How do you train in Pokemon Go? That’s the question on everyone’s mind now that Pokemon Go trainer battles are a thing. After two years in development, trainer battles have finally arrived in Pokemon Go—but how do you win? With three different Battle Leagues to choose from—the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League—you’ll need to train lots of different Pokemon if you want to get an Ace Trainer medal. How do you train Pokemon in Pokemon Go, though? Here’s everything you need to know about battling friends in Pokemon Go and training your Pokemon so that you can be the very best, like no one ever was.
How Do You Train in Pokemon Go 2018? Can You Battle Team Leaders?
If you want to know how to train in Pokemon Go and you don’t have access to a whole lot of resources due to limited time or geographical inconvenience, there’s no need to worry. As we mentioned in our Pokemon Trainer Battles guide (linked just up above), Niantic has implemented ways for players to train their Pokemon without having to venture out into the big bad world.
All three Team Leaders—Candela, Blanche, and Spark—will be itching to battle you. Although you can battle them as many times as you like, you’ll only be able to claim your Stardust reward for defeating them once per day. This Stardust is very valuable, as combining it with Candy will allow you to train your Pokemon to higher CP levels, making them much more viable in Battle Leagues. Whether you’re a regular player or someone who only logs in once in a blue moon, you should take advantage of this daily reward scheme, as beating the Team Leaders is something quick that you can take care of from anywhere in the real world. Log in, beat the Leaders, and stock up on Stardust so that you’re ready to take on the Battle Leagues next time you dive in to Pokemon Go.
How Do You Train in Pokemon Go 2018? Battling in Battle Leagues
The reason you need to train in Pokemon Go in the first place is due to the implementation of Pokemon Go’s new Battle Leagues. There are three Leagues to choose from—Great, Ultra, and Master—which each have their own entry requirements and rewards. For all three Leagues, trainers will need to choose three Pokemon to compete with, as opposed to the standard 6-mon teams of mainline Pokemon games.
The Great League accepts Pokemon up to 1500 CP, the Ultra League accepts Pokemon up to 2500 CP, and the Master League doesn’t have a CP cap, so you can enter with whatever Pokemon you like. The Master League is the most prestigious of the three, but all three Leagues are valuable in their own right. Like Smogon tiers, OU and OU Doubles are at the top of the ladder, but battling in RU and UU is more niche, as there are more Pokemon to choose from and much more room for implementing unique strategies.
How Do You Train in Pokemon Go 2018? How Do I Battle My Friends?
If you want to train so that you can battle your friends in Pokemon Go, the only thing you can do is battle Team Leaders and catch Pokemon in order to gather as much Stardust as possible. While battling your friends will net you points towards your Ace Trainer Medal, it doesn’t come with a guaranteed Stardust reward. While you can get rewards from battling your friends, including Stardust sometimes, your best option is to train hard before the fact so that by the time you take on your friends your team is as strong as it can possibly be.
As mentioned in our Pokemon Go Trainer Battles guide, you can battle your Best Friends and Ultra Friends from anywhere in the world. As a result, you’ll likely be able to take on your friends whenever you want. When you’re not battling friends, be sure to take on the Team Leaders and catch as many Pokemon as possible so that you’re making the most of your training time.
How Do You Train in Pokemon Go 2018? What Pokemon Should I Use in Battle Leagues?
As is the case in most iterations of competitive Pokemon, the best thing to do is usually to use the Pokemon you like. Although you’ll probably need to use Pokemon that are considered meta in the Master League—Mewtwo, Tyranitar, Gardevoir, etc.—you’ll be able to use mons you like in the Great League and Ultra League once you train them up and build a three-mon team that covers a range of types. Also, the Stardust-boosted extra Charged Move will be way more versatile in the lower Leagues, as Charged Move strategies will emerge quickly in the meta-dependent Master League.
How Do You Train in Pokemon Go 2018? Can I Reduce My Pokemon’s CP?
Unfortunately, if you train your Pokemon past the CP constraints in Pokemon Go, you won’t be able to reduce their CP. At present, anyway, there is absolutely no way to reduce a Pokemon’s CP. So, if you have a Pokemon that’s 1550 CP and you want to use it in the Great League, you’ll need to catch a new one that meets the level requirements.
As of now, that’s all of the information available on training in Pokemon Go. So, get out there, catch new Pokemon, and battle the Team Leaders so that you’ll be able to be a League Champion and an Ace Trainer down the line!
