How to change teams in Pokémon Go

Quick steps

• Make sure you have 1,000 PokéCoins.
• Buy a Team Medallion from the shop.
• Use the item from your bag.

When you reach level 5 in Pokémon Go and visit a Gym, you will be asked to choose a team from the options Instinct (yellow), Mystic (blue), and Valor (red). However, if you decide that you made the wrong choice, you can change teams using the Team Medallion.

Your team affects who you capture Gyms for and who you fight against. Changing your team may also have a benefit during Raids, as you will get additional chances to capture a Raid Pokémon appearing at Gyms owned by your team.

Note that you can only purchase the Team Medallion once every 365 days, so be sure that you want to switch your team before using it. You will not be able to change your team again for another year after buying the Team Medallion.

(Image credit: Niantic)

Tools and Requirements

• Pokémon Go app
• 1,000 PokéCoins

Changing your team is quite straightforward, but first you will need to earn or purchase 1,000 PokéCoins. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the whole process.

Steps

• Reach 1,000 PokéCoins. You can gain PokéCoins in two ways. First, you gain PokéCoins by interacting with Gyms. You earn 1 PokéCoin for every 10 minutes that you are defending a Gym with your current team, up to 50 per day. Unfortunately, this will be quite slow if you want to reach 1,000. The other method is to buy PokéCoins using real money. You can buy 1,200 PokéCoins for £9.99.
• Go to the shop. The Team Medallion can be found under the Upgrades section.
• Buy the Team Medallion. Exchange 1,000 PokéCoins for the Team Medallion.
• Use the Team Medallion. You can find the purchased Team Medallion in your items menu. It will warn you that you cannot purchase another Team Medallion for 365 days, and your Pokémon currently on Gyms will not earn PokéCoins when they are defeated. If that’s okay, use the Team Medallion and choose your new team. You will have to confirm again that you agree.
• Enjoy your new team. Use your new team to battle for Gyms!

(Image credit: Niantic)

Final thoughts

Choosing a team is an important choice in Pokémon Go, but you can choose to switch using the Team Medallion. You will then be able to lead your new team to victory in your nearby Gyms and use them to your advantage during Raids - but choose carefully, because there’s no going back for a full year!

Now that you know, feel free to go out there and change up your allegiances. Your old team won’t mind too much. 

• Looking for a more traditional Pokémon game? Pokémon Scarlet and Violet looks great