A feature we have been asking for in Pokémon GO since the game first released as finally arrived! Team switching is now available and it is as easy and limited as we hoped it would be. Here we will show you how to do it and also talk about why.
Why would I change teams?
The team you choose in Pokémon GO is important if you want to battle in Gyms. To successfully hold Gyms in Pokémon GO you need to have multiple people on the same team to supply Pokémon and to help keep them boosted throughout the day. If possible, everyone in your family should be the same team to maximize the chances of holding Gyms easily.
When we first started playing Pokémon GO there were no other players in my area so my family of three picked three different teams in order to control all of the Gyms nearby. As the game became more popular, however, that decision became an annoyance. My family couldn't play together, we were always opposing each other.
Now we can finally be on the same team and use our levels to help each other complete tasks, conquer Gyms and be the very best!
Step by Step
- Open Pokémon GO on your phone.
- Tap the Pokéball in the center of the screen to open your menu.
- Tap the Shop icon to open up the shop.
- Scroll down to the Team Change section in the shop and tap the Team Medallion.
- Tap exchange to exchange the 1000 coins needed to buy the Team Medallion. You may need to purchase coins, which you can do with an in-app purchase if you don't have enough. An iTunes gift card can help.
- Navigate to your Items menu to find the Team Medallion you just purchased.
- Tap on the Team Medallion in your items list. You will get a warning saying this can only be done once every 365 days.
- Tap OK if you are certain you want to change your team.
- You will now see all three team leaders on the screen. Tap the team leader whose team you want to be on. Make sure you don't choose the team you are already on!
- You will see another 365 day warning, tap OK to finish your team change.
All done, but be warned!
And that's it, you are now a new team (Team Valor I hope) and you can finally work with others in your community to be the very best trainers you can be. Now to those caveats, we spoke about.
This is a very big deal. For a start, you have to have 1000 coins to get the medallion. That's $10 worth of coins, so it's not to be entered into lightly. Now you can get those coins from playing, of course, but if you need to buy some more coins through an in-app purchase, you can grab an iTunes card from Amazon. They oftentimes go on sale, which saves you a bit of money in the long run!
You can also only use the medallion once every 365 days. This is smart on Niantic's part, as it stops people from switching teams on a whim or trying to maximize their gold intake from gyms. This way, you are faced with playing as your chosen team for a whole year before you can change back. It's a significant choice to change teams and the consequences should reflect that.
Let us know in comments how you feel about the team changes. Is it a good thing? Do you think it's too expensive?
