Pokemon GO Battle League Begins With the Great League and Adds Online Battles and Pikachu Libre

It is the beginning of a new era in Pokemon GO. The Pokemon GO Battle League has begin, with the preseason Great League immediately being rolled out to players. To begin taking part in online battles, people will need to regularly walk. As they compete and exercise, they’ll be able to build up their rank and work toward rewards like a Pikachu Libre Pokemon and cosmetic items inspired by the character.

Here’s how the Pokemon GO Battle League will work. Right now, people are in the preseason period that will help Niantic test the game, with Great League running until 12:59pm on February 10, 2020. The Ultra League will start at 1pm PT on February 10, 2020, then run until the Master League begins February 24, 2020. On March 9, 2020, the cycle will begin again.

Normally, to participate in your the five online matches, you have to walk five kilometers. You then unlock matches, which you complete to gain ranks and rewards like an encounter, Rare Candy, or TM. After you complete five matches, the cycle begins again and you have to walk five kilometers to get more matches. However, people will be able to pay PokeCoins for a Battle Now feature that drops the distance requirement to two kilometers. Also, to celebrate the new feature’s launch, everyone can participate in five Pokemon GO Battle League fights right away.

Some of the Pokemon GO Battle League rewards were also discussed. There will be Premium Battle Passes, which replace Premium Raid Passes, and will trigger encounters tied to your Battle League wins more often. It also improves the rewards you earn from matches. As you participate in these battles, you’ll also get the Pikachu Libre wrestler Pikachu as a Pokemon and get new cosmetic items for your avatar inspired by the character.

Pokemon GO is available for Android and Apple iOS devices. Other recently added features include Walking Pokemon and Team Rocket appearances.