GO Battle League: Max Out Season

Trainers, GO Battle League: Max Out has been announced, and it brings with it some major changes to the PvP meta! Get ready for another thrilling season of battles with the 20th official GO Battle League Season. In this announcement, we’ll break down all the details, including new attack changes, cups, rewards, and more!

Date, Time, Rank Resets & Rewards

GO Battle League: Max Out will commence on GO Battle League: Max Out will start on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −8).

The following will occur at the beginning of the Season:

• End-of-Season rewards will be available on the Battle screen.
• Your GO Battle League rank will be reset.
• Rank-up requirements will remain the same as the prior Season.

The new season brings a fresh start with a rank reset, giving everyone an equal opportunity to climb the ranks. End-of-season rewards will be available, maintaining the excitement and competitive spirit of the GO Battle League.

Infographic

GO Battle League: Max Out Schedule

The following leagues will begin and end at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −8) on the dates listed below:

*4× Stardust from win rewards (this does not include end-of-set rewards)

The season schedule includes a mix of leagues and special cups, with Great League featured prominently to ensure accessibility for all players. The inclusion of 4× Stardust rewards in specific weeks provides additional incentives for battlers to participate.

GO Battle Week: Max Out

Date: Saturday, November 2, at 12:00 a.m. to Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Bonuses:

• 4× Stardust from win rewards. (This does not include end-of-set rewards.)
• 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.
• Free battle-themed Timed Research will be available. Rewards include shoes for your avatar inspired by Allister.
• Pokémon encountered via GO Battle League rewards will have a wider variance of Attack, Defense, and HP.
• For US$1.00 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency), paid battle-themed Timed Research will be available. Complete it to earn 30,000 Stardust, three Rare Candies, and one Star Piece.

GO Battle Week: Max Out offers a great opportunity to earn extra Stardust and participate in more battles than usual. The special Timed Research and unique rewards, such as the Allister-inspired shoes, add an extra layer of excitement to this event.

GO Battle League: Max Out Rewards

Guaranteed Rank-Up Encounters

You can encounter the following Pokémon once per season at the designated ranks:

Rank	Guaranteed reward
Rank 1	Yamask (Galarian)
Rank 6	Haunter
Ace Rank	Jangmo-o
Veteran Rank	Dragonite
Expert Rank	Frigibax
Legend Rank	Pikachu Libre

Standard Encounters

You can encounter the following Pokémon in reward encounters throughout the season at the ranks shown below:

Rank 1+

Rank 6+

Rank 11+

Rank 16+

Rank 20+

Active Raid Boss in five-star raids

Ace+

Veteran+

Expert+

GO Battle League Timed Research Pass

For our most dedicated battlers, a pass to access battle-themed Timed Research will be available in the in-game shop at no cost once GO Battle League: Max Out begins.

This Timed Research will keep track of your victories throughout the Season.

This Timed Research will keep track of your victories throughout the Season. Each research page will require 100 wins to complete, and doing so will award Stardust and items such as Rare Candy XL, an Elite Fast TM (at 400 wins), and an Elite Charged TM (at 500 wins). Keep at it throughout the Season to see how far you can get!

The GO Battle League Timed Research Pass offers dedicated battlers an additional avenue to earn rewards and showcase their dedication throughout the season.

Avatar Items and Other Rewards

Trainers will be able to earn the following avatar items, which are all inspired by Allister, the Gym Leader of Stowon-Side Stadium from the Pokémon Shield video game.

• At Ace rank, you’ll receive shoes inspired by Allister.
• At Veteran rank, you’ll receive a mask inspired by Allister.
• At Expert rank, you’ll receive an outfit inspired by Allister.
• At Legend rank, you’ll receive a pose inspired by Allister.

GO Battle League Season 20 Cups

You can look forward to the following cups this season:

• Galar Cup: Little Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 500 CP to enter. Only Pokémon found in the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Pokédex are eligible.
• Psychic Cup: Great League Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. Only Psychic-type Pokémon are eligible. Mew is not allowed.
• Galar Cup: Great League Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. Only Pokémon found in the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Pokédex are eligible.
• Sunshine Cup – Only Normal Fire Grass and Ground type Pokémon are eligible. Charizard is not allowed.
• Halloween Cup: Little Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 500 CP to enter. Only Poison, Bug, Ghost, Dark and Fairy type Pokémon are eligible.
• Halloween Cup: Great League Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. Only Poison, Bug, Ghost, Dark and Fairy type Pokémon are eligible.
• Great League Remix – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. The 20 Pokémon that are most used by Trainers ranked Ace and above in the Great League are not eligible. Those Pokémon are as follows:

• Master Premier – No CP limit. Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ultra Beasts are not eligible.
• Willpower Cup – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. Only Fighting, Psychic, and Dark type Pokémon will be eligible.
• Retro Cup – Dark, Steel, and Fairy type Pokémon are not eligible.
• Catch Cup: Great League Edition – Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
  Only Pokémon caught during the Max Out Season are eligible. Pokémon must be caught between September 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. and December 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Updates to the Combat System

The switch timer in the GO Battle League will be changed from 60 seconds to 50 seconds.

Niantic are trying out a reduced switch timer and will reevaluate the change for next Season and onward.

Attack Changes

The following changes to attacks will go live on Tuesday, September 3, at 10:00 a.m. PDT:

• Astonish: damage increased from 9 to 12
• Body Slam: damage decreased from 60 to 50
• Bone Club: damage increased from 40 to 55
• Brutal Swing: damage decreased from 65 to 55 but energy cost decreased
• Counter: energy generation decreased
• Dig: damage decreased from 80 to 70
• Fairy Wind: damage increased from 3 to 4
• Fire Spin: damage increased from 10 to 11
• Future Sight: damage decreased from 120 to 110
• Karate Chop: energy generation increased
• Metal Claw: energy generation increased
• Mud Shot: damage increased from 3 to 4 but energy generation decreased
• Mud Slap: damage increased from 11 to 12 and energy generation increased
• Night Shade: damage increased from 60 to 80 and energy cost decreased
• Parabolic Charge: damage increased from 65 to 70, energy cost decreased, and now has chance to increase user’s defense
• Poison Sting: damage increased from 3 to 4
• Power Gem: damage increased from 80 to 85 and energy cost decreased
• Psywave: energy generation increased
• Razor Leaf: damage decreased from 10 to 9
• Rock Slide: damage decreased from 75 to 65
• Rollout: damage increased from 5 to 8
• Shadow Punch: damage increased from 40 to 55
• Sky Attack: damage increased from 75 to 85 but energy cost increased
• Smack Down: damage decreased from 12 to 11
• Steel Wing: energy generation decreased
• Sucker Punch: damage increased from 5 to 8
• Surf: damage increased from 65 to 75 but energy cost increased
• Swift: energy cost decreased
• Trailblaze: energy cost decreased
• Wing Attack: energy generation decreased
• Zap Cannon: Chance to lower the opposing Pokémon’s attack is decreased

The attack changes this season are significant, and will have a huge impact on the PvP meta. Check out an early analysis of these changes here.

Attack Availability Updates

Several Pokémon will now be able to learn new attacks:

Counter (Fast Attack)

Force Palm (Fast Attack)

Draining Kiss (Charged Attack)

Karate Chop (Fast Attack)

Rollout (Fast Attack)

Rock Tomb (Charged Attack)

Shadow Punch (Charged Attack)

Brutal Swing (Charged Attack)

Night Shade (Charged Attack)