It’s not an easy task to become an Ultra League champion in the Pokemon Go Battle League due to how competitive the rank is. However, a team made up of these best-in-class Pokemon should be enough to put you at the top.
The Pokemon Go Battle League is Pokemon Go’s competitive PvP mode that allows Trainers around the world to go head-to-head with their best fighters and earn some great rewards along the way.
Each season, the ranks reset, so there’s always a fresh challenge to find. Currently, players can take part in Pokemon Go Battle League Season 17, before a fresh season starts later this year.
There are three leagues to compete in – Great League, Ultra League, and Master League – but right now we’re focusing on the Ultra League. This is Go Battle League’s mid-tier competition, where XL Candy is important and Legendaries start to emerge.
It’s not entirely without restriction, though. Pokemon must be under 2500 CP to enter, so you’ll need a team of fighters that reach their maximum potential just before that level. Let’s take a look at the best Pokemon to use in the Ultra League.
Contents
- Best team for Pokemon Go Ultra League
- Best Pokemon for Pokemon Go Ultra League
- Pokemon Go Ultra League start & end date
Best team for Pokemon Go Ultra League
Pokemon Go’s Ultra League has a max CP of 2500.
One of the best teams Trainers can use in Pokemon Go’s Ultra League is Registeel, Cresselia, and Swampert, as these are three of the strongest fighters in the meta and together they’ll provide a good range of coverage against common enemies.
As always, it’s impossible to say what a truly ‘best’ Ultra League team is, as it really depends on the opponents you’ll go up against. For example, Registeel may be king of the Ultra League, but it will always be weak against a powered-up Swampert.
Having said that, there are a few Pokemon that will perform well in most situations. Many of these require XL Candy to be viable, but not all Trainers have reached that level yet so we’ve included some non-XL recommendations, too.
Best Pokemon for Pokemon Go Ultra League
Registeel (XL)
- Fast Move: Lock-On
- Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Flash Cannon
- Resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy
- Weaknesses: Fire, Ground, and Fighting
The Legendary titan Registeel is, in our opinion, the king of the Ultra League. It has access to the best energy-generating Fast Move in the game, an incredible amount of resistances, and key wins against some of the biggest names like Cresselia and Giratina.
That Fast Move we mentioned? It’s Lock-On, and you’ll need it. With this, you’ll be able to unleash the powerful Charged Moves Flash Cannon, which benefits from STAB, and Focus Blast, which adds some useful Fighting-type coverage.
Pidgeot (XL)
- Fast Move: Wing Attack
- Charged Moves: Feather Dance and Brave Bird
- Resistances: Bug, Ghost, Grass, and Ground
- Weaknesses: Electric, Ice, and Rock
While the early-game birds are often dismissed in the mainline Pokemon games, Pidgeot has proven itself to be a valuable member of any trainer’s team in the Go Battle League – in fact, it currently sits at number two on the PvPoke Ultra League ranking.
One of the best ways to use Pidgeot is with Wing Attack as a Fast Move for quick energy generation, followed by Feather Dance for a guaranteed -2 Attack debuff to your opponent. Finish things off with Brave Bird for some huge STAB damage.
Cresselia
- Fast Move: Psycho Cut
- Charged Moves: Moonblast and Grass Knot
- Resistances: Fighting and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, and Ghost
While many Legendaries need the Master League to unleash their true power, Cresselia performs best right here in the Ultra League. With fantastic bulk and a max CP just above the cap, it’s perfectly positioned to take down big players like Giratina and Swampert.
Cresselia has two great Fast Move options: Choose Psycho Cut for solid energy generation or Confusion for STAB damage. Moonblast is the clear winner for Charged Moves, with Grass Knot as a second choice for extra coverage if you have access to it.
Swampert
- Fast Move: Mud Shot
- Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Earthquake
- Resistances: Electric, Steel, Rock, Poison, and Fire
- Weaknesses: Grass
Now for a more accessible Pokemon that doesn’t need XL Candy. Swampert is an excellent Water/Ground-type, which means it only has one weakness (Grass) and can take down powerful Steel-types like Melmetal and Registeel, as well as the Legendary Giratina.
Mud Shot is the best Fast Move for energy generation, so choose that. Swampert excels with Hydro Cannon, which you can only get from Community Days or with an Elite Charged TM, but Earthquake is a solid backup Charged Move otherwise.
Cobalion
- Fast Move: Double Kick
- Charged Moves: Sacred Sword and Stone Edge
- Resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, and Ground
The latest (unexpected) addition to our Ultra League list is Cobalion, the Legendary Pokemon which had mostly gone under the radar… until the Season of Light update gave it access to the Fast Move Double Kick, which was exactly what it needed to become a champion.
As we just mentioned, you’ll want Double Kick as Cobalion’s Fast Move as the alternative options are just not very good. When it comes to Charged Moves, go with Sacred Sword for some brilliant STAB damage and Stone Edge for some extra Rock-type coverage.
Giratina (Altered Forme)
- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Dragon Claw and Shadow Sneak
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Bug, Electric, Fire, Grass, Poison, and Water
- Weaknesses: Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Ice
For many Trainers, the bulky and devastating Giratina (Altered Forme) is the ultimate choice in the Ultra League. It does have quite a few powerful counters, but if you can avoid them, it will have no problem taking down the majority of the Go Pokedex.
Shadow Claw has a good balance of damage and energy gain, so opt for that as your Fast Move. Dragon Claw is the superior Charged Move, as it has STAB and can be spammed, while Shadow Sneak is a good second choice if you can afford it.
Regirock
- Fast Move: Lock On
- Charged Moves: Stone Edge and Focus Blast
- Resistances: Normal, Poison, Flying, and Fire
- Weaknesses: Steel, Ground, Fighting, Water, and Grass
It may not reach the heights of its Legendary titan sibling Registeel, but Regirock is still one of the best options for the Ultra League – and it doesn’t need XL Candy to perform, making it much more accessible.
Just like Registeel, you’ll want the brilliant Lock On as Regirock’s Fast Move. With all the energy that move gains, you’ll be able to unleash two powerful Charged Moves: Stone Edge and Focus Blast, with the latter giving some much-needed coverage against Steel-types.
Tapu Fini
- Fast Move: Water Gun
- Charged Moves: Surf and Moonblast
- Resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fighting, Fire, Ice, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, and Poison
One of the more recent additions to this list is Tapu Fini, the Water/Fairy-type guardian deity. It serves a similar purpose as Azumarill does in the Great League, with a brilliant typing and good bulk that helps it defeat the likes of Stunfisk, Swampert, and Giratina.
Tapu Fini struggles with average Fast Moves, but Water Gun is the best of a bad bunch as it has STAB. Make sure you have the low-cost Surf as your primary Charged Move, then follow it up with the devastating Moonblast for huge Fairy-type damage.
Walrein
- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- Charged Moves: Icicle Spear and Earthquake
- Resistances: Ice and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock
Who could have predicted that Walrein would become an Ultra League star? Well, thanks to the January Community Day, which provided the Ice/Water-type with the moves it needed to be viable, it’s now one of the biggest threats to watch out for.
Powder Snow is an essential Fast Move that gives Walrein quick access to its Charged Moves: Icicle Spear, which is great for spamming with low cost and decent damage output, and Earthquake, which gives it almost perfect coverage options.
Galarian Stunfisk (XL)
- Fast Move: Mud Shot
- Charged Moves: Rock Slide and Earthquake
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Electric, Fairy, Flying, Bug, Steel, Normal, Psychic, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Fire, Water, Ground, and Fighting
Galarian Stunfisk has become an unexpected champion in the Pokemon Go Battle League, ranking as one of the best in both the Great League and the Ultra League. When powered up with XL Candy, it can take down powerful foes like Cresselia, Melmetal, and Nidoqueen.
Go for Mud Shot as your Fast Move, as it has really great energy generation. Then, for Charged Moves, you’ll want Rock Slide for its low cost to help you destroy your opponent’s shields, and Earthquake for some impressive STAB damage.
Poliwrath
- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Moves: Scald or Icy Wind
- Resistances: Rock, Bug, Steel, Fire, Water, Ice, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Flying, Grass, Electric, Psychic, and Fairy
This bulky yet dynamic Pokemon remains one of the best Ultra League competitors with the ability to beat some of the biggest contenders such as Cobalion, Steelix, and big boy Swampert.
The main characteristic of Poliwrath is how good its moveset is. Counter is one of the best Fast Moves in the game so far, while Scald deals plenty of damage along with the possibility of lowering the enemy’s ATK stat (same as with Icy Wind).
Charizard
- Fast Move: Wing Attack
- Charged Moves: Blast Burn or Dragon Claw
- Resistances: Ground, Fighting, Steel, Fire, Fairy, Bug, and Grass
- Weaknesses: Rock, Water, and Electric
There aren’t many Fire types that appear in the top tiers of the Ultra League, but if you’re going to use one, make sure it’s Charizard, as it can easily take down League favorites such as Cobalion and Golisopod.
Wing Attack is Charizard’s optimal Fast Move, and it’s definitely worth using an Elite TM to get it. The same happens with the Charged Move Blast Burn, but if you don’t want to overspend, you can always lean for Dragon Claw.
Guzzlord
- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Dragon Claw or Brutal Swing
- Resistances: Ghost, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Dark, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, Bug, Ice, and Dragon
This dual Dark/Dragon-type Ultra Beast has climbed the ranks in the League and sits at the top thanks to its powerful moveset and massive HP stat. Despite having a very low defense, Guzzlord is the perfect ‘mon to finish a battle.
All of the moves mentioned above can deal a lot of damage, mostly when they are combined. More so, all of them benefit from the Same Type Attack Bonus, which gives Guzzlord 20% extra damage during fights.
Golisopod
- Fast Move: Fury Cutter
- Charged Moves: Razor Shell or X-Scissor
- Resistances: Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, and Ice
- Weaknesses: Flying, Rock, and Electric
The tanky Bug/Water-type Golisopod is a great addition to any team, as it can exert strong shield pressure to lower the opponent’s HP, and can easily take down champions like Swampert, Steelix, Cobalion, and Cresselia.
Another trait this Pokemon has is its move pool, which includes Water, Bug, Iron, Flying, and even Ghost-type attacks. However, the ones above are the top of them all, plus they benefit from the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), so they get an extra 20% damage per hit.
Scrafty (XL)
- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Moves: Foul Play and Power-Up Punch
- Resistances: Dark, Ghost, Psychic, and Rock
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, and Flying
Scrafty is an expensive Pokemon to power up for the Ultra League, requiring plenty of XL Candy to reach the 2,500 CP limit. It’s a worthwhile investment, though, with potential wins against big players like Walrein, Galarian Stunfisk, and Swampert.
Make sure you have the brilliant Counter as a Fast Move, then follow it up with the STAB Charged Moves Foul Play and Power-Up Punch – use the former for big damage and the latter for baiting shields and getting a potential Attack buff.
Steelix
- Fast Move: Iron Tail
- Charged Moves: Heavy Slam or Earthquake
- Resistances: Normal, Flying, Bug, Steel, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Rock, Electric, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Fire, and Water
Every Steel-type ‘mon is a good choice for Ultra League as they have many resistances and they become invincible if you cover their weaknesses. Even though Steelix has fallen from the top spots, it still has a great DEF stat to endure any battle.
All the mentioned moves benefit from the Same Type Attack Bonus, so if you can afford a secondary move, Earthquake is a good choice for dealing huge damage.
Pokemon Go Ultra League start & end date
The latest Pokemon Go Battle League season will run from December 1, 2023, at 1 pm (PST) until March 1, 2024, same time.
Before the season ends, the Ultra League will appear alongside the Hisui Cup: Great League edition from February 2, 2024 until February 9, 2024, and will come back with both Great and Master Leagues from February 23, 2024 until March 1, 2024 with x4 Stardust from win rewards.
You can see the current Pokemon Go Battle League schedule and rewards here.
Those are the best Pokemon you can take to the Ultra League.