Pokemon Go: How to Get Mienfoo

Pokemon Go added a brand new Pokemon to the game this week, but it's only available to players who reach a certain milestone in competitive play. Earlier this week, Pokemon Go launched its newest season of the GO Battle League, the game's competitive PvP format. This season comes with an extra incentive - players who reach Level 5 in Go Battle League will have the chance to encounter Mienfoo for the very first time. Mienfoo is a Fighting-type Pokemon from the Unova region and has not previously appeared in Pokemon Go. It evolves into Mienshao, another pure Fighting-type Pokemon when given 50 Candies.

Reaching Level 5 in Go Battle League isn't very difficult. Players will simply need to complete the following:

• Level 2: Complete 5 battles.
• Level 3: Win 3 battles at Level 2.
• Level 4: Win 4 battles while at Level 3.
• Level 5: Win 5 battles while at Level 4.

Please note that you can't progress multiple levels at a time in the Go Battle League. If you're one win away from reaching Level 3 and then win a string of 5 battles in a row, you won't automatically jump to Level 4. Please note that players aren't penalized for losing, and victories can occur in any Go Battle League format.

Once players reach Level 5, Mienfoo will be added to the Go Battle League's list of potential encounters. This doesn't necessarily mean that players will actually encounter the Pokemon - only that they have a chance of randomly encountering the Pokemon when they complete a set of battles. The more battles you complete, the more chances you have to encounter Mienfoo. Keep in mind that more Pokemon are added to the encounter pool as you rank up in GO Battle League, so you may need to complete a few sets of battles before encountering it.

Unfortunately, while Mienfoo's evolved form Mienshao has decent stats, it has a very weak moveset and isn't viable in either PvP or raid battles. That means that Mienfoo is merely Pokedex fodder.

Pokemon Go hasn't indicated whether Mienfoo is a permanent addition to Go Battle League, or if it will eventually appear in other formats. For now, Mienfoo will remain as a Go Battle League reward until the end of the season in August.