Pokémon Champions Ranks Explained: From Poké Ball to Champion Tier

Ranked Battles in Pokémon Champions run through five tiers: Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball and, at the top, Champion. The first four tiers each have four ranks (Rank 4 is the bottom, Rank 1 the top). Once you reach Master Ball, your rating rather than your rank decides your placement.

This guide covers every tier in order, how climbing works, what the season rewards in VP are, and when the next season starts. Accurate as of 3 November 2026, based on the official Pokémon Champions site, the official season news and Serebii. Where we rely on community guides, we say so.

All Pokémon Champions ranks in order

Pokémon Champions is a battle-only game. According to the official site it runs on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and mobile devices, with cross-platform play. Ranked Battles come in Single Battle and Double Battle. Community guides say each format has its own ladder.

1. 05 Champion Tier 1
2. 04 Master Ball Tier 4 (Rank 4 to 1)
3. 03 Ultra Ball Tier 4 (Rank 4 to 1)
4. 02 Great Ball Tier 4 (Rank 4 to 1)
5. 01 Poké Ball Tier 4 (Rank 4 to 1)

The names are the ones used in the official season news and the official site. Community guides also count a Beginner stage below the Poké Ball Tier, which has no season reward.

Master Ball and Champion open later

According to the official season news, Ranks 1 to 3 of the Master Ball Tier and the Champion Tier open one week after the season starts. You can't play straight to the top on day one. Once you reach Master Ball, you compete for a concrete placement, which is decided by your rating.

How you climb

Officially, Pokémon only says that your rank changes with your battle results and that you face Trainers of a similar skill level. The exact numbers are documented by the community. The points below therefore come from guides by games.gg and Operation Sports and from the Japanese Pokémon wiki. They can change with an update.

• Wins and losses: A win fills your rank gauge by one quarter, a loss lowers it by one quarter. So you need at least four net wins for one rank.
• Win streak: If you win more than two battles in a row, each win fills two quarters instead of one. According to the Japanese wiki, the bonus applies up to the Ultra Ball Tier.
• No falling out of a tier: Once you're in a new tier, community guides say you can't drop below its lowest rank.
• Singles and Doubles are separate: Each format has its own ranks and pays its own season rewards.

Why streaks matter: the bonus gets you through the tiers faster, but a bad evening costs you progress just as quickly. Plan a few battles in a row rather than squeezing in single matches.

Season rewards in VP

VP (Victory Points) are the game's currency. According to the official site you need them to recruit and train Pokémon, and you can't buy them directly. At the end of a season you receive VP based on the rank you reached. The requirement, according to Pokémon: you must have finished at least one battle in the season, win or lose.

The rewards (according to Serebii and Game8, identical for Seasons M-1, M-7 and M-8 wherever the Serebii tables show values):

According to Serebii, a single win is worth 300 VP in every tier. Reaching the Great Ball, Ultra Ball or Master Ball Tier for the first time also gives 1,000 VP, a Trainer title and extra box space, per Serebii. Some cells in the Serebii table for M-8 are empty, so we cross-checked the numbers against the Game8 table.

Seasons M-7, M-8 and Regulation Set M-C

A season lasts about four weeks. Several seasons make up a regulation set, which defines which Pokémon are allowed.

Season M-8 starts on 4 November at 02:00 UTC (3:00 a.m. in Germany). According to Serebii, Regulation Set M-C runs until 2 December 2026. Under the one-week rule, Master Ball Ranks 1 to 3 and the Champion Tier should open in M-8 around 11 November. That is our calculation from the official rule, not an announcement.

Battle rules (per Serebii for M-8): All Pokémon are set to Level 50. You bring a team of 3 to 6 in Singles and 4 to 6 in Doubles. You get 7 minutes of total time, 90 seconds for team preview and 45 seconds per turn. The current list of eligible Pokémon is in the game under Ranked Battles, Single or Double Battle, then "Check Rules".

What happens at a season change

According to the Japanese Pokémon wiki, you start every new season back in the Poké Ball Tier at Rank 4, regardless of your last result. Your VP and Pokémon stay, of course. Some community guides also mention a boost from the previous season for the first tiers. No official source gives exact values for it.

Tips for climbing

• Read the season rules first. According to the official site, the eligible Pokémon change with each new regulation set. Check the list in the game before every season.
• Plan your clock. Your total time per battle is limited to 7 minutes. Long deliberation leaves you less time for the final turns.
• Use streaks. Play when you're focused. More than two wins in a row is the fastest way up, according to the community.
• Play both formats. Singles and Doubles pay separate season VP. If you're stuck in one, you can pick up VP in the other.
• Finish at least one battle. Even a loss counts toward the season reward.
• Bring Pokémon over from HOME. According to the official site, you can transfer Pokémon from Pokémon HOME into Champions, so you don't have to recruit everything from scratch.

Recommended hardware

Pokémon Champions runs on Switch, Switch 2 and mobile devices. These guides help with your setup:

• Switch 2 controller buying guide
• Power bank buying guide for phone and Switch
• Pokémon UNITE ranks explained

Two example products (manufacturer specs, not tested by us):

Example model

For Switch 2 on the TV: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

Compatible with

Nintendo Switch 2 only

Extras

C Button, mappable GL/GR Buttons, 3.5 mm jack

Rumble / sensors

HD Rumble 2, accelerometer and gyroscope

Battery

1,070 mAh, approx. 40 hours

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Example model

For ranked on your phone: Anker Zolo Power Bank 20000mAh 45W

Several ranked battles in a row drain the battery. Specs per the Amazon product page:

Capacity

20,000 mAh

Output

up to 45 W

Ports

2 built-in USB-C cables, 1× USB-C, 1× USB-A

Size and weight

12 × 7.3 × 3.1 cm, 364 g

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FAQ

Which ranks are there in Pokémon Champions?

Five tiers: Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball and Champion. The first four each have four ranks. Rank 4 is the lowest, Rank 1 the highest.

What is the highest rank?

The Champion Tier. According to the official season news it opens one week after the season starts, and according to Serebii it pays 20,000 VP at the end of the season.

When does the next season start?

Season M-8 starts on 4 November 2026 at 02:00 UTC (3:00 a.m. in Germany) and runs until 2 December 2026.

Do Singles and Doubles count together?

No. According to community guides, both formats have separate ranks and their own season rewards.

Can I buy VP?

No. According to the official site, VP can't be purchased directly. You earn them through Ranked Battles and other tasks in the game.

Do I need to play ranked to get the season reward?

You must have finished at least one ranked battle in the season. Whether you win or lose doesn't matter for that.

Does my rank reset?

Yes, with every new season. According to the Japanese Pokémon wiki, you start again in the Poké Ball Tier at Rank 4.

Sources

• Pokémon Champions (official): home page and platforms
• Pokémon Champions (official): gameplay in German
• Pokémon Champions News: Season M-7 of Ranked Battles (German)
• Pokémon Champions News: Ranked Battles Season M-7 (English)
• Serebii: Pokémon Champions Ranked Battle
• Serebii: Ranked Battle Season M-8 (Regulation M-C)
• Game8: Ranked Battles Guide, all ranks and rewards
• games.gg: Pokémon Champions Ranked Guide (German)
• Operation Sports: How to Rank Up Quickly in Pokémon Champions
• Pokémon Wiki (Japanese): Ranked Battle Pokémon Champions