What Pokemon Go’s Battle League Lacks That the Main Games Have
Pokémon Go’s recently introduced Battle League adds some new gameplay options, but the battles pale in comparison with those of the main series.
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Since its launch, Pokémon Go has been consistently criticized for its lackluster gameplay and repetitive features. Niantic seems to have listened, and over the years, they’ve rolled out gifts, PvP battles and the buddy system. Battle League, which released in January for Level 40 players, is the latest update. Now, players can battle trainers from across the world in a more structured tournament system and earn rewards.
Battle League, like other features, has received mixed reviews. While some fans were excited to have new content, others expressed annoyance with connectivity errors, an issue that has dogged the mobile app since its beginning. There was also a problem where some players would take advantage of airplane mode to glitch their way to victory, though this was later fixed. While certainly ambitious, Pokémon Go’s Battle League fails to live up to its potential. Although it may be too much to ask for a mobile game to recreate the complexity of the main series games, Battle League lacks key components from the main games that deepen the experience.
The first issue is the way players can set up their teams. With the current PvP meta, trainers must find the best Pokémon within a chosen CP bracket that has bulky HP and/or fast Damage per Second. This severely limits which Pokémon are viable. A quick Google search for “Best Great/Ultra/Master League Teams in Pokémon Go” will show you the exact teams you are almost guaranteed to see. While this makes strategizing a little easier, having set Pokémon takes some of the creativity and fun out of building teams. In the main series, players can take their favorites and train them to sweep teams, but all the Charmander Candies in the world couldn’t make a player’s beloved shiny Charizard useable in Battle League. When the only viable options are legendaries like Origin Form Giratina or Dialga, battles become quite formulaic.
In the main games, Pokémon have different abilities, such as Intimidate, Flame Body, Ice Scales and Iron Fist, which contribute an additional level of strategy into battle. Want to smack that Ferrothorn with a super effective Cross Chop? Your Machamp took additional damage from Ferrothorn’s Iron Barbs ability. Some abilities raise or lower stats (some of which aren’t even in Pokémon Go) and players can use them to their advantage when planning a moveset or lineup.
Though Pokémon Go does employ some status effects, this pales in comparison to the main game’s systems, which includes conditions like Sleep, Poison and Paralysis that can slow opposing Pokémon down and drain their HP. These status conditions play a huge part in strategies, as players can teach use them to hamper the opponent’s teams, slow them down or lower certain stats. Go not having both abilities and broader status effects and conditions moves makes the mobile app feel like fighting with a toothpick versus fighting with a sword.
Pokémon in the main series also have natures. Besides making each individual one feel unique, natures affect the growth of a Pokémon by increasing one stat by 10 percent and decreasing another stat by the same amount. So, for example, a player who wants to train up a beefy Machamp with a high Attack stat might want to find an Adamant one, since this will increase its Attack and lower its unused Special Attack. The main games also have Effort Values (or EVs) which can be increased through training or items.
Pokémon Go lacks both natures and EVs, and the only thing that determines whether an individual Pokémon of a certain species will be viable is their Individual Values (or IVs). Instead of breeding Pokémon for the right nature and IVs then training them strategically until they have the desired EVs, Go players simply give whichever Pokémon has the best IVs Candies and Stardust. This essentially makes each Pokémon of a certain species cookie cutter variations of each other.
The most obvious difference between Pokémon Go’s Battle League and the battles in the main series is that the app’s fights take place in real time instead of turn based, meaning that players are mashing at their screen. While some may consider Pokémon Go’s battles more dynamic, as with other changes, a strategic element is lost. There are some strategies to be considered, such as when to use protect shields, choosing which Pokémon to lead with and picking the optimal moves, but there isn’t much beyond that.
In main games, players can implement carefully crafted battle strategies that take advantage of the turn system. For example, a move like Soak can change the opposing Pokémon into a Water type, and players then switch to an Electric Pokémon to deal maximum damage. Or, players can use a move like Spike that hurt Pokémon switching in and then continually use Roar, which switches the opposing Pokémon out, to deal damage. These are just some of the endless strategies players can use, and that keeps the main series’ battles so exciting. There is no singular victory plan, and players are encouraged to be creative.
Niantic could develop the real-time battles into something truly unique. However, in its current state, Pokémon Go’s Battle League lacks features that made the main game battles so fun and enduring. Status afflictions and EVs add strategic elements to battles that make each one fresh and exciting. Perhaps, eventually, Niantic will flesh out the Battle League to incorporate more concepts from the main games. While Pokémon Go does have unique features that make it more personable, there is plenty of room for improvement, especially in a game that uses real money as currency. Playing Go might mostly be about catching ’em all, but battling is another huge part of being a Pokémon trainer.
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