Pokémon Champions: TPCi's official Mega Raichu X team — the 6 complete sets and the 3 starting duos in M-B rules

The Pokémon Company International uploaded on July 21, 2026 a complete team built around Mega Raichu X, penned by Aaron Zheng. The author's central argument boils down to one line: Mega Raichu X is, he writes, "currently the only Pokémon capable of changing the terrain through an Ability." The entire list stems from this particularity, and it explains why this Mega Evolution deserves a second look even though it has shone noticeably less than Mega Raichu Y in the early formats of the M-B ruleset.

The core to keep, still according to the author, comes down to three names: Mega Raichu X, Bekipan and Pondralugon. The other three members — Gromago, Théffroyable and Flambusard — are chosen according to the opponent's profile. The whole team is played under the M-B ruleset, active in ranked battles for Season M-5 until September 9, 2026 at 01:59 UTC.

Two clarifications before the sets: this is a Duo format team intended for ranked battles, not for the August Monthly Challenge; and its Raichu is not the Alolan Raichu offered as a participation reward.

The Raichu on this team holds Raichunite X, the one from the Monthly Challenge is an Alolan Raichu

The August 2026 Monthly Challenge runs from Friday, August 21 at 02:00 UTC to Monday, August 24 at 01:59 UTC, with registrations open since August 14 at 02:00 UTC. After three battles played, whether won or lost, it hands out an Alolan Raichu, 100 Speed Coupons and the Outsider title (MCS 08/2026).

This Alolan Raichu is not the Pokémon used in this build. The team uses a classic Raichu holding Raichunite X, and no official source indicates that an Alolan Raichu can Mega Evolve into Mega Raichu X. So don't count on the distribution running from August 21 to 24 to get your hands on the centerpiece of this list: these are two different Pokémon.

Second divide: the Monthly Challenge is played in Solo Battle format, while the list described here is designed for Duo format: six Pokémon registered, four brought into each battle. It is meant for ranked battles in Season M-5.

The French client writes "stat points" and "stat adjustment," never "EV" or "nature"

A point of vocabulary worth knowing before opening the menus: the official French article uses neither "EV," nor "IV," nor "nature". It refers to stat points for stat distribution, and to stat adjustment for what the main games call nature — Jolly, Modest, Adamant, Calm. This team's values range from 2 to 32 per stat.

We ourselves published a guide on July 18 using the English-language terminology: that is not the vocabulary used in the French Champions client. The labels below are the ones you'll see on screen.

The six complete sets: item, Ability, stat points, adjustment and moves

Raichu sets up Electric Terrain through its ability, not a move

The Jolly nature raises Speed and lowers Special Attack. The set's only special move is Volt Switch, whose main purpose is the switch itself, so the drop in Special Attack barely matters. The ability listed on the sheet is Lightning Rod, Raichu's pre-Mega ability; once Mega Evolved, the Pokémon gains Surge Surfer — the English name for Electric Surge, as confirmed on pokemon.com and Nintendo-Difference — which sets up the Electric Terrain that the whole team relies on.

Frosmoth allocates 8 Speed points to outpace the 112 benchmark

These 8 points aren't just for show: they let it outspeed opposing Frosmoth and Pokémon sitting at 112 Speed, a common benchmark for Tailwind teams. The rest goes into HP and Special Defense, with Leftovers to help it last. Bug Buzz is the move that benefits most directly from Raichu's setup.

Bekipan tanks two Dragon Claws from a Life Orb Garchomp

The bulk benchmarks given by the author clearly show the defensive investment: with this spread, Bekipan survives two Dragon Claw or two Earthquake from a Life Orb Garchomp, or a Moonblast from a Timid Mega Florges with 32 Special Attack EVs. On the Speed side, it outspeeds a max Speed Mega Metagross and a Tailwind-boosted Xerneas.

Golisopod chains Stockpile... wait — Gholdengo chains Nasty Plot to erase the Make It Rain drop

This is the most elegant trick on the list. Make It Rain lowers its user's Special Attack; Nasty Plot, which raises it by two stages, cancels out that drop. Good as Gold makes it immune to Dark-type moves, and it takes Fairy-type hits well: it's the team's answer to Mega Florges and Sylveon, both very present in the format and dangerous for Baxcalibur. With Life Orb, a Make It Rain can one-shot KO.

Ceruledge picks its berry depending on what scares you the most

The default Sitrus Berry is meant to absorb Dark-type moves, with the author citing Scizor's Bug Bite as an example. Three alternative berries are suggested depending on the threat you're worried about: Roseli Berry against Fire, Colbur Berry against Ghost, Coba Berry against Flying, or a Focus Sash, which guarantees surviving a first fatal hit at 1 HP rather than betting on a specific type.

Talonflame exists to outspeed Whimsicott

Its role is stated plainly: outspeed Whimsicott and knock it out before its Tailwind. Gale Wings, Acrobatics and a Jolly nature exist solely for this purpose, with Will-O-Wisp included to neutralize a physical attacker along the way.

Three lead pairs, one per opponent profile

• Default: Mega Raichu X + Kingdra in front, Beedrill + Gengar in the back.
• Against Whimsicott teams: Mega Raichu X + Talonflame in front, Kingdra + Beedrill in the back. Talonflame removes Whimsicott right away, while Mega Raichu X threatens the opponent's Mega Charizard Y, Mega Altaria, and Torkoal in return.
• Against low-offense teams: Mega Raichu X + Torterra in front, Kingdra + Beedrill or Gengar in the back. A first-turn Protect secures Torterra's Shell Smash.

The default game plan is simple: Mega Evolve on turn one, then use Volt Switch to swap Raichu and Beedrill. You get rain immediately and an Electric Terrain already set up for Kingdra.

One technical detail worth remembering: you can target your own Kingdra with Volt Switch to trigger its Sturdy ability and gain a Defense boost, without risking getting blocked by an opposing Protect.

Variants the author leaves open

• On Raichu: Encore, Charm, Confuse Ray, Croc Tear [sic], or Protect instead of one of the four moves.
• More defensive investment on Raichu and Torterra, at the expense of their offense.
• Ice Beam on Beedrill, specifically against Garchomp.
• For a more classic rain setup: Gyarados, Golisopod, or Torkoal as partners, with another Mega Evolution among Swampert, Metagross, and Venusaur.

A reminder before tinkering with items: the Champions item pool is closed. No Choice Band, Choice Specs, Assault Vest, Heavy-Duty Boots, or Eviolite: a set copied straight from a classic VGC guide can't be transplanted as-is.

What's left to play: M-5 until September 9, Worlds from August 28 to 30

The official article is dated July 21: nearly a month later, the meta may have shifted, and the damage benchmarks mentioned above remain the author's estimates. That said, the calendar still allows some leeway. The M-5 ranked battle season runs from August 5 at 2:00 AM UTC to September 9 at 1:59 AM UTC, with an M-5 Battle Pass on the same window. The Champion rank and Master Ball rank tiers 1 through 3 were added to the rankings on the morning of Wednesday, August 12.

In the meantime, the Monthly Challenge will run from August 21 to 24 — in Solo Battle, so with another team — and the 2026 World Championships will be held from August 28 to 30 in San Francisco. Since the M-B ruleset remains in effect until September 9, there are still about three weeks left to make the most of this list.