Earlier this year, Niantic previewed an upcoming overhaul of the Pokemon Go PvP battle system. The goal is to make in-game battles feel smoother overall, doing away with lag and input issues that have made the Go Battle League feel inconsistent. Now, players are getting a chance to check out the changes in real time through a new, experimental area of the Go Battle League. The Preview Cup has been live for just about a day, and Pokemon Go fans already have some notes.
On April 21st, Pokemon Go launched the Preview Cup (Experimental) league. This test of the new PvP battle system can be accessed through the Go Battle League area, just as you would find any other limited-time Cup in the game. Along with the announcement for the new test, Niantic asked for player feedback. And they’re certainly getting it.
PvP in Pokemon Go certainly could do with a refresh, as the game’s lag and stale meta have left many trainers feeling frustrated. In theory, Niantic hopes these changes will help mitigate network issues and make things like energy gain and Pokemon swaps more predictable. The Preview Cup is just an initial preview of the changes, so nothing is set in stone here.
That said, it doesn’t look like this first preview of the new system is winning many fans over just yet. As with many newly introduced features in the long-running mobile app, the Preview Cup is reportedly struggling with lag and freezing. For many, the new battle mode doesn’t feel much different, except perhaps for being a bit glitchier.
I see no difference other than it being even more laggy and hits not lining up
Pokemon Go players are comparing the changes to the updates to the Team GO Rocket battles, which rolled out earlier this year. And given that most players weren’t a fan of those changes, it’s not a positive comparison. Others note that the changes to the flow of battle don’t address concerns about the repetitive meta and the lack of clear skill-based matchmaking.
Another drawback for the test run? These battles count towards the daily GO Battle League limit despite being experimental content, something that’s proving not particularly popular with those who are already enmeshed in the competitive Pokemon Go scene.
It’s still early in the testing phase, so there’s a chance that the Preview Cup will smooth out some of the lag and visual issues. But so far, it seems the most generous response to the changes is that it doesn’t really feel that different, at all. When I tried out the Preview Cup for myself, it did indeed feel pretty similar to playing GBL in a standard league, but with a bit more lag.
If you want to check out the first wave of potential changes to Pokemon Go‘s PvP, you can join the Preview Cup from the Go Battle League menu in the game. Just keep in mind, it is a ranked battle and will count towards your daily limit for GBL. As of now, it’s not clear how long the Preview Cup will run alongside the standard Go Battle League rotation. But hopefully, Niantic will be able to implement some feedback from players to improve this feature before its full launch.
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