Pokémon Go Starts Go Battle League Preseason

Pokémon Go announced that the Go Battle League is almost here. However, don't get too excited yet, as it's going to be made available slowly to Trainers based on Trainer level. In addition, the game features are going to be released in this manner in order to ensure that stability is maintained. At launch, the Go Battle League is kicking off its first preseason.

Gp Battle League Preseason

What is the preseason, then? Well, this is a time given to Trainers before the actual season of competitive play starts. During this period, the Pokémon Go team is going to balance and optimize the Go Battle League. The preseason is also going to be the time to know more how Go Battle League is used in order to determine things like rating thresholds for ranks and ideal length of the season, among others.

Battles are going to take place and rotate every two weeks between three leagues and start from Great League then Ultra League and finally Master League. While Trainers can still rank in the preseason, it's going to be partially reset once Season 1 begins. However, rewards can still be earned when battling and winning.

The Go Battle League preseason kicks off with the Great League. It then rotates to the Ultra League on February 10 at 4:00 p.m. EST. After that, it then rotates again to the Master League on February 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST before returning to the Great League on March 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Go Battle League Rewards

For those who take part in the Go Battle League, here are some of the things to expect. First is that rewards are going to be based by rank and battles won. To be able to take part in the Go Battle League, Trainers need to walk five kilometers, which then unlocks five online matches. This can be done for a maximum of three times per day.

As Trainers battle, they receive a large amount of Stardust based on rank and how many of the five battles they manage to win. That means the more battles won, the more Stardust earned. There are also going to be other important battle-related items, like Rare Candies and TMs, to be earned along with exclusive Pokémon encounters.

This is where Niantic will feature the official debut of none other than Pikachu Libre. This wrestling-themed costume was first featured in Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, and Pokkén Tournament. As Trainers move up in ranks, they get a chance to earn exclusive rewards, which include avatar items inspired by Pikachu Libre.

Trainers can also look forward to a small change. Premium Raid Passes are going to become Premium Battle Pass. With this, Trainers can enter not only Raid Battles, but also take part in the premium track in the Go Battle League. The advantage of being on the premium track is that Trainers get better rewards each time they win. They also need a lower number of wins in order to earn certain Pokémon encounters. Just in case it needs to be said, the Premium Battle Pass doesn't affect a Trainer's rank or rating. What this means is that Trainers need to win if they want to increase their rank.

For Trainers who've already started their walk, but still have some distance left before they can battle, here's some good news. There's a Battle Now feature that allows early access to the Go Battle League. This lets Trainers spend Pokécoins in order to be able to participate early. The closer the Trainer is to the five-kilometer goal, the lower the Pokécoins needed. The Battle Now feature does require Trainers to walk at least two kilometers before it's activated.