Since by now it is obvious that I'm participating in Factions with a team I command, I have to get a leg up on the Battlefields for the next Cycle, which is due out soon. Therefore, this post becomes all the more important, and what's more, they're already published (in an official bulletin, no less) - so I have to get right on it. This Cycle's Battlefields, including those for the three common leagues, are also different in some ways and require a bit of understanding.
A points system is back in vogue for the Great League, with a cap of 17 points and species grouped into tiers of 7, 5, 2, and 1 points. They respectively contain 6, 9, 20, and all other species; the top two tiers are notable for containing exceptionally powerful species and are designed to break them up from being chosen together - in fact, one can only have one of the 7-point species with or without a 5-point one, or two of the latter without the former, the rest of a team being filled by lower tier species (and as usual, no Mega Evolution). Master League retains its point system and cap of 8 points from last time, but all the tiers are updated according to recent developments, including banning both existing Primal forms. Likewise, this is done to keep things in check. For these and all others below, Hawlucha - recently introduced as a Mexico regional - is also banned for that reason.
Meanwhile, Ultra League has gone back to a themed format, this time called "Justicar". In this format, the focus types are Fire, Electric, Bug, Poison, Fighting, Ice, and Fairy, while the Ground type is banned, as is Mega Evolution and six selected species (Alolan Golem, Lanturn, Toxicroak, Aurorus, Dragalge, and Tapu Fini), although Shadow Pokémon are allowed. If the title of this theme sounds strange, it's because it refers to a fantasy law enforcer - thus the icon for the theme contains a knight's helmet and a crescent. Those battling in this common league Battlefield will have their hands full in delivering justice, as is implied by the title.
For the two Battlefields, one of them is new and has a lively spiritual quality, and it's called Arcana. It allows the types of Grass, Rock, Ghost, and Psychic, plus five other selected species (two of them being Pelipper and Scyther); conversely, it disallows the types of Normal, Electric, Ice, and Fairy, plus seven species (two of them being the ever-popular Bastiodon and Trevenant). As with "Ember" from the iteration of the previous Cycle, it's relatively simple -compared to the other themed Battlefield - but still allows for great dynamics to take place within that relative simplicity.
The other Battlefield is a returning theme with a more somber spiritual quality. Catacomb from July 2020 returns with more or less the same restrictions, but updated with and considering modern developments. The theme now includes four selected species, all of them of the Water type (two of them being Samurott and the Qwilfish from Johto); there are also a whole lot more bans, including three species families in entirety, one of them Hisuian Qwilfish - in all 18 specific species plus the original restrictions, which also now includes Grass-Poison dual-type bans. The original format had to have a bevy of restrictions to make it viable, and that is still the case today with all the bases covered by all the currently available species in Pokémon Go.
Cycle 4 of the current Season also marks the end of the current Season itself for Factions, before being followed by the postseason, which will come in due time. As such, it seems appropriate for it to go out with a bang, for which all of the above Battlefields for the current Cycle serve to do just that. Of course, for some Trainers like me, this Cycle is a beginning of the things to come in Factions as we (re)start our path in dealing with everything that the competition offers, including a diversity of battles that involve the above formats.
One year ago: Working for Pokémon?
Two years ago: Outsourcing Pokémon Development
Three years ago: Cosplay: Robotto no Sekai + SUCOFEST 2020
Four years ago: The Marketing of Expectations
Five years ago: How Many to a Raid?
Six years ago: To Be Continued... maimai ORANGE (PLUS)
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