Choosing a team is one of the first things to do in Pokémon GO. However, some players skip this step and join “Team Harmony” instead.
Once you reach level 5 in Pokémon GO and want to enter an arena for the first time, a decision must be made: Which team do you want to join?
You then have the choice between three options:
- The yellow team Sparks “Team Instinct”
- The red team Candela “Team Valor”
- The blue team Blanche “Team Wisdom”
In these teams, you can conquer or defend arenas together and share bonuses during raids and other activities.
Additionally, you will occasionally see team leaders who evaluate the Pokémon in trainers’ collections.
However, there are apparently some players who do not join any of these teams.
“Team Harmony” in Pokémon GO – The team for those who do not choose any of the 3 teams
In the Pokémon GO subreddit, a screenshot of a trainer who has reached level 37 but does not belong to any of the 3 typical teams is currently being discussed.
The screenshot shows that the player has walked nearly 4,000 kilometers and caught over 10,000 Pokémon but has not won a single battle.
It makes sense: without a team, you can’t battle in arenas.
The implications of not choosing a team: If you do not want to choose any of the 3 teams, you cannot conquer arenas or complete raids. Every time you want to enter, you will be asked for a team.
This has several consequences:
- Among other things, you won’t get legendary Pokémon from raids. However, it is still possible through trade.
- You also won’t earn XP from raids.
- Tasks that require battles or raids cannot be completed.
- You won’t receive PokéCoins from defending arenas.
- Additionally, some evolutions are not possible if they require extra steps like completing raids.
- You also do not have team leaders for Pokémon evaluation.
However, there are some players who consciously take or have taken this step. For years, there has been an unofficial fourth team: “Team Harmony”.
What is “Team Harmony” and how did it come about? Especially in the early days of Pokémon GO, the battle between the three teams played a significant role.
Even back then, Team Harmony formed as a kind of counter-movement to the three conflicting teams. To this day, there are trainers who join this team by not joining any other team.
Back then, a design featuring Lugia as the unofficial emblem Pokémon of the team received much support, as seen in this tweet from “Seosaur”.
Lugia serves as a counterpart to the three quarreling birds Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos. A similar setup also appeared in the second Pokémon movie, “The Power of One” from 1999 (premiered in Germany in 2000).
Is Team Harmony worthwhile? If you only look at the game, being a member of “Team Harmony” does not provide any benefits, as not choosing a team means missing out on features without gaining any additional ones.
On reddit, some players ultimately describe it as a fun but certainly challenging challenge they set for themselves.
What do you think about “Team Harmony”? Can you imagine playing Pokémon GO in this way? Have you perhaps even had experiences with it? Share with us in the comments!
Next up in Pokémon GO is the Hoenn tour – first in Las Vegas.
