Time to get back into Pokemon GO.
Niantic and The Pokémon Company International are beginning to roll out the GO Battle League to Trainers worldwide in Pokémon GO this week. The GO Battle League builds upon Trainer Battles in Pokémon GO and provides Trainers with an opportunity to participate in contests with other Trainers around the world and battle their way up through the ranks.
As the GO Battle League becomes available in the weeks ahead, Trainers will be invited to join the preseason before the first official season of competitive play begins. In the preseason, Trainers will be able to battle, rank up and earn rewards.
Trainers will be encouraged to get out and explore the world by walking five kilometers to earn access to five battles in the GO Battle League. Through an online matchmaking system, Trainers will be paired up against competitors around the world of a similar rank and within the three leagues: the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League. As Trainers win, they will progress up through the ranks and earn valuable rewards—some of which may help them reach further heights in the GO Battle League.
In addition to the launch of the GO Battle League, Premium Raid Passes will be renamed to Premium Battle Passes. These passes can be used to enter Raid Battles or enter the premium track in the GO Battle League. On the premium track, Trainers will have a chance to earn better rewards when they win in battle.
Niantic recently shared additional information on the balancing of the GO Battle League in a blog post here. Throughout the first preseason, Niantic will continue to test and optimize this new competitive mode before beginning Season 1 in the months ahead. Ranks in the preseason will partially reset at the beginning of Season 1.
