After the ending of the first Cycle for the current season of Factions, Silph Arena went back to looking at the data from that slice of time in order to look for insights that can be used for the next Cycle, which just happened to start a couple of weeks ago. And went back it did; like the data from the previous season for the first new-season Cycle, the data from that first Cycle resulted in further insights, which are realized as the new battlefields for this second Cycle. With that, it is time to highlight them again as I did previously for the ones of the first Cycle.
Open Great League and Open Master League are still as they are, with certain restricted lists to nudge the meta toward certain selections while still remaining "open" as "open" can be. One main difference is the number of species in them: Great League now just has 6 species (from which up to 1 may be picked) and Master League now has 22 species (from which 3 may be picked). In addition, Master League now allows Mega Evolution to be put in play, a first overall for the Silph Arena, though only the evolved starters from Kanto plus Beedrill for now, the latter as a free pick and the former from the restricted list. These open leagues are certainly staying to their point.
Meanwhile, Open Ultra League is absent this time around, and for their Specialists and for the first time, there is a themed format or a specific Battlefield for it, and it's called "Celestial". This theme includes a swath of types (Normal, Water, Flying, Rock, Ghost, and Psychic) and extra species (Scizor, Alolan Muk, and even the recently-introduced Overqwil plus three others) while it bans other types (Fairy, Fire, Fighting, and the Water/Ground "mud boys" combo) and species (Mega Evolution as well as Walrein, Trevenant, and Obstagoon plus three others). It's apparent that one has to "launch into outer space" for this, and uniquely, it has to be done with a class of more powerful Pokémon - but that shouldn't be a challenge for seasoned Trainers of this League.
For Field Specialists, two of them deal with a new Battlefield, which is called "Primeval". Here too are "in" types (Electric, Rock, Ice, Dragon, and Dark) and extra species (9 in all, including Greedent and Sceptile) as well as "out" types (Fighting, Ground, and Steel) and species (14 in all, including Umbreon and Crustle). The themed format is obviously a representation of more primordial or ancient times, and the type and species selections for both inclusions and bans make sense in that regard, the latter especially to keep things in check. With some of the hard countering types axed, Trainers will have to dig into some creative picks that include the "in" types and species to counter others of their kind.
The other two, meanwhile, deal with two Battlefields that comprise two returning Silph Arena themed cups. One of them deals with the Timeless theme, and the other deals with the Sorcerous theme. Not much has to be said about these, except that they've been updated to keep up with the times. Timeless still maintains its only starter, but fifth-generation Pokémon are now OK at the expense of banning an extra type (Dragon) and 6 species plus Shadow Pokémon. Sorcerous now allows Shadow Pokémon but bans the Steel type as well as 13 other species. It's been a long time since these themed formats have appeared in some form, and those who now compete in Factions get to experience them anew, regardless for those who are drafted into Factions now.
(Note: for any of these, no Galarian legendary birds are allowed, and for Great League and its related Battlefields, Buzzwole and Sneasler are out as well - certainly for fairness in accessibility.)
It is now the second Cycle of the current season of Factions, and it is apparent that things have (to be) escalated a bit from the paltry selections of the first Cycle. Ultra League getting a themed format as well as Mega inclusion in Master League is especially innovative, as well as the new Battlefield plus the return of two familiar themed formats as such. Trainers in Factions are to make these into whatever they will select to counter others, and the results should be as dazzling as Factions continue to dazzle into the present.
One year ago: Unite Uptake
Two years ago: Making Time, Taking Time
Three years ago: Doubleheaders and Such
Four years ago: Cosplay: Panniversary 2nd
Five years ago: Pikachu and Poké Ball New 2DS XL
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