Pokémon Go’s New Season For Go Battle League Starts November 9

There’s something Pokémon Go Trainers worldwide can look forward to. Season 4 of Go Battle League is about to end, which means that Season 5 is going to start soon. Specifically, Season 5 is going to begin on November 9, and one thing everyone can expect is that this season is going to be shorter than the others.

That’s not all as for Season 5, ratings are not going to be used for rank progression. Instead, progressing through ranks is going to done by winning a certain number of battles. Here are some of the things Trainers can expect:

• Remaining Unchanged in Season 5
  • There won’t be a walking requirement in order to battle in the Go Battle League.
  • The Friendship level requirement for battling remotely remains at Good Friends throughout Season 5.
  • The avatar items inspired by Pikachu Libre continue to be rank 7 rewards.
  • Trainers can still encounter Pikachu Libre once they’ve reached rank 10.
  • The end-of-season rewards are going to be similar to those in Season 4.
    • Stardust from rank 1 to rank 3.
    • Stardust, TMs, and a Premium Battle Pass from rank 4 to rank 10.
• New Things in Season 5
  • Starting at rank 7, Trainers have a chance to encounter Legendary Pokémon on the Go Battle League rewards tracks.
    • These Legendary Pokémon are going to be the same as those appearing concurrently in five-star raids.
    • The rest of the Pokémon that Trainers can encounter on the rewards tracks remain unchanged from Season 4.
    • Encounters with Legendary Pokémon on the rewards tracks are going to be available in the Go Battle League only during Season 5.
  • Rank progression during this season is going to be based on effort rather than ratings.
    • To reach rank 2, Trainers need to complete a certain number of battles.
    • To reach ranks 3 through 10, Trainers need to win a certain number of battles.
  • Trainers who finish Season 5 at rank 7 or higher get to receive an Elite Charged TM rather than an Elite Fast TM.
  • Incinerate has been added to Pokémon Go:
    • This Fire-type Fast Attack is initially available only to Rapidash originally discovered in the Kanto region, Typhlosion, Ho-Oh, Darmanitan originally discovered in the Unova region, and Chandelure.
  • Poison Sting is going to be be updated for Trainer Battles:
    • This Poison-type Fast Attack now generates more energy, allowing Pokémon like Vespiquen, Drapion, and Whirlipede to use their Charged Attacks more frequently.
  • Flame Charge is going to be available to Pokémon that couldn’t learn it before:
    • This powerful Fire-type attack is now be teachable to Rapidash originally discovered in the Kanto region, Entei, Emboar, and Chandelure.

Finally, here’s the schedule for Season 5:

• The Little Cup
  • Start: November 9 at 4:00 PM EST
  • End: November 16 at 4:00 PM EST
  • Details:
    • Only Pokémon that are able to evolve and have not evolved even once are eligible.
    • The CP limit is 500.
• The Kanto Cup
  • Start: November 16 at 4:00 PM EST
  • End: November 23 at 4:00 PM EST
  • Details:
    • Only Pokémon with a Pokédex number between #001 and #151 are eligible.
    • The CP limit is 1,500.
• The Catch Cup
  • Start: November 23 at 4:00 PM EST
  • End: November 30 at 4:00 PM EST
  • Details:
    • Only Pokémon that have been caught since the beginning of Season 5 are eligible.
    • The CP limit is 1,500.
    • Mythical Pokémon are not eligible for the Catch Cup. These include Pokémon such as:
      • Mew
      • Celebi
      • Jirachi
      • Victini