Can You Withdraw Pokémon from Gyms in Pokémon GO?
No, there is no option for trainers to manually remove their own Pokémon from gyms once placed there to defend. Your Pokémon will remain in the gym until its motivation reaches zero and it is defeated by opposing teams. Read on though for an in-depth guide on how gyms work and how best to maximize coins and utilize gym defense tactics when placing your Pokémon!
Key Gym Battle Mechanics in 2024
As a level 46 Pokémon GO player and competitive tournament raider myself, I want to share an up-to-date overview of how gyms function this year:
Motivation Decay Over Time
When you initially place a Pokémon into a friendly gym, its motivation will be at maximum on the heart gauge displayed. Over time, this motivation steadily decays at the below rates even without battling:
| CP Range | Motivation Loss per Hour |
|---|---|
| 0 – 2999 CP | 1% |
| 3000+ CP | 10% |
As such, the higher CP defenders will lose motivation must faster. Within 10 hours, a maxed out 4488 CP Mewtwo‘s motivation would go to 0!
Earning Pokécoins Over Time
For every 10 minutes your Pokémon sits in a gym, you earn 1 Pokécoin (6 per hour). Unlike motivation however, the maximum coins you can claim per day caps at 50. So there is no benefit leaving Pokémon past 8 hours and 20 minutes.
Therefore, optimal gym placement would be alongside multiple lower CP Pokémon like Chansey, Wobbufet, Drifblim that are likely to last the full 8 hours but unlikely to demotivate overnight resulting in no daily coins the next day.
How Long Do Pokémon Realistically Last?
According to my local raid group‘s statistics last year, the average duration Pokémon lasted in gyms before being knocked out was 43 hours. However, almost a quarter only lasted 10 hours or under.
Here‘s a summary for 2022:
| Defense Duration | % of Pokémon |
|---|---|
| 0 – 10 hours | 23% |
| 10 – 24 hours | 18% |
| 1 – 3 days | 35% |
| 4 – 7 days | 15% |
| 1+ week | 9% |
Now there are pros and cons to leaving stronger Pokémon expected to last for those 1 week+ durations versus rotating multiple weaker ones to maximize daily coin efficiency.
Stronger Defenders Stay Longer…But Risk No Coins
Potent defenders like Blissey, Chansey, Snorlax can often intimidate opposing teams and require significant manpower to take down…
