Master League is the highest PvP league in which you can currently participate in Pokémon GO. It has no CP limitations, so strong Legendaries, Pseudo-Legendaries and Mythicals are all common picks in this league. With the no CP limitations, Pokémon powered up to level 50 is basically a must, which is very costly in terms of candy and stardust. Trainers may join with Pokémon not fully maxed out to their XL potential, but probably won’t make it far in rankings.
There is also the Master League Premier Classic, which does not allow the use of legendary or mythical Pokémon, which creates an entirely different meta. In both cases, it is best to max out your selected team of Pokémon to level 50. Remember that you want to have as close to 100% IVs as possible and that lucky Pokémon have highly reduced stardust costs.
The purpose of this article is to provide full details about the strongest Master League Pokémon and their best movesets in order for trainers to create a viable Master League team and prioritize resource spending on those that perform best. At the time of this article update (last updated September 29, 2022 by 3kkoIogy), we are currently in Go Battle League is in Season 12.
Master League Tier list
Choose a “Lead”, a “Switch, and a “Closer” for you team from the list below for a viable team in the Ultra League. In most cases, the shadow versions of listed Pokémon will slightly out rank the regular versions. If you do not have shadow versions powered up, the regular versions are good too. Some Pokémon may be listed multiple times if they are viable in multiple categories and top ranked. It is also important to keep Pokémon types in mind when creating teams.
The current meta favors Water, Dragon, Ground, Fairy and types. Premier Cup allows for a much more diverse meta and opens up your options, which makes this game type very popular among battlers. Most battlers will likely choose this game type over regular Ultra League to avoid costly and difficult legendary Pokémon. This guide will focus on the top 10 Pokémon in each category but know that there are plenty of honorable mentions or “wild” picks that could be used, but it is unlikely for newer players to have a lot of options when it comes to level 50 Pokémon.
Best Master League Pokémon
All Pokémon listed are ranked at their level 50 or XL stats. If you have a shadow version of any Pokémon listed, use it over the normal one, but most people will not have Shadow Pokémon powered up to level 50.
Lead Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
Dragonite
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Groudon
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Giratina (Altered)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
Palkia
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
Giratina (Origin)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
Lugia
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
Mewtwo
|
Psycho Cut Psychic |
|
Yveltal
|
Snarl Dark |
|
Gyarados
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Meloetta
|
Quick Attack Normal |
|
Switch Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
|
Mewtwo
|
Psycho Cut Psychic |
|
|
Lugia
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
|
Giratina (Altered)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
Zacian
|
Quick Attack Normal |
|
|
Gyarados
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
|
Meloetta
|
Quick Attack Normal |
|
|
Giratina (Origin)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
|
Groudon
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Landorus (Incarnate)
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
|
Palkia
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
Closer Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
Xerneas
|
Tackle Normal |
|
|
Giratina (Origin)
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
Reshiram
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Zekrom
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
|
Groudon
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Ho-Oh
|
Incinerate Fire |
|
|
Lugia
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
|
Yveltal
|
Snarl Dark |
|
Landorus (Therian)
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Dialga
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Best Master League: Premier Classic Pokémon
All Pokémon listed are ranked at their level 50 or XL stats. If you have a shadow version of any Pokémon listed, use it over the normal one, but most people will not have Shadow Pokémon powered up to level 50.
Lead Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
|
Dragonite
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Florges
|
Fairy Wind Fairy |
|
Sneasler
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
|
Gyarados
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Kommo-o
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
Magnezone
|
Spark Electric |
|
Snorlax
|
Lick Ghost |
|
Excadrill
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Togekiss
|
Charm Fairy |
|
Avalugg
|
Ice Fang Ice |
|
Switch Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
|
Gyarados
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow Ice |
|
|
Sneasler
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
Electivire
|
Thunder Shock Electric |
|
Roserade
|
Poison Jab Poison |
|
|
Dragonite
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Metagross
|
Bullet Punch Steel |
|
|
Excadrill
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
|
Florges
|
Fairy Wind Fairy |
|
Garchomp
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
Closer Pokémon
| Pokémon | Best Fast Move | Best Charge Moves |
|---|---|---|
|
Garchomp
|
Mud Shot Ground |
|
|
Metagross
|
Bullet Punch Steel |
|
|
Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow Ice |
|
|
Florges
|
Fairy Wind Fairy |
|
|
Dragonite
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Conkeldurr
|
Counter Fighting |
|
|
Gyarados
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
|
Sneasler
|
Shadow Claw Ghost |
|
|
Kommo-o
|
Dragon Tail Dragon |
|
Goodra
|
Dragon Breath Dragon |
|
Parting Words
When choosing a team, make sure you are covering your type weaknesses and creating a well-balanced team. The lead, switch, and closer positions are important for the current meta and game play, but you can potentially pick outside of these parameters. This is intended to be a general guide to equip you with the necessary knowledge to build a basic team that will perform well in the Master League. For a lot of trainers, maxing CP will be the main focus before battling in the Master League. Use this guide to choose Pokémon who are guaranteed to perform well in this season (and most likely in future seasons).
It’s up to you to choose whichever team you want and create teams, but this guide is intended to make those decisions a little easier. This guide is not exhaustive and does not touch on potential “wild” picks or other honorable mentions to potentially throw off players. Check out our Pokémon PvP Spotlights for in depth analyses. Now, do your best to create a fun and worthy team. If you find a team that works really well for you, please comment it below!
