At this time we take a quick break from all of the simulations and movesets and deep evaluation that are likely to make up JRE articles, and with one thing less complicated however maybe much more necessary. Relatively than trying on the Pokémon that make up the varied metas all through the season… I wish to have a look at the precise season itself. As a result of this season’s schedule is definitely fairly notable and distinctive in a number of methods. So let’s dive in to a few of the good, the unhealthy, and the ugly from GBL Season 16.
So I attempted to consider plenty of methods to show this season’s full schedule, together with fancy tables, however in the long run I feel the easiest way is simply to poach the schedule from Pokémon GO’s own website.
Now let’s begin choosing at it, starting with what are some legit positives that I’m completely happy to see.
THE GOOD
Rotating Leagues all season lengthy. Many have requested for this prior to now. It’s refreshing to not be “caught” in a single explicit League too usually and provides everybody one thing to look ahead to, with their favourite League by no means being greater than two weeks away all through the season. There’s one thing for everybody right here, unfold fairly evenly all through the season.
Much less required Grasp League. For price range gamers like me (and plenty of, MANY others), it’s good that Grasp League — whereas nonetheless out there each three weeks — is barely the only real Open format out there for simply two weeks of the season. The opposite two weeks it’s round, it options alongside Nice and Extremely Leagues. Maybe Niantic does acknowledge how tough it’s for many of the playerbase to construct a Degree 50 Grasp League staff.
Halloween Cup! The very first Restricted meta ever in GBL, and stays among the many most beloved and general finest when it comes to selection and stability. The Extremely League model was extra of a combined bag ( you, Giratina), so it’s good to see we get two week of the OG Nice League model this 12 months.
Two-week Cups. This one isn’t considered positively by everyone, I acknowledge that. However I’ve heard many complaints — usually in replies to my very own “Nifty Or Thrifty” Cup meta overviews! — that it’s tough to justify constructing a few of the extra Cup-specific Pokémon for what is commonly only a single week of use. No less than once we are tempted to construct such issues THIS season, we all know we’re getting at the least two weeks of use out of it.
5 weeks of 4x mud rewards! We’re in the midst of the primary of those on the time of this writing, September 15-22, however we additionally get full weeks of 4x stardust rewards October 6-13 (with all three Leagues out there), October 27-November 3 (Halloween Cup and Grasp League), after which the final two weeks of the season (November 17-December 1).
THE BAD
For the second season in a row since GO Battle Nights/Days/Weekends had been launched, Season 16 options only one single such occasion, a GO Battle Weekend October 7-8. Season 15 additionally featured only one such weekend, whereas each season from Season 8 to Season 14 featured at the least two separate GO Battle Days/Weekends. Not everybody participates or performs all 100 units out there even once they do, however as of late and the bonuses that associate with them (new analysis, new avatar gadgets, no IV flooring for Pokémon encounter rewards, mud bonuses, and — up till Season 14 — Legacy strikes) have been extremely popular with many gamers, so to see them slowly receding and — in a pattern that began final season — that includes paid timed analysis is troubling. Right here’s hoping these are expanded once more subsequent Season, and maybe a return of the particular Pokémon encounters and/or Legacy transfer unlocks that had been so standard from Seasons 10-13.
Additionally, as one closing ugly be aware: Season 16 began about two and a half weeks in the past. On the time of this writing, the official GBL Season 16 blog post nonetheless wrongly (I assume it’s incorrect, at the least, however who can inform anymore? 
) signifies that Grasp League Premier and Single-Sort Cup are the codecs throughout GO Battle Weekend, when it needs to be Open Nice/Extremely/Grasp Leagues. Final season’s GO Battle Weekend was MLPC and Single-Sort Cup, so this appears a easy however head-shaking copy and paste error. (Extra on the irony of mentioning ML Premier in a brief bit.) Perhaps go and repair that after you learn this, Niantic?
In a season wherein each Cup is round for 2 weeks, you need these Cups to be standard ones that individuals will get pleasure from taking part in, sure? Whereas they actually have their followers, I feel it’s honest to say that neither Psychic Cup nor Electrical Cup are amongst most gamers’ favorites. Single typing Cups are typically VERY condensed metas the place solely a really small handful of picks are actually viable (see: Flying Cup, Preventing Cup, and so on.), forcing gamers to both purchase/construct issues they usually wouldn’t spend money on or usually simply get blown out for a number of days. Psychic and Electrical Cups aren’t any completely different, with 4-5 core Pokémon that may present up on almost each staff. Sure, I’ve made a second “profession” out of discovering diamonds within the tough in codecs like them, however even I do know you’re typically going to be a really brief record of issues on opposing groups.
Once more, they’ve their proponents among the many playerbase, however not many. A whole third of this season is both Psychic Cup or Electrical Cup, and I don’t get the alternatives. So many standard previous metas to select from (Retro Cup, Willpower Cup, Colour Cup, one of many Regional Cups, and so on.) and THIS is what we’ve arrived at? It’s such as you don’t know us in any respect, Niantic.
And once more, I do know there are legit followers of Catch Cup, and good for them. However there are additionally a LOT of gamers that need nothing to do with it. Constructing an entire new staff of stuff with doubtlessly unhealthy PvP IVs, even when we have already got a a lot better model of those self same Pokémon, simply because we will’t use something that wasn’t caught throughout the season? To many, that doesn’t sound like one of the best use of our time or treasured sources, and they also skip it for no matter different format is happening that very same week. Final season (and in a number of different previous seasons), I’ve personally implored Niantic to at the least run all three Open Leagues alongside Catch Cup to offer us flexibility that week. So this season… Catch Cup is the ONLY format out there throughout its week. It’s the second to final week of the season, when many gamers will nonetheless be combating arduous for Legend rewards and Pikachu Libre, and the one and solely possibility that week is a format that many gamers skip at any time when given the chance. This choice makes lower than zero sense to THIS author, at the least. How about you, expensive reader?
However don’t simply take my phrase for the “unhealthy” Cups remaining forward of us. Almost 300 of your fellow gamers felt the identical manner in a ballot performed on this subject, with properly over half selecting “not one of the above” when requested to vote for Psychic Cup, Electrical Cup, or Catch Cup.
THE UGLY
No Premier? So the final GBL Season to function the much-loved Traditional codecs (Pokémon can’t be leveled up past Degree 40) was Season 13, the Season of Mythical Tickets Wishes. When this was introduced, there was a statement from Niantic that went together with it:
“Trainers, as Sweet XL has continued to develop into extra accessible due to Sweet XL changing into out there at stage 31 (moderately than stage 40) and Uncommon Sweet XL being a possible reward for finishing in-person raids, we can be retiring the Traditional Cup format after this Season. We can be working Premier Cups extra continuously in future Seasons as an alternative.”
Now, this season’s schedule… the place is Premier? It doesn’t seem in any respect. And in reality, going again to the final couple seasons, the Season of Rising Costs Heroes featured just one week of Grasp League Premier (April twenty sixth to Might third, alongside Open Nice League), and the Season of Hidden Routes Gems additionally featured only one week of Grasp Premier (June twenty ninth to July sixth, alongside the Single-Sort Cup). So there was just one week of Premier every season since that pledge about “working Premier Cups extra continuously in Seasons forward”, and no Extremely League Premier in any respect.
Within the Season of Legendary Needs, wherein the removing of Traditional was introduced, every Premier Cup (Extremely and Grasp) was run as soon as. So to reiterate, we had as many weeks in that season as we’ve had within the THREE Seasons since. We now have formally had Premier Cups much less moderately than extra usually. And that, my buddies, is what we name uuuuuuuugly.
Alright, that’s all I acquired for at the moment. I suppose it’s value noting that this marks Article #490 in my Pokémon GO PvP evaluation “profession”, so the countdown is formally on for #500. (And potential retirement? Hmmmm.) #491 can be evaluation on the upcoming Neighborhood Day, which I’ve begun engaged on, however till then, you’ll be able to all the time discover me on Twitter with common PvP evaluation nuggets or Patreon, in the event you’re feeling further beneficiant.
Thanks in your trustworthy readership over that lengthy observe document of research articles, Pokéfriends. Keep secure on the market, completely happy battling, and catch you subsequent time!
The publish GBL Season 16 Schedule: The Good, The Unhealthy, and The Ugly appeared first on Pokémon GO Hub.
