The announcement we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! GO Battle League Season 6 is here and these changes are massive. I’ll be breaking down this official announcement and discussing key points that will help you to digest all this new and exciting information.
Previous Niantic Announcement
“Trainers, as previously mentioned, the introduction of Seasons also brings exciting changes to the GO Battle League! The GO Battle League will expand from 10 to 24 ranks, and the top four ranks will have all-new names and corresponding badges.
The expanded ranks will be accompanied by a totally new reward structure, which gives Trainers more opportunities to earn exclusive rewards through ranking up. You can expect the GO Battle League rewards to be tied to the theme of the current Season, too!
GO Battle League seasons will occur in tandem with the overarching Seasons and will rotate formats over the same three-month period. Season 6 of the GO Battle League will take place during the Season of Celebration!”
Season 5 rewards, Season 6 timeline, and What to Expect
When Season 6 begins on Monday, November 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), your end-of-season rewards for Season 5 will be available on the Battle screen, including an Elite Charged TM if you reached rank 7 or higher.
The dates in the schedule below are tentative and only cover the first half of Season 6. Stay tuned—we’ll update you if anything changes, and we’ll share more details on the second half of Season 6 later.
- The Great League will run from Monday, November 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, December 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
- The Ultra League and its Premier Cup will run from Monday, December 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
- The Master League, its Premier Cup, Master League Classic, and Holiday Cup will run from Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
- Only Pokémon that haven’t been powered up with Candy XL are allowed in the Master League Classic.
- Please see below for more details on what Pokémon will be allowed in The Holiday Cup.
All three leagues and the Ultra League Premier Cup will run from Monday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
GO Battle League Season 6 explained
Pokémon GO’s PvP Season 6 will happen in 2 halves. The first half will play out per normal with its standard Great, Ultra and Master League format, however, a brand new cup is coming to Pokémon GO PvP: The Holiday Cup.
The Holiday Cup is a new cup in the Great League format, and it allows only Pokémon 1500 CP and under. The Holiday Cup limits Trainers to use only only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, , and Ghost typed Pokémon.
The Master League Classic Cup is also new. Classic Master League only allows Pokémon that haven’t been powered up over Pokémon Level 40 (this requires using XL Candy).
The PvP community has been concerned with the Master League meta ever since Niantic announced that you will be able to power up Pokémon past the level 40 cap.
In an effort to eliminate an unfair gameplay experience, Niantic is separating these 2 cups, so that Master League can have Pokémon of any level, while Master League Classic has a cap of Level 40 and under, hence the name.
We are currently unaware of what Niantic has planned for the second half of Season 6 but we can speculate that it may involve certain new cup formats or a completely different surprise which we will just have to wait and see.
What’s new in GO Battle League Season 6?
There are some notable changes coming to the GO Battle League for Season 6. The number of ranks has been increased from 10 to 24.
You’ll progress through ranks 1 to 20 by participating in battles and securing wins. You can achieve the top four ranks by reaching a certain rating.
- Ace: 2,000 Rating
- Veteran: 2,500 Rating
- Expert: 2,750 Rating
- Legend: 3,000 Rating
The rank-reward system has been updated. The following ranks will be unique in terms of how players progress through them and the rewards granted on the rewards tracks. Once you reach these ranks, you need to only complete one set of battles to progress to the next rank.
- Rank 5: The rewards will be mystery items.
- Rank 10: The rewards will be Stardust.
- Rank 15: The rewards will be Rare Candies.
- Rank 19: The rewards will be Pokémon encounters.
We can now see that Ranks 21-24 will have their own unique title to it which is a nice touch to the new system. The new rank-reward system changes up how you receive certain rewards and how you rank up throughout GO Battle League. You will only need to complete one set of battles when reaching these certain ranks.
Limited Stardust bonuses
During the Master League, its Premier Cup, Master League Classic, and Holiday Cup —from Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)—you’ll earn twice the Stardust for winning battles and completing battle sets.
GO Battle League Season 6 Rewards
GO Battle League Season 6 rewards include Start Pokémon, N clothing, Pikachu Libre and the regular Stardust and Item rewards.
Guaranteed Pokémon encounters from GBL
The Pokémon you’ll encounter will be inspired by N’s seasonal teams in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. Additionally, players who reach rank 20 can encounter the Legendary Pokémon that is available to battle in five-star raids at that time.
Pokémon that you’ll be guaranteed to encounter at each rank will now include the following Pokémon:
- Various Ranks: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter some first partner Pokémon originally discovered in various regions as you progress through the ranks.
- Rank 16: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter Chespin. You will also have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks!
- Rank 17: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter Fennekin. You’ll also have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks!
- Rank 18: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter Froakie. You’ll also have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks!
- Rank 20: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter a surprise Pokémon during the second half of Season 6.
- Legend Rank: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter a Pikachu Libre. This will be the only time you’ll be able to encounter a Pikachu Libre during the season.
We’ve prepared a handy table that illustrates guaranteed encounters per rank:
| Rank | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Rank 1 |
Bulbasaur
|
| Rank 2 |
Chikorita
|
| Rank 3 |
Treecko
|
| Rank 4 |
Turtwig
|
| Rank 6 |
Charmander
|
| Rank 7 |
Cyndaquil
|
| Rank 8 |
Torchic
|
| Rank 9 |
Chimchar
|
| Rank 11 |
Squirtle
|
| Rank 12 |
Totodile
|
| Rank 13 |
Mudkip
|
| Rank 14 |
Piplup
|
| Rank 16 |
Chespin
|
| Rank 17 |
Fennekin
|
| Rank 18 |
Froakie
|
| Rank 20 | Legendary in Tier 5 raids at that given time |
| Rank 24 | Pikachu Libre |
Pikachu Libre, N’s pose and Legendary from PvP
The Pikachu Libre avatar items will be a reward for Trainers who reach rank 10. Trainers who reach Legend rank (3,000 Rating) will earn avatar items and a pose inspired by N, who made his first appearance in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version.
The Pikachu Libre Pokémon encounter will return as a reward for trainers that make it all the way to the top and reach ‘Legend‘ rank of 3,000 rating.
N pose and avatar items
Alongside this, we now know that the featured pose for Season 6 comes from N (Natural Harmonia Gropius) from the main series Pokémon game Black and White.
Rank 20 Legendary Pokémon
It’s confirmed that after trainers reach rank 20, they have a chance of acquiring Legendary Pokémon that are available at that time which will be featured as a reward for winning battles.
The Holiday Cup
The Holiday Cup will run from Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
The Holiday Cup limits Trainers to use only only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, , and Ghost typed Pokémon under 1500 CP.
Double Stardust bonus from completing sets in GO Battle League will begin on December 28th through until January 4th.
This will be a great way to gain some extra stardust, especially if you are working your way to levelling up to 44 which requires you to gain 100,000 stardust.
Master League Classic
Master League, its Premier Cup and Master League Classic will also run from Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8). Only Pokémon who haven’t been powered up with Candy XL are allowed in the Master League Classic.
Niantic has confirmed that Pokémon which have been powered up with Candy XL, meaning any Pokémon over level 40, will NOT be eligible for Master League Classic. This is to keep things fair for those who do not have the resources and levels to power up their Pokémon this high.
This could change later on in the future, however, will the level cap only just being lifted, the majority of the player base will not be able to power up their Pokémon over level 40.
Attack Updates
Attack updates are coming! Stay tuned—we’ll announce those changes in this blog post.
Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO.
Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt into receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game events and feature updates, be sure to check this help centre article.
We’re not sure exactly what these new Attack Updates will entail, could it be brand new moves coming to Pokémon GO or maybe a brand new Attack mechanic, either way, this is exciting news for PvP and its dedicated community.
Niantic suggests following their social media to stay up to date for any news or information that gets released.
Parting Words
As we can see, these changes are a massive addition to the game and naturally have a more competitive feel to it. Will you be battling it out for glory in Season 6?
We would love to hear from you in the comments what you’re most excited for and what strategies/tactics you will use in order to make it to the top!
Best of luck in Season 6 of the GO Battle League, Trainers!
