Pokemon Go's GO Battle League will kick off its first season on March 13th

It seems Pokemon Go news didn't end with Abra's Community Day. Now Niantic has unveiled that Season 1 of Pokemon Go's competitive Go Battle League will commence on March 13th. On that day, players will be able to begin testing their skills against other trainers from across the globe.

The Battle League has already been available in preseason form, which saw Niantic making tweaks here and there to ensure the game would be as balanced as it could be. A testing ground if you will for the League proper that kicks off next Friday.

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Trainers will be pitted against others with a similar rank to themselves, well that's the hope at least. There are three league variants – Great, Ultra and Master – that will be available on a rotating basis once the inaugural season has begun.

The current schedule will be as follows:

• The Great League will run from 13th March – 27th March where there will be a CP limit of 1500
• The Ultra League will run from 27th March - 10th April with a 2500 CP limit
• The Master League will run from 10th April - 24th April with no CP limit to abide by
• From April 24th - 1st May all three of the leagues will be available.

Throughout the preseason of Go Battle League, several changes were made. For instance, wins will now be more vital at early ranks. Additionally, adjustments have been made to rewards leading to more Pokemon encounters, avatar items and an exclusive avatar pose.

During Season 1, trainers will have a chance to encounter several legendary Pokemon as a reward. This includes the likes of Thundurus, Darkrai and Altered Forme Giratina. There will also be special events leading up to the start of Season 1, which you can read about on the latest Pokemon Go blog post.

Pokemon Go is available now over on the App Store and Google Play. It's a free-to-play game with in-app purchases.