This season will be much shorter than most.
Trainers, the next season of the Pokemon Go Battle League will kick off in just a few days. This will be a very short season, at just three weeks long.
Rather than being split into the normal divisions of “Great,” “Ultra,” and “Master” Leagues, Season 5 will instead be split into three different weekly cups.
The Little Cup will run from November 9 at 1 p.m. PT until November 16 at 1 p.m. PT. During this time, only Pokemon that are capable of evolving but haven’t been evolved will be able to participate. So, for example, you could use Bulbasaur in the Little Cup, but not Ivysaur or Venusaur. The Little Cup will have a CP limit of 500.
Next, the Kanto Cup will last from November 16 at 1 p.m. PT until November 23 at 1 p.m. PT. Only Pokemon from the Kanto region of the Pokemon universe will be able to participate in this Cup. That is, Pokemon with Pokedex numbers between #001 (Bulbasaur) and #151 (Mew). You can see all of the eligible Pokemon by checking the “Kanto” tab in the Pokemon Go Pokedex. The Kanto Cup will have a CP limit of 1,500.
Finally, the Catch Cup will run from November 23 at 1 p.m. PT until November 30 at 1 p.m. PT. Only Pokemon that have been captured since the start of Season 5 will be able to participate in this cup. In other words, only Pokemon that you’ve captured after November 9 at 1 p.m. PT will be able to participate. That being said, Mythical Pokemon won’t be allowed to compete in this cup at all, regardless of when you captured them. This cup will have a CP limit of 1,500.
Season 5 of the Go Battle League will also feature even more changes when compared to previous seasons. To start, you’ll be able to progress through the ranks by completing or winning a certain number of battles, rather than achieving a certain rating. Specifically, you can reach Rank 2 by simply completing a required number of battles. You can then reach ranks 3 through 10 by winning a required number of battles.
Plus, when you reach Rank 7, you’ll have the chance to encounter Legendary Pokemon as part of your Battle League rewards. The Legendary Pokemon that will be available will be the same ones that are currently appearing in Tier-5 Raids (check out November’s schedule of Tier 5 Raids here). All of the other Pokemon encounter rewards for Season 5 will be the same as those from Season 4.
Finally, if you reach Rank 7 or higher by the end of Season 5, you’ll receive an Elite Charged TM as a reward, rather than an Elite Fast TM.
While Season 5 will feature these changes, it will also carry over many elements from Season 4. Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, detailed them in a news post:
- “There will not be a walking requirement in order to battle in the GO Battle League.
- The Friendship level requirement for battling remotely will remain at Good Friends throughout Season5. Remember that you can scan another Trainer’s QR Code to battle them, no matter where they are.
- The avatar items inspired by Pikachu Libre will continue to be rank 7 rewards.
- You can still encounter Pikachu Libre once you’ve reached rank 10.
- The end-of-season rewards will be similar to those in Season 4.
- Stardust from rank 1 to rank 3
- Stardust, TMs, and a Premium Battle Pass from rank 4 to rank 10”
Are you excited about Season 5 of the Pokemon Go Battle League? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
