Good day, Pokémon trainers! A new season of Pokémon GO Battle League is upon us. Which means new moves, rebalances, and new entrants to PvP! A lot of this has already been covered by other members here at GOHub, such as these Move Rebalance Analyses by JREseawolf and this analysis of winners and losers in the new meta by JTizzler.
Today, I want to add to the discussion by talking about the often understated part of Pokémon GO PvP, the Pokémon available as rewards for getting three wins in a set in the GO Battle League! Key terms I’ll be using are explained in the season 16 article. Now let’s get right into it and focus only on the newcomers or the Pokémon that got a substantial update this season.
Pokémon Leaving The Pool
These are the Pokémon that were available in the GBL reward pool last season but are no longer available as GBL rewards this season:
A lot fewer Pokémon are leaving the pool this time around. This makes sense, considering the previous reward shakeup was so large. As I will not be repeating the usefulness of Pokémon that haven’t seen much of a change since the last season, I highly recommend checking out the Season 22 Article as well.
Rank 1+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available after you hit rank 1:
Wooper (Paldea)
Paldean Wooper
Type: PoisonGround
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/14/13 (Great League), 15/15/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: No (Great League), Absolutely! (Ultra League)
I had already praised Clodsire for its performance in the Great League before. But now with shifts to the meta, Cloudsire might be THE best Pokémon to use in the Great League, thanks to shifts in the meta. A good Clodsire for the Master League is expensive to build up so better start collecting those candies!
Bunnelby
Bunnelby
Type: Normal, +Ground(Diggersby)
Viable League: Great League
Best IVs: 0/15/13
Usability As Is: No
Bunnelby’s evolution, Diggersby once played second fiddle to Lickitung when it came to bulky normal types in the Great League meta. But now, Diggersby IS the Great League meta. It put itself to the top when Lickitung got nerfed. And thanks to the fact that it’s part Ground typing makes it strong against multiple popular Pokémon. This has all made Diggersby a very lucrative Pokémon for the Great League and one that needs XL Candies, so better start collecting them for those candies!
Spheal
Spheal
Type: IceWater
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League, Master League
Best IVs: 0/12/15 (Great League)(Walrein), 0/15/14(Great league)(Sealeo), 0/15/15 (Ultra League), 15/15/15 (Master League)
Usability As Is: Absolutely (Master League)
Spheal’s final evolution, Walrein, sees its ups and downs in all three main leagues. But we’re not talking about Walrein right now. Spheal’s mid-stage evolution, Sealeo, just got access to Surf, which makes it viable but not exceptional in the Great League.
Rank 6+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 6:
Skorupi
Skorupi
Type: PoisonBug Skorupi/ PoisonDark Drapion
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 2/15/14 (Great League), 0/15/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: Yes (Great League), No (Ultra League)
Drapion just got nerfed with one of the main moves in its kit, the Dark type Crunch. It’s still solid, especially in the Ultra League. But it will definitely feel less threatening going forward, especially with all the meta Ground types going around.
Rank 11+
These are the new or meta-shifted Pokémon that will be available as soon as you hit rank 11:
Inkay
Inkay
Type: DarkPsychic
Viable League: Great League, Ultra League
Best IVs: 0/15/9 (Great League), 3/15/15 (Ultra League)
Usability As Is: No (Great League), Yes (Ultra League)
Inkay’s evolution, Malamar has been solid for a while now with its unique type combination, and its blend of Psywave, Foul Play, and Superpower. Psywave generates energy very first, leaving your opponents constantly guessing whether you’ll shoot out Foul Play or use Superpower and then switch. Malamar is very solid in the Ultra League in its shadow form. But if you want to use regular, 10/14/15 can work well in the Ultra League.
Pokémon From The Last Season
These Pokémon are staying this season from last season’s pool:
After the huge shift in the reward pool last season, this one is retaining most of the ones from season 22. The move rebalances will hopefully help to bring some new flavor to matches, regardless.
hub-title icon=”General”]Conclusion[/hub-title]
And there you have it. A look at every new Pokémon available as rewards in the GO Battle League. If you’re into PvP in Pokémon GO, you’ve probably figured out by now that you need to be smart about how you use your resources and make use of any and all benefits that come your way. Since you’ll be catching these Pokémon while participating in GBL anyway, might as well know how to make the best use of them. That was the idea behind this article anyway. So I hope it has been useful for you, and happy battling!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
