GO Battle League Season 2 begins on Monday, May 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) and lasts until early July. With additional balancing changes, Season 2 brings a new format called Premier Cup!
The dates for League rotations during Season 2 are still tentative, but Niantic already shared the details:
- The Great League will run from Monday, May 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, June 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Ultra League will run from Monday, June 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, June 22, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Master League will run from Monday, June 22, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, July 6, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- Additionally, the first-ever GO Battle League Cup—the Premier Cup—will run concurrently with the Master League! Like the Master League, the Premier Cup won’t have a limit on Combat Power. However, Legendary and Mythical Pokémon won’t be eligible to participate. Otherwise, everything else about the format will stay the same, including the way ranks and ratings are determined. We hope the Premier Cup will add a fun flavor to Season 2!
- All three leagues and the Premier Cup will be available from Monday, July 6, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, July 13, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- Season 3 will begin Monday, July 13, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
What’s new in Season 2?
GO Battle League Season 2 brings a few significant changes to the overall Trainer Battles flow. First, the following changes have been made to the match up process:
- Trainers will be able to initiate Trainer Battles via QR Code from anywhere, regardless of the Trainers’ Friendship level or distance.
- For Trainer Battles with friends, the Friendship level requirement will remain lowered so you can send battle invites to Good Friends and Great Friends. Originally, you could send battle invites only to Ultra Friends and Best Friends.
Additionally, the reward structure has changed as well:
- The GO Battle League reward system has been changed slightly. You can now earn a Pokémon reward encounter after your third win on the basic rewards track or after your first win on the premium rewards track.
- The ranking system has been adjusted. More wins are now required to get to ranks 4, 5, 6, and 7.
- Some of your guaranteed reward encounters will be different for Season 2. You’ll encounter these Pokémon at each listed rank:
| Rank | Reward |
|---|---|
| Rank 4 |
Stunfisk
|
| Rank 8 |
Rufflet
|
| Rank 9 |
Scraggy
|
- If you reach rank 10, you’ll earn a new avatar pose!
- Trainers who finish Season 2 at rank 7 or higher will receive an Elite Fast TM rather than an Elite Charged TM. Other than that, end-of-season rewards will stay the same as in Season 1.
And there are balancing changes for select moves and move sets:
| Move | Change |
|---|---|
| Drill Run Ground |
Its energy requirement has been reduced. |
| Moonblast Fairy |
Its energy requirement and damage have both been reduced, and it now has a chance to lower the opponent’s Attack stat. |
| Wild Charge Electric |
Its energy requirement has been reduced, its damage has been increased, and it now has a chance to sharply lower the user’s Defense stat. |
Stats for new changes:
- Wild Charge: 100 Damage (was 90), 45 Energy (was 50), guaranteed to lower the user‘s defense by 2 stages.
- Drill Run: 45 Energy (was 55)
- Moonblast: 110 damage (down from 130), 60 energy (down from 70), 30% chance to lower opponent’s attack by 1 stage
Move pool changes:
Palkia
Palkia and Aqua Tail: Aqua Tail gives Palkia a powerful Water-type Charged Attack that charges quickly, helping Palkia stand out from the other Legendary Dragon types in the Master League and making Protect Shield decisions tougher for opponents
What stays the same as in Season 1?
- The walking and PokéCoin requirements to unlock sets of battles in the GO Battle League will still be removed. If you’re currently in the middle of walking to earn a set, this will take effect starting with your next set.
- The avatar items inspired by Pikachu Libre will continue to be rank 7 rewards.
- Metagross and Pikachu Libre will continue to be guaranteed reward encounters when you reach rank 1 and rank 10 respectively.
- The avatar items inspired by Steven Stone, a Pokémon League Champion of the Hoenn region, will continue to be rank 10 rewards.
