Priority decides which move goes first in a battle. It sounds simple, but once you dig into it, there's a lot going on. Priority decides which move goes first in a battle. Not every move gets to act at the same time, so Pokemon Champions uses a system called Priority Brackets to sort out the order. Once you understand how it works, you can start making smarter moves every single turn.
What Are Pokemon Champions Priority Brackets?
Every move in Pokemon Champions has a priority number attached to it. Moves are sorted into groups called Priority Brackets based on that number. The game always resolves moves from the highest bracket down to the lowest, so a move at Priority 4 will always go before a move at Priority 0.
Most moves in the game sit at Priority 0. These are your standard attacks. When two Pokemon both use Priority 0 moves, the one with the higher Speed Stat goes first. Speed only comes into play when two moves share the same priority bracket.
Moves With Increased Priority
These are the moves categorized by their priority and types that jump ahead in line. These moves can fire off before your opponent even gets a chance to act.
Here's a full breakdown of every increased priority move in Pokemon Champions:
| Move | Priority | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helping Hand | +5 |  | Boosts ally's damage by 50% |
| Detect | +4 |  | Protects user from attacks |
| King's Shield | +4 |  | Protects user and lowers attacker's Attack on contact |
| Magic Coat | +4 |  | Reflects status moves back at the user |
| Obstruct | +4 |  | Protects user and lowers attacker's Defense by 2 on contact |
| Protect | +4 | | Protects user from attacks |
| Endure | +4 | | User survives any hit with at least 1 HP |
| Snatch | +4 | | Steals the effects of the opponent's non-damaging move |
| Baneful Bunker | +4 |  | Protects user and poisons attacker on contact |
| Spiky Shield | +4 |  | Protects user and deals 12% max HP damage on contact |
| Crafty Shield | +3 |  | Blocks all status moves from hitting any Pokemon on the field |
| Quick Guard | +3 | | Protects your side from increased priority attacks |
| Fake Out | +3 | | Forces the opponent to flinch on the first turn out |
| Spotlight | +3 | | Forces all attacks to target that Pokemon |
| Wide Guard | +3 |  | Protects your side from spread moves for one turn |
| Ally Switch | +2 | | Swaps the user and its ally in a double battle |
| Rage Powder | +2 |  | Draws all attacks to the user, but doesn't work on Grass types |
| Follow Me | +2 | | Draws all attacks to the user |
| First Impression | +2 | | Only works on the first turn the user enters battle |
| Feint | +2 | | Breaks through Protect and Detect |
| Extreme Speed | +2 | | Fast physical Normal-type attack |
| Bullet Punch | +1 | | Fast physical Steel-type attack |
| Accelerock | +1 | | Fast physical Rock-type attack |
| Water Shuriken | +1 |  | Hits 2 to 5 times in one turn |
| Vacuum Wave | +1 | | Fast special Fighting-type attack |
| Thunderclap | +1 |  | Goes first only if the opponent is about to use an attack |
| Sucker Punch | +1 | | Damages the opponent only if they're about to attack |
| Aqua Jet | +1 | | Fast physical Water-type attack |
| Baby-Doll Eyes | +1 | | Lowers the opponent's Attack by one stage |
| Bide | +1 | | User idles for 2 turns then hits back for double the damage taken |
| Shadow Sneak | +1 |  | Fast physical Ghost-type attack |
| Ion Deluge | +1 | | Turns all Normal-type moves into Electric-type for that turn |
| Quick Attack | +1 | | Fast physical Normal-type attack |
| Powder | +1 | | Deals 25% max HP damage if the target uses a Fire move that turn |
| Mach Punch | +1 | | Fast physical Fighting-type attack |
| Ice Shard | +1 |  | Fast physical Ice-type attack |
| Jet Punch | +1 | | Fast physical Water-type attack |
Moves With Decreased Priority
These moves are designed to go last. In most cases, they deal extra damage or have special conditions that make up for going after everything else.
| Move | Priority | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vital Throw | -1 | | Never misses, but always goes last among -1 moves |
| Beak Blast | -3 |  | Charges first, attacks last; burns opponents that make contact during charge |
| Focus Punch | -3 | | Charges first, attacks last; user flinches if hit during charge |
| Shell Trap | -3 |  | Activates and deals damage only if a physical attack hits the user first |
| Avalanche | -4 | | Deals double damage if the user was already hit that turn |
| Revenge | -4 | | Deals double damage if the user took a hit before using it |
| Counter | -5 | | Returns double the damage from any physical hit taken that turn |
| Mirror Coat | -5 | | Returns double the damage from any special hit taken that turn |
| Circle Throw | -6 | | Forces the opponent to switch out |
| Dragon Tail | -6 |  | Forces the opponent to switch out |
| Roar | -6 | | Forces the opponent to switch out |
| Teleport | -6 | | Ends wild Pokemon battles; fails in trainer battles |
| Whirlwind | -6 | | Forces the opponent to switch out |
| Trick Room | -7 | | Reverses turn order for five turns; slowest Pokemon go first |
How Speed Ties Work Within the Same Bracket
When two moves land in the same priority bracket, the Pokemon with thehigher Speed Stat acts first. For example, both you and your opponent useAqua Jet at the same time, the Pokemon with the higher Speed Stat will fire it off first.
Understanding Priority Brackets in Pokemon Champions helps you make better choices each turn. Some moves always go first, and some go last. For example, Protect will go before Fake Out. Trick Room is made to go last. Helping Hand goes before most other moves. These are not small details, and you need to learn them because they can change how the whole battle plays out.
Once you get a feel for which moves fall into which brackets, you'll start predicting what your opponent is going to do and positioning your team to counter it. That's where the real depth of Pokemon Champions lives.
