If you want to become the Ultra League’s champion, you’ll need the best Pokemon in your team for this competitive mode. Here are the top choices to dominate the Pokemon Go Battle League during the Max Out season.
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 three ranks – Great League, Ultra League, and Master League – reset, so there’s always a fresh challenge to find.
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.
Best team for Pokemon Go Ultra League
One of the best teams Trainers can use in Pokemon Go’s Ultra League is Malamar, Clefable, and Feraligatr, 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, Zygarde Complete Forme may be the champion of the Ultra League, but it will always be weak against a powered-up Tapu Fini.
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
Dusknoir (XL)
- Fast Move: Astonish
- Charged Moves: Shadow Punch and Shadow Ball
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost
Dusknoir rose from the dead and entered the Ultra League ranking with the new meta changes the Max Out season brought.
This Pokemon works best as the lead of a team. Plus, it has the necessary Defense to stand its ground while dealing good damage.
Astonish is a very spammy move that will allow it to access its Charged Moves fast, while also getting rid of the opponent’s shields. The key to Dusknoir making it into the League is mainly because of Shadow Ball, an excellent and extremely cheap Ghost-type nuke.
Steelix (Shadow XL)
- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Psychic Fangs and Crunch
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Electric, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water
Steelix, like every other Steel-type Pokemon, has an incredible amount of resistances, which is always wonderful to have. It also has a really good Defense, so there’s no problem in using its Shadow variation to sacrifice 20% of it in order to gain 20% more of the Attack stat.
As a lead, Steelix can push the enemies’ shields by spamming Dragon Tail, a cheap and fast move with heavy damage. Both Charged Moves are very cheap and while they help expand the Pokemon’s coverage, Crunch is way stronger, so focus on it first.
Drapion (Shadow XL)
- Fast Move: Poison Sting
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Crunch
- Resistances: Psychic, Poison, Grass, Ghost, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Ground
One of Drapion’s strengths is the fact that it only has one weakness – Ground – and no Ground-type Pokemon is near the best performers for this season.
Just like Steelix, Drapion works better in its Shadow version, as it can get a higher Attack stat to exert pressure with Poison Sting while also fast-charging Aqua Tail and Crunch.
Crunch is a cheap but powerful move that benefits from STAB. However, you must take into consideration that it can decrease your Defense by 20%.
Florges
- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Disarming Voice and Moonblast
- Resistances: Dragon, Fighting, Dark, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
As a bulky ‘mon, Florges can stand its ground against its opponents. Plus it has only two weaknesses and a good amount of useful resistances, including fan-favorites Dragon, Fighting, and Dark.
Even though Florges can use Grass and Psychic-type moves, it’s best to go with its full Fairy-type attacks. Fairy Wind costs more than the other Fast Moves, but it deals pretty good damage.
On the other hand, the Charged Move – Disarming Voice – is the cheapest one and hits very hard, so it’s a good balance, and the nuke Moonblast can be used as a secondary move to finish any enemy off.
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 little slower but as effective.
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.
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.
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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.
Machamp (Shadow)
- Fast Move: Karate Chop
- Charged Moves: Cross Chop and Stone Edge
- Resistances: Rock, Dark, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Flying, and Psychic
Machamp is becoming a very popular option in the Ultra League, as it is a very accessible Pokemon that only requires Elite TMs to get the right moves and dominate.
With Fighting and Rock moves, it can target a wide variety of types so it’s better to use it as a lead. Both Karate Chop and Cross Chop can be spammed to force the opponent to use its shields and then hit it with the nuke Stone Edge.
The only thing that must be taken into consideration, is that as a glass cannon, it has a very low Defense and will depend on shields to survive.
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.
Lickilicky (XL)
- Fast Move: Rollout
- Charged Moves: Body Slam and Shadow Ball
- Resistances: Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fighting
The bulky Lickilicky is a very solid choice for Ultra League, as it only has one weakness and its move pool allows it to hit a wide range of types with Normal, Shadow, and Rock attacks.
Rollout is a move that offers fast charge, so Lickilicky can access both Charged Moves faster. Body Slam can be used as shield bait, while Shadow Ball works as a coverage nuke to target league favorites Giratina and Cresselia.
Pangoro
- Fast Move: Karate Chop
- Charged Moves: Close Combat and Night Slash
- Resistances: Dark, Rock, Psychic, and Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, and Flying
Pangoro has a very bad Defense and might use all your shields, but as a lead and with the right moves, it can give you an advantage in combat – if you know how to use it.
Similar to Machop, Karate Chop will fast charge your Charged Moves. Night Slash is great because it’s so cheap you can spam it to finally use Close Combat. Plus, the Dark-type move has a chance to increase your Attack by 50%.
Clefable (XL)
- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Swift and Moonblast
- Resistances: Dragon, Fighting, Dark, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
The key to winning Battle League encounters – or at least getting an advantage – is to access your Charged Moves fast so you can force your opponent to use their shields early on.
Clefable’s Fast Move Fairy Wind is very fast and it benefits from STAB, so you can boost your Charged Moves quickly. Moonblast is a nuke with 130 damage, though it is quite costly and has a chance of lowering your Attack stat, while Swift is cheap and faster, and can expand your coverage.
Malamar (XL)
- Fast Move: Psywave
- Charged Moves: Foul Play and Superpower
- Resistances: Psychic
- Weaknesses: Bug and Fairy
Malamar’s stats are pretty balanced, which is why it can work fine either as a lead or closer. As a Dark/Psychic-type creature, it is resistant to the almighty Cresselia, but players need to be careful about its Fairy weakness, as there are pretty strong Fairy types ranking high this season, including Clefable and Florges.
The Psywave, Foul Play, and Superpower combo has a fluid and dynamic matchup that allows Malamar to get STAB from both Psychic and Dark moves respectively, while also expanding its coverage with a Fighting attack.
Feraligatr (Shadow)
- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Ice Beam
- Resistances: Steel, Fire, Water, and Ice
- Weaknesses: Grass and Electric
This happy crocodile works perfectly as a charger or closer thanks to its stats and moves. Despite its weaknesses, it can resist very used Pokemon types such as Steel and Fire, which is very handy.
Additionally, its move pool helps Feraligatr reach Charged Moves faster, so it can force the enemy to use its shields early on, leaving them defenseless for the rest of your team.
Zygarde (Complete Forme)
- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Crunch or Earthquake
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Fire, and Electric
- Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, and Fairy
With a super bulky HP stat and a great balance between resistance and damage, Zygarde is one of the most desirable creatures in Pokemon Go since it debuted in July 2023.
Not only is this Pokemon incredibly difficult to take down, but it is the perfect counter for the many Dragon-type creatures going around this rank as well as others like Dialga, Lugia, and Kyurem.
More so, its ideal moveset deals plenty of damage with both Dragon Tail and Earthquake, while Crunch can help with your strategy as it baits shields.
Pokemon Go Ultra League start & end date
The latest Pokemon Go Battle League season will run from September 3, 2024, until December 3, 2024.
During its run, the Ultra League will appear on:
- September 3 – September 10
- September 24 – October 1
- October 8 – October 15
- October 29 – November 5
- November 12 – November 19
- November 26 – December 3
Those are the best Pokemon you can take to the Ultra League during this season. For more Pokemon Go content, check our guide with the Battle League schedule and rewards, as well as all the best attackers, defenders, and PvP champions.
