Pokemon Let's Go trailer introduces Master Trainers

As of today, we're exactly four weeks out from the launch Pokemon Let's Go. While Nintendo has spent a good amount of time marketing the games to the Pokemon-loving world, there are still some questions about what to expect. One big question is that of difficulty – with Pokemon Let's Go looking to at least partially emulate the gameplay of Pokemon GO, are these two Switch titles going to offer anything resembling a challenge to players?

They might, if this new trailer for Pokemon Let's Go is any indiciation. In it, we're introduced to the concept of Master Trainers, NPCs you will encounter who decidedly aren't Pokemon Master. While a Pokemon Master strives to catch 'em all, as the catchphrase reminds us, a Master Trainer is instead someone who has devoted themselves to a single Pokemon. In Pokemon Let's Go, there's one Master Trainer for each Pokemon in the game, and you'll have the chance to battle them all.

There's a twist, though, as Master Trainer battles have a unique ruleset. For starters, they'll be one-on-one mirror matches, so if you encounter the Jigglypuff Master Trainer, the only Pokemon you'll be able to use is a Jigglypuff of your own. You also can't use items during the battle, so unless your Pokemon knows a move that lets it heal or get rid of status effects, you'll be out of luck there too.

Defeat a Master Trainer in battle and you'll be able to claim your title as their own. While some Master Trainer battles will probably be pretty tame – we have a hard time imagining that a battle between two Weedle will be one of the history books – there's bound to be at least a few tough battles as you encounter the Master Trainers for powerful Pokemon like Dragonite and Mewtwo.

Master Trainers don't appear in Kanto until after you've beaten the Elite Four, but spotting them will be easy, as they'll have an icon of their favorite Pokemon over their head. If nothing else, it sounds like Master Trainers will help pad out the post-game content in Pokemon Let's Go, which is always a topic of interest among Pokemon fans. Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee launch side-by-side for Nintendo Switch on November 16.