Pokemon Go: GO Battle League Season 3 is here – Schedule, rewards, more

Paul Cotton
Pokemon Go GO Battle League Season 3

Season 3 of GO Battle League is upon us. The competitive Pokemon Go PvP mode has become stable of the mobile game and continues to keep trainers coming back for more.

Competitive PvP battles were added to Pokemon Go in late January of 2020. Since then trainers have battled for supremacy, and following an update in April, reach the top of the GO Battle League leaderboards.

Much like the Pokemon that compete, the mode continues to evolve. An ever growing roster of species keeps trainers on their toes and Niantic are often updating moves to make sure no Pokemon are too strong.

Here’s what we know about Season 3 from when each league will start, what rewards are on offer and updates which may affect which Pokemon you use.

GO Battle Great League
Season 3 kicks off with Great League. Have Altaria, Azumarill, Skarmory and co ready!

Schedule

Scheduling wise, the timings of each league are the same as previous seasons. There will be two weeks of each of the Great League, Ultra League and Master League. This will be followed by the customary week period where all leagues are available.

The only difference for Season 3 is that the Ultra League will have a Premier Cup running alongside it. This will work the same as the Master League whereby there will be Ultra League CP restrictions and no Mythical or Legendary Pokemon are allowed.

GO Battle League Season 3 starts on July 27, 1pm PDT. The full schedule is:

  • Great League – July 27, 1pm PDT to August 10, 1pm PDT
  • Ultra League – August 10, 1pm PDT to August 24, 1pm PDT
  • Master League – August 24, 1pm PDT to September 7, 1pm PDT
  • All three leagues – September 7, 1pm PDT to September 14, 1pm PDT

In addition to these, there will be a Flying Cup also. As the name suggests only flying-type Pokemon will be allowed! It will be available in an as yet unannounced event.

Rewards

The scheduling looks the same as previous seasons but rewards are getting an update. You can expect the following rewards at these particular ranks:

  • Pidgeot at Rank 1 or above
  • Galarian Zigzagoon at Rank 4 or above
  • Galarian Farfetch’d at Rank 7 or above
  • Rufflet at Rank 8 or above
  • Scraggy at Rank 9 or above
  • Pikachu Libre at Rank 10

There are a couple of other changes, too. When using Premium Rewards, Rare Candies will be earned after your fourth win. The number of them will go from eight to six as well.

If you reach Rank 7 or higher by the end of Season 3 you’ll be rewarded with an Elite Charged TM. This is opposed to an Elite Fast TM. Given how hard the latter are to come across we imagine trainers won’t be thrilled by this news.

Finally, if you manage to reach Rank 10, not only will you get a Pikachu Libre but a brand new avatar pose and avatar item.

Legendary rewards

For those wondering about Legendary or Mythical rewards, it doesn’t look like they will be returning for Season 3. So, you’ll have to find Darkrai, Giratina and co the traditional way through Raid Battles.

Changes in Season 3

Several moves have been updated for Season 3 GO Battle League and they are as follows:

  • Blizzard: Increased damage
  • Brave Bird: Increased damage but also lowers defense
  • Drill Peck: Increased damage
  • Flash Cannon: Requires more energy
  • Focus Blast: Reduced damage
  • Hex: Increased energy generation
  • Infestation: Increased energy generation
  • Moonblast: Decreased chance of lowering opponent’s attack
  • Powder Snow: Increased damage

There are also a few updates whereby Pokemon can learn moves they previously couldn’t:

  • Abomasnow: Weather Ball (Ice-type)
  • Braviary: Close Combat
  • Empoleon: Drill Peck
  • Pelipper: Weather Ball (Water-type)

Season 4 of Pokemon Go’s GO Battle League will start on Monday, September 14.