How to re-introduce Poke-stop submissions

Greetings trainers,

Table of Contents

1. Pre-amble/explanation
2. Proposal
3. Would this really be all that helpful?
4. Conclusion

1. Pre-amble 

I've been travelling about lately and I've gotten a good bit of perspective regarding the state of Poke-stop diversity in different kinds of communities. I've been in the boonies, I've been in the big city, and I've been in-between. Back when Niantic originally populated Poke-stop submissions (i.e. portals in "Ingress"), they used geo-tagged photos of interesting works of art, culture, and then public buildings like post offices or unique landmarks. This gave them a big base of Poke-stops to work from, and previously Niantic had portal/Poke-stop submission open for Ingress and Pokemon GO. The company shut down portal submissions back in September 2015, and never had the option to submit new Poke-stops in Pokemon GO.

I imagine Niantic has a massive backlog of data about GPS co-ordinates of submitted portals/Poke-stops, and they have more than enough data to filter through already; if they re-opened submissions, I imagine most of the data they would receive would be requests for Poke-stops that are already in their database. Thus, it would be a bit redundant to re-open submissions, and would just increase the strain on human resources figuring out how to best process these requests.

Niantic has said that they wanted to work on a new and more efficient way to process portal submission requests. Given my recent travels, I think the most important thing Niantic could do to re-open submissions would be to allow users to annotate areas in the world that are incredibly sparsely populated by Poke-stops/Gyms. Below is my thought process for how to best make this happen, which hopefully isn't too redundant with what Niantic already has to consider.

2. Proposal

Gym Prestige System Fixed!

Rejoice!

Greeting trainers!

Quick update post. Gym Prestige has been fixed! You still take down enemy gyms by 1000 prestige per Pokemon defeated, +1000 for defeating the whole gym. However, you can now earn up to 1000 prestige for defeating a friendly Pokemon again!

Here's a reminder on how to battle gyms most effectively!

• If the Pokemon with the highest CP in your party has a higher CP than the Defending Pokemon, you will earn 255 prestige minus a multiplier down to a minimum of 100 prestige.
• If the Pokemon with the highest CP in your party has a lower CP than the Defending Pokemon, you will earn 500 prestige plus a multiplier up to a maximum of 1000 prestige.

• The new battle mechanics will level down any Defending Pokemon to match your level (+2). So the Combat Power of the later Pokemon may be reduced from the overview.
• To get the most out of each battle, you should try to beat every Defending Pokemon with an team that's about half their Combat Power.

If you want a full-length article, feel free to check out the Let's GO guide to using the new gym battle system!

And be sure to check out our new Gym Defender's Tier List to know what Pokemon are top defenders in the new metagame!

Cheers,

Let's GO!

Let's GO's Updated Gym Defender Tier List

Vaporeons. Vaporeons everywhere!

Greetings Trainers!

The new CP update has really thrown a wrench in the gears of "Let's GO." I was all ready for Generation 2 to come out, and then out of nowhere this CP update changed everything I knew about the gym metagame. I wasn't going to write anything about this new metagame, but I decided I could do a lazy-formatted article to at least give my thoughts about the new gym defender tiers.

These rankings do not only factor in the performance of the defender, but they also take into account a Pokemon's maximum CP. This is the new age of Pokemon GO, where gyms go down much faster. The CP update also promoted a bunch of new high CP Pokemon that players will slot into gyms to avoid being the first to drop out (e.g. Rhydon, Gyarados). Due to the new gym Prestige mechanics, combined with the numerous high-CP Pokemon in the game, having high CP is that much more important for a Gym Defender. Why? Well:

In order for a gym defender to make a difference in a gym, it actually has to stay in the gym long enough to be battled a few times. A Pokemon like Chansey is beastly with its new buff, and I don't have a max-level Chansey to test against to see if it's even possible to beat it before timing out using most available attackers; I suspect it is possible. If it is possible to beat Chansey, then it's not a very good defender. The reason being that players will only ever have to battle Chansey once in order to knock it out of the gym, as it's virtually guaranteed to be at the front. This same principle can be applied to other strong defenders like Wigglytuff, that will simply get dropped from a gym too quickly to be relevant anymore. If you filled a gym with Chanseys, or Wigglytuffs, that's another story. But as general defenders... they're just not up to snuff anymore.

With that said, here's a rough prospective Tier list with some explanations/speculation. Generation 2 will totally revamp this, so I won't be putting tons of work into making this article look pretty. The new Base Stats come from a formula derived by Peter Hatch, commenter on Gamepress. As such, they are calculated approximations, and may not reflect true stats. I've always rounded down, as that's how Pokemon tends to do things. So even if a stat calcs to 200.99, I'd still say the base stat is 200. I think this is how Niantic and Pokemon treat things...

Tier Summary

For recommended movesets, see the original Gym Defender Tier List article!

S Tier

• Snorlax
• Lapras

Tier 1

• Dragonite
• Exeggutor
• Vaporeon

Tier 2

• Omastar
• Poliwrath
• Slowbro
• Venusaur
• Kangaskhan

Tier 3

• Rhydon
• Gyarados
• Muk

Tier 4

• Golem
• Tentacruel
• Clefable
• Vileplume
• Cloyster
• Alakazam
• Tauros

Tier 5

• Arcanine
• Machamp
• Pinsir

Likely "Best" Pokemon from Generation 2

Meet Tyranitar, the new Dragonite. It's a Rock/Dark type,
and effectively the Godzilla of Pokemon - instantly cool.

Greetings trainers!

Generation 2 sprites have been found in datamines of the game, which means it's no longer ridiculous to speculate on Generation 2 Pokemon. There are also rumoured leaks about corporate sponsorships with Starbucks and others, but these are just rumours for now. Hilariously (not), I had already written up most of this article and was ready to put the finishing touches on it when the new CP update hit. This new CP update has now been worked out to some extent (thanks to Peter Hatch and the folks at Gamepress), though it's still a tiny bit off for some Pokemon's true Max CP.

With that said, the metagame still hasn't settled since the update, and most intriguing to me is that Pokemon with high CP stats are no longer necessarily decent gym defenders.

Previously, Max CP was very strongly correlated with gym performance. But now, Pokemon with terrible Stamina can have very high CP (e.g. Alakazam, Kingler, Gengar), but these Pokemon do not make good gym defenders; a reminder that gym defenders receive a 2x boost to HP, making Stamina the most important stat for gym defenders. Once Gen 2 is released and we know movesets, I'll look into updating the Gym Defender's Tier List.

Summary (TL;DR): 

An interesting side effect that Gen 2 will likely have is making it relevant to have a good attacking Machamp. Snorlax having Zen Headbutt really put a damper in Machamp's metagame relevance, but with four Pokemon coming up that are all Fighting-weak, Machamp my finally gets it chance to shine. Most importantly, one of these four is the new Dragonite-equivalent, Tyranitar. Tyranitar is doubly weak to Fighting (ho yeah), and Machamp will resist whatever attacks TTar throws out, be they Rock or Dark (ho baby).

So while you'll want to save up your candies for whatever Gen 2 mons you're excited for, it might be a good idea to try and get yourself a good attacking Machamp in the meantime! Hitmonlee also received a major buff, and should be capable of tackling Tyranitar. Rock/Ground types like Rhydon and Golem should also be highly relevant to tackling the upcoming Rock and Normal types, as they resist their Rock and Normal STAB moves and can hit back with high-damage Ground moves.

Introduction to the actual meat of the article:

The Let's (Pokemon) GO! Gym Building Guide

Go away Drowzee, no one likes you

Greetings trainers,

With the latest update (released on Nov. 7th 2016), the gym Prestige system has been totally overhauled. It's now 4x harder to hold a gym than prior to the update. Why? It's 2x tougher to level a gym up, and 2x easier to take one down. Details below:

The maximum Prestige earned off a defending Pokemon in a friendly gym is now 500 (down from the previous 1000), and the prestige earned for knocking out a defending Pokemon in an enemy gym is now 1000 (up from 500). The bonus for clearing an enemy gym has been reduced to 1000 (from 1500).

What effect will this have on the metagame? That remains to be determined, but already I've been seeing a lot of former Level 10 strongholds fall. Quite interestingly, not all of them were actually taken down fully, but a number of them have had the first few Pokemon cleared out and were then left alone. These gyms are likely going to get cleared once the first strong player on a gym-run passes by, but in the meantime they're holding.

Overall, I think this change is going to be fantastic for the health of the game, though the most dedicated players will have a harder time collecting 100 coins every day. The question on everyone's mind is now: in this new age of hyper offence, how does someone build a level 10 gym anymore? First, a quick note:

Summary of Gym-prestige mechanics changes

• Against friendly gyms, beating a defender with a lower-CP Pokemon now earns you 250 prestige plus a multiplier. Beating a defender with a higher-CP Pokemon now earns you 125 prestige minus a multiplier.
• Against opposing gyms, beating a defender now reduces gym prestige by 1000, and clearing the whole gym reduces gym prestige by an additional 1000.

With that said, let's get talking about how to build these level 10 gyms. By the way, if you haven't seen our Gym Defender's Tier List yet, be sure to give it a look-over when you can. In the meantime, here is a summary of some of the strongest defenders out there:

Featured Pokemon: Wigglytuff

Question: without looking, does
Wigglytuff have a tail?

Greetings trainers!

Today we'll be talking about, perhaps, the most underestimated Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Wigglytuff has been called a "mini-Snorlax," and its massive HP and Fairy/Normal-typing really do make it feel a bit like facing a Snorlax. Wigglytuff's Feint Attack is comparable to Snorlax's Zen Headbutt, and far superior to Snorlax's Lick. On offence, Wigglytuff is a fantastic mon to use for gym-levelling, thanks to its extremely low CP for its relative performance. All-in-all, Wigglytuff is a great Pokemon with niche uses as both an attacker and very capable defender.

Recommended movesets

How to use the new Gym Battle system

Greetings trainers!

Update (Dec. 4th 2016): Gym prestige has been re-worked. Again. But for the better! The Prestige earned for battles has been restored (max per Pokemon is 1000 again), and the prestige earned for knocking down enemy gyms is 1000 per Pokemon, plus 1000 for defeating the whole gym.

Niantic unveiled a new Gym-battling update that totally re-worked the friendly Gym battles. For better or worse, this new system is here to stay. My opinion on the system is mixed, but more on that below. For now, how can you take advantage of the new system to put yourself in friendly gyms!?

You've got questions?
We've got answers

Table of Contents

• How to earn prestige
• How to maximize prestige per battle
• Some useful Pokemon for prestige-earning
• Thoughts on the new gym battle system
• Ramblings

How to earn prestige

So you've found yourself a friendly Gym, but it's taking ages to level up and you only get ~200 prestige per Pokemon anyways. Fear not! Gym battles have some basic mechanics you can take advantage of. Some things to keep in mind:

• If the Pokemon with the highest CP in your party has a higher CP than the Defending Pokemon, you will earn 255 prestige minus a multiplier down to a minimum of 100 prestige.
• If the Pokemon with the highest CP in your party has a lower CP than the Defending Pokemon, you will earn 500 prestige plus a multiplier up to a maximum of 1000 prestige.

• The new battle mechanics will level down any Defending Pokemon to match your level (+2). So the Combat Power of the later Pokemon may be reduced from the overview.
• To get the most out of each battle, you should try to beat every Defending Pokemon with an team that's about half their Combat Power.

If you're curious how the Gym combat mechanics, there's a great in-depth guide written up on gamepress.

How to maximize prestige per battle

Featured Pokemon: Venusaur and Victreebel

I like how Venusaur's name implies
a Venus fly trap, but Victreebel is the
pitcher plant (aka fly trapper).

Greetings trainers!

Today we'll be looking at the best two Grass/Poison types in the game. With the swag of a starter, Venusaur is the envy of many trainers, and because of Pokemon GO mechanics, it's probably the best of the three starters for Gym defence. Victreebel is on the opposite end of the spectrum, boasting a massive attack stat and middling Defence and Stamina; that said, it's also a good defender! However, what unites these two is their typing and movesets. Venusaur and Victreebel are not only the same Grass/Poison types, but they also have very similar ideal movesets! What are their differences? Find out below:

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Hypno

I take solace in the fact that Hypnos have no mouths,
cannot eat, and they only live about a week. At
least... mine only live that long... Ah.... nature.

Greetings trainers!

Some areas are blessed (more like cursed) with a crapton of Drowzee. This gives players access to Hypno from very early on. What Hypno is really good for is being a capable battler for its relative CP. A low-CP Hypno can trade neutrally with a lot of Pokemon well, which means players can start attacking gyms with their Hypno early. This unfortunately also means that new players can put weak Hypno in their friendly gyms, which does very little to protect the gym, but a lot to make it difficult to level up. So, what is Hypno good for? Why is it bad? Why is it good?

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Exeggutor

My Exeggutor is named "Frondly Face."

Greetings trainers!

Eggs? Coconuts? Not sure... But if you're looking for a frondly face, look no further. What you can be sure of is that Exeggutor is one of the best Pokemon currently in the game, and one of the best defenders out there. One of the main reasons for this is because of Vaporeon's overwhelming popularity, but the other is because Exeggutor is a Psychic type. Psychic types are really good in the Generation 1 metagame. Almost nothing takes Psychic moves well except for other Psychic Pokemon. So, what else does Exeggutor have going for it? Well...

Recommended movesets

Let's GO's Gym Defender Tier List

Want to jump to a Pokemon? Click on their name here:

Snorlax, Lapras, Dragonite, Exeggutor, Slowbro, Poliwrath, Venusaur, Wigglytuff, Vaporeon, Muk, Hypno, Victreebel, Vileplume, Clefable, Nidoqueen, Dewgong, Gyarados, Arcanine, Omastar, Charizard, Tentacruel, Nidoking, Blastoise, Golduck, Kangaskhan.
Honourable mentions: Rhydon, Golem, and Machamp.

Greetings trainers!

There are a number of sites out there with great quality of analysis tackling this very subject. A lot of that information is wonderful, but not everyone agrees on exactly where each Pokemon should get ranked. One great tier list can be found on pokemongo.gamepress.gg, which has a very strong list of Pokemon, and good justifications for each position. These guys are great, and you should definitely see their site for all sorts of Pokemon GO information.

However, one thing I find lacking from others' ranking systems is the logic of being an attacker vs. a defender. Obviously, very few people would attack into an Arcanine with a grass Pokemon. The folks at gamepress recognizes this, saying: "No grass shall pass." But what makes a good defender, a good defender? Is Arcanine a good defender because "no grass shall pass?" Or do Water types, which are extremely abundant, dampen Arcanine's potential? For instance, Pokemon like Vaporeon and Dragonite are likely to attack Arcanine, and Arcanine has a lot of trouble even denting these capable attackers.

Indeed, I feel that the one thing that is ignored in tier lists like these is the Pokemon's performance against its likely attackers. By taking into account the Pokemon's stats, useful moveset(s), and its performance against its likely attackers, I hope to strike a balance between simply having good stats, and being able to put those good stats to use. Most important to me is: how much relative damage does a defender do to its likely attacker(s)?

If you're interested in gym battle mechanics, you can scroll to the bottom of this page for an explanation of the main points, and any acronyms used.

S-Tier

Featured Moveset: Water Gun + Hydro Pump (aka: Golduck, Omastar, Starmie, Seadra, ... Blastoise, Vaporeon)

This is AWESOMEEEE

Greetings trainers!

Today's article is a bit of a highlight on a very special moveset. Water Gun + Hydro Pump is devestatingly powerful as Water Gun's quick cooldown (allowing you to dodge) and solid damage output make it possibly the best attacking move in the game. Water Gun also gets to hit so many things for neutral or super effective damage. Unlike its siblings Bite and Dragon Breath, Water Gun is often paired with the fantastic move Hydro Pump, which gives Vaporeon any Pokemon with this moveset the ability to really hammer it home against Water-weak Pokemon.

But this article isn't titled "Vaporeon is good" for a reason! There are a number of Pokemon in the game with this fantastic moveset, and the idea behind today's article is to highlight these Pokemon specifically for gym-building purposes. The moveset is fantastic, the only question that remains is who should you use to raise a friendly gym's prestige, and in what situation(s)? That's what we'll be discussing today.

Why should I care about this article? I have a 2000+ CP Vaporeon that wrecks everything.

Featured Pokemon: Poliwrath

Hi. Name's Bubba. S'up?

Greetings trainers!

There's no Pokemon in Pokemon GO that leaves me feeling more bubbly than Poliwrath. It's just so adorabubble! What with its bubbly fists and its bubbly swirls. Did I mention it gets Bubble? Bubble is fantastic. Seriously, Bubble is like... the best quick attack in the game for defenders. It's a full 10 base power stronger than the next strongest quick attack, but Poliwrath is the only fully-evolved Pokemon with access to Bubble's amazing damage output. Like... have you ever faced a Poliwrath with Bubble? That thing'll mess you up.

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Nidoqueen

God save the queen

Greetings trainers!

Perhaps one of the best Pokemon you can easily obtain, Nidoqueen actually makes for quite a solid defender. Nidoking also comes to mind of course, but for reasons I'll explain below, Nidoqueen is superior in most every way imaginable. Also, while Nidoking is cool, Nidoqueen is classy. Like... seriously... she just has this sleek and elegant design that Nidoking tossed away just for some token spikes. The Nido-Pokemon also have great attacks that are resisted by few.

Sleek and elegant design: +1 Nidoqueen

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Slowbro

I do love how angry the shell is at all times.
Is this really a symbiosis? Or does Slowbro
just not give a flip about being eaten?

Greetings trainers!

Slowbro is a curious case of Pokemon evolution. Slowbro's tail shell is supposedly a Shellder that has evolved upon biting onto Slowpoke's tail (can't blame it, such tasty, tasty tail). But it sure doesn't look like it. That's my major issue with Slowbro, because otherwise it's kind of great and definitely one of the better Pokemon in the game currently. It's got both Water and Psychic typing, and I don't know if you've noticed, but Water typing is good... and Psychic typing is stupid good... so Slowbro is somewhere between good and stupid good. How good is that? Well...

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Snorlax

So contented. Just wait until Sun and Moon!

Greetings trainers!

Snorlax is the envy of every trainer out there. Not only is it stupidly bulky, it's adorably pudgy and makes a great bean bag chair. Everyone knows Snorlax is great, but what is it great at? Attacking? Defending? Both? Is there anything this gargantuan, 800lb-a-day food guzzling creature can't do? Short answer: yeah.. no it really is absolutely fantastic. But what is your Snorlax best at? Find out below!

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Rhydon and Golem

This is an incredibly unfair matchup...

Greetings trainers!

Today we've got an exciting double feature for you! Golem and Rhydon are two of the only worthwhile Rock-type Pokemon in the game (the other being Omastar). Both have a dual Rock/Ground typing, and both have similar movesets involving Rock and Ground quick attacks and charge moves. The differences between these two Pokemon lie in their base stats, and what alternate movesets they get to run. Which is better? Well, that's what today's article is going to talk about! I will preface this by saying that both are solid Pokemon, but to get the most out of Golem and Rhydon, it's good to know where their specialties lie.

Typing

Rock types stole my heart, maybe
you can help me get it back?

Rock/Ground typing provides Golem and Rhydon with a unique set of resistances that few other Pokemon can take advantage of. Here's the full list of move types that these two resist:

• Normal
• Fire
• Rock
• Flying
• Poison
• Electric

Featured Pokemon: Gyarados

Plus it just looks so cool. Seriously,
look at this thing!

Greetings trainers!

Magikarp's pokedex entry literally reads: "Magikarp is a pathetic excuse for a Pokémon that is only capable of flopping and splashing. ..." But its evolved form, Gyarados, is a fantastic Pokemon with great base stats and solid typing. Gyarados is the kind of Pokemon that inspires you to get out of bed every morning and strive for greatness. What's so great about Gyarados? Well...

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Magneton

ohm man, there are a lot of good
electromagnetism puns

Greetings trainers!

Today we'll be talking about an often-overlooked Pokemon: Magneton. Magneton is the polar opposite of a strong Pokemon. While it isn't remarkable in the Pokemon GO metagame, it does have a few niche uses that make it one of my current favourites. Simply put, Magneton is a fantastic low-CP Pokemon for the purposes of levelling up a gym's prestige, and you'll find ample opportunity to use Magneton for this role. Watt's my reasoning? Read on!

Recommended movesets

Pokemon GO Buddy System: Who's worth walking with?

A throwback to gen 4's
buddy Pokemon!

Greetings trainers!

The buddy system has been released (more info here), which means grindable candies for the Pokemon of your choice! But who should you make your buddy!? Which Pokemon are most worth walking with, and which Pokemon are more trouble than they're worth? Should you really walk with ________ just to evolve it for the Pokedex? Not to worry, here are our picks for the top Pokemon to walk with and why:

Turn your Puff into Tuff

1km walkables

• Jigglypuff
• Geodude
• Pikachu

The most worthwhile Pokemon in the 1km range list is definitely Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff tends to be pretty rare, and it's actually one of the best low-CP defenders for gyms, as Wigglytuff boasts incredibly high Stamina. A Wigglytuff with Dazzling Gleam functions like a mini-Snorlax that constantly spams a base 55 power STAB move.

Featured Pokemon: Lapras

The very first ferry-type Pokemon

Greetings trainers!

Lapras is a beastly boat of a Pokemon capable of scaring off would-be attackers and taking down defending Dragonites. Its massive Stamina coupled with great Defence and solid Attack make Lapras a truly elite Pokemon in the current Pokemon GO metagame. Its rarity makes it a prized posession, and any Lapras is worth racing for, if nothing more, for the candies. For those lucky enough to posess a Lapras, hopefully this article can help you make the most of your ferry Pokemon.

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Dewgong

Dewgong earns the Let's GO
Seel of approval

Greetings trainers!

Dewgong, the poor man's Lapras. Lapras, Dewgong, and Cloyster all share exactly the same typing, and even have access to overlapping movepools, importantly all having the same quick moves and access to Blizzard. So, if you're not lucky enough to have a good Lapras or two at your disposal, one of Dewgong or Cloyster is likely to be your answer to opposing Dragonites. Which is it? Spoiler alert: it's Dewgong. Dewgong's stats are simply superior to Cloyster's, and importantly its Stamina is solid. That makes this blubber buddy one of the better readily-obtained Pokemon in the game.

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Jolteon

Jolteon: the hair gel Pokemon

Greetings trainers!

Watts up with all the Jolteon hate!? You might be shocked to hear that the buzz in town is: Jolteon is the most disappointing Eeveelution to get. But don't despair, while Jolteon's CP and defences are vastly inferior to its sibling Vaporeon, Jolteon's typing at least helps cover for its shortcomings; particularly so for the purpose of leveling up gyms. While Jolteon isn't going to make for a great defending Pokemon, it can serve as a solid addition to any team in the right circumstances.

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Flareon

Certainly adds flair to any gym!

Greetings trainers!

Flareon was never very good in the video games because it lacked access to any good moves, and its poor speed held it back. In Pokemon GO, neither of these traits carry over, which gives Flareon a chance to finally become relevant! In everyone's search for Vaporeon, you're bound to come across a Flareon here or there. Is it good for anything? Well, here's the cold hard truth: it is! It's just not good for... the right reasons... While it has a fantastic Attack stat, it doesn't have the Defence or Stamina to back it up. This sounds like a problem, but it actually makes Flareon incredibly useful for one niche purpose. Let's go through why.

Recommended movesets

Featured Pokemon: Vaporeon

But... vapor is gaseous, not liquid

Greetings trainers!

Just an Eevee-named-Rainer away, Vaporeon is perhaps the easiest "strong" Pokemon to obtain. It has incredible bulk, a great attack for taking down Gyms, and a diversity of Charge Moves to help out with either attacking Gyms or defending your own Gym. Water typing leaves Vaporeon with weaknesses to only Grass and Electric, which is made all the more powerful by the lack of strong Electric Pokemon capable of trading favourably with Vaporeon.

Recommended movesets

Greetings trainers!

Welcome to Let's GO! This blog is set up to provide you with regular content highlighting the various tips and tricks of Pokemon GO. Check out our Pokemon highlights to see what your favourite 'mon is best at, or if you're new to the game be sure to see all of our tips and tricks for getting started!

Whatever level of experience you have with Pokemon GO, we've got something just for you.

Cheers,
Let's GO