Ranks in Pokémon Unite: How the rank system works

In this guide to Pokémon Unite we explain:

• How the rank system works in the game
• What ranks you can achieve in Pokémon Unite
• What rewards you will receive at the end of the season for your rank

Still haven't found the right Pokémon for Ranked matches in Pokémon Unite? Our Tier List tells you which Pokémon are the strongest in the current meta - including recommended skill and item builds.

How to unlock ranked matches

Starting at Trainer Level 6, you'll be able to play Ranked Matches.

Before you can fight your way through the ranking system in Pokémon Unite, you must first fulfill two requirements to be allowed to participate in ranked matches at all. You need:

• at least trainer level 6
• at least five Pokémon licenses

To bring your trainer level up to 6, it is enough to complete a few normal battles. There you can try out different Pokémon and familiarize yourself with the map. You can plan on about an hour of standard matches to reach Trainer level 6, but after that you'll need to make sure you have enough Pokémon licenses.

You will need exactly five of them. The reason for this is clear: If you only have three or four licenses, your teammates might pick your available Pokémon in the selection screen and you'll end up without Pokémon - duplicate Pokémon aren't allowed in matches, after all.

If you have five Pokémon licenses, you will always have at least one Pokémon available. However, the five licenses can be earned quickly: You get the first one right after the tutorial, you can unlock some for free, and after a few rounds you should also have enough Aeos coins to buy another Pokémon.

Ranks in Pokémon Unite: How the rank system works

Once you have trainer level 6 and five Pokémon licenses in your pocket, you can start your triumphant march through the league. Below, we'll explain in more detail how the rank system in Pokémon Unite is structured and how you can advance to higher ranks.

The different ranks and their subclasses

In order to move up a rank in Pokémon Unite, you'll first have to fight your way through all of the subclasses.

The rank system in Pokémon is divided into different ranks, each of which is further subdivided into subclasses. You can see all the ranks and their subclasses here:

Everyone starts at the Beginner rank and has the chance to play their way up to the Master rank during the current season. At the end of the season, the rankings of all players will be reset. So you can't take your rank with you, but start again from the beginning in every new season.

To keep rank battles fairly even, Pokémon Unite will pair you up with other players and opponents who have roughly the same rank as you have. Minor outliers in rank differences can't be avoided with the short load times, but you don't have to worry about playing against someone from the master rank as a beginner.

How to move up (or down) in the rank system

The mechanics of the rank system in Pokémon Unite are fairly simple, but there is one special feature that we'll go into later. To advance from one rank to the next, you'll have to fight your way through all of the subclasses and then win a qualifier match.

If you win a ranked match, you'll receive a yellow diamond and move up a class. For example, to advance from Beginner to Great rank, you need four wins (three wins to get to Class 3 plus one more win to advance).

Conversely, if you lose a match, one of your yellow diamonds will disappear. If you are already in the lowest subclass of a rank and lose another game, you will drop to the next lower rank. There, however, you are directly in the highest subclass and with a victory in the next game you can directly move up again.

In two ranks, however, there are exceptions regarding promotion and relegation: Since the Beginner rank is the lowest rank, you cannot be relegated here even if you lose several times. In the highest rank, the Master rank, Pokémon Unite does without subclasses. There, players are ranked based on a point system that works like a leaderboard.

Activity Points: Advancement shortcut and relegation buffer

As mentioned above, the ranking system in Pokémon Unite is kept fairly simple. In theory, you just need to rack up more wins than losses to fight your way up from rank to rank.

However, especially in the higher ranks, you may find yourself stuck. A victory is followed by a defeat, then another victory, another defeat, and so on. To avoid such stagnation, the developers of Pokémon Unite have come up with a clever system: the Activity Points/Performance Points.

If you perform well in Ranked matches, your Performance Points will help you reach higher ranks faster.

Regardless of whether you win or lose, you can earn Activity Points in every Ranked Match. These are awarded for certain achievements in the match, such as scoring a lot of points, winning streaks, or simply fair play. When you reach a certain number of activity points (the number depends on your rank), you'll receive a yellow diamond, effectively an extra victory. This way you can speed up your promotion to higher ranks enormously.

But the activity points not only help you climb the ranks, they can also save you from the threat of relegation. If you are in the lowest subclass of a rank and suffer a defeat, but have enough Performance Points on the high side, you will only lose your points and you will be spared the rank relegation for the time being.

In the following table you can see for which achievements you can receive activity points:

These are the rewards you can get in Season 1

In addition to fame and glory, you can always collect some nice rewards in the current season of Pokémon Unite. In Season 1, you'll receive lots of Aeos Tickets depending on your final ranking. You can see how many there are at which rank here:

• Beginner: 2,000 Aeos Tickets
• Super/Great: 4,000 Aeos tickets
• Hyper/Expert: 6,000 Aeos tickets
• Elite/Veteran: 10,000 Aeos tickets
• Ultra: 15.000 Aeos tickets
• Master/Master: 20,000 Aeos Tickets

More guides to Pokémon Unite on GameZ:

• Pokémon Unite: The beginner's guide to the monster MOBA
• Pokémon Unite: Tier List - The best Pokémon
• Settings in Pokémon Unite: The best settings

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