Go Battle League Season 7 is coming to a close, which means Season 8 is almost here. This time around, we have a new set of special cups, a few new attacks added to the game, and perhaps the long awaited rise of Poison Types? We've got a lot to cover, so let's see what's happening.
Season 8
| Season Start | Season End |
|---|---|
| May 31, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | August 30, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT |
Rewards
- Rank 1: Guaranteed Machamp encounter
- Rank 5: Pikachu Libre avatar items, guaranteed Meinfoo encounter
- Rank 10: Toxicroakm Stunfisk, and male Frillish encounters available
- Rank 15: Skarmy, Scraggy, and Rufflet encounters available
- Rank 19: Elite Charged TM, Elite Fast TM at the end of the season
- Rank 20: Encounters with the currently available Legendary Pokemon in five-star raids
- Ace Rank: Gloves based on Korrina, a Gym Leader from Generation 6
- Veteran Rank: Guaranteed Gible encounter, Shoes based on Korrina
- Expert Rank: Guaranteed Deino Encounter, an Outfit and Pants/Top based on Korrina
- Legend Rank: Exclusive Encounter with Pikachu Libre
As outlined above, the avatar reward for this season is based on Korrina from Generation 6, who is well known for her connection with Lucario, as well as her status as one of the avatars of Mega Evolution.
We also have encounters with Mienfoo lined up, which will mark the introduction of this Generation 5 Fighting Type Pokemon, as well as its evolution.
| League | Start | End | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great League | May 31, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | June 14, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | - |
| Ultra League + Ultra League Premier | June 14, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | June 28, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | - |
| Master League + Master Classic + Element Cup | June, 28, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | July 12, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | 2x Stardust Rewards |
| Great League + Great League Remix | July 12, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | July 26, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | - |
| Ultra League + Ultra League Remix | July 26, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | August 9, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | - |
| Master League + Master League Classic + Ultra League Premier | August 9, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | August 23, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | 2x Stardust Rewards |
| All Three Leagues | August 23, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | August 30, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. PDT | - |
Master League Classic
This league is the Master Cup, but it does not allow any Pokemon that have been powered up via Candy XL.
Premier Cups
These cups ban the use of Legendary/Mythical Pokemon
Remix Cups
Thee cups ban the use of the top 20 Pokemon used by Ace and higher ranked players for a given league
Element Cup
This is an odd one. This cup has the following requirements:
- The Pokemon must be able to evolve
- The Pokemon must be the first stage in its evolutionary family
- The Pokemon must be 500 CP or under
- The Pokemon must be Fire, Water, or Grass Type
In essence, it's like the Little Cup but with the added requirement of specific types. The PvP team is already analyzing this cup, and you can expect a breakdown in the coming days.
Go Battle Nights
Go Battle Nights are coming back. They offer 3x Stardust for victory, and grant the player up to 20 sets for their duration. They will last from 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the following dates:
- June 3rd
- July 11th
- August 26th
New Moves and Move Changes
Now for the exciting part of the update! We've got two new moves, updates to existing moves, and new learnsets that will drop soon.
New Move: Feather Dance
Pidgeot is going to be learning the Flying Type move Feather Dance. It will lower the opponent's attack stat, and by the wording it seems as though it may have 100% odds.
New Move: Weather Ball Rock
We've had Weather Ball for a long time now, but we're finally about to get its final incarnation: Weather Ball Rock. Cheap, powerful, and blessed with a great offensive typing, this could be a game-changer for Pokemon in the future. For now, Hippowdown is the only Pokemon to get it.
Move Changes
- Acid Spray will have a lower energy requirement
- Poison Jab will deal more damage
- Poison Sting will generate more energy
- Poison Fang will drop enemy defense 100% of the time
- Dragon Tail will deal more damage and generate less energy
- Focus Blast will deal more damage
Moveset Updates
- Ariados: Lunge
- Nidoqueen: Poison Fang
- Crobat: Poison Fang, Cross Poison
An extremely interesting set of updates. It seems that Niantic is attempting to add more counter-play to Fair Types in particular. But will this be enough? We will have a breakdown of what these changes will entail as soon as we know the numbers!
