- Smogon Champions VGC Regulation M-C Sample Teams — checked 2026-11-05
- Pokémon Champions Regulation M-C Overview — checked 2026-11-05
- Regulation Set M-C (official rules) — checked 2026-11-05
Page updated 2026-11-05. Published by Niche Pokemon.