Battle Box for Pokémon Go?

When it comes to competitive Pokémon play, the main series games are no doubt pioneers in this regard with VGC. This also includes innovations that not only make competitive play easier but also keep it fair. One such innovation is the Battle Box that is designed to hold a team of Pokémon for competitions. With the PvP competitions of Pokémon Go gaining ground, it may serve well to try to determine if any of the innovations from the main series are worthy of being included in Pokémon Go as well, like the Battle Box above.

First, it is necessary to explain what the Battle Box is and how it works. In the main series games, the Battle Box holds only six Pokémon instead of the standard 30. Its function is to hold a team party (different from the active party of the Trainer) that can then be used in various tournaments or competitions. In the case of official ones, the Pokémon in the Battle Box can then be locked to prevent changes to them as well as be read by organizers to be checked against a "team sheet" that Trainers submit to make sure that the Pokémon is as they claim they possess. It is thus a vital part of these competitions, especially in the fairness department.

PvP battling in Pokémon Go is decidedly very different from main series battling. However, apart from the system (which is real-time in Pokémon Go instead of turn-based in the main series), the battles can be distilled into a version of a limited 3-on-3 Single battle, which in the main series games is taken from a team of 6 Pokémon. If this sounds familiar to any competitive Trainer in Pokémon Go, it is because some community organizers - notably Silph Arena - use (or technically adapt) the system for their tournaments. Therefore, the system of the Battle Box would serve these organizers and their Trainers well, and its inclusion would bring Pokémon Go to a further parity with the main series games.

The concession is that Pokémon Go already has its own party system. However, the system is also divided in scope: only Gym battles and raids use a party of 6, while PvP battles use a party of 3. The latter (which is relevant for the topic of this post) also demands selection from all eligible Pokémon, whether in the setup prior to entering battle selections or during battle party selection just before the battle. An adaptation of the Battle Box would demand an initial setup for a party of 6 for a PvP battle, then during battle party selection, the 3 Pokémon necessary for that battle would be selected. This would be an absolute game changer for the Silph Arena and other organizers whose battle systems shadow that of the main series.

Should the competitive infrastructure of Pokémon Go expand into official competitions that resemble VGC, and in particular something that would be an expansion of the Pokémon Go invitational from the 2019 World Championships, a Battle Box system would perhaps be even more pertinent, particularly for the purpose of checking over, securing, and qualifying teams, which is only rudimentary at present in Pokémon Go and in some cases would need a pair (or several) of observant eyes to make sure that no funny business (read: unfairness) is going on with the competitive teams that Trainers bring to competitions and tournaments, and therefore they would be more credible.

Evidently, Pokémon and its games have been pioneering from the very start, especially for official competitions and features that support it, like the Battle Box in the main series games. Pokémon Go is also rather pioneering despite only having existed for a fraction of the time of the main series games, and it too is gravitating toward competitions that can surely become official. At that point, something like the Battle Box will have to be implemented, if not sooner, and especially to equalize fairness and ease of competition.

One year ago: Game Freak with Mario on the Side

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 6/8/2019

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 6/8/2018

Four years ago: Poor Zygarde