7th season GO Battle League has just been announced, officially called “The Season of Legends”. With the new seasons, new and exciting changes come. There is a lot to cover, but we will review this informational announcement and discuss each major topic.
Date and time
The 7th season of the GO Battle League will start on Monday, March 1st, 2021, at the 1 pm PST (GMT -8)
From the official announcement:
“Coaches, is there a better time for the start of season 7 of the GO Battle League than with the season of legends? We are excited to share how this season of the GO Battle League will be the most legendary of all time! As we continue to work to bring interesting and competitive experiences to the GO Battle League, you can look forward to new cups that exceed team expectations in family leagues and a surprise sometime between Monday, March 29, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, April 5, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7). “
From this, we can deduce that Niantic wants to shake things up for the 7th season, which will add a more strategic and competitive experience. Could this mean that we will have a goal change with this update? Let’s dig deeper and find out.
Season 6 rewards
When season 7 starts Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1 pm PST (GMT -8), your season 6 rewards for season 6 will be available on the Battle screen, including a Elite Fast TM if you reached a rating of 19 or higher. Your rating will be reset. Stay tuned – we will update you if anything changes.
Season 7 timeline and what to expect
Season 7 starts with a fairly normal schedule for the first half of the season, which is expected. One thing to note is that the standard Grand League can be played along with the rotation of the Master League. This is where things start to get exciting:
- THE Great league will run from Monday, March 1, 2021, at the 1 pm PST (GMT -8) for Monday, March 15, 2021, at the 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
- THE Ultra League and yours Premier Cup will run from Monday, March 15, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, March 29, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
- THE Master League, Master League Classic, and the Great league will run from Monday, March 29, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, April 5, 2021, at the 1 pm PDT (GMT -7). Only Pokémon that have not been enabled with Candy XL are allowed in the Master League Classic.
- All three leagues will run from Monday, April 5, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, April 12, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
Second part of the season
In the second part of the season, two new Great League cups will arrive in season 7, called “The Remix Cup” and “The Retro Cup”, which will be discussed below. Niantic really seems to be enjoying bringing new themed cups to mix things up. Not only does that keep things fresh, in retrospect, these glasses are paving the way for PvP to grow into a bigger scene and ultimately become something bigger:
- THE Great league and a new cup called Great League Remix will run from Monday, April 12, 2021, at the 1 pm to Monday, April 26, 2021, at the 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
- THE Ultra League and yours Premier Cup will run from Monday, April 26, 2021, at 1 pm, Monday, May 10, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
- THE Master League, Master League Classic, and the Retro cup will run from Monday, May 10, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, May 17, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7). Only Pokémon that have not been enabled with Candy XL are allowed in the Master League Classic.
- All three leagues will run from Monday, May 17, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, May 24, 2021, at the 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
The classified game ends and the Kanto Cup returns on May 24
The Kanto Cup is back as an ‘unclassified’ cup, which means it will have no effect on your MMR (matchmaking rating). It was also mentioned that season 7 will have the same classification format as season 6.
- The classified play will end in Monday, May 24, 2021, at 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
- An unclassified Kanto Cup will run from Monday, May 24, 2021, at the 1 pm for Monday, May 31, 2021, at the 1 pm PDT (GMT -7).
Season 7 rewards
There are some notable changes to the GO Battle League during season 7. You don’t want to miss out on these Season 7 rewards:
- THE Pikachu Libre avatar items will be a reward for instructors who reach rating 10. Coaches who reach Caption rating will win avatar items it is a pose inspired by They, who made his first appearance in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. At the rank 19, you will receive a Elite Charged TM, and you will also receive a Elite Fast TM as an end-of-season reward.
- Some of the Pokémon you will encounter when reaching certain levels will be inspired by Elesa. In addition, players who reach rank 20 are guaranteed to find the Legendary Pokémon that is appearing in five star attacks in that time.
Ranking rewards
- Rank 1: You will surely find Zebstrika, one of Elesa’s partner Pokémon in Pokémon RPGs.
- Rank 1 and higher: You will be able to find Pokémon like Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, Pupitar, Galvantula, and more.
- Rank 10 and above: You will be able to find Pokémon like Medicham, Frillish, Stunfisk, and more.
- Rank 15 and above: You will be able to find Pokémon like Scraggy, Lampent, and Rufflet. Don’t forget – if you’re lucky, you can find one Bright Rufflet!
- From rank 20 and above: You will be able to find the Legendary Pokémon that is appearing in five star attacks in that time.
- Ace rank and higher: You will be able to find Deino!
- Caption rating: You will surely find a Pikachu Libre. This will be the only time you will be able to find a Pikachu Libre during the season. From previous reports in season 6, we know that Pikachu Libre has a chance to be brilliant!
- You will earn more Candy XL than normal by capturing these Pokémon in GO Battle League reward encounters: Poliwhirl, Flaaffy, Pupitar, Medicham, Scraggy, Galvantula, Lampent, and Stunfisk.
GO Battle League Season 7 Cups
Great League Remix
The 10 most used Pokémon in the Grand League will no be allowed in this version of the league. We will share the list of unqualified Pokémon shortly after the Great League ends, in March, 15.
Be prepared to see the ‘seasoning’ choices in this format! With the main competitors not being eligible for this cup, we are sure to see some new and unexpected Pokémon rising from the grave.
Retro cup
This cup will be a throwback! Only the first 15 types of Pokémon, excluding Dark, Steel, and Fairies types, will be usable in this cup, and the CP limit will be 1,500.
Get ready to feel the nostalgia of Pokémon Red and Blue again with this cup. Only the first 15 types of Pokémon of the first generation can be used in The Retro Cup.
Kanto Cup
The CP limit for this cup will be 1,500, and only Pokémon with a Pokédex number from # 001 to # 151 will be allowed. Your ranking will not be affected during the Kanto Cup, so feel free to be creative!
More changes
The previous walk requirement to unlock battles will no go back to the GO Battle League. Stay tuned for more updates on the GO Battle League season 7, including some Trainer Battle attack updates.
Words of Departure
With each season, the competition becomes more and more fierce, with people adopting entirely new strategies with even more elaborate tactics to dominate their opponents.
You will fight in Season of legends and compete to reach the highest rank?
My best tip if you’re looking to get into Pokémon GO PvP is to “play to improve, not to win”, which means learning from your mistakes, applying new tactics if things are not working and, most importantly, staying calm and stable mentality.
GL&HF!