The battle league is a brand new PvP feature in Pokémon Go. In it, trainers battle against other trainers using their best Pokémon to try and win the day, but only the best can win. There are a handful of terms you should know before involving yourself in the league, and you need to choose your Pokémon wisely to ensure you have a good chance at winning. Every trainer receives a rank when they are playing the game, and the more battles they participate in, the more ranks they receive, and the rules change at a certain point.
From rank 1 of the battle league to rank 7, you gain battle ranks by merely participating in battles. The more you do every day, the more you times you can fight. It does not matter if you can win or lose; you still advance in the ranks. However, the more you win, the more chances you have to gain an additional reward for completing the rank, such as encountering Scraggy and evolving it.
Some players a bit confused when they reach rank 8, though. The initial thought was they had they reach it at rank 1,800. However, this is no longer the case. The ranks after 8 had all of their numbers increased from the original amount. Here are the new numbers:
- You earn rank 8 at 2,500
- You earn rank 9 at 3,000
- You earn rank 10 at 3,500
Another big difference with ranks 8 and above in the battle league is you do need to win to advance. When you lose a battle you do slowly lose rank, so these battles do matter a bit more during this portion of the battle league.
Make sure to optimize your Pokémon for each battle, and keep the specific types, max CP, and previous fights in mind before you go into them. Switching up your Pokémon is always a good idea if you discover some new synergy in your group.
