Hunting for Rewards from the Go Battle League

Arguably, the Go Battle League is of interest to many Trainers in Pokémon Go because it offers a way to push oneself to the top of the top Trainers in the world. The system offers a neat way of doing just that. But for some, it may not be the "top of the heap" that they are aiming for. Instead, they may be aiming for the rewards that are given out by winning battles, which as I've explained in the initial post, is very much a part of the system. And it's also a very neat and attractive part.

Regardless of the tier (Basic as free entry and Premium with a Battle Pass), one obtains rewards as one wins battles, starting from the left; this means that the rewards are particularly sequenced with no free choice except by way of choosing a tier. A "mystery item" rewards a randomly selected item, which may be as valuable as a Silver Pinap Berry or as common as a Sinnoh Stone. A "Pokémon encounter" rewards a randomly selected Pokémon from a dynamic list that can be seen by tapping the reward, though achievement of certain ranks always rewards a certain Pokémon first. Completion of battle sets also always rewards Stardust no matter the results of battling, in addition to what may be rewarded. Certainly, for pursuers of rewards, the objective is to obtain as many as possible.

I've come back from completing a full day's worth of battle sets, and I've had a fascinating time with the rewards. At times, I've had a "blowout" by having lost all in a set and only earning the consolation Stardust, but at other times, I've won at least a couple of battles, guaranteeing the first couple of rewards as well - in my case, I became a "freeloader" and collected extra Stardust and the mystery item. The latter of these, I'm not fond of most of the time due to getting Charged TMs, as useful as they may be, but the initial Stardust is always appreciated. I'm also not too interested in starting a Premium tier due to performance inconsistencies, though I may just take up one near the end of this season. All the other rewards ought to come in due time.

As for best practices, I'm certain that if a Trainer is sure to be rewarded certain Pokémon, it may be wise to use a Premium pass for the Premium tier, hope for a win, and get things over with. It may be wiser still if one is confident of three wins to do the same freely. As above, the "mystery item" reward may be neat at times and not so neat at other times, but what is always neat is the Stardust reward. It is simply worth it to try to battle in the GBL just for the Stardust alone, and if things work out well, more can stand to be earned. Unless one is confident of five wins and need the Charged TMs in the Premium tier, being patient with the Basic tier may work out just as well. And for other rewards, if things work out, they work out.

The achievement in GBL is therefore twofold: one for supremacy in comparison to other Trainers, and one to reap the rewards that may be gotten. If anything, however, getting to the top is inseparable from getting the rewards associated with getting there, no matter what one is focused on achieving. But it still remains fine to shoot for the rewards, being as neat as they are, and gain as much as can be offered. It may just offer one with an "indirect" path to the top by doing exactly that.

One year ago: Where I Want to Go

Two years ago: (Improving the) Local EX Raid, 10/16/2018

Three years ago: Trainer Fashion