Is Rank 20 Good in Pokemon Go?
As an avid Pokemon Go player and content creator focused on PvP strategy and analysis, rank 20 is considered a major milestone. While top competitors battle at much higher ranks, reaching rank 20 puts you in the top percentage of active PvP participants. It shows a commitment to honing your skills and overcoming many tough opponents.
How GO Battle League Ranks Work
Before examining rank 20 specifically, it helps to understand how the ranking system functions. The key points are:
- Your rating goes up when you win, especially against higher rated opponents, and drops when you lose
- Your rank is based on your rating and matches played
- Ranks 1-20 have no rating requirement. Rank 20 typically needs ~2000 rating
- Ranks 21-24 require hitting specific rating milestones from 2000 to 3000
- You cannot drop rank once attained during a season
This means your rank represents how much you‘ve played and how often you‘ve won. Let‘s analyze the effort to reach rank 20.
Rank 20 Shows Dedication to PvP Dominance
Based on public data analysis by PvP enthusiasts, below are estimated numbers on the wins and effort needed to attain ranks:
- Rank 20: Up to 90 wins if 50% win rate; Up to 60 wins if 65% win rate
- Rank 21: Estimated 120-150 wins in total
- Rank 22 to Legend: At least 250-500 wins
Compare those numbers to the playerbase – with over 2 million active PvP participants as of 2023, less than 5% will ever reach rank 20. And the percentage drops rapidly beyond that:
| Rank | % of PvP Players |
|---|---|
| 20 | <5% |
| 21 | <3% |
| 22 | <1% |
| 23+ | <0.3% |
Reaching rank 20 means you‘ve bested at least 50 unique opponents in head-to-head matches. And your proven PvP rating makes you better than ~95% of the player pool.
Put simply, if you make rank 20 you are in elite company. Let‘s compare it to Trainer Level as more context.
Rank 20 vs Trainer Level
As most players know, Trainer Level represents cumulative XP gains to increase your overall power. What does reaching rank 20 signify compared to Level milestones?
- Over 85% of players are below Level 40
- Below Level 35 is average among regular players
Yet to make rank 20, you likely need several fully powered teams of perfect Pokémon. Realistically you would be Level 38-40 with good knowledge of battle mechanics.
So while Trainer Level has no skill component, rank 20 implies you have developed advanced competency and beat tons of human opponents with teams you crafted meticulously. It takes serious dedication.
Rating System and Matchmaking Explained
To understand the skill component more, it helps to explain the rating system and matchmaking in depth. In simple terms:
- All players start each season at a baseline rating
- Winning raises your rating; losing lowers it
- Defeating higher rated foes yields bigger rating gains
- You are matched with opponents of similar rating
So early on, rating gains and losses are big as the system calibrates your skill. But winning gets harder as your rating improves over time.
Example Rating Progressions
- Casual player: Stalls out at rating ~1500-1700, peaking around Rank 15
- Intermediate player: Reaches rating ~1800-2000 to make Rank 20
- Expert player: Has 2200+ rating and can progress up to Legend
As you can see, reaching a rating for rank 20 means you are likely at an advanced skill level. Next let‘s examine rewards above rank 20.
Diminishing Returns Beyond Rank 20
While going beyond rank 20 earns you bragging rights, the practical in-game rewards do not increase much. You still get the standard items, stardust, and TM chances.
The main improvements are:
- Better chance at rare Candy XL and Silver Pinap Berries
- Higher stat product legendary encounters
- Leaderboard placement
However, keep in mind that the effort and difficulty ramps up severely. As an example, the graph below shows the rating progression needed to reach top legend ranks:
Reaching 3000+ ratings requires intense dedication and top-tier skills. Yet it confers little actual advantage in-game.
Key Rank Milestones Summary
| Rank | Reward Highlights |
|---|---|
| 20 | Guaranteed legend encounter |
| 21-24 | Higher rank pose |
As you can see, the special pose reward caps out at rank 20 during Interlude Seasons. And the legend encounter perk has limited marginal value.
Final Verdict: Worthy Accomplishment
In summary, I give an unambiguous YES – rank 20 represents a praiseworthy and impressive goal for most players. Reaching rank 20 demands honed abilities and perseverance to overcome skilled human trainers. With over 2 million active PvP participants and below 5% attaining rank 20, placing in that top percentile is a mark of excellence.
As an avid PvP analyst and battler myself, I consider rank 20 the sign of a strong competitive player. It also serves as a gateway to upper echelon ranks for those seeking additional challenge. But for semi-casual and mid-core players not chasing leaderboards, hitting rank 20 is enough to demonstrate true mastery.
