Pokémon Sun and Moon - Battle Tree rewards, strategies, Legends Red and Blue, Battle Points and rules explained

Pokémon Sun and Moon's Battle Tree is tough. Pitting you against competitive-quality Pokémon from across the generations, this is Gen 7's version of the Battle Tower, where you'll fight wave after wave of trainers, your Pokémon healed between each, until you lose a match.

It's not simple, either. There are two main reasons for taking part in the Battle Tree: practicing your competitive battle skills offline, and earning Battle Points for rewards - which range from crucial competitive battle items like Choice Specs to Mega Stones for your rarest Pokémon - and none of those will be earned easily.

Here in this Battle Tree guide then, we'll be outlining everything you need to know for taking it on, including a list of Battle Tree rewards, Battle Formats, Special Trainers, Battle Legends Red and Blue and their Pokémon, and our best strategies for earning those all-important Battle Points.

Battle Tree Rules, Battle Formats, Super Battles, and Banned Pokémon

There are several basic rules worth being aware of in the Battle Tree:

• Pokémon up to level 50 will stay at their current level. Pokémon above level 50 will be set to level 50 and their stats adjusted to what they would be at that level (taking into account EVs and IVs, too, so they're as important as ever).
• These battles don't count towards experience, EVs, or even your Pokédex if previously unseen Pokémon are used against you.
• You can't use items from your bag - only held items. That means no Revives or Full Restores, but berries and held items like Leftovers are fine (and important!).
• Everything is reset after each battle, so for each one your team has full HP and PP, any lost held items are returned, and so on. They'll be good as new.
• You can take a break after each battle and come back without losing your streak.
• You can't use more than one of the same Pokémon or held item.
• Moves and items that are often banned in online tournaments are allowed - examples include moves like Swagger, and abilities like Moody. Expect some cheesy tactics from the AI.

The Battle Tree has three types of challenge, dubbed Battle Formats, which are Single, Double, and Multi Battles.

Pokémon Sun and Moon Battle Tree Super Singles

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• Single Battles - Trainer versus Trainer, with three Pokémon each, in a standard Pokémon battle. Just like battling Trainers in the main story, if all three of your Pokémon are knocked out, you lose. If you knock out all three opposing Pokémon, you win.
• Double Battles - Still one Trainer versus one Trainer, but with two Pokémon at a time on each side, like you're taking on a double battle in the wild. Each trainer has four Pokémon each, instead of three, with two from each side battling at a time, but otherwise the rules are the same.
• Multi Battles - Two Trainers versus Two Trainers. Two Pokémon are entered per Trainer, making four per side, with two battling each other at a time as if it were a Double Battle. You can play with a human partner via online communications, or an AI partner offline. You'll need to scout another Trainer from the Battle Tree in order to make up your team if you're choosing an AI partner. More on this below!
• Super Battles - Once you've hit a 20-win streak in any of the above formats, you'll unlock the Super version of that format, such as Super Single Battles. There, instead of the 20-win limit, the series of battles ends when you lose, meaning you could go on for a potentially unlimited amount of battles if you're good enough. The battles are harder, and Battle Point rewards greater, in Super Battles. More on this below, too!

Finally, it's worth noting that some Pokémon are banned, namely most Mythical and Legendary Pokémon like Magearna, Mew, and Necrozma.

Battle Tree Banned Pokémon:

Battle Legends Red and Blue, Battle Tree Special Trainers, and Scouting

There are three types of Trainer you'll face in the Battle Tree: normal Trainers, Special Trainers, and Battle Legends. In the standard Battles, you'll face normal trainers until level 20, where you'll face one of the two Battle Legends. From then on, Super Battles are available in that Battle Format.

In Super Battles, you'll face normal Trainers in most battles, but a Special Trainer every tenth battle, and a Battle Legend at the 20th and 50th battle in your streak.

Each Trainer in the Battle Tree has a set number of potential Pokémon they can use. The normal Trainers are too numerous to count, but the Special Trainers and Battle Legends' Pokémon we'll list below. Remember that they choose three Pokémon for Singles, four for Doubles, and two each for Multis - all of these are chosen at random from the list of potential Pokémon we've assembled below.

Pokémon Sun and Moon Battle Tree Super Singles

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Battle Tree Special Trainers:

Battle Legends' Potential Pokémon

Need more tips? Use our Pokémon Sun and Moon Walkthrough and guide for the main story, our competitive training guide for info on IVs, EV training, Hyper Training and bottle cap farming, and breeding explained, our choice of the best Pokémon Sun and Moon starter from Rowlet, Litten and Popplio, as well as an in-progress list of where to find Zygarde Cells and Cores and our guide to the Battle Tree and both Battling and Trading in the Festival Plaza. We also have a list of QR codes list, Z Crystal locations, Mega Stone locations, Eevium Z Eevee User locations for Extreme Evoboost, evolutions for Alolan Forms and other new Sun and Moon Pokémon and fast way to increase a Pokémon's Happiness, plus how to transfer across Ash-Greninja from the Sun and Moon Demo, where to catch the Tapu Guardians, how to catch the Ultra Beasts, and how to download the Munchlax Mystery Gift.

Scouting

In Multi Battles you can either play with a partner via the internet, or an AI partner. AI partners can be Scouted, by selecting that option after battling them in any format of the Battle Tree. They'll use the first two Pokémon they used against you when scouted them in Multi Battles.

Make sure you choose the option to Scout a Trainer after your battle with them whenever you find them a tricky opponent to battle - or if you spot Pokémon on their team that you know will complement yours well in a Multi Battles. Once you move onto the next trainer, you won't be able to Scout them until they're encountered again!

Note that all normal and Special Trainers can be scouted - but the Battle Legends Red and Blue cannot.

Battle Tree Rewards, Prizes, Items and Battle Points (BP)

There are a number of rewards that can be earned for participating - and winning - in the Battle Tree, and these come in a couple of forms. Battle Tree Prizes are earned for reaching certain milestones, such as winning 10 or 20 battles in a row, whilst Battle Points are earned for each victory, with the amount varying according to a couple of factors.

You can spend those Battle Points on some exclusive, rare items like Mega Stones for Mega Evolution, or important battle items, at the shop counter just to the left of the Battle Tree entrance. We've listed all the rewards and items below.

Note that the rewards, or prizes, are given to you when you speak to the Receptions the day after your streak. Likewise, you'll get all of the items up to and including the one for the highest streak - so if you win the rewards for 20 wins in a row, you'll also get the rewards for 5 and 10 wins respectively, too.

Battle Tree Battle Points earned:

Battle Tree Rewards and Prizes

Battle Tree Item Shops and BP Prices:

Battle Tree Strategies

Finally, we've picked up a few tips from our own experience with the Battle Tree that are worth bearing in mind - you'll be needing some long win streaks if you want to pick up the best prizes!

• Battle Tree is tougher this Gen - Much tougher. The Pokémon have higher base stats, whilst plenty will also Mega Evolve or use Z Moves, and will often feature powerful held items like Choice Specs boosting their potential damage. Be prepared to earn your Battle Points!
• Non-Competitive Pokémon will struggle - Your standard story playthrough party probably won't do. In the Battle Tree your party will ideally be bred and trained for perfect or near-perfect IVs and EVs, whilst competitive-tier Pokémon will be significantly more useful than off-meta picks for fun.
• Balance your team - Following on from that, think about composition. Aim for a Support, Wall, and Sweeper (Pokémon with setup/healing moves like Spikes/Wish; Pokémon that can stall with Substitute, Protect, and Leech Seed; Pokémon with high speed, damage, and coverage moves). Our current team is Toxapex, Celesteela and Marowak-A and is serving us pretty well.
• Ditch the fancy Z Moves - We hate to say it, but most of the time your Pokémon will have a more omptimal build with a different item to a Z Crystal, which only have a single, very specific use. A wall is better with Leftovers, for instance, whilst your sweeper might benefit from, say, a Life Orb.
• Take regular breaks - Thankfully, you can now take breaks from battling without losing your win streak. Don't be afraid to take some time out if the pressure's getting to you, but be sure to warm up with a quick run through something like the Elite Four before you come back in!
• It's easier to 'cheese' the Battle Tree than competitive tournaments - It's far easier to use cheeky tactics like a Minimize-Substitute-Protect Muk, or Pokémon with moves like Spore and abilities like Moody, thanks to the Battle Tree's more relaxed rules. That being said, you might feel a little dirty trying it...
• Learn your stuff - that might sound vague and annoying, but really, knowledge is power. The more you know about type matchups, Pokémon's movesets, and little things - like the fact that Burns also halve the damage dealt by physical moves as well as dealing damage per turn - the more chance you have of going far.

That's it for our Battle Tree advice - you'll probably need to do some greater research again to get that perfectly balanced team - but for more handy end-game related guides be sure to check out our pages on all Z Moves and Z Crystal locations, plus details on the Eevee Trainers and Eevium Z, a list of all available Mega Stones for Mega Evolution and their locations, and how and where to catch both the Tapu Guardian Pokémon and the powerful Ultra Beasts like the Celesteela we use ourselves!