What the Bug Does
A bug introduced in the version 2.7.1 update of Pokemon Champions is causing all Pokemon imported through the Home Sync feature to arrive in the game with zero EVs across all stats, regardless of the EV values the Pokemon had in the source game. The bug was first reported by players on the community subreddit within hours of the update deploying on March 8, 2026, and quickly accumulated hundreds of upvotes as more players confirmed the same issue.
The EV zeroing affects only Pokemon transferred after the 2.7.1 update. Pokemon imported in previous sessions and already in Pokemon Champions storage retain their correct EV values. The bug is specifically a transfer pipeline issue introduced by changes to the Pokemon data serialization format in the update, which was primarily focused on adding new storage box features and is unrelated to Home Sync at a surface level, suggesting the EV field was affected as an unintended consequence of the data format changes.
IVs, natures, abilities, movesets, held items, nicknames, and ribbons are all correctly transferred and are not affected by the bug. The issue is isolated to the EV values. A Pokemon arriving with correctly inherited IVs but zeroed EVs can be identified by running the in-game Judge function and comparing the stat values against what would be expected for a fully EV-trained Pokemon. Zeroed EVs produce noticeably lower stat totals in the Judge breakdown.
The practical impact depends on how much EV training the transferred Pokemon had completed before the transfer. A Pokemon with a fully optimized competitive EV spread loses the equivalent of 63 base stat points in the two primary stats upon arriving with zero EVs, which is enough to change knockout and survival calculations meaningfully. Players who transferred competitive team Pokemon after March 8 should verify every transferred Pokemon before using them in ranked matches.
The bug affects Pokemon transferred via Home Sync in the last update window
Which Players Are Affected
Any player who performed a Home Sync transfer between the deployment of version 2.7.1 on March 8 at approximately 3 PM UTC and the expected emergency patch release, currently estimated by the developers for March 12 to March 13, 2026, is potentially affected. Players who completed transfers before March 8 are not affected. Players who have not used the Home Sync feature at all are not affected.
High-volume competitive players who regularly transfer new Pokemon to test team compositions are the most impacted group. Casual players who transferred a handful of Pokemon may have received zero-EV arrivals without noticing if they have not entered ranked play with those Pokemon. Running an EV audit through the Judge function on all Pokemon transferred in this window is the recommended diagnostic step regardless of whether you have already noticed performance issues in battle.
Players who transferred Pokemon during this window and then entered ranked matches may have played with unknowingly zero-EV Pokemon. In competitive ranked this is a meaningful disadvantage, particularly for Speed-focused Pokemon where zero Speed EVs put the Pokemon below common benchmarks it was expected to outspeed. The developers have not indicated whether affected ranked matches will be addressed retroactively.
Transfer activity during the bug window has been high because the period coincided with the final Season 8 ranked push for many players importing optimized team members from previous titles. The timing makes the bug particularly disruptive and has generated significant player frustration on community forums. Several high-profile content creators have documented cases of losing ranked matches attributable to the EV discrepancy.
Developer Response and Expected Timeline
The Pokemon Champions development team posted an official acknowledgment of the bug on the game website and social media channels on March 9, approximately 18 hours after the first community reports. The statement confirmed that the EV zeroing issue is a bug, not intentional behavior, and committed to delivering an emergency hotfix patch. The initial statement estimated a 48 to 72 hour resolution timeline from March 9, placing the expected patch between March 11 and March 12.
The statement also indicated that the team is evaluating options for compensating affected players. Specific compensation has not been announced but the language used, full review of impact and appropriate remedy, suggests that some form of compensation is planned. In previous major bug situations the developers have provided Rare Candy bundles, Bottle Cap items, or Battle Point grants to affected accounts. The size of the impact this time, affecting anyone who transferred in a two to four day window during peak season activity, suggests compensation will be meaningful.
The Home Sync feature has been temporarily disabled in the version 2.7.1.1 hotfix pushed immediately after the bug confirmation, preventing further zero-EV transfers while the full fix is developed. Players who need to complete transfers for the Season 8 final push will need to wait for the full patch to restore the feature. The developers recommend against attempting workaround transfers through any unofficial method.
A second update from the development team on March 10 added a clarification that the fix will include an automatic EV restoration process for all Pokemon identified as transferred during the bug window. The system will restore EV values from the Pokemon Home data logs, which retain a snapshot of the Pokemon state at transfer time. This means players do not need to manually re-train affected Pokemon; the patch is expected to restore correct EV values automatically.
What Players Should Do Now
Do not use Pokemon transferred between March 8 and the patch release date in ranked battles until the EV restoration patch has been applied. Even if your transferred Pokemon appear to be performing normally, zero EVs in Speed or primary attacking stats can cause critical miscalculations during important matches. The risk of losing a ranked game due to the bug during the Season 8 final push is not worth taking.
Audit all Pokemon transferred during the affected window using the Judge function. Create a list of affected Pokemon and their intended EV spreads so you can verify the automatic restoration applied correctly after the patch. If you do not remember the intended spreads, check the Pokemon Home data view for reference, which displays the Pokemon stats as they existed before transfer.
If you need to complete a competitive team for Season 8 before the patch arrives, use Pokemon already in your Champions storage that were not transferred during the bug window. Your existing pre-March 8 team members are unaffected and safe for ranked play. Building around your current storage for the final Season 8 push and using the Home Sync system for Season 9 preparation after the patch is the safest approach.
Monitor the official Pokemon Champions social media and the in-game notifications for patch deployment confirmation. The developers will publish a follow-up post when the EV restoration patch goes live, including instructions for verifying that your Pokemon EVs were correctly restored. If the automatic restoration does not match expected values after the patch, file a support ticket immediately with a description of the discrepancy.
