In case you missed it, the first season of Pokémon Legends: ZA-Rated Battles is already underway. It will run until November 4, 2025 and will offer trainers who reach “Rank K” a special reward of Greninjite. This item can be used to Mega Evolve Greninja into Mega Greninja, and “cannot be obtained through normal gameplay”.
The official Pokémon website explains the three types of rewards for Ranked Battles in more detail. You will get rewards at the end of the battle (regardless of your performance) and promotion rewards will be obtained when you advance to the next rank (this includes training items such as Mega Shards). The last type of reward is a seasonal reward, based on your ranking at the end of a season.
Here’s the full recap of the first season of Ranked Battles, including eligible Pokémon, how to start a Ranked Battle, and how to receive rewards:
Eligible Pokémon
Eligible Pokémon for Season 1 of Ranked Battles include Lumiose Pokédex #001-227. You can register Pokémon from Lv. 1 at Lv. 100, but all Pokémon will automatically be set to Lv. 50 during battles. Regional forms are allowed, but only one Pokémon of the same species can be used in battle.
Season 1 Rewards
Season rewards for Ranked Battles Season 1 are as follows:
Rank A
- Sports ball ×3
- Golden bottle cap ×1
- Bottle cap ×3
- Seed of Mastery ×3
- Big nugget ×1
Rank B to Rank E
- Sports ball ×2
- Golden bottle cap ×1
- Bottle cap ×2
- Seed of Mastery ×2
- Nugget ×2
Rank F to Rank K
- Bottle cap ×1
- Seed of Mastery ×1
- Nugget ×2
Rank L to Rank R
- Seed of Mastery ×1
- Nugget ×1
Rank S and below
How to start a Ranked Battle
To start a Ranked Battle, follow these steps:
- Launch your Pokémon Legends: ZA game.
- Press the X button to open the main menu.
- Select Reading by link.
- Select Ranked Battles.
How to receive in-game season rewards
You will need to complete at least one match with a win or loss during Season 1 to be eligible for Season Rewards at the end of the season. To receive your in-game season rewards, follow these steps:
- Once the season is over, launch your Pokémon Legends: ZA game.
- Press the X button to open the main menu.
- Select Reading by link.
- Select Ranked Battles.
To access Ranked Battles, you must have an active Switch Online subscription. The rules for this event also specify how this Mega Stone “is intended to be redistributed in future seasons”, so if you miss out this time, there will be other chances.
In addition to the first season, the first distribution event for Pokémon Legends: ZA also went live this week. You can learn more in our previous article:
