Pokemon Go Announces Official Start to GO Battle League, Adds More Legendary Pokemon as Rewards

Pokemon Go has announced new details about its GO Battle League, including the start date for its first season and some new rewards for players. The first season of the GO Battle League will officially start on March 13th at 1 PM PT. Players who achieved Rank 4 or higher during the practice session will receive a Premium Pass as a reward. Additionally, all three leagues will be open to players starting today at 4 PM for players to practice and hone their teams.

In addition to the usual rewards for competing in the Go Battle League, Pokemon Go also announced that Legendary and Mythical Pokemon will be added to the game as rewards for winning in the league. Darkrai and its Shiny variant will be available as a GO Battle League reward from March 6 to March 9, Altered Forme Giratina will be available as a reward from March 13 to March 16, and Thundurus will be available as a GO Battle League reward at other times. Players only have a chance of encountering a Legendary or Mythical Pokemon as a reward once they reach Rank 4 in the GO Battle League.

Pokemon Go also announced that several Raids will be added to the game next week to help players prepare for the GO Battle League. Pokemon like Skarmory, Swampert, Shieldon, and others will appear in raids, while Registeel and Cresselia will appear in 5-Star raids. Players will also get extra Stardust from Trainer Battles and Raid Battles during this time. Additionally. even more Pokemon will appear in raids from March 13-15, including Altered Forme Giratina. Players will also receive a Premium Pass if they win all five battles in a premium track during this time period.

Finally, Pokemon Go has announced the guaranteed encounter rewards for Season 1. Players will automatically get a guaranteed first encounter with Metagross during Season 1. Additionally, when they reach rank 4, they'll have a chance to encounter Beldum, and they'll have a chance to encounter Rufflet and rank 7. Pikachu Libre will be making its debut as a guaranteed encounter for players who reach Rank 10. Players who reach Rank 10 will also get avatar items and a pose inspired by Steven Stone from the Hoenn region, and players who reach Rank 7 will get an Elite Charged TM that allows players to select what new move they want their Pokemon to learn.

The timeline for Season 1 of the GO Battle League is as follows:

• Great League: March 13 - March 27
• Ultra League: March 27 - April 10
• Master League: April 10 - April 24
• All three leagues: April 24 - May 1