Trainers, GO Battle League: World of Wonders is almost here! It’s time to prepare for another battle season with the 18th official GO Battle League Season. We will be diving into the official announcement, breaking down each part and discussing the changes. There are new attack changes, cups, rewards and more!
Let’s jump straight into the breakdown without wasting any time so that you don’t miss any crucial details.
Date, Time, Rank Resets & Rewards
GO Battle League: World of Wonders will start on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. PST (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.
GO Battle League: World of Wonders schedule
The following leagues will begin and end at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT
−8) on the dates listed below.
| Dates | Active Leagues and Cups |
|---|---|
| Mar 1-Mar 8 |
|
| Mar 8-Mar 15 |
|
| Mar 15-Mar 22 |
|
| Mar 22-Mar 29 |
|
| Mar 29-Apr 5 |
|
| Apr 5-Apr 12 |
|
| Apr 12-Apr 19 |
|
| Apr 19-Apr 26 |
|
| Apr 26-May 3 |
|
| May 3-May 10 |
|
| May 10-May 17 |
|
| May 17-May 24 |
|
| May 24-May 31 |
|
*4× Stardust from win rewards (this does not include end-of-set rewards)
For the first time, we can see that Great League will be available in every rotation, this is most likely to create a more even playing field since most battlers are able to participate in it due to its low CP threshold. Plus it is also the most popular format in the GO Battle League.
GO Battle Weekend: World of Wonders
Date:
May 4, 2024, 12:00 a.m. to May 5, 2024, 11:59 p.m. local time.
Bonuses:
- 4× Stardust from win rewards. Maximum sets per day increased to 20. (This does not include end-of-set rewards.)
- The maximum number of sets you can play per day will be increased 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 available with rewards including Hala-Style Shoes.If you’re looking for an excellent opportunity to grind some stardust and sharpen up your PvP skills at the same time, then the GO Battle Weekend is just the event for you. You will be rewarded with a great deal of Stardust and a chance to climb the ranked ladder.
2024 Pokémon Europe
International Championships Bonus
Date:
April 3, 2024, 12:00 a.m. to April 7, 2024, 11:59 p.m. local time.
Bonuses:
The maximum number of sets you can play per day will be increased from five to 10—for a total of 50 battles—from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time.
GO Battle League: World of Wonders
rewards
Guaranteed rank-up encounters
| Rank | Guaranteed reward |
|---|---|
| Rank 1 |
Primeape
|
| Rank 6 |
Poliwrath
|
| Ace Rank |
Deino
|
| Veteran Rank |
Goomy
|
| Expert Rank |
Jangmo-o
|
| Legend Rank |
Pikachu
Libre
|
Standard Rank Reward 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: World of Wonders begins.
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 reward you with a small amount of Stardust and items, such as 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!
Timed Research Passes are a great incentive to test the waters in the GO Battle League. Everyone could use some extra Stardust, and what better way to obtain it than to earn it by outplaying another trainer!
Avatar items and other rewards
Trainers will be able to earn the following avatar items, which are all inspired by inspired by Hala, kahuna of Melemele Island from the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon video games.
- At Ace rank, you’ll receive the Hala-Style Shoes.
- At Veteran rank, you’ll receive the Hala-Style Pants.
- At Expert rank, you’ll receive the Hala-Style Shirt.
- At Legend rank, you’ll receive the Hala-Style Pose.
Hala is the grandfather of Hau and the kahuna of Melemele Island. He specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon and grants the Melemele stamp to Trainers who defeat him.
Personally, I am a fan of this outfit and I feel as if it matches the theme of this season perfectly. The yellow floral jacket combined with those iconic flip-flops creates a tropical feel. Trainers who reach Expert rank can enjoy wearing this full attire.
GO Battle League Season 18 Cups
You can look forward to the following new cups this season.
Electric Cup: Great League Edition
- Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
- Only Electric type Pokémon are eligible.
The following Pokémon are not eligible.
Spring Cup: Great League Edition
- Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
- Only Water, Grass & Fairy type Pokémon are eligible.
The following Pokémon are not eligible.
Ultra Premier
- Pokémon must be at or below 2,500 CP to enter.
- Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ultra Beasts are not eligible.
Jungle Cup: Great League Edition
- Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter
- Only Normal, Grass, Electric, Poison, Ground, , Bug & Dark type Pokémon are eligible.
The following Pokémon are not eligible.
Master Premier
- No CP Limit.
- Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ultra Beasts are not 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 in the Great League Remix.
The following Pokémon are not eligible.
Catch Cup: World of Wonders: Little Edition
- Pokémon must be at or below 500 CP to enter.
- Only Pokémon caught during the World of Wonders Season are eligible.*
*Pokémon must be caught between March 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. and June 1, 2024, at 9:59 a.m. local time.
Catch Cup: World of Wonders Great Edition
- Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
- Only Pokémon caught during the World of Wonders Season are eligible.*
*Pokémon must be caught between March 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. and June 1, 2024, at 9:59 a.m. local time.
Excitement fills the air as we unveil the latest lineup of cups for the upcoming season, and my anticipation peaks for the Jungle Cup: Great League Edition. I eagerly await the dynamic and unpredictable encounters it will bring to the GO Battle League. If you’re a fan of the Great League, this might just be the season for you.
New Attacks
Metal Sound (Fast Attack)
- Trainer Battles: 3 power
- Gyms and raids: 6 power
The following Pokémon will be able to learn Metal Sound
Psywave (Fast Attack)
- Trainer Battles: 3 power
- Gyms and raids: 4 power
The following Pokémon will be able to learn Psywave.
Sand Attack (Fast Attack)
- Trainer Battles: 2 power
- Gyms and raids: 4 power
The following Pokémon will be able to learn Sand Attack.
The introduction of new attacks is an exciting aspect of the game, not only can it change up the meta, but we can see underrated Pokémon from the past become relevant with these changes. Magnezone and Bronzong seem to be the 2 biggest winners when it comes to learning the new move, Metal Sound. They will become much more spammy and could be more meta-relevant in Season 18.
Psywave looks like it could be a promising update for Mismagius in particular, as of now it’s only really lacking a solid Fast Move option, this could be the change it needs to be able to become more popular. With coverage moves such as Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse, it can be a solid option for some of the current juggernauts such as Annihilape, Poliwrath, Cresselia, Defense Deoxys and more.
Lastly, we have Sand Attack, and from the looks of it, it could benefit Pokémon such as Sandslash, Flygon, Staraptor, Hippowdon and Palossand the most. Staraptor is an interesting one since it can only learn heavy-hitting Charge Moves, getting to these moves quicker could mean it will have more play in niche cups.
Attack Changes
Shadow Bone Ghost
- Trainer Battles:
75→ 80 power
Now this is an exciting change for Alolan Marowak directly. Unfortunately, with Pokémon such as Whiscash, Lickitung, Azumaril & Lanturn not receiving any nerfs this season means that it could remain as a more niche pick rather than becoming completely meta-relevant, however, we could see the rise of Alolan Marowak in a few of the new cups in Season 18.
Brick Break Fighting
- Trainer Battles: Energy cost increased
- Guaranteed to lower the opposing Pokémon’s Defense by one stage
Brick Break has always been known to be an underwhelming Charge Move when it comes to its damage output. Having a guaranteed chance to lower the opponent’s defense by one stage could come in handy, but it’s now going to cost slightly more energy than before.
Cross Chop Fighting
- Trainer Battles:
50→ 55 power
The biggest winners here have to be Machamp, Primeape and Obstagoon. Unfortunately for these punchy bois, Annihilape simply outclasses them all as a Fighting type. This does not mean that this change isn’t one to not look forward to, simply building around their weaknesses is key to taking advantage of this change.
Aqua Tail Water
- Trainer Battles:
50→ 55 power
This spammy Water type Charge Move is receiving a damage buff. The new King/Queen of the Master League, Origin Palkia immediately comes to mind with this move update as it now automatically becomes stronger. Don’t fret if you didn’t manage to get one because there are Great League Pokémon who will also take advantage of this such as Dragonair, Quagsire and Dragalge to name a few.
Attack Availability Updates
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Aqua Tail:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Fast Attack Steel Wing:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Fast Attack Shadow Claw:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Fast Attack Psycho Cut:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Water Pulse:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Brick Break:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Fast Attack Mud Shot:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Psybeam:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Draining Kiss:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Fast Attack Bullet Seed:
The following Pokémon can now learn the Charged Attack Earthquake:
From what we can see here, nothing from the current meta is getting changed, however, we can look forward to a few new faces potentially sharing the spotlight.
Let’s start with Goodra. Having the newly buffed Aqua Tail means that it will replace its current moveset of Muddy Water which is a terrible Water type move. It could be an interesting core breaker since it’s usually paired with Power Whip. Could this be the new Whiscash answer?
Second, on the list, we have Empoleon who can now learn Steel Wing, which was recently buffed last season. We could see a rise in popularity in the Ultra League since it can lack bulk and efficiency in the Great League. This 2-turn move is an improvement which I am personally looking forward to testing.
Feraligatr learning Shadow Claw could potentially be an exciting change. As of now, its best Fast Move is Waterfall, which deals a decent amount of damage but has poor EPT (Energy Per Turn). I’m sure we all know that Shadow Claw is one of the best Fast Moves in the game, pairing this with a heavy-hitting move such as Hydro Cannon could mean that we might be seeing a lot more of it when the season begins.
Gallade will also become a lot more spammy with it having access to Psycho Cut. Before its best Fast Move is the 4-turn move, Confusion, which in itself is a decent move, but having the flexibility of a 2-turn move can be superior in most cases.
Araquanid is a Pokémon that gained popularity when it was first released but also became less relevant as time went on with its counters becoming stronger. It now has access to the newly buffed Water Pulse which would be its new Water type nuke instead of using the more technical move of Bubble Beam.
Out of the Pokémon who can now learn the newly buffed Brick Break, Kommo-o & Hakamo-o are the only real meta-relevant Pokémon who will take advantage of this change. Although, let’s not forget that Vigoroth can also learn Brick Break, which could now be used as a setup Pokémon for safe swapping.
Graveler and Golem benefit from the Mud Shot buff quite well as they will become more spammy, however, pairing these 2 with Rock Throw has been used as a tactic in the past to wear away at your opponent’s HP. We will see soon see if this change will mix up these strategies in the new season.
Unfortunately, this change won’t do much for poor Starmie and Kirlia as their stats combined with their movesets simply can’t compete with other meta-relevant Pokémon.
Bullet Seed on Lileep will help it out but is simply outclassed by its evolution, Cradily.
Finally, we have Gastrodon, which could be an upgrade, however, it can only learn Mud Slap which has a very low EPT. It will hit like a truck if you can get to this move, but Earth Power could still be the way as it costs less energy.
Parting Words
Personally, I wish they would have changed more from the current meta instead of focusing on adding new moves to lesser-played Pokémon. It looks as if the meta will remain the same from Season 17, which means that we are going to have to put up with 3 months of annoying Scald debuffs and similar faces.
Time will tell if these new changes will impact the meta. Either way, I am excited to try out Pokémon such as Feraligatr, Gallade and Shadow Dragonair.
Best of luck for Season 18 of the GO Battle League!
–Adam ‘avrip’
