Pokemon Champions Tier List

Pokemon Champions tier list for VGC 2026 Regulation M-C

This list ranks every Pokemon that appears on at least 1% of high rated VGC teams in October 2026. There are 8 Pokemon in S tier, 11 in A, 13 in B, 16 in C and 12 in D, and 24 of the ranked entries are Mega Evolutions. Switch the rating band above to see how the picks change from the whole ladder down to the top players. Playing ranked singles instead? See the singles tier list.

S tier: the Pokemon every team must answer

On one team in five or more. Plan for these in every game.

• Sneasler is on 49.9% of teams, most often with White Herb and Unburden, running Close Combat, Dire Claw, Fake Out, Protect.
• Kingambit is on 42.2% of teams, most often with Chople Berry and Defiant, running Kowtow Cleave, Sucker Punch, Iron Head, Low Kick.
• Basculegion is on 34.4% of teams, most often with Focus Sash and Adaptability, running Last Respects, Aqua Jet, Wave Crash, Protect.
• Charizard-Mega-Y is on 32.3% of teams, most often with Charizardite Y and Drought, running Heat Wave, Weather Ball, Protect, Ancient Power.
• Rillaboom is on 27.4% of teams, most often with Miracle Seed and Grassy Surge, running Grassy Glide, Fake Out, Wood Hammer, U-turn.
• Incineroar is on 26.3% of teams, most often with Sitrus Berry and Intimidate, running Fake Out, Parting Shot, Flare Blitz, Darkest Lariat.
• Garchomp is on 26.1% of teams, most often with Choice Scarf and Rough Skin, running Dragon Claw, Rock Slide, Stomping Tantrum, Earthquake.
• Farigiraf is on 23.6% of teams, most often with Sitrus Berry and Armor Tail, running Trick Room, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Helping Hand.

A tier: the next layer of threats

On one team in ten or more. Expect several per tournament round.

• Archaludon (15.4%): Leftovers, Stamina, Protect, Electro Shot, Dragon Pulse.
• Indeedee-F (13.6%): Rocky Helmet, Psychic Surge, Follow Me, Helping Hand, Psychic.
• Floette-Mega (13.2%): Floettite, Fairy Aura, Protect, Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast.
• Dragonite-Mega (13.1%): Dragoninite, Multiscale, Dragon Pulse, Heat Wave, Tailwind.
• Gardevoir-Mega (13.0%): Gardevoirite, Pixilate, Hyper Voice, Psychic, Protect.
• Pelipper (12.6%): Sitrus Berry, Drizzle, Hurricane, Weather Ball, Wide Guard.
• Sylveon (11.4%): Fairy Feather, Pixilate, Hyper Voice, Detect, Hyper Beam.
• Froslass-Mega (11.2%): Froslassite, Snow Warning, Blizzard, Shadow Ball, Aurora Veil.
• Raichu-Mega-Y (11.0%): Raichunite Y, No Guard, Zap Cannon, Protect, Focus Blast.
• Gholdengo (10.5%): Life Orb, Good as Gold, Make It Rain, Shadow Ball, Protect.
• Whimsicott (10.4%): Focus Sash, Prankster, Tailwind, Moonblast, Encore.

How the tiers are cut

Usage is the share of teams that bring the Pokemon, weighted toward higher rated players the way Smogon weights its statistics. A Pokemon at 30% is on almost one team in three. Because each team has six slots, the shares add up to 600% across all Pokemon.

Using the tier list to build a team

The S and A tiers are your threat list. Before you lock a team, make sure you have a way to handle each one: a Pokemon that resists its main attack, outspeeds and knocks it out, or shuts down its plan. The team builder shows your weaknesses as you build, and the damage calculator checks whether a specific answer actually survives or KOs.

For each Pokemon's full set, including Stat Point spreads, partners and checks, see the meta page. For the complete list including everything below 1%, see the usage stats.