All 22 Pokémon Franchise guide: best team, cap and evolutions

Which gym to pick: all 32 ranked

Average over 70 simulated first seasons, CPU against CPU on the league's neutral settings. Wins out of 17; playoffs and title are the share of seasons the team made the playoffs and won the Indigo Bowl. OVR is the average of the starters' overall ratings; cap room is what is left under the $250M cap on day one. Tap a gym for its full starting roster.

#	Gym	Type	Wins	Playoffs	Title	OVR	Cap room	Usual QB
1	Sunyshore Volkner	Electric	14.1	100%	21%	79	$17.9M	Porygon-Z 91
2	Saffron Sabrina	Psychic	12.1	90%	14%	77	$16.8M	Alakazam 96
3	Veilstone Maylene	Fighting	11.4	81%	10%	77	$17.3M	Porygon-Z 91
4	Azalea Bugsy	Bug	11.0	87%	4%	77	$16.9M	Sunflora 57
5	Vermilion Lt. Surge	Electric	10.8	80%	13%	76	$19.0M	Raichu 68
6	Viridian Giovanni	Ground	10.5	67%	4%	76	$18.2M	Kadabra 71
7	Cianwood Chuck	Fighting	10.3	70%	6%	76	$17.7M	Politoed 66
8	Eterna Gardenia	Grass	10.2	67%	7%	75	$16.7M	Roserade 86
9	Oreburgh Roark	Rock	10.2	57%	3%	79	$18.8M	Glaceon 77
10	Sootopolis Wallace	Water	10.0	67%	4%	76	$16.5M	Milotic 84
11	Fortree Winona	Flying	9.7	57%	3%	76	$18.5M	Masquerain 61
12	Mossdeep Tate & Liza	Psychic	9.3	50%	3%	77	$18.5M	Gardevoir 94
13	Snowpoint Candice	Ice	9.0	49%	3%	74	$18.6M	Glaceon 76
14	Cinnabar Island Blaine	Fire	8.8	46%	0%	76	$19.5M	Flareon 74
15	Mahogany Pryce	Ice	8.5	43%	0%	75	$16.8M	Politoed 66
16	Rustboro Roxanne	Rock	8.4	49%	0%	77	$17.3M	Grumpig 78
17	Mauville Wattson	Electric	8.3	37%	1%	74	$17.1M	Manectric 67
18	Violet Falkner	Flying	8.1	46%	0%	76	$18.4M	Noctowl 64
19	Dewford Brawly	Fighting	8.0	36%	0%	75	$17.6M	Blaziken 75
20	Celadon Erika	Grass	7.7	27%	0%	76	$18.0M	Exeggutor 88
21	Cerulean Misty	Water	7.7	27%	0%	76	$17.6M	Vaporeon 82
22	Pewter Brock	Rock	7.3	26%	1%	76	$16.5M	Omastar 60
23	Olivine Jasmine	Steel	7.3	27%	0%	76	$17.6M	Typhlosion 80
24	Ecruteak Morty	Ghost	7.1	31%	0%	72	$16.8M	Houndoom 77
25	Petalburg Norman	Normal	7.0	26%	0%	72	$17.8M	Slaking 92
26	Blackthorn Clair	Dragon	6.8	17%	0%	75	$18.2M	Kingdra 76
27	Pastoria Crasher Wake	Water	6.6	9%	0%	71	$18.9M	Empoleon 75
28	Fuchsia Koga	Poison	6.4	14%	0%	75	$16.2M	Venusaur 74
29	Canalave Byron	Steel	5.8	10%	0%	75	$18.2M	Porygon-Z 91
30	Lavaridge Flannery	Fire	5.0	1%	0%	71	$16.0M	Masquerain 62
31	Hearthome Fantina	Ghost	4.8	4%	1%	76	$17.3M	Drifblim 68
32	Goldenrod Whitney	Normal	4.1	1%	0%	72	$16.5M	Blissey 75

Best in each conference: Kanto–Johto: Saffron (12.1 wins) and Azalea (11.0 wins); Hoenn–Sinnoh: Sunyshore (14.1 wins) and Veilstone (11.4 wins). Every gym's starters average between 71 and 79 OVR. These are first seasons: backups, ages, levels and tiers are rolled fresh for every league, and from then on your trades, drafts and depth chart decide. Playing your own games instead of simming them changes these numbers too.

What wins in Franchise

Across 2,240 simulated team-seasons, a team whose 22 starters averaged 5 OVR more won about 3.8 more games. Offense and defense counted about the same (5 more OVR on offense was worth 2.2 wins, on defense 2.0). The quarterback on his own mattered much less than you'd think: 5 more QB OVR came to 0.2 wins. The whole lineup's OVR tracked wins far better than the QB's (correlation 0.48 against 0.16), so spread your money and your trades across the lineup instead of chasing one star.

Evolution in Franchise

A player keeps his name, number, contract and stats when he evolves; only the species changes, and his ratings with it. There are three ways it happens:

• Level: at the species' real evolution level (Charmeleon at 36), between games or at training camp. Levels come from XP on the species' own growth curve, so slow lines like Dratini, Larvitar and Beldum take longer.
• Trade: the moment he is traded, the 18 trade evolutions happen: Kadabra → Alakazam, Machoke → Machamp, Graveler → Golem, Haunter → Gengar, Poliwhirl → Politoed, Slowpoke → Slowking, Onix → Steelix, Scyther → Scizor, Seadra → Kingdra, Porygon → Porygon2, Feebas → Milotic, Clamperl → Huntail, Clamperl → Gorebyss, Rhydon → Rhyperior, Electabuzz → Electivire, Magmar → Magmortar, Porygon2 → Porygon-Z, Dusclops → Dusknoir. The CPU knows it: in trade talks he is valued as the form he will arrive in.
• Breakout: stone, friendship and other evolutions (57 of them, from Pikachu → Raichu and the Eeveelutions to Togetic → Togekiss) need a breakout at or past the form's usual level: a season goal, a Player of the Week award, three straight games with two weekly goals, or a 35% chance at camp once he is five levels past it.

A first season saw about 50 evolutions per league. The most common:

From	To	How	/ league
Gligar	Gliscor	breakout	1.8
Chansey	Blissey	breakout	1.7
Lickitung	Lickilicky	breakout	1.4
Bonsly	Sudowoodo	breakout	1.1
Hippopotas	Hippowdon	level	1.0
Flaaffy	Ampharos	level	0.9
Shieldon	Bastiodon	level	0.9
Bronzor	Bronzong	level	0.8
Bayleef	Meganium	level	0.8
Lombre	Ludicolo	breakout	0.7

Starters who evolve if traded

On the gyms' starting lineups. Trade for one and he arrives evolved, but expect to pay for the evolved form.

• Viridian: Kadabra (QB, becomes Alakazam), Graveler (LT, becomes Golem), Rhydon (NT, becomes Rhyperior), Scyther (DE, becomes Scizor)
• Pewter: Graveler (LT, becomes Golem), Onix (LG, becomes Steelix), Machoke (DE, becomes Machamp)
• Celadon: Graveler (ILB, becomes Golem), Scyther (CB, becomes Scizor)
• Cinnabar Island: Magmar (WR, becomes Magmortar), Porygon (LT, becomes Porygon2)
• Cerulean: Seadra (TE, becomes Kingdra), Graveler (LG, becomes Golem), Slowpoke (C, becomes Slowking), Poliwhirl (OLB, becomes Politoed)
• Saffron: Kadabra (WR, becomes Alakazam), Slowpoke (RG, becomes Slowking), Porygon (RT, becomes Porygon2), Graveler (NT, becomes Golem), Scyther (OLB, becomes Scizor)
• Vermilion: Porygon (FB, becomes Porygon2), Electabuzz (WR, becomes Electivire), Machoke (NT, becomes Machamp)
• Fuchsia: Scyther (CB, becomes Scizor)
• Goldenrod: Porygon2 (LG, becomes Porygon-Z)
• Olivine: Porygon2 (OLB, becomes Porygon-Z)
• Violet: Porygon2 (ILB, becomes Porygon-Z)
• Ecruteak: Porygon2 (LT, becomes Porygon-Z)
• Blackthorn: Porygon2 (OLB, becomes Porygon-Z)
• Sootopolis: Feebas (FB, becomes Milotic)

Growth: tiers, XP and age

Every player has a hidden tier that multiplies the XP he earns. A rookie's tier shows after 6 games (or full scouting). A breakout season can lift a tier; a ruined one can drop it, but never more than one step below where he came in.

XP comes from every snap (17 a snap, 19 for linemen), production, the result (128 for a win, 43 for a loss), each weekly goal met (300), the season goal (2,550) and practice. Training camp adds 3,400 XP at 23 or younger, 2,100 at 24–25, 1,300 at 26–28 and 500 after that. Simmed games count the same as played ones. A young Master-tier player is the best long-term asset in the game: double XP on top of the youth bonus.

Aging and retirement

Nothing fades until a position's peak age; after it, Speed drops by the yearly rate shown, Attack, Defense and HP by a little over half that, and the special stats slower still. The last column is the age at which the yearly chance of retiring reaches one in two: lower for stars and Legendaries, higher for weak or unsigned players.

Running backs fade first and fastest; kickers and quarterbacks last longest. Aging can be turned off in custom rules: then nobody gets older past his prime or retires.

Cap and contracts

• The cap is $250M and grows 4% a season. Unused room does not roll over. Every team must be under it by Week 1.
• Gyms start at 88–98% of the cap: about $17.6M of room on average.
• A roster is 45 active players plus an 8-player practice squad.
• A cap hit is that season's salary plus its share of the signing bonus, spread over up to five years. Cut a player and what is left of his bonus and guaranteed money counts at once (there is no June 1 rule). Trade him and the rest of his bonus stays with you as dead money.
• The trade deadline is after week 9.

What the best player in his prime (OVR 95+) asks for, by position. Legendaries cost 1.3× more.

Bringing your builder team

"Bring your team" puts a Gen 1–4 lineup from the builder on a gym and signs every player at his plain market value. That is where the cap bites. We brought the best lineups our optimizer finds into a league:

A dream team costs about twice the cap, so with the cap on you would cut most of it before Week 1. Two ways around it: bring a team with a few stars and solid starters elsewhere (the cap leaves roughly $8.3M per starter once the backups are paid), or set the salary cap to Off in custom rules, where nothing is blocked and only the CPU teams still budget to it. To check how good a lineup is before you bring it, paste its link into the team rater.

Questions

How do I start a Franchise?

Open ALL-22 PRO and pick FRANCHISE on the title screen, or go straight to all22pokemon.com/franchise. You can take over any of the 32 gyms (keep its name and colors or pick your own), bring a Gen 1–4 team you built in the builder, or start with a Fantasy Draft.

Can I bring my own team into Franchise?

Yes, a lineup of Gen 1–4 Pokémon (#1–493) from the builder. It replaces a gym's 22 starters and kicker, and every player signs at his plain market value with nothing guaranteed. A strong team costs far more than the $250M cap: our best Gen 1–4 lineup without Legendaries comes to about $500.3M for the whole roster ($441.0M of it for the starters). With the cap on you have to cut your way under it by Week 1; with the cap off in custom rules nothing is blocked.

Are there Legendaries in Franchise?

A new league starts with none. Each Legendary is one of a kind in a league, and the market prices one at 1.3× a normal player. A brought team may include them, each once.

Do Pokémon evolve in Franchise?

Yes, three ways: at their real level for level evolutions, when they are traded for trade evolutions (Kadabra → Alakazam, Machoke → Machamp, Graveler → Golem and Haunter → Gengar and 14 more), and on a breakout for stone and friendship evolutions. Branching lines let you pick the form; the CPU picks the one that fits the position best.

How many teams make the playoffs?

14 of the 32: seven from each conference (Kanto–Johto and Hoenn–Sinnoh). The regular season is 17 games over 18 weeks, and the final is the Indigo Bowl at a neutral field.

Can I play Franchise with friends?

Yes. Up to 32 people can share a league through an invite link, with live or slow drafts, chat and trade reviews. You need to sign in to play online.