Season 7 of the GO Battle League has just been announced, officially named “The Season of Legends”. With new seasons comes new and exciting changes. There’s a lot to cover but let’s breakdown this informative announcement and discuss each main topic.
Date and time
GO Battle League Season 7 will begin on Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
From the official announcement:
“Trainers, Is there a more apt time for Season 7 of the GO Battle League to begin than with the Season of Legends? We’re excited to share how this GO Battle League season will be the most legendary one yet! As we continue to work on bringing interesting and competitive experiences to the GO Battle League, you can look forward to new cups that upend team expectations in familiar leagues and a surprise sometime between Monday, March 29, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, April 5, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).”
From this, we can gather that Niantic wants to shake things up for Season 7 which will add a more strategic and competitive experience. Could this mean that we will be having a meta shift with this update? Let’s dig deeper and find out.
End of Season 6 Rewards
When Season 7 begins on Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), your end-of-season rewards for Season 6 will be available on the Battle screen, including an Elite Fast TM if you reached rank 19 or higher. Your rating will be reset. Stay tuned—we’ll update you if anything changes.
Season 7 Timeline, and What to Expect
Season 7 starts with a fairly standard schedule for the first half of the season which is to be expected. One thing to note is that standard Great League will be playable alongside the Master League rotation. This is where things start to get exciting:
- The Great League will run from Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8) to Monday, March 15, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Ultra League and its Premier Cup will run from Monday, March 15, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, March 29, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Master League, Master League Classic, and the Great League will run from Monday, March 29, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, April 5, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7). Only Pokémon that haven’t been powered up with Candy XL are allowed in Master League Classic.
- All three leagues will run from Monday, April 5, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, April 12, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
Second part of the season
In the second part of the season, two brand new Great League cups will be coming to Season 7 named “The Remix Cup” and “The Retro Cup” which will be discussed below. Niantic really seem to be enjoying bringing out new theme cups to mix things up. Not only does this keep things fresh, in retrospect these cups are paving the way for PvP to grow into a bigger scene and to ultimately become something greater:
- The Great League and a new cup called Great League Remix will run from Monday, April 12, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, April 26, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Ultra League and its Premier Cup will run from Monday, April 26, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, May 10, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- The Master League, Master League Classic, and the Retro Cup will run from Monday, May 10, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, May 17, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7). Only Pokémon that haven’t been powered up with Candy XL are allowed in Master League Classic.
- All three leagues will run from Monday, May 17, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, May 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
Ranked play ends and Kanto Cup returns on May 24th
The Kanto Cup is making a return as again, an ‘unranked’ cup, meaning it will not have an effect on your MMR (matchmaking rating). It was also mentioned that Season 7 will have the same ranked format as Season 6.
- Ranked play will end on Monday, May 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
- An unranked Kanto Cup will run from Monday, May 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, May 31, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).
Season 7 rewards
There are some notable changes coming to the GO Battle League during Season 7. You won’t want to miss these Season 7 rewards:
- The Pikachu Libre avatar items will be a reward for Trainers who reach rank 10. Trainers who reach Legend rank will earn avatar items and a pose inspired by Elesa, who made her first appearance in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. At rank 19, you’ll receive an Elite Charged TM, and you’ll also receive an Elite Fast TM as an end-of-season reward.
- Some of the Pokémon you’ll encounter as you reach certain ranks will be inspired by Elesa. Additionally, players who reach rank 20 are guaranteed to encounter the Legendary Pokémon that is appearing in five-star raids at that time.
Rank rewards
- Rank 1: You’ll be guaranteed to encounter Zebstrika, one of Elesa’s partner Pokémon in the Pokémon RPGs.
- Rank 1 and up: You’ll be able to encounter Pokémon such as Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, Pupitar, Galvantula, and more.
- Rank 10 and up: You’ll be able to encounter Pokémon such as Medicham, Frillish, Stunfisk, and more.
- Rank 15 and up: You’ll be able to encounter Pokémon such as Scraggy, Lampent, and Rufflet. Don’t forget—if you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Rufflet!
- From rank 20 and up: You’ll be able to encounter the Legendary Pokémon that is appearing in five-star raids at that time.
- Ace rank and up: You’ll be able to encounter Deino!
- 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. From previous reports in Season 6, we know that Pikachu Libre has a chance at being shiny!
- You’ll earn more Candy XL than normal when you catch these Pokémon in GO Battle League reward encounters: Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, Pupitar, Medicham, Scraggy, Galvantula, Lampent, and Stunfisk.
GO Battle League Season 7 Cups
Great League Remix
The 10 most-used Pokémon in the Great League will not be allowed in this version of the league. We’ll share the list of ineligible Pokémon shortly after the Great League ends on March 15.
Be prepared to see those ‘spice’ picks in this format! With the main contenders not being eligible for this cup, we are sure to see some new and unexpected Pokémon rise from the grave.
Retro Cup
This cup will be a throwback! Only the first 15 Pokémon types, excluding Dark, Steel, and Fairy types, will be usable in this cup, and the CP limit will be 1,500.
Get ready to feel the nostalgia of Pokémon Red and Blue again with this cup. Only the first 15 Pokémon typing’s from the first Generation can be used in The Retro Cup.
Kanto Cup
The CP limit for this cup will be 1,500, and only Pokémon with a Pokédex number from #001 to #151 will be allowed. You rating won’t be affected during the Kanto Cup, so feel free to get creative!
More changes
The previous walking requirement to unlock battles will not return to the GO Battle League. Stay tuned for more updates on GO Battle League Season 7, including some Trainer Battle attack updates.
Parting Words
Each season, the competition becomes more and more fierce with people adopting brand new strategies with even more thought out tactics to dominate their opponents.
Will you fight it out in the Season of Legends and compete to make it to the highest rank?
My greatest tip to if you’re looking to get into Pokémon GO PvP is to “play to improve, not to win” meaning to learn from your mistakes, apply new tactics if things aren’t working and most importantly, maintaining a calm and steady mindset.
GL&HF!
