The second series of Ranked Battles in Pokémon Sword and Shield goes live today and runs until Jan. 31. It will test trainers against one another online to see who can climb to the top of the standings.
Matches will be played in a single battle and double battle format, with Pokémon only from the Galar Pokédex able to compete. Teams must consist of at least three Pokémon in Singles and four in Doubles and all Pokémon will then be set to Level 50 each.
The event is restricting the types of Gigantamax Pokémon you can have though, with only Charizard, Butterfree, Pikachu, Meowth, Eevee, Snorlax, Corviknight, Drednaw, Sandaconda, Centiskorch allowed to compete this time around.
Mew, Zacian, Zamazenta, and Eternatus are once again banned as well, similar to last time.
At the end of the event, depending on where you finish, players will be awarded different prizes. Master Ball Tier players receive the biggest prize in the form of three Gold Battle Caps and 600 BP, while anyone left in the Beginner Tier will get a couple of Nature-changing Mints and 50 BP. You can see the full list of rewards here.
The rules are somewhat similar to what is going on in the VGC2020 format, so its a good way to practice if you want to attend regionals on the road to Worlds.