Season 6 of the Go Battle League is upon us, and Niantic has officially announced (most of) what it will entail! Between the full schedule, new cups, and the brand new Master League Classic, it's going to be an interesting (and long) season!
Go Battle League: Season 6
| Season Begin | Season Half-Way Point |
|---|---|
| November 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST | January 11, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
| League+Cup(s) | League Start | League End |
|---|---|---|
| Great League | November 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST | December 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
| Ultra League+Premier | December 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST | December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
| Master League + Master Premier + Master Classic + Holiday Cup | December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST | January 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
| All Leagues + Ultra Premier | January 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST | January 11, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST |
Note that this is only the first half of Season 6, with the second half coming soon. During the Master League's run, we'll also enjoy bonus stardust for the Go Battle League!
Next, let's look at the new ranking system:
| Rank | Achievement Requirements | Total Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting Rank | Starting Rank |
| 2 | 5 Battles | 5 Battles, 1 set minimum |
| 3 | 3 Wins | 5 Battles, 3 Wins, 2 sets minimum |
| 4 | 4 Wins | 5 Battles, 7 Wins, 4 sets minimum |
| 5 | 5 Wins | 5 Battles, 12 Wins, 5 sets minimum |
| 6 | 5 Battles | 10 Battles, 12 Wins, 6 sets minimum |
| 7 | 7 Wins | 10 Battles, 19 Wins, 7 sets minimum |
| 8 | 8 Wins | 10 Battles, 27 Wins, 9 sets minimum |
| 9 | 9 Wins | 10 Battles, 36 Wins, 11 sets minimum |
| 10 | 5 Battles | 15 Battles, 36 Wins, 12 sets minimum |
| 11 | 11 Wins | 15 Battles, 47 Wins, 14 sets minimum |
| 12 | 12 Wins | 15 Battles, 59 Wins, 17 sets minimum |
| 13 | 13 Wins | 15 Battles, 72 Wins, 20 sets minimum |
| 14 | 14 Wins | 15 Battles, 86 Wins, 23 sets minimum |
| 15 | 15 Wins | 15 Battles, 101 Wins, 26 sets minimum |
| 16 | 5 Battles | 20 Battles, 101 Wins, 27 sets minimum |
| 17 | 17 Wins | 20 Battles, 118 Wins, 31 sets minimum |
| 18 | 18 Wins | 20 Battles, 136 Wins, 35 sets minimum |
| 19 | 19 Wins | 20 Battles, 155 Wins, 39 sets minimum |
| 20 | 5 Battles | 25 Battles, 155 Wins, 40 sets minimum |
| Ace | Player Rating: 2000 | |
| Veteran | Player Rating: 2500 | |
| Expert | Player Rating: 2750 | |
| Legend | Player Rating: 3000 |
Next, let's look at the rewards! Please note that limited Pokemon that can only be encountered once will be marked by an asterisk (*). All others will be available at and above the rank mentioned.
| Rank | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Any | Various starter Pokemon |
| 5 | Additional Item rewards |
| 10 | Additional Stardust rewards, Pikachu Libre Avatar Items |
| 15 | Additional Rare Candy rewards |
| 16 | Chespin |
| 17 | Fennekin |
| 18 | Froakie |
| 19 | Additional Pokemon Encounter rewards |
| 20 | A "surprise Pokemon" in the second half of season 6, the current Legendary Pokemon in raid rotation, Pokemon inspired by the trainer "N", |
| Legend | Pikachu Libre*, Avatar Items and a special pose inspired by N |
The New Cups
Master League Classic
This new option for the Master League only allows Pokemon leveled up to Lv.40. Pokemon that have been powered up using XL candy cannot enter.
This is an outstanding new addition to the Master League season, as it does not exclude players who have not boosted their team of Master League Pokemon given the new level cap (about 99% of players). This is a very good move on Niantic's part, so respect given where due!
Holiday Cup
Another limited-type cup, the Holiday Cup includes only Pokemon that are Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost Types
Move Updates
Well, they've announced that move updates are indeed coming for Season 6, but the information has not been released yet! Keep an eye open, as we'll drop the information as soon as it's released!
Full 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, 2021, 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, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 11, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8).
What’s new in Season 6?
There are some notable changes coming to the GO Battle League for Season 6.
- The number of ranks have 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
- Veteran: 2,500
- Expert: 2,750
- Legend: 3,000
- 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.
- Enjoy additional Stardust bonuses for a limited time. 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, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)—you’ll earn twice the Stardust for winning battles and completing battle sets.
- You won’t want to miss these Season 6 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 N, who made his first appearance in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version.
- 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. You’ll have a chance of encountering it on the rewards tracks for higher ranks!
- 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.
- You’ll be able to enjoy new GO Battle League cups!
- The Holiday Cup will run from Monday, December 28, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, January 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8). The CP limit for this cup will be 1,500, and only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost types will be allowed.
- Stay tuned for details on the GO Battle League cups to be featured in the second half of Season 6.
- At the start of the season, your rating will be reset.
Attack updates coming soon
Attack updates are coming! Stay tuned—we’ll announce those changes in this blog post.
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—The Pokémon GO team
