Pokémon Go’s competitive mode, Battle League Go, allows trainers worldwide to compete in a duel with precise rules to determine the better strategist of the two while collecting rewards along the way.
There are thus three major leagues, the Super League, the Hyper League, and the Master League. Here we will take a look at the PvP meta in Pokémon Go by offering you several lists of the most popular and effective Pokémon.
Each League has its specificities and its favorite types. So the Super League only allows Pokémon with CP below 1500, whereas the Hyper League goes up to 2500 CP. In the Master League, anything goes, and it’s often where you find the most powerful legendary Pokémon in the game. Don’t go into this League without being well prepared, or you risk having a terrible time.
Build the best team for the Go Battle League
As you can imagine, there is no perfect team to win all your duels. Otherwise, the very interest of a competition would not be necessary. On the other hand, there are indeed Pokémon superior to others, and among these, it is up to you to see which combination to adapt to be able to face all situations.
To help you see more clearly, it is good to know how PvP works and the types and statistics allocated to each Pokémon.
Strategies and operation of PvP in Pokémon Go
Each player duel takes place under the same conditions, and it is up to the players to manage the resources at their disposal as best as possible. Thus players can use Shields to counter all the damage inflicted by a Charged Attack.
Because you only have two Shields, and you don’t know which Charged Attack your opponent is about to launch. Also, note that Shields does not block stat changes caused by a Charged Attack.
Speaking of stats, multiple attacks can modify specific stats of the attacker or defender; it’s up to you to check what the different Charged Attacks in the game do.
Finally, players can recall their Pokémon to send another into battle. This allows you to get out of a situation where your Pokémon is clearly at a disadvantage.
Be careful, however, because the reloading time of a Pokémon change is prolonged, and nothing prevents your opponent from doing the same to respond to your transformation! It’s up to you to find the right timing to take an attack or, on the contrary, keep a Pokémon alive and better send it back later with a Charged Attack already ready.
PvP Pokemon Stats, Attacks, and Types
As you know, the power of your Pokémon is directly indicated by the CP (Combat Points) of your Pokémon. It is still necessary to understand what is the potential of each Pokémon and what to prioritize. Indeed, if your trainer level determines the maximum CP of a Pokémon, it is also necessary to consider the basic statistics and the IV of the Pokémon in question.
The base stats include the Attack, Defense, and Stamina of your Pokémon’s species. IVs are additional stat points representing the individual value of the chosen Pokemon. These points range from 0 to 15 and are directly visible when you rate your Pokémon.
Your Pokémon uses two types of attacks to defeat your opponents: Immediate and Charged.
The first can be used constantly in combat and allows you to inflict the first damage while charging your energy to use your Charged Attacks. Some are thus more oriented towards damage but lack energy generation and vice versa. Finally, others, the most popular, manage to do both.
Charged Attacks are powerful attacks that will require you to complete a mini-game depending on their type. Some attacks require little energy and are used to break your opponents’ shields, while others are much more demanding but can eliminate even the most resistant Pokémon in one hit. Note that your Pokémon can learn, with Stardust and candies, a second Charged Attack for more versatility.
The type or types of your Pokémon necessarily come into play when you prepare your team. Try to compose it by thinking about the weaknesses of your Pokémon to have a response, whatever the types you encounter, whether through your natural resistances or your attacks.
Finally, don’t forget the principle of STAB, which increases the damage inflicted by attacks that share the same type as that of the user. For more details on the affinities of each class, we refer you to our explanatory table.
The best Pokemon in the Super League
Below, you will find a table offering the best Pokémon of the moment for the Super League. Then it’s up to you to find the combination that suits you best. For this, we will indicate the statistics of each Pokémon and the most exciting attacks for each.
| Pokemon | Attack | Defense | Endurance | Immediate Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Registeel Steel |
143 | 285 | 190 | Lockdown | Elecanon | Exploforce |
| Bastiodon Rock | Steel |
94 | 286 | 155 | anti-air | Rock Blade | Flamethrower |
| Strassie Roche | Fairy |
95 | 285 | 137 | Throw-Stones | Lunar Power | Landslide |
| Noctali Darkness |
126 | 240 | 216 | Bark | Cheating | Psycho |
| Altaria Dragon | Flight |
141 | 201 | 181 | Dragonbreath | Pique | Dragonshock |
| Charmina Combat | Psych |
121 | 152 | 155 | response | psycho | Fist-Ice |
| Cresselia Fairy |
152 | 258 | 260 | Mental Shock | Lunar Power | Grass Knot |
| Tarinorme Roche | Steel |
135 | 275 | 155 | Throw-Stones | Landslide | Bombmagnet |
| Azumarill Water | Fairy |
112 | 152 | 225 | Foam | Ice Laser | Cuddling |
| Vulture Darkness | Flight |
129 | 205 | 242 | Bark | Cheating | Aeropic |
The best Pokémon in the Hyper League
You will find below, a table offering the best Pokémon of the moment for the Hyper League. Then it’s up to you to find the combination that suits you best. For this, we will indicate the statistics of each Pokémon as well as the most interesting attacks for each.
| Pokemon | Attack | Defense | Endurance | Immediate Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Registeel Steel |
143 | 285 | 190 | Lockdown | Elecanon | Exploforce |
| Giratina – Alternate Form Specter | Dragon |
187 | 225 | 284 | Dragonbreath | Dragonclaw | Drop shadow |
| Cresselia Psy |
152 | 258 | 260 | Mental Shock | Lunar Power | Grass Knot |
| Steelix Steel | Floor |
148 | 272 | 181 | Draco-Tail | Chew | Earthquake |
| Lemon of Galar Sol | Steel |
144 | 171 | 240 | Mud Shot | Landslide | Earthquake |
Poison Moufflair | Darkness |
184 | 132 | 230 | Live Toxic | Chew | Flamethrower |
| Clefable Fairy |
178 | 162 | 216 | Charm | Meteor Fist | Psycho |
| Ixon Darkness | Normal |
180 | 194 | 212 | response | Slice-Night | Coup-Cross |
| Cocotine Fairy |
173 | 150 | 226 | Charm | thunder | Psycho |
| Spearfish Insect | Steel |
223 | 187 | 172 | response | Megahorn | tunnel boring machine |
The best Pokémon in the Master League
You will find below, a table offering the best Pokémon of the moment for the Master League. Then it’s up to you to find the combination that suits you best. For this, we will indicate the statistics of each Pokémon as well as the most interesting attacks for each.
| Pokemon | Attack | Defense | Endurance | Immediate Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Dialga Steel | Dragon |
143 | 285 | 190 | Dragonbreath | Iron head | Fatal lightning |
| Giratina – Original Ghost Form | Dragon |
225 | 187 | 284 | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball | Dragonshock |
| Reshiram Dragon | Fire |
275 | 211 | 205 | Dragonbreath | Chew | Rock Blade |
| Lugia Psy | Flight |
193 | 310 | 235 | Draco-Tail | Back | Pique |
| Palkia Water | Dragon |
280 | 215 | 189 | Draco-Tail | Back | hydroqueue |
| Garchomp Dragon | Floor |
261 | 193 | 239 | Draco-Tail | Telluriforce | Anger |
| Muplodocus Dragon |
220 | 242 | 207 | Dragonbreath | Crouched | Megawhip |
| Yveltal Darkness | Flight |
250 | 185 | 246 | Tornado | Back | Vibrobscure |
| Mewtwo Psy |
300 | 182 | 214 | Psycho Cup | Psy Strike | Shadow Ball |
| Nymphali Fairy |
203 | 205 | 216 | Charm | Psy Shock | Lunar Power |