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Pokmon Gyms and picking a team
As soon as you hit level five, you can begin the game proper. Find the nearest gym on the map and head over.

First off, youll be prompted to join one of three teams. Its not possible to change teams at the moment, so coordinate with whoever you need to before making your decision. Once youve made your pick, you can train at friendly gyms, or try to seize control of gyms controlled by other teams.

If the gym is neutral when you arrive, you can install yourself as gym leader.

Gym levels are related to their prestige (gained and lost through battles) and the higher the level, the more trainers can allocate Pokmon to defend it. If the level is higher than the number of players stationed there i.e. level three gym with two trainers, you can just slot yourself in amidst their ranks, with your position determined by your Pokmons CP in comparison to your teammates. Each gym can house up to 10 Pokmon.

Challengers will work their way through the gyms team and if they win, the gym will lose prestige. If your gyms prestige hits zero, a trainer from another team can claim it.

The best way to earn XP at neutral gyms is to have your weakest Pokmon stay at the gym, and train against it with a much stronger team. Even if youre not looking to level up quickly, its not a great idea to have your strongest positioned at a gym as you wont get it back until the team is defeated.

Every day that you have a Pokmon defending a gym, youll receive a Defender Bonus that lets you pick up free Stardust and Pokcoins from the shop. Just tap on the shield in the top right corner. You can claim your reward once every 20 hours providing your Pokmon hasnt been turfed out of the gym.
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Battling Pokmon
It should go without saying that before you rush over to a gym, you should do a little recon on what youre up against. You can check out the trainers at nearby gyms without having physically be in the vicinity. Just tap the icon on the map to have a snoop and then put together your team accordingly.

You can fight with up to six Pokmon and need to defeat all of the trainers defending the gym.

Your Pokmon have two attack types basic/ quick and special/ charge.

To use the basic attack, just tap your Pokmon. Performing basic attacks will also charge the special meter.

When its ready, you can deploy a special attack by pressing and holding on your Pokmon to unleash a more devastating attack.

But dont just mash wildly at the screen. Youll need to evade incoming attacks as well. Swipe left or right to dodge.

At the moment you can only battle opposing teams at Pokmon gyms.