GBL Progression, Revisited

Since the advent of the Go Beyond update, many things have changed, including those related to the Go Battle League (GBL). It has had new formats instated, and its season has gotten longer - the season that started in December is now due to end at the end of this month. But the most profound change has to be in how the rank structure for it is constituted, which is starkly different than what it was previously. I meant to explain this a little earlier (closer to the Go Beyond update post, actually), but given how I've now experienced most of the season as it's meant to be, this is as good of a time as any.

Prior to this season, in November, when it experimented with various new cup formats instead of the traditional leagues, it also implemented a different progression. At that time, the original 10 ranks were still present, but one only needed to win battles (or just battle through for its Rank 2) to progress through all the ranks, and ratings didn't apply. It seems many were receptive to it, including me, since it made things much easier to reap every single reward. It was likely this that also contributed to the new progression of this season.

For this season, the ranks have greatly expanded, and now there are 24 ranks. Of these, the first 20 ranks simply demand battling through or winning; the former is reserved to get to Ranks 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20, while the latter applies for all others of the first 20 ranks. Interestingly, one has to win as many battles as the next rank one wishes to get to: 3 wins to Rank 3, 7 to Rank 7, and so on, and this will predictably demand the completion of many sets for that purpose. As well, the rewards on the way to get to the ranks I've mentioned above with multiples of 5 are all of a single kind, for example all Stardust or all Pokémon encounters - though it also means that it is possible to get absolutely nothing if all the battles are lost even though one advances. This is a lot more to go through and it can be quite demanding, but it can be done and can be a lot of fun. Regardless, some have complained as one of the tasks to get to Level 50 is to get to Rank 20; after the complaints, it was reduced to Rank 10. So it's still not exactly for everyone.

For those that see it as a way to achieve greater success, there are the four ranks above Rank 20. These require one to achieve certain ratings in order to get to them. Furthermore, these ranks come with titles in addition to numbers: Rank 21 is Ace, Rank 22 is Veteran, Rank 23 is Expert, and Rank 24 is Legend. It is quite obvious that the titles take a cue from those of the community rankings, specifically the Ace and Legend titles. The challenges in getting to these ranks and earning the respective titles are much the same as they were before, and I can attest. I'm Rank 20 at the moment, and even to get to Rank 21 and become an Ace is difficult, not to mention the possibility of dropping many battles, which means a drop in ratings as well. My PvP fellows can say much of the same for the ranks beyond.

All this new ranking business may demand a few considerations. When one is in the first 20 ranks, it may be that one can have a more relaxed progression - when the wins come, the wins come - and it may be time to experiment with the Leagues (maybe Ultra or Master) and their Premier Cups, if present. Once one gets to the ranks where the rating is relevant, it would be time to hunker down and focus to maintain momentum and increase the rating, not to lose the former and drop the latter. It may come down to a battle of the tried-and-true versus "testing the waters".

Everything, of course, explains why this season takes so long - it's to give Trainers the opportunity to make it big. Even so, there seems to be lots of opportunities with the expanded rank structure for GBL. More items and Stardust can be earned, more Pokémon can possibly be caught, and more Trainers can show off what they've got in order to challenge themselves and others. One seems to get what one pays for however one decides to participate and for whatever reason, including getting all the way to the top of the GBL heap.

One year ago: Words of the Heart

Two years ago: Local EX Raid (and Quick Connections), 2/15/2019

Three years ago: A Break in the Action

Four years ago: Pocket Monsters Best Wishes Partners Figure - Satoshi