When Pokemon GO first in July 2016 launched, it took the world by storm. Everyone and their mother was out and about, trying to catch them all. While that initial buzz has died down, the game remains as popular as ever.
PvP Comes To Pokemon GO
Still, one of the players’ biggest complaints from the start – the lack of player-vs-player (PvP) Pokemon battles – persisted. Catching Pokemon, building your perfect team and challenging fellow trainers to a battle is essential to Pokemon as a series.
From 2020 onwards, however, that is starting to change. Since January 2020, developers Niantic started the pre-season for the Pokemon Battle League, finally bringing PvP battles to Pokemon GO. That preseason is now in its final week and Niantic has announced some rewards to celebrate its end.
Rewards For Pre-Season Participants
Trainers who achieved rank 4 during the pre-season will receive the Premium Battle Pass as a reward. From March 5, 2020, to March 13, 2020, all three league tiers – Great League, Ultra League and Master League are open for players to participate in. Additionally, from March 6, 2020, to March 9, 2020, people who participate in these leagues have a chance to encounter the legendary Darkrai in its shiny or regular form.
March 10, 2020, to March 12, 2020, is a warmup period for the Battle League. Strong Pokemon such as Swampert, Skarmory, Shieldon, etc. will appear in raid battles. Those strong enough to take on five-star raids will get to battle Registeel and Cresselia, too. The amount of Stardust earned through these battle will also be doubled.
GO Battle League Season 1 Commences
Season 1 of the Battle League begins on March 13, 2020, and a Shiny Altered Forme Giratina is there for the taking in five-star raids to start it off with a bang. This window of opportunity will close on March 16, 2020. Those not strong enough to take on five-star raids fret not. Fighting in one-star raids nets you the chance of encountering a Shiny Timburr. On top of all this, the frequency of encountering fighting-type Pokemon in the wild will be bumped up significantly.
Participating in the GO Battle League will earn you rewards throughout the event period. Players will receive key items such as TMs regularly. Increased chances to encounter rare Pokemon from different regions are also part of the bonuses.
Season 1 of the Pokemon GO Battle League will run for quite a while. This is what the schedule looks like.
- The Great League runs from March 13, 2020, to March 27, 2020.
- The Ultra League runs from March 27, 2020, to April 10, 2020.
- The Master League runs from April 10, 2020, to April 24, 2020.
- For the final week of Season 1, from April 24, 2020, to May 1, 2020, all three leagues will run simultaneously.
Season 2 is set to kick-off on May 1, 2020.
For all the details regarding Season 1 of the Pokemon GO Battle League, visit Niantic’s website. Pokemon GO is free-to-play on iOS and Android.
