Pokémon Champions: the M-C ruleset takes over on September 9 — the M-5 pass closes one minute earlier, at 03:59 Paris time

The M-C ruleset takes effect in Pokémon Champions on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 02:00 UTC. The Pokémon Company International only publishes the UTC time: in Paris, that falls at 04:00. This is our conversion, not data provided by the publisher.

One minute earlier, at 01:59 UTC — that is 03:59 Paris time —, two counters stop: the M-5 ranked battle season and the battle pass that accompanies it. Both windows are stated in black and white in the August events announcement, published on August 5. This is the only real urgency of the week, and it has nothing to do with your team.

Six more Mega Evolutions, and 24 Pokémon of which only one is named

The reassuring point first: M-C is additive. The publisher writes that "it includes all Pokémon allowed to participate in ranked battles under previous rulesets, as well as a new selection of powerful Pokémon." No one loses their team in the process.

Three Mega Evolutions are named explicitly: Mega Dragapult, Mega Kingambit and Mega Baxcalibur. Three others arrive with a brand-new mechanic: "Pokémon Champions also sees the arrival of Mega Evolution Z with Mega Absol Z, Mega Garchomp Z and Mega Lucario Z!" Announced total: six new Mega Evolved Pokémon and 24 new playable Pokémon.

Of these 24, the announcement names only one, Gouging Fire, among those who have "already left their mark in previous Video Game tournaments." The other 23 are neither listed nor illustrated — a clear step back compared to the M-B ruleset announcement on June 17, which listed 22 recruitable Pokémon name by name, from Vileplume to Goodra. The full lists circulating elsewhere do not come from the publisher, and we do not repeat French names that the client has not yet displayed. The only up-to-date source is in-game:

1. Go to "Recruitment."
2. Select "Recruit Pokémon."
3. Select "Selection Info."
4. Check the "Pokémon in this Selection" section.

Two caveats. First, the announcement nowhere defines what Mega Evolution Z actually is: it gives the name and three holders, nothing more. As of September 4, 2026, no official French page explains it, and the game's Gameplay section doesn't even mention the term: it only promises that "other features may well be added to the Rotom Ring."

Second, several English-language sites claim that, under M-C, Mega Evolution could only be used once per battle. This rule does not appear in the French announcement, which mentions no restriction on its use. We are therefore not repeating it.

The exact schedule, converted to Paris time

The publisher only publishes its windows in UTC. The "Paris" column is our conversion: France is at UTC+2 in September, but at UTC+1 on December 2, after the time change on October 25. M-C will therefore open at 04:00 and close at 02:59, with no change made by the publisher.

A pattern jumps out: three, four, five weeks. Each season lasted one week longer than the previous one. The publisher has never commented on this progression, and we won't infer the length of the next one from it. On the ruleset side, M-C will run for twelve full weeks, versus eleven for M-B.

Season M-5 and its pass close at the same minute

The August 5 announcement is categorical: season M-5 "will run from Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 02:00 UTC to Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 01:59 UTC," and its battle pass "is available" over the exact same window. The "Rewards and premium benefits" page draws the conclusion: "Your battle pass and your Seasonal Battle Score are reset at the start of each season." Here's what's at stake:

Two caveats. The publisher writes nowhere what happens to a tier reached but not claimed: when in doubt, claim it before the switch. More reassuring: "Some premium battle pass rewards, such as Mega Stones, are also available in the shop in exchange for Victory Points (VP)." Tauros-ite and Bagworm-ite are not named specifically, but the mention targets their category — worth checking in the shop before paying for a premium pass for five days of play.

Seven days without a named ruleset, and an official diagram that's out of date

The detail no one is pointing out: ruleset M-B expired on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 01:59 UTC, as stated in the June 17 announcement. M-C doesn't take over until September 9 at 02:00 UTC. Between the two, seven full days during which no official French publication names the ruleset in effect — while season M-5 keeps running. If you're playing ranked that week, "Selection info" is your only reliable document.

The same wavering can be read in this official French diagram, which places two seasons under each ruleset: S-1 and S-2 under S-A, S-3 and S-4 under S-B. In practice, S-B will have covered three seasons — S-3, S-4, then all of S-5. A schematic illustration, not a commitment, granted, but it hadn't been corrected as of September 4, 2026.

The form of the announcement has also changed. On June 17, a single post covered the ruleset, the season and the pass, published the very day they opened. On September 2, the publisher only released the ruleset segment, a week in advance, without a word on the season or the pass that follow. The official site's labels confirm it: "Ruleset," "Ranked Battles" and "Battle Pass" in June, "Ruleset" alone in September. So no one knows which pass will follow S-5 — and since that post landed on the very day the season started in both July and August, there's little reason to expect it before the 9th.

What to do before Wednesday, September 9

1. Level up the battle pass while there are still days left: Seasonal Battle Score points are earned "regardless of the outcome of battles," so even a loss in ranked still pays off.
2. Claim everything that's unlocked: Spiritomb and its Spiritombite, the 48 Speed Vouchers, the 10,000 Victory Points, the tickets. Nothing guarantees they'll survive the reset.
3. Decide on the premium pass now, or not at all: past 03:59 Paris time on September 9, there's nothing left to unlock in it.
4. Don't rebuild your S-C team in advance based on lists gathered online: 23 of the 24 additions remain unknown, and Mega Evolution Z isn't described anywhere.

One last marker: as of September 4, 2026, no September Monthly Challenge has been announced, and the News section stops at the S-C ruleset and at Pokémon Champions Junior, expected September 9 on the German and Brazilian eShop — which we covered in detail on August 29.

What to remember

S-C opens Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 02:00 UTC — 04:00 Paris time, our conversion — for twelve weeks. It adds six Mega Evolutions, a mechanic called Mega Evolution Z, and 24 Pokémon, without removing anything already in place.

But the date that actually matters falls a minute earlier: 03:59, Paris time, the end of the S-5 season and its pass. The rest — the list of additions, the rules for Mega Evolution Z, the next season and its pass — hasn't been published yet. Whatever isn't claimed by then is out of your hands.