The little electric mouse just learned a few new tricks. Pokémon Champions, the free-to-start competitive battle simulator from The Pokémon Company, landed on iOS and Android today, June 17, and it brought a long-awaited guest to the party. Mega Raichu X, teased in the game's early trailers but mysteriously missing at launch, finally joins the roster as a new season kicks off across every version of the game.
Two Mega Forms, One Tough Choice
Both of Raichu's Mega Evolutions arrive at once, and they pull in opposite directions. Mega Raichu X is the muscle, a physical attacker with a 135 Attack stat and the Electric Surge ability, which blankets the field in Electric Terrain the instant it transforms and gives every electric move a 30 percent jolt. Mega Raichu Y is the glass cannon, trading durability for a sky-high 160 Special Attack and the No Guard ability, so its attacks never miss, though neither do the ones aimed back at it. Since Champions lets you field just one Pokémon per species, trainers have to commit to a side.
The good news for your wallet: the stones are free. From June 17 to September 2, every player can claim a Raichu along with the Raichunite X and Y Mega Stones straight from the in-game mailbox. One quirk worth remembering is that the stones only work on a classic Kantonian Raichu, not the Alolan variant.
A Mobile Launch and a Roster Refresh
The mobile debut ships with cross-save support, so a battle you start on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 can carry right over to your phone. The Switch version also stepped up to Version 1.1.0, expanding the lineup and squashing bugs as part of The Pokémon Company's stated plan to grow the roster over time.
The fresh season, Regulation M-B, keeps Mega Evolution as its headline gimmick and welcomes a wave of new faces. Roughly two dozen Pokémon join the mix, including crowd-pleasers like Blaziken, Swampert, Sceptile, Metagross, and Gholdengo. Where the last regulation leaned hard on weather, this one looks set to swirl around terrain, thanks largely to Mega Raichu X and its terrain-setting flair.
Why It Matters
For anyone curious about competitive Pokémon, the timing is generous. The game costs nothing to start, it now slips into your pocket, and it hands you a shiny new toy the moment you log in. Whether you treat team-building as cold strategy or as a kind of creative collage, there's a fresh canvas to play with this week.
What's Next
The Pokémon Company says the roster will keep expanding, so expect more Pokémon, items, and balance tweaks as Regulation M-B settles in and players figure out how terrain reshapes the meta. Full patch notes and the complete list of new arrivals are rolling out now.
