This month begins a new season in Pokémon Go, and that automatically begets a new season for its Trainer battle system, Go Battle League or GBL. Now, in the past, its various formats have thrown in some novelties in the form of "remixes", and that continues to the present season. In fact, it has (or by now, had) done so early on in this season within the first couple of weeks, which I do have to cover for posterity and their bits of significance. And their current significance is that they appear to mix in as well as mix out particulars, making them fascinating indeed.
At the start of the season, there was another edition of the Great League Remix. Like my previous coverage, it disallowed (banned) 20 Pokémon; also as before, these Pokémon had been extensively used by Trainers that had achieved the Ace rank (rank 21) or higher in the previous iteration of the Great League, though now the list is different. Compared to then, 13 species remain on the list, while seven species were replaced with new ones. Some of the highlight new bans are Nidoqueen (a veritable force, past and present), Walrein (still a threat for many, even with removed emphasis), and Trevenant (a menace in and out of Halloween formats). It may be safe to say that things will keep on remixing in this area.
One week later, there was the Fighting Cup Remix, a return of the format with new twists. The Psychic type is still not allowed, and this time, there is a short "ban list", comprising Hakamo-o, Kommo-o, Buzzwole, and Sneasler. Though not every Trainer has access to any or all of these, the ones that do have been shown to have "unchecked power", so the "ban list" makes sense. Even so, based on its top species ranking, Toxicroak is still the menace for this format, with Galarian Farfetch'd and Hisuian Sneasel closing in. Evolved forms of Machop and a few multi-type surprises (like Poliwrath and Blaziken) round out the species ranking. This new format may or may not have mixed in (or out) enough to present a new challenge, however.
Finally, there was an announcement about formats that in itself is not about a specific format, but deals with particular ones. This season will be the last for "Classic" formats that disallow Pokémon powered up with Candy XL (that is, above level 40); the rationale is that more Trainers can access Candy XL now and earlier, and thus it is not as limited as before. In lieu of this, more "Premier" (non-Legendary) formats will be run instead. This announcement therefore indicates that this is the last time they are "in the mix", and they will be "mixed out" soon. The formats themselves can be considered "remixes" in some ways, and there is a sense that they will be missed, though it may be just as well and that their time has come.
Whether remixed or not, Go Battle League continues with this season. Yet by the above, some remixes are already apparent in their nature; they can continue trends established by previous remixes or bring (a little bit) more life to an "ornery" format by mixing in things, or give way to new possibilities by way of mixing themselves out of the running. And all of this has happened early on in the season, keeping Trainers on their toes during that time until other formats in this season rise to the occasion. Such may also be considered the case for GBL format remixes for all the ins and outs they may allow.
One year ago: Getting in the Mood with Pikachu
Two years ago: Muscle Memory and Pokémon Games
Three years ago: Cosplay: Chibi Daisuki! Japan Fest 2019
Four years ago: A Pikachu Hand Puppet
Five years ago: I Claimed My Team
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