Trainers, GO Battle League: Delightful Days is almost here! Season 23 brings a fresh wave of competitive battles, meta shakeups, stylish avatar items, and a jam-packed schedule of unique cups. Whether you’re a seasoned battler pushing for Legend, or someone just starting out, there’s something for everyone this season.
In this guide we list all of the move changes, the full season event and cup schedule, rank-up rewards and encounters, new avatar items you can unlock in GBL, and more.
GO Battle League: Delightful Days
📆 Date, Time, Rank Reset & Season Start
GO Battle League: Delightful Days begins on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
Here’s what happens at launch:
- 🎁 End-of-season rewards from Season 22 will be available on the Battle screen.
- 🔄 Your GO Battle League rank will be reset, giving everyone a fair starting point.
- 📈 Rank-up requirements remain unchanged, so veterans can resume their grind without surprises.
🗓️ Season 23 League Schedule
All leagues begin and end at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) on the dates listed:
| Dates | Active Leagues and Cups |
|---|---|
| June 3 – June 10 |
|
| June 10 – June 17 |
|
| June 17 – June 24 |
|
| June 24 – July 1 |
|
| July 1 – July 8 |
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| July 8 – July 15 |
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| July 15 – July 22 |
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| July 22 – July 29 |
|
| July 29 – August 5 |
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| August 5 – August 12 |
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| August 12 – August 19 |
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| August 19 – August 26 |
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| August 26 – September 2 |
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*🌟 4× Stardust win rewards active during these weeks (excluding end-of-set rewards)
🎉 GO Battle Weekend: Delightful Days
GO Battle Weekend: Delightful days runs from Friday, August 15 at 12:00am local time, until Sunday, August 17, 2025 11:59pm local time.
Bonuses
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4× Stardust from win rewards. (This does not include end-of-set rewards.)
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The maximum number of sets you can play per day will increase from five to 20—for a total of 100 battles—from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time.
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Free battle-themed Timed Research will be available. Rewards including shoes for your avatar inspired by Leon.
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Pokémon encountered via GO Battle League rewards will have a wider variance of Attack, Defense, and HP.
🎁 Guaranteed Rank-Up Encounters
These Pokémon are guaranteed encounters when you hit a particular rank in GO Battle League:
| Rank | Guaranteed Encounter |
|---|---|
| Rank 1 |
Mienfoo
|
| Rank 6 |
Vullaby
|
| Ace |
Morpeko
|
| Veteran |
Frigibax
|
| Expert |
Dreepy
|
| Legend |
Pikachu
Libre
|
🔄 Standard Encounter Pool
Rank 1+
Rank 6+
Rank 11+
Rank 16+
Rank 20+
- Active 5-star raid boss
Ace+
Veteran+
Expert+
Legend
⏳ GO Battle League Timed Research Pass
This free Timed Research will track your wins and offer:
- ⭐ Stardust
- 🍬 Rare Candy XL
- 📘 Elite Fast TM at 400 wins
- 📕 Elite Charged TM at 500 wins
The GO Battle League Timed Research Pass is a great incentive for battlers this season, offering free rewards just for racking up wins. As you progress, you’ll earn valuable resources like Stardust, Rare Candy XL, and most notably, an Elite Fast TM and an Elite Charged TM. It’s a rewarding way to track your grind and get premium items without spending a cent.
🧢 Avatar Rewards
| Rank | Reward |
|---|---|
| Ace | Battle Tower Leon–Style Boots |
| Veteran | Battle Tower Leon–Style Pants |
| Expert | Battle Tower Leon–Style Top |
| Legend | Battle Tower Leon–Style Pose |
Leon is the former Champion of Galar and the Battle Tower boss in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Known for his strength and focus, his Battle Tower outfit represents high-level competition, perfect for Season 23’s GO Battle League avatar rewards.
🥊 Season 23 Cups
Season 23 features a diverse lineup of Cups that test different skills and strategies. With formats like Sunshine, Fossil, Hisui, and Catch Cup, each brings its own twist through type restrictions, regional themes, or seasonal catch limits, offering a refreshing change from standard league play.
You can look forward to the following cups this Season:
Sunshine Cup: Great League Edition
- Max 1500 CP
- Only Normal, Fire, Grass, Ground types allowed
- 🚫 Charizard is banned.
Fossil Cup: Great League Edition
- Max 1500 CP
- Only Water, Rock, Steel types allowed.
Summer Cup: Ultra League Edition
- Max 2500 CP
- Only Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Bug types allowed.
Element Cup: Little Edition
- Max 500 CP
- Only Pokémon that can evolve and haven’t evolved allowed.
- Only Fire, Water, Grass types allowed
Hisui Cup: Great League Edition
- Max 1500 CP
- Only Pokémon from the Hisui region allowed, or Pokédex numbers #387–493.
Catch Cup: Delightful Days: Great League Edition
- Max 1500 CP
- Only Pokémon caught during Season 23 (June 3 – Sept 2, 2025).
⚔️ Attack Changes
These changes could shake up the meta, bringing new Pokémon into play at the North American International Championships and the World Championships soon. Buffs to key moves boost viability, while the Crunch nerf hurts popular ‘mons like Drapion by reducing their debuff potential. Expect fresh strategies and new faces this season.
Buffs
- Ember – Energy generation increased
- Bug Bite – Power 3 → 4
- Fury Cutter – Power 2 → 3
- Acid – Energy generation increased
- Bullet Punch – Power 6 → 8
- Metal Sound – Power 3 → 5
- Double Iron Bash – Power 50 → 55
- Doom Desire – Power 75 → 80
- Wrap – Now guarantees -1 Defense
- Parabolic Charge – Lower energy cost and guarantees +1 Defense
Nerfs
- Crunch – Lower chance to reduce opponent’s Defense
🧬 Attack Availability Updates
New Charged Attacks
| Pokémon | Charge Move |
|---|---|
Gholdengo
|
Power Gem Rock |
Raichu
|
Surf Water |
Alola Raichu
|
Surf Water |
Sealeo
|
Surf Water |
Lickitung
|
Wrap Normal |
Milotic
|
Wrap Normal |
Dhelmise
|
Wrap Normal |
Galarian Articuno
|
Fly |
Galarian Zapdos
|
Fly |
Galarian Moltres
|
Fly |
Lugia
|
Fly |
New Fast Attacks
| Pokémon | Fast Move |
|---|---|
Lunala
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
Skeledirge
|
Hex Ghost |
Beedrill
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Arbok
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Nidoqueen
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Nidoking
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Tentacruel
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Toxicroak
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Scolipede
|
Poison Sting Poison |
Galarian Meowth
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Aron
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Lairon
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Aggron
|
Metal Sound Steel |
|
Dhelmise
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Perrserker
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Varoom
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Revavroom
|
Metal Sound Steel |
Pawmi
|
Thunder Shock Electric |
Pawmo
|
Thunder Shock Electric |
Pawmot
|
Thunder Shock Electric |
Metang
|
Fury Cutter Bug |
Metagross
|
Fury Cutter Bug |
Kleavor
|
Fury Cutter Bug |
Comments and Thoughts on the Move Updates
These updates breathe fresh life into several Pokémon, shaking up team compositions and shifting the GO Battle League meta across multiple formats. Could we be witnessing the long-awaited return of the Lickitung meta? With its new utility move Wrap, now guaranteed to drop an opponent’s Defense by one stage, Lickitung will now favor Wrap over Body Slam, resurrecting its competitive viability.
Along with that, we could also see the fan favourite Nidoqueen become meta again, now having access to Poison Sting, which allows it to reach its charge moves more quickly. Other Poison types like Tentacruel, Toxicroak, and Beedril also benefit from this faster energy gain, potentially shaking up their roles in formats like Great League, Ultra League, or limited cups. Meanwhile, Dhelmise picks up both Wrap and Metal Sound, giving it unique versatility as a bulky, hard-hitting Ghost-Grass hybrid.
Stay tuned for our upcoming meta analysis articles, where we will explore how these move updates impact key Pokémon, examine new team compositions, and provide detailed strategies to help you adapt and excel in the GO Battle League. We’ll highlight which Pokémon are rising or falling in popularity, showcase potential surprise picks, and offer tips on mastering the updated movesets to give you a competitive edge in every format.
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