New Season of Pokémon GO Battle League Has Started

By Jason Nieva @jnievaplayerone Published 12/01/20 EST

Ready for another round of battles? Niantic

Pokémon GO’s newest update brings tons of changes. One of these is the introduction of Seasons that affects GO Battle League. The GO Battle League occurs in tandem with Seasons. The formats rotate as well on the same three-month period.

Season 6 of GO Battle League expands the ranks from 10 to 24, with the top four getting new names and corresponding badges. The new season starts on November 30 and will end on January 11, 2021.

For those wondering, Season 6 is divided into these Leagues:

The Great League
- Starts: November 30 at 4:00 PM EST
- Ends: December 14 at 4:00 PM EST
The Ultra League and its Premier Cup
- Starts: December 14 at 4:00 PM EST
- Ends: December 28 at 4:00 PM EST
The Master League, its Premier Cup, Master League Classic, and Holiday Cup
- Starts: December 28 at 4:00 PM EST
- Ends: January 4 at 4:00 PM EST
- Other Details:
  - Only Pokémon that haven’t been powered up with Candy XL are allowed in the Master League Classic.
All three leagues and the Ultra League Premier Cup
- Starts: January 4 at 4:00 PM EST
- Ends: January 11 at 4:00 PM EST

As a new season, there’s a lot of things that Trainers can look forward to. These include:

Ranks Increased
- Rank has been increased from 10 to 24.
- Trainers can go through ranks 1 to 20 by taking part in battles and securing wins.
- Trainers can obtain the top four ranks by reaching a particular rating and these are:
  - Ace: 2,000
  - Veteran: 2,500
  - Expert: 2,750
  - Legend: 3,000
Rank-reward System Updated
- Certain ranks are going to be unique when it comes to how Trainers progress through them as well as the rewards granted. Once Trainers reach these ranks, they need to only complete one set of battles to progress to the next rank. These are:
  - Rank 5: The rewards are mystery items.
  - Rank 10: The rewards are Stardust.
  - Rank 15: The rewards are Rare Candies.
  - Rank 19: The rewards are Pokémon encounters.
Additional Stardust Bonuses
- During the Master League, its Premier Cup, Master League Classic, and Holiday Cup, Trainers get to earn twice the Stardust for winning battles and completing battle sets.
Season 6 Rewards.
- The Pikachu Libre avatar items are going to be rewarded for Trainers who reach rank 10.
Trainers who reach Legend rank earn avatar items and a pose inspired by N, who made his first appearance in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version.
Pokémon Encountered
- Pokémon that Trainers encounter are inspired by N’s seasonal teams in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. In addition, players who reach rank 20 can encounter the Legendary Pokémon that is available to battle in five-star raids at that time.
Guaranteed Pokémon Encounter
- Trainers are guaranteed to encounter these Pokémon at each rank now include these:
  - Various Ranks
    - Guaranteed to encounter some first partner Pokémon originally discovered in various regions as Trainers progress through the ranks.
  - Rank 16
    - Guaranteed to encounter Chespin.
      - Trainers also have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks.
  - Rank 17
    - Guaranteed to encounter Fennekin.
      - Trainers have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks.
  - Rank 18
    - Guaranteed to encounter Froakie.
      - Trainers have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks.
  - Rank 20
    - Guaranteed to encounter a surprise Pokémon during the second half of Season 6.
      - Get a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks.
  - Legend Rank
    - Guaranteed to encounter a Pikachu Libre.
      - This is the only time Trainers can encounter a Pikachu Libre during the season.
Enjoy New GO Battle League Cups
- The Holiday Cup starts December 28 at 1:00 PM EST and ends January 4 at 1:00 PM EST.
- The CP limit for this cup is 1,500, and only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost types are allowed.