In Pokémon GO the first season of the Battle League starts in a few days. You will be rewarded with legendary Pokémon there. We show you what you need to know.
What’s new? In recent weeks, the preparation for the Battle League in Pokémon GO has been underway. Now it is clear when the PvP League will officially kick off, what rewards await you, and what Niantic aims to improve.
When does the league start? The kickoff for Season 1 of the Battle League in Pokémon GO is on March 13, 2020, at 10:00 PM German time.
Legendary and mysterious Pokémon as rewards
What is this? In the Battle League, you can earn encounters with Pokémon through battles. In Season 1, Niantic has already confirmed Darkrai, Giratina in its altered form, and Voltolos as rewards starting from rank 4.
When are the rewards available?
- The encounter with Darkrai is available from March 6 at 8:00 AM local time until March 9 at 10:00 PM local time.
- The encounter with the altered form of Giratina is available from March 13 at 8:00 AM local time until March 16 at 10:00 PM local time.
- During all other time periods, you will encounter Voltolos until Niantic announces another Pokémon as a reward.
- For all encounters with Darkrai or Giratina, you have a chance to encounter these Pokémon as shiny.
Strong Pokémon encounters: Niantic has adjusted which Pokémon encounters you will experience in Season 1. They state:
In Season 1 of the GO Battle League, Metagross is your first guaranteed reward encounter. Starting from rank 4, you have a chance to encounter Tanhel. From rank 7, you can encounter Geronimatz, which will be available for the first time in Pokémon GO, even before the Safari Zone in Philadelphia.
Lastly, you will be rewarded with a guaranteed encounter with the powerful Wrestler Pikachu at rank 10! In the future, Wrestler Pikachu will already be available at lower ranks, but this season it is meant to be a challenge to give you the motivation to reach rank 10.
From now on, Machollo, Relaxo, and Meditie will no longer appear in encounters in the GO Battle League, instead Zurrokex will appear more frequently. These reward encounters may change in the next season, so give it your best and climb as high as possible in rank, trainers!
Source: PokémonGO-Blog
New TMs as rewards for all trainers
What is changing with the Battle League? In recent weeks, Niantic has received a lot of feedback from trainers who participated in the Battle League.
The following changes will now be made in Season 1 for you:
- Optimized rewards will give more stardust and other amounts of Fast and Charged TMs based on your rank.
- Victories will now count from rank 2 to rank up – previously it was from rank 4.
- Avatar accessories and poses inspired by Troy.
- Elite TMs from rank 7 – this is a new type of Charged and Fast TMs.
What are Elite TMs? If you use an Elite Charged TM or Elite Fast TM, you can choose which move the Pokémon should learn. With these Elite items, Pokémon can even learn moves that were only available during events like raid days or Community Days.
When do the leagues run? Schedule for Season 1
When does which league start? You may already know this if you played in the preseason. Niantic rotates the leagues.
- The Great League runs from March 13, 2020, at 10:00 PM until March 27, 2020, at 10:00 PM. The best teams for the Great League
- The Ultra League runs from March 27 at 10:00 PM until April 10, 2020, at 10:00 PM. The best teams for the Ultra League
- The Master League runs from April 10, 2020, at 10:00 PM until April 24, 2020, at 10:00 PM. The best teams for the Master League
- All leagues are active simultaneously from April 24, 2020, at 10:00 PM until May 1, 2020, at 10:00 PM.
When does Season 2 start? The start date is currently planned for May 1 at 10:00 PM.
2 Special Events for the Battle League
What are these events? To ensure you have the right attackers for the PvP battles, Niantic is launching two special events.
Preparation Event for the Battle League
This event starts on March 10 at 8:00 AM local time and is active until March 12 at 10:00 PM local time.
In raids, you will encounter Panzaeron, Sumpex, and Schilterus. In Level 5 raids, you will encounter Registeel and Cresselia.
Additional bonuses include double stardust in raids and trainer battles outside the GO Battle League.
Celebration for the start of Season 1
This event starts on March 13 at 8:00 AM local time and runs until March 16 at 10:00 PM local time.
In raids, Pokémon that are strong in the GO League will appear. In the wild, battle Pokémon will appear more frequently, and you can find the altered form of Giratina in Level 5 raids. Also, shiny Praktibalk will show up.
Additionally, these bonuses will be available:
- You will receive a Premium Battle Pass if you win all 5 matches of a Premium Battle Set in the GO League.
- You can complete 7 battle sets per day instead of 5.
- You will receive additional stardust in the Battle League.
Many more events are scheduled for March 2020, take a look here:
