Pokemon Go Gym challenger baffled by Gray Gym “strategy”

A Pokemon Go player’s unusual experience with a Gym left them questioning if they’d missed the memo on a new “strategy” involving Gray Gyms.

Noting on Reddit how Team Mystic and Valor members had historically contested a Gym near their house, they detailed how “since three weeks ago there’s a player that appeared out of nowhere” with an altogether different game plan.

This mystery individual belonged to Team Instinct and, instead of converting the Gym to fly their team’s colors, kicked out any occupants, proceeding to “leave it blank for hours.”

The thread’s author added, “The second anyone puts a ‘mon there they get defeated. They don’t let anyone be in the Gym for more than 10 minutes.”

Pondering why anyone would adopt such a tactic and whether the activity was “worthy of a report”, the author looked to other Trainers for advice.

Alongside the usual suspicions of spoofing or cheating, several replies suggested that the unidentified Instinct member could be intentionally leaving the Gym unoccupied out of spite.

“Likely someone tried to hold that Gym, kept getting knocked out too early for full coins, and this is their long-form revenge/tantrum,” one user explained.

“People will also purposefully beat them and not put a ‘mon in,” came another, adding, “And nobody can put one in for about 30 minutes unless a same-color teammate comes along.”

Others shared similar experiences: “There’s a Gym a few streets over from me where this keeps happening! I don’t know who is keeping it empty but I can see the Gym from my house so I notice it.”

As unsportsmanlike as it may be, barring any instance of cheating, defeating a Gym’s occupants and choosing not to occupy it isn’t against Pokemon Go’s rules.

Often find yourself fretting over which ‘mon to leave behind in a conquered Gym? There are plenty of options besides whichever one has the highest Combat Power.