The competitive scene in the Pokemon Sword and Shield community is very intense. There are a lot of really strong players out there that can just toy with beginners in Pokemon battles if they wanted to. If you want to be part of the competitive scene for Pokemon Sword and Shield, not only do you have to master strategies and the game’s mechanics, like mastering which certain type of Pokemon is strong or weak against another type of Pokemon, but also your Pokemon themselves must be strong enough to deal great damage and survive in battle.
You can strengthen your Pokemon by improving their stats, changing their nature, giving them held items, and Hyper Training. Improving a Pokemon’s stats can be done by breeding. The other three, however, can be done by purchasing items. But wait! Before you go around the Galar region looking for these items, you should know that they can’t be bought with regular Pokemon Dollars. These items are bought with a currency called BP or Battle Points!
Time to Battle!
BP or Battle Points are the currency that is used to purchase items that are useful for building your Pokemon teams like Held Items, Mints which can change your Pokemon’s Nature, and Bottle Caps which are used in Hyper Training
Here are a couple of ways to obtain BP:
Battle Tower
After beating the main story of Pokemon Sword and Shield, you will unlock the Battle Tower which used to be the Rose Tower at the very top of the Galar region. Here you can earn BP all while practicing for online competitive play.
With every win in the Battle Tower, whether in Single Battle or Double Battle, you can earn 2 BP. Ranking up also rewards you with more BP along with a couple more items:
- Rank 1 to 3 (Beginner Tier) rewards 3 BP and a Rare Candy for each rank up.
- Rank 4 to 6 (Poke Ball Tier) rewards 5 BP, Mint, and two Rare Candies for each rank up (you’ll also receive a Bottle Cap and access to the IV Checker once you reach this tier by ranking up to Rank 4).
- Rank 7 to 9 (Great Ball Tier) rewards 10 BP, Mint and three Rare Candies for each rank up (you’ll also receive a Bottle Cap once you reach this tier by ranking up to Rank 7).
- Rank 10 (Ultra Ball Tier) rewards 20 BP, an Ability Capsule, a Mint, two Bottle Caps and five Rare Candies for ranking up to this rank and tier.
- Max Rank (Master Ball Tier) rewards 50 BP, an Ability Capsule, a Gold Bottle Cap, a Mint, three Bottle Caps, and ten Rare Candies.
Online Rank Battles and Competitions
If you feel like you can already take people on, you can participate in Online Rank Battles and Online Competitions. To do these, however, a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required.
The same with the Battle Tower, you can also receive BP rewards for ranking up in Online Rank Battles:
- Ranking up to Poke Ball Rank rewards 50 BP
- Ranking up to Great Ball Rank rewards 100 BP
- Ranking up to Ultra Ball Rank rewards 300 BP
- Ranking up to Master Ball Rank rewards 600 BP
You obtain this much BP in both Single or Double Battles!
As for Online Competitions, these events last for three days and reward 50 BP. However, unlike Online Ranked Battles, you would only need to participate in three matches in order to qualify for the BP reward.
It is worth mentioning that other Pokemon trainers who participate in Online Ranked Battles and Competitions are usually really great at the game which means it would be very hard to win as you go up the ranks. Well, unless you’re one of those trainers that are absolute gods in Pokemon Battles.
Restricted Sparring
If you have purchased the Isle of Armor DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield, you will be introduced to a new Battle feature called Restricted Sparring. Restricted Sparring is a set of Single Battles but you can only use three Pokemon of a specific type. The goal is to win five battles with your chosen Pokemon team of three. The catch is that the damage received and PP used of each of your Pokemon are carried over in each of the battles which gets harder and harder as you progress. The opposing trainers do not have the same limitations as you and the trainers you battle with will start to have Pokemon that are strong against your Pokemon. You can use items to heal your Pokemon but you can only do that twice.
After winning a battle, you will be rewarded with 3 BP. Then, after you complete all five battles, you will be rewarded with 30 BP. You can also obtain 30 BP the first time you win each type.
Final Thoughts
Out of all the methods mentioned above, the most reliable and easiest way of obtaining BP is through the Battle Tower. Through the Battle Tower, you have a steady source of 2 BP for each of the battles that are arguably not that hard. It’s also easier to rank up compared to the Online Rank Battles. Even though the Online Rank Battles reward more BP for ranking up, it is much better to have a sure and fast method of obtaining BP rather than big rewards but would frustrate you.
With enough patience and determination, you can acquire enough BP to purchase the items in order to improve your Pokemon. With every improvement, you are one step closer to becoming the very best like no one ever was!
