We are days removed from the Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, and as we start slowly treading toward next year’s Singapore tournament, the competitive handbook has gotten a refresh. Pokémon Champions players are pretty excited about one major change, while another has raised some eyebrows.
The good news is that the mobile version of Champions, which launched back in June a few months after the Switch version, is now supported in some official tournaments, specifically for locals like “Open Play Sessions, VGC Cups and Challenges, and any Celebration Events that include Pokémon Champions.” This does not extend to regional tournaments and beyond, which require players to have either a Switch or Switch 2. So while the mobile version is still not going to take anyone to Worlds, this does lower the barrier of entry for those looking to start competing. Hopefully this is a sign that the mobile version is working its way up the ranks and will eventually be more widely eligible.
“Feels like they will after checking the numbers and reviews on local tournaments,” a fan writes on Reddit. “Makes sense to try it on a small scale first to have an impression how it might affect attendance & potential sales. On top of that you got time to optimize any performance issues before they might ruin a big tournament otherwise.”
More people have phones than Switches, so bringing competitive play to a wider audience is always a good thing. Where things are a little more questionable is in the updates to rulings on game disconnects. While some situations are pretty cut and dried, such as when a match completes before a player is able to reconnect in which case it will be deemed legitimate, others seem more up to judge discretion, and that’s got folks worried.
- If a competitor disconnects after they input their moves, and the game in progress completes with a decisive winner before they reconnect that same turn, the game will be considered complete and the ingame result will stand. If a competitor disconnects and reconnects within two turns, the game is still considered valid and players can expect to play the game out normally.
- If a competitor disconnects for more than two turns and is unable to reconnect, tournament staff (at their sole discretion) may review the situation and void the game if required.
- In the event of any competitor disconnection, tournament staff reserves the right to void a game, allow a game to be replayed, move to a sudden death game, or award a game victory. This decision is made at the sole discretion of tournament staff and is dependent on the circumstances involved in the competitor disconnection.
This is literally the worst possible answer for disconnects https://t.co/kJ0Dn9zTO8 pic.twitter.com/035RkKF4zC
— Oliver Gausden (@DinomiteVGC) September 1, 2026
Lots of issues here.
1. if you DC on a decisive turn, whoops sorry you lose
2. if you DC earlier in the game it reads like players can stall rejoining to force a void game if they were in an unfavorable position?
3. last point also kinda sounds like the rule is just judge vibes pic.twitter.com/o3jeNOhytJ— Stefan Mott (@PengyTwitch) September 1, 2026
“So basically whatever the staff decides, which means a bonus for people with good standings with the staff,” a Redditor writes.
“And a negative for people who the staff are predisposed against,” another replies.
Disconnects are sometimes difficult to handle in tournaments because it’s sometimes possible for a player to reconnect and pick things back up, but turns are set to a timer that will automatically pick a move if you’re inactive for a certain period of time. So by the time you’ve reconnected, you might have to try to discern what actually happened while you were trying to get back in the game. When things are down to the wire at a tournament, there might not be time to fully grasp the game state before you pick your next move. Some players were affected by this during Worlds, and it doesn’t sound like Pokémon has figured out a satisfactory answer to the problem.
Knocked out of Worlds by a mid-game DC in Round 5 😐
My game disconnected after selecting moves, I didn't get to see how the turn played out but my opponent did, and after a judge reconnected the game it was difficult to make sense of what was going on— Chuppa (@ChuppaVGC) August 28, 2026
“Three bullet points, and only the latter matters: Whatever the staff is feeling that day,” a Redditor says.
Competitive Pokémon’s rulesets and judges have been under scrutiny by some sides of the community for what some have deemed inconsistent rulings on what the company considers to be disruptive or game state–altering, and so anything that seems vibes-based as opposed to grounded in specific, measurable circumstances puts some players on edge.
Pokémon Champions’ next season begins on September 9, and will bring the Z-form Mega Evolutions for Lucario, Absol, and Garchomp to the game.
