Pokemon Go’s Battle League is still chugging along, as the massively successful competitive component to the game marches onwards into its seventh season, and it has made some big changes to keep things interesting for the most dedicated of Pokemon Go players. This season has changed the requirements for entering battles, and is offering a whole host of new and unique rewards for anyone that considers themselves a capable trainer.
We’ve got a full list of the biggest, most important, and most interesting things you need to know about Pokemon Go Battle League Season Seven below, courtesy of Niantic, so read on for all of the juicy details.
Go Battle League Season 7 Duration
Pokemon Go Battle League Season Seven begins on March 1, 1pm PST, and your rating will be reset as you receive your rewards for the previous season. The halfway point of this season will come on May 31 at 1pm PDT.
Special Cups
There are three special cups that you can participate in during this season. These include…
Great League Remix
This will be available as the season starts, and wrap up on March 15. The change here is that you will not be able to use the 10 most-used Pokemon in the Great League, meaning the meta will be upended for now.
Retro Cup
This cup will only allow you to use the original 15 Pokemon types, excluding Dark and Steel, which were introduced in Gen 2, and Fairy, which came much later, in addition to capping the maximum CP you can use to 1,500.
Kanto Cup
This cup will only allow you to use Pokemon introduced in the Kanto region, and the CP limit will again be 1,500. This cup will not affect your overall rating.
Big Changes
Possibly the biggest change to come from the new season is the removal of the walking limit. Previously you would have to walk a set distance between battles, but that has now been removed, making it more convenient for pandemic play.
Rank Rewards
For the ranks you raise you’ll be able to get plenty of rewards, such as encountering specific Pokemon. Here’s a full list of what you can expect:
- Rank 1 - Zebstrika encounter.
- Rank 1+ - Possible Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, Pupitar, Galvantula, or other encounters.
- Rank 10+ - Possible Medicham, Frillish, Rufflet, or other encounters.
- Rank 15+ - Possible Scraggy, Lampent, Rufflet - possible Shiny Rufflet chance.
- Rank 20+ Legendary Raid Pokemon encounter.
- Rank Ace+ - Deino encounter.
- Rank Legend - Pikachu Libre encounter.
Many of the Pokemon you can catch as Go League rewards will also offer more candy than usual.
League Availability
Here is when you can expect to be playing each league in the Pokemon Go Battle League:
- Great League: March 1 - March 15
- Ultra League, Premier Cup: March 15 - March 29
- Master League, Master League Classic, Great League: March 29 - April 5
- Great, Ultra, Master League: April 5 - Apri 12
- Great League, Great League Remix: April 12 - April 26
- Ultra League, Premier Cup: April 26 - May 10
- Master League, Master League Classic, Retro Cup: May 10 - May 17
- Great, Ultra, Master League: May 17 - May 24 - this will conclude ranked leagues.
- Kanto Cup: May 24 - May 31 - Unranked.
The rank structure stays the same as the previous season, but at least you won’t be walking around as much trying to get your rank up. Good luck in the battles ahead, trainers.