The Pokémon Go Battle League is not only a fantastic way to get extra special rewards like rare items and unique Pokémon but it's the game's most competitive mode. Giving trainers a chance to match up their like pocket pals against one another, you fight people under certain Pokémon or Combat Power parameters to figure out whose team will come out on top.
If you just want to show off how powerful a trainer you are or you want some nice unique items, here's everything you need to know about Pokémon Go's Battle League.
Seasons in the Pokémon Go Battle League
We here at iMore have everything you need to know to get the most out of the Pokémon Go Battle League, and be sure to check out our best Pokémon Go accessories, so you can be fully equipped on your Pokémon Journey!
The Pokémon Go Battle League is divided up into seasons that stretch a handful of months. Each season provides players with a new chance to test their mettle and vie for a spot at the top. The 19th season of the Pokémon Go Battle League kicked off on Monday, June 1, 2024 and will conclude on September 3, 2024
Great, Ultra, or Master League in the Pokémon Go Battle League
The Go Battle League is divided into three different main Leagues: Great, Ultra, and Master League. These are set up the same as Trainer battles and Team Leader Training before with CP caps:
- The Great League allows for Pokémon up to 1,500 CP and runs June 1-7, June 21-28, June 28 - July 5, July 19-26, July 26 - August 2, August 16-23, and August 23 - September 3.
- The Ultra League allows for Pokémon up to 2,500 CP and will run June 7-14, June 21-28, July 5-12, July 19-26, August 2-9, August 16-23, and August 23 - September 3.
- The Master League has no CP limits and will run June 14-21, June 21-28, July 12-19, July 19-26, August 9-16, August 16-23, and August 23 - September 3.
Each week, a brand new set of leagues goes into rotation, giving you more space to battle trainers and get rare items and gear.
Additionally, the Leagues have Remix and Classic versions with additional restrictions:
- The Great League Remix allows for Pokémon up to CP 1,500 and bans the top 20 used Great League Pokémon; it runs July 5-12, and July 12-19.
- The Ultra League Remix allows for Pokémon up to CP 2,500 and bans the top ten used Ultra League Pokémon. There are none of these this season.
- The Master League Classic has no CP limits, but bans any Pokémon powered up with XL Candy. There are none of these this season.
- The Ultra League Premier Classic allows for Pokémon up to CP 2,500 and bans Legendaries, Mythicals, and Pokémon powered up by XL Candy. There are none of these this season.
- The Master League Premier Classic has no CP limits but bans Legendaries, Mythicals, and Pokémon powered up with XL Candy. There are none of these this season.
Cups in the Pokémon Go Battle League
In addition to the various leagues, the Pokémon Go Battle League also holds cups. These themed special competitions have different restrictions than the standard leagues.
For season 19, the following cups will be featured:
- Summer Cup: Great League Edition has the same cp parameters as the Great League but trainers can only use Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, and Bug Pokémon. This runs June 7-14 and June 14-21.
- Fossil Cup: Great League Edition has the same CP requirement and trainers must only use Water, Rock, and Steel Pokémon. This runs August 2-9 and August 9-16.
- The Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition runs July 26 - August 2 and only allows trainers to bring Dragon, Steel, and Fairy Pokémon under 1500 CP.
- Catch Cup: Great League Edition only allows Pokémon under 1500 CP caught during the season.
How to enter the Pokémon Go Battle League
The Pokémon Go Battle League has its own icon on the main menu screen now. Just click Battle, and you're in.
Basic vs. Premium Rewards in the Pokémon Go Battle League
For players who have the extra PokéCoins (or have a healthy stash of Premium Battle Passes - previously known as Premium Raid Passes,) there is an option to earn better Rewards for winning Battles. At the beginning of each Pokémon Go Battle League Set, you can choose between Basic and Premium Rewards. These Rewards include Berries, Stardust, TMs, and Pokémon Encounters.
The Pokémon you can encounter do not change between Premium and Basic, but they do get better as you rank up. Your first encounters for certain Ranks are guaranteed. Here are the rewards:
- Rank 1: Guaranteed encounter with WIngull
- Rank 1+: Possible encounters with Machop, Gligar, Wingull, Grubbin, or Skwovet
- Rank 6: Guaranteed encounter with Scraggy
- Rank 6+: Possible encounter with Frillish or Carbink
- Rank 11+: Possible encounters with Alolan Marowak, Lickitung, Maraenie, Scraggy, or Ralts
- Rank 16+: Possible encounters with Falinks, Wooloo, or Vullaby
- Rank 20+: 5-star Raid Boss (Zapdos, Landorus, or Yveltal)
- Ace Rank: Guaranteed encounter with Goomy and Lana-inspired wig
- Veteran Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Deino and Lana-inspired shoes
- Expert Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Jangmo-o and Lana-inspired outfit
- Legend Rank: Guaranteed Encounter with Pikachu Libre and a Lana-inspired pose
As mentioned, Pikachu Libre is a guaranteed encounter once you reach Legend Rank. For those who aren't familiar, Pikachu Libre is a special Cosplay Pikachu from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. She is dressed like a Lucha Libre wrestler and knows the Fighting Type move Flying Press, one of the strongest moves to come to Pokémon Go.
Battles in the Pokémon Go Battle League
Battles within the Go Battle League are set up the same way as Trainer Battles and Team Leader Training Battles. You select three Pokémon and will be matched up with another Trainer at random. The Battle begins with your first Pokémon against your opponent's first Pokémon, and until a Pokémon is sent out, neither Trainer knows what the other has brought with them. If you're lucky, the Pokémon you've chosen will have a Type advantage, or at least not be weak against the other Trainer's choice. There are definitely some Pokémon better suited for these Battles than others, but there isn't a single Pokémon that cannot be countered, so there's a fair bit of luck involved in winning these matches.
To learn more about which Pokémon you should focus on for the Pokémon Go Battle League, see our Pokémon Go Battle League Prep Guide.
Like other Battles within Pokémon Go, you'll mostly be using your Fast Move until you've built up your Charged Move, which will involve hitting several bubbles on the screen to determine how strong it hits. Each Trainer will have two Shields they can deploy against any Charged Move, but dodging isn't really an option like it is in Raids. Whichever Trainer's Pokémon faint first loses. The winner will move up in Rank, as well as get an increase to their Matchmaking Rating. The loser won't lose Rank, but in higher Ranks, you can lose points in your Rating.
Moving up Rank and Rating in the Pokémon Go Battle League
Speaking of Rank and Rating, the way that you increase your Rank and Rating is by completing Battles and winning Battles. The following requirements must be met to increase your Rank:
- Rank 1: Starting Rank
- Rank 2: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 3: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 4: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 5: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 6: Win one battle
- Rank 7: Win one more battle
- Rank 8: Win one more battle
- Rank 9: Win one more battle
- Rank 10: Win one more battle
- Rank 11: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 12: Win five more battles
- Rank 13: Win six more battles
- Rank 14: Win seven more battles
- Rank 15: Win eight more battles
- Rank 16: Complete five additional Battles
- Rank 17: Win 10 more battles
- Rank 18: Win 15 more battles
- Rank 19: Win 20 more battles
- Rank 20: Complete five additional Battles
- Ace (Rank 21): Reach 2,000+ Rating
- Veteran (Rank 22): Reach 2,500+ Rating
- Expert (Rank 23): Reach 2,750+ Rating
- Legend (Rank 24): Reach 3,000+ Rating
The following Ranks include unique rewards:
- Rank 5 will earn mystery items.
- Rank 10 will earn Stardust.
- Rank 15 will earn Rare Candies.
Training outside of the Pokémon Go Battle League
For those who have noticed that Nearby Battles and Team Leader Battles are no longer where they used to be, don't worry. You can still battle your friends in PVP Battles, and you can still Train against the Team Leaders: Blanche, Candela, and Spark. Once inside the Battle Menu, swipe down to the bottom, and you'll find your QR Code, along with a button to Scan a Battle Code for a Nearby Battle and Training options with each of the Team Leaders. You can also still Battle your Ultra and Best Friends from their profiles in your Friend List. These PVP and NPC Battles are a great way to practice for the real deal and still grant rewards all their own. However, your Rank and Rating won't be impacted by any of these Battles, and you won't get the Go Battle League Rewards from them either.
Setting Battle Parties for the Pokémon Go Battle League
Another thing you can do to prepare for your next Battle is set Parties. Pokémon Go allows you to set up multiple Parties for each League (as well as for Gyms and Raids.) This lets you pick out specific Pokémon ahead of time. When you go to Battle in the League, your chosen Party will be there waiting for you so you won't have to wade through your hundreds of Pokémon to find the specific Tyranitar you want to bring. This is especially useful for players who have multiple of the same type of Pokémon for different purposes.
Legendary Encounters in the Pokémon Go Battle League
Trainers who reach Rank 20 or higher will be able to encounter the current Legendary Raid Pokémon as Reward Encounters.
Previous Seasons in the Pokémon Go Battle League
- The first preseason ran from January 29, 2020, through March 13, 2020
- The first season ran from March 13, 2020, through May 11, 2020
- The second season ran from May 11, 2020, through July 27, 2020
- The third season ran from July 27, 2020, through September 14, 2020
- The fourth season ran from September 14, 2020, through November 9, 2020
- The fifth season ran from November 9, 2020, through November 30, 2020
- The sixth season ran from November 30, 2020, through March 1, 2021
- The seventh season ran from March 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021
- The eighth season ran from May 31, 2021 through August 31, 2021
- The ninth season ran from August 31, 2021 through November 29, 2021
- The tenth season ran from December 1, 2021 through March 1, 2022
- The eleventh season ran from March 1, 2022 through June 1, 2022
- The twelfth season ran from June 1, 2022 through September 1, 2022
- The thirteenth season ran from September 1, 2022 through to December 1, 2022
- The fourteenth season ran from December 1, 2022 through to March 1, 2023
- The fifteenth season ran from June 1, 2023 through to September 1, 2023
- The sixteenth season ran from September 1, 2023 through to December 1, 2023
- The seventeenth season ran from December 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024
- The eighteenth season ran from March 1, 2024 through to June 1, 2024
- The nineteenth season runs from June 1, 2024 through to September 3, 2024
Battle time
Pokémon Go's Battle League offers plenty of exciting opportunities for competitive players. You'll want to bring your best Pokémon into each fight and you'll rank up in no time. Be patient as some battles wil be trickier than others. But you've got this!
