Do Pokémon GO Teams Really Matter Anymore

screenrant.com:

The value of Pokémon GO teams has shifted over the years, to the point where choosing between Mystic, Valor, and Instinct no longer feels very important. What once seemed like a hugely important decision, back when Niantic released the game in 2016, has shifted as the game has evolved. The culture of the Pokémon GO scene has left the distinction between the groups uncertain and possibly irrelevant.

Fans took their teams in Pokémon GO quite seriously at first. Despite there being little context to game back in 2016, players would live by the patch of their selected team. It would be hard not to see cars with a team Valor sticker driving by on the highway at the time, and playing the game with friends meant arguing whether Instinct or Mystic was the best Pokémon GO team because of Zapdos and Aritcuno.

Related: Cliff, Sierra, & Arlo: Who Pokémon GO's Team Rocket Leaders Are

One would think such sentiments would only grow deeper, but things began to change as the despair around Pokémon GO changes thinned out the player base and left it with mostly longtime players, leaving teams more or less irrelevant. Players don't care who they go into a raid battle with — they only hope that they and their fellow players are successful. This has left the purpose of teams, and the high price point for switching between them, in the air, in turn undermining the little competitive appeal that Pokémon GO has left.

The truth is that even though Pokémon GO players are putting less and less value into teams, they are probably more important now than they have ever been. Pokémon GO has introduced more pay-to-win mechanics into its meta over the years, such as Mega Evolutions. While Pokémon GO is still largely a free game, some players may feel