The Pokémon GO media has focused a lot on Raids recently, but lets back up for a moment to the regular Gyms. The motivation system was clearly the heart of the new Gyms, but this system highly disfavors Pokémon that have 3000CP or above. Those Pokémon loose motivation at a much faster rate than those that have 2999CP or below.
First, lets look at all of the non-Legendary Pokémon that fall into the weakened category. Tyranitar, Dragonite, Snorlax, Rhydon, Gyarados, Blissey, Vaporeon, Donphan, and Espeon have a maximum CP of at least 3000. Notice that all of these Pokémon (with the exception of Espeon and Donphan) were the only Pokémon a Trainer would see when scrolling through a Gym.
Clearly, Niantic is attempting to dissuade Trainers from putting these Pokémon (or, at least, only these Pokémon) into Gyms. Looking at Trainer Tips' new defender spreadsheet, all of these Pokémon (except for Blissey) have been severely injured as defenders with this new system. Niantic's mission for Gym diversity is a good one, but why have they implemented this system?
Looking ahead to the possible release of Legendaries at GO Fest, high-CP and good-IV Legendaries will be out there if they are released through Raids. In addition, Rare Candies will allow a Legendary to be powered-up significantly. It is worth noting that, with the exception of Articuno and Suicune, all Legendaries can break 3000CP. So this system may be an attempt to counterbalance Legendaries, but it does not seem like this is the reason. Niantic has promised "limitations" on Legendaries in Gyms in the past, and a Legendary error message is written in the game's code. Based on this, it seems that Legendaries will be limited to one or none in Gyms.
The other feasible option is Generation 3. If you've looked at the Generation Preparation Pokédex, you may know about Slaking's ridiculous maximum CP, topping Mewtwo. In the main series games, Slaking's sky-high statistics are counterbalanced by it's Ability. (Abilities are not currently in Pokémon GO, and they do not appear to be on the horizon). This system would definitely help make a CP5441 less monstrous in Gyms. Many have predicted that the Third Generation will be released on or around the time of the one-year anniversary of the game. Although, it may be closer to the time of GO Fest, since the Gym rework came in the very end of the 2017's second quarter.
In any case, Niantic does have a system that is encouraging the well-needed Gym diversity. PNN's local Gyms are being filled with less of the old seven Pokémon and more diverse Pokémon like Lapras, Ninetales, Muk, Feraligatr, Scizor, etc.
First, lets look at all of the non-Legendary Pokémon that fall into the weakened category. Tyranitar, Dragonite, Snorlax, Rhydon, Gyarados, Blissey, Vaporeon, Donphan, and Espeon have a maximum CP of at least 3000. Notice that all of these Pokémon (with the exception of Espeon and Donphan) were the only Pokémon a Trainer would see when scrolling through a Gym.
Clearly, Niantic is attempting to dissuade Trainers from putting these Pokémon (or, at least, only these Pokémon) into Gyms. Looking at Trainer Tips' new defender spreadsheet, all of these Pokémon (except for Blissey) have been severely injured as defenders with this new system. Niantic's mission for Gym diversity is a good one, but why have they implemented this system?
Looking ahead to the possible release of Legendaries at GO Fest, high-CP and good-IV Legendaries will be out there if they are released through Raids. In addition, Rare Candies will allow a Legendary to be powered-up significantly. It is worth noting that, with the exception of Articuno and Suicune, all Legendaries can break 3000CP. So this system may be an attempt to counterbalance Legendaries, but it does not seem like this is the reason. Niantic has promised "limitations" on Legendaries in Gyms in the past, and a Legendary error message is written in the game's code. Based on this, it seems that Legendaries will be limited to one or none in Gyms.
The other feasible option is Generation 3. If you've looked at the Generation Preparation Pokédex, you may know about Slaking's ridiculous maximum CP, topping Mewtwo. In the main series games, Slaking's sky-high statistics are counterbalanced by it's Ability. (Abilities are not currently in Pokémon GO, and they do not appear to be on the horizon). This system would definitely help make a CP5441 less monstrous in Gyms. Many have predicted that the Third Generation will be released on or around the time of the one-year anniversary of the game. Although, it may be closer to the time of GO Fest, since the Gym rework came in the very end of the 2017's second quarter.
In any case, Niantic does have a system that is encouraging the well-needed Gym diversity. PNN's local Gyms are being filled with less of the old seven Pokémon and more diverse Pokémon like Lapras, Ninetales, Muk, Feraligatr, Scizor, etc.
Credit for this information goes to Trainer Tips