Pokemon Sun & Moon: you don't have to be the strongest trainer to win Battle Royal mode

Pokemon Sun & Moon introduces a new play mode with some interesting implications for the competitive scene.

Pokemon Sun & Moon has a new mode called Battle Royal which sounds like the grand melee evolution of Pokemon's traditional 1v1 duels: four players in a multi-sided Pokemon free-for-all.

According to Nintendo Everything's translation of a Famitsu interview with director Shigeru Ohmori and producer Junichi Masuda, Game Freak expects Pokemon Sun & Moon players to find themselves thinking about battles in an all-new way thanks to Battle Royal.

In Battle Royal, very strong trainers won't automatically win match ups with less powerful opponents; weak Pokemon Sun and Moon teams can still win with the right strategy.

Psychology will play into Battle Royal matches; players can try to judge each others' tactics from their faces and body language, and the flow of battle will shift as groups form to take down the biggest threats early. Game Freak even expects Pokemon Sun and Moon players to start pretending they're not as good as they are, to gain an advantage in battles. Better practice your poker face, hey.

Game Freak predicts the meta for Battle Royal will be very different to the standard Pokemon duel meta, and top rated players in one mode may not find their success translates to the other. If that's true, Pokemon Sun and Moon could deliver a real shake up to the tournament scene.

Pokemon Sun & Moon launch in November, exclusively for 3DS.