Tired of all the Pokemon Go updates that Niantic is constantly pushing out? Too bad for us, as there’s another en route: In Season 5 (starting Monday, November 9th, at 4 p.m. EST, the climb to rank 10 will no longer be affected by losses. Instead, ranks 3 to 10 will be based on gaining a certain amount of wins. And yes, you can still get Pikachu Libre at rank 10, so this certainly feels like a good way to motivate people to keep grinding on, rather than embracing lose streaks.
Not only that, but rank 7 will once again let players have a chance to capture whatever the current legendary Pokemon is if/when they achieve that reward during their League run. In other words, it looks as if Niantic is easing back into play-at-home support during the current US and European COVID spike.
Finally, Niantic is including several new cups to play with:
- The Little Cup, restricting pokemon to a max CP of 500, will run from Monday, November 9, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, November 16th, at 4:00 p.m. EST. Only pokemon that can evolve but are in their base form can enter (sorry shuckle fans!). The CP limit is 500.
- The Kanto Cup, perfect for you original 151 fans, will run from Monday, November 16, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, November 23rd, at 4:00 p.m. EST. Only pokemon with a Pokédex number between #001 and #151 are eligible. The CP limit is 1,500.
- The Catch Cup will run from Monday, November 23rd, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, November 30th, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. EST. This one feels like Magic the Gathering’s Booster Draft, except that instead of opening packs, you go out, catch, and raise whatever competitor you can, as only pokemon that have been caught since the beginning of Season 5 (November 9th) are eligible. The CP limit is 1,500, and mythical pokemon like as Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Victini are banned.
All dates/times are tentative, but I assure you that my shuckle’s rage will be known to Niantic and those who dare oppose him in gym battles.
