The details of Pokémon GO trainer battles showcase what players can expect when battling one on one with their peers.
The short of it all is that Pokémon GO trainer battles will be nothing like the traditional turn-based fights of the RPG Pokémon games. Instead, you will be able to choose from a Fast Attack, Charged Attack, or Protect Shield option. You will be able to use three Pokémon on your team in any given battle.
Details like type matchups and cooldown times were not mentioned, but we can imagine that they would play an integral part in winning the Pokémon GO trainer battles.
These battles have been an often requested feature for as long as the mobile game has been out. With the inclusion of real-time battles in one on ones, the natural evolution from Gym battles to this may come as no surprise to GO fanatics.
In a sample of what the trainer battles are going to look like, a Gengar’s moveset of Sludge Bomb and Focus Blast are displayed. Assumedly, the left attack will be the fast one, and the right will be the charged attack.
The shield option is only usable for a certain amount of times before your Pokémon is left defenseless. It seems as though the shield won’t act as the move Protect, which protects the user from all damage from the oncoming attack. Instead, the shield option is defined as only saving “your Pokémon from critical damage.”
In order to initiate battles, you’ll have to be nearby another trainer before using their Battle Code. They must also be within your class (detailed below).
Lastly, you can battle friends who are located anywhere in the world, as long as you are at either an Ultra Friend or Best Friend status with them. You can train against some CPU trainers once per day, with all of these battles yielding rewards such as Stardust and other special evolutionary items. The trainer battles are to go live this month.