Pokemon GO PvPers left disappointed with Niantic after Road to Unova Timed Research nerf

PvP players in Pokemon GO have been left disappointed by Niantic's sudden — and unannounced — decision to award level 20 encounters from the Road to Unova Timed Research instead of the traditional level 15. While an increase in the base level might appear to be a buff, it is not the case. This is because some of the creatures on offer — Virizion, Cobalion, and Genesect — cross the Great League threshold of 1,500 CP at level 20.

Pokemon GO PvP enthusiasts were looking forward to catching some of these creatures with their signature moves to use in the Great League. This has always been the case. Niantic offered creatures like Buzzwole and Guzzlord during GO Fest 2024 and Cresselia and Giratina Origin during GO Tour Sinnoh at level 15 from similar Timed Research quests.

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No Great League Virizion or Cobalion for now as Niantic nerfs Pokemon GO Road to Unova Timed Research

Redditor aznknight613 confirmed that the Road to Unova Timed Research encounters are at level 20 and not level 15, the traditional level at which Research reward encounters are found.

Road to Unova: Raids Premium Ticket Gives Level 20 Encounters byu/aznknight613 inTheSilphRoad

u/Traditional-Side6966 responded to Niantic's decision, saying:

"Wild decision honestly. Why do we now randomly start locking out legendaries from the GL while others got to be level 15. The timing would've been perfect as well, just after their big tournament finished and a meta that is incredibly stale. But no, we're gonna randomly block those legendaries from the GL, just for them to be released as shadows and therefore be great league eligable anyways in the future. Big L sadly."

This pretty much sums up the reaction of many other players. And the fact that this was done without any announcement makes things even worse.

u/Norbit_was_right added more context, suggesting that the other legendaries or Ultra Beasts that were added via Timed Research only enriched the Pokemon GO Great League meta, which can otherwise feel somewhat stale:

"... All of those Pokemon were useable and even borderline meta in great league without being broken. I believe that Verizon and Cobalion would also have fit that bill. Virizion in particular would have been another rare grass type that actually makes an impact and puts more pressure on all the water types."

According to u/PharaohDaDream, this was the only thing that could have saved the Unova Tour, which they deemed "lack luster." u/PuzzleheadedEase5858 believed that this was a mistake and hoped that Niantic would release an X post the day after, stating that the nerf was, in fact, not going to be in place.

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What does the Pokemon GO Road to Unova Timed Research nerf mean for PvP?

Pokemon GO Road to Unova Timed Research was expected to give level 15 legendary encounters (Image via TPC)

The addition of some of the Unova Legendaries — especially Virizion and Cobalion — would have refreshed the Great League meta in Pokemon GO Battle League. With the EUIC now concluded and the Dual Destiny season also coming to an end, this would have been the perfect time for the developer to add some spice to the meta.

While the Great League features the least number of legendaries, the ones in it are balanced enough to not create a massive power gap. In fact, the most dominant 'mons in the format are widely available route 1 creatures — look at Corviknight for example.

Therefore, Niantic's decision to remove Great League-eligible Unova Legendaries from the mix is a somewhat shocking one. Its practice of delivering major changes without announcement, on the other hand, is a major reason for concern, and a tale for another day.

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