Although many players are currently focusing on the Community Day Weekend Event that just kicked off around the world, PvP fans still have battles on the mind. The mobile AR game is due for a big update to its PvP system and Niantic is finally ready to offer some more details about what is coming.
The latest community post from Pokemon GO provided a sneak peek at the upcoming League offerings and confirmed the suspicion that trainers will need to master all three levels of league to become the very best and gain the most rewards.
To dominate the PvE metagame and earn the most rewards, players will have to battle throughout the season to increase their rank and progress through the Battle League. Only one League is going to be available at a time, so players need to be ready to compete in more than just the Master League.
Leagues, seasons, ranks, rules, and more!
Pokémon GO Battle League will be a triathlon-style contest!
Battles will take place in all three leagues: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. However, only one league will be available at a time, and they will all rotate throughout a season. This means that in order to be the best, you need to be able to win in all three formats!
As you win battles throughout the season, your rank will increase, even as GO Battle League rotates between leagues. You will start at Rank 1 and work your way up to the top rank, Rank 10. Once you reach a new rank, you cannot drop below it for the rest of the season. Higher ranks mean better rewards!
Once you reach Rank 10, measure against the best with your battle rating. Wins increase your battle rating, while losses will cause it to drop.
You cannot use two or more of the same species of Pokémon on your team.
As we get closer to the release of GO Battle League in early 2020, you can look forward to more information on how GO Battle League works.
Updates to the combat system
There are some exciting updates coming to the combat system.
When two Pokémon use Charged Attacks at the same time, the Pokémon with the higher Attack stat will go first. If two Pokémon have the same Attack stat, a random Pokémon will go first. We want to ensure Charged Attack ties are broken fairly. Restrictions in Great and Ultra League currently put a focus on trying to get low-Attack Pokémon to maximize CP. While maximizing Defense and HP is a great strategy against most opponents, in close matchups, the Attack stat can now become a deciding factor. We hope this will help deepen team building!
Switching Pokémon now clears any changes to its Attack and Defense stats. As more attacks are added to the game that affect Attack and Defense, we want to ensure these effects have clear counterplay opportunities. Debuffs should encourage players to switch Pokémon and buffs should make switching less appealing. There’s more to consider now when to use these attacks and when to switch Pokémon.
For now, players may want to keep hunting down the best Unova Pokemon in the game if improving their Battle Raid rosters is their primary goal. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
Source: Pokemon GO Live