Pokémon Champions: Ultra Beasts, VGC 2026 status

Since the launch of Pokémon Champions on Nintendo Switch on April 8, 2026, the VGC scene has shifted to a platform dedicated solely to battling. Regulation M-B, active from June 17 to September 2, 2026, serves as the official format for the upcoming Regionals, Internationals, and the World Championships in August. One question keeps coming up in the French-speaking community: where have the Ultra Beasts gone? Nihilego, Buzzwole, Kartana, and their Ultra Space cousins defined VGC 2018 and then Series 8-13 on Sword & Shield. Are they allowed, banned, or simply absent from the Champions roster? Here's the full rundown.

Reminder: what is an Ultra Beast?

Ultra Beasts (Ultra-Chimères in French) form a family of eleven Pokémon introduced in Generation VII with Pokémon Sun & Moon. Unlike classic Legendaries, they come from another world and arrive in Alola through Ultra Wormholes. Their signature mechanic is called Beast Boost: when an Ultra Beast knocks out an opponent during its turn, its highest stat goes up by one stage. As a nice touch, almost all of their base stats are prime numbers, a design nod from Game Freak.

The list of the ten Ultra Beasts playable in VGC (Poipole, the eleventh, exists as an evolutionary form):

• Nihilego — Rock/Poison, the special-attacking Ultra Beast whose Beast Boost raises Special Attack.
• Buzzwole — Bug/Fighting, a muscular physical tank.
• Pheromosa — Bug/Fighting, a fragile mixed attacker with identical Attack and Special Attack (137) and off-the-charts Speed.
• Xurkitree — Electric, a special cannon with 173 Special Attack.
• Celesteela — Steel/Flying, a versatile physical wall.
• Kartana — Grass/Steel, an offensive blade with 181 Attack and 109 Speed.
• Guzzlord — Dark/Dragon, a monstrous HP bag (223) but fragile in defenses.
• Naganadel — Poison/Dragon, the only one that evolves (from Poipole) and a fast special pivot.
• Blacephalon — Fire/Ghost, a special bomb with 151 Special Attack.
• Stakataka — Rock/Steel, a physical wall with 211 Defense.

Regulation M-B: Ultra Beasts are off the roster

This needs to be said upfront to cut short the misinformation circulating on Reddit and Discord: none of the ten Ultra Beasts are playable in Regulation M-B of Pokémon Champions. They simply do not appear on the list of eligible species, alongside roughly 224 allowed Pokémon. This is therefore neither a competitive ban nor a restriction: they simply haven't been programmed into the game yet at this point.

Regulation M-B focuses on Mega Evolutions (16 new ones available since June 17) and on classic evolutionary lines — not on Ultra Space creatures. No Ultra Beast appears in the Pikalytics top 25 usage stats.

The confusion often comes from a shortcut: because Ultra Beasts are considered Legendary-adjacent, people mentally file them in the same category as Restricted Pokémon. That's wrong. A Restricted Pokémon (like Miraidon, Koraidon, Zacian, or Calyrex Ice Rider) is present in the game but limited to one per team only in the Regulation formats that allow it. An Ultra Beast absent from the roster, on the other hand, cannot be selected at all — it's a grayed-out box in the Team Builder.

Don't confuse them with restricted Mythicals

Another frequent misunderstanding: Ultra Beasts are not Mythical Pokémon. Mythicals (Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Shaymin, Volcanion, Marshadow, Zeraora, Zarude, Pecharunt…) are a separate category, generally obtained via events and systematically banned in official VGC, including in Regulation M-B. Ultra Beasts, on the other hand, were freely catchable in Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, Sword, Shield (via Crown Tundra) and Scarlet/Violet — and were legal for several VGC seasons.

Quick recap of who does what regarding restrictions in Champions M-B:

• Allowed without limit: the vast majority of the 224-species roster, along with Mega Evolutions.
• Restricted (1 per team max): none in M-B, unlike future "Reg. G" formats expected for the 2027 Worlds.
• Banned by category: all Mythicals, all Past/Future Paradox Pokémon that haven't yet been patched into the game, and the entire set of Ultra Beasts.

VGC history: when the Ultra Beasts reigned

If Game Freak and The Pokémon Company eventually add Ultra Beasts to Champions (probably around Regulation M-D or M-E), expect to see already proven dynamics resurface. A quick reminder of their competitive track record:

• VGC 2018 (Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon): this was the golden age of Ultra Beasts, with two copies allowed per team. Buzzwole + Kartana on offense, Pheromosa under Trick Room, Stakataka as a finisher — the entire meta revolved around these three.
• VGC 2021 Series 8-10 (Sword/Shield): Pheromosa under Trick Room with Greninja and Rockruff took several Regionals top cuts. Kartana with Choice Band Leaf Blade spammed instant KOs under Rain or Sun.
• VGC 2023-2024: Ultra Beasts shone in open Series (Trick Room Celesteela, Naganadel under Tailwind) but remained banned in official Regulation.

Buzzwole remains one of the rare Bug/Fighting Pokémon to stack Attack, Special Attack and Speed above 130. Its fragility (37 Defense) is legendary, but a single Beast Boost in Speed makes it impossible to outspeed without priority.

The best historical builds to keep in your back pocket

While waiting for their integration into Champions, here are the sets that remain the strongest according to the classic VGC meta. They work as-is on Showdown if you want to test them before the official patch:

Pheromosa — Trick Room anchor

• Ability: Beast Boost (Defense rises on each KO)
• Item: Choice Scarf
• Nature: Brave (0 Speed IV)
• EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
• Moves: Gyro Ball, Fire Blast, Rock Wrecker, Rock Slide

Kartana — Offensive Sacred Sword

• Ability: Beast Boost
• Item: Choice Band
• Nature: Adamant
• EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Moves: Leaf Blade, Sacred Sword, Psycho Cut, Pursuit

Buzzwole — Mixed sweeper

• Ability: Beast Boost
• Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
• Nature: Timid
• EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
• Moves: Ice Punch, Petal Dance, Aurora Sweep, Feint

Naganadel — Special Volt Switch pivot

• Ability: Beast Boost
• Item: Choice Scarf or Leftovers
• Nature: Modest
• EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
• Moves: Earthquake (coverage), Sludge Wave, Toxic, Sludge Bomb

Likely role in Doubles if it returns to Champions

Pokémon Champions' Doubles format favors three archetypes where Ultra Beasts would immediately excel:

• Beast Boost snowball: Pheromosa or Buzzwole clean up a match from the very first KO, the boosted secondary stat making them untouchable.
• Offensive Trick Room: Celesteela and Kartana take advantage of Trick Room to stack up devastating Steel-type attacks. Kartana in particular handles the current very Fairy-heavy ecosystem (Tinkaton, Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle).
• Special speed control: Blacephalon holding a Focus Sash offers unique Fire/Ghost pressure against the mono-Steel types of the current meta (Metagross, Kingambit).

One unknown remains: will Game Freak choose to keep the Beast Boost ability as is, or rebalance it as they did with Basculegion's Adaptability in the June 1.2.0 patch?

What to remember for the 2026 season

• No Ultra Beast is playable in Regulation M-B (June 17 – September 2, 2026).
• This is not a ban: they are simply absent from the Champions roster, unlike most non-restricted Legendaries.
• They are not Mythicals: don't confuse the category, Mythicals are systematically banned.
• The 2026 Worlds in August in Anaheim will be played without Ultra Beasts — prepare your teams around Garchomp, Sinistcha, Basculegion, and Kingambit.
• A future integration is likely but not officially announced: the Champions roadmap mentions "new arrivals" for Regulation M-C expected in September.

Credit: The Pokémon Company / Nintendo

To go further

• Poképédia: the page for each Ultra Beast with exact stats and move tree (useful for checking translations of moves like Trick or Explosion).
• Serebii.net: daily updates on the Champions roster and Regulation changes.
• Victory Road VGC: regional and international tournament reports, handy for spotting anti-meta Pokémon tech.
• Pikalytics: real-time usage statistics for Regulation M-B, useful for preparing your answers to the Kingambit or Basculegion that are flooding the ladder.
• Pokemon.com: official press releases, the Pokémon Championships calendar, and the complete rules of the 2026 Championship Series.

One last practical tip: if you want to keep playing your Ultra Beast teams while waiting for them to arrive in Champions, Pokémon Showdown remains the most widely used unofficial platform. The Series 12 and Series 13 metas are still active there, with a lively community in the dedicated VGC rooms.