Master League is where all the restrictions are lifted and the best Pokemon go head to head. This also has its downsides though, and some trainers can’t wait for the Great and Ultra Leagues to reopen in GO Battle League.
The unlimited CP format of GO Battle might be the purest way to face off but also comes with frustrations. With CP limits in place, battles were more even because it is fairly easy to have Pokemon right on those limits.
Max CP lessens the skill gap
Master League is a different story, however. With different species having different max CPs and it being costly in terms of Stardust to get them there, a lot of battles are mismatches.
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That is where the Master League falls down. You can be ready for the other leagues with less preparation.
A Great League ready Altaria or Azumarill isn’t too hard to get, especially if you’ve been playing the game a little while. The same can be said for Ultra League with the likes of Charizard and Swampert.
Getting a maxed out Dialga, Mewtwo or any other of the high CP Pokemon is reserved for those that have been putting the most hours in. It means unless you have saved up a lot of Stardust over your play time then you are going into the battle second best.
Meanwhile in #PokemonGo… ?
(Image from: Future Game Releases) pic.twitter.com/rsfL1zFSx4
— Pokemon News (@PokemonSwordNS) April 14, 2020
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Ratings don’t work across all three leagues
This issues is amplified by ratings. Those who have built up a good rating through their Great and Ultra League battles but don’t have the Pokemon to compete in Master, are becoming very much aware of this problem.
When you inevitably come up against a high-rating trainer, they will have played Pokemon Go a lot and be ready for Master League. This means if you haven’t but are still good in GO Battle League you’re going to struggle to win matches.
The result of this will be lots of annoying matches where you can’t find a win or being forced to lose battles on purpose. The latter is something that plagued GO Battle League when trainers couldn’t get four wins in a set.
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One trainer, Mourouh, echoed these thoughts and only decided to try Master League because of the GO Battle Day: Marill event. After being unable to compete because of the CP limit they unfortunatley gave up: “Time to hibernate until three leagues are open again I guess.”
How to fix the issue
Elsewhere, another trainer offered a way to solve the issue and they make a fair point.
“Your rating should definitely be different for great/ultra/master. I have loads of Great League Pokemon and experience and I’m mid-rank 8. But my highest CP ‘mon is 3,200 and I really can’t compete against most teams in [Master League]. I shouldn’t be punished in one league as I’m ‘good’ at another, it’s really dumb that your ranks for each league are tied together. I am not rank 8 quality for Master League and should not be playing here,” twymanchar shared on Reddit.
For trainers waiting for Great and Ultra League to reopen they will do so on April 24. We’ll have to see whether Niantic notice this feedback and decide to leave Master League open by itself in the future.
