Pokémon Champions Season M-5 and Worlds Incineroar: Type Matchup Guide
Pokémon Champions Season M-5 and Worlds Incineroar: Type Matchup Guide
Pokémon Champions Season M-5 is in its active window through September 8, 2026, at 6:59 p.m. PDT. Pokémon's official August events announcement confirms the Ranked Battles and Battle Pass schedule, while the July Regulation M-B overview supplies the official Double Battle context for the weather cores and Mega Evolutions below. Start with the defensive pressure your six Pokémon share before deciding that a powerful Mega Evolution or weather setter belongs on the team. Read the official Season M-5 announcement and the official Regulation M-B overview.
Season M-5 rewards: a type-chart starting point
Officially confirmed: Season M-5's standard Battle Pass includes Chandelure and Chandelurite. The Premium Battle Pass includes Excadrill, Scrafty, and their Mega Stones, among other rewards. Both passes and Ranked Battles Season M-5 end on September 8 at 6:59 p.m. PDT.
TypeMatchup's chart interpretation: Chandelure's Fire/Ghost typing invites Water, Ground, Rock, Ghost, and Dark attacks in the standard type chart. Excadrill's Ground/Steel typing is weak to Fire, Water, Fighting, and Ground. Scrafty's Dark/Fighting typing has a 4× Fairy weakness, plus standard Fighting and Flying weaknesses. These are matchup baselines—not confirmed movesets, rankings, or promises that one attacker wins a live Pokémon Champions battle.
| Season M-5 reward | Defensive typing to enter | Standard-chart pressure to test first | Useful site check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chandelure | Fire/Ghost | Water, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Dark | Fire type matchups, Ghost type matchups |
| Excadrill (Premium) | Ground/Steel | Fire, Water, Fighting, Ground | Ground/Steel matchup page |
| Scrafty (Premium) | Dark/Fighting | Fairy (4×), Fighting, Flying | Dark/Fighting matchup page |
Use the type calculator to verify the defensive chart, then confirm the actual Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, and format in-game. The official announcement identifies Season M-5 rewards and dates; the table translates those listed typings through the standard chart.
2026 Worlds Incineroar: redeem first, then check the matchup
The 2026 Pokémon World Championships broadcast has ended, but its Pokémon Champions Incineroar reward is still within its redemption window. Officially confirmed: Pokémon's Worlds rewards announcement says that watching 60 minutes of the VGC broadcast awarded a one-time-use Twitch Drop code for a battle-ready Careful Incineroar with Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, Throat Chop, Flare Blitz, and the 2026 Worlds title. That code expires September 3, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. PDT. The official announcement is the source for the distribution and expiry details; it does not claim that the reward is a universal best pick. Read the official Worlds rewards announcement.
TypeMatchup's chart interpretation: Incineroar is Fire/Dark, so Water, Ground, Rock, and Fighting are super effective in the standard type chart; Fighting applies to both defensive types and is therefore 4× effective. Psychic does no type-based damage to the Dark half. This is a defensive typing baseline, not a claim that any one Pokémon, move, or lead position beats the distributed Incineroar.
| Question to test | Standard-chart answer | What can change the live result |
|---|---|---|
| Which attacking type has the largest baseline multiplier? | Fighting (4×) | Targeting, partner protection, speed order, and the opponent's actual move choices |
| Which other types are super effective? | Water, Ground, and Rock (2×) | Whether the attacker can safely enter and apply its move in Double Battles |
| Is Psychic a counter by type alone? | No—Dark gives a Psychic immunity in the standard chart | A Pokémon's non-Psychic coverage, Ability, and team role may still matter |
Review Fire type matchups and Dark type matchups for the single-type interactions, then use the type calculator and team weakness calculator to check whether a six-Pokémon group has more than one answer to Fighting, Water, Ground, and Rock pressure. The official move and Ability list gives useful context, but it does not remove the need to evaluate the live board.
What the official overview confirms
Pokémon.com says Regulation M-B adds new Mega-Evolved Pokémon and describes several prominent approaches: sun teams around Mega Charizard Y or Mega Pyroar, snow teams with Mega Froslass, sand teams including Mega Tyranitar, rain builds featuring Mega Swampert, and setup or control options such as Mega Delphox, Mega Blastoise, and Mega Gengar. It also notes that weather control can change mid-battle as a Mega Evolution activates or another effect replaces the current weather.
These examples are not universal recommendations. Use the official article for format context, then use the standard chart to see whether your group can answer the types likely to pressure it. The dedicated Pokémon Champions type chart explains the site’s baseline matchup rules.
Regulation M-B matchup map
This table is a quick visual starting point for the broad type questions raised by the official archetypes. It lists standard defensive weaknesses, not movesets, damage calculations, or complete counter lists.
| Officially discussed direction | Typing to inspect first | Standard attacking types to check | Important planning question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Charizard Y sun | Fire/Flying | Water, Electric, Rock | Does the team have a safe answer to Rock pressure while keeping weather control? |
| Mega Froslass snow | Ice/Ghost | Fire, Rock, Ghost, Dark, Steel | Can the partner core cover Fire and Dark attacks after snow is replaced? |
| Mega Tyranitar sand | Rock/Dark | Water, Grass, Ground, Bug, Steel, Fairy, Fighting | Are Fighting and Ground weaknesses duplicated across the six slots? |
| Mega Swampert rain | Water/Ground | Grass | Is there a plan for a Grass attacker without treating the 4x weakness as the whole game? |
| Mega Delphox setup | Fire/Psychic | Water, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Dark | Which teammate absorbs the opponent’s strongest Dark or Ground pressure? |
For an exact baseline, open the home-page type matchup calculator and select the defender’s two types. Compare another candidate in the dual-type calculator instead of relying on memory—especially when one type creates a 4x weakness or an immunity.
Build the weather core, then test its coverage
Weather is a major Regulation M-B theme because the official overview names sun, snow, sand, and rain as viable directions. A good type-chart workflow begins with the weather centerpiece, but it should end with the other five slots.
For example, Mega Charizard Y’s Fire/Flying typing is weak to Water, Electric, and Rock in the standard chart, while it resists several types that can make it attractive beside a sun core. That is only the start. A Rock attack is a 4x standard weakness, yet the turn’s target, attack availability, speed, weather, item, and partner can make the board state very different from the chart alone.
Similarly, Mega Swampert’s Water/Ground typing gives it a single standard weakness—Grass—but that weakness is 4x. When adding rain partners, ask whether they punish Grass attackers, can reposition safely, or create the same secondary weakness. The Water/Ground combination page is useful for that focused check, while the Grass type guide shows the attacking side of the interaction.
Use a six-slot weakness audit
The official overview repeatedly describes pairs and supporting cores rather than isolated Pokémon. That is the right mindset for type planning: do not merely add one answer to each threat; look for repeated liabilities across the whole selection.
- Add the intended Mega Evolution and weather setter first.
- Check every member for shared standard weaknesses, especially Ground, Fighting, Rock, Water, and Grass when those types overlap with the core.
- Mark resistances and immunities, then ask whether those answers can enter the field safely in a Double Battle.
- Review actual moves, Abilities, weather interactions, and speed control after the chart has revealed the pressure points.
The team weakness calculator makes that audit faster by showing repeated weaknesses, resistances, and immunities across six defensive typings. It cannot evaluate every Champions mechanic, but it is a clear way to catch a coverage problem before investing time in a full battle plan.
What this guide does not claim
Pokémon.com's overview reports the current Regulation M-B landscape and gives official examples of successful ideas. This guide does not turn those examples into guaranteed rankings, exact win rates, mandatory movesets, or a prediction for the next tournament. It also does not assume that a standard type advantage overrides an Ability, weather effect, item, move choice, target selection, or teammate support.
Use the chart to frame the question, validate the live format details in Pokémon Champions, and adjust after real Double Battle experience. That approach keeps the fast, reliable part of type planning separate from the facts that only the actual battle can settle.
Pokémon Champions Season M-5 FAQ
When does Pokémon Champions Season M-5 end?
Pokémon's official August 2026 events announcement says Ranked Battles Season M-5 and Battle Pass Season M-5 run until September 8, 2026, at 6:59 p.m. PDT.
What type matchups should I check for Chandelure, Excadrill, and Scrafty?
For the standard chart, check Chandelure as Fire/Ghost, Excadrill as Ground/Steel, and Scrafty as Dark/Fighting. Scrafty has a 4× Fairy weakness. Those results are a transparent type baseline; actual Champions choices also depend on moves, Abilities, items, teammates, and the battle format.
What is Pokémon Champions Regulation M-B?
Regulation M-B is the current Pokémon Champions Double Battles regulation discussed in Pokémon.com's July 24, 2026 strategy overview. It introduces new Mega-Evolved Pokémon and features several weather and balance archetypes.
Which type matchups should I check for Mega Charizard Y teams?
Start with Fire/Flying: Water, Electric, and Rock are super effective in the standard chart, with Rock dealing 4x damage before other battle effects. Then check the actual moves, Abilities, weather, items, and partners in your battle.
What is the 2026 Worlds Incineroar in Pokémon Champions?
Pokémon's official Worlds rewards announcement says the 60-minute VGC Twitch Drop awarded a one-time-use code for a Careful Incineroar with Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, Throat Chop, Flare Blitz, and the 2026 Worlds title. Codes expire September 3, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. PDT.
What is Incineroar weak to in Pokémon Champions?
Incineroar is Fire/Dark. In the standard type chart, Fighting is 4× effective, while Water, Ground, and Rock are 2× effective. Its Dark type grants a Psychic immunity. These are type-chart results; moves, Abilities, items, partners, and the live battle state can change the practical choice.
Does a type advantage guarantee a win in Pokémon Champions?
No. Type effectiveness is a useful starting point, but Double Battles also depend on moves, Abilities, weather, speed order, switching, items, targeting, and teammates.