Pokémon Champions Meta Report — Regulation M-A → M-B, June 2026

Basculegion ended Regulation M-A as the most-used Pokémon in Pokémon Champions VGC at 43.88% usage in May 2026, after climbing 11.18 points past launch-month leader Sneasler. With Regulation M-B and the mobile launch both arriving June 17, this is the final picture of the format's first regulation — and the baseline everything is about to shift from.

All numbers below are weighted usage from the Pokémon Showdown ladder, published monthly by Smogon — 3,355,619 battles in May, up from 3,122,222 in April. They are simulator stats, not in-game Ranked Battle data (the in-game Battle Data screen shows only a daily top 20 and keeps no history).

Usage at a glance — May 2026

What changed from April to May

Regulation M-A only ran for two full stats months, but the swing between them was dramatic.

Risers

Fallers

New to the meta (crossed 2% usage)

Dropped out (fell below 2% usage)

How Regulation M-A actually played out

The launch month belonged to Sneasler (43.85%, #1 in April) — the fastest route to pressure in a format where most players were still learning the Mega Evolution turn economy. May was the correction: Sneasler shed 15.16 points as answers crystallized, and Basculegion inherited the top slot at 43.88%. The pieces around Basculegion tell the story — Whimsicott (+6.08 pts) for Tailwind support and Pelipper, which fell overall (-2.13 pts) but remained the #13 pick as the dedicated rain setter — water-speed offense became the format's defining engine.

The Mega layer settled into a clear hierarchy. Charizard-Mega-Y was the regulation's breakout Mega, more than gaining back in May (+10.56 pts, #5) what it lacked at launch, with Torkoal (6.23%, #25) tagging along as the sun partner. Floette-Mega held steady around 19.7% as the premier Fairy Mega, while early-regulation experiments like Froslass-Mega, Meganium-Mega, and Delphox-Mega all bled out (each down ~3.3 pts). Under the Omni Ring's one-Mega-per-team rule, the ladder consolidated on roughly six Megas worth bringing — Charizard Y, Floette, Aerodactyl, Blastoise, Gengar, and Scovillain all finished above 6%.

The biggest single riser outside the top 10 was Sylveon (+9.87 pts to #12) — a spread-damage check to the Fighting/Dragon core of Sneasler and Garchomp that defined April. Glimmora's jump from #100 to #26 (+5.47 pts) is the most interesting tech story of the regulation: hazard pressure as Trick Room and switch-heavy structures (Farigiraf +2.87, Sableye +4.54) gained ground.

One caution on reading these numbers: usage is bring rate on the Showdown ladder, where the regulation was simulated with standard EV mechanics. Champions' in-game VP stat system can shift speed benchmarks at the margins, so treat exact speed-tier conclusions with care.

What to expect from Regulation M-B (June 17)

Regulation M-B goes live June 17, 2026 — the same day Pokémon Champions launches on iOS and Android. Three things are worth planning for now:

1. New legal Pokémon and items. Pre-launch coverage confirms M-B expands the roster and item pool beyond M-A's 186-species cap. The login giveaway of Raichu with Raichunite X and Y (claimable June 17 – September 1) signals at least one brand-new Mega entering the pool immediately — and a free, accessible one at that, which historically means high early usage.
2. A player-base shock. The mobile launch will be the largest influx of new players the format has seen. Early M-B ladder stats will skew toward accessible, giveaway-adjacent teams before stabilizing — expect June's split-month numbers (M-A through June 16, M-B after) to be noisy, with the first clean M-B picture in the July stats.
3. The M-A core is the starting point, not the answer. Basculegion-rain, Kingambit, and Garchomp don't lose anything on June 17, but every new Mega Stone and roster addition is a potential answer to them. The teams that defined late M-A — water-speed offense, Charizard-Y sun, Glimmora hazards — are exactly what new tech will be aimed at.

We will publish the first full Regulation M-B report when Smogon's June statistics land in early July, and monthly from there.

Common questions

Is Incineroar still good in Pokémon Champions?

Yes — but it is no longer mandatory. Incineroar fell from 36.83% in April to 25.11% in May (#3 → #6), the second-biggest drop in the format, as faster offense (Basculegion, Charizard-Mega-Y) punished slow pivoting. It remains the format's premier Intimidate support and a safe pick on bulkier structures heading into M-B.

What was the best Pokémon in Regulation M-A?

By final usage, Basculegion (43.88% in May, #1). Over the whole regulation, the title is split: Sneasler owned April (43.85%) before falling to #4, while Basculegion, Kingambit (36.32%), and Garchomp (36.00%) were top-five in both months.

When does Regulation M-B start, and what changes?

June 17, 2026, alongside the mobile (iOS/Android) launch. It expands the legal roster and item pool, headlined by newly available Mega Stones — including Raichunite X/Y from the launch giveaway. Ranked Battle seasons continue on the same cadence, and official 2026 Championship Series events use the live regulation.

Where do these numbers come from?

Smogon's monthly weighted usage statistics for the Pokémon Showdown ladder (format gen9championsvgc2026regma) — 3.36M battles in May 2026. Showdown is a simulator: numbers reflect its ladder, not in-game Ranked Battle usage, which has no public historical data.