u/Federal-Item9177

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I’m curious what everyone else thinks.

At this point, with the raid system, we already have access to almost every Pokémon in the game outside of a few Mythicals.
Now D-Max battles are basically doing the same thing. Every week or two we get another Max version added to the pool.

And unless I’m mistaken, G-Max forms are still limited to a specific set of Pokémon, but eventually Niantic will probably cycle through all of those as well.
So my question is:

What happens after that? What is the long-term purpose of this Max system?

Max Pokémon currently don’t have much functionality beyond collection.

• There is no dedicated PvP environment for them.
• There is no separate competitive ladder that makes building Max teams meaningful.
• And even if Max PvP existed, battles with the current animations/mechanics would take forever.

Right now Max battles feel like a second raid system, just with different visuals.

In some ways, they may even become a better raid system:

• certain Pokémon may be easier to farm there than in regular gyms,
• the hundo odds feel more attractive,
• and dedicated collectors can target Max hundos directly.

But that also creates another issue.

Once players get the Max hundo they want, what incentive is left to keep doing regular raids for the same species?

For collectors, there is a clear endpoint.
For hundo hunters, there is also a clear endpoint.
And for casual players, Max battles are still rarer and more time-consuming than standard gym raids.

So eventually I can see a situation where:

players finish their Max collections, lose interest in repeating Max battles, and regular raids also lose some value in the process.

That’s why the whole system feels like it might be heading toward a design bottleneck.

Unless Niantic gives Max Pokémon:

• unique battle functionality,
• exclusive progression,
• PvP relevance,
• or some kind of long-term strategic purpose,

this feature risks becoming a temporary novelty rather than a lasting game mode.

Am I overthinking this, or does anyone else feel like D-Max/G-Max battles are going to need a major rework sooner or later?