After multiple reports of Pidgeot being bugged in Pokémon Go over the last day, Niantic has banned the Pokémon from being used in the Go Battle League.
This ban applies to the ongoing Great Battle League rotation and will revert back to normal once the issue has been resolved. Niantic banned the Flying-type because players were reporting that their side of the battle would freeze after their opponent’s Pidgeot would attack. This would keep them from switching, attacking, or interacting with the battle in any way.
This bug doesn’t appear all the time, however, and some players noted that they battled a Pidgeot and were able to complete the match just fine. For now, it looks like the issue might not stem just from Pidgeot, but rather the move Feather Dance. The move, which was pushed live slightly ahead of Go Battle League Season Eight, is typically used before the freezing.
Because it was released early, some players are speculating that players who have not updated or restarted their app since it went live are likely the ones experiencing the issue. Some reports even note that the entire game would crash after Feather Dance was used.
The issue should be resolved shortly, but until then, Pidgeot will not be usable in the Great League.
