Pokémon GO: How To Battle A Challenger

During the Pokémon World Championship 2022, Pokémon GO celebrated the good old-fashioned way — by throwing new adversaries at you!

These special World Championship Challengers were available to fight Pokémon GO's World Championship timed research quest, which you could challenge by redeeming one of the many codes being handed out during the livestreams.

• Pokémon GO Twitch Codes List - Pokémon World Championship 2022
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In this guide, we'll be showing you how to find and battle World Championship Challengers, and how to get a Pokémon World Championships 2022 Pikachu.

Pokémon GO World Championship Challengers

Where Can I Find Challengers?

As the Championship is now over, World Champion Challengers are no longer available to battle.

Originally, you could fight these from 19th to 23rd August as long as you have redeemed one of the Pokémon World Championship timed research codes. World Championship Challengers would at a PokéStop near you, and pretty frequently.

A PokéStop has a World Championship Challenger waiting for you as the PokéStop would wiggle like the Rocket Grunt PokéStops, but without their signature darker colour.

In our experience walking around a residential area with several PokéStops, we had no trouble finding Challengers as they spawned close by relatively frequently. As we battled on, another who was previously there disappeared, though, so it appears they can despawn, too

How To Battle A Challenger

Battling a World Championship Challenger played out exactly the same way as any other Pokémon GO fight, and every time you defeated one, it contributed to the timed research quest for the World Championship.

Six different Challengers appeared throughout the event, but each of them had a number of different Pokémon in their arsenal, so you might not fight the same team twice. Alternatively, you could potentially fight multiple of the same Challenger type.

The World Championship Challengers didn't use shields, while you could use two so each fight was designed to be easy enough!

Challengers Pokémon Teams

As we mentioned above, each of the six World Championship Challengers came with a number of different Pokémon to battle.

Pokémon GO veterans who have built up a strong and varied selection of Pokémon to use in battle likely had little trouble during these fights — we managed to beat the Challengers relatively easily using the Pokémon team recommended in-game.

Here is a list of potential teams for the World Championship Challengers (many thanks to The Silph Road subreddit for putting this together!)

• Pokémon GO Type Chart Explained - Effectiveness And Weakness For All Types

How To Battle An Ambitious Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Ambitious Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Ambitious Challengers (with a strong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Araquanid — Flying (Braviary), Rock (Tyranitar), Electric (Luxray)
• Effective against Swampert — Grass (Venasaur)
• Effective against Obstagoon — Fighting (Lucario), Bug (Heracross), Fairy (Zacian)
• Effective against Trevenant — Flying (Talonflame), Ghost (Chandelure), Fire (Charizard), Ice (Weavile), and Dark (Houndoom)
• Effective against Registeel — Fire (Chandelure), Fighting (Darmanitan), Ground (Excadrill)
• Effective against Walrein — Fighting (Lucario), Rock (Rampardos), Grass (Breloom), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Nidoqueen — Ground (Mamoswine), Water (Kingler), Psychic (Espeon), Ice (Darmanitan - Galarian Zen)
• Effective against Alolan Ninetales — Steel (Metagross), Poison (Overqwil), Rock (Rampardos), Fire (Heatran)
• Effective against Talonflame — Rock (Rampardos), Water (Omastar), Electric (Luxray)
• Effective against Sableye — Fairy (Togekiss)
• Effective against Greedent — Fighting (Lucario)

How To Battle A Confident Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Confident Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Confident Challengers (with a stong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Diggersby — Fighting (Lucario), Water (Kyogre), Grass (Roserade), Ice (Mamoswine)
• Effective against Walrein — Fighting (Lucario), Rock (Rampardos), Grass (Breloom), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Swampert — Grass (Venasaur)
• Effective against Scrafty — Fairy (Zacian), Fighting (Lucario), Flying (Togekiss)
• Effective against Mandibuzz — Rock (Rampardos), Electric (Electivire), Ice (Weavile), Fairy (Zacian)
• Effective against Trevenant — Flying (Talonflame), Ghost (Chandelure), Fire (Charizard), Ice (Weavile), and Dark (Houndoom)
• Effective against Nidoqueen — Ground (Mamoswine), Water (Kingler), Psychic (Espeon), Ice (Darmanitan - Galarian Zen)
• Effective against Cresselia — Bug (Volcarona), Ghost (Gengar), Dark (Darkrai)
• Effective against Deoxys - Defence — Bug (Volcarona), Ghost (Gengar), Dark (Darkrai)
• Effective against Lickitung — Fighting (Lucario)

How To Battle An Eager Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Eager Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Eager Challengers (with a strong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Medicham — Flying (Dragapult), Ghost (Gengar), Fairy (Hatterene)
• Effective against Nidoqueen — Ground (Mamoswine), Water (Kingler), Psychic (Espeon), Ice (Darmanitan - Galarian Zen)
• Effective against Sableye — Fairy (Togekiss)
• Effective against Lickitung — Fighting (Lucario)
• Effective against Swampert — Grass (Venasaur)
• Effective against Walrein — Fighting (Lucario), Rock (Rampardos), Grass (Breloom), Electric (Electivire)

How To Battle An Eccentric Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Eccentric Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Eccentric Challengers (with a strong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Sirfetch'd — Fighting (Gallade), Psychic (Mewtwo), Fairy (Zacian) —
• Effective against Walrein — Fighting (Lucario), Rock (Rampardos), Grass (Breloom), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Sableye — Fairy (Togekiss)
• Effective against Lickitung — Fighting (Lucario)
• Effective against Talonflame — Rock (Rampardos), Water (Omastar), Electric (Luxray)
• Effective against Registeel — Fire (Chandelure), Fighting (Darmanitan), Ground (Excadrill)

How To Battle A Novice Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Novice Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Novice Challengers (with a strong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Sableye — Fairy (Togekiss)
• Effective against Trevenant — Flying (Talonflame), Ghost (Chandelure), Fire (Charizard), Ice (Weavile), and Dark (Houndoom)
• Effective against Alolan Ninetales — Steel (Metagross), Poison (Overqwil), Rock (Rampardos), Fire (Heatran)
• Effective against Azumarill — Poison (Roserade), Grass (Sceptile), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Obstagoon — Fighting (Lucario), Bug (Heracross), Fairy (Zacian)
• Effective against Galarian Stunfisk — Fighting (Lucario), Ground (Excadrill), Fire (Darmanitan), Water (Kyogre)

How To Battle A Slick Challenger

Here are the Pokémon used by Slick Challengers:

Here is a list of Pokémon types effective against Slick Challengers (with a strong example Pokémon):

• Effective against Azumarill — Poison (Roserade), Grass (Sceptile), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Walrein — Fighting (Lucario), Rock (Rampardos), Grass (Breloom), Electric (Electivire)
• Effective against Medicham — Flying (Dragapult), Ghost (Gengar), Fairy (Hatterene)
• Effective against Sableye — Fairy (Togekiss)
• Effective against Registeel — Fire (Chandelure), Fighting (Darmanitan), Ground (Excadrill)
• Effective against Trevenant — Flying (Talonflame), Ghost (Chandelure), Fire (Charizard), Ice (Weavile), and Dark (Houndoom)

Rewards

Battling the World Championship Challengers netted you some useful rewards as well as one or two event-exclusive items. These items are no longer available to get.

For beating all of them, a World Championships 2022 Pikachu appeared, plus you also got an Elite Fast TM and an Elite Charge TM.

Here are the rewards you got for beating each Challenger:

• 1 Challenger — 10 Poké Balls
• 2 Challengers — 1 Fast TM
• 3 Challengers — 10 Great Balls
• 4 Challengers — 1 Charge TM
• 5 Challengers — 10 Ultra Balls

If you happen to win any of these fights, you also won three bundles which include berries, dust, Poke Balls, and Great Balls.

As the event is no longer live, we have updated this guide to reflect this. We will update this if a new version of the event takes place at a later date.

• Pokémon GO Twitch Codes List - Pokémon World Championship 2022
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This article is part of our Pokémon GO walkthrough and guide series. We have articles that take you through the basics, covering How To Catch Pokémon: Throwing Tips, Poké Balls, & Capture Rates, How To Redeem Pokémon GO Promo Codes, How To Check A Pokémon's IVs Using An IV Calculator, How Trading Works, How To Track Pokémon Using Maps And Trackers, What Star Pieces And Stardust Do And How To Get Them, How Player Vs. Player Trainer Battles Work, and How To Complete Field Research And Research Breakthroughs And All Rewards.

We cover regular weekly and monthly Pokémon GO events, such as Spotlight Hour Times And Bonus Hour Times, and Community Days. We also have charts, including a Type Chart With Effectiveness And Weakness For All Types, an Egg Chart Explaining 2km, 5km, 7km, & 10km Eggs, and a Buddy Chart Explaining How To Earn Candy.

Elsewhere we cover Friend Code And Sharing Them For Easy XP and Which Pokémon GO 'Auto Catch' Companion Device Is The Best, plus more advanced tactics and info such as All Fast Moves And Charge Moves, How To Get TMs, And How It All Works, Shiny Pokémon And How To Catch Them, Glacial Lures, Magnetic Lures, Mossy Lures in Pokémon GO (And Their Exclusive Evolutions), How To Get Lots Of Candy Fast, How Lucky Pokémon Work & How To Catch Them, How To Catch All 27 Regional Pokémon, the Best Attackers And Best Defenders, All Raid Bosses And Best Counters Listed By Tier, What EX Raids Are And How To Get EX Raid Passes, What A Super Incubators Does And How To Get One, and How Get Mega Energy.

Pocket Monster-wise, we have specific guides for How To Get Pangoro, Sylveon, Glaceon, Aromatisse, Slurpuff, Sirfetch’d, Galarian Cofagrigus And More, How To Get Sylveon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Umbreon, Espeon, Vaporeon, Jolteon And Flareon, How To Evolve Wurmple Into Silcoon Or Cascoon, How To Get Tyrogue, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan And Hitmontop, How To Use The Weather To Get Each Castform Form, How To Catch And Evolve Into Galarian Slowbro, How To Catch Smeargle, How To Find And Evolve Burmy, How To Catch Spinda, Where To Find Unown, How To Catch Ditto, and The Rarest Pokémon Including Wild, Shiny, Mythical And Regional Catches.

We also cover timed research and special events, including Mew's 'A Mythical Discovery', Jirachi's 'A Thousand-Year Slumber', Celebi's 'A Ripple In Time', and Regigigas' 'A Colossal Discovery'. Other (past) event guides include Twitch Codes List - Pokémon World Championship 2022, How To Battle A Challenger (World Championships 2022), How To Battle Fashion Challengers, 'A Spooky Message' Spiritomb Quest, Kanto Event FAQ, and the Summer Tour 2018 Chicago GO Fest And Dortmund And Yokosuka Safari Zones.

Finally, there's our WIP Pokémon GO Pokédex, which currently goes up to 400 Pokémon: #1-50 | #51-100 | #101-150 | #151-200 | #201-250 | #251-300 | #301-350 | #351-400.