Let's Go Fight to the Top

Pokémon Go has had its PvP battling feature for over a year now, and a community-based league for it is going strong even today. But what the game lacked is an internal system for valuating Trainers and the battles they participate in. That changed a few days ago, when the GO Battle League was introduced. It's something that has been in the works for a while now, and it's a veritable one, now that it has been unleashed.

The gist of this system is that Trainers face one another in combat to increase their rank and rating, with the latter displayed after Rank 7. Unlike the community-based league, which only uses the Great League, GO Battle League uses all three leagues, but this depends on the Season in question; for this "Pre-Season", there are two weeks of Great, Ultra, and Master League battles each. There are 10 Trainer ranks in all, and higher ones have more demanding requirements.

To battle in the league, one selects "Battle" from the Poké Ball Menu. One is then prompted to choose either the Basic tier or Premium Tier, at which point one then goes into battle for up to five times against a randomly selected opponent. After the fifth battle, the set is complete, and one must walk further to unlock more sets of five battles, or spend coins for immediate battling. This is repeated on and on - but limited to a few sets per day - in order to go through all the ranks and eventually pursue high ratings.

Whether Basic or Premium, one receives rewards in the form of Stardust, specific items including Rare Candies and Charge TMs, and Pokémon encounters. Most rewards are awarded when one wins battles, though increased ranks can also award more Stardust. The rewards are also different for the different tiers, not the least of which is in the sequence of earned rewards. These have the possibility of changing over the progression of the league, forcing one to stay on top of things.

Due to this system, there have been some other changes. The "Battle" item is a swipeable item on the Poké Ball Menu, making this the first major addition of such an item in a long time. All battle-related features, including local PvP with other Trainers or with a Team Leader as well as party selections, have been consolidated with the "Battle" item. Lastly, the Premium Raid Pass item is now called the Premium Battle Pass, as one of this is used for entry into the Premium tier. These are important and valuable.

Without a doubt, this new system sets up Trainers in Pokémon Go for a new world of challenges. They must be able to use the resources of all their Pokémon in order to make it past others, and the incentives for doing so are not too shabby either. It's early yet to tell what this system might mean in the future, but one thing is clear at the moment: all Trainers are now free to go for the top and be recognized for it in different ways.

One year ago: Wrap the Light Fantastic
Two years ago: The Workings of Raids
Three years ago: Poké Ball Food