Pokemon Go fans stunned after seeing “pay to win” Master League battle
THE POKEMON COMPANYPokemon Go fans have been left stunned by an epic “pay to win,” battle between two trainers that saw some of the most stacked Pokemon possible go head to head in the Master League.
Pokemon Go offers three different leagues for trainers to compete in: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. While Great League and Ultra League have CP limits and meta based on those limits, the same is not true of Master League where all Pokemon are eligible.
This creates a unique dynamic where the best teams are typically just stacked powerhouses with the highest level and CP possible. While these powerful Pokemon can be obtained through regular gameplay it is much easier to do with the help of microtransactions.
This has led the Master League getting a reputation for being pay to win but this latest battle might be the most extreme example of that yet.
“Pay to win” Pokemon Go Mewtwo duel epitomizes the Master League
The Pokemon Go community was left stunned by one trainer’s post of what might be the most pay to win battle in PvP history.
Sharing their duel, the trainer posted on Reddit: “Just Master League things. Lvl. 50 Shadow HUNDO Mewtwo v/s Lvl. 50 Shadow SHUNDO Mewtwo.”
This absurd battle between the trainers showcased two extremely rare Mewtwos with perfect IVs, both max-leveled, having access to two Special Moves and one even being shiny. These two monsters define end-game Pokemon with little matching them.
Discussing the post, one player replied: “If ‘pay to win’ was a picture ;p” with OP then admitting “I mean it is very true, Master League is the premium league and I have no shame in admitting that most my success there comes from that.”
To obtain a maximum level, perfect IV Shadow Mewtwo a player is required to either get unbelievably lucky or participate in many raids. For most trainers, this is only possible by spending a lot of money on Raid Passes.
While most agreed Master League is at least somewhat pay to win, one player defended OP responding: “It’s not pay to win but pay to participate. a lot of people have maxed out legendaries but they’re still stuck close to ace rank cause they don’t know the optimal strategies.”
It isn’t just PvP that has raised concerns about pay-to-win mechanics in Pokemon Go. Players have also been upset with the new Masterball Special Research task that some have deemed overpriced.
