Pokémon GO organized a press event for the trainer battles, and our author Noah was also there. He found the new PvP battles at the event..
Pokémon GO announced the trainer battles. I was invited to test the PvP battles at a press event in Munich ahead of time. Throughout the event, my Pokémon heart raced.
I will tell you how the gaming experience was and give you a taste of PvP.
I was in Pokémon heaven
When I discovered an ad in July that MeinMMO is looking for a Pokémon GO author, I never dreamed that I would someday be one of the first trainers to test a new feature of Pokémon GO.
When Niantic invited me to this event, a small dream of mine came true.
This is why I was so excited: As I drove to Munich on the day of the event, my anticipation grew with every kilometer. Me, a small Pokémon GO player, get to test PvP before everyone else? How cool is that?
Here’s how the presentation went: Via Skype, Pokémon GO product manager Matt Slemon and game designer Rob Giusti joined from San Francisco. They made their presentation and introduced point after point.
With each new feature, my heart raced even more, and I couldn’t wait to try the mode. And I was finally allowed to do so.
This is how PvP can be played
This is how we were able to test the mode: Anne Beuttenmüller, Head of Product Marketing at Niantic, handed us all phones with active test accounts from Niantic.
What was special about the accounts: The accounts were different from a normal Pokémon GO account. You could already play with all Pokémon, even those that hadn’t even been released.
The stardust values for a captured Pokémon were enormously high, and leveling up Pokémon was so cheap that I immediately powered up a Pokémon. However, these bonuses have nothing to do with the new battle mode.
How was the gameplay? I then immediately tested the new mode with a press colleague. We fought directly in the Master League, and my eyes sparkled as I battled with Regigigas and Darkrai.
What is special about PvP: I was excited from second one about the trainer battles. Finally, you can apply your Pokémon knowledge and defeat the opponent with clever moves.
Never before has it been so important to use effective Pokémon. You won’t get far with a Stolloss or a Lugia here.
I particularly liked the defense shield that could be used twice per battle. You have to know exactly when to use it to avoid wasting it.
Also the second major feature, the second charge move, is brilliant. You can make your Pokémon so versatile and counter so many opponents with just one Pokémon.
Finally, my knowledge about Pokémon GO is appreciated.
This is why battles against team leaders are cool: After I fought against my opponent a few times, I tried out the battles against team leaders. I find it outstanding that you can play against an opponent anywhere and anytime with this.
I love to battle and have already completed over 20,000 battles at gyms. Battling against team leaders is the cherry on top.
Especially at the beginning, when I didn’t know which Pokémon the team leaders would use, I found it hard to win. I also didn’t know what moves the Pokémon on the test account had.
But I realized that it wouldn’t be easy to defeat the team leaders. I am curious to see what it will be like when I challenge the team leaders with my own account.
Testing until the doctor arrives
I was so engrossed in playing: Actually, the event was supposed to end around 5:30 PM. When I put my test phone aside at a quarter past six, I realized how empty the room already was.
Most of the press representatives had already gone home. Only three other colleagues were still testing. We were all excited about the new feature.
I would have liked to play longer and try many more things on Niantic’s account.
However, I said goodbye to all the remaining attendees and left the building with a big smile. In the end, I exchanged my friend code with Spieletrend, who later even sent me pictures of the entire afternoon via email.
I was so completely thrilled that I was probably the happiest Pokémon player in Munich all evening.
This is why you can look forward to it: When Niantic releases the trainer battles this month, you can also look forward to it. I went into the appointment with a lot of skepticism and wondered how Niantic would implement this system. But I can tell you that I was completely blown away. So look forward to the release as well. I hope it can convince you as much as it convinced me.
Such an invitation can gladly come again. I am definitely in for a second round. Now I am eagerly awaiting the release of PvP. I can hardly wait to challenge all my friends to battles.
Are you looking forward to the release of PvP?
These trainers have defeated the legendary raid boss Cresselia in pairs.
