Trainer Battle (GO)

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Trainer Battles in Pokémon GO

Trainer Battles (Japanese: トレーナーバトル Trainer Battle) are a feature in Pokémon GO that allow players to challenge other players to a 3-on-3 battle. This feature was first introduced on December 12, 2018 and received a major update on July 19, 2019.

Battle Challenge

Players can challenge any player in close proximity by scanning another player's Battle Code from the Nearby screen. These Battle Codes are different to the QR codes used to add Friends, with a new one being generated every time the player signs into the game.

Players can also remotely challenge Ultra Friends and Best Friends by sending a Battle Challenge through the Friend List. The Battle Challenge feature can be disabled via the settings page. Battling also counts as a daily activity that may increase Friendship level.

Team GO Rocket Grunts encountered at invaded PokéStops are battled in the Trainer Battle format.

Leagues

Players can choose to battle from three different Leagues:

League Max CP per Pokémon Requirement to unlock

Great League
1,500 None

Ultra League
2,500 3 Pokémon with 1,500+ CP

Master League
No limit 3 Pokémon with 2,500+ CP

Each player selects three Pokémon to battle with. Pokémon will automatically be recommended based on their CP in relation to a League's criteria. Preset teams can also be made for each League from the Party screen.

Ditto and Shedinja cannot be used in Trainer Battles.

Battle mechanics

Similar to battling a Gym, the player can command a Fast Attack by simply tapping the screen, which also charges up energy for the Charged Attack meter. However, there are several ways Trainer Battles differ from Gym and Raid Battles:

  • Moves often have separate power and energy boosts or costs
  • All Fast Attack durations are measured in 0.5 second "turns"; Charged Attacks have no duration
  • All attacks have a 30% damage boost
  • No weather bonuses
  • No dodging
  • Receiving damage does not generate energy
  • Switching out Pokémon mid-battle has a 60-second cooldown period.
  • When a Pokémon faints, the player has 12 seconds to choose a Pokémon before the next Pokémon in sequence is automatically sent out

The battle has a four-minute timer and the last 20 second countdown is displayed. If the timer runs out, the player who has the most Pokémon remaining is declared the winner. If both players have the same number of Pokémon remaining, the player who has less damage to their remaining Pokémon wins the battle. Time spent charging up a Charged Attack is not counted against the timer.

Pokémon used in Trainer Battles will always start off with full HP and, after battle, are reset to the HP they had previously; however, already fainted Pokémon cannot participate. Battles against Team GO Rocket are the exception, in which the player's Pokémon start with whatever HP they currently have and are not reset after battle.

Activating Charged Attacks

Using a Charged Attack (left) and a Protect Shield (right)

Once the Charged Attack meter is full, the player can tap icon to cast a Charged Attack. Activating a Charged Attack will initiate a five-second minigame in which type icons start appearing on the screen in a pattern specific to the Charged Attack's type. The more icons the player manages to swipe, the more damage the Charged Attack will deal. At the same time, the opponent also has the option to use a Protect Shield to protect the Pokémon from all damage. Each player can use up to two Protect Shields per battle. Since February 15, 2019, certain Charged Attacks may increasing the user's stats after use; on March 19, 2019, Charged Attacks that may decrease the target's stats were also introduced. Using a Protect Shield will not prevent stat changes that result from using a Charged Attack.

A damage multiplier is applied to the Charged Attack depending on how many icons the player successfully manages to swipe.

Score Icons swiped Damage multiplier
Base 0% ×0.25
Nice! 30% ×0.5
Great! 60%
70%
×0.75
Excellent! 95% ×1

Prior to July 19, 2019, a player using a Charged Attack would instead repeatedly tap the screen for three seconds to strengthen its power. If the player didnot tap the screen at all, the Charged Attack would only deal 1 HP damage.

See also:
List of moves in Pokémon GO

Battle Training

Battle Training is a type of Trainer Battle where the player battles Blanche, Spark, or Candela as an NPC. It can be accessed from the Battle Training on the Nearby screen.

Team leaders use Pokémon that have the maximum 15 IVs across all stats and are at the highest integer Power Up level that meets the CP limit. Each of their Pokémon has one Fast Attack and one Charged Attack randomly selected from the current move pool.

Team leaders will always send out their Pokémon in the same order in every battle and never switch out. In Great and Ultra Leagues, team leaders will never use their Protect Shields; in Master League, they will always use a Protect Shield whenever possible.

Blanche
League Pokémon

Great League
Sneasel
CP 1465
Sealeo
CP 1494
Castform
CP 1492

Ultra League
Glaceon
CP 2412
Empoleon
CP 2486
Mamoswine
CP 2472

Master League
Suicune
CP 2983
Metagross
CP 3791
Articuno
CP 3051
Spark
League Pokémon

Great League
Plusle
CP 1473
Electrode
CP 1499
Castform
CP 1492

Ultra League
Jolteon
CP 2476
Luxray
CP 2475
Magnezone
CP 2472

Master League
Raikou
CP 3452
Tyranitar
CP 3834
Zapdos
CP 3527
Candela
League Pokémon

Great League
Combusken
CP 1487
Magcargo
CP 1483
Castform
CP 1492

Ultra League
Flareon
CP 2423
Typhlosion
CP 2476
Magmortar
CP 2416

Master League
Entei
CP 3473
Salamence
CP 3749
Moltres
CP 3465


Prior to July 19, 2019

Prior to July 19, 2019, team leaders would never use Protect Shields. Their Pokémon, as listed below, were powered up as much as the league's CP limit allows.

Blanche
League Pokémon

Great League
Magikarp
CP 274
Feebas
CP 274
Squirtle
CP 946

Ultra League
Alolan Ninetales
CP 2309
Glalie
CP 2105
Lapras
CP 2490

Master League
Lapras
CP 2641
Gliscor
CP 2692
Articuno
CP 3051
Spark
League Pokémon

Great League
Magnemite
CP 1362
Mareep
CP 991
Pikachu
CP 938

Ultra League
Alolan Raichu
CP 2286
Magneton
CP 2485
Manectric
CP 2340

Master League
Manectric
CP 2340
Milotic
CP 3005
Zapdos
CP 3527
Candela
League Pokémon

Great League
Slugma
CP 895
Vulpix
CP 883
Charmander
CP 980

Ultra League
Alolan Marowak
CP 1835
Houndoom
CP 2484
Infernape
CP 2491

Master League
Infernape
CP 2683
Electivire
CP 3079
Moltres
CP 3465


Rewards

After a battle, both players will receive a randomly-selected reward bundle. Each day, players can only receive rewards from Trainer Battles three times and training against a team leader once. There is also a 10% chance to receive a second reward bundle, regardless of outcome. Losing against a team leader always yields 300 instead of a random reward, but outcome does not affect the reward from battles against other players.

Rates for training against team leaders have been approximated based on empirical data.[1]

Potential rewards Quantity Probability
Great League
Training
Ultra League
Training
Master League
Training
PvP
Stardust ×300
×400
×500
93% 90% 83% 67%
Sinnoh Stone ×1 5% 6% 10% 15%
Rare Candy ×1 1% 3% 5% 15%
Fast TM ×1 0.5% 0.5% 1% 1%
Charged TM ×1 0.5% 0.5% 1% 2%

Medals

Trainer Battles

Winning a certain number of Trainer Battles will reward the player with a medal.

Name Requirement
Great League Veteran
Win 5 Trainer Battles in the Great League.

Win 50 Trainer Battles in the Great League.

Win 200 Trainer Battles in the Great League.
Ultra League Veteran
Win 5 Trainer Battles in the Ultra League.

Win 50 Trainer Battles in the Ultra League.

Win 200 Trainer Battles in the Ultra League.
Master League Veteran
Win 5 Trainer Battles in the Master League.

Win 50 Trainer Battles in the Master League.

Win 200 Trainer Battles in the Master League.

Battle Training

Successfully defeating a Team Leader a certain number of times will also reward the player an Ace Trainer medal.

Name Requirement
Ace Trainer
Train 10 times.

Train 100 times.

Train 1,000 times.

References


This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.